Indisan Weekender 23 December 2022

Friday, 23 December 2022 

Volume 14 / Issue 40 

Read • Watch • Engage 

www.iwk.co.nz /indianweekendernz /indianweekender 

Indian Weekender wishes all its readers 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 

*Our next edition will be on 20th January 2023 

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Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, 23 December, 2022 

NEW ZEALAND 3 

Chefs not in Green List – 

hospitality sector disappointed 

NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH 

The immigration minister 

and Prime Minister 

Jacinda Ardern recently 

made changes to New 

Zealand’s immigration settings, 

which brought respite to many, 

primarily in the health sector 

and other sectors such as 

construction and transport. 

However, one sector that 

was hoping for good news was 

hospitality, which has long 

demanded to have chefs and 

other much-needed hospitality 

roles included in the Green List. 

However, their exclusion has 

disappointed the sector. 

The Green List contains a 

small number of highly skilled 

roles identified as being in high 

demand globally and in ongoing 

shortage in NZ. 

Eligible migrants working in 

these occupations will have 

clear pathways to residence, 

either through a direct-toresidence 

application or after 

working for two years in NZ, 

depending on the role. 

Talking to Indian Weekender, 

Marisa Bidois, CEO of the 

Restaurant Association of NZ, 

said, “This is another blow for 

our industry which is in the 

Representative Photo 

Julie White 

grips of a staffing crisis. We 

have been asking for chefs to 

"We are beyond frustrated by the 

latest immigration announcement 

that chefs have been left off the 

immigration Green List. We asked 

the government to include chefs 

on the list as a bare minimum, but 

they ignored us, but when it came 

to nurses, they said they listened 

and have now taken action." 

- Julie White, Chief Executive of 

Hospitality NZ 

be included in the green list to 

ensure that any chefs who do 

come here have a pathway to 

residency.” 

Julie White, Chief Executive 

of Hospitality NZ, agreed with 

Bidois and said, “Once again, 

hospitality businesses have 

been ignored. 

"We are beyond frustrated 

by the latest immigration 

announcement that chefs have 

been left off the immigration 

Green List. 

"We asked the government 

to include chefs on the list 

as a bare minimum, but they 

ignored us, but when it came to 

nurses, they said they listened 

and have now taken action. 

They must understand that 

the global shortage of skilled 

staff means we need more 

competitive and attractive 

immigration settings.” 

It may be noted that while 

chefs are allowed to work in NZ, 

they have to uproot their life to 

settle in a country where there 

is no certainty of residency, 

versus Australia, where there 

is automatic residency, which 

puts NZ on a back foot when it 

comes to attracting staff. 

“All we asked for is 

competitive policy settings 

that at least give us a chance of 

attracting people. We are one 

of the industries hardest hit by 

staff shortages. 

Hospitality 

and 

accommodation businesses 

are telling us they will have to 

continue cutting restaurant 

hours and days and refuse 

accommodation bookings 

over the summer because 

they won’t have enough 

staff,” said White. 

Government’s Rationale 

The government, on the other 

hand, has no plans to include 

chefs on the Green List. 

A spokesperson for the 

Minister of Immigration told 

Indian Weekender, “The whole 

world is experiencing labour 

shortages right now. 

Since our borders 

reopened, the Government 

has taken several steps 

to support businesses to 

recruit internationally to fill 

these shortages. 

We’ve worked closely with 

the tourism and hospitality 

industry, supporting them 

by providing median wage 

exemptions for specific roles. 

• Continued on Page

4 

NEW ZEALAND 

Friday, 23 December, 2022 

Kiwi Tamils celebrate 

Christmas Kondattam 

Read online www.iwk.co.nz 


Auckland 

Tamil 

Association’s (ATA) 

Christmas Kondattam 

saw the Kiwi-Tamil community 

soaking in the festive fervour. 

The event took place on 

Saturday (December 17’ 2022) 

at Fickling Convention Centre 

(546 Mount Albert Road, Three 

Kings, Auckland) and was 

attended by nearly 200 people. 

The fun and frolic event 

started off with the singing 

of Christmas carols and 

prayers. It was followed by the 

guest of Honour Immigration 

and Transport Minister 

Michael Wood’s address 

and then speeches by other 

guest speakers. 

Other dignitaries included 

Indian actor-singer Yugendran 

Vasudevan and community 

leader Ravi Nyayapati. 

Sharing his experience, 

minister Wood, who is also 

MP from Mt Roskill, wrote 

on his social media page, 

“It was a joy to attend 

Auckland Tamil Association 

Christmas Celebrations today 

in my electorate. As we know, 

Christmas is all about hope, 

Guests enjoying at Auckland Tamil Associations Christmas celebrations 

peace, joy, and love. It was 

a vibrant evening filled with 

music, games, food and much 

more, and enjoyed by all young 

and old. 

"As always, a wonderful 

event hosted by ATA President 

Vai Ravindran, the executive 

team and volunteers.” 

Some of the highlights of 

the event included a crossword 

quiz created and organised 

by ATA’s in-house talent 

Sandhya Govind, carol singing 

by Pastor Cobb Samuels’s of 

Zion Tabernacle Church in Mt 

Roskill and a Christmas cake 

cutting by Michael Wood in 

presence of ATA’s executive 

committee members. 

Guests, too, couldn’t stop 

gushing about the family event. 

Deep Ramprakash said, “As 

a new member of this family, 

ATA’s Christmas Kondattam 

was an interesting and 

enjoyable experience. I found 

the crossword puzzle family 

most entertaining, and I am 

happy to have won a prize 

for the same. I was excited to 

see our Hon Minister Michael 

Wood, referred to as “Tamil 

Selvan”. It was awesome to see 

him participate in all activities, 

perform the penalty act of 

two facts, and lie on stage 

enthusiastically.” 

ATA’s President Vai Ravindran 

maintained that ‘it is a great 

time to review what we have 

accomplished as a community 

throughout the year with our 

ATA family.” 

He said, “We make it a 

point to celebrate all festivals 

irrespective of religion, so our 

younger generation gets to 

experience different traditions 

cultivating religious harmony 

and peace. 

"Sharing celebrations like 

these allow all ethnic families to 

feel at home.” 

The event ended on a high 

note once the dance floor 

opened and people showed 

their dance moves as DJ 

Vineeth from Wellington played 

his magic. 

Happy 

Christmas! 

Melissa Lee 

National List MP based in Auckland 

MPLee@parliament.govt.nz 

melissalee.co.nz 

mpmelissalee 

Authorised by Melissa Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wellington.


NEW ZEALAND 5 

Chch Ganesha Temple 

new premises inaugurated 

MAHESH KUMAR 

Christchurch’s Sri Ganesha 

Temple moved to its new 

premises with a grand 

opening ceremony thronged by 

hundreds on Sunday, December 

11. The land was bought earlier 

this year at 3 Bishopdale Court, 

Bishopdale, Christchurch. 

The temple comes under 

the umbrella of Sri Ganesha 

Temple Trust, founded in 2018 

with five active trustees and 

a management committee to 

establish a Hindu temple for 

worship and cultural practices in 

the area. While the primary goal 

of the temple was to provide a 

place of worship for the Hindu 

community in Christchurch, the 

Trust also aimed to actively 

promote cultural and religious 

values to young adults and to 

the general public in the South 

Island region. 

The temple started with 

monthly prayer services on the 

IWK BUREAU 

Since we are nearing the 

end of 2022, and the year 

has been a roller coaster 

ride for many of us. 

This is also the time to reflect 

on the year gone by and wish 

for a better year ahead. 

Keeping the festive spirit 

in mind, Narendra Bhana, 

President of New Zealand 

Central Indian Association 

Inc (NZCIA), extends his 

Christmas and a joyful, 

hope-filled New Year. It was 

in April 2022 that Bhana was 

elected as the president of 

NZCIA. For the uninitiated, 

NZCIA was formed in 1926 

as an umbrella organisation 

for regional Indian community 

groups throughout Aotearoa. 

He says, “This is a very 

special time of the year as 

it gives people a break from 

the hustle and bustle of our 

everyday working schedules. It 

gives many of us time to enjoy 

the company of family and 

friends that is often missing for 

the rest of the year. 

"I urge everyone to reflect 

Priest perform the prayer at the opening ceremony at the temple 

second Saturday of each month 

and celebrated many Hindu 

festivals regularly. 

Over the past five years, 

the Sri Ganesha Temple Trust 

has held yoga, meditation, and 

value classes for both children 

and adults in Christchurch and 

online during the COVID-19 

lockdown period. 

on these special moments and 

savour the relationships we 

have tried so hard to cultivate 

over the years. I sincerely hope 

this festive season is perfect 

for everyone and that the 

New Year brings good health, 

happiness, and prosperity to 

everyone’s lives.” 

Bhana defines this year as one 

of the most exciting years for 

him. He explains, “This year has 

been one of the most exciting 

for me. Being elected as the 

President of NZICA means a lot 

to my family and me.” 

It has been a very challenging 

time for New Zealand, especially 

In the absence of a proper 

temple space, poojas and 

related events were held at 

various Christchurch City 

Council halls and online during 

the Covid pandemic. Efforts to 

secure a building with an aim to 

house the temple started with 

fundraising towards a building 

fund. After a substantial 

NZICA President wishes 

community a joyous 2023 

Narendra Bhana 

regarding the increasing crime 

cases and deteriorating law and 

order situation. Reflecting on 

the same, Bhana says, “There 

has been some sadness with 

the loss of young Janak Patel, 

and also to see our hardworking 

business community 

go through so much pain and 

anxiety just to earn a day-today 

living.” 

On a parting note, Bhana 

acknowledged the work done 

by the team of NZICA in keeping 

the Indian community together. 

He says, “I would like to take 

this opportunity to express my 

sincere thanks to my team of 

Officers for the tremendous 

effort they put in daily to make 

sure that the organisation 

achieves its objectives. 

"Their hard work, 

commitment, and dedication 

are greatly appreciated. I would 

also like to express my sincere 

gratitude to our valued Life 

Members, Executive Committee 

members, officers of NZICA 

affiliated branches, and all 

volunteers for their invaluable 

support over the last few 

months.” 

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amount had been 

raised, the team 

sought out 

a piece of 

land or a 

building for 

the temple 

and began 

bidding 

on them 

whenever 

they became 

available. 

After bidding 

successfully on a 

Bishopdale property, the 

Trust held various events to 

raise funds for constructing a 

permanent temple. The Trust 

also received contributions 

from trustees, devotees, and 

loans to secure the property. 

Immediately after the council 

approved the change of 

purpose, renovations began 

and were completed just days 

before December 11, 2022, 

when the temple was officially 

AIAI greets community 

IWK BUREAU 

Since the community has 

gone through a relatively 

rough time in 2022, The 

year-end is all about hopes and 

hoping that the new year brings 

joy and happiness to everyone. 

Well-known community 

leader Dhansukh "On 

Lal, President of behalf of 

Auckland Indian the AIAI and the 

Association Inc entire membership, 

(AIAI) President I wish you all a 

Dhansukh wonderful Christmas, 

Lal has also safe Holidays and 

addressed the a Happy and 

Indian community prosperous New 

on the occasion Year.” 

of Christmas 

and New Year. 

He said, “On behalf of 

the AIAI and the entire 

membership, I wish you all 

a wonderful Christmas, safe 

Holidays and a Happy and 

prosperous New Year.” 

He also revealed that AIAI had 

a very successful 2022, thanks 

to enthusiastic participation 

from its members and the 

Indian community. 

Revealing achievements 

of AIAI in the past year, 

he said, “After two long 

years, we managed to have 

inaugurated. 

The inauguration of the 

premises began on the day at 

6 AM with Vastushanthi pooja, 

Puniyajanam, Lakshmi pooja, and 

Ganapathy homa/havan. These 

were followed by abhishekam, 

alankaram and maha deepam. 

Devotees performed bhajans 

and sang Thevaram and 

other devotional songs and 

performed bharatanatiyam 

dance performances. 

Having completed basic 

renovations on the property 

in Bishopdale, Christchurch, 

the Trust is now looking to 

convert the building into a 

purpose-built temple. In the 

wake of the challenges ahead, 

the management team is urging 

support from the community. 

Dhansukh Lal 

a successful Navratri at 

Mahama Gandhi Centre. In 

September, New Zealand Indian 

Central Association (NZICA) 

recognised our association 

with a Commemorative 

Award for more than 100 

years of service to the wider 

community. AIAI is the oldest 

organisation of Indians in 

Aotearoa, New Zealand. 

"We were also awarded The 

Community of the Year Award 

at the Indian Weekender Hall of 

Fame Awards Night.” 

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6 

NEW ZEALAND 

Soaking in the X-mas spirit 


Since it is the end of the 

year and everyone is 

rejoicing in the festive 

spirit, Auckland saw yet another 

Kiwi-Indian community’s 

Christmas celebration. 

The event was organised 

by New Zealand Telugu 

Association (NZTA) and took 

place in Waikowhai Room at 

Fickling Convention Centre in 

Three Kings. 

Around 60 people attended 

this event, including known 

faces from the community such 

as Dr Vijaya Dasari, Siva Kilari 

and Rani Nallam. 

The event on Saturday 

(December 17) started with 

attendees offering prayers to 

the Lord Jesus, led by Rev Paul, 

Pastor of the Nazarene church. 

Guests were also seen enjoying 

carols sung by Sister Charity 

Ruth Ongoor and assisted by 

Paul on the guitar. 

As no Christmas celebration 

is complete without gift 

distribution by Santa, this 

event also saw guests getting 

visibly excited as they received 

gifts from Santa. 

Everyone, including children 

and adults alike, were seen 

participating in the family fun 

games organised by NZTA 

committee members. 

The family fun-filled event 

culminated with guests enjoying 

delicious lunch. 

Some glimpses of the Christmas celebrations by NZTA 

One of the guests, Swati 

Reddy, told the Indian 

Weekender, “ It was a wellorganised 

event. I thoroughly 

enjoyed taking part in the 

games, especially musical 

chairs. It was a great event 

and gave an opportunity to 

celebrate Christmas with our 

Telugu community.” 

It may be noted that earlier, 

this event was supposed to 

happen at Coyle Park at Pt 

Chev, but due to the uncertain 

weather, the organisers had to 

change the venue last minute. 

Says Suneel Kuncha, General 

Secretary NZTA, “Even though 

there was a last-minute change 

to the venue, it was encouraging 

to see members coming along 

and joining us for the Christmas 

celebrations. 

"It was great to see our NZTA 

family having a gala time. All the 

team members were pleased 

by how things worked out 

in the end.” 



Storm clouds building 

over NZ economy 

IWK BUREAU 

The latest BusinessNZ 

Planning Forecast 

reveals that while 

things might look favourable 

at first, there are several 

factors which are still cause for 

economic concern. 

Both Treasury and the 

Reserve Bank have predicted 

the economy will go into a 

shallow recession by the second 

half of next year. 

BusinessNZ’s forecast for the 

December 2022 quarter aligns 

with this prediction. 

BusinessNZ Chief Executive 

Kirk Hope says household 

spending is set to be slashed, 

with mortgage-holding Kiwis in 

for a tough time in particular. 

“Inflation remains well above 

the Reserve Bank’s 1-3 percent 

target and interest rates are 

set to soar in the new year, 

meaning many households will 

not feel the full impact until 

mortgages start to be refixed 

from 2023. 

“Combined with elevated 

levels of household debt, 

increased mortgage payments 

will potentially put significant 

pressure on people and their 

budgets, even more so when 

our record low unemployment 

level starts to rise again.” 

Internationally, 

the 

global economic outlook 

has deteriorated with both 

continuing geopolitical risks and 

supply chain disruption. 

“There is some evidence 

of inflationary pressures 

declining in some key markets 

like the United States, while 

international oil prices have 

taken a dive largely on the 

back of recession fears,” 

Mr. Hope says. 

The BusinessNZ Economic 

Conditions Index sits at 0 for 

the December quarter, down 

6 on the previous quarter and 

down 1 on this time last year. 

Continuing low levels of 

business and consumer 

confidence, combined with 

entrenched inflationary 

expectations and rising interest 

rates, are continuing to take a 

toll on the index. 

The Index tracks 33 economic 

indicators including GDP, export 

volumes, commodity prices, 

inflation, debt, and business 

and consumer confidence. 

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NEW ZEALAND 7 

‘Robbers know there are 

no consequences,’ says 

Hamilton dairy owner 


The past week’s incident 

at Hamilton’s Irvine St 

Dairy, where a dairy 

worker had two fingers cut 

off in a violent robbery, has 

shocked the whole community. 

According to Irvine St Dairy 

owner Puneet Singh, four males 

entered the dairy around 7:20 

am on Saturday (December 

17) when his worker had just 

opened the shop, one carrying 

a machete. When his worker 

tried to run to the back room to 

save himself, he was attacked 

with the machete. 

“The machete hit my worker’s 

hand, and his fingers fell on the 

floor, two of the fingers,” Singh 

was quoted as saying. 

“The government should take 

it seriously. If you don’t look 

after the people, there’s no 

point. And it’s not only my shop, 

it’s happening everywhere,” he 

said. 

Singh also maintained that he 

was on edge because those who 

commit such robbers “know 

there are no consequences.” 

The police are yet to catch 

the offenders. 

Following the incident, on 

Monday (December 19), the 

National Party’s Member of 

Parliament and Spokesperson 

for Ethnic Communities, Melissa 

Lee, along with former National 

Party MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, 

travelled to Hamilton to meet 

Singh. Ravinder Singh Samra 

from the Hamilton Sikh Temple 

joined them. 

Sharing her experience, Lee 

wrote on her social media page, 

“For small ethnic business 

communities like Puneet and 

his team at the Irvine Street 

Dairy, these attacks not only 

are terrifying but traumatic 

when they are just trying to 

build a life in our country. The 

Government must do more to 

end the crime now.” 

Mr Bakshi, too, maintained 

that the present government 

of NZ has failed to ensure the 

safety of its citizens”. He said, 

“The crime is increasing not 

by the day but by the minute 

in NZ. Is this the NZ we want? 

Every Kiwi deserves to feel safe 

in their home, business and 

community. 

“The present government of 

NZ has failed significantly in 

this. We all don’t deserve to live 

in stress and fear. People have 

lost hope in this government. 

Laws need to be changed and 

changed swiftly before it is too 

late. This government needs to 

wake up.” 

He revealed that when they 

met Singh, he raised many 

issues related to safety, 

business challenges, and the 

workforce shortage. “He was 

very disappointed, frustrated 

and traumatised.” 

While in Hamilton, Mr Bakshi, 

along with Lee, also visited 

the family of Janak Patel – the 

dairy worker who was killed 

in an aggravated robbery on 

November 23 in Rose Cottage 

Superette in Sandringham. 

They asked them about their 

well-being and assured them of 

any help they could provide. 

$26m funding 

boost for rural 

school bus drivers 

RNZ 

Wage rates of rural 

school bus drivers will 

soon be consistent 

with those who drive for 

comparable public transport 

services. The government is 

investing an additional $26 

million over four years for the 

wage increase. 

Minister of Education Chris 

Hipkins said the ministry can 

now ensure driver wages for 

funded services do not fall out 

of step with wage rates for 

comparable public transport 

services. 

“While driver availability 

tends not to be such an issue 

for rural school buses, we want 

to ensure that remains the 

case by offering comparable 

rates in line with any major 

movements.” 

Hipkins said ministry officials 

and schools will work with 

operators to pass on the 

additional funding to drivers 

from the start of next year. 

Operators have to opt in 

to receive the funding and 

must agree to pass it, and any 

subsequent increases, onto 

their drivers. Last week, school 

bus drivers warned their pay 

was falling behind those at the 

wheels of urban public transport 

routes, potentially leading to 

shortages next year. 

Bank of Baroda New Zealand 

team wishes everyone 

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8 

NEW ZEALAND 


Migrant Careers holds 


IWK BUREAU 

Migrant Careers Support 

Trust, which has 

been active in the 

community for the past three 

years, had an end-of-year event 

on December 9. It comprised a 

panel discussion on ‘Careers in 

Governance’. 

The panellists included 

Raf Manji, Leader of the 

Opportunities Party; Mitali 

Purohit, Principal, Nuance 

Connected Capital; and Malcom 

Fraser, Program Director, The 

i4 Institute and a Governance 

New Zealand representative. 

The discussion was moderated 

by Garry Gupta, Chairperson of 

the Trust. 

This workshop was a sample 

of things to come, said Gupta. 

He commented, “We will be 

partnering with Governance NZ 

next year, to deliver workshops 

for migrants, on how to navigate 

a career in governance. With 

rising awareness of diversity 

on board, NZ companies are 

looking for varied talent to sit 

on boards. We need to ensure 

that there is a good talent pool 

as well, that is well informed and 

trained to take up the job. This 

initiative is in that direction.” 

This was followed by an 

acknowledgement of the 

‘Career Clinic’ experts who 

have guided skilled migrants 

with counselling. Under this 

workshop on Governance 

"With rising 

awareness of 

diversity on board, 

NZ companies are 

looking for varied 

talent to sit on 

boards. We need to 

ensure that there is 

a good talent pool 

as well, that is well 

informed and trained 

to take up the job. 

This initiative is in 

that direction.” 

project, each candidate 

gets three customised 

1-2-1 hour-long sessions 

with career consultants, 

completely free of cost. 

A series of recorded and 

live feedback from those who 

had benefited from the career 

workshops and counselling 

in the past six months was 

presented at the event. 

The event was a tribute to 

both the silent workers and the 

facilitators who work tirelessly 

behind the scene, as well as 

those whose lives are touched 

by these gestures. 

Migrant Careers will continue 

to hold the career clinic and 

job seeker workshops in 

the next year. 

The schedule will be 

announced in January 2023. 

• Continued from Page 3 

Since our borders reopened, 

we have received visas for over 

1476 cooks, 612 chefs, 165 

restaurant managers, and 281 

other hospitality workers.” 

The spokesperson further 

maintained that there is a 

steady return of other key 

labour sources, with close to 

22,000 working holiday visitors 

arriving in the country out of 

the 40,000 approved since 

March and thousands more 

are expected to arrive in the 

coming months. 

The spokesperson said, “To 

help these sectors retain the 

staff, we have extended the 

visas of working holiday makers 

already in NZ with visas expiring 

between 26 August 2022 and 

31 May 2023 by six months. 

We have also provided an 

additional opportunity for those 

who previously held a working 

holiday visa but didn’t travel 

due to Covid-19 to come to NZ 

for the summer. At this time, 

there are no plans to include 

chefs in the Green List.” 

Experts’ take 

Indian Weekender also spoke 

to immigration advisors about 

their take on the issue. 

Jasmine Bath 

Jasmine Bath, Director of 

Flat Bush-based immigration 

consultancy Immigration Guru, 

says, “I believe the government 

has not included chefs in the 

Green List as it has statistics 

which show that working holiday 

visa holders fill hospitality jobs 

including the role of chef. 

“Moreover, Chefs can apply 

for Accredited Employer work 

visas for three years at a time. 

They can qualify for residence 

under the points system, 

which will open in 2023 with 

new criteria.” 

According to Bath, in 

the financial year June 

2021 to July 2022 - INZ 

approved 4,792 chefs’ 

work visas. 

Tuariki Delamere 

Former immigration minister 

and director of TDA Immigration 

Tuariki Delamere believes 

prioritising nurses and doctors 

was more important than any 

other occupation. 

He says, “I thought the 

government was monumentally 

wrong not to have doctors 

and nurses on the Green List 

because those are the people 

we need to care for the nation’s 

health. But, while we have a 

shortage of chefs, I believe 

that doctors and nurses have 

a much higher priority and 

urgency than chefs.” 

Delamere also notes that one 

of the problems in the hospitality 

sector is the corruption within 

the restaurant sector, where 

employers routinely exploit 

employees (including chefs), 

and many restaurant employers 

are still selling their jobs to 

willing migrant applicants, 

among others.


NEW ZEALAND 9 

Christchurch Keralites 

celebrate Christmas 

MAHESH KUMAR 

Kerala Christchurch 

Forum hosted its annual 

Christmas and New year 

celebration on Saturday, 17 

December, at the Riccarton 

High School. 

Christchurch’s sizeable 

Keralite community celebrates 

Christmas with great enthusiasm 

and joy. Traditionally, it is 

marked by attending special 

church services, singing carols, 

and exchanging gifts with 

friends and family. 

The event began at 7 

PM with approximately 

250 people attending 

dressed in festive attire. 

Organisers had lined up 12 

different cultural performances, 

including traditional dance and 

musical performances that 

were enjoyed and applauded by 

the audience. 

Santa took to the stage and 

invited all the kids on the stage. 

All the children received candy 

from Santa and had a great 

time. The chief guest this year 

was Yogesh Bhargava from 

Team Yogesh Bhargava from 

Harcourts as our chief guest. 

The event Prudha Raj as 

Emcee for the night. 

The event was scheduled to 

take place at the Middleton 

grange school but due the 

high number of ticket sale 

and considering the parking, 

it was moved to the Riccarton 

High school.Two weeks prior 

to the event, the team visited 

and sang Christmas carols 

at more than 50 houses 

across Christchurch. 

There were also gifts 

distributed to kids along with 

our KCF Christmas card and 

calendars of 2023. 

The celebration was put 

together by the energetic KCF 

team led by Binu Thomas, 

Syam Dev, Twinkle Antoney, 

Unni Krishnan, Anitha Chacko, 

Anoop Bhasi, Sree Dev, Tity 

Thomas and other volunteers. 

The event was sponsored 

by Generation Homes, Team 

Yogesh Bhargava, Kannangara 

Thomson, Solidity Financial 

Services, 5 River Spice Bazaar, 

True Value Cars, Impact 

Outdoors, Eco Travels and 

Malayali Kada. 

Auckland mayor 

says Pasifika, Diwali 

will avoid budget axe 

RNZ 

Big local cultural 

celebrations such as 

Pasifika, Diwali and 

the Lantern Festival will 

not face funding cuts, but 

other local events are not 

so certain, Auckland mayor 

Wayne Brown says. 

Brown is making the 

reassurance after his budget 

proposal included stopping 

regional contestable grants, 

which is behind several big 

events including Polyfest. 

He is sending a letter to Tātaki 

Auckland Unlimited, requiring it 

to continue to support Pasifika, 

Diwali and the Auckland 

Lantern Festival. 

“Events like these have 

helped make Auckland the 

vibrant region that it is,” he 

said in a statement. 

“There is no doubt that 

each of these festivals will 

continue to be supported by 

Auckland Council Group in the 

next financial year, despite the 

current economic storm.” 

The statement said Brown 

would not yet comment on 

funding for other specific local 

events which include events 

such as Big Gay Out and the 

Wayne Brown 

Highland Games. Auckland 

Council Group currently faces a 

budget deficit of $295 million 

for the 2023-24 financial year. 

Brown has set a savings target 

of $60m and has proposed a 

variety of cuts and rate rises. 

Brown has also 

proposed selling off the 

council ’s 18 percent stake in 

Auckland Airport. 

Brown said the council will 

listen to Aucklanders through 

the public consultation on the 

draft annual budget. 

“These proposed savings 

require some tough decisions, 

and we will listen to what 

Aucklanders say matter 

most to them through public 

consultation on the draft annual 

budget in March 2023.” 

The final budget will be 

approved in June. 

Bank of India (New Zealand) Ltd 

Bank of India (NZ) Ltd 

wishes everyone 

Services we offer : 

1. Opening of Zero balance saving account 

2. Free remittance to India with attractive exchange rate 

3. Same day credit to any bank in India. 

Contact here: 

Auckland: 09 9265797 

Papatoetoe: 09 2781784 

www.bankofindia.co.nz 

Head Office: 

10 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland 1023 

Papatoetoe branch: 

31 East Tamaki Road, Papatoetoe, Manukau 2025

4 

INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY SPECIAL 2022 

An increasing tidal 

wave of crime 

In these past months, the increasing 

crime, especially ram raids, has concerned 

New Zealanders the most. In recent 

months, New Zealand has witnessed 

daily reports of gang crime, ram raids 

and robberies, making rising crime in NZ 

a national concern. News articles about 

crime in Auckland are a daily occurrence. 

Friday, June 24, 2022 


2022 YEAR-END WRAP UP 

NEW ZEALAND WRAP UP 

Shopping malls, high-end stores, 

dairies and even parlours are being hit 

by vehicle-mounted thieves targeting 

clothing, cigarettes, luxury goods, and 

other attractive portable items. 

Once known for its low crime rates, 

New Zealand is no longer safe. Frustration 

is mounting 

among the 

business 

and wider 

community as 

the relentless 

ram raids and 

burglaries 

cost them 

“stock, staff, 

and sleep.” 

Protests 

asking the 

Immigration changes 

This year brought relief for many 

migrants who dreamt of making New 

Zealand their home. On October 12, 

Immigration minister Michael Wood 

made the much-awaited announcement 

to confirm the reopening of the parent 

and skilled migrant residence visas. 

For those 1800 previous Post Study 

Work Visas holders who missed out 

because of the border closure in 2020-21 

during the COVID-19 pandemic, the govt 

announced that they would be provided 

with a 12-month Open Work Visa. 

The Green List settings also 

expanded to include more professions in 

healthcare, education and construction 

sectors to give a competitive edge 

in a highly competitive global 

environment. Registered nurses and 

midwives were given an immediate 

pathway to the residence, including 

those already in New Zealand, from 

December 15, 2022. 

It was also announced that from March 

2023, the work-to-residence pathway 

will be further expanded to include all 

teachers and will add in additional roles 

such as drain layers, motor mechanics 

and skilled civil machine operators. 

Other changes included automatically 

extending employer accreditation by 

12 months if their first accreditation is 

applied for by July 4 2023. Introducing 

a streamlined Specific Purpose work 

visa to help keep the approximate 2,500 

long-term critical workers already in 

the country to continue to work in their 

current role for up to three years. 

The news of the death of Indian 

national Janak Patel, who was fatally 

stabbed during an alleged robbery at the 

Rose Cottage Superette in Sandringham 

on November 23, shook the entire 

community to the core. Not only this, just 

days ago, on December 17, in an attack 

at Irvine St dairy in Hamilton, a dairy 

worker lost a finger and a thumb after a 

machete-wielding robber attacked him 

during a violent robbery. 

government to take immediate steps and 

stricter actions against the offenders 

were also held in different parts of the 

country. 

Indian EAM S Jaishankar’s 

New Zealand visit 

Indian External 

Affairs Minister 

Subrahmanyam 

Jaishankar visited 

NZ in October and 

became India’s first 

foreign minister to 

visit New Zealand 

since 2001. Apart 

from holding bilateral 

meetings with 

NZ ministers and 

officials, he formally 

inaugurated the new Chancery 

building at the High Commission 

of India in Wellington and 

attended the Indian Weekender 

Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame in 

Auckland, where he was the guest 

of honour and Prime Minister 

Jacinda Ardern was the Chief Guest. 

Dr Jaishankar was recognised as 

a “Global Indian Icon” on behalf of the 

Kiwi-Indian Community in NZ by Prime 

Minister Jacinda Ardern during the Indian 

Weekender Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame in 

Auckland on October 6. He was presented 

with an exquisitely carved koru specially 

crafted from kauri wood for the occasion. 

At a press conference with NZ foreign 

minister Nanaia Mahuta in Auckland, 

Jaishankar was publicly critical of 

New Zealand’s 

unwillingness to 

renew visas for 

Indian students 

who had left 

New Zealand 

during the 

Covid-19 pandemic 

and called for ‹fairer 

and more sympathetic 

treatment›. 

Talking about the diplomatic between 

her and Jaishankar, Mahuta was quoted 

as saying, “Our meeting was an important 

opportunity to continue the momentum 

in the relationship, build on the reopening 

of our borders, and meet once again in 

person. Despite the world’s challenges, 

we can be optimistic about our future,” 

Nanaia Mahuta said. 

Economic woes 

New Zealanders faced pressure at the 

pump, mayhem with their mortgages, and 

a crisis at the checkout. The cost-ofliving 

crisis only got worse in 2022 and 

continues to be so. 

New Zealanders are being warned 

to “prepare now” for what ASB predicts 

will be a “challenging 2023” due to 

“stubbornly high” inflation and an official 

cash rate expected to hit a 14-year high. 

On Tuesday, ASB released its December 

quarterly economic forecast, predicting 

New Zealand will enter a recession in 2023 

with rising unemployment, high inflation 

and climbing interest rates. “Prepare 

now for a challenging 2023,” ASB chief 

economist Nick Tuffley had said. 

Inflation sat at 7.2 per cent in the 

September quarter, down from 7.3 per 

cent in the June quarter. New Zealand’s 

reserve bank has forecast that the 

country will tip into recession in 2023 

and has lifted the official cash rate by an 

unprecedented 75 basis points to 4.25%. 

Moreover, the Reserve Bank’s official 

cash rate (OCR) is forecast to rise to 5.5 

per cent by mid-2023. 

The bank was also forecasting house 

prices to drop up to 25 per cent from 

last year’s peak, with prices expected to 

stabilise in 2024. 

NZ Borders reopen 

New Zealand’s international border 

opened to all visitors, including from nonvisa 

waiver countries and international 

students, from 11:59 PM, July 31 2022. 

From July 4, all work visa categories 

were open for applications, including 

the Accredited Employer Work Visa, 

and from July 31, all student and visitor 

visa categories reopened. The maritime 

border will also reopen on July 31. 

“As we warmly welcome the world 

back to our shores, it’s the perfect time 

to showcase New Zealand to the world,” 

Immigration Minister Michael Wood had 

said. 

In 2021, New Zealand had some of the 

world’s strictest pandemic restrictions, 

including lockdowns triggered by a 

single Covid case, extensive testing and 

numerous public 

health mandates. 

New Zealand first 

announced a phased 

reopening plan in 

February. It allowed vaccinated citizens 

to return from Australia that month and 

those coming from elsewhere to return in 

March. 

NZ started welcoming tourists from 

more than 50 countries on a visa-waiver 

list in May 2022. 

New Zealand borders shut in March 

2020 to keep out Covid-19. 

Another significant milestone was 

that after two years, two months and 17 

days since its first facilities were stood 

up, MIQs finally closed on June 27’2022. 

Auckland’s Holiday Inn, Jet Park, and 

Waipuna hotels were the last MIQ 

facilities in operation. 

At the height of Covid 19 pandemic, 

MIQ operated a total of 32 facilities in 

Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Wellington 

and Christchurch.

Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, June 24, 2022 

INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY SPECIAL 2022 5 

India's first tribal President 

India created history when Droupadi 

Murmu became the country's first 

president from the tribal community. 

64-year-old Murmu comes from the 

Mayurbhanj district of Odisha and 

belongs to the Santhal tribe, won with an 

overwhelming majority by bagging 64.03 

per cent of the electoral college votes, 

defeating the Opposition candidate 

Yashwant Sinha who secured 35.97 per 

cent votes. She was sworn-in oath as 

India's 15th President in July this year. 

Murmu is a 64-year-old teacher turned 

politician who joined mainstream politics 

and served as a BJP state lawmaker in 

Odisha before becoming governor of the 

eastern state of Jharkhand. 

Murmu, who is the second woman to 

hold the largely ceremonial role as head 

of the republic took over from Ram Nath 

Kovind. 

2022 State elections 

It was a busy election year in India with some of the major 

states going to polls for State legislative assembly, local 

body elections. In February and March, five Indian states 

had more than 180 million voters in 690 Assembly 

constituencies voting amid a massive surge in Covid 

cases. In Goa, the BJP emerged as the single largest 

party with 20 seats in the 40-seat Assembly. The 

Congress won 11 seats with its alliance partner GFP one. 

In Uttarakhand, the ruling BJP secured retained power 

comfortably winning 47 seats. 

Punjab saw a change when the Aam Admi Party scored a 

spectacular victory winning 92 seats. AAP's Punjab Chief Bhagwant Mann was 

sworn in as the Chief Minister. 

Manipur elections had BJP retaining power by becoming the second party after the 

Congress to get majority in the State’s 60-member Assembly. The party won 32 seats. 

In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP registered an emphatic win as Chief Minister Yogi 

Adityanath become the first incumbent returning to power after serving a full term. 

In November, Congress wrested power from the BJP in Himachal Pradesh by 

winning 40 out of the 68 assembly seats. 

The year ended with another landslide victory for BJP when in December, it took 156 

of 182 total seats in the Gujarat state assembly. 

2022 YEAR-END WRAP UP 

INDIA & WORLD WRAP UP 

India assumes year-long 

presidency of G20 

On 1 December 2022, India 

began its year-long presidency 

of the Group of 20 (G20) taking 

over from Indonesia. 

G20 was formed in 1999 

amidst the financial crisis that 

swept through Southeast Asian 

economies at the time, as a 

forum for finance ministers 

and central bank governors. It 

now includes heads of state 

and governments. The group 

comprises 19 countries and the European 

Union, representing around 85% of the 

world's GDP. 

The summit this year will be attended 

by around 30 heads of state and 

government, from G20 members and 

invited countries. 

As president, India will have the 

Rest in peace 

India lost many of its icons this year. Celebrated playback singer Lata Mangeshkar 

died at the age of 92 while Kathak leegnd Pt Birju Maharaj passed away at 83. Punjabi 

singer Sidhu Moosewala was tragically shot dead in Punjab . 

Lata Mangeshkar 

Bappi Lahiri 

Sidhu Moosewala 

Raju Srivastava 

opportunity to set the global economic 

governance agenda for the year, shape 

the international policy discourse and 

align its national priorities with its global 

aspirations. 

The 18th G20 Heads of State and 

Government Summit will take place on 

9th-10th September 2023 in New Delhi. 

KK 

Pt Birju Maharaj 

Prince Charles becomes the new King of England at age 73 

Shinzo Abe assassinated 

Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister 

of Japan was assassinated on 8 July 

2022 while speaking at a political event. 

He was shot from behind at close range 

by a man with a homemade firearm. Abe 

was transported by a medical helicopter 

to Nara Medical University Hospital, 

where he was pronounced dead. 

King Charles III, the 62nd British monarch to serve over the 

past 1,200 years, ascended to the throne on September 8, 2022. 

Queen Elizabeth II was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. 

Following her death on Thursday, Sep. 8 in Scotland, 

Prince Charles automatically succeeded her as king of the 

United Kingdom. 

As former colonies and current members of the Commonwealth 

of Nations observed national mourning in the wake of 

the queen's death, the impact of the death was felt 

throughout the world. 

King Charles III's coronation will be on Saturday 

6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London. 

Russia Invades Ukraine 

On February 24, Russia launched 

a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The 

war has since killed thousands and 

displaced millions. The West reacted by 

imposing comprehensive financial and 

trade sanctions on Russia. The war has 

impacted the world economy and the 

trade system that was still recovering 

from the pandemic induced recession. 

UK's PM Rishi Sunak 

Rishi Sunak a practising Hindu was 

named UK's Prime Minister on Diwali. 

He is the first Indian-heritage Prime 

Minister of UK. He previously held two 

cabinet positions under Boris Johnson. 

Sunak was born in Southampton to 

parents of Indian descent who migrated 

to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s. 

The pandemic carries on 

Now, nearly three years into the crisis, 

Covid cases continue to be registered across 

various countries. As of 18 December 2022, the 

pandemic had caused more than 653 million 

cases and 6.66 million confirmed deaths, 

making it one of the deadliest in history. 

Currently, as the year ends, China is 

witnessing another deadly wave of Covid cases 

with global health experts worried that a nation 

of 1.4 billion people is inadequately vaccinated 

and may not have the healthcare tools to treat 

a wave of illness expected to kill more than one 

million people through 2023.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

“I promised to tackle the spike in prices at the pump 

caused by Putin’s war. Now, gas prices are at the cheapest 

levels since June 2021. And I’m not done yet.” 

– US President Joe Biden 

Editorial 

A year blighted by 

crime and inflation 

2022 is etched in public memory as a year of protests, blighted by rampant 

inflation. 

The anti-vaccine mandate stir that kickstarted the year with the 

occupation of the Parliament grounds in February has morphed into protestors 

taking to the streets in December over rising crime. 

The protests, then and now have the police occupying front and centre of the 

stage. 

In February, the law enforcers were accused by protestors of overdoing their 

part in the ensuing crackdown. 

In December, the police are charged by protestors with not doing enough to 

stop retail crime. 

The role of the police as the instrument of State authority has bedevilled 

the Labour government, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern articulating the 

government’s policy around policing. 

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, facing questions from MPs on youth 

crime, ram raids and firearms during Parliament’s annual police review, noted 

that children aged under 14 were not old enough to be criminally culpable for 

the shop lifting and public intimidation that they were committing, saying the 

police had “done their job, in cases involving under 14-year-olds, once they had 

been referred to other agencies.” 

Contrast this to Coster’s belligerent utterances during the Parliament 

occupation back in February when he said the anti-Covid vaccine mandate 

protest in Wellington was “no longer tenable.” 

This softening of the police line on tackling crime 10 months on, has left 

migrant communities in particular feeling vulnerable. 

Following the brazen killing of dairy worker Janak Patel in Auckland in November, 

police were forced to review their policy on pursuing offenders fleeing in cars. 

Coster agreed that the earlier no-pursuits policy had emboldened criminals to 

attempt to escape police by driving away at high speeds. 

However, Coster also cautioned against expecting a major change in direction, 

saying the current policy had been successful in saving lives. Deaths associated 

with fleeing drivers had dropped. 

If law and order (or lack thereof) has been a running theme through the year, 

the pandemic served as the larger backdrop. 

Once international borders reopened, travellers to NZ were subjected to a 

government-run quarantine for two weeks, under the faintly Orwellian title of 

Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ). 

Under MIQ, travellers self-isolated in hotel rooms, stepping out for an hour of 

exercise daily, before being released into the public. 

MIQ later caused much heartburn when travellers had to pick lots to qualify 

for a hotel booking. 

Until mid-year, the public were subjected to a carry-over of Covid-era 

restrictions, such as social distancing and the wearing of masks. Gatherings 

were prohibited and visits to the supermarket were curtailed to once a week. 

Contact tracing measures, such as scan-in of personal details before entering 

public premises, were still in place. 

The zoom meeting became embedded as the safe means of transacting with 

others. 

People and even countries operated within cloistered spaces or “bubbles.” 

When the bubble with Australia closed, many Kiwis found themselves stranded 

across the ditch. 

Though civil liberties were slowly restored, carrying a vaccine pass was 

compulsory. This meant people lost their jobs for non-compliance with the 

vaccine mandate. 

During this period, the government also subsidised businesses across the 

country, which economists say fuelled inflation and ushered in the current costof-living 

crisis. 

Currently, a Royal Commission of Inquiry is looking into the government’s 

Covid response during that period. 

The legacy of its Covid management has left the Labour government 

embattled in Parliament. It has had to fend off routine Opposition onslaughts on 

the future of the economy, with Ardern falling back on her stock response that 

her government’s Covid policy had “saved lives.” 

However, as the year closes, the focus has shifted to the pressing issue of 

spiralling crime. 

Going into an election year, the government is under pressure to get tough 

on crime. 

IN FOCUS : Picture of the week 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a meeting with Google 

and Alphabet Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai on Monday 

(December 19, 2022) and said it was a delight to discuss 

innovation, technology and more issues with him. 

This week in New Zealand’s history 

23 December 1953 

Queen Elizabeth II arrives for royal tour 

For the New Zealanders who experienced it, the visit of the young Queen and 

her dashing husband, Prince Philip, in the summer of 1953–4 was a never-to-be 

forgotten event. 

25 December 1814 

First Christian mission established 

At Hohi (Oihi) Beach in the Bay of Islands, Samuel Marsden preached in English to 

a largely Māori gathering, launching New Zealand’s first Christian mission. 


First ascent of Mt Cook 

At 1.30 on the afternoon of Christmas Day 1894, three young men became the 

first to stand atop Aoraki/Mt Cook, the highest mountain in the colony. 


‘Black Saturday’ in Samoa 

New Zealand military police fired on Mau independence demonstrators in Apia, 

killing 11 Samoans, including the independence leader Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III. 


Grey leaves New Zealand after first term as governor 

During his first term as governor, George Grey was praised for ending the Northern 

War and obtaining land from Māori, but he angered settlers by delaying the 

implementation of a constitution that would have given them some political power. 


First Gathering dance festival held 

On New Year’s Eve around 4000 people made their way to the remote location of 

Canaan Downs, Tākaka, to take part in the first Gathering, a two-day festival for 

electronic dance music fans. 

Indian Weekender : Volume 14 Issue 40 

Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited 

Editor: Dev Nadkarni | dev@indianweekender.co.nz 

Graphic Designer: Yashmin Chand | design@indianweekender.co.nz 

Multimedia Specialist: Karan Bhasin | 022 0772 156 | karan@indianweekender.co.nz 

Accounts and Admin.: 09-2173623 | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz 

Auckland Reporter: Navdeep Kaur Marwah: | 021 952 246 | navdeep@indianweekender.co.nz 

Waikato Reporter: Sandeep Singh | 021 952 245 | sandeep@indianweekender.co.nz 

Wellington Reporter: Venu Menon | 021 538 356 | venu@indianweekender.co.nz 

Christchurch Reporter: Mahesh Kumar | 021 952 218 | mahesh@indianweekender.co.nz 

Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher 

is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication 

Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent 

the views of the team at the Indian Weekender 

Kiwi Media Publishing Limited - 133A, Level 1, Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland. 

Printed at Horton Media, Auckland 

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Send your suggestions and feedback to editor@indianweekender.co.nz


FIJI 13 

New chapter for Fiji - 

Rabuka to lead coalition 

RNZ 

Fiji's main opposition 

parties, led by Sitiveni 

Rabuka, have formed 

a coalition to oust Frank 

Bainimarama's FijiFirst 

government. There were 

jubilant scenes in Suva 

overnight as the kingmaker 

in Fiji's general election, the 

Social Democratic Liberal Party 

(Sodelpa) declared it was 

partnering with the People's 

Alliance (PA) and the National 

Federation Party (NFP) to form 

a new coalition government to 

end FijiFirst's eight-year reign. 

The decision was made in 

a secret ballot by Sodelpa's 

30-member management board 

- 16 voted in favour of the PA- 

NFP alliance and 14 for FijiFirst 

- after three days of intense 

negotiations. The result marks 

the end of an era - 16 years of 

political dominance by the coup 

leader turned prime minister 

Bainimarama. 

Sodelpa's chief negotiator, 

Anare Jale, said their decision 

to side with PA-NFP had not 

been taken lightly and they had 

given full consideration to the 

offers from all parties. 

"It has taken days to decide 

on the way forward for the 

party," Jale said. 

"Especially the choice of the 

partner for whom we are going 

Done deal! Coalition agreement signed - Second from left Sodelpa chief negotiator Anare 

Jale, People's Alliance leader Sitiveni Rabuka, National Federation Party leader Biman 

Prasad and Ro Teimumu Kepa former Sodelpa Leader. 20 December 2022 Photo: National 

Federation Party 

to form a coalition with to 

form government." Sodelpa's 

kingmaker position came about 

after a contentious national 

election count which saw PA 

leader Sitiveni Rabuka calling 

into question the integrity of 

the electoral system. But now 

in the driving seat, Rabuka said 

it's water under the bridge. 

"We thank the Electoral 

Commission, although we had 

some difficulties with them in 

the beginning. But now let it 

roll over. I'm sure we can all 

turn our back on that and work 

together," Rabuka said. 

Rabuka returns as Fiji's leader 

The new coalition has selected 

Rabuka to be prime minister. He 

will be elected during the first 

sitting of of the new parliament 

on Wednesday, confirmed by 

NFP leader, Biman Prasad. 

"Official communication will 

be with sent to his Excellency 

the President, confirming 

that the PA-NFP-Sodelpa 

government is ready to lead 

under the new prime minister 

Sitiveni Rabuka," Prasad said. 

The coalition leaders said 

they were pleased to be able to 

give the people of Fiji this early 

Christmas present - a strong and 

united coalition government. 

Rabuka acknowledged the 

tough election race. 

"I thank the outgoing 

government and the Prime 

Minister Frank Bainimarama and 

his FijiFirst party," Rabuka said. 

"The people have spoken. 

People have chosen. A new way, 

a new path a new government. 

"We promise the people of 

Fiji a new era will be starting as 

the new government takes on 

the power of this country." 

Sitiveni Rabuka was Fiji's 

prime minister from 1992 to 

1999. The outgoing prime 

minister Frank Bainimarama has 

yet to concede the elections. 

RNZ Pacific has contacted 

his FijiFirst party. There have 

been no updates on the party's 

Facebook page for four days. 

Fiji PM Bainimarama out as 

opposition reaches coalition deal 

Fijian opposition parties 

have reached a deal to 

form a new coalition 

government, ending Prime 

Minister Frank Bainimarama's 

nearly 16-year rule. 

His Fiji First party and the rival 

People's Alliance, led by Sitiveni 

Rabuka, were left in a deadlock 

following last week's election. 

The kingmaking Social 

Democrat Liberal Party 

(SODELPA) has now voted 

16-14 in favour of backing Mr 

Rabuka. 

"[The people] have voted for 

change and we have given them 

that," he said. 

The decision comes after two 

days of intense courting of the 

right-wing SODELPA and its 

three seats by Fiji First and the 

People's Alliance. SOPDELA's 

leader, Viliame Rgoibulu Gavoka, 

has demanded key ministerial 

posts in any new government. 

The centre-left National 

Federation Party, which made 

a pre-election deal with the 

People's Alliance, will also be 

involved in the new government. 

The coalition announcement 

has broader regional 

significance. Both parties 

have signalled a desire to cool 

relations with China, which 

has been steadily increasing 

its financial and diplomatic 

interests in the Pacific. 

"I feel like breaking open the 

ceiling and celebrating man," a 

supporter of the new coalition 

told AFP from Mr Rabuka's 

campaign headquarters after 

Frank Bainimarama came to power in a 

2006 coup but later won two elections to 

legitimise his rule 

the result of the coalition vote 

was announced. "It's been 

16 years of this oppressive 

government." 

Mr Bainimarama came to 

power in a 2006 coup, one of 

a series of political upheavals 

since Fiji gained independence 

from the UK in 1970. The 

rivalry between the indigenous 

Fijian and the ethnic Indian 

communities has been at the 

root of much of the tensions. 

In 2013 the constitution was 

changed to remove a racebased 

electoral system that 

favoured indigenous Fijians 

over the country's large Indian 

population. 

Mr Bainimarama later won 

two elections to legitimise 

his rule. Human rights groups 

have for years accused him of 

restricting freedom of speech 

through media censorship and 

intimidation of his critics. 

However, in recent years he 

has gained a high international 

profile for his advocacy around 

climate change. The 68-yearold 

has already said he would 

respect the result of the election 

but has yet to comment on the 

end of his premiership. 

Bhartiya Samaj & Roopa aur Aap 

Charitable trust wishes everyone 

Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust 

Phone : 096200579 | Mobile: 021-08881461 

Weblink Facebook You Tube

14 

INDIA 

India’s strong intervention 

that ecosystem based 

approaches should be given 

their due place in all mitigation 

processes made a significant 

contribution to the landmark 

global biodiversity framework 

agreed upon, environment 

minister Bhupender Yadav said. 

“The global biodiversity 

framework sets out 

to respond to several 

assessments that provide 

ample evidence that, despite 

ongoing efforts, biodiversity 

is deteriorating worldwide 

at rates unprecedented in 

human history,” Yadav said. 

“This framework outlines 

an ambitious plan to implement 

broad-based action to bring 

about a transformation in our 

societies’ relationship with 

biodiversity by 2030 and ensure 

that, by 2050, the shared 

vision of living in harmony with 

nature is fulfilled.” The looming 

threat of a mass extinction of 

species due to human activities 

led nearly 200 nations at the 

United Nations biodiversity 

summit in Montreal to agree 

to protect and restore at least 

30% of the planet’s land and 

water by 2030. 

“India 

successfully 

negotiated that ecosystem 

based approaches should be 

given due place in all mitigation 

processes,” said Yadav, who led 

the country’s negotiators at 

the 15th Conference of Parties 

(COP15) to the UN Convention 

on Biological Diversity. 

The framework would be 

an important marker for India 

to approach biodiversity and 

help frame policies in several 

sectors, particularly agriculture, 

rights of forest dwellers and 

management of biodiversity 

hot spots, experts said. 

The framework aims to 

halt the loss of ecologically 

important areas by 2030. This 

could be critical in India, given 

the mounting pressures of 


India hails global nature 

of COP15 targets 

“This framework 

outlines an ambitious 

plan to implement 

broad-based action 

to bring about a 

transformation in our 

societies’ relationship 

with biodiversity by 

2030 and ensure that, 

by 2050, the shared 

vision of living in 

harmony with nature 

is fulfilled.” 

infrastructure development in 

several parts of the country, 

particularly in the Himalayas, 

the Western Ghats and the 

ecologically sensitive coastal 

areas. The target of conserving 

30% of land and water area by 

2030, also known as 30x30, 

was particularly contentious 

during the negotiations. 

The text of the framework, 

however, made it clear that the 

target is global, and not specific 

to any country. 

“The most significant 

contribution of the Indian 

interventions was that all the 

targets are kept as global in 

nature and countries will be 

free to adopt them as per their 

circumstances, priorities and 

capabilities,” Yadav said. 

India was supportive of most 

aims to restore biodiversity at 

COP15 but had reservations 

on numerical targets. “If you 

notice in para 11 (of the 

framework), its very clear that 

these are global targets and 

they do not apply to individual 

countries,” an official of the 

environment ministry said, 

seeking anonymity. 


India digital transformation in focus as Jaishankar, Pichai meet 

A 

day 

after he met Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi, Google CEO Sundar 

Pichai on Tuesday met Foreign 

Minister S Jaishankar. The tech giant boss 

and the Union Minister spoke on global 

developments and digitalisation. 

"Great to meet CEO, @Google 

and Alphabet, @sundarpichai today 

afternoon. Discussed India’s digital 

transformation and global strategic 

developments. (sic)," Jaishankar 

tweeted post the meeting. 

Pichai had met the Prime Minister and 

discussed with him a gamut of issues, 

including India G20 presidency. “Thank 

India was supportive of most aims to restore biodiversity at COP15 but had reservations 

on numerical targets. 

Hailing the sporting spirit 

IWK BUREAU 

The handball final of the 

Tribune Trust Sports 

Festival in Chandigarh 

was high in excitement and 

energy. It saw the Guru Nanak 

Khalsa School (GNKS), Sector 

30, Chandigarh, with 17 points, 

winning over The Tribune 

School, Sector 29 (14 points). 

Mr Bhav Dhillon, the Hon Consul 

of India in Auckland, who is 

currently visiting India, was the 

Chief Guest at the occasion. 

While Alok of The Tribune 

School was the top scorer 

of the match with 6 points, 

Subhuman and Vickey scored 5 

points and 4 points each for the 

GNKS. The recently concluded 

festival is organised under 

the theme Mainstreaming of 

Physical Education and Sports 

under the Fit India week 

Moving on, Chandigarh’s 

Government Model Senior 

Members of the winning teams of handball and basketball events flash the victory sign 

on the concluding day of The Tribune Trust Sports Festival in Chandigarh on Friday. The 

chief guest on the occasion, Bhav Dhillon, Consul of India in New Zealand (centre), and 

hosts The Tribune School Principal Vandana Saxena are also seen 

Secondary School (GMSSS), 

Sector 56, with 27 points, 

beat the GMSSS, Sector 16 (26 

points) in the thrilling 

third-place match. 

For the Sector 56 team, 

Karan Patel scored 14 points, 

and Nikhil Patel scored 13 

points. Piyush scored nine 

points, while Viney scored six 

for the Sector 16 team. 

In another exciting event, 

Sundar Pichai and Jaishankar seen together. 

you for a great meeting today PM @ 

narendramodi. Inspiring to see the rapid 

pace of technological change under your 

leadership," he wrote on Twitter. 

the netball finals, Sacred Heart 

Convent School, Sector 26, 

beat The Tribune School 25-14 

in the girls’ final of the netball 

championship. 

Manyata of Sacred Heart 

top-scored with 19 points. 

In the third-place match, the 

GMSSS-20 beat St Peter’s 

School, Sector 37, 18-3. 

Niharika scored 16 points for 

the winning team. 

India, Indonesia review challenges in forging 

connectivity between Andaman, Aceh 

India and Indonesia on 

Monday assessed the 

challenges faced in 

developing connectivity 

between the Andaman and 

Nicobar Islands and Aceh 

province as part of efforts 

to boost trade and tourism 

between the two countries. 

The matter figured in the 

second meeting of the joint 

task force created by the two 

sides to develop connectivity 

between India’s strategic 

Andaman and Nicobar Islands 

and Aceh. The meeting was 

held in Port Blair on Monday. 

Officials of the countries 

discussed ways to promote 

trade, tourism and peopleto-people 

contacts between 

Andaman and Nicobar Islands 

and Aceh to unleash the 

economic potential of both 

regions. They also reviewed 

the status of projects for 

development of port-related 

"Look forward to continuing our 

strong partnership and supporting 

India's G20 presidency to advance an 

open, connected internet that works for 

all," he further said. 

India took over the G20 presidency 

on December 1 from Indonesia 

and it has been hailed as a big 

responsibility by the government. 

In response to PM's tweet, Modi 

wrote: “Was a delight to meet you @ 

sundarpichai and discuss innovation, 

technology and more. 

It is important the world continues 

to work together to leverage tech 

S Jaishankar: India 

beefs up military at 

tense China border 

India's foreign minister has 

said that the country has 

scaled up troop deployment 

along a disputed border with 

China to an unprecedented level. 

S Jaishankar added that India 

wouldn't let China "unilaterally 

change" the status quo at the 

border. His comments came 

days after Indian and Chinese 

forces clashed in a disputed 

area along the border in 

Arunachal Pradesh state. 

India said that the encounter 

began due to "encroachment" 

by Chinese troops. 

China's foreign ministry has 

said that according to their 

knowledge, the situation on 

the border was "generally 

stable" and the two sides were 

maintaining dialogue on the 

issue. India and China share a 

disputed 3,440km (2,100 mile) 

long de facto border - called the 

Line of Actual Control, or LAC 

- which is poorly demarcated. 

Soldiers on either side come 

face to face at many points, and 

tensions sometimes escalate 

into skirmishes or clashes. 

Both sides have been trying 

to de-escalate since a violent 

brawl in June 2020 in the 

Galwan Valley in the Ladakh 

region much further to the 

west - 20 Indian soldiers and at 

least four Chinese soldiers died 

in the battle. 

infrastructure in and around 

Sabang in Aceh, the external 

affairs ministry said in a 

statement. 

At the meeting, the heads 

of the two delegations “took 

stock of the progress made 

and the challenges faced 

in developing connectivity” 

between Andaman and Nicobar 

Islands and Aceh since the first 

meeting of the joint task force 

in 2019, the statement said. 

The joint task force agreed 

to enhance opportunities for 

interaction between business 

chambers and potential 

investors on both sides in 

order to improve trade and 

investment. 

Given the revival of 

international tourism after the 

Covid-19 pandemic, the two 

sides also agreed to encourage 

sail tourism, cruise ship visits 

and interaction between tour 

operators. 

for human prosperity and sustainable 

development.” 

Pichai also addressed the Google India 

event on Monday. 

“If you take example of the US, the 

reason start-ups are successful is 

when they create something they have 

an access to 300 million something 

market,” he asserted while addressing 

the event. 

“It is easier to create something which 

scales across the country. In India, you 

need to scale across the entire country. 

there is no better time to create a startup 

than the current moment,” he added.


WORLD INDIA 15 

India announces restoration of e-Visa 

facility for Canadian passport holders 

The Indian High 

Commission in Ottawa on 

Tuesday announced the 

restoration of the e-Visa facility 

for Canadian passport holders. 

"e-Visa facility for Canadian 

passport-holders has been 

restored, with effect from 20 

December 2022," the Indian 

High Commission in Ottawa said 

in a statement. 

"Those Canadian passportholders 

who wish to visit India 

for tourism, business, medical 

or conference purposes. may 

apply for e-Visa at https:// 

indianvisaonline.gov.in/ 

evisa/tvoa.html and follow 

instructions contained therein," 

it added. 

The High Commission said 

Canadian passport-holders 

seeking to travel to India for 

Italian police transport kidneys in 

‘specially adapted Lamborghini’ 

Italian police used a specially 

adapted Lamborghini 

supercar to deliver two 

kidneys to donor patients on 

Tuesday hundreds of kilometres 

apart, they announced. 

"Travelling on the motorway 

to deliver the most beautiful 

Christmas present: life," they 

said in a statement posted 

on social media, alongside a 

picture of a medical cool box in 

a purpose-built compartment 

at the front of the Huracan. 

"Thanks to the State Police's 

special Father Christmas, two 

people have received the gift 

of a kidney." 

The organs were driven from 

Padua in Italy's northeast to 

hospitals in Modena and then 

Rome. 

The Lamborghini Huracan, 

which has a top speed of 

300kmh (190mph) and the 

any purpose, not qualifying for 

an e-Visa, may apply for the 

paper visa at https://www. 

bisindia- canada.com/. 

"The same process is 

applicable to Laissez-passer 

It was assigned to highway patrol in Bologna, northern Italy, for use in both normal police 

operations and the urgent transport of blood and organs. 

capacity to go from 0-100kmh 

in 3.2 seconds, was a 2017 

gift to police from the luxury 

carmaker. It was assigned to 

highway patrol in Bologna, 

northern Italy, for use in both 

normal police operations and 

travel document holders." 

Moreover, the Indian High 

Commission said those who 

have applied for visas through 

various BLS Centres in Canada 

are advised to wait for the 

the urgent transport of blood 

and organs. 

Another Huracan is operated 

by the highway patrol in Rome, 

while a 2009 Lamborghini 

Gallardo once used by police is 

now in a museum. 

issuance of the same. 

"All such applications will 

be processed on priority. 

Those applicants who wish 

to withdraw their respective 

visa applications may do so by 

visiting the website https:// 

www.bisindia canada.com/ 

and choosing the option for 

Application Withdrawal," the 

release said. 

"Those who have booked 

appointments to apply for 

tourist, business. medical or 

conference visa at BLS Centres 

in Canada and would, now, like 

to apply for e-Visa instead, are 

requested to vacate/cancel 

their appointment slots so that 

the same becomes available to 

others seeking visa consular 

services," it added. 

Last month, the second India- 

Canada Consular Dialogue was 

held to discuss the consular, 

visa and mutual legal assistance 

cooperation. 

In the Consular Dialogue, 

the Indian side stressed 

consular and visa issues, which 

included problems and delays 

in obtaining Canadian visas and 

work permits. 

Both sides reiterated their 

commitment to continue to 

work towards solving issues 

relating to citizen-centric 

issues including reducing delays 

in visas and agreed to further 

strengthen bilateral relations 

through people-to-people 

exchanges. 

The next Consular Dialogue 

will be held in Canada next year. 

China's lifting of lockdown could kill upto 2.1m people: Report 

Between 1.3 and 2.1 

million lives could be 

at risk if China lifts its 

zero-COVID policy given low 

vaccination and booster rates 

as well as a lack of hybrid 

immunity, according to Londonbased 

global health intelligence 

and analytics firm. 

"Mainland China has very low 

levels of immunity across its 

population. 

" Its citizens were vaccinated 

with domestically produced 

jabs Sinovac and Sinopharm 

which have been proven to have 

significantly lower efficacy and 

provide less protection against 

infection and death," according 

to analysis by Airfinity. 

The global health intelligence 

company had said China's zero- 

COVID strategy also means 

the population has almost no 

naturally acquired immunity 

through the previous infection. 

"As a result of these factors, 

our analysis shows if mainland 

China sees a similar wave to 

Hong Kong's in February, its 

healthcare system could be 

pushed to capacity as there 

could be between 167 and 279 

million cases nationwide, which 

could lead to between 1.3 and 

2.1 million deaths," it added. 

Airfinity's Head of Vaccines 

and Epidemiology Dr Louise 

Blair said it is essential for China 

to ramp up vaccinations to raise 

immunity in order to lift its zero- 

COVID policy, especially given 

how large its elderly population 

is. "Subsequently, China would 

US govt paid to censor data 

from public on platforms: Musk 

Twitter CEO Elon Musk 

revealed that the United 

States government paid 

'millions of dollars' to censor 

information from the public on 

multiple social media platforms, 

including Twitter. 

Musk further pledged on 

Twitter to resist government 

incentives that would force him 

to block some media content. 

In response to the series of 

Twitter Files Tweets from 

Michael Shellenberger, the new 

Twitter CEO made stunning 

accusations. 

Retweeting 'Part 7' of the 

Twitter Files, Musk posted, 

"Government paid Twitter 

millions of dollars to censor 

info from the public." Not only 

Twitter, he continued, "but 

other social media companies 

as well." 

The debate over the 

controversial 'The Twitter Files' 

saga sparked following Musk's 

"As a result of these 

factors, our analysis 

shows if mainland 

China sees a similar 

wave to Hong Kong's 

in February, its 

healthcare system 

could be pushed to 

capacity as there 

could be between 167 

and 279 million cases 

nationwide, which 

could lead to between 

1.3 and 2.1 million 

deaths," 

need hybrid immunity to allow 

for the country to brace future 

waves with minimal impact." 

"This has proven effective 

in other countries and regions; 

decision to release the new 

installments behind internal 

company communication which 

also included the company's 

decision to block a media 

report regarding Hunter 

Biden's international business 

operations. 

The accusation is concerning 

and speaks of Musk's attempts 

to build a new kind of Twitter. 

Moreover, they benefit from his 

attempt to separate the current 

and past regimes at Twitter 

and how they will construct the 

platform. The tenure of the new 

Twitter CEO has not been short 

of controversy. Amid the drama 

surrounding the platform's 

subscription service, mass 

layoffs, and resignations, Musk 

evoked a major controversy 

in making the staff and users 

adhere to his vision. He did this 

while also candidly speaking of 

mistakes made by the previous 

regime. 

for example, while Hong Kong 

efforts to vaccinate the 

vulnerable prior to opening 

likely only dampened the impact 

of its first wave, its protection 

has been enhanced by hybrid 

immunity from mass infection 

leading to much less impactful 

and deadly COVID-19 waves," 

he added. 

On Monday, Chinese health 

authorities announced two 

coronavirus deaths, both in 

Beijing, which is witnessing its 

worst outbreak since the start 

of the COVID pandemic. 

These were the first officially 

reported deaths since the 

dramatic easing of restrictions 

on December 7, CNN reported. 

This comes as Chinese social 

media posts have pointed 

to a surge in demand at 

Beijing's funeral homes and 

crematoriums.

16 

ENTERTAINMENT 


Ratna Pathak Shah calls RRR 

‘regressive': It looks backwards 

when we should look forward 

Ratna Pathak Shah has called the 

year's biggest blockbuster RRR a 

“regressive film”. 

She said that until filmmakers don't 

see their work critically, the audience 

will have to keep watching films like the 

SS Rajamouli film. The film collected 

over ₹1200 worldwide post its release 

in March this year and has bagged two 

Golden Globe nominations and five nods for 

Critics Choice Awards. 

RRR stars Ram Charan and Jr NTR as reallife 

revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju and 

Komaram Bheem respectively. It is set in 

the pre-independence era and also stars 

Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt in pivotal roles. 

Ratna Pathak Shah talked about the 

film at a book launch. According to a 

Free Press Journal report, the actor said, 

“Films like RRR are so popular today. But 

it's a regressive film. It looks backwards 

while we should look forward. We just 

feel whatever we are doing is good 

because we are part of the mother of 

democracy — India.” 

"Until filmmakers will not see their work 

critically, we will have to watch films like 

RRR. But we don't like criticism. Our ego 

gets hurt, This atmosphere is created by Directed by Viral Shah, the film 

so many big people and unfortunately, we marks her debut in Gujarati cinema. It 

have accepted it," she added. 

also features Manasi Parekh, Darsheel 

Ratna is currently awaiting the release of Safary and Dharmendra Gohil in 

her Gujarati film Kutch Express. 

pivotal roles. 

Talking about the film, she had said in a 

statement last month, “I've been looking 

forward to doing a Gujarati film for a long 

time, but couldn't find anything really 

interesting. Then came this film with a good 

script & a good team & to be shot in Kutch 

so this was irresistible.” 

“Films like RRR are so popular 

today. But it's a regressive 

film. It looks backwards while 

we should look forward. We 

just feel whatever we are doing 

is good because we are part 

of the mother of democracy — 

India.” 

"It also happened to be a film that had 

a point to make & was not sentimental or 

regressive. An unusual opportunity," she 

added. The film will release theatrically 

on January 6, 2023. This year, Ratna was 

seen in John Abraham-starrer Attack and 

Ranveer Singh-starrer Jayeshbhai Jordaar. 

In the latter, she played the role of a 

Gujarati mother who wanted her daughterin-law 

to abort her girl child. Ratna is 

known for her roles in TV show Sarabhai 

VS Sarabhai and films like Jaane Tu... Ya 

Jaane Na, Golmaal 3, Kapoor & Sons and 

Khoobsurat. 

Cirkus 'isn't going to change your life film': Rohit Shetty 

Filmmaker 

Rohit 

Shetty has spoken about 

his upcoming directorial 

Cirkus and called it a 'timepass' 

film that won't change a 

person's life. In a new interview, 

Rohit said that after watching 

the movie once, a person would 

want to watch 'this film again 

with your friends'. 

Fronted by Ranveer Singh and 

Varun Sharma, Cirkus is based 

on William Shakespeare's 

classic play The Comedy of 

Errors. Speaking with the media 

Rohit said, “It’s a simple film I 

tell you. 

"You come with your family, 

have a great time. You come 

out and I can challenge you if 

anyone asks how is the film. 


Vidya Balan is happy with what she is paid: 'Don't 

know pay parity because I don't work with big heroes' 

Actor Vidya Balan is 

opening up about 

the pay disparity in 

Bollywood. The actor was part 

of a roundtable discussion 

when the topic of pay parity 

in Bollywood (female actors 

getting paid less than their 

male counterparts) was raised. 

The Sherni actor responded 

by saying she is happy with 

what she is being paid in 

the context of her films. In 

the roundtable discussion 

conducted by News18, Vidya 

was joined by actors Mrunal 

Thakur, Nimrat Kaur and Huma 

Qureshi. Commenting on the 

You will say ‘mast hai, timepass 

hai, jaake dekh (it's fun, it's a 

timepass, go and watch it).’ 

I will not say more than this 

issue of pay parity, Vidya 

said, "I don't know about 

pay parity because I am not 

doing films alongside the 'big 

heroes.' I think that's where it 

comes into play. 

But if you had to see the 

overall percentage of what I 

get paid... within the budget of 

a film to what a hero gets paid, 

I think the percentage is the 

same. Now their films cost 10 

times more than what my films 

do, so obviously I am getting 

paid ten times less. But, within 

my construct I am happy." 

This is not the first time Vidya 

has commented on the topic. 

about the film." 

He also added, "The film is 

like this. I will not say that it 

is going to change your life 

film. No, it’s going to give you 

happiness. And you will be like 

watching this film again with 

your friends. You will say that I 

want to watch this scene again. 

This is that kind of film. It's All 

The Best and Golmaal.” 

Earlier, Rohit while speaking 

at the unveiling of the 

December issue of the Society 

Achievers Magazine had said, 

"Cirkus is for the audience who 

loved Golmaal and All The Best. 

It's that kind of a film. 

This is for all those who loved 

those films. I'm sure they're 

going to love it because 

Earlier she had acknowledged 

that there exists a significant 

salary gap between male actors 

and female actors in Bollywood. 

But she is confident that this 

gap will close with time and 

would rather concentrate on 

how far the actors have come 

to addressing the same. 

Vidya's response was 

lauded by actor Nimrat Kaur 

in the same video who said 

"That's a very healthy way of 

looking at it." 

Nimrat also commented 

further on the topic saying that 

what an actor is paid is directly 

proportional to the number 

I've watched the film. When 

we started off, I was just a 

filmmaker making films. Then, 

the kind of love I got from the 

audience, it became their film. 

So, I now make films for them, I 

take it as a responsibility." 

Rohit is known for action 

comedies such as the Golmaal 

franchise and All The Best: Fun 

Begins. He has also helmed 

action dramas such as the 

Singham series. 

He debuted as a director 

in 2003 with the Ajay 

Devgn-starrer Zameen. 

Rohit has also helmed films 

such as Bol Bachchan, 

Chennai Express, Dilwale, 

Simmba, and Sooryavanshi 

among many others. 

of people they are going to 

bring to the film. Meanwhile 

Mrunal Thakur added that 

Rohit Shetty 

promises Singham 

Again is 10x 

Sooryavanshi; 

Ranveer Singh 

claps on Singham 

4 narration 

Over the years, Rohit 

Shetty has established 

himself as one of the 

most successful directors of 

Hindi Cinema, having delivered 

hits after hits. While the director 

is all set for his Christmas 

2022 release, Cirkus, he is also 

excited to start shooting for his 

next directorial, Singham Again, 

with Ajay Devgn in lead. 

The cop saga is all set to 

go on floors in April 2023 and 

Rohit in the first ever Pinkvilla 

Masterclass informs that the 

script has turned out very well. 

“We are very excited for 

Singham Again because the 

script has turned out really well. 

It is larger than life. We took it to 

a different level in Sooryavanshi 

and this is like 10 times bigger 

than Sooryavanshi. 

The kind of scripting that has 

happened and the kind of story 

it is… it’s something,” he exults 

and further adds, “Like when I 

narrated it to Ranveer, he had 

goosebumps. The story gives 

you a high. I get excited about 

a film very rarely and Singham 

Again is that one script after so 

many years which I am excited 

to start the film.” The director 

went ahead to confirm Ranveer 

Singh’s presence in Singham 

Again. 

Pooja Hegde too is excited to 

see the big scale entertainer, 

Singham Again. Going down 

the memory lane, she laughs, 

“My father has a Singham 

tattoo.” She is quick to add, “I 

remember watching Simmba in 

PVR and when Singham’s entry 

happened, PVR had turned into 

Gaiety Galaxy. We were like 

whistling and screaming out 

loud. I can’t wait for Singham 

Again.” 

"I 

don't know 

about pay parity 

because I am not 

doing films alongside 

the 'big heroes.' I think 

that's where it 

comes into play. 

she is really happy with 

what she is getting 

paid, and makes 

her stance clear 

whenever there 

is a conversation 

around it. 

Vidya was last 

seen in Suresh 

" Triveni's Jalsa where 

she played a journalist. 

The film also starred Shefali 

Shah and Manav Kaul. She will 

be next seen opposite Scam 

1992 actor Pratik Gandhi in 

an untitled film, which also 

stars Ileana D'cruz and Sendhil 

Ramamurthy.

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18 

FEATURE 


Healthy cooking every day 

Christmas recipe 

Christmas is a time for From Carrot Cake to Roasted 

celebrations and here are Chicken, learn to make the 

all the popular recipes various Christmas Cakes the 

from around the world that you traditional way using this 

can enjoy easily at home. collection. 

Fruit and yoghurt parfait 

Ingredients 

• 2 cup plain greek yogurt 

• 20 gm walnuts 

• 30 gm strawberry 

• 100 gm granola 

• 20 gm pecan 

Method 

• Take walnuts, pecans and 

strawberries. 

• Chop them into bite-sized 

pieces. 

• Take a dessert cup or glass 

and start making layers. 

Add some yoghurt first, 

then granola, topped with 

walnuts, pecans and sliced 

strawberries. 

• Make 3-4 more such layers 

to complete the dessert. 

• Your Fruit and Yoghurt 

Parfait is now ready to be 

served. Enjoy! 

Tips: You can add more nuts of 

your choice like cashews, 

hazelnuts etc. 

Cauliflower and vanilla panna cottta 

Ingredients 

• 200 gm grated cauliflower 

• 100 ml milk 

• 20 gm agar agar 

• 1 stick vanilla pod 

• 100 ml whipped cream 

• 1 teaspoon salt 

Method 

• On slow flame, put a thickbottomed 

pan. 

• Add the grated cauliflower, 

milk, salt and vanilla pod in 

it. Let the mixture boil for 

20 minutes. 

• Now, take out the vanilla 

pod and make a fine puree 

of the mixture. 

• Add agar-agar and whipped 

cream to the mixture. 

• Pour the mixture in a mould 

and keep it in a chiller for 2 

to 3 hours. 

• Serve chilled. 

Lighter Takes 

& Easy Tips 


Salted caramel pumpkin latte 

Ingredients 

• 300 ml milk 

• 2 tablespoon pureed pumpkin 

• 20 ml vanilla extract 

• sea salt as required 

• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

• 20 ml caramel sauce 

• 1 cup coffee decoction 

• 1/2 cup whipped cream 

Method 

• In a small saucepan, combine the milk, pumpkin, 

caramel, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. 

• Stir until the mixture comes to a very slight 

boil. 

• Remove from the heat immediately and pour 

the mixture into a blender. Pulse for about 2 

minutes or until very frothy. 

• Divide the milk into 2 large mugs. Pour 1/2 

cup coffee into each mug. 

• Top with Cool Whip, extra caramel and sea salt. 

pair with your favourite cookies and enjoy! 

Tips: In absence of cool whip, you can use 

Spicy fresh grape jelly 

Ingredients 

• 8 bunches black grapes 

• salt as required 

• panch phoron as required 

• sugar as required 

• 2 tablespoon lemon juice 

• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil 

• red chilli as required 

Method 

• Wash the grapes properly 

under cold water and pour 

them into a separate large 

bowl. 

• Drizzle salt and lemon juice 

over the grapes and mix well. 

Keep it aside for a while. 

• After sometime, mash the 

grapes properly using your 

hands. 

• Place a pan over medium 

flame and pour oil in it. Once 

the oil is hot enough, add red 

chilies to it along with panch 

phoran and saute for a few 

seconds over low flame. 

• Now, add mashed grapes 

to the pan and cook for 

Ginger mango chocolate 

Ingredients 

• 375 gm sugar 

• 8 ml lemon juice 

• 500 gm mango puree 

• 14 gm agar agar 

• 90 gm all purpose flour 

• 1 gm salt 

• 62 gm unsalted butter 

• 225 gm mango 

• 8 soaked gelatin leaves 

• 1/2 cup egg yolk 

• 300 gm dark chocolate 

• 4 egg 

• 5 ml vanilla essence 

• 36 gm cocoa powder 

• 2 tablespoon ginger 

Method 

• To prepare the mango mousse, cut the 

fresh mangoes, remove the skin, add it 

to a blender jar and grind the pieces until 

they form a puree. 

• Now, pour this puree in a saucepan, add 

175 grams of sugar and let it boil over 

medium flame. Now, add soaked gelatin 

leaves, egg yolk, lemon juice and 300 

grams of whipped cream and mix well. 

• To prepare mango jelly, add the mango 

puree to a saucepan and boil it over 

medium flame. 

• Crush the ginger and add it to the 

saucepan along with 50 grams of sugar 

and agar-agar and let them boil. Pour the 

mixture in a tray, place it in a freezer and 

let it freeze. 

• For the chocolate sponge, mix allpurpose 

flour and cocoa powder in a 

bowl. In a separate bowl, add eggs, 150 

grams of sugar, butter, salt, 25 grams 

minimum 10-12 minutes 

over medium flame. 

• Add sugar to the pan and 

bring it to boil till you attain 

a thick jelly like consistency. 

• This make take some minute. 

Your spicy fresh grape jelly is 

now ready. 

• Transfer this mixture into an 

air tight container and serve 

cold. 

of chocolate and vanilla essence and mix 

properly. 

• Now, sift the flour and cocoa powder mix 

carefully into the egg mixture. Whisk it 

properly until it forms a batter. 

• Weigh the sponge as 1000 gm (for 

normal), and 1200 gm (for thick 

sponge). Spread the mixture evenly on a 

baking tray lined with baking paper and 

bake it at 200 degree Celsius for about 

10-15 minutes. 

• To prepare chocolate ganache, mix 

250 grams of cream and 250 grams of 

chocolate together in a saucepan and let 

the mixture boil for 5 mins. 

• Now, start layering the cake with 

chocolate sponge, followed by chocolate 

ganache, chocolate sponge, mango 

ginger jelly, then chocolate sponge and 

mango mousse. 

• Keep the cake in the freezer and let it 

freeze overnight. Serve chilled the next 

day! 

Tips: Grate the dark chocolate and top it 

up with some fresh mangoes to decorate 

the cake.You can also simply garnish it with 

grated chocolate! 

chilled fresh cream and whip it with some sugar 

to make it delicious. You can also add in some 

cocoa powder to accentuate the taste. 

Chocolate 

brownie pizza 

with mixed 

berries 

Ingredients 

• 180 gm brownie 

• 10 gm blackberry 

• 15 ml chocolate syrup 

• 4 gm edible flowers 

• 10 gm blueberry 

• 10 gm raspberry 

• 15 gm whipped cream 

• For Seasoning 

• 20 gm sugar 

• For Frosting 

• 50 gm cream cheese 

• 70 gm strawberry 

• For Garnishing 

• 6 mint 

Method 

• Preheat oven to 177 degree 

Celsius. Meanwhile, grease a 

15-inch pizza pan. 

• For this recipe, we have used 

a ready to use brownie mix. 

However, you can also make 

it at home by mixing: allpurpose 

flour, sugar, cocoa 

powder and a pinch of salt. 

Next, spread the brownie 

mixture on a baking tray or 

a container. 

• Bake the poured mixture for 

20 minutes or until done. 

Once the base is ready, 

remove it from the oven and 

let it cool down. 

• Take a bowl, beat cream 

cheese and add strawberry 

and raspberry along with 

sugar to make a creamy 

topping. 

• Spread mixture over brownie 

crust. Arrange banana, 

strawberry slices, blueberry, 

blackberry and raspberry 

over cream cheese mixture. 

Drizzle with chocolate syrup. 

• Add whipped cream on top 

and mint for garnish. To 

serve, cut pizza slices and 

enjoy!

Dear customers, 

As we wrap up 2022, we would like to extend our deep appreciation for your loyalty 

and continuous support throughout the year. On behalf of Mann Travel team, we wish 

you a very Happy Holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year 2023. 

Thank you for your ongoing support throughout 2022. Whether you are travelling to 

visit family, going on that well - deserved holiday, or just spending quality time with 

loved ones at home, we hope you enjoy your holidays! 

“We look forward to seeing you again in 2023!" 

MERRY 

Christmas 

& HAPPY NEW YEAR 

OUR SERVICES 

Mann Travel aims to make your travel memorable in every way possible. 

Get in touch with us to make the most of your vacation ! 

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7 

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Service Provider 

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Customer Support 

In case you require any further information, you may call our 24/7 Customer Care 

www.manntravel.co.nz or 09 973 1940

Indisan Weekender 23 December 2022

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