Indian Newslink 15th May 2018 Digital Edition

& 

Present 

The Eight Annual 

Guest Speaker 

Sir Stephen Tindall 

Founder, The Warehouse Group and 

Chair, Team New Zealand 

CONTRIBUTING TO A 

STRONGER NEW ZEALAND 

The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999) 

Issue 392 | May 15, 2018 | Free 

A RARE O PP O R TU N I TY NOT T O BE MISS ED! 

On Monday, July 9, 2018 at 630pm 

Pullman Hotel Auckland 

phone 

09 533 6377 

editor@ 

indiannewslink.co.nz 

website 

www.indiannewslink.co.nz 

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Raj Pardeep Singh 

We are happy to 

announce that Sir 

Stephen Tindall, 

one of the most 

respected business leaders of 

New Zealand will be the Guest 

Speaker at the Indian Newslink 

Sir Anand Satyanand Lecture 

scheduled to be held on Monday, 

July 9, 2018 at Pullman 

Hotel, Auckland. 

Sir Stephen will speak on 

‘Contributing to a Stronger 

New Zealand,’ outlining 

the establishment of The 

Warehouse Group (he was 

its Founder-Chairman) and 

how the Group continues its 

principles of ethical sourcing, 

building communities and 

working with the environment. 

He will also explain the 

working of ‘K1W1,’ an 

investment company owned by 

him through which about 200 

investments have been made 

in mostly start-up New Zealand 

companies, all of which have 

aspirations to go global. Some 

of them have achieved their 

objectives, bringing wealth 

back to New Zealand. 

The Tindall Foundation 

The Tindall Foundation is 

one of the most important 

aspects of Sir Tindall’s 

involvement in building a 

stronger New Zealand. A 

Family Foundation established 

by him and his wife Margaret 

in 1994, it provides donations 

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Shyama Sharma 

linkedin 


Specialists in Sale and Purchase of Property & Business, Leases, 

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Employment Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, Wills & Trusts, Immigration LLB/BA (Hons.) 

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Ph: (09) 2799439 | Level-1, 31 East Tamaki Road, Papatoetoe, Auckland 2025 | PO Box 23445 Hunters Corner, Papatoetoe, Auckland 2155 

New Zealand expertise for 

Childcare Centre in Mumbai 

Venkat Raman 

venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Auckland based 

Rainbow Group 

of Companies, 

which specialises 

in childhood care, is establishing 

an Early Childcare 

Centre in Mumbai, India, 

the first of its kind outside 

New Zealand. 

The Centre, located in 

Walkeshwar, one of the 

most affluent suburbs 

in South Mumbai, will 

follow ‘Te Whariki’ (Early 

Childhood Education) 

Curriculum. 

Advanced Curriculum 

Director Rrahul Dosshi 

said that Te Whariki is 

one of the most advanced 

and well researched 

curriculums for children 

under five years of age in 

the world. 

“Mumbai will be the first 

city in the world outside 

New Zealand where 

children will be taught Te 

Whariki in its full essence,” 

he said. 

His wife Bhavini, who 

is currently in Mumbai 

finalising plans for the 

formal opening of the 

Centre on September 15, 

2018, said that Te Whariki 

does not prescribe formal 

subject teaching. 

An artist’s impression of the East Tamaki Campus (Images Supplied) 

Rrahul and Bhavini Dosshi 

East Tamaki Complex 

Meanwhile, work on a 

multi-purpose, state of the 

art facility is fast progressing 

in East Tamaki, lifting 

the Rainbow Corner Group 

to a higher level. 

The Complex, housing 

several facilities, will cater 

to almost all the needs of a 

young family with children 

under five years of age. 

“It would be a purpose-built 

childcare facility 

with a rainforest theme 

in the playground, café 

which will cater healthy, 

unprocessed freshly 

prepared food to children 

and a Medical Centre with 

a dedicated sick bay so 

that if in an unfortunate 

situation the child does 

fall sick they are looked 

for medical professionals 

till the time the parents 

come back from work,” Mr 

Dosshi said. 

Further details will 

appear in our next issue. 

Read more on www. 


Sir Stephen Tindall for our Lecture this year 

Venkat Raman 


Sir Stephen Tindall (Picture Supplied) 

(on its own and in partnership 

with others) to organisations 

and communities throughout 

New Zealand and helps them in 

capacity building and research. 

“We were, and still are, 

passionate about helping New 

Zealanders to live healthy 

and happy lives and for our 

communities to be strong 

and prosperous. We began 

by supporting families and 

social services, and then 

extended our giving to include 

environmental initiatives and 

those that create employment 

and encourage enterprise, 

strengthen the community 

sector and promote generosity 

and giving,” Sir Stephen said on 

his Foundation website. 

“More than Money” is 

the theme of the Tindall 

Foundation, which is involved 

in social and environmental 

development. 

We will provide more information 

about Sir Tindall and 

the organisations with which 

he is involved in our ensuing 

issues. 

About our Lecture 

We launched the Indian 

Newslink Sir Anand Satyanand 

Lecture in July 2011 to 

promote the concept of Good 

Governance through Integrity, 

Honesty, Accountability and 

Transparency, which have 

been the principles of Sir 

Anand Satyanand in his career 

as a Lawyer, District Court 

Judge, Ombudsman, Governor 

General of New Zealand, Chairman 

of the Commonwealth 

Foundation, London and now 

Chairman of the Royal Commission 

of Inquiry into historical 

abuse in State Care, constituted 

by the Government. 

Former MP and Commonwealth 

Secretary General’s 

Special Envoy to the Kingdom 

of Lesotho, Dr Rajen Prasad will 

present his ‘Reflections’ on the 

Lecture. 

The Annual Lecture will commence 

at 630 pm with cocktails 

and networking, followed by 

speeches, dinner, address by 

Sir Stephen, Questions and Answers, 

Dessert and Reflections. 

Tickets priced at $150 plus 

GST per person and Tables 

seating ten persons each 

at $1500 plus GST per table 

are available. Kindly call 

us on (09) 5336377; Mobile 

021-836528. Email: editor@ 


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MAY 15, 2018 

02 Homelink 


A RARE O PP O R TU N I TY NOT T O BE MISSED! 

Guests of Honour: 

Rt Hon Sir Anand 

Satyanand 

Former Governor General of 

New Zealand 

Lady Susan 

Satyanand 

Present 

& 

Reflections 

Dr Rajen Prasad 

Former Member of 

Parliament and former 

Special Envoy of 

Commonwealth Secretary 

General to Lesotho 

Guest Speaker 







(Cocktails between 630pm and 730pm) 


Corner Princes Street &Waterloo Crescent, Auckland City 

Tickets: 

$150+GST 

per person; 

Table of Ten persons: 

$1500+GST 

Phone: (09) 5336377 

Mobile: 021 836528 

editor@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Deportation Case progresses in High Court 

Staff Reporter 

Mr Singh (not his 

real name) had 

filed Judicial 

review proceedings 

challenging the 

decisions pertaining to his 

deportation. 

The Crown had not filed 

the Statement of defence 

as initially there were settlement 

discussions, which 

concluded unsuccessfully. 

The Crown then filed a 

notice of appearance under 

protest to the jurisdiction 

of the Court. The Counsel 

for the Crown submitted 

that the Court has no jurisdiction 

to consider the substantive 

judicial review 

proceedings until the Court 

has extended the time for 

doing so. 

Miscarriage of Justice 

Gurbrinder Aulakh, 

the Counsel for Mr Singh, 

pointed out the irony of the 

Crown’s complaint and the 

abuse of the power by the 

administrative authority. 

He contended that the decisions 

were ultra vires of 

the regulations and the Act. 

He submitted that where 

there is an error of law or 

miscarriage of justice, then 

it is the constitutional duty 

of the Court to uphold the 

Rule of Law. 

The Court analysed the 

Barrister & Solicitor Gurbrinder Aulakh 

(Picture Supplied) 

relevant High Court rules, 

and the Supreme Court decision 

in Commissioner of 

‘Inland Revenue v Redcliffe 

Forestry Venture Limited 

(2012)’ NZSC 94. 

The Precedence 

The High Court considered 

the decision of the 

Court of Appeal determining 

the special circumstances 

in ‘Rajan vs Minister of 

Immigration (2004) NZAR 

615 (CA),’ and allowed the 

time that Mr Singh took 

to commence his Judicial 

Review and issued an interim 

declaration directing 

the Crown to not take any 

steps to deport the applicant 

pending the final determination 

of the judicial 

review proceedings. 

High Court declines 

The High Court declined 

to accept the protest to jurisdiction 

and under s 14(2) 

(d) of the Judicial Review 

Procedure Act 2016. 

The High Court directed 

the Crown to file its 

Statement of Defence within 

five working days of 

the date of the judgement, 

and for the parties to file 

joint memorandum setting 

out their availability 

for a Case Management 

Conference and the substantive 

hearing of the matter. 

This case is ‘Singh v 

Chief Executive, Ministry 

of Business Innovation and 

Employment (2018) NZHC 

673.’ 

Separation of Powers 

Mr Aulakh said that it is 

worth mentioning that New 

Zealand, when compared 

with many other countries 

around the world, has 

a very good separation of 

powers. 

“Although Parliamentary 

supremacy is acknowledged, 

any attempt by public 

officers under the garb 

of Parliamentary supremacy, 

to encroach upon the inherent 

jurisdiction of the 

Superior Courts, would be 

contrary to the accepted 

principles of Rule of Law. 

It will be a step backwards, 

and may be seen 

as meddling with the independence 

of the Judiciary. 

It can have the effect of 

eroding the confidence of 

the public and poses a danger 

to democracy, while 

shaking its independent pillars,” 

he said. 

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi 

National ListMPbasedd in 

Manukau East 

Contact 

A 

P 

F 

E 

1/131Kolmar Road, Papatoetoe, Auckland 

09 278 9302 

09 278 2143 

bakshi.mp@parliament.govt.nz 

facebook.com/bakshiks 

@bakshiks 

bakshi.co.nz 

Funded by the Parliamentary Service. Authorised by Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi MP, 1/131 Kolmar Road, Papatoetoe.


Since being elected 

to Parliament in 

September last year, 

I have had the opportunity 

to work on many different 

issues relevant to 

our community. 

One such issue is addressing 

the harm caused by 

Psychoactive Drugs in our 

community. 

I am pleased that I have 

been able to progress 

through Parliament a Bill 

calling for an increase in 

the maximum sentences for 

those found guilty of dealing 

synthetic drugs. 

Cracking down on supply 

My Bill aims at cracking 

down on the supply of 

psychoactive substances, 

which are becoming more 

and more harmful, and in 

many cases, deadly. 

It proposes to increase 

the maximum prison sentence 

for those caught dealing 

synthetic drugs from 

two years to eight years, 

and the reason for this is 

simple. 

These synthetic products 

are much more potent than 

what was available when 

the original regulations 

and penalties were put in 

place in 2013, and they now 

need to be stricter to deter 

people from producing 

and supplying them in our 

communities. 

The increase in prison 

time would bring synthetic 

drugs in line with 

those designated as 

“Class C” drugs under the 

Misuse of Drugs Act, placing 

them alongside other 

deadly substances like 

methamphetamine. 

Support for Inquiry 

It is important to note 

that this legislation is designed 

to target suppliers, 

not users, and this 

is why I launched a petition 

alongside my Bill asking 

Parliament to establish 

a formal enquiry into the 

support available for those 

who suffer from addiction 

to these drugs. 

This petition has garnered 

over 1000 signatures, 

and it is an issue I will continue 

to champion long 

after my Bill has passed 

through the House. 

Those who suffer from 

addiction to synthetic drugs 

need more support. 

As a society, we need to 

place greater emphasis on 

supporting those who are 

addicted, whilst cracking 

down on those who target 

them. 

I have spent many 

months talking with a lot 

of different people about 

this issue, including members 

of my local Indian 

community, and have been 

heartened by their encouragement 

and support for 

my Bill. 

A sad story 

I have also spoken on a 

regular basis with the parents 

of Calum Jones, a 22- 

year old father, who died 

last year after battling 

an addiction to synthetic 

drugs. 

The most tragic aspect of 

Calum’s story is that he was 

getting help and getting 

clean. Having fought his addiction 

for a long time, he 

was just days out of rehab 

before being pressured into 

relapsing, which then took 

his life. 

Texts found on his phone 

after his death showed that, 

since leaving rehab and being 

clean for six weeks, he 

had been hounded for days 

by his former dealer who 

clearly had no regard for 

his health or wellbeing. 

I cannot begin to imagine 

the pain Calum’s family 

feels knowing he was almost 

free of these demons, 

Homelink 

MP wants tougher sentences for synthetic drug dealers 

You can have your say on his Bill now in Parliament 

Simone Brown 

only to be foiled by someone 

interested in making 

a quick buck and taking 

advantage of the vulnerability 

of others. 

This is the very reason 

why I submitted this Bill 

to Parliament in the first 

place. 

It is not a case of users 

or victims needing to be 

punished, it is about ensuring 

that those who supply 

and distribute these 

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drugs understand the 

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Public submission 

Since passing its First 

Reading in March, my Bill 

has been open for public 

submission which closed 

on May 4, 2018. 

Even though you are no 

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Ex-Banker for years 

03 

will get in touch to express 

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04 Homelink 

Worker exploitation rampant in New Zealand 

Modern Slavery is becoming a menace 

Tod Cooper 

Our politicians and 

law makers need 

to accelerate the 

introduction of a 

Modern Slavery Act to establish 

clearer compliance 

expectations, tighter regulations 

and higher pecuniary 

consequences for 

individuals and businesses 

who support Modern 

Slavery. 

The UK example 

A good example is the 

UK’s Modern Slavery Act. 

All companies with a 

UK footprint and an annual 

turnover of more than 

£36 million are required 

to produce annual reports 

outlining what they are doing 

to identify and tackle 

modern slavery in their 

supply chains. 

Forms of Exploitation 

What forms does exploitation 

take? 

Dr Christina Stringer 

from the University of 

Auckland Business School 

in her report, ‘Worker 

Exploitation In New 

Zealand: A Troubling 

Landscape’ defines exploitation 

to include (a) 

Excessive working hours 

sometimes without breaks 

(b) No pay or severe under-payment 

with examples 

of migrants earning 

as little as $4-$5 an hour 

(c) No holiday pay (d) No 

employment contracts (c) 

Taxes deducted but not 

paid to the Inland Revenue 

(d) Degrading treatment: 

being sworn at or insulted, 

denied bathroom breaks, 

verbal or physical abuse 

and threatened abuse, restriction 

of movement; 

and (f) Cash-for-residency 

schemes, in which workers 

paid cash to their 

employers. 

Confiscation of Passports 

Add confiscation of an 

individual’s passport to 

this list. 

A passport is the property 

of the government 

that issued it, not the holder. 

Only an official can 

confiscate it, and only for 

justified reasons. While 

employers may reasonably 

request to hold a passport 

as a condition of employment, 

they must return it 

upon request. 

Susceptible Industries 

According to Dr Stringer, 

industries most impacted 

by exploitation tend to be 

labour intensive, many of 

which fall within our own 

primary sector. 

Below are the more impacted 

sectors with an 

example of reported exploitation 

of some workers 

in each: 

Construction: Not helped 

by events such as the 

Canterbury earthquake 

and housing shortages. 

Canterbury rebuild workers 

report debt bondage to 

pay exorbitant recruitment 

fees of around $10,000 

each. 

Dairy: Workers described 

abuse, poor working conditions, 

lack of pay, and poor 

and inhumane treatment 

of animals. 

Fishing: Fishing has a global 

reputation for human 

rights abuses, with crews 

working excessive hours 

under harsh treatment and 

abhorrent conditions. 

Horticulture: Workers 

routinely receive less 

than the minimum wage; 

some as little as $5 an 

hour. Employers threaten 

to report workers to 

Immigration New Zealand 

if they complained. 

Hospitality: Workers paid 

for far fewer hours than 

worked, some not paid 

at all during their trial 

period. 

International Education: 

Students working well over 

the hours allowed under 

their visas while promised 

that a student VISA is a fast 

track to New Zealand 

Sex work: Temporary migrants 

hired to provide 

cosmetic services and therapeutic 

massages coerced 

to provide sexual services. 

Modern slavery and 

worker exploitation is rampant 

in New Zealand. Our 

laws are not sufficient and 

financial penalties are 

negligible. 

It is time to take action 

through stricter laws and 

improved enforcement. 

Tod Cooper is 

General Manager, 

MDA Corporation, 

an Information and 

Technology Services 

Company based in 

Wellington. He is a 

Member with delegated 

authority 

for Procurement/ 

Online Training/ 

Whistleblowing. You can 

write to him at tod.cooper@tinz.org.nz 

The above article is 

from ‘May Transparency 

Times’ of Transparency 

International New 

Zealand. 

(Picture Courtesy: cips.org) 

Special baggage 

allowance offer from 

Singapore Airlines 

Simon Turcotte (Picture Supplied) 

Singapore Airlines is 

providing customers 

travelling to any of 

the 11 destinations 

in India on the Singapore 

Airlines and SilkAir network 

with the opportunity 

to increase their baggage 

allowance by more than 

50%. 

Customers who make an 

Economy Class booking before 

May 14, 2018 for travel 

from New Zealand to 

India will receive a special 

baggage allowance of 46 

kgs per person, which is an 

increase of more than 50% 

on the standard 30 kgs baggage 

allowance! 

Common request 

Singapore Airlines 

General Manager New 

Zealand Simon Turcotte 

said that requests for extra 

baggage are the most common 

received from customers 

travelling to India. 

“Our customers travelling 

to India are constantly 

seeking to increase their 

checked baggage allowance, 

so it is very pleasing 

to be able to provide this 

special offer, which I am 

sure will prove very popular,” 

Mr Turcotte said. 

“New Zealand has a 

large Indian community 

who regularly travel 

back to India to see family 

and friends, so hopefully 

this offer will help to make 

their next trip just that little 

bit easier and less stressful, 

particularly when their 

packing their bags,” he 

added. 

To take advantage of this 

offer, customers need to ensure 

their ticket has been 

issued by May 14, 2018, to 

book your next trip visit singaporeair.com 

or talk to 

your local travel agent. 

Singapore Airlines is the 

Sponsor of the ‘Business 

Excellence in Innovation’ 

category of the Eleventh 

Annual Indian Newslink 

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Sir Anand Satyanand appointed 

to IACC Council 

Sourced Content 

Former Governor 

General Sir Anand 

Satyanand has 

been appointed 

to the International Anti- 

Corruption Conference 

(IACC) Council for a six-year 

term. 

His appointment signals 

a significant advancement 

of the role of the Pacific and 

New Zealand within the international 

anti-corruption 

community. 

Sir Anand is a former 

Patron of Transparency 

International New Zealand 

(TINZ) and currently a member 

of the Transparency 

International global 

Advisory Council. 

He served as New 

Zealand’s 19th Governor- 

General between 2006 and 

2011. 

About IACC 

The IACC is a 30-year-old 

unincorporated, not-for-profit 

organisation formed to 

promote and deliver biennial 

Conferences in many parts 

of the world. 

Its main work is to select 

venue countries and approve 

Conference themes 

and programmes with the 

objective to bring together 

people from governments, 

civil society, the private sec- 

Sir Anand Satyanand 

tor and other interested 

parties to tackle the increasingly 

sophisticated challenges 

posed by corruption. 

The IACC has a close association 

with Transparency 

International (TI), the latter 

providing the secretary and 

legal entity for IACC and its 

Council. 

The Council develops a 

formal relationship with 

each Conference host country, 

typically the head institution 

or ministry in charge 

of anti-corruption. 

Conference in Denmark 

The Danish Government, 

represented by the Danish 

Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs, is hosting the 18th 

Conference in Copenhagen 

from October 22 to 24, 2018. 

Transparency Denmark 

has an IACC supporting role. 

This year’s Conference 

theme is “Together for 

Development Peace and 

Security: Now is the Time to 

Act.” More than 1,000 participants 

are expected from 

as many as 135 countries. 

The agenda provides a global 

forum for networking and 

cross-fertilisation of ideas 

for effective advocacy and 

action on both global and 

national scales. Proposals 

for the design of each of 

the proposed 35 innovation 

and workshop sessions 

were submitted between 

February 15 and April 15, 


Sir Anand is one of eight 

members of the IACC 

Council currently Chaired 

by Huguette Labelle, former 

Chair of TI and senior official 

in many Canadian government 

organisations. 

Source: Transparency 

Times (May 2018), 

Wellington 

Indian Newslink conducts 

the Indian Newslink 

Sir Anand Satyanand 

Lecture every year. The 

Eight Annual Lecture will 

be held on Monday, July 

9, 2018 at Pullman Hotel, 

Auckland. Sir Stephen 

Tindall (Founder of The 

Warehouse Group and 

Chairman of Team New 

Zealand that would defend 

‘America’s Cup in 

Auckland in 2021). Further 

details will be published 

on our web editions and in 

the next print edition. 

Homelink 

05 

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news


06 Educationlink 

Workforce Strategy to address education woes 


Education 

Minister Chris 

Hipkins has 

launched an 

Education Workforce 

Strategy as the first major 

step towards tackling 

a looming teacher 

shortage. 

The shortage threatens 

to engulf our 

schools if action is not 

taken, he said. 

The Strategy is desperately 

needed to 

make up for a lack of 

long-term planning 

over the past few years, 

he added. 

Challenging Numbers 

“The numbers tell 

the story. By 2030, student 

numbers are expected 

to increase from 

800,000 to 850,000. 

There are fewer new 

Learn English with us 

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teachers - the number of 

graduating teachers fell 

from 5875 in 2012 to 3665 in 

2016. And we have an aging 

teaching workforce – 42% 

of teachers are now over 50, 

and 20% are over 60 years 

old,” Mr Hipkins said. 

He said that while there 

are several initiatives being 

implemented to address 

current shortages, there has 

been no plan for the future. 

Addressing all issues 

Mr Hipkins said that the 

Plan, to be developed by 

the end of the year in partnership 

with the sector, 

will cover Early Learning, 

Primary and Secondary 

Education, the Learning 

Support Workforce, Maorimedium 

and Englishmedium, 

and Maori 

language learning in all 

settings. 

The new Strategy will aim 

at removing red tape and 

cumbersome procedures 

within the system and reduce 

the administrative burden 

on teachers at learning 

centres and schools. 

Five Key Areas 

The Strategy will focus 

on five key areas: (1) 

Developing a common 

view of how the workforce 

will contribute to the 

Government’s vision for education, 

including commit- 

Chris Hipkins 


ments to strengthen Te Reo 

Maori (2) Attracting, recruiting 

and retaining a 

diverse and high quality 

workforce; and lifting 

workforce capability and 

capacity (3) Addressing existing 

issues, such as fluctuations 

in supply and 

demand (4) Addressing 

the impact of technology 

on early learning, 

classroom teaching and inschool 

practices and (5) 

Minimising compliance-focused 

workload to ensure 

that teachers have the time 

to focus on teaching and 

learning. 

Linking data sets 

Data about teachers and 

teaching is held across different 

education agencies 

in data sets that are not 

all linked effectively, Mr 

Hipkins said. 

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Centre 

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518 Dominion Road Mount Eden 

Those agencies are working 

to develop more comprehensive 

and high-quality 

data about the education 

workforce, which will enable 

the planning required 

to ensure that supply better 

matches demand. 

The strategy will be reviewed 

annually to keep it 

up to date with new thinking 

and practices. 

Some more details 

The Education Portfolio 

Programme prepared by 

Mr Hopkins is the harbinger 

of the future-focused 

Education Workforce 

Strategy in partnership with 

the sector. 

Mr Hipkins said that there 

is increasing pressure on 

teacher supply in certain locations, 

subjects and parts 

of the sector. 

“This includes the 

Auckland region and in specific 

subjects like Te Reo 

Maori, Science, Technology 

and Mathematics. 

Tightening supply conditions 

are being exacerbated 

by falling initial teacher 

education (ITE) enrolments 

and concerns over the ageing 

teaching workforce and 

growth in student numbers,” 

he said. 

Quality Teaching 

Mr Hipkins said that quality 

teaching is the strongest 

in-school influence on children 

and young people’s 

learning. 

Participation in quality 

early learning has also been 

linked to a range of positive 

outcomes. 

“I want to ensure that the 

pressure on supply does 

not impact on the quality 

of our education system 

or the status of the teaching 

profession. As such, the 

Strategy will reflect this 

Government’s drive to raise 

the status of the education 

profession, restore their 

trust and confidence and 

ensure they have the time to 

focus on teaching and learning,” 

he said. 

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08 Educationlink 

Young creative eyes foster better world vision 

Sir Bob Harvey speaking at the launch of ‘My World, My Vision’ 2018 | Sir Bob Harvey, Ashok Kochhar and Martyn Weatherill at the event Ashok Kochhar addressing guests with Master Abir Kochhar Children with a stack of film cameras at Laingholm Primary School (Pictures Supplied) 


About 140 children 

between the age of 

five and seven received 

film cameras at a 

function held at Laingholm 

Primary School in West 

Auckland on Friday, May 

4, 2018. 

They will give vent to 

their creativity, as participants 

in the ‘My World, My 

Vision’ Project. 

More than 150 people including 

former Waitakere 

Mayor Sir Bob Harvey, 

who has also served as 

Chairman of Waterfront 

Auckland and Champion 

of Auckland, Laingholm 

Primary School Principal 

Martyn Weatherill, internationally-renowned 

photographer 

Ashok Kochhar, 

teachers, parents, photographers, 

experts, invited 

guests and students 

were present at the event. 

Nationwide Project 

The Programme was the 

first in the nationwide annual 

series of ‘My World, 

My Vision,’ an initiative of 

Mr Kochhar, which began 

two years ago on a modest 

scale in association with 

Indian Newslink. This 

year, the Project will cover 

400 children (five to 12 

years) living in various 

parts of New Zealand. 

They will be encouraged 

to go out and present the 

world around them. 

The images captured 

by them will be presented 

at an exhibition across 

New Zealand and online, 

inviting comments from 

International experts. 

Creative Outlet 

Mr Kochhar launched 

the Project in 2016 promising 

to offer a creative outlet 

to the thoughts of the 

young minds. 

“After the Auckland 

Chapter, the exhibition will 

spread to other cities and 

cover children from varied 

ethnic and socio-economic 

backgrounds. The 

Project would also open 

many future career possibilities 

through mentor 

programmes, online showcases 

of talent as well as 

youth symposia,” he said. 

Mr Kochhar said that 

children of yesteryears 

and youth of today govern 

every nation, meaning 

that today’s children will 

govern and take decisions 

tomorrow. 

“As elders, it is our duty 

to give our undivided attention 

to children,” he 

said. 

Suffering generation 

But official data reveals 

that the world is not in a 

good state as far as teenagers 

are concerned. There 

have many channels of 

information, but not as 

many sources to express 

and understand their own 

thoughts in a constructive 

manner. 

Mr Kochhar said that in 

a world where our teens 

are battling depression, 

bullying and many more 

evils, an ear given to their 

thoughts and a hand extended 

to support their efforts 

will achieve results in 

the right direction. 

“With the objective of 

providing a channel of expression 

to our young 

minds before the start of 

their teen years and to enhance 

their Emotional 

Quotient (EQ), a team of 

experts from various genres 

of visual arts came 

together to present the initiative, 

‘My World, My 

Vision.’ We invite you to 

get involved in the initiative,” 

he said. 

For more information, 

please visit www. 

myworldmyvision.co.nz 

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139th Girmit Anniversary 

Fijilink 

09 

History wipes out ill-fated generations 

Venkat Raman 


Journalists who cover wars, natural 

and man-made disasters and 

events that attract public attention 

would be stupefied to discover 

the atrocities suffered by generations 

obscured by history – generations 

that subsisted in Fiji, in order that 

their children and succeeding sons 

and daughters will live amidst peace 

and plenty. 

Their desire may have been fulfilled 

in the case of hundreds of 

thousands of Indo-Fijians who established 

their careers as businesspersons, 

professionals and employees 

in large, medium and small enterprises 

in Fiji, Australia, New Zealand 

and other countries to which the 

post-Girmit generations migrated, especially 

after the first coup in 1987 

(see several separate stories that will 

appear everyday from today). 

A shipload of ill-fated men and women-Leonidas 

arrives in Fiji on May 14, 1879 

Sacrifice and Death 

The story of the Indo-Fijians as 

indentured labourers is one of betrayal, 

torture, sacrifice and death. 

Successive generations have heard 

how their ancestors suffered the 

brutality of their colonial masters, 

Indentured labourers aboard a ship to Fiji 

(From Indian Newslink Archives) 

whipped like animals and were 

pushed towards suicide- many of 

them ended their lives either hanging 

at home or falling into the 

nearby river; many others simply 

perished as a natural outcome of 

physical and mental abuse. 

The world has scoffed at slavery 

and those who drove them but has 

seldom cared for the victims, unless 

the latter fought for their rights 

in strange lands and asserted themselves 

politically, socially and culturally, 

winning a rightful place in 

the society. 

Marginalised Indo-Fijians 

Africans in Europe, the US and 

Canada are prime examples of such 

self-determination but in the case 

of Fiji, people of Indian origin remained 

marginalised and relegated 

to secondary positions. 

True, there are a number of success 

stories of people who have 

established their presence commercially 

and lifted Fiji’s economy in later 

years, especially after the country 

gained independence in 1971. 

But they did not achieve success 

overnight; they too struggled, 

alongside their compatriots, risked 

their fortunes and promoted businesses. 

It is often said that without 

Indo-Fijian enterprise, the country’s 

economy would be far more impoverished 

and regressive than it is 

today. 

Back to the Girmit and the 

Girmitiyas, the reason for their massive 

abuse by the Colonial Sugar 

Research (CSR) Company is not 

known but it is assumed that their 

belief was subjugation through terror 

was far more effective in gaining 

control over the migrant workers 

than letting them live and work in 

dignity. 

The First ‘Shipment’ 

The first shipload of Girmitiyas 

aboard Leonidas, accounted for 522 

men and women, who were apparently 

taken from various parts of 

India on false pretences. If those 

people sported a dream of making it 

in Fiji through hard work followed 

by happiness and prosperity, they 

only got the former. 

A series of articles today and in 

the ensuing days leading up to the 

139th Anniversary on Monday, May 

14, 2018 will detail a little more 

about those unfortunate men and 

women and how history obscured 

them into non-entity. 

Indian Minister asks 

Indo-Fijians to promote 

Hindi and Sanskrit 


Present 

& 

Guest Speaker 






A RARE O PP O R TU N I TY NOT T O BE MISSED! 



Indian Minister Satya Pal Singh with the Members of the Girmit Centre in Lautoka, Fiji, on February 23, 2018. 

(Photo for Fiji Sun by Karalaini Tavi) 

Avisiting Indian 

Minister has 

said that the descants 

of Girmityas 

have played an integral 

part in the development 

of Fiji over the years and 

that they must preserve 

and promote their identity 

through Sanskrit and 

Hindi. 

Minister of State 

for Human Resource 

Development and Minister 

of Water Resources, River 

Development and Ganga 

Rejuvenation Satya Pal 

Singh praised Fijians of 

Indian origin in Fiji during 

his visit to the Girmit 

Centre in Lautoka on 

February 23, 2018. 

He was in Fiji to attend 

the 20th Conference of 

Commonwealth Education 

Ministers. 

Traditional Values 

important 

Mr Singh said that parents 

should teach their children 

traditional values of 

India to keep them alive 

and promote them. 

“It is about our ancestors, 

the various difficulties 

that they went through 

in their lives and through 

them all they still made Fiji 

their home. The specialties 

that they brought with 

them and what they have 

done for Fiji has helped the 

country grow,” he said. 

Connection through Hindi 

Mr Singh said that it was 

good to see that the Hindi 

language has connected 

everyone in Fiji. 

“The important part is 

our culture, religion, and 

our beliefs. These need to 

be preserved. Teach your 

children about our culture 

and traditional values. 

What our children learn in 

schools like rhymes, stories 

and poems have been of 

the Western World that are 

not related to Sanskrit,” Mr 

Singh said. 

He said that to keep 

Sanskrit alive, parents 

should teach their children 

Hindi. 

Naming Children 

“The naming of a child 

is also important. So, do 

not give any type of name, 

all names should have a 

meaning and linked to our 

religion,” he said. 

Girmit Centre Secretary 

Selwa Nanadan said it was 

a timely visit and members 

were grateful that the 

Minster took the opportunity 

to donate books for 

students to enhance their 

knowledge about India. 

“We have had a historical 

link with the Government 

of India and it has played a 

pivotal role in the development 

of Fiji over the years. 

Mr Singh has elaborated on 

how we need to safeguard 

our identity and values. We 

have made some submissions 

of the financial status 

of our Centre so we are 

seeking their help as well,” 

Mr Nandan said. 

The above Report and 

Picture, which appeared 

in Fiji Sun, has been 

published by Indian 

Newslink under a Special 

Agreement with the 

publication. 

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10 Fijiink 

139th Girmit Anniversary 

Honour of Girmityas and their descendants restored 

Losirene Lacanivalu, 

Shratika Naidu and Litia 

Tikomailepanon 

Girmityas and their 

descendants have found dignity, 

respect and equality that they 

were looking for in Fiji since their 

arrival in 1879, Attorney-General 

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has said. 

Speaking at the ‘Girmit Remembrance 

Day for Women’ at the Fiji 

Museum in Suva on May 15, 2017, 

he said that these three values 

were once a missing link for 

Girmityas and their descendants. 

Equality gained 

He said that the indentured 

labourers wanted equality and 

today they had gained that 

respect as they were now called 

‘Fijians,’ constitutionally and 

legally. 

He said this was a huge shift 

from what happened on May 14, 

1879 for both men and women of 

the Girmit. 

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said that 

cheap labour was provided when 

the Girmit arrived and help build 

the economic base of Fiji. 

However, the Girmityas 

suffered from malnutrition, 

emotional and psychological 

stress and many lives were lost. 

Women, who are the backbone 

and strength in a family, also 

worked amongst men in the 

sugarcane field. 

Through perseverance, they 

encouraged their children to get 

educated. 

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum speaking at Girmit Remembrance Day at the Suva Museum on May 14, 2017. Photo for Fiji Sun by Jone Luvenitoga 

Remembering the past 

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said that education 

became a huge focus and 

the Girmityas began to change 

their Girmit mindset. There were 

many stories of the Girmityas and 

one of them included how women 

gave birth, took their children 

to sugarcane plantations and how 

they had a high mortality rate. 

The reality for any country was 

for people to be mature enough 

and focus and build a strong 

future and come to grips with 

their past, he said. 

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said it 

was important for a person to 

recognise their history and those 

who contributed to their history 

without politicising it. 

Unfortunately, in Fiji, for decades, 

because the Girmit system 

was a part of the Colonial system, 

education was excluded. 

This was among the issues 

faced by the Girmityas and their 

descendants; there were many 

untold stories of the Girmityas 

and people would be surprised to 

hear them, he said. 

A book written by Dr Mohit 

Prasad called, ‘Girmit: The Indentured- 

a General History’ was 

released at the event. 

Event in Labasa 

At the ‘Remembrance Day’ 

held in Labasa, Fiji businessman 

Rupan, who was the Chief Guest, 

said, “Mothers who are were 

descendants of women during the 

Girmit period should be thankful 

for what they have today. They 

should be strengthened by the 

stories of struggle,” he said. 

Mr Rupan, who worked at the 

Fiji Sugar Corporation in Labasa 

for 25 years, said that women 

during the Girmit period played 

an important role. 

Founder of Local Timber and 

Distributors Limited, Mr Rupan 

said it was important to remember 

the hard work, sacrifices, 

resilience, tolerance as well as 

brutalities of physical violence 

borne by women brought into or 

born into indenture. 

“In those days, women had no 

access to better health facilities 

to deliver their babies. They did 

not have the technology and 

assistance that you have today,” 

he said. 

Special Administrator for Labasa 

and Savusavu Town Councils 

Vijay Chand said that May 14 

each year marks the Anniversary 

of the arrival of the first shipload 

of indentured labourers from 

India to Fiji, abroad the Leonidas 

in 1879. 

“Girmit celebration this year 

(2018) coincides with Mother’s 

Day.” 

To honour both occasions, the 

local communities, supported by 

Municipal Councils invited all Fijians 

to pay respect to all women 

and girl-child as part of a larger 

celebrations in their respective 

centres. 

Nonagenarian’s advice in Nadi 

93-year-old Muttamma reminded 

people of the importance of 

mothers in the society. 

“We should respect and love 

our parents and God will bless us 

abundantly,” she said. 

She celebrated the day with 

other mothers from Nadi at the 

Nadi Civic Centre. 

Her grandparents were Girmityas 

who arrived from Calcutta. 

Chief Guest and Retired school 

teacher Shushila Ramesh advised 

children not to ill treat their 

parents in their homes. 

“They are the reason we are 

here today, please daughters and 

daughters-in-law, respect your 

mothers and value them, do not 

ill-treat them and put them into 

old people’s home,” she said. 

The above Report and Picture, 

which appeared in Fiji Sun 

on May 15, 2017, has been 

published by Indian Newslink 

under a Special Agreement with 

the publication. 

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GST on overseas online purchases 

from October 2019 

Sourced Content (RNZ) 

The government will 

impose the 15% 

GST on low-value 

goods bought by 

New Zealanders online from 

overseas. 

At the moment, any goods 

bought on a foreign online retail 

site worth under $400 are 

exempt from GST. The reason 

for this is it was historically 

considered too costly to collect 

the tax on goods at the border. 

However, with the rise of 

foreign sites such as Amazon, 

Alibaba and e-Bay, the amount 

the government has been 

missing out on is far larger. 

Retailers complain 

New Zealand retailers - in 

particular local booksellers 

- have also complained that 

they have been at a disadvantage 

because foreign sellers 

have been able to sell to New 

Zealanders at a 15% discount. 

As a solution, the government 

is proposing to collect 

GST on those goods from 

October 1, 2019, imposing it at 

the point of sale and waiving 

the tariffs and border recovery 

costs previously applied at 

the border. 

This will level the playing 

field for them as well as bringing 

millions of dollars into the 

government’s coffers. 

National started it 

The change continues 

the work of the previous 

government, which made 

a similar move to apply 

the tax to digital services 

in 2016 to music, games 

or digital services from 

foreign websites - the socalled 

Netflix tax -sothere 

is a precedent. 

Overseas sellers will 

have to register and collect 

the tax, which undoubtedly 

will be passed on to local 

buyers through higher 

prices. 

Goods imported worth 

more than $400 had been 

collected at the border, 

and this will not change. 

The government says 

paying the tax is mandatory, 

but it cannot effectively 

police it overseas and was 

expecting about a quarter 

of retailers would not 

comply. 

Amazon and others 

The big retailers like 

Amazon which were doing 

more than $60,000 a 

year in business in New 

Zealand will be asked to 

sign up for GST. The companies 

themselves would 

also be responsible for collecting 

the tax. 

For New Zealanders, it 

may mean some goods become 

more expensive, but 

it also may mean some 

goods which had already 

had GST and tariffs imposed 

at the border could 

become cheaper. 

The system for goods 

over $400 will remain unchanged, 

with tax being 

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than at sale. 

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12 Viewlink 

The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999) 

ISSUE 392 | MAY 15, 2018 

Remembering Girmityas 

with love and honour 

It was just a day ago (May 14) 

that people of Indo-Fijian origin 

in Fiji, New Zealand and other 

parts of the world observed 

the 139th Anniversary of ‘Girmit,’ an 

inglorious period of 37 years (1879- 

1916) during which indentured labourers 

from India were subject to 

humiliation, subjugation and even 

inhumane treatment. 

Grim reminder 

‘Girmit Day’ that commemorates 

the arrival of the first shipload of indentured 

labourers in 1879 is not a 

celebration but a grim reminder of 

one of the darkest eras in human 

history. 

Several events were held 

in Auckland at press time, 

one of which was the ‘Girmit 

Commemoration Meeting’ organised 

at Ram Mandir, in Henderson, 

Auckland. 

The event was marked as one of 

solidarity, determination and will to 

ensure sufferings for the sake of the 

future generations. Indo-Fijians owe 

their status including good education 

and economic prosperity to the 

sacrifices made by their ancestors. 

It is their blood, sweat and tears that 

have made them to strive harder 

and win recognition not only in Fiji 

but in every part of the globe, which 

is their home today. 

Homage to Girmityas 

The Divas (the day) is not so much 

Challenges facing New 

Zealand banks 

The appointment of a Royal 

Commission of Inquiry 

into some of the practices 

of Commercial banks in 

Australia has sent ripples of anxiety 

in New Zealand’s banking sector. 

The Royal Commission, appointed 

by the Australian government, is examining 

misleading and deceptive 

behaviour in the industry and the 

conduct which fell ‘below community 

standards and expectations.’ 

The complaints 

As Commissioner Kenneth Hayne 

said, Australia has one of the strongest 

and most stable financial service 

sectors in the world but there have 

been many established examples of 

misconduct, raising questions about 

cultural and governance practices. 

Along with Banking, the Inquiry 

would look at Superannuation 

(Pension Contributions), Insurance 

and Wealth Management 

industries. 

Australia’s ‘Big Four,’ namely, 

Commonwealth Bank (CBA), ANZ, 

National Australia Bank (NAB) 

and Westpac, collectively have 

about 80% of the country’s banking 

market. 

As on May 4, 2018, the Royal 

Commission had received 5019 public 

submissions, of which 64% related 

to banking, followed by equal 

number of submissions relating 

a celebration as a commemoration 

to pay homage to the Girmityas, 

praise their courage and express 

gratitude and appreciation for their 

sacrifices. It is also to educate and 

inform the present generation of 

Indians, mainly the descendants of 

Girmityas, of the hardships their ancestors 

had to endure and the sacrifices 

they made to provide a better 

life for their children. 

Their gift was the huge investment 

they made in providing for the 

education of their children. The colonial 

government made no provision 

for the education of Indian 

children in the early days since the 

abolition of indenture. 

There has always been a place for 

Indians in Fiji and the community is 

an integral part and instrument of 

the country’s destiny. 

We live in a globalised world today. 

Indians are citizens of Fiji and 

they must make their future according 

to their will and aspirations. It 

is the responsibility of their leaders 

to see that they are treated with respect 

and dignity. 

We salute Indo-Fijians on the 

139th anniversary of Girmit, pay 

tributes to their ancestors, congratulate 

them on the dawn of a new era 

of their freedom from racism, political 

discrimination and corruption 

and wish them success in all their 

endeavours. 

to superannuation and financial 

advice. 

Response in New Zealand 

New Zealand banks and insurance 

companies have been quick to 

distance themselves from the evidence 

found by the hearings before 

the Royal Commission. 

But as Wellington based 

Transparency International Inc 

Chief Executive Suzanne Snively 

said, the challenge is that New 

Zealand’s largest four registered 

banks (ANZ, ASB, BNZ and Westpac) 

are subsidiaries of Australia’s 

four largest banks. AMP is one of 

New Zealand’s largest insurance 

companies. 

“It is naive to believe that the 

New Zealand system is different 

without solid evidence. It is 

not enough to have the industry 

self-disclose. This after all, is what 

happened prior to the current 

Australian inquiry,” she said. 

The Australian Royal 

Commission’s early findings provide 

a wakeup call to New Zealanders. 

We need to make sure that we have 

authenticated evidence that our 

New Zealand banking and financial 

services practices and operations, 

undertaken for the banks own customers, 

have been conducted with 

integrity and in the best interests of 

their customers. 

Indian Newslink is published by Indian Newslink Limited from its offices located at Level 

1, Number 166, Harris Road, East Tamaki, Auckland 2013 and printed at Horton Media 

Limited, Auckland. All material appearing here and on our web editions are the copyright 

of Indian Newslink and reproduction in full or part in any medium is prohibited. Indian 

Newslink and its management and staff do not accept any responsibility for the claims 

made in advertisements. 

Managing Director & Publisher: Jacob Mannothra; Editor & General Manager: Venkat 

Raman; Marketing & Sales Manager: Ronny Kumaran; Production Manager: Mahes 

Perera; Assistant Editor: Ratna Venkat; Financial Controller: Uma Venkatram CA; 

Phone: (09) 5336377 Email: info@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Websites: www.indiannewslink.co.nz; www.inliba.com; www.inlisa.com 

Co-Working takes a new form 

with all care in the world 

‘Cloud39’ opens in Botany South on May 19 

Venkat Raman 


With flexible working 

hours, work-life 

balance and proximity 

to family and 

children becoming the norm, Co- 

Working is emerging as a sound 

alternative for people to pursue 

their profession. 

While work stations fostering 

the Co-Working concept have 

been functioning in the USA and 

some parts of Europe for a few 

years now, arguably the first of 

its kind is set to open in New 

Zealand next week. 

Called, ‘Cloud39,’ the impressive, 

purpose-built facility located 

at 39 Bishop Dunne in Botany 

South Auckland could herald the 

future of the workplace. 

True to its form and style, 

the launch of the Centre will 

be marked as ‘Open Day,’ on 

Saturday, May 19, 2018 from 11 

am to 3 pm. 

Something for all 

There is something for everyone, 

a place to work, a place to 

relax, a place to eat, a place for 

children to be cared after school 

hours, and even a place where 

one could talk in privacy to one’s 

partner (and perhaps say, ‘Sorry’ 

and make up). If you have heard 

or read about ‘Cloud 9,’ then 

‘Cloud39’ would confirm to the 

modern-day youth: ‘Cool.’ 

The facility is owned and promoted 

by the ‘FURM Group’ 

which Director and Project 

Manager Nader Luthera said is 

an acronym for ‘Free Up Your 

Mind.’ 

The young man conceived 

the Project and implemented it 

with the support of his parents 

Harinder Pal (HP) and Darshi 

Luthera who have been successfully 

running ‘Kiwi Supertots,’ an 

education and childcare centre 

within the same complex (and at 

Royal Oak and Papakura) for the 

past 26 years. 

Nader, is a chip off the old 

block, with the attributes of honesty, 

integrity and the urge to 

‘do something bigger, better and 

more in-tune with the evolving 

trends.’ 

The challenge of success 

“My parents have worked hard 

for a long time and established a 

business that provides childcare 

during and after school hours, 

enabling parents to lead their 

professional lives without interruption 

or worry. The challenge 

that I undertook was build on 

their success and integrate an individual’s 

professional aspirations 

within the framework of 

family and child welfare. The future 

of the work is changing,” he 

said. 

It is common for young minds 

to reach for the stars, true to 

which, Nader, globetrotting 

for two years (especially visiting 

work centres in the USA and 

Europe), concluded that it was 

time to provide New Zealand entrepreneurs, 

professionals and 

even employees of companies 

the ability to perform their daily 

work in a professional and con- 

Go ahead Son, there is a lot to do” H P Luthera (back) with Nader Luthera at Cloud39 

Group Discussions and articulation of ideas can be fun at Cloud39 (Pictures Supplied) 

genial environment. 

That in a nutshell is the concept 

of ‘Cloud39.’ 

Ideal Hub 

Nader said that Cloud39 is an 

ideal hub for city employees 

looking for a remote co-working 

operation closer home, through 

to young parents in business 

wanting to be closer to their children 

and neighbouring schools. 

“Our Mission is to provide people 

with a positive and productive 

environment. Cloud39 will 

act as a place for opportunity, 

where individuals or groups can 

effectively better their working 

habits and wellbeing,” he said. 

Family Care with a focus on 

children is at the core of operations 

of Cloud39. 

Combining the vision of Nader 

and the business acumen of HP, 

the new building boasts of a 

number of facilities to keep customers 

in comfort zone. These 

include a Common Area, Event 

Centre, Child Care, Meeting 

Rooms, Out of School Care, Zen 

Room, Cafeteria and more. 

“Cloud39 Coworking is the perfect 

location for young parents, 

start-ups, entrepreneurs and employees 

living near and around 

South East Auckland. With convenient 

and easy access from 

anywhere in Flatbush, Botany, 

Howick, Manukau, East Tamaki 

and other parts of South and 

East Auckland, Cloud39 is the 

perfect location to co-work closer 

to your home and your family, 

and away from traffic.” 

“Away from traffic” are the 

magic words in today’s Auckland 

where gridlocks keep people in 

their cars for long hours. 

Membership Categories 

Nader said that membership to 

Cloud39 is available with several 

options. These include (a) Day 

Pass (b) Full-Time Dedicated (c) 

Full-Time Flexi (d) School Hours 

Only (e) Part-Time Dedicated (f) 

Part-Time Flexi and (g) Huddle 

Desk. 

“Cloud Members will get access 

to shared office co-working 

facilities, our network, and invitations 

to our family-friendly 

events. They will also be entitled 

to our ‘exclusive, members-only 

rates’ for Out of School 

Care, Holiday Programmes and 

Quality Childcare,” Nader said. 

A few years ago, a 

PricewaterhouseCoopers (UK) 

survey titled, ‘The Future of 

Work: A journey to 2022,’ said 

that tremendous forces were 

radically reshaping the world of 

work. 

“Maximum operational flexibility, 

lean staffing models, collaborative 

partnerships and 

minimal fixed costs are critical 

enablers of Orange firms (where 

‘big would be bad’). These companies 

make extensive use of 

technology to run their businesses, 

coordinate a largely external 

workforce and support their relationships 

with third parties. 

They take advantage of disruptive 

technology when appropriate 

and stay abreast of new 

developments to ensure they are 

up to speed in their sector.”


Businesslink 

13 

Robertson sets the tone and pace of Budget 2018 

Here is a preview of what is to come on May 17, 2018 

Grant Robertson 

Iwant to discuss how Budget 

2018 will take the first 

steps towards this Coalition 

Government’s plan for a 

transformation of the New 

Zealand economy. 

A transformation to one that is 

more productive, more sustainable 

and more inclusive. 

In essence, a modern economy 

that is better equipped to take on 

the opportunities and meet the 

challenges of a rapidly changing 

world. 

Six months into our work, I am 

pleased with the progress that 

we are making. 

We came into Government 

with a clear and different set of 

priorities. We immediately set 

about implementing our plan to 

support more New Zealanders 

to have a share in our country’s 

prosperity. 

Persisting inequality 

There is no doubt that the 

high-level indicators for the New 

Zealand economy have been, 

and are, strong. But despite the 

economic growth seen in recent 

years, many Kiwis have not seen 

any significant improvement in 

their standard of living. 

In fact, far too many of our 

people have been left out of the 

benefits of economic growth. 

One of the main features of the 

election campaign last year was 

the growing level of inequality 

in New Zealand society, I heard 

very similar concerns. And that 

is, no New Zealander is comfortable 

with levels of homelessness 

that are the highest in the OECD, 

or that children are growing up 

in cold, damp houses. 

Nobody is. No New Zealander 

is comfortable knowing that 

there are people who are not 

able to house their families, or 

who are not able to put food on 

the table. 

That is not the New Zealand that 

we all believe in, and we – made 

it our first priority to set about 

righting this wrong. 

Reversing untargeted cuts 

So, our first action was to reverse 

the untargeted tax cuts 

proposed by the previous government 

and re-invest that 

money in supporting low and 

middle-income families. 

Our Families Package will see 

$5.5 billion over the next four 

years focused on improving the 

living standards of those who 

need it the most. And there was 

money left beside to build the 

foundations of our economic 

transformation. 

Through our mini-Budget in 

December, we introduced: The 

Families Package, which, when 

fully rolled out in 2020-2021, 

will see 384,000 families with 

children better off by an average 

of $75 a week, and many 

hard-working lower-income 

families receiving more; Our 

Winter Energy Payment will support 

Superannuitants and recipients 

of main benefits with their 

energy costs; and Further support 

to families by extending 

paid parental leave. 

Varied initiatives 

An increase in the minimum 

wage to $16.50 an hour from 

April, and it will rise in phases 

to $20 an hour by 2021. The 

Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill to 

ensure that all rentals are warm 

and dry. This is not just a housing 

policy but a health policy, 

and an economic policy. 

We allocated $2 billion for our 

ambitious Kiwibuild Programme 

to deliver 100,000 long-overdue 

affordable houses built across 

the country, including 50,000 

here in Auckland. 

We have fully funded the first 

year of our fees-free post-secondary 

education and training 

policy. We established our Tax 

Working Group to look at ways 

to improve the fairness and balance 

of the tax system and shift 

investment towards the productive 

economy. 

New approach 

Budget 2018 will take the next 

critical steps in rolling out that 

plan. It will lay the foundations 

required to rebuild the critical 

social and physical infrastructure 

in New Zealand. 

We have come in after nine 

years of a government that demanded 

public services do more 

with less. This might sound great 

in theory, but in reality, as we 

have seen in many cases, the result 

was underfunded critical 

public services doing less with 

less. 

Fiscal Sustainability 

There is another element 

to sustainability; that is fiscal 

sustainability. 

This Government, like all others, 

has to be responsible to future 

generations with how we 

manage our finances, just as we 

do for our environment. 

There has been quite a lot 

of comment about the Budget 

Responsibility Rules. 

Today, I want to re-assure you 

2018 

CALLING FOR 

ENTRIES &NOMINATIONS 

Forms can be downloaded from 

www.inliba.com 

that we are committed to them 

as much as we are to the investments 

needed to transform our 

economy. 

Both are possible, and both are 

necessary. It goes without saying 

that a Government that presides 

over high deficits, increasing 

debt, or a shrinking economy 

would not be able to provide the 

critical and quality public services 

that New Zealanders want 

and deserve. 

Every responsible Government 

should be reviewing policies and 

spending regularly to ensure 

that taxpayers are getting the 

best value for money and that 

policies will benefit the greatest 

number of people. 

Grant Robertson is the Finance 

Minister of New Zealand. 

The above is an extract of his 

speech at Westpac in Auckland. 

(Picture of Grant Robertson 

from file)


14 Businesslink 

Handed on a gold platter, the economy suffers ineptitude 

Amy Adams 

This Week, Finance 

Minister Grant 

Robertson will deliver 

his first Budget 

and the country’s books are 

looking healthy. 

Mr Robertson inherited 

from National a growing 

economy and Government 

books in surplus, so there 

should be plenty of cash for 

this Government. 

In addition, Mr Robertson 

is increasing debt by $10 

billion, getting increased 

revenue from the growing 

economy, and introducing 

a whole lot of new taxes. 

All up, he’s got $34 billion 

to spend over the next four 

years. 

Excessive promises 

Yet despite all this, Labour 

is still finding it hard to meet 

all the excessive expectations 

they have built-up with 

voters and promises to their 

coalition partners. Budgets 

are about priorities. 

It is hard to be sympathetic 

to this Government arguing 

it does not have enough 

money for universal cheaper 

GP visits for hardworking 

families, when it has 

already spent $2.8 billion on 

free university for first year 

law and accounting students 

and nearly a billion 

dollars in foreign affairs and 

an embassy in Sweden for 

Winston Peters. 

Low-Growth Policies 

When National left office 

last year, the economy 

was in great shape with high 

business confidence and low 

unemployment. 

Soon the Treasury will 

assess the impact of this 

Ardern-Peters Government’s 

low-growth policies. 

Robertson has no plan to 

continue New Zealand’s recent 

economic growth and 

independent economists are 

already saying that economic 

growth could halve in 18 

months as a result. 

There is no doubt confidence 

will continue to go 

down and our economy will 

grow slower than it should 

as long as the government 

continues its attacks on the 

oil and gas industry, farmers, 

and exporters. 

The Government’s recent 

announcement to 

cap dairy herds is political 

grandstanding. 

We have already seen 

them blindside the oil and 

gas industry by drastically 

cutting exploration and now 

they’re doing the same to 

the dairy industry. 

There is no analysis, no 

consultation - they have no 

plan. 

Unfriendly towards 

farmers 

Environmental improvements 

are only achieved by 

governments working together 

with industry to improve 

how things are done. 

The National Government 

set very specific national 

limits on nitrates, phosphorous, 

E.coli, algae and ammonia 

through the National 

Policy Statements we put in 

place in 2014 and 2017. 

National’s actions put limits 

on dairy conversions in 

sensitive catchments and is 

progressively being rolled 

out by regional councils. 

In 2017, we agreed with 

farmers a plan for 56,000 

kms of fencing along waterways 

over 12 years 

to come into effect from 

December 2017, which this 

Government has failed to 

act on. 

Farmers play a massive 

part in creating and 

investing in solutions to improve 

the way they operate. 

Unfortunately, it is now 

clear this Ardern-Peters 

Government is out to punish 

them – in fact the Minister 

for Agriculture himself said 

this Government is “no 

friend to the farmer.” The 

Government fails to realise 

how important food production 

is to our economy. 

However, our communities, 

whether rural or urban areas, 

understand we are all in 

this together. 

Attacks against National 

Ahead of the budget, 

Labour will continue their 

political attacks against the 

previous Government. Yet, 

the reality is we made big 

investments every year into 

both health and education - 

last year alone we increased 

health spending by $880 million 

a year - the highest increase 

in eleven years. 

Labour’s real problem is 

they promised too much. 

Now these huge spending 

promises to both voters and 

their coalition parties are 

coming home to roost. 

This Ardern-Peters 

Government is very fortunate 

we left the books in 

such great shape. But with 

their current raid on the regions, 

Iamnot confident 

that by 2020 the books will 

be looking as strong. 

And that means less money 

for your family, as well 

as the health and education 

services we all need. 

Amy Adams is elected 

Member of Parliament 

from Selwyn electorate. 

She is National Party’s 

Spokesperson for Finance. 

Regulator warns rogue 

agents of punitive measures 

Supplied Content 

Unlicensed real estate 

agents who operate outside 

the law will be held 

to account, the Real 

Estate Authority (REA) has said. 

The REA has welcomed news 

that former Auckland real estate 

agent Aaron Hughes has 

been fined $8000 for unlicensed 

trading. 

In February, Hughes was acquitted 

of criminal charges relating 

to two property deals. 

His licence had earlier been 

cancelled by the Real Estate 

Agents Disciplinary Tribunal 

(READT) in August 2016 after he 

had previously pleaded guilty to 

two charges of misconduct. 

Disappointed outcome 

REA chief executive Kevin 

Lampen-Smith said the regulator 

was disappointed in the outcome 

of the earlier trial. 

“We take every opportunity 

we can to hold people to account, 

particularly former real 

estate agents who operate outside 

the law. Buying or selling 

property is a complex and often-stressful 

time in peoples’ 

lives and New Zealanders should 

be able to trust that the person 

they are dealing with is licensed 

and professional.” 

There are more than 15,000 licensed 

real estate agents currently 

operating in New Zealand. 

Mr Lampen-Smith said that peo- 

Kevin-Lampen-Smith 


ple could check out a real 

estate agent’s background 

by visiting the REA’s online 

public register. This 

shows whether an agent is 

licensed and if they have 

had any complaints upheld 

against them. 

“We want to ensure that 

people make educated and 

informed decisions when 

buying or selling property 

and that our industry operates 

in a professional way. 

Agents who break the rules 

or those holding themselves 

out to be licensed 

will face serious consequences,” 

he said. 

For more information or 

to speak to REA chief executive 

Kevin Lampen-Smith, 

contact REA media communications 

manager Lucy 

Corry (lucy.corry@rea.govt. 

nz or 0278-376026). 

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Businesslink 

15 

It is high time we rebuilt our ForeignService 

WinstonPeters 

New Zealand’s foreign 

policy has long been 

characterised by the 

strength of its independent 

voice. As the Prime 

Minister said in Paris, “We are 

self-deprecating people, quick 

to downplay ourrelativeimportance,but 

in spite of that,one 

that has neverbeen afraid to 

use its voice.” 

As asmall nation of fewer 

than five million people, skilled 

diplomacy has proventobean 

essential part of protecting our 

vitalnational interests and securing 

domestic prosperity. 

TheState of the Ministry 

The Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs and Tradeacts inthe 

world to make New Zealanders 

safe and more prosperous.Its 

identity is rooted in our country’s 

values, and inhighly professional 

service asitadvances 

New Zealand’s interests, as it 

represents the nation’s face and 

voice overseas. Yetthe Ministry 

haseffectively facedaten-year 

funding freeze before Budget 


The Ministry also faced 

budgetary haircuts, or so- 

Morefunds 

Morediplomats 

In four years 

calledefficiency returns tothe 

Government which peakedat 

nearly $24 million per annum, 

but they werecuts byany other 

name. 

Almostadecade of underfunding 

has started to bite, 

undermining our abilityto 

maintain New Zealand’s independence 

as an international 

actor projecting our distinct values. 

An enormous amountof 

expertise and experience was 

lost as aconsequence of thelast 

government’sbadly bungled 

restructure. 

The country’s network of foreign 

postsexpanded but without 

funding to adequately 

resource them. The resulting 

hollowing out of the ministry 

has left New Zealand with only 

248 diplomats across 58posts, 

weakening our ability to advanceour 

interestsand influence 

others. 

To cite one example underscoring 

thispoint; in Manila, 

Philippines, New Zealand 

has just two diplomats in its 

Embassy. Australia’s Embassy 

has more than ten times that 

number. That isagross difference 

irrespective of relative populations, 

and New Zealand’s 

interests arenofewer than 

Australia’s. Resources are essentialtoinfluence, 

and bothfor 

New Zealandhave waned. 

First steps in rebuilding our 

place in the world are: 

Additional Spending 

Todaythe government can announceits 

first stepstoreverse 

this situation. 

We have committed to$150 

million, over fouryears, additional 

operational spending for 

MFAT in Budget2018.Thiswill 

among other objectives create 50 

new full time positions to begin 

to restore our diplomaticpresence 

acrossour missions, most 

particularly in the Asia-Pacific 

region.The new staff will also 

strengthen our ability to represent 

our economic interests. As 

atrading nation this iscritical 

for us. 

This investment will also begin 

the process of rebuilding our 

reach anddeepening the core of 

expertiseinWellington to support 

our diplomatic impact. 

Embassy in Sweden 

Second, we have committed 

new capital spending of$40 millionbolsterNew 

Zealand’s overseas 

offices, including funding 

for one new diplomatic mission, 

in Scandinavia, and ensuring 

that our network of embassiesis 

robust andsecure. 

The political and policysynergies 

between NewZealand and 

the Scandinavian democracies 

are significant and the government 

has provided $4.8 million 

in capital spending over four 

years to re-establish anembassy 

in Sweden’scapital. With shared 

democratictraditions, including 

proportionalrepresentation electoralsystems, 

shared values, and 

political cultures that haveproduced 

abalance between freedom 

and equality which is the 

envyofmost other nations, New 

Zealand andthe countries of 

Scandinaviacan do much more 

together in the world. 

Role in the Pacific 

An increasedeffort in the 

Pacific and enhanced funding of 

multi-lateral institutions is also 

important to strengthen New 

Zealand’s credibility with other 

nations anddeepen key bilateral 

relations.This dimension is especiallytruefor 

our relationship 

with Australia, the region’slargest 

donor, and the country closest 

tousatatimewhen we’ve 

never needed each other more. 

More tocome 

Today’sannouncement represents 

only the first steps of an 

adaptive foreign policy response. 

The Pacific reset and shifting the 

dial on ODA signals the government’s 

intent and seriousness 

about the need to do so. 

The government’sboostin 

funding for the Ministry of 

Foreign Affairsand Trade also 

recognises that its capacity needs 

to berestored so that the impact 

of New Zealand’s independent 

foreign policy isstrengthened. 

The government also knows 

that our sovereignty –freedom 

from interference or the control 

of others –isthe essence of 

that independence. Protecting 

it relies upon our ownself-respect 

and self-reliance. New 

Zealand’s voice, and through it, 

itsindependent foreignpolicy, 

will be stronger today because 

we areregaining our self-respect 

and can thus enhance our 

self-reliance. 

Winston Peters is Deputy 

Prime Minister and Foreign 

Minister of New Zealand. The 

above is ahighly edited versionofhis 

Pre-Budget Speech 

inNew ZealandParliament on 

May 8,2018. 

(Picture of Winston Petersfrom 

file)


16 Businesslink 

NewZealand banks should demonstratetheir integrity 

“Litany ofRevelations’ in Australia border on criminality 

Suzanne Snively 

The cricket ball tampering 

incident was bad 

enough forthe Aussies’ 

reputation. 

It has beenpushedout of 

the headlinesbyThe Royal 

Commission into Misconduct in 

the Banking, Superannuation 

and Financial Services Industry. 

Australian banks and insurance 

companies have provided 

“A litany ofrevelations” to 

the Royal Commission. The 

Australian Courier Maileditorialised 

on April21, 2018that 

these “could atthe very best be 

described asunconscionable, at 

the worst potentially bordering 

on criminality.” 

The AMP Case 

Major Australian banks andinsurance 

companies have testified 

to giving customers inappropriate 

advice without proper disclosure. 

Theyhave charged fees 

for services not provided and 

charged hidden fees. 

AMPwas foundtohave 

charged services fees for financialadvice 

to customers after 

death, and resignations rapidly 

followed. 

An “independent” review of 

AMP, commissioned because of 

arequest from the Australian 

Securities and Investment 

Commission, turned out to be anything 

but independent. 

The AMP board is reported as 

requesting and receiving significant 

amendments to the report 

prior to publication, obscuring 

important facts such asfee 

practices. 

The pointoftransparency and 

accountability is to strive to do 

theright thing in allactivities. 

Challenge for New Zealand 

New Zealand banks and insurance 

companieshave been quick 

to distance themselves from the 

evidencefound by the hearings 

beforethe RoyalCommission. 

The challenge is that New 

Zealand’slargestfour registered 

banks –ANZ, ASB, BNZ 

and Westpac, are subsidiaries of 

Australia’sfour largest banks. 

AMPisone of New Zealand’s 

largest insurance companies. 

It is naive to believe that the 

New Zealand system is different 

without solidevidence. It is 

not enough to have the industry 

self-disclose. 

This after all, is what happened 

prior to the current 

Australian inquiry. 

Only through the processof 

independent scrutiny have we 

learnt what really isgoing on. 

Wake-Up Call 

The Australian Royal 

Commission’searly findings 

provide awakeup calltoNew 

Zealanders. We need to make 

sure that wehave authenticated 

evidence that our New Zealand 

banking and financial services 

practicesand operations, undertaken 

forthe banks own customers, 

have beenconducted with 

integrity and inthe best interests 

of their customers. 

Misconduct or Corruption? 

Based on evidence before the 

Commission that has to date 

been made public, much of the 

misconduct could be regarded 

as corruption. Corruption isthe 

abuseofentrusted power for privategain. 

The best antidotefor corruption 

is the existenceofstrong 

integrity systemswithin organisations. 

An integrity systemrefers 

to the features of the entity’s 

structure that contribute to its 

transparencyand accountability. 

In high integrityorganisations, 

transparencyand accountability 

starts at the top,led by good governance 

supportedbymanagement 

policy and practice. 

It is reflected in financial performance, 

information and 

communication, staffand other 

human resources behaviours, 

the treatment of customers, the 

operating environment, andthe 

approach to monitoring and 

procurement. 

Transparency International 

New Zealand’sFinancial 

Integrity System Assessment 

(FISA) aims to assess the strength 

and integrity of NewZealand financial 

organisations from a 

leadership position. Depending 

on the findings, thesurvey will 

help demonstrate independently 

and objectively the areas where 

our financial organisations are 

transparent and accountable. 

Leadership imperative 

New Zealand canown the 

leadershipposition and model 

good behaviour to the rest 

of the world. High engagementand 

participation rates 

in the TINZ FISA survey,when 

it is launched overthe coming 

months, will send astrong signal 

that New Zealand financial organisations 

aregenuinely striving 

to strengthen their integrity 

systems. 

Thesurvey is also designed 

to linkactivities aimed at addressing 

corruption, to strategic 

steps that canbetaken to enhancethe 

returns fromatrusted 

reputation. 

There is still timepriortothe 

distributionofthe FISA Survey 

for identified participants from 

the financial sector to seek independent 

reviews fromtheir professionaladvisers. 

This will prepare New Zealand 

financialorganisations to provide 

strong evidence in their 

FISA responses of how they are 

striving for transparency and 

accountability. 

Suzanne Snively is Chairman 

of Transparency International 

New Zealand Inc based in 

Wellington.The above article 

appeared in the May2018 

Edition of ‘Transparency Times.’ 

Additional Reading:Our Leader, 

“Challenges facing New Zealand 

banks” under Viewlink.


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18 Communitylink 

The Crowning Glory of Lord Venkateswara in Hamilton 

Venkat Raman 


When our Hindu 

Religious 

Columnist Ragavan 

Rengachariar 

sent us the Gold and Gems- 

Studded ‘Kritam,’ (Ornamental 

Headdress) that adorns Lord 

Venkateswara, the Main Deity at 

the Balaji Temple in Hamilton, 

the Divine Implication was 

that we would write about the 

Crowning Glory of one of the 

most Opulent Hindu Gods in the 

world. 

The picture of the Kritam 

(weighing 6.5 kgs with about 

7000 gem stones) was so captivating 

that it warranted a 

study of how it came to be in 

Hamilton, which arguably is 

the only Home for the Lord 

Venkateswara (popularly known 

as Lord Balaji) in New Zealand. 

For those not in the know, 

the ‘Original Abode’ of Lord 

Venkateswara in Tirumala Hills 

(Tirupati) in Andhra Pradesh 

attracts more than 40 million 

devotees of almost all religions 

(although mainly Hindus) 

every year. The value of jewellery 

in this Temple is estimated 

at US$11 billion including about 

300 tonnes of gold. The Tirupathi 

Temple is stated to be the second 

richest Temple in the World 

after the Padmanabhaswamy 

Temple, Kerala with its total assets 

estimated at US$18 billion. 

The Crown for the Lord (Picture Supplied) 

Indian Newslink has extensively 

covered the Balaji Temple in 

Hamilton since it was officially 

inaugurated on March 9, 2015. 

Soon after inauguration, 

Trustees of the Temple sourced 

ornaments from Chennai for all 

the Deities, except the two Hands 

for Lord Venkateswara. Jewellers 

in India advised that the Hands 

must be specially made for the 

Hamilton Temple. 

The installation of the precious 

Crown has had its own challenges 

and colourful story, which 

began with the design of the 

two Divine Hands of the Lord, 

Lord Venkateswara in His Ornamental 

resplendency at Balaji Temple in Hamilton 

(From Facebook) 

known as ‘Abhaya Hastham’ and 

‘Kadiya Hastham.’ 

The Divine Hands 

Abhaya Hastham denotes the 

‘Protection-Affording Hand,’ 

wherein the palm of the Hand, 

with the fingers pointing upwards, 

is exposed as if engaged 

in enquiring about the welfare 

of the visitor in the Hindu 

fashion. 

According to Hindu religious 

scholars, there are two positions 

of the forehands (Hastha 

Mudras), with the right hand 

in blessing posture (Abhaya 

Hastham) and the left hand in 

downward position (Varada 

Hastham) signifying grant of 

boons. 

But in the Statue of Lord 

Venkateswara, the Hastha 

Mudras are different and arranged 

in the opposite direction 

by closing the blessing posture. 

Changing the “boon-giving” 

left hand to right means that the 

Lord gives boons and fulfils the 

desires and relieves His devotees 

of their problems. 

The left hand, with the fingers 

from the wrist turned inward 

signifies that it is not customary 

to bless with the left hand. 

Hand-Made Ornament 

The arrival of Pandurangan 

Narasimhan as the Priest in 

March 2016 proved to be propitious. 

His extensive experience 

in sourcing ornaments for the 

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple 

(or Thiruvarangam located at 

Srirangam in Tiruchirappalli 

(Tamil Nadu) and other Temples 

in India and the USA helped in 

quickening the process. Lord 

Balaji was soon adorned with 

‘Yagnopaveetham’ (Sacred 

Thread worn across the body 

from the left shoulder to the 

right), Lakshmi Padakam and 

Sadari in July 2017. 

Making Headway 

The two decorated, golden 

hands of the Lord were so mesmerising 

that an ardent devotee, 

who prefers to remain anonymous, 

offered to meet the cost of 

making a Crown. 

“The Lord must have a Gold 

Crown, studded with jewellery. 

Cost is not an issue. Speed and 

efficiency are of the essence,” he 

is reported to have said. 

The Trustees placed an order 

in August 2017 and it took (understandably) 

seven months to 

design and produce the Crown. 

“When the Lord ordains, there 

is no stopping,” is the belief, true 

to which Lord Balaji is believed 

to have found His own carrier. 

The Crown arrived in Auckland 

on April 7, 2018. 

However, that was not the end 

of anxiety. 

The storm in Auckland and 

the resultant power outage kept 

the Crown in the custody of 

Customs- the only Shining Object 

in darkness. 

The scheduled date of 

‘Coronation of the Lord’ on April 

14, 2018 seemed impossible. 

“And lo and behold, the Crown 

was cleared by Customs on 

April 13, 2018 and arrived in 

Hamilton at 9 am the next day. 

The ‘Govinda Pattabhisheka 

Mahotsavam’ was completed 

on time, marking the dawn of 

‘Vilambi,’ Tamil New Year.” 

The Trustees of Balaji Temple 

Hamilton have expressed 

their gratitude Dr Vijay Pera 

and Dr Deepika Pera, Priest 

Pandurangan and artiste, 

Ravikumar Sthapathi for their 

contributions in the successful 

completion of the ‘Crown 

Project.’ 

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19 

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A Unique Chakra brings out the musician in you 

Venkat Raman 


Aqualified engineer based 

in Chennai (Tamil Nadu) 

has created an innovative 

formula, which he claims 

would enable almost everyone to understand 

and appreciate two major 

forms of Indian classical music, 

namely Carnatic and Hindustani 

with easy adaption to the Western 

format as well. 

Ramesh Sarma, who prefers to be 

called L S Ramesh, has designed a 

unique Chakra that allows people to 

identify various Ragas and sing them 

or play on Keyboard and Piano. 

Music for all 

“Everyone, from a child to an aged 

person without any previous knowledge 

in music can very easily see, 

learn and play the ‘Melakarta Ragas 

of Carnatic and Hindustani Music. 

It would be possible to extend the 

knowledge to Western Music,” he 

said. 

“Children with Autism or Downs 

syndrome are very good at identifying 

patterns and Music is a language 

they understand best. Parents 

of such children can learn from this 

Chakra and teach,” Ramesh said. 

“Research has shown how playing 

an instrument helps in brain development. 

When a person plays an 

instrument, the left and right hemispheres 

of the brain get activated 

and the motor neurons become 

more active to help in sending or receiving 

signals,” he said. 

Academic Achiever 

A postgraduate (MTech) from 

Ramesh Sarma with his ‘Sri Saraswathi 72 

Melakarta Chakra’ 

the reputed Indian Institute of 

Technology (IIT), Chennai, Ramesh 

was urged by a desire to make even 

the uninitiated to become proficient 

in music. 

His Carnatic Music Wheel, titled, 

‘Sri Saraswathi 72 Melakarta 

Chakra,’ is the result of more than 

six years of research, trial and 

perfection. 

“Most people feel that Carnatic 

Music is beyond their grasp. I wanted 

to simplify the concept and show 

the main Ragas as a visual tool to 

easily identify with the entire genre 

of music. Carnatic Music is the 

mother of all music in the world 

and hence it is the focal point of my 

innovation,” he said. 

From Dots to Melody 

Although there are more than 

39,000 Ragas in Carnatic Music, 72 

have been identified as ‘Melakarta 

(Main or Parent) Ragas.’ 

Ramesh has depicted these 72 

Ragas in the form of a Chakra 

(Wheel) on which the Ragas are 

Ramesh Sarma using the Chakra on Keyboard 

(Images Supplied 

clearly shown as ‘dots on the 

Keyboard.’ 

“Playing the dots on your 

Keyboard will bring out the melody 

of the Raga,” he said. 

Side One contains 36 ‘Suddha 

Madhyama Ragas,’ which have 

been categorised under respective 

Chakra Heads. For example, 

‘Indu Chakra’ has six Melakarta 

Ragas, namely Kanakangi, Ratnangi, 

Ganamurthi, Vanaspathi, Manavathi 

and Danarupi. 

“Similarly, other Chakras including 

Netra, Agni, Veda, Bana and Ruthu, 

with their respective Melakarta 

Ragas are depicted with Swara 

Stanas as Dots. This pattern of dots 

can be seen and played even by a 

novice to reveal a particular Raga,” 

Ramesh said. 

Side Two carries the remaining 

36 Prathimadhyama Ragas, depicted 

with Chakra names Rishi, Vasu 

Brahma, Disi, Rudhra and Adithya, 

each comprising six Melakarta 

Ragas. 

For instance, ‘Rishi Chakra’ has the 

Melakartas from 37 to 42. 

The following table shows a comparative list of 

Carnatic, Hindustani and Western): 

Some interesting facts 

Ramesh demonstrates some interesting 

results of combinations. 

“As an example, if 

we take Melakarta 29 

(Dheerashankarabharanam) and 

add 36 to this, we get the corresponding 

Prathimadhyama 

Melakarta Raga (29+36=65). 

Mechakalyani is similar to 

Dheerashankarabharanam except 

for the MA note. This helps people to 

quickly grasp the 

Swara Stanas and visualise the 

Raga patterns,” he said. 

Ramesh has dedicated the Chakra 

to the late Dr M Balamurali Krishna, 

who lauded his efforts and was 

among the first to certify its efficacy. 

Among others who have 

evinced interest on the Chakra include 

Prince Rama Varma, Dr S P 

Balasubrahmanyam, Balakrishna 

Prasad and other music legends. 

FACES Initiative 

Ramesh and his wife Sridevi have 

established a charitable institution 

called ‘FACES,’ an acronym for Food, 

Aid, Clothing, Education and Shelter 

in aid of orphans. 

They have adopted 1000 orphans 

in four orphanages located in 

Chennai, Bengaluru and Warangal 

and donate a part of the proceeds 

from the sale of the Sri Saraswathi 

72 Melakarta Chakra to them. 

“The Charity was honoured with 

the ‘REX Karmaveer Gold Medal’ 

from United Nations on March 23, 

2015 at Delhi,” Ramesh said. 

Lectures and Workshops 

Ramesh regularly conducts 

Lectures, Demonstrations and 

Workshops on Music and its effects 

for corporates, teachers, parents and 

students using his Music Chakra. 

“Those attending the Lectures and 

Workshops understand ‘How playing 

music improves IQ and reduces 

stress.’ My sessions on ‘Music 

Literacy for All,’ and ‘Music and 

Brain’ have been well received by 

the public. My mission is to make 

Music to be easily understood and 

learnt by all,” Ramesh said. 

Email: faces108@gmail.com; 

Website http://www.faces108.com 

https://www.youtube.com/ 

watch’v=jo2-4bKQ8Yw 

Have your say on Police Vetting Law 


The government has 

sough public opinion 

on possible new 

legislation to govern 

the way Police handle 

requests for a background 

check on a person’s criminal 

record. 

“Police receive almost 

600,000 requests each year 

for a person’s criminal convictions 

and other relevant 

Police-held information 

about them, such as active 

charges” Police Minister 

Stuart Nash said. 

Important Service 

“Police vetting is available 

to around 10,000 approved 

agencies including schools 

and sports associations. It 

differs from the service provided 

by the Ministry of 

Justice where any individual 

can request their own 

criminal history. 

“Police vetting is an important 

service. It enables 

agencies to check that people 

who work or volunteer 

in roles where they come 

into contact with children 

or vulnerable people are of 

good character. 

About Police Vet 

A Police vet is a response 

from the Police Vetting 

Service to a vetting request 

comprising a vetting 

subject’s criminal conviction 

history, if any, as well 

as other Police-held information 

relevant to the purpose 

of the vetting request, 

if any. A Police Vet is often 

Police Minister Stuart Nash (File Photo) 

confused with a criminal 

conviction history, which 

individuals can obtain from 

the Ministry of Justice. 

At present, only ‘approved 

agencies’ can obtain 

Police Vets. 

In 2016-2017, the Police 

received over 597,000 requests 

for a Police Vet from 

nearly 10,000 approved 

agencies. 

According to the latest 

figures, just under 13% of 

Police Vets are ‘released 

with results’ (i.e. Police-held 

information is disclosed), as 

opposed to just ‘released–no 

result’ (i.e. there is no information 

to disclose). 

No Legislation 

“However there is no legislative 

framework to govern 

Police vetting and it 

has led to uncertainty and 

some legal risk around the 

procedures. 

“Police vetting is an important 

element of crime 

prevention and community 

safety and would 

benefit from operating 

within a legislative 

framework. 

“New legislation would 

provide greater clarity 

and certainty about 

the purpose and functions 

of the Police Vetting 

Service and what type of 

information may be disclosed. 

It would also enable 

greater consistency 

in the way Police handle 

vetting requests and 

could lead to greater efficiencies 

through less duplication 

and timelier 

processing of requests. 

Public Consultation 

Document 

Police have released a 

public consultation document 

to seek feedback 

about what the public 

and specialist agencies 

think about new legislation 

for the Police Vetting 

Service. 

“I encourage anyone 

wanting a say on possible 

legislation to read the 

consultation document 

and make a submission,” 

Mr Nash said. 

The consultation document 

and submission 

form can be found on 

www.police.govt.nz 

Submissions close 13 

July 2018 and can be 

sent to: vettinglegislation@police.govt.nz


Rotumans celebrate and reawaken their language 

And here we present a few prominent people of Rotuma 

Communitylink 

21 

Sara Vui-Talitu 

It is a small island of only 

about 2000 people partway 

between Fiji’s main islands 

and Tonga, but despite 

its size, the Fiji-dependency of 

Rotuma has its own unique language 

and culture, more like that 

of the Polynesian islands to the 

east than the rest of Fiji. 

Like many others in the region, 

that culture and language has 

struggled in recent decades, with 

the number of speakers dwindling 

as thousands lose connections 

to their homelands. 

But, also like many others, that 

has sparked a drive among descendants 

to rekindle and preserve 

it. 

While few people live on 

Rotuma and its surrounding islets, 

it is estimated it has a 

Diaspora of about 50,000 people, 

many of whom have settled in 

Auckland. 

This week, some of them gathered 

to mark the inaugural 

Rotuman Language Week, which 

made its debut on the official roster 

of Pacific languages celebrated 

in New Zealand. 

Ngaire Fuata 

Among them was film maker 

and former pop singer Ngaire 

Fuata, who grew up in the Bay of 

Plenty town of Whakatane thinking 

she was Maori. 

In her 2011 film, ‘Salat Se 

Filmmaker and Singer Ngaire Fuata Rotuman elder Ravai Mosese Rocky Khan, NZ 

Rotuma,’ or ‘Passage to Rotuma,’ 

she documented her return to 

her father’s Pacific homeland 

with her eight-year-old daughter. 

In the film, she explained that 

her father, Fu, had long given up 

explaining where Rotuma was, 

but she sought her ties when her 

beloved father took ill. 

Ms Fuata last visited Rotuma at 

Christmas with her father’s ashes, 

which she said evoked strong 

emotions and sentiments for 

both her and the community. 

“It’s amazing ‘cos as a producer 

on Tagata Pasifika for like 25 

years, we have always covered 

language weeks for the larger 

groups so to have a language 

week for Rotuma is just amazing,” 

she said at the event. 

“Rotumans have their own culture 

and language and to bring it 

and share it with the rest of New 

Zealand is incredible.” 

Ravai Mosese 

A Rotuman pastor, Ravai 

Mosese, has been in New 

Zealand just shy of a decade. 

In that short time though, he 

said he had seen the culture and 

language slipping further. 

He said that he wanted to rally 

the elders to do their part and 

use it in the home, as well as support 

its usage through technology 

and social media. 

“With the help of media and 

government members they said 

that we should do this in an effort 

to renew our culture and 

teach the next generation who 

are coming up to take our place,” 

he said. 

Pastor Mosese said that he 

liked Rotuman proverbs because 

they taught people about life using 

indigenous everyday things. 

One of his favourite speaks 

about what happens when one 

leans on a rotten pole. 

“So, for example, when you 

trust someone like, say, an accountant 

to look after your money 

- and we thought he was 

smart - but then we did not know 

The spectacular deeds of Lord Krishna told again 

Students to present Dance Drama on June 20 

Venkat Raman 


The ‘escapades’ of Lord 

Krishna as a precocious 

child ‘thieving’ butter 

from homes, a youngster 

playing pranks on the village 

maiden and as the greatest 

manipulator at the Battle of 

Kurukshetra have all been subjects 

of countless dance dramas, 

television serials, documentaries 

and discourses. 

But these would acquire new 

dimensions under the skilful 

production and direction of 

Madurai R Muralidharan, who 

has always kept his audiences 

spellbound with his productions 

that are known for their his 

crispy dialogues and magnificent 

delivery. 

The latest in his production 

lineage is ‘Yadhava, Madhava,’ 

a dance drama, which will be 

presented by the students of Sai 

Natyakala and its Director & 

Principal Renuka Katheesan. 

The three-plus hours of dance 

drama will be staged at 6 pm on 

Saturday, June 16, 2018 at Selwyn 

Theatre (Selwyn College) located 

at 204 Kohimarama Road in 

Kohimarama. 

Describing Lord Krishna as 

the ‘Greatest Charmer, Bravest 

Warrior and Wisest Guide,’ Mr 

Muralidharan said that ‘Yadhava, 

Madhava’ will bring many 

unique aspects of the Lord. 

“The show will take us through 

many the magical episodes, 

including the Birth of Krishna, 

His playful pranks with the 

Lord Krishna (Pinterest) 

Gopikas, slaying of Boothaki and 

& Kamsa, protecting the people 

by lifting Govardhana, helping 

Draupati and the Pandavas, 

teaching Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna 

and much more. The show will 

be is filled with brilliantly choreographed 

dances executed by more 

than 50 dancers and actors,” he 

said. 

Interesting and Instructive 

Lord Krishna’s life is associated 

with a lot of interesting and 

instructive events. 

One day, Balarama (Krishna’s 

elder brother) and other boys 

complained to Yasodha (Krishna’s 

mother) that Krishna had eaten 

dirt. 

Worried about Krishna’s health, 

Yasodha rebuked him saying, “O, 

my naughty child! Why did you 

eat earth in secret?” 

Krishna replied, “O mother! I 

did not eat earth. These boys have 

told a lie. Examine my mouth,” to 

Madurai R Muralidharan (Facebook) 

which Yasodha said, “Open your 

mouth, my child!” 

Krishna opened His mouth in 

which she saw the entire Universe 

of animate and inanimate things, 

the Sky, Cardinal Points, Mountains, 

Continents, Seas, the whole 

Earth, Air, Fire, the Sun, the Moon 

and the Stars, the Seven Dvipas, 

the Planets – everything in fact. 

She was amazed, and asked, 

“Is this a dream or a strange 

vision of God’s illusion or does 

my child possess any inborn Yogic 

powers?” 

Fruits and Gems 

One day Krishna heard a woman 

shouting, “O people! Purchase 

fruits.” 

He quickly took a handful of 

grain and hastened to her side to 

get some fruits, although he is the 

Lord who confers all fruits of all 

works and worship. 

The woman filled both his 

hands with fruits and in return 

took the grain and put it in her 

basket. Her basket became full of 

gems and precious stones. 

Kaliya, the Serpent 

Kaliya, a serpent was had been 

occupying River Yamuna and its 

banks. The serpent had poisoned 

the waters and dried the nearby 

what happened. But then in the 

end, his book is still there but 

the accountant has gone and left 

you with nothing,” he said with a 

wide tooth grin. 

Rocky Khan 

The New Zealand Rugby 

Sevens player, Rocky Khan, was 

also happily there, and pleased 

to see the recognition for an often 

overlooked culture. 

“I was driving the other week 

and heard other languages being 

brought up but then I heard 

about Rotuman language week 

and almost crashed my car as 

you don’t tend to hear that on 

the radio,” he said. 

“Rotumans have their own 

unique culture and language 

that separates us from Fiji but a 

lot of Rotumans do live in Fiji.” 

Mr Khan said that as a young 

person who does not speak the 

language, he is motivated to 

learn more about his cultural 

identity as a Rotuman and 

Fiji-Indian. 

forests. 

Krishna jumped into the 

water to kill the serpent. He 

was coiled around by Kaliya. 

But soon Krishna broke 

free and danced on the 

serpent’s head. Kaliya asked 

for forgiveness, and left the 

shores of Yamuna. 

About Madurai 

Muralidharan 

Madurai R Muralidaran of 

Chennai is a renowned dance 

choreographer, who has 

won critical acclaim for his 

creations in Bharata Natyam. 

He has over 800 compositions 

to his credit. 

He has composed and 

released more than 120 

audio albums exclusively 

for Bharata Natyam artistes 

worldwide. His compositions 

reflect innovations in Thalam 

(rhythm patterns), Ragam 

(melodies) and Themes. 

Mr Muralidharan has 

composed songs in all 

35 Thalams of Carnatic 

‘Sooladhi Saptha Thalam’ 

system, over 120 Varnams, 

and Jatheeswarams in all 72 

Melakarata Ragas. Creating 

compositions in all 72 ragas is 

an accomplishment that Shri 

Muralidharan shares with 

only one other, the late Dr M 

Balamurali Krishna. 

Guinness and other 

Records 

Mr Muralidharan has 

composed full Margams 

(repertoires) in 15 different 

Thalams. 

His 2018 Rhythm Festival 

‘Chaturvidham’ presented 

four Margams set to a rare 

Thalam. 

The Festival culminated 

Faga Fasala 

The Chair of the Auckland 

Rotuma Fellowship Group Faga 

Fasala said that they made 

the decision to have Rotuma 

Language Week from May 6-9 - 

the anniversary of the island’s 

cession to the United Kingdom 

in 1881. 

“We pay tribute to all our elders 

and leaders, who for the last 

30 years, have continued to celebrate 

our culture in New Zealand 

and keep our customs and traditions 

relevant.” 

They also created a language 

chart to help the younger generations 

as well as those new to the 

language, and shared grand displays 

of song, dance and cultural 

celebrations. 

Sara Vui-Talitu is RNZ Pacific 

Journalist. Indian Newslink 

has published the above 

Report and Pictures under a 

Special Agreement with 

www.rnz.co.nz 

with a live class with over 320 students 

learning the nattuvangam and 

choreography for an Alarippu set to 

Sankeerna Jaathi Dhruva Thalam, the 

longest Thalam in the Carnatic system. 

This class set Guinness, India Book 

and Asia Book records for the largest 

live Bharatha Natyam dance lesson. 

Unique Compositions 

His unique compositions include 

a dance depicting daily life to the 

soundtrack of a heartbeat, a Varnam 

on Sun God (Surya), a Shabdam 

on Jesus, a depiction of Krishna’s 

dance upon the five-headed snake 

Kalinga, Kauthuvams on Mother and 

Father, a Keerthanam on the Indian 

Independence Movement and pieces 

on Women’s Empowerment. 

His compositions are used frequently 

by Bharatha Natyam dancers 

of different styles and from diverse 

regions. 

Mr Sri Muralidharan’s thematic 

repertoires include Sri Anjaneya, 

which centres on the stories of Lord 

Hanuman and Nayaka, exploring 

different roles in life for males 

from boyhood to adulthood. He has 

composed several entire Margams in 

rare Thalams, including ‘Ashta Dasa 

Margam,’ in Misra Jati Ata Thalam, 

Akhanda Margam, composed in Kanda 

Jati Ata Thalam, and Nava Dhruvam, 

composed in Sakeerna Jati Dhruva 

Thalam, the longest Thalam cycle with 

29 Aksharas.



Model of the Fortnight 

Determination brings dreams closer to reality 

Marriage, family and 

other commitments 

should not be obstacles 

in pursuing one’s 

dream; in fact, they could be complimenting 

factors, says Suman 

Shaw, our Model of the Fortnight. 

Born and raised in a Bengali 

family in Kolkata, she belongs to 

the current generation of fun-loving, 

passionate and focused 

people. 

Married to her Punjabi lover 

since she was a teenager, she 

now lives in Cambridge, enjoying 

the beauty of countryside New 

Zealand. 

Parental inspiration 

Suman understands life’s challenges, 

having seen her parents 

struggle to run a family of six children 

(she is their only daughter). 

“They are my support system 

and source of inspiration. I am an 

ambitious and a self-determined 

person and lead life on my own 

terms,” she said. 

Suman is multi-talented with 

leadership qualities imbibed during 

her scholastic years as a Class 

Monitor and School Prefect. A 

graduate in Accounting, she is a 

painter, blogger, fashion designer, 

model and a dancer. 

Modelling has been her childhood 

passion and it was therefore 

no surprise that she used 

her banking career and became a 

model for the bank that employed 

her in India. 

Love ticks life 

“I moved to New Zealand because 

of love and respect for my 

husband. I still have my dreams 

to follow and become a successful 

person. Participating in a local 

pageant is the first step and Ihope 

I would have many more opportunities 

in the near future,” she said. 

Even as those opportunities 

unfold, Suman is busy with her 

paintings. 

“However, I always enjoy being 

a model and blogging is part of 

my journey with many followers,” 

Suman added. 

(Pictures Supplied by Suman 

Shaw) 

-Venkat Raman 

If you like to be featured as our 

Model of the Fortnight, please 

write to editor@indiannewslink. 

co.nz 

Hollywood Musical resounds in Pakuranga 

Viraf Todywalla 

Students of Pakuranga 

College in East Auckland 

created waves among 

teachers, parents and others 

in the Auckland region with 

their stupendous performance 

of ‘High School Musical,’ with 

three consecutive days of showcase 

of talent at the School auditorium 

last weekend. 

Their final performance in 

a three-day series, held on 

Saturday, May 12, 2018 was a 

sell-out. 

I had the good fortune of witnessing 

‘High School Musical.’ 

What a show it was! 

Energetic and Talented 

The performers- all budding 

singers, actors and stage 

artistes– exuded energy and 

brought out their best, earning 

thundering applause from an 

appreciative audience. 

There was a volley of emotions, 

including love and 

laughter. 

It was a great night-out with 

the family. 

Jehann, the Star 

Jehann Daruwalla, who plays 

Troy, had never sung in front of 

even his family, leave alone facing 

a capacity-packed School 

Hall. 

None of us had any idea the innate 

talent that this young man 

Talent reverberates at Pakuranga College (Pictures Supplied) 

Sharpay and Ryan Evan with fellow student 

possesses. It was as if Troy had 

come down from the pages of 

Greek History. As the lead male 

singer, he carried the show on 

his capable shoulders, ably supported 

by the entire crew. 

Behzad Karkaria, the drummer 

was also at his best. 

The list of participants is too 

long to mention in this report 

but suffice to say that the students 

of Pakuranga College have 

excelled themselves with this 

show, giving their best performance 

ever. Each of them had a 

role to play- as producers, directors, 

singers, actors, musicians, 

instrumentalists, backstage support 

– every role in fact that 

made ‘High School Musical’ an 

event to remember. 

The Plot 

With a plot described by the 

author (David Simpatico) and 

numerous critics as a modern 

adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, 

‘High School Musical’ is a story 

about two high school juniors 

from rival cliques – Troy Bolton, 

Captain of the Basketball team, 

and Gabriella Montez, a shy 

transfer student who excels in 

Mathematics and Science. 

Together, they try out for the 

lead parts in their High School 

Musical, and this causes division 

among all the school’s students. 

Despite other students’ attempts 

to thwart their dreams, Troy 

and Gabriella resist peer pressure 

and rivalry, inspiring others 

along the way not to “stick to 

the status quo.” High School diva 

Sharpay Evans and her twin 

brother Ryan will do anything 

not only to sabotage the friendship 

and romance between Troy 

and Gabriella, but also to get the 

leads in the school musical. 

About High School Musical 

High School Musical is a 2006 

American musical television film 

and the first instalment in the 

High School Musical trilogy directed 

by Kenny Ortega. 

It was filmed in 2005 in Salt 

Lake City. Upon its release on 

January 20, 2006, it became the 

most successful film that Disney 

Channel Original Movie (DCOM) 

ever produced, with a television 

sequel, ‘High School Musical 

2,’ released in 2007 and the feature 

film, ‘High School Musical 3: 

Senior Year,’ released theatrically 

in October 2008. 

It is the first and only DCOM to 

have a theatrical sequel. 

The film’s soundtrack was the 

best-selling album in the United 

States, reaching Number 1 on the 

American Charts for 2006. 

Most-Watched film 

‘High School Musical’ was 

Disney Channel’s most watched 

film that year with 7.7 million 

viewers in its Premiere broadcast 

in the US, until the advent of ‘The 

Cheetah Girls 2,’ which achieved 

8.1 million viewers. 

In the United Kingdom, it received 

789,000 viewers for its 

Premiere (and 1.2 million viewers 

overall during the first week), 

making it the second mostwatched 

programme for the 

Disney Channel (UK) of 2006. On 

December 29, 2006, it became 

the first DCOM to be broadcast 

on the BBC. Globally, High School 

Musical has been seen by over 

225 million viewers. 

The Credits 

Original songs for ‘High 

School Musical’ were written by 

Matthew Gerrard and Robbie 

Nevil; Ray Cham, Greg Cham and 

Andrew Seeley, Randy Peterson 

and Kevin Quinn, Andy Dodd, 

Adam Watts, Bryan Louisellie, 

David N Lawrence, and Faye 

Greenberg and Jamie Houston. 

The original musical score was 

composed, arranged and produced 

by Bryan Louisellie. 

Many enthusiasts would 

have missed the show but I am 

sure that Pakuranga College 

Management would be happy 

to restage their ‘High School 

Musical’ if there is appropriate 

parental and student support.


Entertainmentlink 

Young actress sees opportunity to grow in every challenge 

Venkat Raman 


23 

The Southern State of Karnataka, 

which is now the 

centre of attention in India 

with the election results 

(for the Legislative Assembly) due 

to be announced this week (with 

counting of voting starting today, 

May 15, 2018), is also known for 

its contributions to the Indian film 

industry. 

Super State with Superstars 

From Superstar Rajnikanth, 

the ‘Cultural Icon’ the late Dr Raj 

Kumar, ‘Abhinaya Saraswathi’ 

Bangalore Saroja Devi, Aishwarya 

Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone 

and Shilpa Shetty, Anushka 

Shetty, Suniel Shetty to the late 

Jayalalitha Jayaram, former Chief 

Minister of Tamil Nadu, the State 

has perhaps launched a thousand 

faces over the past five decades. 

It is therefore natural for young 

men and women from the State to 

seek stardom. 

Among them is Anusha Rai, 

who contacted us from her hometown 

(Bengaluru) greeting Indian 

Newslink readers and seeking 

their blessings and good wishes. 

“I hope to visit New Zealand 

sometime soon. I have heard that 

it is one of the most beautiful 

countries in the world,” she said, 

to which we added, “Indeed, 

we also have a vibrant Kannada-speaking 

community here.” 

Anusha is making waves in 

Sandalwood, a reference to the 

Kannada film industry. 

Although not a portmanteau, 

the name signifies Karnataka’s 

fame as sandalwood producer. 

‘Karshanam’ raises hope 

Anusha mentioned about 

‘Karshanam,’ which is currently 

under production. 

She signed up just last month to 

work in this romantic entertainer 

directed by Sharavana and produced 

by Dhananjay Atre. 

The film has already raised 

hopes in the box office. 

‘Karshanam’ is her third 

Kannada movie, in which she 

is cast as a Crime Reporter with 

Srinivas Murthy, Vijay Chend and 

Gautham Manamohan in pivotal 

roles. 

The movie revolves around 

two murder cases, weaved 

between which is romance. 

“I hope it would enable me 

to reach out to the Tamil and 

Hindi film industry. I have been 

fortunate to work in good films 

Anusha Rai, an actress on the grow 

(Pictures Supplied) 

and television serials and my aim 

is to become a good actress,” she 

said. 

Modest family 

Like most people in the film 

industry, Anusha grew up in a 

family of modest economic background 

in Bengaluru. Her father 

Hanumanth Raj is a Lecturer in a 

College while her mother Bhagya 

is a homemaker. 

She pursued her graduation in 

Electronics and Communication 

at the Acharya Institute of Technology 

in the Karnataka Capital. 

Anusha evinced keen interest 

in the film industry even in her 

formative years and debuted as 

an actress in the television serial 

‘Annaiah.’ 

But it was her interest in music 

that fetched her a role in the 

Kannada film industry. 

As a student at Hamsalekha 

Music School, she was spotted by 

the production team of ‘Mahanubhavaru,’ 

and was offered a lead 

role in the film. 

Starring opposite Balachander, 

who also produced the film, she 

got her initial break. 

Embarrassing First Day 

Her first day on the sets spread 

laughter but she felt embarrassed. 

The scene required Anusha to 

pour water on a garden set. 

The cinematographer said, “On 

Camera! Action! Pour water!” 

She promptly poured water on 

the camera. 

Every actor has nervous 

twitches in front of the camera on 

the first day but soon their career 

begins to move. 

That has been the story of this 

young, upcoming star. 

“My most memorable moment 

was my first shoot; that was my 

dream,” she said. 

Turning Point with ‘BMW’ 

‘BMW,’ (an acronym for Bangalore 

Men’s & Women’s College) was a 

turning point in her film career. Directed 

by Gandharva Raya Rawuth, 

the film gave her importance, along 

with co-stars Praveen Tej, Akash 

Singh Rajputh, Sriram Gandharva, 

Poorvi Priyanka Malnad and Ekta 

Rathod. 

Another film of significance was 

‘Goosi Gang,’ a romantic entertainer 

that was popular with most movie 

fans. Her Anusha’s other movies of 

importance were ‘Radharamana,’ 

‘Nagakannike,’ ‘Sarayoo,’ and Tamil 

film, ‘Vani Rani.’ 

Popular TV Serial 

According to ‘Entertainment 

Times’ (of Times of India), Anusha 

may soon make her debut in the 

neighbouring Malayalam film 

industry, popularly known as 

Mollywood. 

Her television serial ‘Nagakannike’ 

(in which she falls in love 

with a protagonist in the absence 

of snake-woman played by Aditi 

Prabhudeva), is telecast on ‘Colors 

Kannada’ Channel from Monday 

to Friday at 730 pm (Indian 

Standard Time). 

“I find motivation in every challenge, 

because every challenge 

brings with it an opportunity 

to grow. I also challenge myself 

to come up with creative ideas 

to improve something, make 

something new, find a way to 

solve a problem, or overcome 

the challenge itself. I believe that 

self-determination will always 

bring success,” Anusha said. 

She can also be seen as Nimmi 

in ‘Ithu Enna Kadhal,’ a Tamil 

Television Serial to be telecast 

in Sri Lankan Channels. We will 

update when details are at hand. 

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24 Entertainmentlink 

Improvisation sets the key to radiance in Hindustani Music 

Venkat Raman 


One of the most formidable 

challenges in 

fine arts is maintaining 

and fostering the 

standards and benchmarks 

set by stalwarts in the 

family, says Nandini Shankar, 

a young and talented Violinist 

based in India. 

She is scheduled to perform 

at Dorothy Winstone Centre, 

Auckland Girls Grammar 

School (located at 16 Howe 

Street, Newton), Auckland on 

Saturday, June 30, 2018. 

She will be accompanied 

by Basant Madhur and his 

nephew Akhil Madhur on the 

Tabla. 

Sargam School of Indian 

Music is organising the 

programme titled, ‘Sounds 

of India,’ in association with 

‘Gymkhana,’ bringing together 

several other artistes. 

Natural Gift and Devotion 

If music is a natural gift, it 

should be punctuated with 

devotion, which this young 

artiste displayed at an early 

age. 

And the fact that she was 

raised in a family dedicated 

to music was a positive 

influence. 

As well as rising up to the 

expectations of discerning audiences 

across the Continents, 

Nandini always faces the task 

of protecting and promoting 

the high professional standards 

of her family, particularly 

her grandmother, the 

inimitable Dr N Rajam, who 

is renowned the world over 

as the ‘Singing Violin.’ 

It is no surprise that 

Nandini is anxious and 

aware of the need to carry on 

the pioneering spirit of her 

foremost Guru and possibly 

emulate her innovative spirit. 

The Rajam Legacy 

“I am conscious of the great 

legacy of my grandmother. 

She has inspired me with her 

dedication and commitment 

and even after reaching 

heights of fame, honour and 

international recognition, 

she never took any of her 

performances for granted. 

I always strive to reach the 

high standards that she has 

established for herself and 

her followers,” Nandini said, 

speaking to Indian Newslink 

from her home in Mumbai. 

Revolution in Violin 

Dr Rajam is a pioneer of 

the revolutionary ‘Gayaki 

Ang,’ which highly impacted 

practitioners of Hindustani 

Music everywhere. 

In the first instance, she 

mastered the Carnatic style 

at a very young age, and later 

ventured into the Hindustani 

style, and made a path-breaking 

entry through her ‘Gayaki 

Ang.’ 

Apart from being a great 

performer, Dr Rajam has 

also served as a Professor 

and Dean at Banaras Hindu 

University for more than 40 

years. 

She is a recipient of Padmashri 

and Padma Bhushan 

Awards given by the Indian 

government. 

Technique and Sound 

Performers of Indian Classical 

Music are often baffled 

by the need to stay within the 

legitimate limits of the art 

and maintain the melody of 

the Ragas and other Bhavas 

that they execute both in the 

vocal and instrumental form. 

Nandini said that 

Hindustani Music does not 

proscribe its practitioners, 

like its Carnatic counterpart 

often does. 

“Hindustani Music is 

almost seamless and as 

such does not impose any 

boundaries or restrictions. 

Anyone can adapt it to suit 

their capacity, mood or environment. 

I like to pay more 

attention to technique than 

sound. The musical order 

must be high; sound is also 

very important. This must be 

properly blended to appeal 

to the world of music lovers,” 

she said. 

“95% of Hindustani Music 

is improvisation and only 5% 

is fixed,” she added. 

Life’s essence 

Music unleashes the innate 

goodness in men and women. 

It not only gives meaning and 

purpose to human life but 

also inspires piety. It is the 

quintessence of life. 

Nandini has always 

enjoyed improvising Alaap 

and its variations on stage, 

and render numbers with the 

Tabla artiste/s without having 

to rehearse anytime earlier. 

“Of course, true to all forms 

of Indian Classical, we choose 

the Raga to suit the day, time, 

occasion and the audience,” 

she said. 

Nandini said that her 

concerts are usually for 90 

minutes. 

“I would render a single 

Raga for about 45 minutes, 

interpreting it as per the 

response of the supporting 

artistes and the audience. 

I understand that the 

forthcoming Programme in 

Auckland would be for two 

hours, and hence I would perform 

Semi-Classical numbers 

in the second and final part,” 

she said. 

Akhil Madhur 

Seventeen-year-old 

Akhilesh (Akhil) Madhur is a 

student of his father Deepak 

Madhur, with a deep-rotted 

devotion towards music. He 

has fascinated audiences with 

his Tabla skills. His sterling 

performance with Pandit 

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt in 

Auckland on March 16, 2013 

(as reported in our April 

1, 2013 issue) prompted 

the master to invite him to 

perform at ‘Saptak,’ one of 

the biggest classical music 

festivals in India. 

Akhil has inspired 

hundreds of people in 

New Zealand with his 

impressive performances 

over the past seven years. 

The confidence and maturity 

that he displays make 

him a welcome member of 

any group or performing 

artiste. 

He is now a regular 

concert accompanist 

including as a solo Tabla 

player or as a spirited part 

of Jugalbandi. 

Akhil will be an 

important part of the 

forthcoming ‘Sounds of 

India’ Programme.


Entertainmentlink 

Three-day Music Festival to warm up the heart and soul 

Venkat Raman 


25 

Monsoon always accompanies 

the 

Carnatic Music 

Festival of the 

Auckland based New Zealand 

Carnatic Music Society and with 

the Queen’s Birthday affording 

a longer weekend, professional 

singers, students and enthusiasts 

look forward a heavy 

downpour of melody, soaked 

with challenges and rhapsody. 

True to its tradition, the 

Society put together its annual 

event with a combination of 

visiting artistes from India and 

local teachers and its own students 

who undergo training and 

appear for examinations, which 

were held on May 6, 2018. The 

students appeared for their fifth 

and sixth stages. 

This year’s examinations culminate 

in a three-day Music 

Festival, scheduled to be held 

from Saturday, June 2, 2018 

to Monday, June 4, 2018 at 

the Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan 

Community Centre located at 

12 Princes Street in Onehunga, 

Auckland. 

Following is a brief profile of 

the visiting artistes. 

R Suryaprakash 

It is often said that ‘Ragas’ in 

Carnatic Music have the power 

to melt hearts, change moods, 

reform people and even cast 

rainmaking clouds in the Sky 

and if properly executed, can 

make even Gods and Goddess 

appear. 

Vocalists therefore are held 

in high esteem and NZCMS 

has done well to invite R 

Suryaprakash, a world-acclaimed 

musician to be at the 

top of the three-day Carnatic 

Music Festival this year. 

With his ‘ringing’ voice known 

for its ability to produce sangathis 

(musical phrases) in all 

three sthayis (ranges) with crystal 

clear tonal quality and purity 

of shruthi, he has carved a 

niche for himself in the world of 

music. 

Born and raised in the musical 

tradition of the great Madurai 

Mani Iyer, he was taught by T 

V Sankaranarayanan. He later 

crafted a unique baani (style) of 

his own, that stems from his assimilation 

of the essence of other 

gayaki and Naadaswaram 

The Festival 

First Day: Saturday, June 2, 

2018 at 530 pm: Vocal Concert 

R Suryaprakash; Violin: 

Nagai Sriram; Mridangam: 

Trivandrum Balaji; Ghatam: 

Tripunithura N Radhakrishnan 

Second Day: Sunday, June 

3, 2018 at 530 pm: Violin Duet 

by Nagai Muralidharan and 

Nagai Sirram; Mridangam by 

Trivandrum Balaji; Ghatam by 

Tripunithrua N Radhakrishnan 

Third Day: Monday, June 

4, 2018 at 9 am: Concerts by 

Senior Teachers of the New 

Zealand Carnatic Music Society. 

This Programme will comprise 

short vocal and instrumental 

concerts. 

Student’s Performances 

Students of the NZCMS will, 

as in the past, have an opportunity 

to perform as a part 

of the annual Festival, commencing 

on Saturday, June 

2, 2018 at 9 am. The ‘Shri 

Sam Swaminathan Memorial 

Concert’ will be held in homage 

to Sam Swaminathan, Founder- 

Secretary of the Society. He 

traditions, such as those of 

Semmangudi, T N Rajarathnam, 

G N Balasubramaniam and T 

Brinda. 

He is also a lyricist and composer 

of music. 

Nagai Muralidharan 

Violin is a challenging instrument 

and its performers take 

‘baby steps,’ reaching the stage 

of playing Kirtans usually after 

three years of intense training. 

But Nagai Muralidharan 

proved to be a chip off the old 

block, when he became proficient 

in the art less than six 

months after he commenced 

learning from his highly talented 

mother R Komalavalli (with encouragement 

from his father R 

Rajagopalan). 

A while later, he was finetuned 

by R S Gopalakrishnan 

and was encouraged to debut 

when he was just ten the years 

old. 

Since then, over the past four 

passed away on June 13, 2013 

(Indian Newslink, July 1, 2013). 

Performances of students will 

continue on Sunday, June 3, 

2018 from 9 am. 

The Venue for all concerts of 

the three-day Festival is Shirdi 

Saibaba Sansthan Community 

Centre. 

Venue: Shirdi Saibaba 

Sansthan Community Centre, 

12 Princes Street, Onehunga 

The three-day programme is 

free for members of the Society 

with current membership. 

Tickets: For all Three Days: 

$70 (Adult); $60 (Senior/Child) 

Tickets: Daily $40 (Adult); $30 

(Senior/Child) 

Tickets cost per person; 

For details, please contact 

Sreeranganath Koilkandadai 

on 021-682957; Ashok 

Devarajan on 021-688242; 

Harish Srinivasan on 027- 

4763493; Yashwanthkumar 

Ramalingam on 021-02429863 

Email: secretarynzcms@ 

yahoo.com; Website: www. 

nzcms.org 

decades, Nagai Muralidharan 

has enthralled audiences all 

over the world and won several 

Awards and Citations. 

Nagai Sriram 

As the name would suggest, 

Nagai Sriram hails from 

the same family (a nephew of 

Nagai Muralidharan) and R 

Komalavalli (his grandmother) 

again deserves credit for identifying 

and hoping his talent as a 

Violinist. 

He began his career in Violin 

at the age of ten and two years 

later became an accompanying 

artist for vocal and instrumental 

musicians. 

Among them were Dr 

M Balamurali Krishna, 

K V Narayanaswamy, 

T N Seshagopalan, T V 

Sankaranarayanan, O S 

Thyagarajan and many others. 

He is a recipient of several 

Awards. 

The second day of the NZCMS 

Festival will appropriately feature 

the Nagai gems and Sriram 

will yet again have an opportunity 

to perform with his uncle 

Muralidharan (who is his current 

pedagogue) and enhance his 

experience as a stage artiste. 

Trivandrum Balaji 

Mridangist Trivandrum Balaji 

was raised in a musical family. 

His great-grandfathers were 

Kodivayal Venkatrama Iyer (a 

Harikatha and Konnakol exponent), 

and S V Iyer, an accomplished 

Mridangam Vidwan. 

Taught in his early years by B 

Doraiswamy, K Krishna Iyengar 

and R Vaidyanathan (all of them 

of Tiruvanantapuram), he later 

received a National Talent 

Scholarship to study under 

Palghat Raghu. 

A recipient of the Sangeet 

Natak Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 

2009, Balaji has several awards 

and prizes to his credit. 

One distinction that gives him 

pleasure is his appointment as 

‘Asthana Vidwan’ of the Kanchi 

Kamakoti Peetham. 

Tripunithura Radhakrishnan 

“Ghatam is a part of my 

being,” says Tripunithura 

Radhakrishnan. 

A proficient artiste, he has 

mastered the intricacies of the 

‘Pot’ that has astounded people 

around the world and like many 

others of his ilk, Radhakrishnan 

plays Mridangam and many other 

percussion instruments. 

Mridangists like him have 

given this Upapakkavadyam 

(supporting instrument) due recognition 

and honour, more than 

just a place in the corner of a 

concert. 

Such a feat took 

Radhakrishnan 50 years, after 

hundreds of painful hours 

of training and an unflinching 

passion. 

Papatoetoe Rotary plans fundraising dinner 

On June 2 at Alexandra Park (7 pm) 

Venkat Raman 


Rotary Foundation, 

Cancer Society of New 

Zealand, St John and 

Starship Hospital will 

be among the beneficiaries 

of a fundraising dinner 

scheduled to be held from 7 

pm on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 

Alexandra Park in Greenlane, 

Auckland. 

Ethnic Communities Minister 

Jenny Salesa will be the Chief 

Guest at the event titled, 

‘Indian Diaspora Night & Fund- 

Raising Dinner,’ organised by 

Dr S Ajit (File Picture) 

the Rotary Club of Papatoetoe 

Central in South Auckland. 

Club President Dr S Ajit said 

that Rotary Papatoetoe Central 

hoped to raised $50,000 at the 

fundraising event. 

Indian Diaspora Night 

“The theme of the night is 

‘Indian Diaspora’ to recognise 

and applaud the success and 

achievement of New Zealanders 

of Indian origin. The Indian 

community is one of the fastest 

growing communities in New 

Zealand and its contribution in 

every field towards the growth 

and success of New Zealand 

is recognised and cannot be 

ignored,” he said. 

Dr Ajit said that the Club 

invites sponsors to raise funds 

for the organisations which are 

involved in the public health 

sector. 

“Established in 2015, Rotary 

Papatoetoe Central Club is a 

part of Rotary District 9920 

in New Zealand. Rotary is a 

well-established organisation 

all around the world, 

where likeminded people 

come together to serve the 

community,” he said. 

Community Service 

He said that Rotary members 

make a great contribution to 

our community, in time, by 

physical effort and through 

their fundraising endeavours. 

“We also support a large 

number of projects, both 

internationally and in our 

local community. However, 

these projects also require 

the generous donations of 

philanthropic members of the 

local business community,” Dr 

Ajit said. 

Further information about 

the forthcoming event can 

be obtained from Dr S Ajit on 

021-91325 or Nitika Chanda 

(Secretary) on 021-1514024.


26 Entertainmentlink 

Cloyd D’mello Hemant Thaker Joseph Alexander Kaustubh Pethe Kuntal Trivedi Navneel Prasad 

Ravi Shah Sanjay Badakere Shivan Padayachi Swanand Sanjeev Chitnis Sachin Dev Burman 

Tribute to SD Burman 

Suneheri Yaadein 

Dorothy Winstone Theatre 

May 26 at 630 pm 

Ticket: $20 per person 

Call Sandhya Badakere 

022-1060913 

The background score that SD Burman would have loved to hear 

Venkat Raman 


One of the greatest 

attributes 

of Sachin Dev 

Burman was 

his ability to choose the 

‘right voice’ and the 

right instruments to capture 

the mood the songs 

that he composed and 

their match with the film 

sequence. 

From path-breaking 

club songs ‘Tadbeer 

Se Bigdi Hui in’ (Baazi, 

1951) to the best adaptation 

of the Bengali Kirtan 

in Hindi ‘Aaj Sajan Mohe 

Ang Lagaa Lo’ (Pyaasa, 

1957), he used the dulcet 

voice of Geeta Dutt to 

traverse the entire spectrum 

of film music. 

Melody and harmony 

are the notes of his songs, 

including the passionate 

romantic beckoning 

of Hemant Kumar’s ‘Yeh 

Raat Yeh Chandni Phir 

Kahaan’ (Jaal, 1952), the 

fun and frothy Kishore 

Kumar in ‘Mere Sapnon 

Ki Rani Kab Aayegi Tu’ 

(Aradhana, 1969), the 

soulful rendition of Lata 

Mangeshkar in ‘Piya Tose 

Naina Laage Re’ (Guide, 

1965). 

It is heartening that 

many of the songs of 

SD Burman will be performed 

by local singers 

and instrumentalists at a 

show scheduled to be held 

next fortnight. 

Suneheri Yaadein for 

Hohepa 

Called ‘Suneheri Yaadein,’ 

the event will be held on 

Saturday, May 26, 2018 

from 630 pm at Dorothy 

Winston Centre, Auckland 

Girls Grammar School located 

at Howe Street in 

Auckland Central. Tickets, 

priced at $20 per person 

are now on sale. 

Here is a profile of the instrumentalists, 

who have 

been practicing with intensity 

to render their best 

possible support. 

Cloyd D’Mello 

While his stage experience 

dates back 11 years, 

Cloyd D’Mello has been 

a performer with wellknown 

Indian bands like 

‘Velocity,’ ‘Spectrum’ and 

‘Next Generation,’ since he 

migrated to New Zealand in 

2013. By profession, Cloyd 

is a Kindergarten Teacher 

and has been working in 

Auckland for the past five 

years. 

Hemant Thaker 

Apart from being a core 

performer for Indian community 

events like Diwali 

Festival, Navratri, Senior 

Citizen Groups and various 

charity and fundraising 

programmes, Hemant 

Thaker has captured the 

wider attention of New 

Zealand businesses at the 

Indian Newslink Indian 

Business Awards since it 

was established in 2008. 

He has supported several 

renowned singers including 

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, 

Amit Kumar, Sir Jerry 

Amaldev, Abhas Joshi and 

Neerja Pandit. 

Joseph Alexander (Alex) 

A versatile drummer 

with varied rhythms, 

Joseph Alexander (Alex) 

has an impressive record 

of performances for 

more than 20 years as an 

acoustic drum player with 

Mumbai’s popular Western 

Bands such as ‘7th Galaxy’ 

& ‘Crimson Rage.’ 

Alex has been playing 

electronic drums and 

Octapad in Auckland since 

2007 and is an integral part 

of a majority of multicultural 

musical shows. He 

leads, ‘Velocity,’ a high-energy 

band of professional 

instrumentalists. 

Kuntal Trivedi 

We have followed his 

professional progress of 

Kuntal Trivedi for more 

than 15 years. He is at once 

a good photographer, drama 

artiste, stage manager 

and most important of all, a 

caring husband and father. 

An engineer by qualification, 

Kuntal has unquenchable 

thirst for theatre, 

which has seen him perform 

in powerful roles in 

Gujarati comedies and pathos. 

He owns and manages 

‘Kimaya Creations’ providing 

professional services in 

photography, cinematography 

and commercials. 

Kaustubh Pethe 

As a Flight Planner, organisers 

and guests can expect, 

‘Suneheri Yaadein’ 

to be well crafted and 

steered by Kaustubh Pethe 

in his role as the Master of 

Ceremonies. 

With his strong theatre 

and performance background 

and experience in 

Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati 

Theatre in Mumbai, he 

can also be expected to 

be a master in time management. 

His performances 

with thespians such as 

Paresh Raval and Vikram 

Gokhale would have given 

him a good insight into 

keeping audiences at their 

best. 

Navneel Prasad 

Navneel Prasad has been 

a Tabla player since his 

formative years, trained 

by his father. He also plays 

the Dholak and has accompanied 

many various artistes 

and musicians from 

overseas. 

Navneel has appeared in 

several including Hindi film 

musicals, Ghazal Mehfils, 

Classical and Devotional 

programmes and has participated 

in events held in 

Fiji and Australia. 

Ravi Shah 

Ravi Shah has been a guitarist 

since his early years. 

Mostly self-taught and 

thanks to like-minded 

friends, he became a professional 

player sooner 

than he thought he would 

and today enjoys playing 

all genre of music from 

Rock and Pop to Hindi film 

songs. 

Sanjay Badakere 

Sanjay Badakere is another 

friend who has been 

with Indian Newslink since 

he arrived in New Zealand 

more than 14 years ago. An 

accountant by profession, 

he is known for choosing 

his customers and keeping 

them ‘clean and disciplined.’ 

Those traits are 

carried to the choice of all 

songs that are performed at 

the programmes organised 

by Swar Sadhana Academy 

of Indian Music. 

“The credit for the success 

of ‘Suneheri Yaadein’ 

from its inception goes to 

Sanjay. He has been a great 

source of strength to me 

and my two daughters,” his 

wife Sandhya said. 

Shivan Padayachi 

A guitarist who loves 

to tune to melody, Shivan 

Padayachi has been on the 

entertainment scene for 

several years. He also appeared 

with our ‘Gurus of 

Groove,’ a band that has 

been performing exclusively 

for the Indian Newslink 

Indian Business Awards 

since 2018. 

Swanand Sanjeev Chitnis 

A passionate Lead 

Guitarist for AABHAAS 

(India) and Soul Dhun (New 

Zealand), Swanand Sanjeev 

Chitnis will play Rhythm at 

‘Suneheri Yaadein’ on May 

26, 2018. 

“I have played at various 

college events in India but 

my finest achievement was 

winning at the ‘Guitar Wars 

Competition at IIT, Powai 

in 2013, the biggest college 

event in Asia. It is gratifying 

that ‘AABHAAS’ has 

more than 10,000 subscribers 

on YouTube Channel 

and more than two Million 

views on their Videos,” he 

said.


All Whites setfor four-team tournamentinIndia 


All Whites coach Fritz Schmid (Photo by 

Photosport through RNZ) 

The AllWhites are set to take 

their nextstepsunder the 

reign of new coachFritz 

Schmid in Juneaspartofa 

four-team tournament in Mumbai 

that will also feature hosts India, 

ChineseTaipei andasoon-to-be-confirmedAfrican 

team. 

The IntercontinentalCup will be 

held from June 1to10, 2018 and will 

be an action-packed event withthe 

teams all set to face eachother once 

in around-robin formatbefore the 

twohighest-placed sides meet in the 

final. 

Schmid willlead the AllWhites for 

the secondtime in Mumbai after beginninghis 

reign in March with an international 

friendly against Canada 

in Spain,inwhichhis chargesperformed 

well butfell to a1-0 defeat. 

Stern Challenge 

Currently sitting at 133rdon 

the FIFA worldrankings, the 

IntercontinentalCup will provide a 

stern challenge forNew Zealand as 

theirtwo confirmed opponents are 

both ranked higher. India (97)are 

among the top 100 sides in the world 

whileChinese Taipeiare not faroff 

that mark in 121st andthe African 

nation is also likelytoprovidetough 

opposition. 

New Zealand FootballTechnical 

Director Andreas Heraf said that the 

IntercontinentalCup will provide the 

All Whites withachance to continue 

puttingstrongfoundations in place as 

they build towards qualifying for the 

2022FIFAWorld Cup in Qatar. 

“It was exciting to seethe team 

return to action in Marchfor the 

firsttime since theIntercontinental 

Playoff againstPeru andweare looking 

forward to seeing what can 

be achievedwithour new coach 

at the helm,” he said. 

“This tournament willbeinvaluablefor 

Fritz as he looks to 

put ateamtogether capableof 

competingwiththe bestinthe 

world and making it allthe way 

to Qatar,”hesaid. 

Creating history 

The AllWhiteswill create historyatthe 

tournament regardlessofthe 

results as they are yet 

to be hosted by India, thetwo 

nations clashingonly once beforeinascoreless 

stalemateon 

neutral ground in Kuala Lumpur 

in 1981. 

Schmid’sside willmeanwhile 

haveaproud history to protect 

against Chinese Taipei, alsocommonly 

known as Taiwan,asNew 

Zealandhave faced themon12 

occasionsand areyet to loseafter 

notching 10 wins and two 

draws. 

Fixture details and further informationonthe 

AllWhites’participation 

in theIntercontinental 

Cup in MumbaiinJunewillbe 

released shortly. 

Sportslink 

TheCricket Worldneeds astrong Australian team 

Apurv Shukla 

With theappointment 

of former Opener 

JustinLangerasthe 

new Coach of the 

Australianteam, Cricket Australiais 

trying to repair thedamagecaused 

by the ball-tamperingincidentin 

Newlands. 

Theinfamous Test Match between 

Australia and South Africain 

March this yearwillgodownasa 

blotinthe historyofCricket. 

StevenSmith,David Warnerand 

Cameron Bancroft were caughttamperingthe 

ball. They have been 

banned from Cricket forayear in 

Smith and Warner’s caseand nine 

months for the openingbatsman 

Bancroft. 

Rebuildinghonour 

DarrenLehmann also resigned 

as theCoach in the aftermath of the 

unsporting incident. With theappointment 

of Langer, aveteran of 

105Tests,Australia seektotakethe 

first steps in buildinganew team 

with aculture markedly different 

from theAustralianteamsofold. 

Australia has always played an aggressive 

brand of cricket.But that 

aggressiveness has borderedon 

boorishness manyatimes. 

They havelookedtointimidate 

oppositions verbally even beforea 

ballhas been bowled. Possibly what 

happened at Newlands wasthe cu- 

Justin Langer 

(Picture Courtesy: Wikipedia) 

mulativeoutput of yearsofbuild-p 

of apsyche,where awin at any 

cost was theultimate goal. 

Langer bringswithhim good experience 

as aCoach. 

He hasserved as an Assistant 

Coach to TimNielsen and Mickey 

Arthurfor Australia, and then 

coached WesternAustralia in the 

Sheffield Shield and the Perth 

Scorchers in the BigBash League 

(BBL) with success. 

Formidablechallenge 

He assumes hisnew roleinpossibly 

themost challengingtime facing 

Australian Cricket since Bob 

Simpson became the firstfull time 

professional coachofAustralia 

in 1986. Australia faces atour by 

India,the cricketWorldCup and 

an Ashesseries in the next fifteen 

months. His best twobatsmen 

Smithand Warner will not 

be available forselectionuntil two 

months from thestart of theWorld 

Cup in Maynext year. 

He will have anew Captain to 

workwithinWicket Keeper Tim 

27 

Paine. The team needs to winback 

thesupport and confidence of the 

fansofthe gamebyplaying honest 

cricket and valuing thebaggy green 

they wear. 

Confusing signals 

Directionsemanating from their 

dressingroomthough havebeen 

confusing. 

Before relinquishing his role as 

Coach, Lehman praised theNew 

Zealand Cricket team’splaying style 

and thought that his side coulda 

leaf fromthat. 

Paine hasstressed that Australia 

maintaintheirhard-edged approach 

towards Cricket and not 

play soft like theBlack Caps. The 

47-year-oldLangerisagritty cricketer 

who played in themostsuccessfulAustralia 

team in history,ofthe 

early 2000’s. 

He must find amiddleground. 

Secure future 

The future of Australian Cricket 

looks secure. Recordnumbers are 

playingtheir national game. The domestic 

structureisproducing solid 

cricketer’s.Their T-20 competition- 

BBLhas been aphenomenal success. 

Cricket Australia recentlysold 

theirbroadcast rights for A$1.18 

billion, in asix-year deal withFox 

Sports. 

World Cricketneedsastrong 

Australian team. The team has undergone 

amajorcrisis with the ball 

tamperingissue.Australian fans 

andthe board willbehoping that 

Langer with hisfamed work ethic, 

leadershipand values restores the 

pride back in Australian cricketand 

makes it agentleman’s gameagain.


28 Sportslink 

Ajinkya Rahane Captaincy may prove to be propitious 

Ravi Nyayapati 

Amidst the buzz of the 

Indian Premier League 

(IPL) reaching a climax, 

cricketing history was 

made in Europe as Ireland hosted 

Pakistan in Dublin for their 

inaugural Test Cricket. 

On June 22, 2017, Afghanistan 

and Ireland, representing all 

of the island of Ireland, were 

granted full membership of the 

International Cricket Council 

(ICC). 

Right to Representation 

A full member has the right to 

send one representative team 

to play official Test matches. As 

such, Afghanistan and Ireland 

joined an exclusive club that 

also includes New Zealand, the 

West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, 

Zimbabwe and India, along with 

founder members South Africa, 

England and Australia. 

While Ireland has had a decent 

cricketing depth during 

their many years of Test status 

lobbying, Afghanistan’s journey 

has been an inspiration and full 

of courage. 

Given the political turmoil of 

the recent past, and the displacement 

of many of its people, the 

Afghans have taken the cricketing 

world by storm. 

Virat Kohli (left) with Ajinkya Rahane (right) (Picture Courtesy: PTI) 

They are to make their first 

Test appearance in June against 

India. 

Pressure on Test Cricket 

The inaugural Test match was 

played in 1877 between Australia 

and England at Melbourne. 

In 1926, India, New Zealand 

and the West Indies were admitted 

to the ranks. 

Ironically, India did not play its 

first Test match until 1932. 

The last country to be given 

a Test status was Bangladesh in 

June 2000. 

As glorious as this club sounds, 

there is pressure on Test countries 

to be of a standard capable 

of competing with the powerhouses 

of the game. 

A vast mismatch of depth and 

capability has given rise to increased 

divided opinion on the 

need for a two-tier Test system. 

A classic example of Test incompetence 

is glaringly evident 

with ‘newbies’ Bangladesh who 

suffered twenty-one consecutive 

losses over a five-year window 

before claiming a win over lowly 

ranked Zimbabwe in 2015. 

Their first overseas win came 

in 2009 over West Indies, who 

were fielding adepleted unit 

after internal organisational 

squabbles. 

Bangladesh vs India 

Bangladesh has played 106 

Tests with a mere ten victories 

to boast, half of which have been 

against meek Zimbabwe. They 

have managed to beat England 

and Australia at home, each 

on one occasion. This is credible 

but, in the age, a highly commercialised 

sporting ecosystem, 

there is a lot of criticism and intolerance 

of this success rate. 

To Bangladesh’s credit, they 

have done better than India did 

after their introduction to the 

foray. It took India 20 years to 

register their first win. 

However, this was an era 

where Indian cricketers needed 

‘day jobs’ for sustenance, while 

playing Cricket for passion and 

pride. It was in the 1970s that 

India gained strength and depth 

to compete at an elite level. 

The Power of money 

Over the last two decades, increased 

commercialisation of the 

sport has resulted in an infusion 

of professionalism for the sport 

in the sub-continent, giving rise 

to India’s dominance. 

Bangladesh owe their gratitude 

to the Board of Control 

for Cricket in India (BCCI) for 

their promotion as a Test nation. 

They also enjoy substantial 

commercial and financial support 

in Cricket from their mighty 

neighbours. 

However, the difference in results 

between the two nations 

lies in capitalising on opportunities 

presented. 

Bangladesh have failed to 

build a framework which fosters 

and develops growth in players 

whereas India has banked on 

this commercial injection to propel 

their game to new heights. 

The Afghan Debut 

Afghanistan could not have 

asked for a bigger stage to 

launch their Test arrival. 

Some of their players are already 

playing in the IPL and doing 

rather well. 

In view of their player performances 

of late, especially in the 

Sub-Continent, they pose a genuine 

challenge when they debut 

against India at Bangalore’s 

Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

Kohli’s option 

India have made an unusually 

early announcement on the 

team composition to take on the 

Afghans. As expected, batsman 

Ajinkya Rahane will take charge 

given the imminent absence of 

regular captain Virat Kohli. 

Kohli has opted to play county 

cricket for Surrey as a lead-up to 

the India-England series starting 

in August 1, 2018. 

This is a welcome move, and 

very thoughtful on Kohli’s part 

as he attempts to rewrite the 

chapters on Indian tours overseas. 

He led the Test side impressively 

in their last outing in 

South Africa, but the team lacked 

finishing touches to grab aseries 

victory. 

Kohli is hell bent on changing 

this and seeking greater glory. 

The Test Squad against 

Afghanistan 

Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), 

Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, 

KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, 

Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha 

(Wicket Keeper), Ravichandran 

Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, 

Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, 

Mohammed Shami, Hardik 

Pandya, Ishant Sharma, Shardul 

Thakur. 

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