The Indian Weekender, Friday 03 July 2020
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<strong>03</strong>JUNE<strong>2020</strong> | Vol 12 Issue 16<br />
www.iwk.co.nz /indianweekender /indianweekender<br />
Health Minister resigns: Govt finally<br />
chooses to play by the 'playbook'
2 NEW ZEALAND<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
HEALTH MINISTER RES<br />
finally chooses to play by<br />
SANDEEP SINGH<br />
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government - in<br />
accepting the resignation of embattled Health Minister<br />
Dr David Clark – has finally chosen to play by the<br />
“playbook” of a Ministerial responsibility under a Westminster<br />
model of parliamentary democracy.<br />
This brings hope that finally the government, which to<br />
be fair, is hugely occupied in managing a once-in-hundred<br />
years crisis – will eventually choose to return to following<br />
the playbook – an expectation from any modern, liberal<br />
democracy, in other domains of decision making.<br />
For quite some time, the Prime Minister and Ministers in<br />
the government and MPs outside the government have been<br />
seeking to avoid criticism of any apparent shortcoming in<br />
their govt’s response to Covid-19 pandemic on both health<br />
and economic management side, purely on the pretext that the<br />
pandemic had no “playbook.”<br />
Prime Minister Ardern had sought to push back any<br />
criticism or an unpalatable line of questioning from either<br />
the opposition or the media by seeking to refute on the “no<br />
playbook” of the Covid-19 crisis – be it the announcement<br />
of first post-lockdown budget or the latest issue of bungle at<br />
our borders.<br />
Soon after the PM had first used the argument effectively<br />
in one of her media briefing on health updates, it was quickly<br />
picked up by all her Ministers and MPs in their respective<br />
interactions with the media or the members of public and<br />
applied for any line of questioning.<br />
Can the govt now play by “playbook”<br />
on temporary migrant workers stuck<br />
overseas?<br />
Notably, where this argument was most markedly used was<br />
on the issue of thousands of temporary migrant workers being<br />
stuck overseas, as the clueless government chose to act with<br />
extreme caution and till now has stopped short of giving any<br />
assurance for an early entry back into the county.<br />
<strong>The</strong> idea that thousands of unsuspecting temporary visa<br />
holders who were travelling overseas for normal family<br />
visiting pur<br />
investment<br />
keep its bor<br />
of many.<br />
Govt m<br />
conservativ<br />
discretion o<br />
of NZ citize<br />
with work v<br />
the country<br />
using the “n<br />
of questioni<br />
In the cas<br />
there has n<br />
anyone in th<br />
of their frus<br />
visa holders<br />
their visa s<br />
efforts of ke<br />
Covid-19 vi<br />
Is there a<br />
to overseas<br />
situations?<br />
Now tha<br />
to play by<br />
the resignat<br />
government<br />
model of pa<br />
it will not h<br />
In that reg<br />
of the logist<br />
and the sud<br />
of deciding<br />
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
NEW ZEALAND 3<br />
IGNS – Govt<br />
the 'playbook'<br />
poses could lose their visa status and the entire<br />
in the country as the government continues to<br />
der closed can easily cause chills down the spines<br />
inister’s when being queried about how<br />
ely the Immigration New Zealand was applying<br />
n giving exceptions to partners and families - even<br />
ns and residents who were stranded overseas - along<br />
isa holders who have been working diligently in<br />
for years to enter back into the country, have been<br />
o - playbook” card conveniently to deflect the line<br />
ng.<br />
e of temporary migrant workers stranded overseas,<br />
ot been one single empathetic response from<br />
e government - apart from the usual “appreciation<br />
tration” slog, - which could assure the temporary<br />
stuck overseas that they will not lose<br />
tatus, for contributing in collective<br />
eping NZ safe against the spread of<br />
rus.<br />
ny playbook for govt’s response<br />
stranded temp migrant worker<br />
t the government has returned<br />
playbook mode, after accepting<br />
ion of one of the Ministers in the<br />
as per the core principles of Westminster<br />
rliamentary democracy, is there any hope that<br />
ide behind this annotation anymore?<br />
ard, while the government might be right in terms<br />
ical challenge that the current public health crisis<br />
den border closure had brought upon it in terms<br />
on the fate of the temporary visa holders stuck<br />
However,<br />
there is always<br />
a playbook for the<br />
government to look<br />
compassionately on the<br />
situation of individuals and<br />
a large number of groups<br />
who have been falling<br />
between the<br />
cracks.<br />
outside the borders.<br />
<strong>The</strong> question of our public health safety and keeping<br />
everyone safe in New Zealand is indeed paramount and<br />
non-negotiable, and mostly dependent on the government’s<br />
ability to shore up quarantine facilities to house the<br />
incoming travellers.<br />
However, there is always a playbook for the government<br />
to look compassionately on the situation of individuals and<br />
a large number of groups who have been falling between the<br />
cracks.<br />
At the end, it is a question of political will, and not<br />
capabilities, for any government to do what it wants to do<br />
genuinely. No matter how the government chooses to present<br />
the matter in public.<br />
To make it clear, most of the temporary migrant workers<br />
who are caught on the wrong side of the border, are willing<br />
to bear a share of the burden of the quarantine cost, or<br />
wait patiently outside borders for as long it takes –<br />
as long as the government can come out and give<br />
them a clear timeframe of the waiting period<br />
and an assurance they will be getting a fair<br />
chance as per their respective visas at the time<br />
of the border closure.<br />
Like all New Zealanders, temporary<br />
migrant workers ordinarily resident in NZ have<br />
already paid and are willing to continue to pay an<br />
exorbitant price of keeping our country Covid-19 free<br />
- all they are expecting is fairness and compassion from the<br />
government.<br />
And there is always a “playbook” for giving a little bit of<br />
compassion to those in need for any government to follow.<br />
Can this newly re-focused government play by playbook<br />
now in the case of temporary migrant workers?<br />
SIMON BRIDGES makes a<br />
comeback in National caucus<br />
as Foreign Affairs spokesperson<br />
SANDEEP SINGH<br />
<strong>The</strong> former National Party<br />
Leader Simon Bridges has<br />
returned to the caucus as the<br />
spokesperson of Foreign Affairs - a<br />
position that he asked for and got in the<br />
latest reshuffle announced by the Leader<br />
Todd Muller.<br />
Mr Bridges will have a new ranking of<br />
number 17 under the Todd Muller caucus.<br />
“Simon Bridges will be picking up<br />
the Foreign Affairs portfolio and will be<br />
ranked at number 17.<br />
"Simon has been leader and a minister<br />
for a number of years in the last National<br />
Government. He expressed a desire for<br />
this portfolio and his experience will<br />
be valuable in this important role,” a<br />
press release from Leader Tod Muller’s<br />
office said.<br />
Fixing ethnic diversity issue at the<br />
top, Dr Shane Reiti elevated to<br />
No 13<br />
In a move that clearly sought to fix the<br />
issue of dearth of ethnic diversity (read<br />
Maori-representation) in the National<br />
Party’s front benches under the new<br />
Leader Todd Muller Dr Shane Reiti<br />
has been elevated to No 13 rank with<br />
additional responsibility of Associate<br />
Drug Reform.<br />
“Dr Shane Reti will be ranked number<br />
13 and will take on Associate Drug<br />
Reform. Shane has demonstrated a huge<br />
intellect and capacity for work, supporting<br />
Michael Woodhouse in our Covid-19<br />
response, as well as achieving much in<br />
the Tertiary Education portfolio,” Mr<br />
Muller said.<br />
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4 NEW ZEALAND<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
Not every temp migrant workers stranded<br />
overseas will be able to return: Iain Lees-Galloway<br />
SANDEEP SINGH<br />
plausible entry date; however, the Minister was<br />
once again unable to give such timeframes.<br />
However, on being queried further the<br />
Minister assured that some decisions could<br />
come within weeks time while some other more<br />
complex ones could come in a months time,<br />
depending upon how the officials were able to<br />
align mutually conflicting goals of keeping NZ<br />
safe from any overseas infection of the novel<br />
Coronavirus and letting those stranded overseas<br />
back into the country.<br />
In news that can break many hearts and<br />
lives, the Immigration Minister Iain Lees-<br />
Galloway has suggested that not every<br />
temporary migrant worker stuck overseas<br />
might be able to come back to New Zealand.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Minister was speaking with the <strong>Indian</strong><br />
<strong>Weekender</strong> on Sunday, June 28.<br />
When pressed for a response about what<br />
was in store for the temporary migrant work<br />
visa holders stuck overseas, the Minister said<br />
they are working on a policy where it might be<br />
required for such work visa holders to put an<br />
altogether new application.<br />
On further enquiry, if that means that many<br />
such workers could potentially be declined<br />
to enter back in NZ forever, the Minister<br />
responded affirmatively.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> had got the opportunity<br />
to speak with the Minister for Immigration for<br />
the first time since the onset of Covid-19 related<br />
border closure and Alert Level 4 lockdown, and<br />
it chose to discuss with the Minister a range of<br />
immigration policy-related issues affecting the<br />
wider communities.<br />
<strong>The</strong> issue of temporary migrants<br />
stranded overseas<br />
Most of the conversation with the Minister<br />
was focussed on the perils of tens of thousands<br />
of temporary migrant workers who were<br />
unsuspectingly caught on the wrong side when<br />
NZ borders were closed on March 19.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Minister was categorically asked if<br />
he had any timeframe on exactly when those<br />
stranded temporary migrant workers would<br />
be able to hear from the government about a<br />
In the ensuing discussion around<br />
this hugely emotional issue,<br />
the Minister was not willing to<br />
reveal too much, except that<br />
the officials were working on<br />
new immigration policy - thus<br />
making it clear that most of the<br />
visa holders who are fortunate<br />
enough to be allowed back into<br />
country will be invited to apply<br />
for a new visa under the new visa<br />
policy.<br />
In the ensuing discussion around this hugely<br />
emotional issue, the Minister was not willing<br />
to reveal too much, except that the officials<br />
were working on new immigration policy - thus<br />
making it clear that most of the visa holders<br />
who are fortunate enough to be allowed back<br />
into country will be invited to apply for a new<br />
visa under the new visa policy.<br />
Clearly, their respective work visas will look<br />
vastly different from their current work visas.<br />
Exceptions for relationshipbased<br />
visa holders to enter NZ<br />
<strong>The</strong> issue of the continued declining majority<br />
of requests for exceptions from the partners of<br />
NZ citizens and residents was also discussed<br />
in detail with the Minister, bringing to his<br />
attention the perceived gap in the government’s<br />
assurance on uniting the families with the<br />
situation on the ground.<br />
On being queried, if the Minister was aware<br />
that possibly around 80 per cent of applications<br />
for exceptions by partners and spouses of NZ<br />
citizens and partners were being rejected, the<br />
Minister acknowledged the fact saying that it<br />
was always clear that the partners who were<br />
not ordinarily resident in NZ would not be<br />
able to get such exceptions.<br />
Processing delays in Skilled<br />
Migrant Category visas<br />
<strong>The</strong> Minister also acknowledged the<br />
processing delays in Skilled Migrant<br />
Category visas - in some cases for<br />
more than 15-18 months, however,<br />
sought to shift the blame of the<br />
delay on the burgeoning numbers<br />
of new applications under the<br />
category.<br />
In the ensuing conversation<br />
when the Minister was categorically<br />
asked if he had set any expectation<br />
on the INZ for the time frame for<br />
disposal of applications under the<br />
SMC category, he responded with<br />
a broad 12 months window - which<br />
apparently was not being met, even in the<br />
pre-Covid 19 environment.<br />
Please see the full interview on the<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong>’s Facebook page.<br />
वापस पटरी पर<br />
हैमिलटन का COVID-19 से ननपटने का बजट<br />
वार्षिक योजना <strong>2020</strong>/21 का प्ारूप<br />
हर साल Council एक वार्षिक पलान बनाती है जजसिे<br />
िुखया प्ोजेकट और उनका वार्षिक आय - वयय ननज्चित<br />
ककया जाता है !<br />
Covid-19 की हिारे सिुदाय और हिारी आर्षिक ज्तर् पर दुष्प्भाव<br />
की वजह से वार्षिक आय - वयय पर दुबारा दृजष्ट डालना अनत आव्यक<br />
हो गया ्ा!<br />
इस ददशा िें हि कु छ बदलाव का प््ताव पेश कर रहे हैं ! जजससे<br />
हिारे शहर को Covid-19 के दुष्प्बाहवो से ननपटने िें सफलता मिलेगी!<br />
अरिक जानकारी और अगले 12 िहीनो के बारे िें अपने<br />
रवचिार हिे बताये !<br />
hamilton.govt.nz/annualplan/feedback<br />
ककताब ककसी भी Council दफतर<br />
से या Hamilton City Library<br />
से प्ापत कर सकते हैं !
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
NEW ZEALAND 5<br />
Deceased <strong>Indian</strong> woman<br />
repatriated on Vande<br />
Bharat flight to India<br />
NEW LISTING<br />
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD<br />
<strong>The</strong> body of 26-year-old <strong>Indian</strong> woman<br />
who died in Auckland last week<br />
has been repatriated to India on<br />
Wednesday, <strong>July</strong> 1.<br />
<strong>The</strong> office of Consulate of India in Auckland<br />
confirmed to the <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> that the<br />
mortal remains of the <strong>Indian</strong> woman had been<br />
repatriated via Vande Bharat Mission led 8th<br />
Air India flight from Auckland to New Delhi<br />
on Wednesday, <strong>July</strong> 1. NZ Police media team<br />
said the police became aware of a sudden<br />
death incident involving a person who died at<br />
Auckland Hospital on <strong>Friday</strong>, June 26.<br />
<strong>The</strong> woman came to New Zealand on a<br />
student visa in 2017 to study Business course,<br />
Level 8 at Whitirea College, in Auckland.<br />
She was on a work visa in New Zealand<br />
and was employed full time as a retail<br />
assistant at the newly opened Westfield mall in<br />
Newmarket, Auckland.<br />
Close contact of the deceased said he was<br />
informed of the death on <strong>Friday</strong> afternoon who<br />
later informed her family in India.<br />
“She was very smart, an intelligent person,<br />
but used to be reserved about personal matters,”<br />
the close contact said on the condition of<br />
anonymity.<br />
“It’s sad that such a bright life and left us so<br />
soon,” he added.<br />
<strong>The</strong> death has been referred to the coroner.<br />
If you are worried about your or someone<br />
else’s mental health, the best place to get help<br />
is your GP or local mental health provider.<br />
However, if you or someone else is in danger<br />
or endangering others, call police immediately<br />
on 111.<br />
Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any<br />
time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any<br />
reason.<br />
Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to<br />
4357<br />
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 /<br />
0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for<br />
people who may be thinking about suicide,<br />
or those who are concerned about family or<br />
friends.<br />
Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7)<br />
or text 4202<br />
Samaritans: 0800 726 666 (24/7)<br />
Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text<br />
234 (8am-12am), or email talk@youthline.<br />
co.nz<br />
What’s Up: online chat (3pm-10pm) or 0800<br />
WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787 helpline (12pm-<br />
10pm weekdays, 3pm-11pm weekends)<br />
Kidsline (ages 5-18): 0800 543 754 (24/7)<br />
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6 NEW ZEALAND<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
Applications open for urgent aid needed by temporary<br />
visa holders experiencing serious hardship in NZ<br />
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD<br />
Temporary Visa Holders experiencing<br />
serious hardship due to Covid-19 in<br />
New Zealand can now apply for urgent<br />
aid with Red Cross New Zealand from <strong>July</strong> st.<br />
<strong>The</strong> ‘Assistance for Foreign Nationals<br />
impacted by COVID-19 Programme’ was<br />
announced by Foreign Minister Winston Peters<br />
and Minister for Community and Voluntary<br />
Sector, Poto Williams on June 16, last month<br />
to help foreign nationals who have exhausted<br />
their financial means of survival in the country<br />
due to Covid-19 and are in dire need of<br />
basic necessities.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Programme was allocated a fund of<br />
$37.6 million by the ministry that will run<br />
from <strong>July</strong> 1 for three months, administered by<br />
Department of Internal Affairs and delivered by<br />
a community-based NGO, which is Red Cross<br />
New Zealand for this Programme.<br />
“New Zealand Red Cross is scaling up at<br />
speed to address the urgent needs of people<br />
on temporary visas in Aotearoa New Zealand<br />
who are experiencing serious hardship due to<br />
COVID-19,” a press release from Red Cross<br />
New Zealand read.<br />
From <strong>July</strong> 1, people who are in need and<br />
on temporary visas can check their eligibility<br />
and apply through foreignnationals.services.<br />
govt.nz. Minister Peters had then said, foreign<br />
nationals should be seeking to depart New<br />
Zealand as soon as possible if they cannot<br />
support themselves here, and should contact<br />
their embassy, high commission or consulate<br />
for assistance in the first instance.<br />
Where returning home isn’t immediately<br />
possible, assistance will be provided under<br />
"New<br />
Zealand Red<br />
Cross believes<br />
in humanity and<br />
impartiality, and in<br />
providing the support<br />
that is based on need and<br />
focused on upholding the<br />
dignity of the people<br />
we work with."<br />
the Programme to temporary<br />
visa holders where it has been<br />
established that: the person<br />
is experiencing serious<br />
hardship, and<br />
all other avenues of potential<br />
support have been exhausted,<br />
such as access to savings or other<br />
assets, insurance cover, consular<br />
assistance from their own foreign missions, or<br />
help from family and friends.<br />
Working with Te Tari Taiwhenua, Department<br />
of Internal Affairs, who is managing the New<br />
Zealand Government’s Foreign Nationals<br />
Impacted by COVID-19 Programme (known<br />
by New Zealand Red Cross as ‘Visitor Care<br />
Manaaki Manuhiri’), New Zealand<br />
Red Cross will deliver in-kind<br />
assistance to help foreign nationals<br />
meet basic needs, such as food and<br />
accommodation.<br />
“We know that this inkind,<br />
individualised, temporary<br />
assistance will meet a real and urgent<br />
humanitarian need in Aotearoa. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
are visitors in our home who we are pleased<br />
to work with Te Tari Taiwhenua to provide<br />
assistance to quickly, simply and with care,”<br />
says Rachel O’Connor, Visitor Care Manaaki<br />
Manuhiri Project Lead for New Zealand<br />
Red Cross.<br />
New Zealand Red Cross support will include<br />
needs assessments, local distribution of inkind<br />
aid, psychosocial support, and engaging<br />
the community to ensure that our support is<br />
reaching the people who are eligible and most<br />
in need.<br />
“New Zealand Red Cross believes in<br />
humanity and impartiality, and in providing<br />
the support that is based on need and focused<br />
on upholding the dignity of the people we<br />
work with. As with everything New Zealand<br />
Red Cross does, the support New Zealand Red<br />
Cross provides will align with our Fundamental<br />
Principles,” the PR said.<br />
Under programme Assistance for<br />
Foreign Nationals impacted by COVID-19<br />
Programme’ assistance will be provided<br />
for: food and household goods required to<br />
meet urgent and immediate needs blankets,<br />
hot water bottles and basic clothing to meet<br />
urgent and immediate needs over-the-counter<br />
medication to meet urgent and immediate needs<br />
accommodation (including rent, boarding costs<br />
and rent arrears) utilities (electricity, gas).<br />
Excludes internet and broadband connection<br />
and plans if required, pre-paid phone cards<br />
to enable emergency communication and<br />
communication with consulate/embassy petrol/<br />
travel (limited to travel required to shift to a<br />
new location for employment purposes or to<br />
the airport to leave New Zealand).<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will be no cash payments offered under<br />
this Programme, and only in-kind assistance<br />
will be provided.<br />
Temporary visa holders check their eligibility<br />
for this support on uniteforrecovery.govt.<br />
nz and apply through foreignnationals.services.<br />
govt.nz.<br />
Priyanca<br />
Radhakrishnan<br />
Labour List MP based in Maungakiekie<br />
Maungakiekie Office<br />
09 622 2660<br />
priyanca@parliament.govt.nz<br />
Level 1 Crighton House,<br />
100 Neilson St, Onehunga<br />
(entrance via Galway St)<br />
| | priyancanzlp<br />
Authorised by Priyanca Radhakrishnan<br />
Labour List MP, 100 Neilson St, Onehunga
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
NEW ZEALAND 7<br />
Support for<br />
Christchurch<br />
Muslims falling:<br />
Community leader<br />
RADIO NEW ZEALAND<br />
A<br />
leader in the Christchurch Muslim community says<br />
support for victims is slowly being withdrawn.<br />
Following the massacre on 15 March 2019,<br />
case managers were assigned to the bereaved and injured<br />
to help them navigate their way around government<br />
agencies including the Ministry of Social Development<br />
(MSD), Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) and<br />
Immigration New Zealand (INZ).<br />
Muslim Association of Canterbury general secretary<br />
Feroze Ditta, who still carried fragments of the shooter’s<br />
bullets in his leg, said this help was increasingly not<br />
on offer.<br />
He said instead people were being referred to non-<br />
Christchurch based staff.<br />
“We are being palmed off to other people who do not<br />
necessarily know the background of what has happened<br />
and they have to familiarise themselves again [with our<br />
cases].”<br />
However the needs were still significant, he said.<br />
“Those that were injured, some of them have not been<br />
able to return to work, [there’s still work to do] retraining<br />
them, as well as the mental trauma.”<br />
MSD regional commissioner Diane McDermott said<br />
initially 16 case managers were assigned to help the<br />
community but was reduced to nine shortly after.<br />
“With the advent of Covid-19, we assigned seven of<br />
these case managers to also assist with our response to the<br />
economic impacts of the virus. However, each of these case<br />
managers remained available to their ‘case management<br />
service’ clients if they were needed,” she said.<br />
New car park booking<br />
system for Mt Ruapehu<br />
IWK BUREAU<br />
Queuing for a carpark is set to<br />
become a thing of the past at Mt<br />
Ruapehu’s Turoa and Whakapapa<br />
ski fields.<br />
A new parking booking system is being<br />
introduced this season to help ease traffic<br />
congestion at the mountain during peak<br />
times and ensure a sustainable level of<br />
visitation can be managed.<br />
RAL CEO Jono Dean says, “This means<br />
that visitors can book a park in advance<br />
and put an end to waiting in frustrating<br />
queues and being turned around at the last<br />
minute.<br />
“We’ve listened to the frustrations about<br />
queuing for parking and general volumes<br />
of visitors to the ski areas and we’ve come<br />
up with what we believe is a good solution<br />
that will ensure fair and equitable parking<br />
for everyone.”<br />
Jono is hoping that the booking system<br />
will also encourage visitors to plan their<br />
trip in advance and avoid busy times, like<br />
weekends. “While weekends will always<br />
be busy, skiers need to consider going up<br />
the mountain mid-week to avoid crowds<br />
and queues. <strong>The</strong> new booking system will<br />
show live availability so people can easily<br />
see when is the best time to visit.”<br />
Visitors will be able to book online<br />
at https://www.mtruapehu.com/ on a<br />
Wednesday which will include availability<br />
for the week ahead. Car number plates<br />
will be scanned on arrival to match to the<br />
booking at a controlled entry point on the<br />
Bruce Road or Ohakune Mountain Road.<br />
“Visitors will also be asked how many<br />
people will be in each car, which will help<br />
us to manage the reduced Safe Carrying<br />
Capacities in place for both ski fields this<br />
season. Whakapapa is limited to 4,500<br />
visitors and Turoa 3,700,” Jono says.<br />
He adds that besides driving, there<br />
are other options to get up the mountain.<br />
“While RAL isn’t operating a shuttle<br />
service this season there are a number of<br />
great local shuttle operators who transport<br />
visitors up the mountain from local towns.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> booking system will be open to<br />
the public by Wednesday 8 <strong>July</strong> and in<br />
operation by Saturday <strong>July</strong> 11. <strong>The</strong> process<br />
to book and secure a carpark is free to<br />
customers this season.<br />
And this week heralds the official start<br />
of winter <strong>2020</strong> season. Whakapapa ski area<br />
will open on Wednesday <strong>July</strong> 1, but due<br />
to Mother Nature not delivering enough<br />
snow yet the offering will be limited.<br />
“Our snow machines are pumping<br />
snow but we’re lacking a good base of<br />
natural snow. Sky Waka will be open for<br />
sightseeing and also Happy Valley for<br />
learners. We’re also hoping to have the<br />
tobogganing slope up and running for the<br />
school holidays but it very much depends<br />
on snowfall,” Jono says.<br />
Before heading up the mountain visitors<br />
should check the Mt Ruapehu website for<br />
the latest updates, snowcams, weather<br />
conditions and to book a carpark. This is<br />
a mandatory component on visiting Mt<br />
Ruapehu this season. Further information<br />
about the new car parking booking system<br />
is also on the website https://www.<br />
mtruapehu.com/.<br />
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8 NEW ZEALAND<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
How’s life in quarantine at our borders?<br />
Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong> woman shares her journey<br />
living through managed isolation<br />
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD<br />
<strong>The</strong> Covid pandemic has left<br />
people all around the globe<br />
stranded away from their<br />
homes, their families, workplaces<br />
with people losing their jobs and<br />
their livelihoods. A few lucky have<br />
been able to make it back, but that<br />
too has come at a considerable cost,<br />
both financially, mentally and in time<br />
dollars.<br />
People who have returned home<br />
somehow, have had to go through<br />
mandatory quarantine or selfisolation<br />
for at least two weeks so<br />
that if they had contacted the virus, it<br />
subsides or gets detected within that<br />
time and community transmission<br />
can be avoided.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> spoke to a<br />
Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong> woman Rachna Vijan,<br />
who was stuck in India for more than<br />
three months and returned home to<br />
New Zealand at the first possible and<br />
available flight earlier in June.<br />
Rachna Vijan travelled to Jodhpur,<br />
Rajasthan in India in February this<br />
year to see her ailing father that made<br />
extend her stay in the country for a<br />
longer period.<br />
She had to travel between the<br />
hospital, home and pharmacies<br />
during this time looking after her<br />
father when Covid-19 pandemic<br />
Passengers on Vande Bharat Mission led first direct Air India flight from New Delhi to Auckland<br />
hit India, and the whole country<br />
transitioned into lockdown.<br />
Sadly, Rachna’s father succumbed<br />
to his illness in May leaving her with<br />
fewer reasons to stay there, and in a<br />
situation to travel back to her family;<br />
her husband and children living in<br />
Auckland, New Zealand.<br />
She took the first available<br />
opportunity to travel back to New<br />
Zealand on <strong>Indian</strong> government led<br />
Vande Bharat Mission’s Air India<br />
direct flight on June 5 to Auckland.<br />
“We took reasonable precautions<br />
when in flight from New Delhi to<br />
Auckland. We were given a plastic<br />
face cover, wore masks and since I<br />
was travelling alone, I did not speak<br />
to anyone in the flight or at the<br />
airport,” Rachna said.<br />
She adds that upon reaching<br />
the Auckland Airport,<br />
which was deserted, she<br />
was duly checked by<br />
the airport security<br />
and then taken on<br />
a bus to Grand<br />
Millennium<br />
in<br />
Hotel<br />
Auckland<br />
CBD.<br />
“I didn’t know<br />
where I will be taken.<br />
I had my protected gears<br />
on and boarded the bus to<br />
the hotel where I was given<br />
some forms to fill, then<br />
escorted to my room.”<br />
Rachna adds that all this<br />
while, she did fear of getting<br />
in contact with the virus,<br />
as she had spent most of<br />
her time travelling between<br />
hospital, and pharmacies<br />
back in India.<br />
“Indeed, there was a<br />
substantial chance of getting<br />
infected, not just in India, but<br />
also while travelling to India<br />
to New Zealand. Though<br />
I had my protective gears,<br />
everyone was confined<br />
to limited space sitting<br />
relatively in close proximity<br />
with co-passengers, and<br />
one had to use the restroom<br />
facilities in the almost 17-<br />
hour flight,” she added.<br />
Once in the hotel, Rachna<br />
was relieved to have finally<br />
found a place to rest, but<br />
this was still far from over.<br />
She was still away from the<br />
comfort of her house, her<br />
husband and children and<br />
she had to go through this<br />
ordeal, in self-isolation for<br />
14-days.<br />
"We<br />
took reasonable<br />
precautions when in<br />
flight from New Delhi to<br />
Auckland. We were given a<br />
plastic face cover, wore masks<br />
and since I was travelling<br />
alone, I did not speak to<br />
anyone in the flight or<br />
at the airport"<br />
“<strong>The</strong> first few days were difficult,<br />
alone in the hotel room, limited to<br />
no contact with anyone outside my<br />
room, and food would be dropped at<br />
my doorstep in takeaway boxes and<br />
door knocked once for intimation.<br />
“I was given two laundry<br />
coupons to get my<br />
used clothes and<br />
linens washed.<br />
Housekeeping would<br />
drop fresh linens and<br />
sheets when asked,<br />
and I had to make<br />
my own bed at the<br />
hotel, so pretty much<br />
a good service was lined<br />
up for me, and I assume the<br />
same would be for other travellers in<br />
managed isolation facilities.”<br />
Rachna adds that since her balcony<br />
faced the street, her family would<br />
sometimes come over to the street<br />
just to have a glimpse of her. After a<br />
few days, her family was allowed to<br />
drop homemade food in a takeaway<br />
container which was checked by the<br />
hotel staff before dropping at her<br />
doorstep.<br />
“Once I had settled in the hotel,<br />
mentally, I started working remotely,<br />
managing my café business from the<br />
room. I would stroll out on my floor<br />
and lobby during the evenings. <strong>The</strong><br />
hotel had also created a yoga studio<br />
in one of the halls, and I would go<br />
there to relax and get some fresh air,<br />
and exercise,”.<br />
She adds that a nurse would<br />
come every alternate day to take<br />
her temperature from outside,<br />
ask her questions about getting<br />
any symptoms, such as cough,<br />
fever, cold, losing sense of taste or<br />
smell etc.<br />
“As I was moving closer to the<br />
end of quarantine, I was, of course,<br />
excited and getting a sense of relief<br />
of finally joining my family and to go<br />
back home.<br />
“On Day 12 of my managed<br />
isolation, I was asked if I would like<br />
to take a test for Covid-19, which was<br />
voluntary<br />
then by the<br />
Ministry of Health.<br />
“I got myself swabbed, and then the<br />
next day, the two cases from the UK<br />
who were reported having Covid-19<br />
came out which made mandatory all<br />
self-isolated individuals to get tested<br />
with a negative result to leave the<br />
isolation facility.”<br />
She further added that since she<br />
was tested negative and given results<br />
by Day 15, the day she was supposed<br />
to check out from the hotel- there<br />
was a lot of confusion and issues<br />
in the hotel as tests were done for<br />
all those other passengers in selfisolation<br />
just a day before and their<br />
results had not yet arrived.<br />
“I finally had the green signal<br />
and then reached home to be with<br />
my family, after almost four months<br />
since I left home for India,” Rachna<br />
says.<br />
Rachna was visited by a few close<br />
friends and family members, but she<br />
says some people had apprehension<br />
to see me in person, given I had just<br />
come out of quarantine and that is<br />
totally understandable.<br />
Overall, Rachna says, her<br />
experience was much better and<br />
somehow comfortable as compared<br />
to what people are going through<br />
around the world.<br />
“Yes, even in quarantine, there<br />
were times when you actually feel<br />
blue in quarantine, have a fear of<br />
contracting the virus and when it<br />
pops up but overall I understood that<br />
one has to endure through all these,<br />
as we are not living in normal times<br />
now and the key is to go with the<br />
flow, take precautions and adjust to<br />
the situation.<br />
Rachna further adds that once<br />
the cases started coming up, and<br />
the Ministry of Health (MoH)<br />
announced that it would check all<br />
the people who left the managed<br />
isolation facilities, she was expecting<br />
a call from MoH if she was needed to<br />
undergo another testing.<br />
“I called MoH helpline and asked<br />
them if I need to be tested again, as<br />
mentioned in the news, but they said<br />
I would be tested again only if I show<br />
any Covid symptom, else no test is<br />
required,” Rachna added.
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
NEW ZEALAND 9<br />
Hare Krishna Temple’s ‘Food for Life’ initiative<br />
feed hundreds of school children every month<br />
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD<br />
ISKCON Temple’s free food initiative that<br />
has been feeding people on alternate weeks<br />
in Auckland CBD in the last few years has<br />
now expanded to schools providing hundreds<br />
of children with free lunch once a month.<br />
This initiative ‘Food for Life- No One Should<br />
Go Hungry’ in Schools started last year as a<br />
part of reaching out to the broader community,<br />
and ISKCON contacted four schools so far in<br />
different parts of Auckland providing them<br />
with free food.<br />
<strong>The</strong> free food drive of Hare Krishna<br />
Temple has been taking place for years, every<br />
fortnight on a street corner of Auckland CBD<br />
accompanied by chanting and live devotional<br />
music, monthly community dinner in Massey<br />
and on temple site every Sunday called ‘Sunday<br />
Love Feast’ that serves to more than a hundred<br />
visitors every week.<br />
<strong>The</strong> history of ISKCON’s free food project<br />
dates back to 1974 by founder Acharya A. C.<br />
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada when he<br />
witnessed children fighting for a scrap of food,<br />
he told his disciples to make sure ‘no one,<br />
within ten miles of a temple should go hungry’.<br />
Following Swami Prabhupada’s guidance,<br />
ISKCON’s NZ President Kalasamvara Das<br />
suggested that besides service the public in<br />
CBD, a humble attempt should be made for the<br />
wider community and school was the first place<br />
to start it.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> food we cook is karma free and made<br />
with love and care.<br />
“It is said that whatever we eat does have<br />
an impact on our consciousness, and having<br />
eaten food which is karma free and made<br />
with love and care will help one to develop<br />
these qualities which are<br />
important elements in our<br />
society,” a spokesperson<br />
from ISKCON Auckland,<br />
Krishnachandra Das told <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong>.<br />
<strong>The</strong> food for the school is prepared<br />
within the temple premises in Kumeu, West<br />
Auckland, which is then transported to schools<br />
by volunteers of ISKCON.<br />
Currently, ISKCON is doing free food<br />
initiative at Ferguson Intermediate School in<br />
Otara with 420 students, Mt Richmond Special<br />
School in Otahuhu with 150 students, East<br />
Tamaki Primary School with 240 students,<br />
and Waitakere College in Henderson with 400<br />
students. <strong>The</strong> food drive at Waitakere College<br />
was started earlier this year.<br />
“So far, we have been serving free food<br />
at four schools in Auckland, and we are in<br />
conversation in a few more to be joined soon.<br />
<strong>The</strong> schools have been kind enough to let us<br />
serve the community and reach out to young<br />
students with this important message of service<br />
to humanity,” Mr Das added.
10 NEW ZEALAND<br />
Rebuilding a strong<br />
economy together<br />
Priyanca Radhakrishnan<br />
Labour List MP based in<br />
Maungakiekie, Parliamentary<br />
Private Secretary to the Minister<br />
for Ethnic Communities<br />
<strong>The</strong> COVID-19 pandemic is worsening<br />
globally. Here in New Zealand, as an<br />
increasing number of Kiwis return<br />
home, we have cases that have cropped up at<br />
the border. It’s important to note that they are all<br />
in managed isolation. <strong>The</strong>re is no community<br />
transmission. <strong>The</strong>re have been over 80,000<br />
tests in the last fortnight and there are no cases<br />
in the community.<br />
In addition, our economy is now one of the<br />
most open in the world and is predicted to<br />
emerge from COVID-19 better than most.<br />
We have been working hard to support<br />
as many people as possible. We have done<br />
this through measures like the wage subsidy<br />
scheme that aimed to help businesses maintain<br />
a connection with their employees during the<br />
various levels of lockdown. <strong>The</strong> scheme has<br />
been extended beyond the initial 12 week period<br />
covered, for companies that are experiencing<br />
particular hardship.<br />
We also know that in the tough economic<br />
times ahead it will be important to give people<br />
of all ages, the opportunity to upskill and retrain<br />
so that we grow the workforce we need. That’s<br />
why Budget <strong>2020</strong> included funding for free<br />
trades training in critical industries and support<br />
for employers to retain and keep training their<br />
apprentices.<br />
From 1 <strong>July</strong>, targeted vocational training<br />
courses will be free for people of all ages, not<br />
just school leavers. This will help people who<br />
have lost their jobs to retrain and will also allow<br />
new employees in some essential services to<br />
train on the job.<br />
It includes courses linked to industry skills<br />
needs in building and construction, agriculture,<br />
manufacturing and also vocational courses like<br />
community health, counselling and care work.<br />
Apprentices are significant investments for<br />
companies particularly in the early years of<br />
their training. <strong>The</strong>y are also frequently the first<br />
to be laid off when companies have to tighten<br />
their belts in an economic downturn.<br />
<strong>The</strong> initiative to support employers and group<br />
training schemes to retain and keep training<br />
their apprentices is critical for continuity. <strong>The</strong><br />
last thing we want to see is apprentices and<br />
trainees having to be let go when we really need<br />
them.<br />
Budget <strong>2020</strong> also funds the establishment<br />
of Workforce Development Councils to<br />
strategically plan for the recovery of industries<br />
and jobs from the impact of COVID-19.<br />
Our approach to ensure that we support as<br />
many people as possible has got the tick of<br />
approval from a major global economic agency.<br />
According to Shaun Roache, Chief<br />
Economist of S&P Asia-Pacific, “New Zealand<br />
definitely is one of those economies that has<br />
exited the most severe periods of the pandemic<br />
first, and that clearly was just because what that<br />
allows the economy to do is reopen those faceto-face<br />
service activities that are so important<br />
for the labour market.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on<br />
the global economy is significant and New<br />
Zealand is not immune to it. However, our<br />
government has a plan and the leadership to<br />
rebuild our economy together.<br />
IWK BUREAU<br />
Applications are now open for the chance<br />
to perform and also for stallholder sites<br />
at the Auckland Diwali Festival <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Auckland Diwali Festival is one of New<br />
Zealand’s largest cultural festivals. More than<br />
60,000 people attend each year to celebrate this<br />
important and ancient <strong>Indian</strong> festival.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Auckland Diwali Festival is delivered<br />
by Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic<br />
Development (ATEED), on behalf of Auckland<br />
Council, in conjunction with founding partner<br />
Asia New Zealand Foundation.<br />
This year’s festival will be held on Saturday<br />
31 October and Sunday 1 November at Aotea<br />
Square and Queen Street and will be delivered<br />
in line with Government event guidelines and<br />
advice at the time.<br />
This free, family-friendly event is a highlight<br />
of Auckland’s major events calendar, and one<br />
of New Zealand’s largest cultural festivals.<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Performer Applications now open<br />
<strong>The</strong> performances are a highlight of the<br />
Auckland Diwali Festival, showcasing a<br />
mix of established and up-andcoming<br />
talent. Performer applications<br />
are now open now, and details of how to be part<br />
of the festival are outlined below.<br />
Each year, more than 1000 performers take<br />
part in the Auckland Diwali Festival.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are three stages that performers can<br />
apply for:<br />
• Aotea Stage<br />
• Queen Street Stage<br />
• Street performance zone<br />
To help us assess and select<br />
performers, all applicants must attend<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
Aucklanders achieve<br />
target water savings in June<br />
IWK BUREAU<br />
Watercare chair Margaret Devlin says<br />
Aucklanders are to be commended<br />
for their water savings in June,<br />
achieving an average daily water usage of<br />
402 million litres a day against a target of 410<br />
million litres a day or less.<br />
This result was 38 million litres per day less<br />
than expected for June.<br />
“I would like to thank Aucklanders for their<br />
water savings efforts over the past month,”<br />
says Devlin.<br />
“It shows people understand the impact<br />
of the drought on our city’s water supply<br />
and are motivated to do their bit while our<br />
dams recover.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> rolling 7-day water usage target for <strong>July</strong><br />
is 409 million litres a day or less. Devlin says<br />
that while it is slightly tougher than the June<br />
target, Aucklanders have already demonstrated<br />
they can achieve it.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> challenge for everyone in <strong>July</strong> is to<br />
sustain the behavior changes they’ve already<br />
made – keep having shorter showers; keep the<br />
tap off when brushing teeth; and keep using<br />
washing machines and dishwashers efficiently.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> next four weeks is forecast to be drier<br />
than normal, with occasional rain events.<br />
<strong>The</strong> rain event at the end of June saw the<br />
volume of water stored in Auckland’s dams<br />
climb from 44.89% on Wednesday 24 June to<br />
55.35% on 1 <strong>July</strong>.<br />
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says Aucklanders<br />
water-savings efforts combined with the rain<br />
over the past week has helped boost the water<br />
supply in the dams and shows that people<br />
understand how serious the situation is.<br />
“However, the water crisis is far from over—<br />
the situation remains critical so it’s important<br />
that everyone continues to make savings<br />
wherever possible.<br />
Every litre we save this winter<br />
is a litre more we will have<br />
come summer. This is all the more important<br />
given long-term weather forecasts of a drier<br />
than normal winter and spring.”<br />
While Watercare has set an Auckland-wide<br />
water usage target for <strong>July</strong> of 405 million litres<br />
a day or less, the company is still asking people<br />
to reduce their water use indoors by 20 litres a<br />
day – two bucketsful.<br />
How to reduce your water use at home<br />
• Spend two minutes less in the shower: save<br />
around 24 litres<br />
• Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth:<br />
save around 4 litres<br />
• When possible, use the half flush on the<br />
toilet: save around 6 litres<br />
• Wash one less load of laundry a week: save<br />
around 122 litres<br />
Applications now open for<br />
performers and stallholders at<br />
Auckland Diwali Festival <strong>2020</strong><br />
a compulsory workshop in August. This<br />
workshop is to discuss details of the<br />
performance, technical requirements, and your<br />
eligibility and fit for the festival. Performers<br />
that attend the workshop will be given priority<br />
for performance slots. Performers that do not<br />
attend the workshop will be automatically<br />
waitlisted for performance slots.<br />
<strong>The</strong> deadline for performer<br />
applications is <strong>Friday</strong> 7 August <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
Apply here https://www.surveygizmo.com/<br />
s3/5592735/Auckland-Diwali-Festival-<strong>2020</strong>-<br />
Performer-Application<br />
Stallholder sites applications now open<br />
Applications are now open for stallholder<br />
sites at the Auckland Diwali Festival <strong>2020</strong>.As in<br />
previous years, stalls will operate from 12pm –<br />
9pm on both festival days. <strong>The</strong>re are five types<br />
of stalls available for the <strong>2020</strong> festival:<br />
Food (vegetarian only, no eggs)<br />
Retail (includes craft, clothes, jewellery etc)<br />
• Henna only<br />
• Information<br />
• Information Charitable<br />
<strong>The</strong> deadline for applications is Sunday 2<br />
August <strong>2020</strong>. Apply here: https://www.<br />
surveygizmo.com/s3/5682815/Auckland-<br />
Diwali-Festival-Stallholder-Application-<strong>2020</strong>.
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
NEW ZEALAND 11<br />
Australia-NZ win bid to host<br />
Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023<br />
RADIO NEW ZEALAND<br />
Australia and New Zealand have won<br />
the right to host the 2023 Women’s<br />
World Cup football tournament by a<br />
comfortable margin after a vote by the FIFA<br />
Council.<br />
<strong>The</strong>ir joint proposal beat a rival bid from<br />
Colombia to host the tournament which is being<br />
expanded to 32 teams.<br />
Japan, who had also put forward a bid to<br />
stage the event, pulled out on Monday after<br />
they were ranked below the joint bid by world<br />
governing body FIFA’s evaluation report.<br />
<strong>The</strong> report highlighted the infrastructure and<br />
organisational advantages of the Australia/New<br />
Zealand bid which FIFA believed would make<br />
for a commercially successful tournament.<br />
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New<br />
Zealand was honoured to have been selected as<br />
co-hosts.<br />
“It will be a historic tournament of firsts that<br />
will create a profound and enduring legacy for<br />
women’s football in the Asia-Pacific region and<br />
beyond. We are looking forward to delivering<br />
the best ever FIFA Women’s World Cup in<br />
both nations, one that will elevate the women’s<br />
game and inspire women and girls around the<br />
world.”<br />
NZF President and FIFA Council Member,<br />
Johanna Wood, believes Australia-New<br />
Zealand will deliver a tournament the likes of<br />
which has not been seen before:<br />
“Australia and New Zealand will not only<br />
host a FIFA Women’s World Cup that is the<br />
largest tournament ever run, but it will also<br />
be a catalyst for ensuring the development of<br />
women’s football continues in the Asia-Pacific<br />
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD<br />
Rotoruan Vishal Sharma is<br />
known in the community for his<br />
passion for tourism, explicitly<br />
drawing the attention of travellers to the<br />
city of ‘geothermal geysers’, Rotorua in<br />
Bay of Plenty.<br />
Vishal, who has been associated with<br />
the media and tourism industry has<br />
used all his talents and skills to promote<br />
Rotorua city not just to New Zealanders<br />
but also reaching out to travellers from<br />
all around the globe.<br />
His spirit of promoting the city<br />
as a global destination for activities<br />
and sighting seeing is unbroken<br />
even after losing his job due to the<br />
Covid-19 pandemic.<br />
This news of becoming redundant at<br />
his previous job did disappoint him first,<br />
but the man has decided to make the<br />
most of this adversity to his advantage,<br />
dedicate his talents to a new venture<br />
until the tourism sector gets back on<br />
its feet.<br />
Vishal has started ‘mini brochure<br />
business’ as a secondary option, for<br />
now, which will help him bring sustain<br />
himself and his family and at the same<br />
time promote small, medium and big<br />
tourism enterprises offering various fun<br />
activities in Rotorua.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> idea is not just to make a<br />
decent livelihood but also give tourism<br />
operators in Rotorua an opportunity<br />
to attract travellers from within the<br />
region and globally.<br />
“Our two nations have worked together to<br />
deliver an exceptional, historic bid and I would<br />
like to thank FIFA and the whole football<br />
family for giving us this opportunity. <strong>The</strong> FIFA<br />
Women’s World Cup 2023 will bring us all<br />
together in a celebration of our shared loved of<br />
football.”<br />
Football Ferns’ captain, Ali Riley, believes<br />
placing players’ needs firsts will produce great<br />
benefits for the tournament:<br />
“As players, we have been in close contact<br />
with both FFA and NZF to develop a tournament<br />
which will enable players to deliver their very<br />
best on the field. To lead the Football Ferns<br />
in a home FIFA Women’s World Cup in New<br />
Zealand will be truly special and inspire a new<br />
country, for now, to come and enjoy<br />
Rotorua and activities it is offering,”<br />
Vishal told <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong>.<br />
Vishal Sharma earlier last year<br />
penned the coffee table book on Rotorua<br />
‘Places of Pride Rotorua Rotovegas of<br />
New Zealand’.<br />
Vishal has for long planning to<br />
write the third edition of his book and<br />
this time, distribute the book globally<br />
to major cities in different countries,<br />
all with the goal to brand Rotorua the<br />
‘hotspot’ for tourism and activities in<br />
New Zealand.<br />
“It was indeed challenging<br />
to lose a job due to a<br />
drastic drop in tourism<br />
in this Covid-19<br />
pandemic, and the<br />
industry had suddenly<br />
gone into massive losses<br />
generation of Football Ferns.”<br />
<strong>The</strong>re had been media reports that the<br />
vote could be tight with UEFA’s European<br />
representatives backing Colombia but in the<br />
end the margin of victory was wide with<br />
Australia and New Zealand gaining 22 votes to<br />
Colombia’s 13.<br />
<strong>The</strong> tournament will be held in <strong>July</strong> and<br />
August and New Zealand will host four of the<br />
eight pools and also one of the quarter-finals<br />
and a semi-final.<br />
<strong>The</strong> opening game of the tournament will be<br />
held at Eden Park.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 2019 World Cup in France was hailed as<br />
a watershed for global interest in the women’s<br />
game and FIFA President Gianni Infantino<br />
personally drove the campaign to increase the<br />
Man undeterred in his mission to<br />
promote Rotorua, even after losing his job<br />
"<strong>The</strong><br />
idea is not<br />
just to make a decent<br />
livelihood but also give<br />
tourism operators in Rotorua an<br />
opportunity to attract travellers<br />
from within the country, for now,<br />
to come and enjoy Rotorua and<br />
activities it is offering"<br />
and job cuts. But I am certain that things<br />
will pick up in months and we need to<br />
prepare ourselves from now, branding<br />
and promoting tourism in the country,<br />
especially Rotorua, which I believe<br />
is the most beautiful place on earth,”<br />
Vishal said.<br />
Vishal is looking forward to his<br />
upcoming coffee table book’s 3rd<br />
edition which will be a breakthrough<br />
for him and it will be distributed<br />
globally, such as Australia, Thailand,<br />
USA, Singapore, India, Canada etc.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> coffee table book<br />
is very special to me;<br />
I have designed,<br />
penned it, published<br />
and distributed<br />
the previous two<br />
versions to every<br />
important business<br />
and government sector, not<br />
just in locally, nationally<br />
and even overseas,” Vishal<br />
added.<br />
Besides the coffee table<br />
book and brochure venture,<br />
Vishal will be in and around<br />
Rotorua city and other regions<br />
around New Zealand with his<br />
‘I Love Rotorua’ photo frame to<br />
promote the destination and<br />
bring business to the<br />
region.<br />
Vishal says he<br />
is hopeful, confident,<br />
and even<br />
though he lost<br />
his job recently,<br />
has<br />
not lost his<br />
vision to<br />
make<br />
R o -<br />
torua<br />
the<br />
onestop<br />
fun<br />
destination in the<br />
country.<br />
field to 32 teams from 24 for 2023.<br />
Infantino had also expressed a preference<br />
for the successful Australia/New Zealand bid<br />
during the FIFA Council meeting.<br />
Colombia, who were hoping to become<br />
the first South American nation to hold the<br />
tournament, were disappointed at the decision<br />
but vowed to keep fighting to host a major FIFA<br />
event.<br />
“We wanted the seat of the Women’s World<br />
Cup 2023 for Colombia and we gave everything<br />
to get it,” the country’s sports Ministry wrote<br />
on twitter.<br />
“We will work more strongly to bring another<br />
World Cup to Colombia. With the efforts of all,<br />
women’s soccer (here)...will keep growing.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> countries have proposed to stage<br />
matches at up to eight grounds in Australia:<br />
• Stadium Australia, Sydney (the final),<br />
capacity: 70,000<br />
• Sydney Football Stadium, capacity: 42,512<br />
• Melbourne Stadium, capacity: 30,052<br />
• Brisbane Stadium, capacity: 52,263<br />
• Perth Stadium, capacity: 22,225<br />
• Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, capacity:<br />
18,435<br />
• Newcastle Stadium, capacity: 25,945<br />
• York Park, Launceston, Tasmania, capacity:<br />
22,065<br />
• And five stadiums in New Zealand:<br />
• Eden Park, Auckland (opening game),<br />
capacity: 48,276<br />
• Wellington Stadium, capacity: 39,000<br />
• Christchurch Stadium, capacity: 22,556<br />
• Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, capacity:<br />
25,111<br />
• Dunedin Stadium, capacity: 28,744
Editorial<br />
Hibernation was<br />
never in the DNA of<br />
today’s cricketer<br />
<strong>The</strong> lockdown period of cricket has brought to the fore many discussions on the game.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re have been several panel discussions as well as individual interviews with cricketers<br />
and cricket experts. <strong>The</strong> game needs to be kept alive and the only way to do so where<br />
�live cricket is not concerned is to have �live performance.<br />
Cricket players old and new are in the news, each one giving their views and anecdotes of life<br />
on the field as well as off it.<br />
<strong>The</strong> thought of listening as well as watching highlights of some of the great moments of cricket<br />
is wonderful, but one feels that comparing one cricketer or team to another from a different era<br />
rests only with the bookworms. <strong>The</strong> averages and runs scored comparisons can never ever reflect<br />
the truth at most times.<br />
In every 10 years, the changes in rules, regulations and the improvement in equipment makes<br />
the game an entirely different ball game.<br />
Test cricket before World War II and thereafter, over every decade, changed in several parameters<br />
of the game. <strong>The</strong> first sea of change was cricket losing its stature as an amateur sport to becoming<br />
more professional in its approach.<br />
Cricketers, started looking at the sport as a way to make a living. One of India’s greatest allrounders,<br />
Vinoo Mankad, was a good example of it. He opted to play club cricket in England in<br />
1959 rather than play for India.<br />
He was, therefore, not selected in the touring squad. Mankad was finally called upon to save<br />
India at a time when the <strong>Indian</strong> side was down and out and his performance at Lords was one of<br />
the finest feats ever accomplished by a cricketer.<br />
India took many years to finally be called a professional side. <strong>The</strong> BCCI had no money and<br />
therefore, the system of cricket becoming a full-time profession was definitely not an option till<br />
the 21st century.<br />
Rahul Dravid in one of his interviews recently said that the most crucial or significant decision he<br />
made before he played for the country was to concentrate on his cricket. He knew the uncertainty<br />
and the lack of financial returns of playing the game in India but his passion for the game is what<br />
pressed him into taking the risks that came with it.<br />
This fortunately is not a tale for the present lot of cricketers as money has made the sport one<br />
that a cricketer can not only make plenty of but also enough to lead a good life in the future.<br />
<strong>The</strong> commercial success of the game has brought a surfeit of cricket and in the last two decades<br />
made it into a 365 days affair.<br />
Cricketers were grumbling about excessive cricket, with players pleading and excusing<br />
themselves from playing for the country on the grounds of needing a break.<br />
Unfortunately, now, the uncertainty of life and the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic<br />
has confined them to their homes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> frustration of not wielding their bat or ball and being caged among four walls must be quite<br />
a concern for them.<br />
This must have given rise to mental anguish in each one of them, especially, as they were used<br />
to the fast and active way of life earlier.<br />
<strong>The</strong> present cricketers have never encountered being away from the game for such a long period<br />
of time and so the big question in their mind would be as to whether they will be able to perform<br />
at the same level as they did earlier.<br />
This was a dilemma that cricketers in the earlier days faced year after year. <strong>The</strong> first-class<br />
season in India came to a close in March and the next season only got underway in November.<br />
Although, one did play club and corporate cricket, most of the months were sans cricket because<br />
of the monsoon.<br />
One kept fit playing other sports and exercising on one’s own as facilities like gyms and fitness<br />
centers were not in existence then.<br />
After the long break and on return, one developed unconsciously at times a change in ones’ grip,<br />
stance and even in body movement. This is a fundamental issue that the present cricketer may face<br />
when they return.<br />
Fortunately for them they have video clippings of their earlier batting and bowling performances<br />
to compare with.<br />
In our days one depended on the eye of one’s local coach. Most of them were brilliant in<br />
analysing and I can recall my coach, the legendary Kamal Bhandarkar in Pune, who would by<br />
watching just 10 minutes of my batting tell me what off season effects have come about in my<br />
batting. It will be interesting to see how the modern cricketers handle the break from the game.<br />
Technology has spoilt them on being able to evaluate themselves but in my opinion, they miss out<br />
on the human touch.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are fortunate that they play top-level cricket so frequently which kept their reflexes and<br />
movements alive. A long break like this is something they have never faced before.<br />
In cricket it is nice to be physically fit but more than the six packs, it is the skill, technique,<br />
confidence and mental toughness that prevails in the middle.<br />
Cricket is not played through an on and off switch. Cricketers will need to chart their own<br />
current course, after all, hibernation for a present cricketer was never a part of their game.<br />
Thought of the week<br />
"If you don't value your time, neither will<br />
others. Stop giving away your time and<br />
talents--start charging for it." – Kim Garst<br />
3 <strong>July</strong> – 9 <strong>July</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu<br />
On-and-off<br />
rain and<br />
drizzle<br />
16°<br />
10°<br />
Partly<br />
sunny<br />
18°<br />
11°<br />
17°<br />
11°<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> : Volume 12 Issue 16<br />
Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited<br />
Content Editor: Sandeep Singh | sandeep@indianweekender.co.nz<br />
Chief Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | rizwan@indianweekender.co.nz<br />
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Editor at Large: Dev Nadkarni | dev@indianweekender.co.nz<br />
Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher<br />
is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication<br />
Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent<br />
the views of the team at the <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
Kiwi Media Publishing Limited - 133A, Level 1, Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland.<br />
Printed at Horton Media, Auckland<br />
Parlty<br />
sunny<br />
Clouds and<br />
sun<br />
18°<br />
11°<br />
A touch o<br />
dafr<br />
18°<br />
10°<br />
This week in New Zealand’s history<br />
4 <strong>July</strong> 1902<br />
New Zealand Boxing Association formed<br />
Copyright 2017. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved.<br />
Sunshine<br />
and pactcy<br />
clouds<br />
17°<br />
12°<br />
A few<br />
morning<br />
showers<br />
17°<br />
11°<br />
<strong>The</strong> New Zealand Boxing Association (NZBA) was formed to promote and foster amateur<br />
boxing in this country. After drawing up its rules and obtaining parliamentary sanction, the<br />
association staged its first New Zealand championships in Christchurch later in 1902.<br />
5 <strong>July</strong> 1881<br />
Poll tax imposed on Chinese<br />
Parliament passed the Chinese Immigrants Act. After this received the Royal Assent, a ‘poll<br />
tax’ of £10 (equivalent to nearly $1700 today) was imposed on Chinese migrants and the<br />
number allowed to land from each ship arriving in New Zealand was restricted.<br />
8 <strong>July</strong> 1862<br />
New Zealand’s first prize fight?<br />
<strong>The</strong> boxing bout was fought in an improvised ring on the banks of the Waimakariri River near<br />
Kaiapoi after police were ejected from the scene. London prizefighter Harry Jones defeated<br />
‘navvie’ George Barton over 30 bloody bare-knuckle rounds for a purse of £100 (worth more<br />
than $11,000 today).<br />
8 <strong>July</strong> 1893<br />
New Zealand Racing Conference meets<br />
<strong>The</strong> New Zealand Racing Conference was formed to control the thoroughbred horse-racing<br />
industry in this country. Horse racing had been quickly introduced to the early settlements.<br />
9 <strong>July</strong> 1986<br />
Homosexual Law Reform Bill passed<br />
Wellington Central MP Fran Wilde’s private member’s bill, which removed criminal<br />
sanctions against consensual male homosexual practices, was read a third time in<br />
Parliament by 49 votes to 44.<br />
10 <strong>July</strong> 1967<br />
New Zealand adopts decimal currency<br />
Pounds, shillings and pence were replaced by dollars and cents − 27m new banknotes and<br />
165m new coins. <strong>The</strong> new money was valued at $120m and weighed more than 700 tonnes.<br />
10 <strong>July</strong> 1985<br />
Rainbow Warrior sunk in Auckland<br />
One crew member died when French secret agents mined the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow<br />
Warrior in Waitematā Harbour, Auckland.
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong> FIJI 13<br />
Government will not rest when<br />
it comes to development: PM<br />
As Fiji reels from the global<br />
economic impact of<br />
COVID-19, government will<br />
not rest when it comes to continuing<br />
our national development says Prime<br />
Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.<br />
Speaking in Vunivau, Dama in<br />
Bua, Bainimarama says government<br />
is dedicated to building on the<br />
progress achieved so far to invest in<br />
our communities by giving Fijians<br />
the tools they need to overcome<br />
any obstacle.<br />
Bainimarama made the comment<br />
while handing over a new mechanical<br />
harvester to rice farmers in Vunivau<br />
to address labor shortage. He says<br />
with government setting its sights on<br />
a wholly sustainable agro-economy,<br />
rice will play an essential role in<br />
achieving this vision.<br />
“Rice is a staple found on kitchen<br />
tables throughout the country. But<br />
all too often, that rice is grown<br />
thousands of kilometres away,<br />
imported from some far-off country.<br />
But there’s no reason that Fiji –– and<br />
Fijian economy anticipated to<br />
contract severely this year: RBF<br />
our ideal climate for rice cultivation<br />
–– can’t make that journey from<br />
the rice paddy to our tables much,<br />
much shorter.”<br />
Bainimarama adds, government is<br />
providing assistance every step of the<br />
way –– from seeds to harvesting and<br />
to milling –– to make rice farming as<br />
hassle-free and profitable as possible.<br />
“From community-based<br />
farming to large commercial<br />
farms, we’ll get there by working<br />
together. And farmers like you,<br />
right here in Vunivau, are our most<br />
valuable asset.”<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are over 100 rice farmers in<br />
the Vunivau area, majority of whom<br />
sell their rice to Fiji Rice Limited.<br />
Fiji had effectively implemented<br />
required measures: Seam<br />
<strong>The</strong> Reserve Bank of Fiji says the Fijian economy is<br />
anticipated to contract severely this year due to the<br />
significant decline in tourism activity and its knockon<br />
effects to the rest of the economy.<br />
done in containing the Coronavirus.<br />
This is for the excellent work it has<br />
According to the RBF’s June Review, tourism activity<br />
Sujiro Seam says Fiji had effectively<br />
remains muted as visitor arrivals contracted significantly by<br />
implemented required measures to contain<br />
56.2 percent in the year to May due to the halt in international<br />
the virus.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> response is the combination of<br />
travel and tourism.<br />
tracking, testing, isolating, and restrictions on<br />
<strong>The</strong> RBF says on a positive note, the lifting of restrictions<br />
social gathering and all these measures were<br />
by Government will complement the “Love Our Locals”<br />
implemented here in Fiji in a very successful<br />
initiative announced by domestic tourism stakeholders and<br />
way as we can tell.”<br />
catalyse broader economic activity.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ambassador acknowledged the Prime<br />
Sectoral performances to date remain weak as electricity,<br />
Minister Voreqe Bainimarama who has been at<br />
cement, gold and timber production fell up to May. the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was a -28.7 percent decline in cement production He adds the Prime Minister has described the<br />
largely due to weak demand, while lower gold production current situation really well.<br />
Seam says the virus does not recognize<br />
(-7.6 percent) was driven by supply chain disruptions “He doesn’t want to use the words<br />
border or race and poses a common challenge<br />
resulting from the pandemic restrictions.<br />
COVID-19 free because he is aware as long as<br />
to all, adding that solidarity and cooperation<br />
<strong>The</strong>re were double digit declines noted in pine wood supply the Coronavirus lingers around the world it is<br />
are the most powerful weapons against<br />
(-23.9 percent), sawn timber (-50.8 percent) and woodchip only contained. But Fiji is one of the countries<br />
the disease.<br />
production (-11.5 percent), due to subdued demand. where Coronavirus is contained.”<br />
Australia, New Zealand Police Force<br />
conduct training for Fiji Officers<br />
<strong>The</strong> Australian Federal Police<br />
in collaboration with the New<br />
Zealand Police have been<br />
conducting a series of workshops<br />
designed at enhancing Command and<br />
Control capabilities of Fijian Police<br />
officers during major incidents.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Pacific Command and Control<br />
"This<br />
Incident Management Program is<br />
programme<br />
was designed for Fiji<br />
aimed at creating a philosophy of<br />
and is consistent with<br />
command and coordination amongst<br />
training in Australia, and the<br />
Police officers of all ranks.<br />
AFP is working with the New<br />
Facilitating the training was<br />
Zealand Police to deliver the<br />
Australian Federal Police Liaison<br />
training in the Pacific and this<br />
Officer Superintendent of Police (SP) working closely with the Fiji Police in Australia, package has been tailor<br />
Glen Fisher who says the program during COVID-19 in partnership and the AFP is<br />
made for the Pacific<br />
environment."<br />
is similar to a course delivered with law enforcement officers from working with the<br />
within the Australian Federal New Zealand Police and the United New Zealand Police to<br />
Police Force and other Australian States and have been exchanging deliver the training in the Pacific and<br />
Police Forces and emergency ideas and lessons learnt from policing this package has been tailor made for<br />
service providers including Fire and<br />
Ambulance services.<br />
“This course came about after<br />
during the pandemic”.<br />
“This programme was designed<br />
for Fiji and is consistent with training<br />
the Pacific environment”.<br />
SP Fisher said Fiji’s handling of<br />
the COVID-19 pandemic situation<br />
has been commendable.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> challenges in policing the<br />
world over have been unique and<br />
majority have never experienced<br />
policing in a pandemic situation as<br />
operations has been required to be<br />
fluid in our responses to support<br />
government initiatives aimed<br />
not just at containing the<br />
spread of COVID-19 but to<br />
reassure the public that we<br />
have a safe and protected<br />
environment”.<br />
<strong>The</strong> training<br />
programme will be<br />
incorporated into Fiji’s<br />
training packages that will be<br />
delivered under the Pacific Centre<br />
for Law Enforcement Cooperation<br />
under the Pacific Islands Chiefs of<br />
Police umbrella as Fiji has been<br />
indentified as a leading center for<br />
training for its regional partners.<br />
Key Points From<br />
Prime Minister<br />
Bainimarama’s<br />
Covid-19 Update<br />
Some key points announced<br />
by the Hon. Prime Minister<br />
this afternoon as he called<br />
on Fijians to set a new standard of<br />
care among our people for their<br />
communities, their families, their<br />
relatives, neighbours and especially,<br />
for our most vulnerable citizens ––<br />
those most at-risk from COVID-19.<br />
• <strong>The</strong> nationwide curfew will<br />
remain in effect, but to allow<br />
for more economic activity and<br />
freedom of movement, it will now<br />
be enforced from 11pm and lifted<br />
at 4am from Monday the 22nd of<br />
June until further notice.<br />
• Nightclubs will stay closed.<br />
• From Monday, the 22nd of June,<br />
social gathering restrictions will be<br />
relaxed – allowing for gatherings<br />
up to 100 individuals and will<br />
apply to weddings, funerals, cafes,<br />
restaurants, conferences and other<br />
community gatherings.<br />
• Effective from <strong>Friday</strong>, the 26th of<br />
June, houses of worship will be<br />
allowed to re-open their doors to<br />
100 worshippers at a time.<br />
• Year 12 and Year 13 students will<br />
start classes on Tuesday, 30 June.<br />
• <strong>The</strong> rest of the primary and<br />
secondary schools –– as well as<br />
early childhood education –– will<br />
open one week later, on Monday,<br />
the 6th of <strong>July</strong>.<br />
• Tertiary institutions as well can<br />
open for face-to-face classes from<br />
30 June.<br />
• Gyms, fitness centres and<br />
swimming pools –– both public<br />
pools and those at hotels –– will<br />
be permitted to re-open from<br />
Monday, the 22nd of June<br />
• Contact sports will be allowed<br />
also from tomorrow.<br />
• Live sporting events will resume,<br />
but with restrictions.<br />
• Formal indoor and outdoors<br />
sporting venues can host sporting<br />
events with spectators at 50 per<br />
cent capacity, so long as physical<br />
distancing is maintained within<br />
the venue.<br />
• For informal sports events at the<br />
community level, the 100-person<br />
limit applies.<br />
• Cinemas will re-open their doors<br />
from Monday 22nd June, but<br />
will be limited to 50 per cent of<br />
capacity.<br />
AND DON’T FORGET TO<br />
DOWNLOAD THE careFIJI App<br />
onto your phone<br />
Also keep in mind that the new<br />
CURFEW HOURS comes into effect<br />
on Monday 22nd June and not today.
14<br />
INDIA<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
India: Coronavirus cases<br />
Confirmed:585,493, Deaths:17,400, Recovered:347,979, Active: 220,114<br />
India wary of China investing,<br />
trading through a third party<br />
India suspects that China could<br />
be engaging in unfair trade<br />
practices by supplying goods<br />
and investments through a third party<br />
such as Hong Kong and Singapore,<br />
but may not bar legitimate Chinese<br />
trade and investments in India while<br />
scanning them from the perspective<br />
of national interest, people with<br />
direct knowledge of the matter said.<br />
Data suggests significant indirect<br />
inflow of Chinese goods and<br />
investments through locations order.” Sino-<strong>Indian</strong> tensions have <strong>The</strong>se figures show that something<br />
with which India has free trade<br />
agreements (FTAs), preferential trade<br />
agreements (PTAs) or other bilateral<br />
commercial arrangements. This is<br />
not only illegal but also injuring<br />
domestic industry, the people said,<br />
requesting anonymity.<br />
<strong>The</strong> development comes a day<br />
after the Narendra Modi govenment<br />
announced ban on 59 mostly Chinese<br />
mobile applications such s Tik-Tok,<br />
UC Browser and WeChat, citing<br />
concerns that these are “prejudicial<br />
to sovereignty of India, defence of<br />
India, security of state and public<br />
shot up after a violent brawl between<br />
Chinese and <strong>Indian</strong> soldiers on June<br />
15 along the Line of Actual Control<br />
in the Galwan Valley in eastern<br />
Ladakh in which 20 <strong>Indian</strong> army<br />
personnel were killed.<br />
Data shows that total foreign<br />
direct investment (FDI) from China<br />
is minuscule, but many <strong>Indian</strong> firms<br />
have received Chinese investments.<br />
Similarly, imports from China have<br />
registered a minor decline recently,<br />
but at the same time imports from<br />
Hong Kong and Singapore have<br />
surged.<br />
is amiss and needs to be probed, one<br />
of the people cited above, who works<br />
in an economic ministry, said.<br />
According to the Federation of<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> Export Organisations (FIEO),<br />
while India’s trade deficit with<br />
China narrowed by $6.05 billion to<br />
$51.25 billion in 2019, the gap with<br />
Hong Kong widened sharply by $5.8<br />
billion in 2019, nullifying almost all<br />
the gains.<br />
Similarly, India trade deficit with<br />
Singapore was $5.82 billion in the<br />
previous financial year, the person<br />
mentioned above said.<br />
In China Market: ‘Want to sell<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> goods but where are they?’<br />
<strong>The</strong> signs of economic<br />
distress are obvious. It’s the<br />
city’s oldest “big hotel”,<br />
and at 4 pm on a weekday, with<br />
offices and markets nearby, the<br />
restaurant of Hotel Rajhans is empty.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are only two waiters, both<br />
watching Prime Minister Narendra<br />
Modi announce more free ration for<br />
the poor. As the speech ends, the<br />
overwhelming feeling is of relief —<br />
and a little disappointment.<br />
Relief, says Sonu Kumar, one<br />
of the two waiters, because “he did<br />
not announce another lockdown”.<br />
And disappointment, because he<br />
was waiting for the Prime Minister<br />
to tell the country about what was<br />
happening on the border with China.<br />
“I don’t mean a ban on goods,<br />
because that would mean more<br />
losses, but he should have at least<br />
mentioned China, no?” he asks.<br />
Bhagalpur aspires to become one<br />
of the four “Smart Cities” in Bihar,<br />
with markets that sell mobile phones<br />
and plastic trinkets, flatscreen TVs<br />
and silk sarees. Here, traders back<br />
the government in its economic<br />
offensive against China. But, with<br />
an important caveat: the government<br />
must provide options that will not<br />
sink the local economy.<br />
With 60,000 returning migrants,<br />
and a Covid count touching 500,<br />
the district is also the focus of a<br />
month-long assignment by <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Indian</strong> Express to track how lives<br />
and livelihoods in smalltown<br />
India are coping with the<br />
unlockdown.<br />
<strong>The</strong> flavour of the week,<br />
though, is China. Or rather,<br />
China Market, opposite the<br />
Bhagalpur railway station.<br />
Bhagalpur aspires to become one of the four “Smart Cities” in Bihar, with markets<br />
that sell mobile phones and plastic trinkets, flatscreen TVs and silk sarees.<br />
Its small shops sell cheap electronic<br />
equipment, most of it sourced from<br />
China. <strong>The</strong>re is a torch that sells for<br />
Rs 230, an emergency light for Rs<br />
150, plastic bats, toys. But there are<br />
no customers.<br />
“China killed 20 of our soldiers<br />
on the border, we are with the<br />
government. Who doesn’t want to<br />
sell <strong>Indian</strong> goods? But are there<br />
any in the market? Give us an<br />
alternative,” says Manish Sah, a<br />
shopkeeper.<br />
“Our business has fallen over<br />
90 per cent. Much of the market<br />
revolved around the railway station,<br />
and since that is shut, except for<br />
one train, everything is gone. If the<br />
government bans Chinese items<br />
without giving us any other options,<br />
where will we go?” asks another<br />
shopkeeper, who does not wish to be<br />
named.<br />
As for those clamouring for war,<br />
there is a word of<br />
"So<br />
far, what we<br />
have said and done<br />
in response is okay, but<br />
more must follow. I am<br />
sure that Modi is looking<br />
for the right time and<br />
opportunity"<br />
caution outside the<br />
district soldiers<br />
welfare office,<br />
about 3 km<br />
away. And the<br />
man voicing<br />
it is Honorary<br />
Naib Subedar<br />
Yogendra Mandal, who spent 24<br />
years in the <strong>Indian</strong> Army, serving in<br />
10 Bihar and<br />
14 Bihar. He spent four years in<br />
Ladakh, over two terms, and is one of<br />
the nearly 6,000 ex-servicemen from<br />
Bhagalpur district.<br />
That’s not all. Both his sons are<br />
also in the <strong>Indian</strong> Army and, he<br />
says, one of them is being moved to<br />
Galwan Valley, the site of the violent<br />
face-off with China two weeks ago.<br />
“I know how difficult the terrain<br />
is. I was posted about 110 km from<br />
Leh… <strong>The</strong>re was a place called the<br />
Three Sisters mountain where you<br />
could see China. It used to be so cold<br />
that our food was never warm, and<br />
we had no appetite,” Mandal recalls.<br />
<strong>The</strong> news of the border deaths<br />
shook him.<br />
“So far, what we have said and<br />
done in response is okay, but more<br />
must follow. I am sure that Modi<br />
is looking for the right time and<br />
opportunity,” he says.<br />
Mandal warns, though, that the<br />
cost of war is terrible. “Our economic<br />
situation and theirs will both be<br />
damaged, our lives and their lives<br />
will both be lost. Perhaps, first, we<br />
can try and solve it without bullets,”<br />
he says.<br />
NEWS in BRIEF<br />
PM tweets in 16 languages to talk 'Dignity<br />
of India's poor'<br />
"<br />
Ensuring dignity of the poor of India"—Prime Minister Narendra Modi<br />
tweeted this in as many as 16 languages, while highlighting his recent<br />
decision to extend the free ration scheme for 80 crore <strong>Indian</strong>s for another<br />
five months. From Bengali to Marathi, and Bhojpuri to Maithili -- the PM<br />
tweeted in an array of regional languages with a YouTube link of his dubbed<br />
version of the address to the nation on Tuesday. While the wordings may<br />
differ, the essence of all the tweets remains the same -- the BJP-led Centre's<br />
pro-poor outlook. In Tamil, Modi tweeted, "Ensuring the dignity of the poor.<br />
<strong>The</strong> extension of the Prime Minister's Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna will benefit<br />
billions of poor people across the country."<br />
Meanwhile, in Gujarati, his mother tongue, Modi said, "Pradhan Mantri<br />
Garib Kalyan Yojana will benefit crores of poor people of the country, the<br />
dignity of the poor will be honored."<br />
India bans 59 Chinese apps over national<br />
security concerns<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> government on Monday banned nearly 59 Chinese apps<br />
including TikTok, WeChat and UC Browser and Xiaomi's Mi<br />
Community over national security concerns as India-China bilateral<br />
relations remain strained after the death of 20 <strong>Indian</strong> soldiers in the Galwan<br />
Valley clash with Chinese PLA troops in eastern Ladakh.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has<br />
issued a list of 59 Chinese apps that are now banned in the country.<br />
"<strong>The</strong>se measures have been undertaken since there is credible information<br />
that these apps are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty<br />
and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order,"<br />
said a MeitY statement. <strong>The</strong> ministry received complaints from various<br />
sources including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps<br />
available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously<br />
transmitting users' data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have<br />
locations outside India.<br />
PM Modi reviews preparations for large-scale<br />
Covid-19 vaccination exercise<br />
A<br />
day after India’s first<br />
Covid-19 vaccine<br />
candidate received the central<br />
drugs controller’s approval<br />
for human clinical trials,<br />
Prime Minister Narendra<br />
Modi reviewed India’s<br />
preparations for vaccinating<br />
its vast population against the<br />
coronavirus disease (Covid-19) once a vaccine becomes available.<br />
Vaccination must be affordable and universal, Modi said. At a high-level<br />
meeting, he directed officials to start work on a detailed plan for carrying<br />
out such large exercise in the country of 1.3 billion people and review<br />
preparations in place for vaccination against the viral disease that has<br />
infected at least 10 million and killed 508,876 across the globe. In India, the<br />
disease has infected 566,840 people and caused 16,893 deaths.<br />
Bharat Biotech said it had received the drug controller’s approval for<br />
carrying out human trials on a vaccine it developed in collaboration with the<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of<br />
Virology (NIV), Pune. <strong>The</strong> trials are expected to begin in <strong>July</strong>, the company<br />
said. ICMR-NIV researchers managed to isolate and culture 11 strains from<br />
swab samples in early February from initial Covid-19 patients in Kerala that<br />
could be used to develop vaccines and aid research.<br />
Home-made masks effective, says study<br />
Homemade quilted cotton<br />
masks are likely more<br />
effective than those made<br />
from handkerchiefs or even<br />
commercially available cone<br />
masks to contain the spread of<br />
Covid-19, according to a study<br />
published in the American<br />
Institute of Physics journal.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> reason is the weaving<br />
pattern and the string thickness,”<br />
the study’s lead author, Dr<br />
Siddhartha Verma, associate professor (ocean and mechanical engineering),<br />
Florida Atlantic University, told HT in an email.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> quilting cotton (most effective) we used had a tight-weave with<br />
thicker threads, in addition to having two layers stitched together, all of<br />
which impeded droplets significantly. One quick test that some people have<br />
suggested is to hold up the fabric to a light, and see how well it blocks the<br />
light,” Verma added. <strong>The</strong> study, which is peer-reviewed and published on<br />
June 30, involved simulating a cough through a manikin. For the experiment,<br />
Verma and his team covered the manikin’s mouth with four commonly used<br />
non-medical grade masks: a folded handkerchief, a stitched quilted cotton<br />
mask, a bandana and a cone mask (which is a non-medical grade mask<br />
available over the counter).
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
WORLD 15<br />
World: Coronavirus cases<br />
Confirmed: 10,590,953, Deaths: 514,021<br />
Recovered: 5,798,270, Active: 4,278,662<br />
Many <strong>Indian</strong>s, families<br />
of diplomats not allowed<br />
on special flight to China<br />
China did not allow several<br />
<strong>Indian</strong>s, including families<br />
of diplomats, from taking<br />
a special Air India flight from New<br />
Delhi to Guangzhou city early on<br />
Monday because two <strong>Indian</strong>s had<br />
tested positive for Covid-19 on a<br />
Shanghai-bound special flight that<br />
landed on June 21.<br />
After the two <strong>Indian</strong>s were<br />
diagnosed with Covid-19, Chinese<br />
authorities gave permission only for<br />
an empty flight from India to land in<br />
the southern city of Guangzhou to<br />
repatriate <strong>Indian</strong>s.<br />
<strong>The</strong> special plane from India took<br />
off from Guangzhou this afternoon<br />
with 86 <strong>Indian</strong>s under the third phase<br />
of the “Vande Bharat Mission”, the<br />
repatriation scheme for the country’s<br />
citizens stranded abroad.<br />
<strong>The</strong> June 21 Shanghai flight was<br />
also part of the repatriation mission<br />
on which 186 <strong>Indian</strong>s returned.<br />
China’s decision not to allow<br />
<strong>Indian</strong>s even on special airlifts and<br />
with diplomatic passports is an<br />
indication that commercial flights<br />
between the two countries are<br />
unlikely to resume any time soon.<br />
<strong>The</strong> media had reached out to<br />
the Chinese foreign ministry for a<br />
clarification on the decision not to<br />
allow families of <strong>Indian</strong> diplomats to<br />
take the flight to China. Media had<br />
also asked if the decision was linked<br />
to the ongoing border tension.<br />
<strong>The</strong> foreign ministry responded<br />
without referring to the ongoing<br />
border problem.<br />
“Recently, we have assisted<br />
in arranging the return of some<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> diplomats and their families<br />
to China,’’ the Chinese foreign<br />
"Cases 2<br />
and 3 are<br />
of <strong>Indian</strong> nationality<br />
and live in India.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y departed<br />
from India on June<br />
20 and arrived at<br />
Shanghai Pudong<br />
International<br />
Airport that day.<br />
After entering the<br />
customs, they were<br />
intensively isolated<br />
and observed.<br />
ministry said. “In view of the number<br />
of confirmed cases of Covid-19 on<br />
the temporary flight, China and India<br />
agreed in advance that the temporary<br />
flight arriving in Guangzhou on June<br />
29 would not carry passengers,” the<br />
ministry statement added.<br />
More than 100 <strong>Indian</strong>s, including<br />
diplomats’ families and officials<br />
of a multilateral bank, were on the<br />
June 21 flight. <strong>The</strong> Shanghai health<br />
commission (SHC) confirmed the<br />
cases of three foreigners – one from<br />
the US and two <strong>Indian</strong>s on that flight.<br />
“Cases 2 and 3 are of <strong>Indian</strong><br />
nationality and live in India. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
departed from India on June 20<br />
and arrived at Shanghai Pudong<br />
International Airport that day.<br />
After entering the customs, they<br />
were intensively isolated and<br />
observed. Symptoms occurred<br />
during the period. Comprehensive<br />
epidemiological history, clinical<br />
symptoms, laboratory tests and<br />
imaging findings, etc, were diagnosed<br />
as confirmed cases,” the SHC said.<br />
“Three imported confirmed cases<br />
have been transferred to designated<br />
medical institutions for treatment,<br />
and 47 close contacts with the flight<br />
have been tracked, and all have been<br />
implemented for centralised isolation<br />
and observation.”<br />
While China has seemingly<br />
controlled the Covid-19 outbreak –<br />
barring the burst of more than 300<br />
domestically transmitted cases in<br />
Beijing this month – it has reported<br />
nearly 2000 “imported” cases of the<br />
disease.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Chinese mainland reported<br />
five new imported Covid-19 cases<br />
Sunday, bringing the total number of<br />
imported cases to 1,907,” the national<br />
health commission (NHC) said.<br />
Coronavirus: Melbourne wakes up to streets divided, as<br />
10 postcodes across 36 suburbs sent back into lockdown<br />
Melbourne is waking to streets and suburbs<br />
divided, with more than 300,000 forced into<br />
new lockdowns as of today as Victoria battles<br />
to slow a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.<br />
"Very clearly, we are not where we wanted to be,"<br />
Premier Daniel Andrews said as he revealed the 10<br />
postcodes encompassing 36 suburbs where stage three<br />
restrictions began at midnight and will be in effect until<br />
at least <strong>July</strong> 29.<br />
Some streets face the bizarre reality where houses on<br />
one side fall into a postcode that is now in lockdown while<br />
the other side escapes.<br />
Remy Pham and Sonia Lear's family live on the<br />
"restricted" side of Warleigh Road in West Footscray.<br />
When the postcode lottery for the new COVID-19<br />
lockdown was announced, they won the prize of staying<br />
home for the next four weeks.<br />
"I said 'ahhh not again'... but at the same time we<br />
understand," Mr Pham said.<br />
Some council leaders are distraught about the move,<br />
especially in terms of what it means for local small<br />
businesses who have struggled to survive in recent<br />
months. To many, however, it's clear the new lockdown is<br />
the only way to stop the virus spreading further.<br />
In the 24 hours to 4.10pm yesterday, Victoria confirmed<br />
73 new cases. <strong>The</strong> state currently has 370 active cases.<br />
<strong>The</strong> government is urging everyone in the postcodes<br />
below to get tested for COVID-19 as part of a three-part<br />
'test, trace, isolate' strategy to combat the outbreak.<br />
Fixed, mobile and drive-through testing sites have<br />
been set up in 29 locations so far, with more on the way.<br />
Community health outreach teams will continue go doorto-door<br />
with mobile testing in areas including Brunswick<br />
West today.<br />
Residents who refuse to be tested could face fines, Prime<br />
Minister Scott Morrison said.<br />
"We are doing it the Australian way, the use of incentive<br />
carrot not stick – occasionally the stick will have to be put<br />
about, whether it's fines or sanctions in place to ensure we<br />
keep everybody safe," he said.<br />
NEWS in BRIEF<br />
Australia boosts cybersecurity amid<br />
growing foreign attacks<br />
<strong>The</strong> Australian government announced that it will allocate A$1.35<br />
billion ($928 million) to strengthen the country's cyber security amid<br />
escalating tensions due to suspicion of meddling and espionage by foreign<br />
countries. <strong>The</strong> investment, which will be made over a period of a decade,<br />
will also be used to enhance Australia's intelligence capabilities, Efe news.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> federal government's top priority is protecting our nation's economy,<br />
national security and sovereignty. Malicious cyber activity undermines<br />
that," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement.<br />
"My gGovernment's record investment in our nation's cyber security will<br />
help ensure we have the tools and capabilities we need to fight back and<br />
keep Australians safe," he added.<br />
On June 19, Morrison announced that Australia had suffered a large-scale<br />
cyber attack, allegedly backed by a foreign country.<br />
"We know it's a sophisticated state-based cyber actor because of the scale<br />
and nature of the targeting and the tradecraft used," he said at an impromptu<br />
press conference.<br />
‘No excuse’ for countries that fail in<br />
contact tracing: WHO chief<br />
Tracing contacts of people with coronavirus infections is the most<br />
important step in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, and countries<br />
that are failing to do so have no excuse, the World Health<br />
Organization chief said.<br />
“Although many countries have made some progress, globally the<br />
pandemic is actually speeding up,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a<br />
briefing. We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But<br />
the hard reality is that this is not even close to being over,” he said. “Most<br />
people remain susceptible, the virus still has a lot of room to move.”<br />
Countries such as South Korea had managed to contain the disease by<br />
tracking down the contacts of those carrying infection, Tedros said. This<br />
was possible even under extreme conditions, as the WHO itself had shown<br />
by halting an outbreak of Ebola in eastern Congo, tracing 25,000 contacts a<br />
day in a remote area where some 20 armed groups were fighting, he added.<br />
WHO warns that the 'worst is yet to come'<br />
<strong>The</strong> head of the World Health Organisation<br />
has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic<br />
is not even close to being over.<br />
It has now been six months since the first<br />
cases of a mysterious pneumonia-like illness<br />
were reported in Wuhan, China. At the time it<br />
was feared that we would see a repeat of the<br />
Sars outbreak of 2002 to 2004, which killed<br />
774 people. Now, with more than 500,000 people dead and more than 10<br />
million confirmed cases worldwide, WHO director-general Dr. Tedros<br />
Ghebreyesus has said this is "a moment for all of us to reflect".<br />
But, he warned, the "worst is yet to come" - adding that "with this kind of<br />
environment and conditions, they fear the worst".<br />
Despite progress in some countries, he said the pandemic was speeding<br />
up and the world would need even greater stores of resilience, patience, and<br />
generosity in the months ahead.<br />
Milton Glaser: Graphic designer behind 'I<br />
dies aged 91<br />
Milton Glaser, the<br />
influential American<br />
graphic designer who created<br />
the "I NY" logo, has died<br />
NY' logo<br />
aged 91.<br />
Made for a 1977 tourism<br />
campaign, the logo rapidly<br />
gained recognition across the world and has been described as the most<br />
frequently imitated in history. Glaser later said he was "flabbergasted by<br />
what happened to this little, simple nothing of an idea". <strong>The</strong> cause of his<br />
death was a stroke.<br />
COVID-19: ILO reports 400 million people lost their<br />
jobs worldwide<br />
A<br />
total of 400 million people lost their jobs worldwide between April-<br />
June due to COVID-19, states the International Labour Organisation.<br />
And 93 per cent of the world’s workers continue to live in countries with<br />
some sort of workplace closures, the ILO stated in its latest “ILO Monitor:<br />
COVID-19 and the world of work”.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> highly uncertain recovery in the second half of the year will not be<br />
enough to go back to pre-pandemic levels, even in the best scenario, and<br />
risks seeing continuing large scale job losses,” the ILO warned.<br />
ILO stated there was a 14 per cent drop in global working hours during<br />
the second quarter of <strong>2020</strong>, equivalent to the loss of 400 million full-time<br />
jobs. “<strong>The</strong> new figures reflect the worsening situation in many regions over<br />
the past weeks, especially in developing economies. <strong>The</strong> vast majority of<br />
the world’s workers (93 per cent) continue to live in countries with some<br />
sort of workplace closures, with the Americas experiencing the greatest<br />
restrictions.”
16<br />
SPORTS<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
NEWS in BRIEF<br />
IPL was an opportunity for me to learn, says<br />
Williamson<br />
Hailing the <strong>Indian</strong> Premier League (IPL) as the biggest domestic<br />
competition, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has said other<br />
leagues have followed suit by watching the cash-rich tournament to start<br />
their own franchise competitions.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> initial interest was obviously watching the IPL and seeing how big<br />
it was, it is the biggest domestic competition, T20 cricket being relatively<br />
new, what I saw was an opportunity to gain experience and learn,"<br />
Williamson told Ravichandran Ashwin on the senior India off-spinner's<br />
YouTube show titled 'DRS with Ash'.<br />
"For us, to see the passion for cricket in India is an amazing thing,<br />
it is a brilliant competition and there is a high standard, a lot of other<br />
countries have followed suit to start their leagues," he added.<br />
Williamson, who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and has<br />
also led the side in the past, said he always kept an open mind while<br />
playing the IPL.<br />
"It is quite different to lead New<br />
franchise, initially I did not know what<br />
I mentioned it is an <strong>Indian</strong> competition<br />
coming into quite a different culture,<br />
Zealand and an IPL<br />
to expect, but like<br />
so you are<br />
I<br />
was trying to keep an open mind, there is a lot<br />
of experience in all of the groups, it was an enjoyable<br />
season to lead the Sunrisers Hyderabad," Williamson said.<br />
Ganguly changed mentality of <strong>Indian</strong> cricket,<br />
Dhoni took it forward: Rajput<br />
Lalchand Rajput, who was<br />
Team India's manager<br />
during their victory at the<br />
inaugural edition of the<br />
WT20, gave an insight into<br />
wicket-keeper-batsman<br />
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and<br />
what made him one of the best captains the game has ever seen.<br />
Rajput likened Dhoni's style to that of former India captain and current<br />
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. He believes that Ganguly played a big<br />
role in changing the way cricket was played in India and Dhoni simply<br />
took that forward when he became the captain of the side in 2007.<br />
Ganguly is widely credited with giving players chance at the highest<br />
level and Dhoni was one of them, which eventually led him to scoring a<br />
marathon 148 against Pakistan in Vizag in 2005. Rajput stated Dhoni is also<br />
of the same mould as far as giving young players chance and confidence<br />
is concerned.<br />
MS Dhoni to lead Aakash Chopra's all-time IPL XI<br />
Former India batsman Aakash Chopra has<br />
picked decorated former India skipper<br />
Mahendra Singh Dhoni to lead his all-time<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> Premier League XI.<br />
Dhoni is one the most successful IPL captains,<br />
leading Chennai Super Kings to three titles and<br />
taking the side to the final a record seven times.<br />
Chopra, on his YouTube channel 'AakashVani',<br />
picked Rohit Sharma and David Warner to open<br />
the batting with India captain Virat Kohli coming at No.3. Suresh Raina,<br />
AB de Villiers and Dhoni form his middle-order before veteran spinner<br />
Harbhajan Singh and Sunil Narine come in to bat.<br />
In the pace department, Chopra has picked Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lasith<br />
Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah with Gautam Gambhir and Andre Russell on<br />
the bench. <strong>The</strong> coronavirus pandemic had brought the world to a standstill<br />
since March with all outdoor activity severely limited in almost every part<br />
of the globe. Cricket was halted since mid March due to the deadly virus<br />
with the <strong>Indian</strong> Premier League also being postponed.<br />
First hit in the nets in 3 months: Steve Smith back<br />
in training<br />
Steve Smith has hit the nets for<br />
the first time in three months,<br />
Australia's premier batsman said in<br />
a social media post.<br />
"First hit in the nets in 3 months.<br />
Good news... I remembered how to<br />
hold the bat," said former captain<br />
Smith in an Instagram post with a photo of him in cricket gear. <strong>The</strong><br />
coronavirus pandemic had brought the world to a standstill since March<br />
with all outdoor activity severely limited in almost every part of the globe.<br />
Cricket was halted since mid March due to the deadly virus with the <strong>Indian</strong><br />
Premier League also being postponed.<br />
Australia are currently scheduled to play their first Test of the revamped<br />
FTP in November, against Afghanistan. It will be followed by the fourmatch<br />
Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India in December.<br />
Smith has been a vital cog in Australia's wheel especially in red-ball<br />
cricket where he is the No.1 batsman in the world at the moment.<br />
Recently, former England captain Mike Atherton said Smith is someone<br />
he loves watching because of his unorthodox batting style.<br />
going to be: Finch<br />
Australia white-ball skipper Aaron Finch isn't clear as to where the team's<br />
next assignment will be because of the ever-changing scenario put forward<br />
by the coronavirus pandemic.<br />
Cricket Australia on Tuesday announced that the three-match ODI series against<br />
Zimbabwe, scheduled to be played Down Under in August, has been postponed due to<br />
ongoing crisis. <strong>The</strong> three ODIs were scheduled to take place on August 9, 12 and 15.<br />
"It's obviously unfortunate that Zimbabwe aren't coming and it (the tour) has been<br />
postponed. I think everyone did their best to get that up and running," Finch told<br />
reporters via videoconference as per ESPNCricinfo.<br />
"As cricketers, we always wanted to be playing regardless of where it's at or who<br />
it's against, so it's just in the best interests of cricket to have everyone out there playing<br />
again is so important. Unfortunate that's been postponed."<br />
Finch also failed to give a definite answer as to when he sees the team back out<br />
on the field. He, however, did mention that in their minds they are preparing for the<br />
limited-overs series in England, which currently stands postponed.<br />
"It's little bit up in the air to be honest. Just how quick everything is changing in<br />
Australia. We are talking about Victoria where things are sort of going the other<br />
way...we had a mini outbreak there," Finch said.<br />
"We are actually not sure where our next game is going to be. In our minds we<br />
were preparing for Zimbabwe, we're planning for England. I am preparing in my<br />
mind to go to England and play.<br />
"Whether that happens - we'll wait and see. We just have to be really conscious<br />
of being ultra-flexible - there might be a tour that comes up at relatively short<br />
notice because we can get there, and that'd be brilliant. Whatever it takes, I<br />
think all the players are in the same boat," he added.<br />
International cricket, however, is returning to England shores<br />
with West Indies coming over for a three-Test series starting <strong>July</strong> 8<br />
that will mark the resumption of the sport. Pakistan are due next as<br />
they will<br />
be playing three Tests and as many T20Is against England.<br />
2014 Adelaide Test an important<br />
milestone for Team India: Kohli<br />
India skipper Virat Kohli went down the memory lane<br />
and recalled the Adelaide Test during India's tour of<br />
Australia in 2014 which according to him will always<br />
remain as an important milestone for the team.<br />
In the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy played<br />
from December 9-13, Team India gave a tough fight to<br />
Michael Clarke and his team. However, they were not<br />
able to cross the line despite Kohli scoring twin centuries<br />
in both the innings of the Test match.<br />
"Throwback to this very special and important Test in<br />
our journey as the Test team that we are today. Adelaide<br />
2014 was a game filled with emotion on both sides and<br />
an amazing one for people to watch too," Kohli said in an<br />
Instagram post along with a photo from the game.<br />
"Although we didn't cross the line being so close, it<br />
taught us that anything is possible if we put our mind<br />
to it because we committed to doing something which<br />
seemed very difficult to begin with but almost pulled it<br />
off. All of us committed to it. This will always remain a<br />
very important milestone in our journey as a Test side,"<br />
he added.<br />
Australia had scored a mammoth 517/7 declared in<br />
their first innings, riding on centuries from David Warner,<br />
Clarke and Steve Smith. India replied strongly and scored<br />
444, with Kohli contributing with 115.<br />
In their second innings, the hosts declared for 290/5,<br />
setting a 364-run target for Team India.<br />
Kohli once again scored a brilliant ton (141) and Murali<br />
Vijay also contributed with valuable 99. However, their<br />
efforts didn't prove to be enough as India lost the match<br />
by 48 runs, bundling out for 315.<br />
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon was declared Man of the<br />
Match as he played a crucial role in Australia's win by<br />
scalping a total of 12 wickets.<br />
Rohit's greatest quality is that he goes for big<br />
hundreds: Srikkanth<br />
Rohit Sharmas career took a turn when M.S. Dhoni<br />
asked him to open for India in the 2013 Champions<br />
Trophy. From being a talented youngster, he<br />
became a performer and former India chief selector Kris<br />
Srikkanth believes that the limited-overs deputy is one of<br />
the best in the business.<br />
Speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Connected,<br />
Srikkanth heaped praise on Rohit Sharma, "I think I<br />
would rate him as one of the greatest all-time one-day<br />
openers in world cricket.<br />
What's the greatest quality Rohit Sharma is that he<br />
goes for these big hundreds and double hundreds, that is<br />
something amazing.<br />
In a one-day cricket match, you will go 150, 180, 200,<br />
just imagine where you are going to take the team to,<br />
that's the greatness about Rohit Sharma. He is definitely,<br />
Not sure where<br />
our next game is<br />
probably is in the top 3 or 5 all-time greatest openers as<br />
far as one-day cricket is concerned." Former teammate<br />
Irfan Pathan had earlier said that there has always been<br />
more to the stylish opener than just talent.<br />
<strong>The</strong> former India all-rounder Irfan spoke about how<br />
Rohit always worked hard in early years even if his<br />
body language suggested otherwise, "Lot of people are<br />
mistaken when they see a guy who has lot of time and he<br />
is slightly more relaxed than compared to Rohit.
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
FEATURES 17<br />
CROSSWORD FreeDailyCrosswords.com<br />
NO: 57<br />
ACROSS------------,<br />
I) Warm up with gloves<br />
5) Difficult journeys<br />
10) Striker's adversary<br />
14) Glittery material<br />
15) Unsettling<br />
16) It's harvested in Hawaii<br />
1 7) It can be cast<br />
18) Chad's neighbor<br />
19) Bellicose god<br />
20) Produce new goods<br />
23) It's for the mill?<br />
24) Gold filling, e.g.<br />
25) Wizards' garments<br />
28) Domino that's played?<br />
30) Covering of an orange<br />
3 I) Wide receiver's pattern<br />
33) Winnerless game<br />
36) Entree follow-up<br />
COME INN SIDE<br />
2 3 4 5 6<br />
14 15<br />
17 18<br />
20<br />
30<br />
36<br />
51<br />
57<br />
60<br />
63<br />
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE<br />
QUESTIONS AND<br />
ANSWERS<br />
7<br />
40) Prefix meaning "new"<br />
41) Tried to persuade<br />
42) Ocean predator<br />
43) Casual conversation starter<br />
44) Temper, as glass or steel<br />
46) Building contractor's job<br />
49) Inuit home<br />
51) Replace staff<br />
57) Bunny's kin<br />
58) Food from heaven<br />
59) Trojan princess of opera<br />
60) Decides<br />
61) Mimicry<br />
62) Pinball error<br />
63) Pause, on a music staff<br />
64) Grown fillies<br />
65) Georgetown player<br />
8 9<br />
B Core Bowers<br />
11 12 13<br />
54 55 56<br />
May 27th<br />
DOWN<br />
I) Common cowboy nickname<br />
2) Chute opener?<br />
3) Crazy way to run<br />
4) Western outlaw<br />
5) Wimbledon game<br />
6) Horse holders<br />
7) Grain disease<br />
8) Ukrainian capital<br />
9) Evening, in Milano<br />
l 0) Deck treatments<br />
11) Sing door-to-door in December<br />
12) Basketball "stadium"<br />
13) Giving demanding orders<br />
21) Rub the wrong way<br />
22) Strength of a chemical solution<br />
25) Lead-in to "apple"<br />
26) Kind of jacket or insurance<br />
27) Not misled by<br />
28) Supply with money<br />
29) Sent something down the tubes?<br />
31) Latvia's capital<br />
32) What two heads are better than<br />
33) Firestone product<br />
34) Andean civilization<br />
35) "Too many more to mention" abbr.<br />
37) Having regrets<br />
38) Arid<br />
39) Obelisk, say<br />
43) "I'm telling you the truth!"<br />
44) Without fail<br />
45) San Francisco hill<br />
46) Hate<br />
4 7) Cover with cloth<br />
48) Agronomist's samples<br />
49) Word with "tube" or "circle"<br />
50) Science fiction, for one<br />
52) Muslim leader<br />
53) California wine valley<br />
54) This and that<br />
55) Like a dipstick<br />
56) Numerical info<br />
1. Which city will host the 2028 Olympic Games?<br />
Los Angeles<br />
2. How many goals did England score (excluding<br />
penalty shoot-outs) at the Mens’ 2018 FIFA<br />
World Cup? 12<br />
3. Ben Stokes inspired England’s 2019 Cricket<br />
World Cup final victory over New Zealand –<br />
who scored the second-highest number of runs<br />
in the match for England? Jos Buttler<br />
ANSWERS CROSSWORD NO: 57<br />
FreeDailyCrosswords.com<br />
ACROSS------------,<br />
I) Warm up with gloves<br />
5) Difficult journeys<br />
10) Striker's adversary<br />
14) Glittery material<br />
15) Unsettling<br />
16) It's harvested in Hawaii<br />
1 7) It can be cast<br />
18) Chad's neighbor<br />
19) Bellicose god<br />
20) Produce new goods<br />
23) It's for the mill?<br />
24) Gold filling, e.g.<br />
25) Wizards' garments<br />
28) Domino that's played?<br />
30) Covering of an orange<br />
3 I) Wide receiver's pattern<br />
33) Winnerless game<br />
36) Entree follow-up<br />
COME INN SIDE<br />
1 2 S G s P 3A 4R T R 7E S K 9 s<br />
1 1 l A M E 1: E R I<br />
1 71<br />
1<br />
R 0 N I<br />
in A K E 21 G E<br />
1 N<br />
2 b R<br />
I<br />
b<br />
A<br />
S B R<br />
5i-l A R<br />
A N N A<br />
6b p T p E R y<br />
E s A R E s<br />
HITORI NO: 57<br />
40) Prefix meaning "new"<br />
41) Tried to persuade<br />
42) Ocean predator<br />
43) Casual conversation starter<br />
44) Temper, as glass or steel<br />
46) Building contractor's job<br />
49) Inuit home<br />
51) Replace staff<br />
57) Bunny's kin<br />
58) Food from heaven<br />
59) Trojan princess of opera<br />
60) Decides<br />
61) Mimicry<br />
62) Pinball error<br />
63) Pause, on a music staff<br />
64) Grown fillies<br />
65) Georgetown player<br />
B Core Bowers<br />
1 1 1 1 5 c A h<br />
1<br />
A R 0<br />
R E s<br />
I 0 N s<br />
I N T<br />
R C A<br />
E A L<br />
5 91 L I A<br />
6,.<br />
I L T<br />
1-1 0 y A<br />
May 27th<br />
DOWN<br />
I) Common cowboy nickname<br />
2) Chute opener?<br />
3) Crazy way to run<br />
4) Western outlaw<br />
5) Wimbledon game<br />
6) Horse holders<br />
7) Grain disease<br />
8) Ukrainian capital<br />
9) Evening, in Milano<br />
l 0) Deck treatments<br />
11) Sing door-to-door in December<br />
12) Basketball "stadium"<br />
13) Giving demanding orders<br />
21) Rub the wrong way<br />
22) Strength of a chemical solution<br />
25) Lead-in to "apple"<br />
26) Kind of jacket or insurance<br />
27) Not misled by<br />
28) Supply with money<br />
29) Sent something down the tubes?<br />
31) Latvia's capital<br />
32) What two heads are better than<br />
33) Firestone product<br />
34) Andean civilization<br />
35) "Too many more to mention" abbr.<br />
37) Having regrets<br />
38) Arid<br />
39) Obelisk, say<br />
43) "I'm telling you the truth!"<br />
44) Without fail<br />
45) San Francisco hill<br />
46) Hate<br />
47) Cover with cloth<br />
48) Agronomist's samples<br />
49) Word with "tube" or "circle"<br />
50) Science fiction, for one<br />
52) Muslim leader<br />
53) California wine valley<br />
54) This and that<br />
55) Like a dipstick<br />
56) Numerical info<br />
Eliminate numbers until there are no duplicates in any row<br />
or column. Eliminate numbers by marking them in Black.<br />
You are not allowed to have two Black squares touching<br />
horizontally or vertically (diagonally is ok). Any White square<br />
can be reached from any other (i.e. they are connected).<br />
4. How many different teams have won the<br />
Premier League since the start of the inaugural<br />
season in 1992/93? Six (Man Utd, Man City,<br />
Chelsea, Arsenal, Leicester, Blackburn<br />
5. In tennis, who has won more Women’s Singles<br />
Grand Slam titles – Martina Navratilova or<br />
Serena Williams? Serena Williams<br />
6. What score did cricketing legend Don Bradman<br />
average as a batsman across his career? 99.94<br />
SUDOKU SOLUSIONS AND ANSWERS NO: 57<br />
2 5 9 3<br />
Daily Sudoku: Tue 16-Jun-<strong>2020</strong><br />
8 3 9<br />
8 9 7 6 4 2<br />
3 1 7 9 6<br />
6 9<br />
8 3 6 7 1<br />
9 6 7 1 3 5<br />
6 5 3<br />
4 9 8 1<br />
1 4 6 5 2 8 7 3 9<br />
7 2 5 9 1 3 4 6 8<br />
8 3 9 7 6 4 1 5 2<br />
3 1 7 2 9 6 5 8 4<br />
5 6 8 1 4 7 2 9 3<br />
4 9 2 8 3 5 6 7 1<br />
9 8 4 6 7 1 3 2 5<br />
2 7 3 4 5 9 8 1 6<br />
6 5 1 3 8 2 9 4 7<br />
Daily Sudoku: Tue 16-Jun-<strong>2020</strong><br />
7. At which venue is the British Grand Prix held?<br />
Silverstone<br />
8. How many horses are on each team in a polo<br />
match? Four<br />
9. Where is the US Masters golf tournament<br />
held?Augusta National Golf Club<br />
10. Which European city hosted the 1936<br />
Summer Olympics? Berlin<br />
easy<br />
easy<br />
(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd <strong>2020</strong>. All rights reserved.<br />
(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd <strong>2020</strong>. All rights reserved.<br />
http://www.dailysudok<br />
3 <strong>July</strong> - 9 <strong>July</strong> <strong>2020</strong> | By Manisha Koushik<br />
ARIES (MAR 21-APR 20)<br />
You will need to double your efforts on the<br />
academic front to achieve anything worthwhile.<br />
A person you are indifferent to may surprise you<br />
by doing you a good turn. Success is foretold on<br />
the professional front and you will add to your<br />
reputation. In this week home is likely to be a<br />
happy place to be in. Controlled spending will help<br />
stabilise the financial front. Avoid getting overfriendly with someone, as<br />
he or she may have some vested interest. Lucky No.:1 / Lucky Colour:<br />
Baby Pink<br />
TAURUS (APR 21-MAY 20)<br />
You are likely to feel nice in doing a good turn<br />
to someone, even though you had not intended<br />
to. Romantic relationship gets stronger. You may<br />
be given a position of authority in a reshuffle on<br />
the professional front. Someone close may be<br />
of immense help to you on the domestic front. A<br />
property deal proves profitable, as you get it much below the market<br />
price. You are likely to enjoy travelling with someone you like. Lucky<br />
No.: 22 / Lucky Colour: Electric Grey<br />
GEMINI (MAY 21-JUN 21)<br />
If you want things to go smoothly, do what your heart<br />
dictates rather than listening to others. You are likely<br />
to enjoy a gathering and love meeting your near and<br />
dear ones. Getting into the groove in a new job will<br />
not pose much difficulty for the freshly employed.<br />
Some problems on the home front will require your<br />
immediate attention. Things not working out on the<br />
academic front will be set right through your efforts. Lucky No.:3 /<br />
Lucky Colour: Crimson<br />
CANCER (JUN 22-JUL 20)<br />
It is best not to make a scene, if you don’t get your<br />
way. Don’t take any issue lightly at work, as your<br />
performance may be under scrutiny. You are likely<br />
to take an exception to seemingly wasteful expenses<br />
at home. Use tact in touching upon a sensitive issue<br />
with spouse. Keep the domestic environment as light<br />
as possible. Lover seems in the mood, so plan out<br />
something special. Setting out on a long journey is indicated. Lucky<br />
No. 9 / Lucky Colour: Pink<br />
Manisha Koushik is a practicing astrologer, tarot card reader, numerologist, vastu and<br />
fengshui consultant based in India with a global presence through the online channels. She is<br />
available for consultations online as well. E-mail her at support@askmanisha.com or contact<br />
at +91-11-26449898 Mobile/Whatsapp: +91-9716145644 • www.askmanisha.com<br />
LEO (JUL21-AUG 20)<br />
If you get the right push, you can do wonders and<br />
that push is about to come! Some good opportunities<br />
on the professional front may materialise soon.<br />
Your academic performance is set to improve. A<br />
romantic evening out with lover is indicated and<br />
will prove loads of fun. Something that you want<br />
done officially may take time. Befriending a<br />
stranger is possible. Some of you will need to reassess your financial<br />
situation. Get going on the fitness front. Lucky No.:11 / Lucky Colour:<br />
Sky Blue<br />
VIRGO (AUG 23-SEP 23)<br />
A tiring week is foreseen, but your spirit will not<br />
be dampened. You will need to define your career<br />
goals clearly before deciding what to pursue on the<br />
academic front. Those seeking some concessions<br />
at work may not be fully satisfied with what they<br />
get. Overspending is foreseen, but it will be for<br />
a good cause. You can be at the receiving end of<br />
someone’s barbs on the social front. An exciting time with lover is<br />
foreseen. Lucky No.: 7 / Lucky Colour: Lemon<br />
LIBRA (SEP 24-OCT 23)<br />
Your attempts to gain an upper hand on the social<br />
front may not succeed. So, it is best to go with<br />
the crowd. Those new on the job will be able to<br />
establish themselves. Business people will find the<br />
week favourable. Academic pursuits may prove<br />
enjoyable for some. Financial terms and conditions<br />
regarding buying property may need to be sorted<br />
out first. Putting off something for tomorrow can get you on the wrong<br />
side of spouse. Lucky No.: 3 / Lucky Colour: Crimson<br />
SCORPIO (OCT 24-NOV 22)<br />
You will need to stretch your imagination a bit<br />
to see someone’s point of view. So, don’t reject<br />
it out of hand. <strong>The</strong>re will be much excitement as<br />
romance transforms into matrimony. Improvement<br />
in financial situation will encourage you to think<br />
big. You will be able to handle a tricky situation<br />
at work with patience and perseverance. Being<br />
accused of not doing enough on the home front can get your goat. A<br />
journey may get postponed. Lucky No.: 15 / Lucky Colour: Coffee<br />
SAGITTARIUS (NOV 23-DEC 21)<br />
If something is pending at work, now is the time to<br />
complete it. A new work environment may make you<br />
feel uncomfortable. Efforts on the academic front may<br />
not be adequate, so turn your focus back to studies.<br />
Pending payments may get delayed and upset plans<br />
on the financial front. Atmosphere at home may not<br />
be conducive for you to do your own thing. Some difficulties in finding<br />
a suitable match for the eligible are foreseen. Lucky No.:18 / Lucky<br />
Colour: Dark Red.<br />
CAPRICORN (DEC 22-JAN 21)<br />
You are likely to participate in a celebration and<br />
enjoy every moment of it. Time to reap the fruits of<br />
your sound investments has arrived. Someone will<br />
be in a reciprocating mood for all the good that you<br />
have done for them. Your enthusiasm over an issue<br />
is likely to rub off on the family and make the week<br />
exciting. Vacation can become a possibility for some,<br />
as leave is granted. Some youngsters may opt for a summer camp.<br />
Lucky No.:5 / Lucky Colour: Bottle Green<br />
AQUARIUS (JAN 22-FEB 19)<br />
If you want things to remain favourable, observe<br />
what is happening around you and then act.<br />
Changes sought on the home front will be<br />
realised by homemakers. Financial front will<br />
require strengthening, so cut down on all wasteful<br />
expenditure. Expect a blissful existence on the<br />
romantic front, as sweetheart showers love! On the<br />
academic front, a new project may interest you, but prove a bit tedious.<br />
Some of you can take a short break to take someone sightseeing. Lucky<br />
No.:15 / Lucky Colour: Crimson<br />
Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20)<br />
A good break on the professional front is likely. Your<br />
academic record is likely to open many doors for you<br />
on the career front. Socially, you are likely to enjoy<br />
all the attention being bestowed on you. Someone is<br />
likely to do you a good turn by solving your problems.<br />
Visiting new and exotic places is on the cards. Chances<br />
of acquiring a new property brighten. Health will not pose any problems.<br />
Financially, you will not face any problems. Lucky No. 2 / Lucky<br />
Colour: Baby Pink
18<br />
FEATURES<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
Channa<br />
Bhatura<br />
FOR BHATURA<br />
• 400gm - flour (Maida)<br />
• 300gm - yoghurt, room temperature<br />
• Warm water to knead the flour<br />
• Oil for frying the bhatura<br />
• Sliced red onion and yoghurt to serve<br />
METHOD<br />
PREPARATIONS<br />
• Mix flour and a pinch of salt in a large<br />
mixing bowl.<br />
• Slowly add yoghurt ( Yoghurt should be<br />
of room temperature) and mix it with<br />
your fingers then tip onto a lightly floured<br />
work surface and knead until you have a<br />
soft, pliable dough (Add little water while<br />
kneading if the dough is crumbly).<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
FOR CHANNA<br />
• 11/2cups - chickpeas (White channa)<br />
• 2 - tea bags<br />
• 1/2tsp - salt<br />
• 1tsp - cumin seeds<br />
• 3 - black cardamom pods<br />
• 2inch - cinnamon stick<br />
• 2 - onions, large<br />
• 11/2tbsp - ginger paste<br />
• 1tbsp - garlic paste<br />
• 3-4 - green chillies<br />
• 1tbsp - coriander powder<br />
• 1tsp - Kashmiri red chilli powder<br />
• 1tbsp - mango powder (Amchoor powder)<br />
• 1tsp - turmeric powder<br />
• 1tsp - garam masala powder<br />
• 1tsp - channa masala powder<br />
• 3 - tomatoes<br />
• Tip dough into a large bowl; cover with a<br />
• 2tbsp tomato purée<br />
damp tea towel and leave it overnight to<br />
• 1tsp - salt or according to taste<br />
ferment ( leave it in the oven or somewhere<br />
• 3tbsp - oil<br />
where its warm to ferment the dough).<br />
RAJMA RICE<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
FOR RAJMA<br />
• 11/2cup - red kidney beans ( Rajma )<br />
• Pinch of asafoetida<br />
• 2 - onions, medium<br />
• 1tsp - garlic paste<br />
• 11/2tsp - ginger paste<br />
• 1tsp - red chilli powder<br />
• 1/2tsp - turmeric powder<br />
• 1tsp - garam masala powder<br />
• 11/2tsp - rajma masala powder<br />
• 2 - tomatoes, medium<br />
• 1tsp - salt or according to taste<br />
• 3tbsp - oil<br />
• Fresh coriander for garnishing<br />
FOR RICE<br />
INGREDIENTS:<br />
• 2cup - basmati rice<br />
• 1tsp - cumin seeds<br />
• 1 - onion, small<br />
• 1 - tomato, small<br />
• 4cups - water<br />
• 1/2tsp - salt<br />
• 1tsp - oil<br />
PREPARATION<br />
• Wash kidney beans and add them to a large<br />
bowl. Add water; enough to cover the<br />
kidney beans. Cover and leave it overnight.<br />
METHOD FOR RAJMA<br />
• Add kidney beans to the large heavy base<br />
saucepan with a pinch of salt and along<br />
with 1 tablespoon of oil.<br />
• Cover and cook over medium flame for 10-<br />
12 minutes or until they are soft ( You can<br />
also pressure cook them with 3 whistles ).<br />
• Heat oil in a heavy bottom large sauce pan<br />
over medium flame, add asafoetida, stir.<br />
• Add peeled, washed and chopped onions<br />
and fry for 2-3 minutes or until brown in<br />
colour ( Stir every few minutes so they get<br />
an even colour all the way through ).<br />
• Add garlic paste, stir add ginger paste and<br />
fry for 30 seconds as the raw flavours cook<br />
through.<br />
• Lower the flame and add all the powders,<br />
stir with a splash of water.<br />
• Add washed and chopped tomatoes and<br />
sauté over medium flame for 2 minutes or<br />
until soft and oil comes on top.<br />
• Now add cooked kidney beans, stir well.<br />
Add water ( water can be added according<br />
to your preference of the curry ) to make<br />
curry and give 1 boil on high flame.<br />
• Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes until well<br />
• Wash chick peas then transfer them into a<br />
large bowl, add water; enough to cover the<br />
chick peas.<br />
• Cover the chick peas and leave it overnight.<br />
TO COOK<br />
• Add chick peas to the large heavy base<br />
saucepan along with its water.<br />
• Add tea bags, and a pinch of salt along with<br />
1 tablespoon of oil.<br />
• Cover and cook over medium flame for<br />
20 minutes or until the chick peas are soft<br />
( You can also pressure cook them with 4<br />
whistles ). Keep aside.<br />
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in large heavy base<br />
saucepan over medium flame, add cumin<br />
seeds, black cardamoms and cinnamon<br />
stick, sauté until aromatic.<br />
• Add peeled, washed and chopped onions<br />
and sauté until brown in colour.<br />
• Add ginger paste, stir, add garlic paste and<br />
sauté for 2-3 minutes.<br />
• Add washed and chopped green chillies to<br />
the onion masala and sauté for few seconds.<br />
• Lower the flame and add all the powders<br />
and stir for 1 minutes followed by the<br />
splash of water.<br />
• Add washed and chopped tomato, sauté<br />
over medium flame until soft.<br />
• Add tomato purée and sauté until oil come<br />
on top.<br />
• Discard tea bags from the chick peas and<br />
add them to the masala along with its water,<br />
bring it to boil on high flame, add more<br />
combined over medium flame ( Stirring in<br />
between ).<br />
• Garnish with chopped coriander.<br />
• Serve with rice and onion salad.<br />
METHOD FOR RICE<br />
• Wash rice thoroughly under the running<br />
water until the water comes clear. Keep<br />
aside.<br />
• In a heavy base sauce pan heat oil over<br />
medium flame.<br />
• Add cumin seeds, fry until aromatic.<br />
water if you would like the curry to be<br />
looser depending on your preferences.<br />
• Season with salt ( Do check before adding<br />
salt as we had already added it before ).<br />
• Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes over<br />
medium flame until its well combined.<br />
• While the chick peas are getting simmered<br />
heat oil over medium flame in a large heavy<br />
base pan to fry bhatura’s.<br />
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work<br />
surface and knead again.<br />
• Take golf ball size of dough, roll it into ball,<br />
then flatten it by pressing it between your<br />
palms.<br />
• Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly<br />
floured surface until you have an oval shape<br />
bhatura ( It should not be very thin ).<br />
• <strong>The</strong>n gently lower it into the hot oil, now<br />
with the slotted spoon pressing on top let it<br />
puff up, then turn it to the other side frying<br />
it for 1-2 minute until golden in colour.<br />
• Transfer it onto a plate covered with a<br />
kitchen paper towel. Repeat the process<br />
until the dough is used.<br />
• Serve channa with the bhatura along with<br />
sliced red onions and a little yogurt on side.<br />
• TIP; in channa fried potatoes also go very<br />
well so for this recipe of channa bhatura.<br />
• Take 1 big potato.<br />
• Peel, wash and cut potato into big size<br />
cubes and deep fry them in hot oil.<br />
• Add fried potatoes to the channa in the end<br />
and cook for 3-4 minutes.<br />
• Serves - 6<br />
• Add peeled, washed and sliced onion, sauté<br />
until translucent.<br />
• Add washed and chopped tomato, sauté<br />
until soft.<br />
• Add water followed by salt.<br />
• Add rice and gently rotate the pan for<br />
everything to mix well.<br />
• Cover and give 1 boil to the rice then lower<br />
the flame and cook for 4 minutes or until<br />
the rice is done.<br />
• Serve with rajma or any other curry of your<br />
choice. Serves - 4
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 3, <strong>2020</strong><br />
ENTERTAINMENT 19<br />
Sushmita Sen:<br />
I’m an outsider but<br />
was never desperate,<br />
I ensured even the biggest actor<br />
or director didn’t disrespect me<br />
A<br />
rank outsider in the film<br />
industry, Sushmita Sen<br />
explains how her journey<br />
has been somewhat different from<br />
many others.<br />
Referring to the whole outsiderinsider<br />
debate that has come in<br />
spotlight after Sushant Singh<br />
Rajput’s death, the actor admits that<br />
winning the Miss Universe title made<br />
things easier for her. However, she’s<br />
quick to add that wading through<br />
was difficult.<br />
“A lot of young people come from<br />
smaller cities, who live, breathe and<br />
eat cinema. <strong>The</strong>y want to become<br />
actors, directors or follow some<br />
creative pursuit here. <strong>The</strong> hunger in<br />
them is fantastic, but it often gets<br />
seen as desperation,” points Sen,<br />
adding that everybody then tries to<br />
take advantage of this desperation,<br />
wherever one goes.<br />
While she asserts that fresh talent<br />
has to keep honing their skills, and<br />
trying hard, she warns them to not<br />
make anything look desperate.<br />
“Given the competition in the<br />
industry, this desperation then<br />
becomes too much a pressure. So,<br />
instead of performance, one is judged<br />
by his/her followers on social media<br />
and how many have applaud them.<br />
It’s like if we can market it well,<br />
we can sell anything,” explains the<br />
44-year-old.<br />
Sen, however, never had that<br />
mindset. She clarifies, “I’m an<br />
outsider but I was approached to be<br />
a part films by default because of<br />
the beauty pageant I won. I never<br />
thought of becoming an actor, but<br />
when I took it up, I felt I can learn<br />
and grow.” <strong>The</strong> actor adds that she<br />
gave her 100% even in her initial<br />
films that didn’t do well.<br />
“May be at that point I wasn’t an<br />
evolved person and it showed on<br />
screen. I take responsibility for that.<br />
I kept working hard, but was never<br />
desperate,” maintains the actor, who<br />
recently made her web debut,” she<br />
says. <strong>The</strong>re was even a point when<br />
Sen thought of pursuing something<br />
else other than acting.<br />
Actress-producer Anushka Sharma says her<br />
early start in showbiz has taught her a lot,<br />
adding that she applies that wisdom in her<br />
personal and professional life every day.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> story of 'Bulbbul'' is the story of a girl's<br />
journey from innocence to strength and resilience...<br />
and it's a story I'm all too familiar with," she began<br />
her post on Instagram.<br />
Looking back at her journey, she said: "Getting<br />
to be a part of the modelling industry at the young<br />
age of 15 had a lasting impression on me. My<br />
dad was a very big influence, always pushing me<br />
to work harder and sharing positive affirmations<br />
about life and growth."<br />
“But I always knew that whatever<br />
I do, I’ll do it with integrity and<br />
respect. I’ll earn it. I’ve lived my life<br />
in a way where you can’t be in the<br />
same room with me and speak<br />
to me in a language which<br />
is ‘ok’ with a lot of other<br />
people. You could be<br />
the biggest filmmaker<br />
or hero, but you should<br />
show respect,” says Sen,<br />
stressing that this approach<br />
makes her stand out.<br />
Despite having this<br />
uniqueness, she points, many people<br />
lose themselves given the pressure.<br />
“By God’s grace, the industry<br />
invested in me. But the reason I<br />
can continue to work, stay relevant,<br />
is because people wanted it. If they<br />
hadn’t, nothing could have saved<br />
"May<br />
be at that<br />
point I wasn’t an<br />
evolved person and<br />
it showed on screen. I<br />
take responsibility for<br />
that. I kept working<br />
hard, but was never<br />
desperate"<br />
me. I get messages from<br />
fans all over. So there’s<br />
no rush, I’ll continue<br />
to work with<br />
due diligence.<br />
I’ll live with<br />
conviction and my<br />
own terms, sometimes<br />
it’ll be applauded,<br />
sometimes criticised,”<br />
she says adding how it wasn’t easy<br />
to deal with the life-threatening<br />
Addison’s disease.<br />
"From understanding how the industry works<br />
to turning into a producer when I was just 25, I<br />
started Clean Slate Filmz with a vision to tell the<br />
best stories out there. Working with newer faces<br />
and fresh talent has definitely given me a new kind<br />
of perspective. We are all constantly growing,<br />
changing and evolving as humans and there's a<br />
quiet strength to that," she added. <strong>The</strong> actress said<br />
that she "chose to dive into work when I was a<br />
teenager".<br />
"And I've been growing ever since. <strong>The</strong> early<br />
start has taught me a lot and I choose to apply that<br />
wisdom in my personal and professional life every<br />
day," she added. <strong>The</strong> actress made a dream debut in<br />
Abhishek Bachchan reflects on<br />
past failures, says it felt like ‘hell’,<br />
but he could not afford to ‘lament’<br />
Actor Abhishek Bachchan,<br />
who will make his digital<br />
debut with the upcoming<br />
Amazon Prime series Breathe: Into<br />
the Shadows, spoke about coming<br />
from a privileged background, and<br />
the effort it took for him to succeed<br />
as an actor in Bollywood.<br />
In an interview to journalist,<br />
Abhishek recalled an interaction he<br />
had with director Yash Chopra at the<br />
premiere of his first film, Refugee,<br />
and the advice he received.<br />
“Remember, your father brought<br />
you till here,” Yash Chopra told<br />
Abhishek moments before the<br />
screening, “but the moment you<br />
walk into that cinema, and the show<br />
gets over and you walk out, you’re<br />
on your own two feet.”Asked about<br />
the moment he decided to become<br />
an actor, Abhishek said that he<br />
was inspired to take the leap after<br />
watching the Sean Penn film Dead<br />
Man Walking.<br />
“I had already informed my<br />
parents that this was my desire,” he<br />
said. “Once you first overcome the<br />
shyness or awkwardness that you<br />
want to join the films -- especially if<br />
it’s a family business -- you’re still<br />
trying to skirt the issue.<br />
You can’t be practical about this. It<br />
has to be an emotional decision. It’s<br />
all or nothing, it’s do or die. That’s<br />
when I decided it’s either this or<br />
nothing else.” But after the success<br />
of his first film, Abhishek went<br />
through a four-year period where his<br />
movies didn’t do all that well at the<br />
box office.He said it was ‘hell’.<br />
“Everybody has their own journey.<br />
We should never judge somebody<br />
else’s journey. I’ve never liked<br />
to look back and lament, because<br />
there’s a lot to be appreciative<br />
about,” the actor said.<br />
“I have immense respect for any<br />
actor who features in a film, no<br />
matter in what capacity. That period<br />
was very difficult to cope with, it<br />
was very difficult to confront. At the<br />
same time, I was so blessed to be a<br />
part of one film. That’s the dream<br />
of millions of people, so should I be<br />
complaining?<br />
At least I got to make those films,<br />
some people don’t get a chance to<br />
make even one film.” He concluded<br />
by expressing his gratitude to the<br />
fans who’ve supported not only his<br />
work, but also his family’s. He said,<br />
“I’m from this industry, I feel very<br />
protective of this industry. This is<br />
my family business – audiences have<br />
given my family everything that we<br />
have today.”<br />
Anupam Kher: Hope literally sustains life<br />
Actor Anupam Kher is<br />
confident that the world<br />
will survive the deadly<br />
coronavirus pandemic, and says all<br />
one needs to get through it is hope.<br />
"<strong>The</strong>se are the kind of Deja vu pics<br />
the whole world will identify with.<br />
Pics of 102 years old #Pandemic<br />
called #SpanishFlu. Masks, Social<br />
distancing etc," Anupam wrote on<br />
Instagram alongside pictures from<br />
the Spanish Flu outbreak.<br />
"Everything is the same including<br />
the people. Minus the Wifi. But the<br />
world survived. So this too shall<br />
pass. Hope literally sustains life," he<br />
added. Recently, the actor released<br />
his autobiographical play "Kuch Bhi<br />
Ho Sakta Hai" on his new website<br />
to give people some relief and hope<br />
during these stressful times.<br />
Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, directed<br />
by Feroz Abbas Khan, offers a glance<br />
of Anupam's failures, triumphs and<br />
life lessons, as the actor sets out to<br />
depict ordinary people.<br />
Bollywood opposite superstar Shah Rukh Khan in<br />
"Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi".<br />
She launched her production<br />
house Clean Slate Filmz<br />
with her brother Karnesh<br />
Ssharma, and has backed<br />
unconventional stories,<br />
bankrolling films like<br />
"NH10", "Pari", "Phillauri",<br />
the web-series "Paatal Lok",<br />
which was her debut digital<br />
production and which turned out to<br />
be a massive hit and recent supernatural thriller<br />
film "Bulbbul".<br />
"About a month back, I realised<br />
that we had shot Kuch Bhi Ho<br />
Sakta Hai, the play that I have<br />
been doing for the last 15 years. It's<br />
about my failures, disasters...it's an<br />
autobiography. And I laugh at all<br />
those things.<br />
"We had shot the whole play a<br />
few years ago, not for the reason of<br />
putting it up somewhere, but just to<br />
have a record of it. It was done on<br />
HD by professional people. During<br />
this pandemic time, I saw it again<br />
just like that. And I realised that it's<br />
a play about optimism and hope.<br />
It's a play about never giving up,"<br />
Anupam said.<br />
Anushka Sharma: Working with fresh talent gave me new perspective<br />
"And<br />
I've been<br />
growing ever<br />
since. <strong>The</strong> early start<br />
has taught me a lot and<br />
I choose to apply that<br />
wisdom in my personal<br />
and professional life<br />
every day,"