The Indian Weekender Friday, 23 October 2020
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J011440<br />
<strong>23</strong> OCTOBER<strong>2020</strong> • VOL 12 ISSUE 32<br />
MELA<br />
SUNDAY<br />
25 OCTOBER<br />
TSB BANK ARENA<br />
AND SHED 6,<br />
QUEENS WHARF<br />
3PM–8.30PM<br />
Gold coin entry<br />
www.iwk.co.nz /indianweekender /indianweekender<br />
Find out more at<br />
wellington.govt.nz/diwali<br />
Dr Gaurav Sharma created history by becoming the first ever<br />
Pg 6<br />
<strong>Indian</strong>-descent MP in NZ Parliament to win an electorate seat.<br />
He was Labour candidate and contested from Hamilton West seat,<br />
which was another blue seat that had turned red in the <strong>2020</strong> election.<br />
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शुभ दीपावली<br />
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
NEW ZEALAND 3<br />
Kiwi voter the true hero of Election <strong>2020</strong><br />
This is what <strong>2020</strong> looks like. <strong>The</strong> Kiwi voter knows it better than most<br />
DEV NADKARNI<br />
While the Labour Party has<br />
been deservedly feted for its<br />
unprecedented <strong>2020</strong> election<br />
victory, it is the New Zealand voter who is the<br />
true hero for crafting a result that goes well<br />
beyond the power they gave Labour to govern<br />
alone – in itself an absolute rarity in any MMP<br />
system.<br />
If you look beyond that absolute majority<br />
for one party – which defeats the very purpose<br />
of a system like MMP – it is clear that result<br />
was no fluke but was thoughtfully crafted. By<br />
none other than the New Zealand voter, giving<br />
themselves a parliament that truly reflects<br />
contemporary New Zealand.<br />
Consider this:<br />
New Zealand is the first self-governing<br />
modern nation to have given women the right<br />
to vote 107 years ago. Today, the newly formed<br />
Parliament comprises 48 women.<br />
In recent years a frequently heard lament<br />
is the disengagement of young people from<br />
politics. As if to address that issue, the Kiwi<br />
voter has ensured 25 per cent of the Parliament<br />
to be below the age of 40.<br />
Despite handing a landslide win for<br />
Labour making the party uncharacteristically<br />
monolithic in a MMP system, the Kiwi voter<br />
has ensured that three minor parties espousing<br />
a diversity of values and agendas are in<br />
Parliament (Greens, ACT and Maori Party).<br />
In that sense the clever voter has kept alive<br />
the spirit of MMP, giving a four-party system<br />
for governance over the next three years.<br />
With a strategic left/centre-left/indigenous<br />
seat count of 76 in a 120-seat House and a 55<br />
per cent collective vote share, the Kiwi voter<br />
has deliberately left out the right/centre<br />
right bloc collectively (National +<br />
ACT) with just 43 seats and a 35<br />
per cent vote share (all numbers<br />
might change marginally in the<br />
final count due November 6).<br />
Most Kiwis voted<br />
strategically enough to get three<br />
minor parties in at the expense of<br />
one major party, the National Party,<br />
a clear no-confidence in that party’s<br />
policies, programmes and leadership.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Kiwi voter proved beyond doubt that<br />
big dollar appeasement strategies don’t wash<br />
as New Zealand First found out, being booted<br />
out despite its much touted multi-billion dollar<br />
Provincial Fund and with no one credible<br />
in sight to succeed the charismatic<br />
Winston Peters.<br />
Most<br />
Kiwis voted<br />
strategically enough<br />
to get three minor parties<br />
in at the expense of one<br />
major party, the National<br />
Party, a clear no-confidence<br />
in that party’s policies,<br />
programmes and<br />
leadership<br />
<strong>The</strong> new Parliament comprises<br />
11 per cent rainbow people<br />
(world’s highest)<br />
This Parliament is the<br />
most ethnically diverse in<br />
the country’s history with<br />
the first ever Latin American,<br />
African and Sri Lankan MPs.<br />
Proudly for Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong>s,<br />
it has the first ever <strong>Indian</strong> origin<br />
electoral MP (though there have been<br />
List MPs earlier).<br />
Several MPs from the Pacific Islands, giving<br />
island people their biggest ever presence of<br />
elected representatives in the Labour party.<br />
From post-election analyses it is evident that<br />
many traditionally National voters, particularly<br />
from the provincial and rural farming bloc,<br />
having given up on National going by its<br />
dismal polling all along, strategically voted for<br />
Labour to give it an absolute majority to help<br />
keep the Greens at bay, because of policies that<br />
the agricultural sector perceives as too extreme<br />
and radical.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is no doubt that this result was a big<br />
tick in confidence for Prime Minister Jacinda<br />
Ardern’s leadership through the Covid-19<br />
crisis – something that has made her a globally<br />
feted personality.<br />
Her popularity, halo or pixie dust as some<br />
have put it would have been a challenge for any<br />
opposing party to counter.<br />
• Continued on Page 6<br />
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4 NEW ZEALAND<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
ELECTION OF FIR<br />
electorate MP ma<br />
SANDEEP SINGH FOR RNZ<br />
rising political aspirations then the Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong><br />
community has been left poorer after this<br />
Like the rest of the nation, the Kiwi-<br />
election.<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> community is left stunned by<br />
For at least the last three terms, the Kiwithe<br />
dramatic electoral verdict that many<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> community sent three co-ethnic MPs in<br />
experts believe may have the potential to alter<br />
the Parliament, via different political parties.<br />
the future trajectory of New Zealand politics.<br />
In 2017 the National Party had two Kiwi-<br />
In the absence of any scientific poll or survey,<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> MPs, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi and Dr<br />
there is always a challenge of accurately<br />
Parmjeet Parmar, both based in Auckland,<br />
assessing how the voting patterns within the<br />
while the Labour Party had one Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong><br />
community would have changed, if at all,<br />
MP, Priyanca Radhakrishnan.<br />
during this election.<br />
In 2014, along with the two National MPs,<br />
However, many in the community would<br />
New Zealand First was able to bring a Kiwihave<br />
voted to reward Prime Minister Jacinda<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> MP into Parliament, perhaps setting an<br />
Ardern’s stellar leadership in managing<br />
expectation within the community that three<br />
Covid-19 and keeping New Zealand safe - at<br />
might be the new normal when it comes to<br />
least for now.<br />
having representation.<br />
that has been instrumental in swinging many than dramatic. Immigration woes, particularly<br />
<strong>The</strong> majority of the Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong> voters<br />
This election has only returned two Kiwiundecided<br />
voters one way or the other.<br />
those emanating from an absence of political<br />
would not fall into the category of the so-called<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> MPs - Radhakrishnan and the first-time<br />
<strong>The</strong> personal popularity of Sir John Key decisiveness and clarity on the policy, and<br />
“tactical voters” who, according to recent<br />
Labour MP from Hamilton West, Dr Gaurav<br />
was instrumental in swinging the community’s operational bungles, directly impact on the<br />
commentators, are pointing out that some chose<br />
Sharma.<br />
votes towards the National Party away from real lives and futures of people within ethnic<br />
to shift their votes tactically to the Labour Party,<br />
Bakshi, who was the first India-born MP<br />
the Labour Party, and it seems Ardern has migrant communities and can often influence<br />
to deny the Green Party a stronger position in<br />
of the NZ Parliament, along with Parmar,<br />
decisively swung back those undecided voters votes of others within the community.<br />
the new government.<br />
who were both List MPs, are not returning to<br />
within the Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong> community towards In that regard, the latest election results<br />
<strong>The</strong> Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong> community clearly were not<br />
Parliament post-election.<br />
Labour in this election.<br />
also have another stunning, if not dramatic,<br />
facing any such dilemma, and their relationship Given the community has faced some significance for the Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong> community.<br />
Another stunning outcome is the election<br />
with the Green Party remains - despite some<br />
of the first-ever electorate Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong> MP in<br />
pressing issues in the last term - particularly Mixed bag of results for Kiwigrowing<br />
interest in green politics in recent<br />
Parliament - an outcome for which apparently<br />
the immigration mess, where there was a<br />
years - at best supremely indifferent.<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> community<br />
many within the community have been secretly<br />
noticeable outrage because of a perceived<br />
Traditionally, it has always been the<br />
If the number of total co-ethnic MPs in hoping for many years. Sharma stormed home<br />
sense of systemic bias on partnership visa<br />
popularity and the charisma of party leaders<br />
Parliament was any measure of a community’s on election night in Hamilton West.<br />
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
NEW ZEALAND 5<br />
ST KIWI-INDIAN<br />
rks a milestone<br />
A small segment of the Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong><br />
community have become disillusioned with the<br />
system of list MPs in recent times, saying the<br />
system did not allow the community to hold<br />
their co-ethnic MPs to account.<br />
Most within the community might not<br />
necessarily share this pessimism.<br />
It is unclear if that is because of their<br />
enhanced awareness of the political process<br />
within an immigrant-based multicultural<br />
country, or pure indifference.<br />
Political experts firmly believe that New<br />
Zealand’s MMP system (which allows list MPs<br />
in Parliament based on party vote share) is best<br />
suited to bring forward the views of minorities,<br />
including the ethnic migrant minority<br />
community, in mainstream politics.<br />
To what extent the success of electorate MP<br />
Dr Sharma will transform the mutual relations<br />
of “accountability and responsibility” between<br />
the Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong> community and their respective<br />
co-ethnic MPs remains to be seen.<br />
For now, this is indeed a step forward in<br />
terms of the community’s overall engagement<br />
and integration within every level of political<br />
decision-making in this country.<br />
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi<br />
LOST to Jenny Salesa<br />
Panmure-Ōtāhuhu<br />
WINNING CANDIDATE:<br />
SALESA, Jenny: 16,784<br />
2nd CANDIDATE:<br />
BAKSHI, Kanwaljit Singh: 3,243<br />
Auckland Diwali festival to light up region<br />
IWK BUREAU<br />
Auckland Diwali Festival to take place<br />
from 27 <strong>October</strong> to 14 November and<br />
the programme is now live.<br />
More than 100 activities and experiences<br />
taking place at numerous local venues across<br />
the region.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Auckland Diwali Festival is set to<br />
light up communities across Auckland from<br />
27 <strong>October</strong> to 14 November, with more than<br />
100 activities and experiences taking place at<br />
numerous local venues across the region.<br />
Seven venues –<br />
from Warkworth to Papatoetoe – will have<br />
fuller programming featuring a mix of<br />
cooking, dance and music workshops, panel<br />
discussions, film nights, and activations<br />
from sponsors.<br />
A further 20 community venues regionwide<br />
will host local workshops and<br />
events, facilitated by Auckland Council<br />
Community Venues.<br />
<strong>The</strong> full line-up of free, familyfriendly<br />
events and experiences at each venue<br />
can be viewed at https://www.aucklandnz.com/<br />
auckland-diwali-festival/festival-programmes<br />
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said he was<br />
looking forward to Diwali, one of Auckland’s<br />
most popular cultural festivals.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Diwali Festival is much loved by<br />
Aucklanders and important to our diverse<br />
communities,” he said.<br />
“While COVID-19 precautions mean<br />
that this year the festival won’t feature the<br />
traditional gathering in Aotea Square, the more<br />
than 100 events across the region will provide<br />
ample opportunity to celebrate the Festival of<br />
Lights with friends and family, while ensuring<br />
that everyone stays safe.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> Auckland Diwali Festival is delivered<br />
by Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic<br />
Development (ATEED) in collaboration with<br />
Gaurav Sharma WON<br />
against Tim Macindoe<br />
Hamilton West<br />
WINNING CANDIDATE:<br />
SHARMA, Gaurav: 16,950<br />
2nd CANDIDATE:<br />
MACINDOE, Tim: 12,525<br />
Auckland Council, with founding partner<br />
Asia New Zealand Foundation and major<br />
partner Harcourts.<br />
ATEED Head of Major Events Richard<br />
Clarke says this year’s festival provide more<br />
ways for Aucklanders to enjoy this age-old<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> celebration.<br />
“While this year’s festival will be different,<br />
it offers exciting new ways to enjoy Diwali<br />
Festival and showcase Auckland’s vibrant<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> communities. This year the programme<br />
is much more focused on sharing knowledge<br />
through cooking, dance and craft workshops<br />
and engaging in important discussions, as well<br />
as simply enjoying films, dance and music,”<br />
says Clarke.<br />
Highlights of the programme include a spice<br />
market, art and light installations, competitions,<br />
Dr Parmjeet Parmar<br />
LOST to Michael Wood<br />
Mt Roskill<br />
WINNING CANDIDATE:<br />
WOOD, Michael Philip: 17,356<br />
2nd CANDIDATE:<br />
PARMAR, Parmjeet: 7,842<br />
a special Evening of Classical <strong>Indian</strong> Music,<br />
and a Radio Tarana Bollywood Dance<br />
Competition online. Auckland’s landmarks<br />
will also be lighting up in celebration of Diwali,<br />
including a rangoli-inspired show by Vector<br />
Lights on the Auckland Harbour Bridge.<br />
Seven much-loved films will be played<br />
across key venues including Bride and the<br />
Prejudice, Lion, Yesterday, and Life of Pi,<br />
presented by ASB.<br />
Three free-entry panel discussions will<br />
explore women empowerment (Ellen Melville<br />
Centre, 30 <strong>October</strong>), modern day arranged<br />
marriages (Te Oro, Glen Innes, 31 <strong>October</strong>),<br />
and being comfortable being <strong>Indian</strong> (Auckland<br />
War Memorial Museum, 8 November).<br />
Shining a light on traditional arts and<br />
crafts will also be a key aspect of the daytime<br />
Priyanca Radhakrishnan<br />
LOST to Denise Lee<br />
Maungakiekie<br />
WINNING CANDIDATE:<br />
LEE, Denise: 13,013<br />
2nd CANDIDATE:<br />
RADHAKRISHNAN, Priyanca: 12,433<br />
programming, with workshops on making diya<br />
lamps, colouring rangoli, DIY henna, classical<br />
music, Bollywood and belly dance as well as<br />
more contemporary Bollyrobix classes. Free<br />
cooking classes and opportunities to enjoy chai<br />
tea and Diwali sweets will also be on the menu.<br />
In early September it was announced<br />
the festival would change this year from<br />
the usual format of a two-day event held in<br />
central Auckland.<br />
This decision was made following<br />
consultation between ATEED and the<br />
Diwali Advisory Group, which is comprised<br />
of representatives from Auckland’s<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> communities.<br />
ATEED and the Advisory Group agreed<br />
that it was best to deliver a festival that<br />
could meet the guidelines of Alert Level 2 or<br />
higher, if required.
6 NEW ZEALAND<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
Why Dr Gaurav Sharma’s story is so<br />
inspirational for new migrants in this country?<br />
SANDEEP SINGH<br />
<strong>The</strong> story of Dr Gaurav Sharma’s rise in New Zealand<br />
parliament, which is indeed just a beginning yet, has so<br />
much to inspire that it instantly connects with almost<br />
every segment of the Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong> community.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is no escaping from the fact that every time a member<br />
of the Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong> community rises in politics and becomes<br />
a Member of Parliament is a moment of pride and glory and<br />
deserves an undiluted appreciation and celebration.<br />
Be it the story of Labour Party’s recently re-elected member<br />
of parliament Priyanca Radhakrishnan or National’s outgoing<br />
MPs Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi or Dr Parmjeet Parmar, or former<br />
MPs including New Zealand First’s Mahesh Bindra or Labour<br />
Party’s Rajen Prasad, they all have been inspirational in many<br />
different ways.<br />
To be fair and respectful to all of them their individual<br />
successes and subsequent contributions – if not in anything else<br />
– then at least in instilling some self-belief within the community<br />
have always been hugely appreciated.<br />
In that regard, the inspiration from Gaurav Sharma’s rise in<br />
politics is of the next level as it makes an instant connection with<br />
everyone in the Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong> community.<br />
First and foremost is Gaurav Sharma’s solid<br />
foundation in high-quality education.<br />
It is important to note for people of <strong>Indian</strong>-descent – regardless<br />
of their present countries of residence, one key defining element<br />
is seeing - “education as the ladder of upward social mobility.”<br />
For uninitiated, one of the very basic DNA of the entire <strong>Indian</strong><br />
diaspora all around the world is the special place of “education”<br />
as the most valued “ladder for upward social mobility.”<br />
It is almost an unwritten rule and aspirations within a large<br />
segment of the <strong>Indian</strong>-descent people to provide best possible<br />
education to their children in the hope that high-quality education<br />
will lay the stepping stones for them to succeed in life.<br />
In fact, a large number of members of the <strong>Indian</strong> diaspora<br />
migrate to different parts of the world in pursuit of “better<br />
education” for their children.<br />
To give a context, for decades, India has been known as a<br />
global powerhouse for producing world-class graduates, doctors,<br />
engineers, and lately IT specialists and business professionals.<br />
In that respect Sharma’s phenomenal educational background<br />
as a child in Auckland Grammar School then as a medical<br />
Kiwi voter the true<br />
hero of Election <strong>2020</strong><br />
• Continue from Page 3<br />
However, the National Party’s fatal penchant<br />
to jump from one major disaster to another with<br />
metronomic regularity throughout Labour’s<br />
first term added momentum to the Labour<br />
juggernaut in no small measure.<br />
A series of leadership changes, an exodus<br />
of trusted old hands, messy exits, faulty policy<br />
making, miscalculated projections left little<br />
room for doubt in the mind of the voter.<br />
To top it all was leader Judith Collins’<br />
pronouncements and demeanour during the<br />
debates and in public during the run up to the<br />
polls would have made the decision that much<br />
easier for several of the so-called ‘undecideds’. compassion and a well-meaning approach to the<br />
While her ‘crusher’ leadership style has its future of the planet and our future generations.<br />
votaries, it is clearly a shrinking number, as the Going forward, however, what the Kiwi<br />
result has abundantly shown.<br />
voter must now contend with is a monobloc<br />
This new Parliament clearly reflects New government, never seen before in New<br />
Zealand’s growing diversity today – a fact Zealand’s electoral history since MMP was<br />
that was either lost on the National Party or adopted in the 1990s.<br />
was deliberately ignored to please a certain<br />
constituency.<br />
<strong>The</strong> leadership has its<br />
<strong>The</strong> Kiwi voter seems to have rejected work cut out<br />
that narrow view of New Zealand rather To be inclusive in the exclusive mandate<br />
resoundingly. Media pictures of the new that the Kiwi voter has given it, the challenge<br />
Labour and National caucuses portrayed the is massive for Labour and its leadership –<br />
difference tellingly. As one media commentator especially navigating the New Zealand ship<br />
put it, the difference in the racial composition across choppy Covid-19 waters.<br />
of the two was stark. New Zealand voters Though it is famously said a day is a very<br />
have given themselves the opportunity to long time in politics, three years is not. <strong>The</strong><br />
hear from multiple voices and influences with clever Kiwi voter will be keenly watching.<br />
the leadership that demonstrably believes in Dev Nadkarni is Founding Editor and<br />
and stands for the values of inclusiveness, Editor-at-Large, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
graduate in the University of Auckland and subsequent career<br />
journey as a medical doctor and overseas assignments in<br />
international institutions like World Health Organization and<br />
United Nations is something that reverberates with every Kiwi-<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> household.<br />
This is an aspiration secretly shared in every Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong><br />
household where parents work hard and strive to provide the best<br />
possible education to their children and expect them to shine in<br />
every aspect of their respective careers.<br />
In appreciation of this basic social ethos of our Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong><br />
community, the <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> had covered Gaurav Sharma<br />
in 2015 in our 'Face of the Week' segment, long before he has<br />
laid out his political ambitions in the open.<br />
<strong>The</strong> story informs us that Sharma born in a place called<br />
Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, India, first arrived in NZ at<br />
the age of twelve, almost twenty years ago, and quickly started<br />
showing his talent in school and college education, which is<br />
indeed inspirational for everyone.<br />
Dr Gaurav Sharma’s CV minus his recent<br />
political success alone will establish<br />
chord with every house in Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong><br />
for<br />
decades, India<br />
has been known as<br />
a global powerhouse<br />
for producing worldclass<br />
graduates, doctors,<br />
engineers, and lately IT<br />
specialists and business<br />
professionals.<br />
community as a medical doctor (GP)<br />
who has previously been involved in<br />
public health, policy, medicine and<br />
consulting in New Zealand, Spain,<br />
USA, Nepal, Vietnam, Mongolia,<br />
Switzerland and India.<br />
He also has a Masters in Business<br />
Administration from <strong>The</strong> George<br />
Washington University in Washington DC<br />
where he was a Fulbright Scholar.<br />
<strong>The</strong> early struggles that new migrant<br />
families face in this country<br />
One another silent, but significant aspect of Sharma’s<br />
inspirational story is the immense challenges that almost every<br />
new ethnic minority migrant community faces in this country<br />
– the story of financial struggles, the economic deprivation<br />
and the will to survive against all odds in an altogether<br />
foreign country.<br />
In many interviews given to mainstream media, Sharma<br />
has opened his heart and explained his deep connection<br />
with Labour’s social justice movement emanating from<br />
the perils of homelessness that his father had to endure<br />
in early years of their settlement in this country<br />
– something which most<br />
members of Kiwi-<strong>Indian</strong><br />
community.<br />
Nothing mentioned<br />
above is to dilute<br />
Sharma’s own<br />
h a n d w o r k ,<br />
diligence, passion<br />
and commitment in<br />
his life journey so<br />
far, but to point the<br />
fact that his entire<br />
family’s story could<br />
very easily resonate<br />
with a lot of Kiwi-<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> households.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re would be<br />
many in the community<br />
who would be inspired by<br />
the arduous journey that<br />
his new migrant family<br />
has<br />
endured in this<br />
country.<br />
successfully<br />
NZ’s first ‘Diwali at the Mall’ event to be held in Wellington<br />
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD<br />
Wellingtonians will have the first-ever<br />
opportunity of experiencing Diwali<br />
celebrations in a shopping mall this<br />
weekend.<br />
Celebrations of major festivals like Christmas<br />
and Easter in the shopping mall is quite a<br />
global phenomenon, including in New Zealand,<br />
however, getting Diwali to enter into shopping<br />
mall will be something unique and reflective of<br />
our growing diversity and multiculturalism.<br />
Ekta New Zealand – a prominent community<br />
organisation, based in Wellington is leading a<br />
community effort in organising first of a kind<br />
“Diwali at the Mall” at North City Shopping<br />
Centre in Porirua, Wellington.<br />
Speaking to the <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> Sonam<br />
Srivastava, Ekta’s project lead for the “Diwali<br />
at the Mall” event said “this is the first time that<br />
a Diwali event is being held at a mall anywhere<br />
in Wellington. And this is significant. It is a<br />
reflection of how the country is becoming more<br />
accepting of the diversity that currently exists.<br />
We can celebrate and partake in each other’s<br />
festivals.”<br />
Sonam further added that the two-day event<br />
at the North City mall would allow shoppers<br />
to experience different facets of the festival<br />
of Diwali including dance, music, food and<br />
colourful decoration and perhaps participate in<br />
the activities too in the mall.<br />
“We, in Ekta, think that greater unity or<br />
Ekta can be achieved when we are able to<br />
have shared experiences, and it is this shared<br />
experience that is underlying our celebration,”<br />
Sonam added.<br />
North City mall will have a large rangoli made<br />
for people to see, sweets will be distributed for<br />
shoppers, children will be able to participate in<br />
Diwali themed activities, women can do Henna,<br />
there will be actual diyas (lamps) to light and<br />
take photos and lucky draws on both days.<br />
In addition to the activity list at the mall<br />
event, there will also be saree draping for<br />
women, turban draping for all visitors, taking<br />
pictures, create rangolis and fun activity for<br />
every shopper who wants to participate in the<br />
festival.<br />
<strong>The</strong> event will be held on Saturday and<br />
Sunday, <strong>October</strong> 24 and 25 from 12 p.m. to 2<br />
p.m. but the decorations will be for entire two<br />
days at the mall.<br />
“Diwali at the Mall is about empowering the<br />
community and contributing to building a more<br />
inclusive New Zealand.<br />
“This event will lead up to the massive<br />
annual Wellington Diwali Festival at TSB Bank<br />
Arena, Shed 6 and Queens Wharf on Sunday,<br />
<strong>October</strong> 25,” Sonam added.<br />
<strong>The</strong> event is supported by North City Mall,<br />
Kiwi Community Assistance and Nikau<br />
Foundation, and there will be volunteers with<br />
Koha boxes at the mall during the event.<br />
Among the dignitaries who will be attending<br />
the launch will be former Governor-General of<br />
NZ, Sir Anand Satyanand, High Commissioners<br />
of India, Malaysia, Singapore and Malaysia,<br />
the Mayor of Porirua, the Director of Office of<br />
Ethnic Communities and local Iwi elders and<br />
leaders.
“Learning English gave me<br />
confidence to make friends.”<br />
Your family member might have pre-paid for English lessons<br />
when they applied for their visa to New Zealand.<br />
Learning English will help your family member build confidence for their daily life.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y will be able to understand what happening in New Zealand and how it affects<br />
them.<br />
Ask the Tertiary Education Commission to check if your family member has money<br />
to use, and how to enrol for English lessons.<br />
Call 0800 601 301 or visit tec.govt.nz/pre-paid-English-lessons
MELA<br />
SUNDAY<br />
25 OCTOBER<br />
TSB BANK ARENA<br />
AND SHED 6,<br />
QUEENS WHARF<br />
3PM–8.30PM<br />
Gold coin entry<br />
Find out more at<br />
wellington.govt.nz/diwali<br />
J011440
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
NEW ZEALAND 9<br />
Mayur Dance Academy to perform at<br />
Wellington Diwali Festival’s opening ceremony<br />
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD<br />
<strong>The</strong> excitement for Diwali season will<br />
begin with the Wellington Diwali<br />
Festival, which is happening in the<br />
capital city over the labour weekend.<br />
One of the leading dance schools of <strong>Indian</strong><br />
cultural dances from Wellington, Mayur<br />
Dance Academy is expressing rejoice for the<br />
opportunity to perform at the official opening<br />
ceremony at the Wellington Diwali Festival.<br />
<strong>The</strong> festival has survived the Covid scare<br />
that has disrupted and cancelled many major<br />
cultural events all around the country, courtesy<br />
to the zeal of the Wellington Council to deliver<br />
an opportunity to Wellingtonians to celebrate in<br />
this unusual year and the meticulous planning<br />
of the production team to hold the festival<br />
under Alert Level 1.<br />
Wellingtonians are in for a treat this<br />
Sunday as Wellington Diwali kicks off with<br />
an impressive display of light, music, food,<br />
cultural performances and end with fireworks.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> spoke with Mayur<br />
Dance Academy founder Suparna Basu who<br />
was enthralled to share her excitement for<br />
bringing four slots of performances on the<br />
Diwali stage this Sunday at Wellington Diwali<br />
Festival.<br />
Suparna Basu, a trained classical <strong>Indian</strong> dance<br />
master, also told the <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> that her<br />
students have been performing for all eight<br />
years of Wellington Diwali Festival.<br />
Her school is known for teaching classical<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> dance forms such as Bharatnatyam,<br />
Kathak, Bollywood to dance and music<br />
enthusiasts, especially young Kiwi <strong>Indian</strong>s in<br />
the Wellington region.<br />
“We have been part of the Diwali festival for<br />
eight years now and have entertained the crowd<br />
with the richness of <strong>Indian</strong> classical dance and<br />
music.<br />
“This year, Mayur Dance Academy students<br />
OPINION: Did National ever have a 'plan' for this election?<br />
SANDEEP SINGH<br />
National Party will undoubtedly be<br />
on a soul-searching introspection<br />
mission soon. However, the first thing<br />
that it could do well now, is to acknowledge<br />
the grim reality that it never “had a plan” for<br />
this election.<br />
<strong>The</strong> “plan” that National’s campaign<br />
messages were trumpeting loud and<br />
boisterously in the lead up to the election - was<br />
for a supposed economic recovery - from the<br />
current downturn that the country was facing<br />
because of Covid-infliction disruptions.<br />
Surprisingly, there was no “plan” to deal with<br />
the continuously rising popularity of Prime<br />
Minister Jacinda Ardern, which has further<br />
risen after New Zealand’s success in managing<br />
the impact of public health pandemic.<br />
Instead, the party had remained either<br />
delusional or distracted or just not bothered<br />
with Prime Minister Ardern’s continuously<br />
rising popularity.<br />
Contrary to 2017, it was not the “stardust” that<br />
the National had then chosen to contemptuously<br />
define and subsequently ignore, and just been<br />
hoping that it will automatically recede by the<br />
time of next election when it will supposedly<br />
fail to deliver many of their aspirational goals.<br />
It was merely wishful thinking, which clearly<br />
had not unfolded as per the party’s hopes.<br />
In the lead up to <strong>2020</strong> election, what National<br />
was facing was not mere “stardust” of an<br />
untested, freshly minted, a seemingly woke and<br />
glamorous leader, who was anointed out of turn<br />
within her party to turn around its fortunes.<br />
Rather Ardern had transcended into a truly<br />
popular leader who had been at the helm of<br />
will be opening the event that will be followed<br />
with the formal ceremony of the festival with<br />
dignitaries and guests,” Suparna Basu said.<br />
<strong>The</strong> dance group in the past has performed<br />
at the parliament, Holi festival, temples,<br />
Diwali celebrations of <strong>Indian</strong> associations<br />
and community groups, and give an annual<br />
production event for the dance school every<br />
year.<br />
Ms Basu adds that this year, 42 of near<br />
200 students of Mayur Dance Academy will<br />
be performing at the Diwali stage and their<br />
National Party Leader Judith Collins (Photo Courtesy- RNZ / Samuel Rillstone)<br />
affairs for one full term, led the nation through<br />
some shocking crisis in a never-seen-before,<br />
kind and compassionate style of leadership,<br />
and maintained at least an economic status-quo<br />
right till the Covid disruptions - if that gives<br />
some assurance to National’s normal supporters<br />
- and yet was popular.<br />
National seems to have been misled by a<br />
selective line of commentary appearing within<br />
some sections of the media, which argued<br />
that Ardern’s recent popularity was at best<br />
erroneous, and an infatuation of “fear-stricken”<br />
people who have been scared out of their<br />
lives because of the manner of government’s<br />
covid management.<br />
While nothing wrong in such media<br />
commentaries, despite reflecting upon the<br />
intelligence level of the public a bit poorly,<br />
it is for the political parties and their “thinktanks”<br />
to know how best to process such<br />
selective analyses.<br />
Often, such passionate yet selective<br />
performances will have three different forms of<br />
classical, and one Bollywood dance.<br />
“We have two groups of 12, one of eight<br />
and another ten who will perform at the Diwali<br />
event this weekend.<br />
“Our students are very excited to be a part<br />
of this years’ event as this is their first big<br />
stage performance in the last eight months as<br />
evidently, most of the events were cancelled or<br />
postponed due to Covid-19 this year,” Ms Basu<br />
added.<br />
She says the students have been rehearsing<br />
commentaries have to be reconciled with more<br />
divergent-assessments of the same political<br />
realities, to have a more comprehensive<br />
understanding of complex challenges.<br />
In politics, one is doomed to fail, if they<br />
take a myopic view of any issue or challenge,<br />
and National’s view of the political challenge<br />
ahead, particularly ever since the Covid had<br />
hit upon us was extremely myopic and a recipe<br />
for disaster.<br />
<strong>The</strong> National Party had clearly underestimated<br />
Ardern’s massive popularity and never had<br />
a “plan” to deal with a first-term popular<br />
Prime Minister.<br />
This was also an outcome of the party’s<br />
failure in comprehending the electoral outcome<br />
of 2017 elections and coming to terms to the<br />
new reality of sitting in opposition, despite then<br />
being the single largest party in the parliament.<br />
<strong>The</strong> party had since then been living in<br />
their own little world with a false self-entitled<br />
view that it deserved to be in the government<br />
for their performances for six weeks now, and<br />
each of the performances will be something<br />
fresh, new, and diverse to offer.<br />
About Wellington Diwali Festival <strong>2020</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Wellington Diwali Festival of <strong>2020</strong><br />
will be unique is it is the only Diwali event in<br />
New Zealand which will be held on a massive<br />
scale with the expectation of the attendance of<br />
thousands at the venues.<br />
<strong>The</strong> event does not just offer great music,<br />
exhilarating performances and festive<br />
ambience but also lip-smacking snacks from<br />
different corners of India, beverages, activities<br />
such as Henna, art, craft and clothing stalls<br />
etc. Not to forget, the event will be concluded<br />
with a spectacular firework to be seen on the<br />
waterfront.<br />
<strong>The</strong> event starts at 3 p.m. and ends with the<br />
fireworks at 8:30 p.m.<br />
and not in the opposition trenches, and hence<br />
completely underestimating the difficult<br />
path ahead.<br />
<strong>The</strong> journey from the opposition<br />
trenches to power in government<br />
is arduous most of the times.<br />
Some of the glaring failures within the<br />
coalition government such as in housing,<br />
Kiwibuild, Light-rail, etc had only been<br />
enhancing National’s self-entitled view in<br />
the last term that this election will be for the<br />
government to lose, and not the opposition<br />
to win.<br />
That explains, no serious brainstorm within<br />
the party in the last term, about the future of<br />
political and financial-conservatism in this<br />
country, as it wished to reap the benefits of the<br />
dominance of the so-called Key-English era in<br />
NZ politics.<br />
<strong>The</strong> party failed to foresee that the country<br />
had very swiftly entered into Jacinda Ardernera<br />
in politics and had neither any appreciation<br />
and nor any plan on how to sail through this<br />
new era of politics.<br />
What Nats had at best offered in this election,<br />
was incessant attacks on the government, which<br />
were often baseless and unsubstantiated, and<br />
a demonstration of an abject lack of political<br />
large-heartedness – something that was<br />
completely antithetical to Jacinda Ardern style<br />
of politics.<br />
An honest acknowledgement of this<br />
seemingly simple, but a glaring error, will<br />
allow the party an honest introspection and put<br />
it quickly on a path to recovery and possibly<br />
road to power sooner, than what may appear<br />
from the latest electoral drubbing.
10 NEW ZEALAND<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
Kiwi <strong>Indian</strong> entrepreneur to launch one-stopmultiple<br />
services based mobile app ‘Run4Me’<br />
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD<br />
A<br />
Kiwi<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> IT engineer and<br />
entrepreneur based in Auckland is<br />
launching New Zealand’s first and<br />
perhaps only online-based multiple services<br />
mobile app and website.<br />
Suresh Mogili, an IT engineer with a<br />
speciality in hardware such as mobile, computer<br />
and electronic items, had been exploring for a<br />
business idea using his talents in computers and<br />
its applications.<br />
During his research, Suresh came across the<br />
idea for an app and website that serves multiple<br />
purposes for a consumer from one platform.<br />
Delving further into developing this concept,<br />
Suresh found that there are several companies<br />
or apps that offer different services but not a<br />
simple platform that brings various services to<br />
one place, like a one-stop-shop solution.<br />
Introducing e-commerce platform<br />
‘Run4Me’, a specialized app and website for<br />
online essentials sales, and deliveries all over<br />
New Zealand, rideshare for passenger and also<br />
other services involved in one place.<br />
Speaking about his start-up, entrepreneur<br />
Suresh Mogili says Run4Me is one of a kind<br />
designed to provide benefits to both businesses/<br />
vendors and consumers alike.<br />
“Run4me will benefit businesses and<br />
vendors, increase sales, keep the businesses<br />
busy as we promote partnering businesses on<br />
our platform, watch the orders come in through<br />
doors online, reach more customers, attract new<br />
local customers and keep them coming back for<br />
more,” Suresh said.<br />
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<strong>The</strong> website and app for a start will have<br />
delivery services such as food, alcohol,<br />
groceries including fruits, All meat, medicines,<br />
baby products, paper bags for a retail business<br />
with Run4Me branding and courier services to<br />
deliver them on the same day.<br />
Suresh adds that all products will be sold<br />
online or through the app as listed on Run4me,<br />
and the customers will have the liberty to<br />
choose whatever categories they want on the<br />
app.<br />
Other services include taxi (rideshare)<br />
services, hotel or backpacker bookings, packers<br />
and movers, labour supply for companies, car<br />
rentals and hiring drivers, all on one platform.<br />
For listing on the app, Suresh says the host<br />
will have best charges for businesses compared<br />
to the ones offered in the market, will have the<br />
best payout for drivers and attractive prices,<br />
discounts and promotions for consumers<br />
buying products or services from Run4Me.<br />
Suresh says that concerning deliveries of<br />
products and services; he already has a fleet of<br />
vehicles owned and branded Run4Me with over<br />
200 drivers registered in Auckland, Wellington,<br />
Christchurch and a few other cities around New<br />
Zealand.<br />
Run4me is tying up with companies in retail<br />
and food sector such as restaurants takeaways,<br />
grocery, meat, alcohol retailer etc. and also act<br />
as their delivery partner to get the products or<br />
services delivered to their doorsteps safely and<br />
on time.<br />
“We have special services for businesses<br />
such as take orders from phone calls from<br />
customers, do delivery for them at minimal<br />
cost, use dedicated drivers for phone call orders,<br />
businesses can request multi-deliveries at the<br />
same time, add multi-branches on Run4Me<br />
and also add their other business with the same<br />
registered account number,” Suresh said.<br />
Marketing the to be launched e-commerce<br />
site, Suresh said he would be doing nationallevel<br />
marketing which will be nearly costless<br />
for businesses registered with Run4Me as<br />
vendors, take a nominal commission to support<br />
local enterprises make more sales.<br />
“Businesses will have no registration charges<br />
and will not be limited with term contracts and<br />
will have the liberty to terminate the services<br />
with Run4Me, their special offers will run<br />
on Run4Me through its social media handles<br />
such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and will<br />
be provided with tablets to selected registered<br />
businesses,” Suresh added.<br />
People can use the new exciting venture in<br />
the market on their Facebook page, https://<br />
www.facebook.com/Run4Me.World/.<br />
Website: www.run4me.world
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
NEW ZEALAND 11<br />
Man served trespassing notice by police<br />
after suspicious activity at a mosque<br />
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD<br />
A<br />
44-year-old man from<br />
Whangarei has been served<br />
with a trespass notice by<br />
New Zealand Police for acting<br />
suspiciously at a mosque and Islamic<br />
centre in central Auckland region.<br />
<strong>The</strong> incident is said to have<br />
occurred on <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> 2 under<br />
Covid Alert Level 2 restrictions<br />
when a man carrying a bag visited<br />
the Islamic centre complex and input<br />
fake name, contact and incorrect<br />
time in the Covid tracer sheet of the<br />
centre.<br />
He was attended by one of the<br />
mosque members who greeted and<br />
asked him how he could be helped,<br />
to which he presented a strange story<br />
to the centre attendee.<br />
Suspicion arose when the mosque<br />
member noted the incorrect time of<br />
visit mentioned on the Covid tracer<br />
sheet.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> individual presented<br />
a strange story, said he was a<br />
convert and became aggressive and<br />
argumentative,” Abdul Latif, FIANZ<br />
Security Director told <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong><br />
<strong>Weekender</strong>.<br />
Later the same day, the man<br />
went to a mosque on the same road<br />
approximately half a kilometre away<br />
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD<br />
Immigration New Zealand has<br />
announced that the selection<br />
of Expression of Interests for<br />
residence class visas under the<br />
Skilled Migrant Category for offshore<br />
applicants have been deferred<br />
for another six months<br />
“<strong>The</strong> deferral of the Expression of<br />
Interests (EOI) is a measure assists<br />
Immigration New Zealand (INZ)<br />
to focus on processing applications<br />
from people in New Zealand or<br />
eligible to travel here while border<br />
restrictions are in place,” INZ said.<br />
<strong>The</strong> decision to restart the selection<br />
of EOIs will be reviewed in 2021,<br />
Immigration New Zealand notified.<br />
EOIs for Parent Visa has also been<br />
Mosque Scare- CAPTION- Referencei only<br />
from where he was attended by a<br />
member of the Mosque and on being<br />
spoken to, presented another strange<br />
story.<br />
<strong>The</strong> man visited in the afternoon<br />
time, just after the <strong>Friday</strong> mass<br />
congregational prayers were held.<br />
“Again, at the mosque, the man<br />
speaking agitatedly, and became<br />
dismissive of any questions posed<br />
to him or being asked his purpose of<br />
visiting the mosque,” Mr Latif added.<br />
Due to his suspicious behaviour<br />
at the mosque, he was asked what<br />
he was carrying in his bag, which he<br />
Selection of EOIs for residence class<br />
visas delayed by another six months<br />
put off for six months<br />
<strong>The</strong> expression of interest for<br />
residence class visas under parent<br />
category also stands extended<br />
for six months as per the latest<br />
announcement by Immigration New<br />
Zealand.<br />
<strong>The</strong> government, earlier in April<br />
during the first wave of Covid-19<br />
and Alert Level 4 lockdown in New<br />
Zealand had suspended a number<br />
of visa programmes that included<br />
selection for EOIs in the SMC and<br />
Parent Category.<br />
It was then said to be a temporary<br />
measure taken under special<br />
circumstances of Covid-19 outbreak<br />
in the country and was supposed to<br />
be reassessed by INZ as the situation<br />
developed.<br />
refused to answer or get checked by<br />
the mosque member.<br />
<strong>The</strong> attendee was soon approached<br />
by two other members of the Mosque<br />
greeting him in Arabic ‘Assalam<br />
Alaikum’ that translates to ‘peace<br />
be upon you’ to which the visitor<br />
became further enraged and started<br />
arguing on the greeting saying the<br />
mosque members are trying to get rid<br />
of him.<br />
<strong>The</strong> man hastily left the premises<br />
and police were called to the mosque.<br />
Upon narrating the whole incident<br />
to the police, both at the Islamic<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> PM Narendra Modi congratulates<br />
Jacinda Ardern on her landslide election victory<br />
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> Prime Minister Narendra<br />
Modi has congratulated New<br />
Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda<br />
Ardern on her landslide election<br />
victory last night.<br />
PM Modi in a tweet this afternoon<br />
recalled meeting PM Ardern in New<br />
York last year and extended his<br />
compliments for her victory.<br />
“My heartiest congratulations to<br />
the PM of New Zealand Jacinda<br />
Ardern on her resounding victory.<br />
“Recall our last meet a year ago<br />
and look forward to working together<br />
for taking India-NZ relationship to a<br />
higher level,” PM Modi tweeted.<br />
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on<br />
Saturday won a landslide victory in<br />
Centre and the Mosque- police were<br />
able to identify the man, questioned<br />
his purpose of visit at the mosque and<br />
served a trespass notice from visiting<br />
the premises in the future.<br />
“Police has identified and located<br />
the man who visited the mosque. He<br />
has subsequently been trespassed<br />
from the premises.<br />
“We thank the member of our<br />
community who brought this to<br />
police’s attention. We encourage<br />
anyone who witnesses suspicious<br />
activity to report this to police,” a<br />
police spokesperson investigating the<br />
incident told <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong>.<br />
FIANZ Security Director Abdul<br />
Lateef said it is important for<br />
members of the community to stay<br />
vigilant and report any suspicious<br />
activities around mosques or<br />
religious places.<br />
“My advisory was designed to<br />
ensure vigilance on arrival and<br />
departing the Masjid, questioning<br />
anyone whom people are unfamiliar<br />
with (before they get inside the<br />
Masjid) and about calling 111 if there<br />
is a serious concern,” Abdul Lateef<br />
said.<br />
Mr Lateef further added that two<br />
days prior to the Auckland event,<br />
an individual was seen at the same<br />
mosque car park trying car windows<br />
the general elections securing her a<br />
second term in office.<br />
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern<br />
said the next government would be<br />
and mosque authorities were alerted,<br />
but the person was able to evade<br />
before being apprehended.<br />
He added that it is not sure if the<br />
two incidents were related, but the<br />
community members have to remain<br />
alert and report any suspicious<br />
activities in or around mosques.<br />
Mr Lateef also said that there had<br />
been a few mental health-related<br />
incidents at some mosques around<br />
New Zealand.<br />
A person was apprehended and<br />
handed over to the police from a<br />
mosque in Manawatu earlier last<br />
month as he visited the centre and<br />
created an aggravated situation<br />
amongst mosque members and<br />
visitors.<br />
He was later found to have mental<br />
health issues and had checked<br />
himself out from a psychiatric ward<br />
of a hospital in the region. He was<br />
handed to the police for his and<br />
public safety.<br />
Since this incident has happened,<br />
FIANZ through its Security Advisory<br />
wing has conveyed a message across<br />
all mosques and Islamic centres<br />
through different mediums to remain<br />
alert of any suspicious activities<br />
or visits by unknown persons at<br />
mosques or mosque premises in New<br />
Zealand.<br />
formed within the next few weeks,<br />
and with 64 seats, Labour will be the<br />
first party able to govern alone since<br />
MMP was introduced in 1996.<br />
Slow down, buckle up, and plan ahead for a safe Labour Day weekend<br />
IWK BUREAU<br />
New Zealand Police and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport<br />
Agency are asking Kiwis to plan ahead, slow down, and<br />
buckle up for a safe <strong>2020</strong> Labour Day long weekend.<br />
“Many roads around the country are likely to be very busy<br />
before and during the long weekend, and we’re anticipating<br />
high volumes of traffic on many state highways and local roads.<br />
Congestion and some delays are inevitable in peak times, but<br />
if everyone leaves plenty of time for their journey, drives to the<br />
conditions and plans ahead before leaving home, the worst of<br />
the frustrations can be eased and everyone can concentrate on<br />
arriving safely at their destination,” says Greg Lazzaro, Waka<br />
Kotahi General Manager Safety, Health and Environment.<br />
NZ Police Acting Superintendent Gini Welch says buckling<br />
up and driving at a safe speed are two ‘must-dos’ for safe<br />
holiday journeys.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> biggest life saver you have in your vehicle is your right<br />
foot. That foot controls your speed and your braking.<br />
Just like physics teaches us, the faster you’re going, the<br />
greater the impact. So less speed, means less harm,” says<br />
Acting Superintendent Welch.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> next biggest life saver you have is your seatbelt.<br />
If something goes wrong, that belt could save your life.<br />
“This is our first long weekend since June, and with travel<br />
restricted to our own backyard there will be more traffic on our<br />
roads. More traffic means more risk, just by sheer volume.<br />
So it’s even more important to remember the safety basics<br />
like wear your seatbelt and drive to the conditions.<br />
“You don’t need to drive right up to the speed limit.<br />
If the road is wet or windy, slow down.<br />
And if you’re in traffic, it’s just as important to watch your<br />
speed and your following distance from the car in front.<br />
You need to give yourself space to react if something goes<br />
wrong up ahead.”<br />
Greg Lazzaro says travel may be more spread out across the<br />
country this year with holiday makers taking the opportunity<br />
to have a longer break either side of Labour Day weekend and<br />
exploring different regions to normal.<br />
“Leaving at non-peak hours can make travel safer, less<br />
stressful and more enjoyable. You can plan ahead for a safe,<br />
enjoyable Labour Day weekend with the help of our on-line<br />
holiday journeys map.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> holiday journeys map shows predicted traffic flow across<br />
popular journeys over the Labour Day weekend on popular<br />
holiday travel routes based on previous years travel patterns.<br />
Because predicted peak times can change based on incidents,<br />
weather and even driver behaviour, check our real time Journey<br />
Planner for latest traffic and travel information before you head<br />
off. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Journey Planner is<br />
a great tool to help you plan your trip with real time travel<br />
information, traffic cameras, and updates on delays, roadworks<br />
and road closures just before you head off.
27 Oct–14 Nov<br />
Festival<br />
of Lights<br />
Discover the full<br />
festival line-up at<br />
aucklandnz.com/diwali<br />
Major Partner<br />
Sponsors<br />
Foundation Partner
Ellen Melville Centre<br />
Activity Guide<br />
2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD <strong>Friday</strong> 30 <strong>October</strong><br />
Warkworth Town Hall<br />
Activity Guide<br />
2 Alnwick Street, Warkworth <strong>Friday</strong> 30 <strong>October</strong><br />
Time<br />
Activity<br />
Time<br />
Activity<br />
9am - 12pm<br />
Rangoli Chalk It Up artists<br />
10am - 5pm<br />
Kids rangoli & colouring competition<br />
10am - 5pm<br />
Harcourts House of Rangoli: Kids rangoli & colouring competition<br />
10am - 5pm<br />
DIY Henna designs<br />
10am - 5pm<br />
DIY Henna designs<br />
10am - 5pm<br />
Learn how to wear a Saree and try one on<br />
10am - 5pm<br />
Learn how to wear a Saree and try one on<br />
10am - 5pm<br />
Try some chai station<br />
10am - 12pm<br />
Friendship bracelet and anklet making by Papaya Stories<br />
5pm - 6pm<br />
Introduction to classical music with Sargam School of Music<br />
12pm - 1pm<br />
Bollywood dance workshop for all ages with Khottey Sikkey<br />
7pm - 10pm<br />
ASB Presents: Lion<br />
1 pm- 2pm Bollyrobix<br />
1pm - 2pm<br />
2pm - 4pm<br />
4pm - 9pm<br />
6:30pm - 7:30pm<br />
8:30pm - 10pm<br />
Introduction to classical music with Sargam School of Music<br />
Cooking Class<br />
Chai tea & Diwali sweets<br />
Panel discussion: Women Empowerment<br />
ASB Presents: <strong>The</strong> Lunchbox<br />
Getting here:<br />
Check Journey Planner for public transport options.<br />
Getting here:<br />
Car parks available near Ellen Melville Centre.<br />
Check Journey Planner for public transport options.<br />
Mobility parking is available on High Street.<br />
Avondale Community Centre<br />
Activity Guide<br />
99 Rosebank Road, Avondale Saturday 31 <strong>October</strong><br />
Te Oro, Glen Innes<br />
Activity Guide<br />
98 Line Road, Glen Innes Saturday 31 <strong>October</strong><br />
Time<br />
12pm - 1pm<br />
12pm - 2pm<br />
Activity<br />
Belly Dance for Beginners with Phoenix<br />
Kids rangoli & colouring competition<br />
Time<br />
10am - 8pm<br />
10am - 2pm<br />
10am - 11am<br />
Activity<br />
Art Exhibition by Shruti Yatri<br />
Spice Market by Spice Land<br />
Sound Meditation by Papaya Stories<br />
12pm - 4pm<br />
Papaya Stories Bracelet and Anklet making<br />
10am - 11am<br />
Classical fusion dance for beginners by Sanskriti<br />
1pm - 6pm<br />
2pm - 3pm<br />
2pm - 4pm<br />
3pm- 4pm<br />
Snakes and Ladders interactive game<br />
Urban desi hip-hop dance workshop with <strong>The</strong> Disciples<br />
Make a diya lamp with <strong>The</strong> ReCreators<br />
Modern classical fusion dance workshop with A Touch of Bollywood<br />
11am- 12pm<br />
1pm - 2pm<br />
1pm - 5pm<br />
2pm - 3pm<br />
2pm - 3pm<br />
Sri Lankan dance workshop by NZSL Studio<br />
Learn to make traditional sweets: Rava Appam<br />
Harcourts House of Rangoli: Kids rangoli & colouring competition<br />
Learn how to make traditional snacks: Carrot Halwa<br />
Bollywood dance basics with Raul and Rian<br />
5pm - 6pm<br />
Bollywood dance workshop for all ages with Khottey Sikkey<br />
3pm - 4pm<br />
Learn to make Bhel Puri - Bombay street food<br />
5pm - 7pm<br />
5:30pm - 7:30pm<br />
6pm - 7pm<br />
Cooking Class<br />
Feed the Streets<br />
Kirtan music set by Part and Parcel<br />
4pm - 5pm<br />
3pm - 4pm<br />
3pm - 4pm<br />
4pm - 5pm<br />
Learn to make Lemon Rice and Pakora<br />
Introduction to classical music with Sargam School of Music<br />
Bhangra fusion workshop with Garagewalas<br />
BollyGarba fusion workshop with Desibeat<br />
8pm - 10pm<br />
ASB Presents: Million Dollar Arm<br />
4pm - 8pm<br />
Outdoor DJ<br />
6:30pm - 7:30pm<br />
Panel discussion: Modern Day Arranged Marriages<br />
Getting here:<br />
Limited car parks available surrounding Avondale<br />
Community Centre. Check Journey Planner for<br />
public transport options. Mobility parking is available<br />
behind the Avondale Library Centre.<br />
8pm - 8:30pm<br />
8:30pm - 10pm<br />
Getting here:<br />
Pre-film entertainment<br />
ASB Presents: Bride & Prejudice<br />
Limited car parks available on the streets surrounding<br />
Te Oro. Check Journey Planner for public transport<br />
options. Mobility parking is available on Line Road.
Thought of the week<br />
“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the<br />
influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in<br />
this notion: <strong>The</strong> potential for greatness lives within<br />
each of us.” —Wilma Rudolph<br />
Editorial<br />
Significance of<br />
‘Quad’ group<br />
affirmed: India<br />
invites Australia<br />
to join Malabar<br />
naval exercise<br />
In a message to China on getting a wider footprint in the Indo-Pacific region, India<br />
invited Australia to take part in an annual naval drill -- Malabar Exercise -- in the<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> Ocean region along with the US and Japan to which Australia has agreed.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Indo-Pacific region is seen from the west coast of India to the US.<br />
It is for the first time that all the ‘Quad’ countries - an informal security forum<br />
comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia - will be part of Malabar exercise<br />
scheduled next month.<br />
Speculation is rife about whether this group of four countries will play a bigger role as<br />
a counter to Chinese assertiveness.<br />
It is important to note that till a year back, it was said that India was very cautious<br />
about doing anything that might upset China, especially since the Wuhan Summit.<br />
But, much has changed in the one year since, especially recently as Indo-China tensions<br />
escalated with the standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and culminated in<br />
the Galwan Valley clash in mid-June.<br />
Confirming the Australian Navy’s participation in the Malabar series, the <strong>Indian</strong><br />
Defence Ministry in a statement on Monday said: “India seeks to increase cooperation<br />
with other countries in the maritime security domain and in the light of increased defence<br />
cooperation with Australia, Malabar <strong>2020</strong> will see the participation of the Australian<br />
Navy.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> Malabar series of naval exercises started in 1992 as a bilateral India-US naval<br />
exercise. Japan joined it in 2015.<br />
This annual exercise has been conducted off the coast of Guam in the Philippines Sea<br />
in 2018, off the coast of Japan in 2019 and is expected to be held in the Bay of Bengal<br />
and the Arabian Sea later this year.<br />
This year, the exercise has been planned in a ‘non-contact-at sea’ format. <strong>The</strong> exercise<br />
will strengthen the coordination between the navies of the participating countries.<br />
<strong>The</strong> participants in the exercise are engaging to enhance safety and security in the<br />
maritime domain.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>y collectively support free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and remain committed<br />
to a rules based international order,” the ministry said.<br />
Earlier this year, the <strong>Indian</strong> Navy had conducted exercises with Russia and the ‘Quad’<br />
countries.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> Navy had carried out a three-day bilateral maritime exercise with Japan<br />
in the north Arabian Sea from September 26, <strong>2020</strong> to September 28. It was the fourth<br />
edition of the India-Japan Maritime bilateral exercise JIMEX, which is conducted<br />
biennially.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Australian Navy and the <strong>Indian</strong> Navy carried out a passage exercise in the East<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> Ocean Region on September <strong>23</strong> and 24. <strong>The</strong> exercise involved the participation<br />
of HMAS Hobart from the Australian side and <strong>Indian</strong> naval ships Sahyadri and Karmuk.<br />
In addition, an <strong>Indian</strong> maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters from both sides carried<br />
out coordinated exercises.<br />
A bilateral maritime exercise took place between the <strong>Indian</strong> and Russian navies in the<br />
Bay of Bengal on September 4 and 5. <strong>The</strong> exercise is known as ‘Indra Navy’ and was<br />
the 11th edition.<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> Navy units undertook Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with units of the US Nimitz<br />
Carrier Strike Group as they transited through the <strong>Indian</strong> Ocean region on July 20.<br />
<strong>23</strong> <strong>October</strong> – 29 <strong>October</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu<br />
On-and-off<br />
rain and<br />
drizzle<br />
16°<br />
9°<br />
Partly<br />
sunny<br />
15°<br />
8°<br />
17°<br />
9°<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> : Volume 12 Issue 32<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 />
14°<br />
10°<br />
A touch o<br />
dafr<br />
This week in New Zealand’s history<br />
25 <strong>October</strong> 1971<br />
End of the line for steam railways<br />
15°<br />
10°<br />
Copyright <strong>2020</strong>. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved.<br />
Sunshine<br />
and pactcy<br />
clouds<br />
16°<br />
9°<br />
A few<br />
morning<br />
showers<br />
<strong>The</strong> Christchurch–Dunedin overnight express, headed by a JA-class locomotive, ran the last<br />
scheduled steam-hauled service on New Zealand Railways (NZR), bringing to an end 108<br />
years of regular steam rail operations in this country.<br />
26 <strong>October</strong> 1942<br />
Women Jurors Act allows women to sit on juries<br />
<strong>The</strong> Act provided for women aged between 25 and 60 to have their names placed on the jury<br />
list on the same basis as men – if they so desired.<br />
27 <strong>October</strong> 1943<br />
First opposed New Zealand landing since Gallipoli<br />
Troops of 8 Brigade, 3 New Zealand Division, landed on Mono, one of the Treasury Islands<br />
in the Solomons group, to help clear it of Japanese forces. This was the first opposed landing<br />
by New Zealand troops since Gallipoli in 1915 (see 25 April).<br />
28 <strong>October</strong> 1835<br />
He Whakaputanga signed by northern chiefs<br />
Thirty-four northern chiefs signed He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni (the<br />
Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand) at a hui called by the<br />
British Resident, James Busby.<br />
29 <strong>October</strong> 1894<br />
SS Wairarapa wrecked on Great Barrier Island<br />
It remains the third deadliest shipwreck ever in New Zealand waters: 121 lives were lost when<br />
the steamer Wairarapa struck Miners Head, the north-west point of Great Barrier Island, 90<br />
km north-east of Auckland.<br />
29 <strong>October</strong> 1919<br />
Women can stand for Parliament<br />
On 29 <strong>October</strong> 1919, the Women’s Parliamentary Rights Act passed into law. Finally, women<br />
could stand for election to the House of Representatives.<br />
15°<br />
9°
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong> FIJI 15<br />
PM reaffirms Fiji’s<br />
commitment to NZ<br />
Prime Minister Voreqe<br />
Bainimarama says Fiji looks<br />
forward to enhancing its<br />
bilateral engagements with New<br />
Zealand and in advancing regional<br />
and global issues of common<br />
interests to both countries.<br />
He made the comments in his<br />
congratulatory message to NZ Prime<br />
Minister Jacinda Ardern, for the<br />
historic victory in general elections.<br />
Bainimarama says Fiji and NZ<br />
share strong bonds of friendship.<br />
He reaffirmed Fiji’s commitment<br />
to work closely with NZ to<br />
deepen bilateral relations and<br />
strengthen the solidarity of the Blue<br />
Pacific continent.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Head of the Fijian<br />
Government said that through the<br />
strong leadership of Ardern, the<br />
Pacific region will together become<br />
stronger and more resilient when<br />
overcoming the unprecedented<br />
challenges currently faced globally.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prime Minister conveyed the<br />
Fijian Government’s and the people<br />
of Fiji’s best wishes to Ardern for her<br />
re-election as the Prime Minister of<br />
New Zealand and wished her every<br />
success in her new term.<br />
Fiji still keen for 'bula bubble'<br />
with New Zealand and Australia<br />
Fiji's government is pressing<br />
ahead with its 'Bula Bubble'<br />
for New Zealand and Australia<br />
despite the two countries opting to<br />
resume travel elsewhere.<br />
<strong>The</strong> newly-appointed Cook Islands<br />
Prime Minister Mark Brown said he<br />
expects quarantine-free travel<br />
with New Zealand to be in place<br />
by December.<br />
New Zealand's Prime Minister<br />
said she expects her country will<br />
soon be in a position to open up to the<br />
Cook Islands.<br />
Fiji Prime Minister Frank<br />
Bainimarama said his country is<br />
committed to making the 'Bula<br />
Bubble' work with its major partners<br />
in the region.<br />
"Given that Fiji is Covidcontained,<br />
given we have gone more<br />
than 170 days without a new case of<br />
the virus, given the exemplary job we<br />
have done at managing our border<br />
and given the economic urgency of<br />
resuming flows of two-way trade<br />
and tourism, we are keen to see<br />
those discussions advance past the<br />
exploratory phase and on to practical<br />
progress as soon as possible."<br />
Addressing retailers in Suva this<br />
week, the prime minister assured the<br />
business community the government<br />
is in discussion with its regional<br />
"border<br />
closures<br />
had cut off the flow<br />
of revenue and the<br />
ripple effects have<br />
been felt across<br />
every industry in<br />
Fiji." He said Fijian<br />
businesses are<br />
suffering due to the<br />
pandemic<br />
development partners on resuming<br />
travel. Bainimarama said Fiji was<br />
expecting nearly one million visitors<br />
to its shores this year.<br />
But he said due to the Coronavirus,<br />
"border closures had cut off the flow<br />
of revenue and the ripple effects<br />
have been felt across every industry<br />
in Fiji." He said Fijian businesses are<br />
Fiji Is Covid-Free, Confirms Dr Fong<br />
Acting Permanent Secretary<br />
for the Ministry of Health<br />
and Medical Services, Dr<br />
James Fong, has confirmed that the<br />
two remaining COVID-19 patients<br />
that were in isolation at the Lautoka<br />
Hospital have been cleared of the<br />
virus and discharged.<br />
He confirmed that as of yesterday,<br />
there was no active case of the virus<br />
in the country.<br />
“Today (yesterday) is day one that<br />
we as a nation are without any active<br />
case of COVID-19,” Dr Fong said.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> remaining two patients had<br />
been cleared on <strong>October</strong> 13 from the<br />
Lautoka isolation facility and as of<br />
today (yesterday) there are no cases<br />
in isolation as they have all recovered<br />
and cleared.<br />
“We are happy that we are finally<br />
able to discharge the last two cases<br />
on Monday.”<br />
Dr Fong has requested the public<br />
to maintain vigilance and continue to<br />
adhere to COVID-19 State measures<br />
in place.<br />
“We need to understand that<br />
the risk still remains but they are<br />
mitigated by our strong quarantine<br />
measures.<br />
“Fiji still faces the threat of the<br />
introduction of COVID-19 into<br />
the country and in order for Fiji to<br />
survive we must allow our citizens<br />
to come back and we need to allow<br />
people who facilitate economic<br />
recovery to come back.”<br />
NZ Defence training team gets underway in Fiji<br />
A<br />
combined<br />
training team from the New Zealand Defence<br />
Force (NZDF) and Ministry of Defence will this week<br />
begin working alongside Fijian counterparts in areas<br />
ranging from basic hydrography to advanced combat first aid<br />
as part of a new training initiative in the Pacific Island nation.<br />
This is the first time that such a large group has deployed<br />
to Fiji to team up to train, coach, mentor and embed alongside<br />
military and defence counterparts.<br />
Defence Advisor to Fiji Lieutenant Colonel Josh Wineera<br />
said the COVID-19 environment had required a rethink of<br />
engagement with military partners, particularly in the Pacific.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> NZDF has well established health protocols and we<br />
have reassured the Fijian Ministry of Health that our deploying<br />
personnel will abide by regulations to ensure the safety of the<br />
Fijian public,” LTCOL Wineera said.<br />
“We have achieved two military activities this year that<br />
have taken into account Fiji’s COVID-19 regulations. <strong>The</strong> first<br />
was when Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft delivered<br />
humanitarian aid after Tropical Cyclone Harold in April and<br />
suffering due to the pandemic.<br />
Bainimarama said in particular the<br />
"small businesses have bore a heavy<br />
burden". He said the government had<br />
expressed its interest to New Zealand<br />
to resume regular travel.<br />
However Bainimarama said until<br />
Fiji's border reopens, "most business<br />
revenues will not be what they used<br />
to".<br />
Meanwhile, last week, the<br />
Australian government announced it<br />
had finalised a deal for a limited<br />
travel bubble across the Tasman that<br />
would allow people to travel from<br />
New Zealand to New South Wales<br />
and the Northern Territory states<br />
quarantine-free from 16 <strong>October</strong>.<br />
But the New Zealand PM said<br />
her country is still not ready to have<br />
quarantine-free travel.<br />
then in July, HMNZS OTAGO carried out a ‘no-contact’ fuel<br />
stop while the ship was conducting joint fishery patrols with the<br />
Fiji Navy,” he said.<br />
“This combined training team represents the first faceto-face<br />
contact between our nations this year and clearly<br />
demonstrates the trust between our two militaries in<br />
partnering for essential training.<br />
"Working with our counterparts and growing capability<br />
is something we really enjoy doing. We’re very pleased to<br />
We owe a lot to our front-line heroes<br />
to keep Fiji COVID-Contained – PM<br />
Prime Minister, Voreqe<br />
Bainimarama says with<br />
global coronavirus infections<br />
surpassing 40 million, most people<br />
on earth live under constant threat of<br />
infection from the deadly coronavirus<br />
but fortunately that is not in Fiji.<br />
While speaking to the frontline<br />
workers at Nadi International<br />
Airport today, Bainimarama says our<br />
success in dealing with COVID-19<br />
is owed to our nurses, doctors, lab<br />
technicians and the members of our<br />
disciplined forces who have kept Fiji<br />
COVID-Contained.<br />
Bainimarama says this pandemic<br />
is the most sudden and devastating<br />
global event in 100 years. He says<br />
every nation was caught on their<br />
heels but in those crucial early<br />
months, Fiji was one of the few<br />
which did everything right.<br />
He says we have since achieved<br />
the world’s most remarkable record<br />
at containing this deadly disease.<br />
Bainimarama says some countries<br />
are COVID-free because they shut<br />
their borders completely, even to<br />
their own people, and never had the<br />
coronavirus. He says Fiji actually<br />
dealt with an outbreak and, together,<br />
we beat it.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prime Minister says Fiji<br />
systematically identified and<br />
quarantined every known contact of<br />
every single case in the country and<br />
broke every chain of transmission.<br />
He says even when Cyclone<br />
Harold struck us smack in the middle<br />
of our outbreak, the containment<br />
campaign was not blown off course.<br />
have been welcomed by the Government of Fiji and Republic<br />
of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) to assist in this way,” he said.<br />
RFMF Chief of Staff Captain (Navy) John Fox said the<br />
combined training team was the largest such contingent to<br />
deploy to Fiji this year.<br />
“When we first talked with the NZDF about the team it was<br />
evident that this was a bold idea to support our capacity building<br />
programme, especially as COVID-19 continues to be a major<br />
global concern. But we worked together to get the Kiwis in and<br />
the RFMF looks forward to the training and reaffirming our<br />
defence partnership,” he said.<br />
"We’re<br />
very pleased to<br />
have been welcomed<br />
by the Government of Fiji<br />
and Republic of Fiji Military<br />
Forces (RFMF) to assist<br />
in this way."<br />
Bainimarama says through it all,<br />
we have never turned our backs on<br />
Fijians around the world.<br />
He says with stringent infection<br />
protocols in place, we have safely<br />
repatriated our people without<br />
risking public well-being.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prime Minister says we have<br />
now gone 186 days without a new<br />
case outside of a secure border<br />
quarantine facility.<br />
He says many of the measures we<br />
implemented have been replicated<br />
elsewhere such as mandating<br />
quarantine for healthcare workers,<br />
the use of disciplined forces to<br />
monitor our border quarantine<br />
facilities, and the mandatory testing<br />
of those in border quarantine before<br />
release.<br />
He says we should not only be<br />
proud of what we have done, but of<br />
how we have done it.<br />
Bainimarama says when people<br />
are dealing with a stressful situation<br />
like quarantine or isolation, that<br />
quality of care means a great deal. He<br />
assured the front-line workers that it<br />
does not go unnoticed, and it will not<br />
be forgotten.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Senior National Officer for the combined<br />
training team, Lieutenant Colonel John<br />
Barclay, said everyone in the team<br />
was excited about the initiative and<br />
looking forward to getting under way<br />
this week, having completed 14 days’<br />
managed isolation in Fiji.
16<br />
INDIA<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
NEWS in BRIEF<br />
Should India review its relations with Taiwan?<br />
China has reacted angrily to reports of possible talks between India and<br />
Taiwan on a trade deal at a time when there is a growing debate in New<br />
Delhi on whether the government should review its relationship with Taipei<br />
against the backdrop of the border standoff in Ladakh.<br />
India’s relations with Taiwan: India and Taiwan do not have formal<br />
diplomatic relations but since 1995, both sides have maintained<br />
representative offices in each other’s capitals that function as de facto<br />
embassies. However, in a sign of the sensitivities involved, both offices<br />
don’t mention the word “Taiwan” in their names. Taiwan has the Taipei<br />
Economic and Cultural Center in New Delhi, and India has the India Taipei<br />
Association in Taipei.<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> trials on multiple Covid-19 drugs make<br />
progress, have Aatmanirbhar Bharat tilt<br />
At least two existing medicines<br />
that were repurposed for the<br />
treatment of coronavirus disease<br />
(Covid-19) have entered into<br />
phase III clinical trials that are<br />
being conducted by the Council for<br />
Scientific and Industrial Research<br />
(CSIR). This includes the antiviral<br />
medicine Umifenovir and a medicine that is used to treat blood infection<br />
caused by resistant gram-negative bacteria MW Sepsivac. CSIR has also<br />
been working with phytopharmaceuticals – or herbal medicines – including<br />
an antiviral AQCH, which is about to enter phase III trial.<br />
“We started a big clinical trial on MW Sepsivac as an immunomodulator<br />
and this trial has gone well. Phase II data has come out and now we<br />
are planning to launch the phase III trial. This immunomodulator will<br />
become a great support for Covid-19 patients. We are also working with<br />
phytopharmaceutical with AYUSH ministry. Today, our data for AQCH has<br />
come. This will be the first phytopharmaceutical to be evaluated with the<br />
modern trial approach,” said Dr S Chandrashekhar, director, <strong>Indian</strong> Institute<br />
of Chemical Technology (IICT) that is coordinating the trials.<br />
Eye on China, govt to bar universities from pacts<br />
with India’s neighbours<br />
<strong>The</strong> education ministry, after consultation with the Ministry of External<br />
Affairs, is considering making it mandatory for <strong>Indian</strong> universities<br />
to obtain prior permission from the government before signing any<br />
memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with educational institutions of<br />
countries that share land borders with India.<br />
<strong>The</strong> proposal was mooted by the education ministry after an August 9<br />
review of China-funded Confucius Centres attached to universities here and<br />
also MoUs signed between <strong>Indian</strong> and Chinese universities.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Confucius program is financed by the Office of Chinese Language<br />
Council International which has been linked to China’s United Front Work<br />
Department (UFWD) now headed by President Xi Jinping. Ostensibly<br />
meant to teach Chinese language and culture, the Confucius program<br />
has been accused of promoting China’s viewpoint and act as a vehicle<br />
for propaganda. Several countries including Australia and the US have<br />
previously had issues with the institutes.<br />
Plasma therapy may not be used on patients<br />
India is likely<br />
to remove<br />
convalescent plasma<br />
therapy from the<br />
National Clinical<br />
Management<br />
Protocol for the<br />
coronavirus disease<br />
(Covid-19) after it<br />
showed no benefits<br />
in treating patients of the viral disease.<br />
Convalescent plasma therapy involves transfusing critically ill Covid-19<br />
patients with convalescent plasma (antibody-rich plasma from patients who<br />
recovered from the disease) so that they can fight the disease better.<br />
“We have had discussions at the National Task Force (NTF) and we are<br />
discussing further with the Joint Monitoring Committee.<br />
"This (plasma therapy) may be deleted from the national guidelines,”<br />
said Dr Balram Bhargava, director general, India Council of Medical<br />
Research (ICMR).<br />
ICMR had conducted a pan-India study to determine the role of<br />
plasma therapy, and the Union health ministry had added it as one<br />
of the investigational therapies in the national protocol for treating<br />
Covid-19 patients.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> largest trial on plasma therapy has been done in India with 464<br />
patients in 39 hospitals and 350 doctors.<br />
"This paper was accepted in the British Medical Journal and we have<br />
received the proof and it is going to appear very soon. It is a full paper with<br />
more than 10 pages of hardcore science talking about the role of plasma in<br />
curing Covid-19,” said Bhargava.<br />
BIHAR ELECTIONS:<br />
EC takes note of packed<br />
rallies, warns parties of action<br />
for flouting Covid protocols<br />
Taking a severe view of<br />
crowded rallies held<br />
recently in Bihar, the<br />
Election Commission (EC) warned<br />
political parties of action if its<br />
instructions on maintaining crowd<br />
discipline and taking Covid-related<br />
precautions during campaigning are<br />
violated again.<br />
<strong>The</strong> poll watchdog simultaneously<br />
instructed the Bihar Chief Electoral<br />
Officer and its district machinery in<br />
the state to “invoke appropriate and<br />
relevant penal provisions” under the<br />
Disaster Management Act, and the<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> Penal Code against candidates<br />
found violating EC’s orders.<br />
<strong>The</strong> warning comes in the wake<br />
of election rallies in Bihar becoming<br />
more crowded and supporters not<br />
wearing masks while in attendance.<br />
Large crowds have been spotted<br />
at rallies recently addressed by<br />
RJD leader Tejashwi Pratap Yadav<br />
and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil<br />
Kumar Modi.<br />
<strong>The</strong> EC’s guidelines of<br />
August 21 mandate that physical<br />
gatherings should be held<br />
ensuring social distancing of at<br />
least two metres between the<br />
participants and that all of them are<br />
wearing masks.<br />
<strong>The</strong> guidelines do not mention<br />
a limit on the number of people<br />
who can attend rallies and meetings<br />
and instead state that the maximum<br />
number of attendees should not<br />
“exceed the limit prescribed by State<br />
Disaster Management Authority for<br />
public gatherings”.<br />
“Instances of such public<br />
meetings have come to notice of the<br />
Commission, where large numbers<br />
of crowds have assembled in utter<br />
violation of social distancing and<br />
On India-US agenda, a plan to share defence<br />
intel from Ladakh to South China Sea<br />
<strong>The</strong> 3rd two plus two ministerial meeting next<br />
week will see both India and the United States<br />
consolidating military-to-military relationship<br />
between the two democracies to move towards<br />
institutionalised intelligence-sharing agreement and go<br />
beyond tri-services exercises into unmanned, space and<br />
underwater platform domains, people familiar with the<br />
matter said.<br />
On <strong>October</strong> 26-27, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh<br />
and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will meet US<br />
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary<br />
Mark Esper in national capital Delhi for the third round<br />
of the top strategic dialogue agreed by Prime Minister<br />
Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump back in<br />
2017. <strong>The</strong> two sides are expected to sign off on a geospatial<br />
military foundational agreement called BECA<br />
(Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) that<br />
is a precursor to India acquiring armed drones such<br />
as the MQ-9B from the US that use spatial data for<br />
pinpointed strikes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> two sides are expected to build on past gains<br />
at the meeting being held weeks before the US<br />
Presidential elections on November 3, comfortable in the<br />
knowledge that there is bi-partisan consensus within the<br />
US on deepening India-US strategic relationship.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is a strong possibility that the two sides could<br />
work out a pact that allows institutionalised relationship<br />
between the Defence Intelligence Agencies of the<br />
two countries.<br />
India and the US already share real-time intelligence<br />
"<strong>The</strong> Commission has taken a<br />
serious view of the laxity on<br />
the part of political parties and candidates,<br />
on the ground, in terms of maintaining<br />
crowd discipline, and hereby reiterates and<br />
further advises them to demonstrate utmost<br />
vigil and care during electioneering<br />
the political leaders/campaigners<br />
are addressing the gathering without<br />
wearing masks in complete disregard<br />
of the guidelines/instructions issued<br />
by Election Commission,” the<br />
Commission said.<br />
“By doing so, the political<br />
parties and candidates are not<br />
only flouting the guidelines of the<br />
Commission with impunity, but<br />
exposing themselves as well as the<br />
public attending the rallies/meetings<br />
to the danger of infection during<br />
the pandemic… <strong>The</strong> Commission<br />
has taken a serious view of the laxity<br />
on the part of political parties and<br />
candidates, on the ground, in terms<br />
of maintaining crowd discipline, and<br />
hereby reiterates and further advises<br />
them to demonstrate utmost vigil<br />
and care during electioneering.,” t<br />
he EC said.<br />
Candidates and organisers found<br />
violating the poll watchdog’s<br />
instructions in future could face<br />
cases under Sections 51 to 60 of the<br />
Disaster Management Act, 2005, and<br />
Section 188 of IPC, which deal with<br />
punishment for obstructing a public<br />
servant from discharging her duty<br />
and refusing to follow her order.<br />
With 7.3 crore voters, the<br />
upcoming Legislative Assembly<br />
election in Bihar is not only the first<br />
major electoral exercise in India<br />
since the Covid-19 outbreak, but also<br />
the largest anywhere in the world<br />
so far.<br />
through the communication agreement called COMCASA.<br />
But the new pact would allow the two allies to share vital<br />
tri-services intelligence on developments in all defence<br />
matters ranging from the South China Sea to Ladakh.<br />
This proposal has been hanging fire for quite some years<br />
without any results.<br />
Although BECA is still to be formally cleared by PM<br />
Modi’s Cabinet, the agreement will enable India to buy<br />
armed unmanned aerial and underwater platforms from<br />
the US. <strong>The</strong>se would be loaded with neighbourhood terrain<br />
maps for pin-pointed destruction of acquired targets. <strong>The</strong><br />
terrain maps will also help in precision flying of US made<br />
platforms acquired by India and hence enhance military<br />
capability of platforms like Apache attack helicopters and<br />
Chinook heavy lift helicopters.<br />
While a decision to acquire armed drones has been<br />
communicated to the US, the two countries are going<br />
beyond mere exercises and into hitherto unexplored<br />
domains like space and undersea.
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong> <strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
ENTERTAINMENT 17<br />
FARIDA JALAL recalls<br />
playing a romantic role in<br />
Aradhana opposite Rajesh<br />
Khanna; Says 'I was nervous'<br />
Veteran actor Farida Jalal<br />
has been part of some of<br />
several iconic films such as<br />
Aradhana, Dilwale Dulhaniya<br />
Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch<br />
Hota Hai to name a few.<br />
She has been part of the<br />
film industry for over<br />
five decades and has<br />
done over 200 films.<br />
However, many<br />
people think that<br />
Farida Jalal only<br />
portrayed mother and<br />
sister roles. But very few<br />
people know that she has<br />
played romantic roles as well.<br />
Particularly, the one that stood out<br />
the most was in Aradhana opposite<br />
late superstar Rajesh Khanna.<br />
In a recent interview with TOI,<br />
Farida Jalal has spoken about her<br />
acting journey, film industry and<br />
more. She said that before Aaradhna,<br />
she had done Rajshri Productions’<br />
Taqdeer in 1967. Aradhana was<br />
her second film, she was happy<br />
about the fact that she got the role<br />
but was nervous about romancing<br />
on-screen. She further added, “In<br />
that romantic song in Aradhana<br />
with Rajesh Khanna ji Baago mein<br />
bahaar hai where I come out as a<br />
very coy girl, I wasn’t putting on any<br />
A<br />
Hindi film that remains<br />
special for everyone<br />
across the world is Shah<br />
Rukh Khan and Kajol starrer<br />
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.<br />
<strong>The</strong> film is celebrating his 25<br />
years today and on the occasion,<br />
fans across the world have been<br />
sharing memories associated with<br />
the special romantic film.<br />
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge<br />
was written and directed by Aditya<br />
Chopra and it managed to be a<br />
blockbuster back in 1995 and it<br />
continues to remain special for<br />
millions of fans across the world.<br />
act. I was actually<br />
feeling very shy. So to<br />
answer your question, yes I did nurse<br />
that thought. But it didn’t happen.”<br />
Farida Jalal had also taken part in the<br />
talent hunt contest along with Rajesh<br />
Khanna in 1965.<br />
When asked about her male<br />
counterparts like Anupam Kher and<br />
Paresh Rawal, like why do they still<br />
get to play various roles, she said,<br />
“<strong>The</strong>y were cast opposite me. And<br />
now look at the fact that they have<br />
got to do a villain’s role, comedian’s<br />
role, lawyer’s role, doctor’s role.<br />
And their body language was so<br />
different in all.<br />
25 YEARS OF DDLJ: SRK and<br />
Kajol's iconic film gets its own<br />
emoji to mark the silver jubilee<br />
On the occasion, Twitter India<br />
chose to surprise fans by launching<br />
a special emoji for it.<br />
Twitter launched a special<br />
emoticon to mark and celebrate<br />
25 years of Shah Rukh and<br />
Kajol's DDLJ. <strong>The</strong> emoticon that<br />
Twitter picked also has a special<br />
connection with the film.<br />
Remember the cowbell in Europe<br />
that connected Raj and Simran?<br />
Yes, Twitter India used that to gift<br />
fans a special emoticon on the<br />
film's silver jubilee anniversary.<br />
Anyone who uses a<br />
hashtag related to #DDLJ,<br />
What haven’t they done? But what<br />
about the women? Why aren’t we<br />
given those opportunities?”<br />
Later, when asked about the<br />
ongoing drugs issue, she said that she<br />
is in a happy space.<br />
She loves the film industry and her<br />
profession, hates what’s going on at<br />
this moment. She quoted, “Creative<br />
people are much better off in the rest<br />
of the world.”<br />
And one of the most memorable<br />
films she has done is Mammo with<br />
Shyam Benegal. She revealed that<br />
the makers had told her that they had<br />
Waheeda Rehman on their mind, but<br />
later, she bagged the role.<br />
#DDLJ25,#25YearsOfDDLJ,<br />
#DilwaleDulhaniaLeJayenge and<br />
would be able to see the special<br />
emoticon on Twitter.<br />
Talking about it, Anand Gurnani,<br />
Vice President – Digital & New<br />
Media, Yash Raj Films Pvt. Ltd.<br />
said, "YRF is celebrating 50 years<br />
and DDLJ celebrates 25 in the same<br />
year - it’s an unforgettable once-ina-lifetime<br />
moment. We're grateful<br />
Shammi Kapoor birth anniversary:<br />
When the late actor forgot his lines<br />
while shooting with Madhubala<br />
Today marks the 89th birth<br />
anniversary of late Shammi<br />
Kapoor. Here's an interesting<br />
fact related to the legendary star that<br />
you should know about.<br />
Shammi Kapoor birth<br />
anniversary: When the late actor<br />
forgot his lines while shooting<br />
with MadhubalaShammi<br />
Kapoor birth anniversary:<br />
When the late actor forgot<br />
his lines while shooting with<br />
Madhubala<br />
Shammi Kapoor is often<br />
referred to as the blue-eyed<br />
boy of Bollywood or <strong>Indian</strong><br />
Elvis Presley. <strong>The</strong> late actor’s<br />
films created quite the rage<br />
mostly during the 1960s. Right from<br />
Brahmachari to Junglee, Kashmir Ki<br />
Kali, and others, the legendary star<br />
won the hearts of the audience not<br />
only with his acting prowess but also<br />
amazing dancing skills.<br />
He once said in one of his<br />
interviews that he never learned<br />
how to dance and never had a<br />
dance master.<br />
But he was able to woo an entire<br />
generation with his amazing rock<br />
and roll jigs. Today marks the 89th<br />
birth anniversary of Shammiji. We<br />
wish to let our readers know about<br />
an interesting and lesser-known fact<br />
related to the late star. He had once<br />
admitted to having forgotten his<br />
lines after having seen the beauty<br />
queen Madhubala.<br />
Yes, you heard it right! That<br />
happened during the shoot of Rail Ka<br />
Dabba when he met the actress for<br />
and humbled with the volume of<br />
conversations around #DDLJ25<br />
and through this special emoji<br />
being launched on this momentous<br />
occasion, we just wanted to gratify<br />
all our DDLJ fans worldwide<br />
by adding a little delight to their<br />
Twitter timeline.<br />
It’s just our small way to say<br />
‘Thanks’ for their unconditional<br />
love, over the years!"<br />
DDLJ turns 25: Anupam Kher is proud to be part of iconic film<br />
Veteran actor Anupam Kher shared that<br />
he is proud to be part of the iconic film,<br />
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, which<br />
released 25 years ago on this day.<br />
In the Aditya Chopra directorial, Kher<br />
played the role of Dharamvir Malhotra, an NRI<br />
businessman based in London and father of the<br />
male protagonist Raj Malhotra, played by Shah<br />
Rukh Khan.<br />
<strong>The</strong> veteran actor recalled two of his popular<br />
dialogues from the romantic film and posted<br />
these in Hindi on his verified Instagram account.<br />
<strong>The</strong> dialogues are: Hum toh sab Hindustan<br />
mein fail huye, tune London mein fail hokar<br />
dikha diya..." and Mohabbat ka naam aaj bhi<br />
mohabbat hai, yeh na kabhi badli hai aur na<br />
kabhi badlegi... Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.<br />
"Proud to be part of this iconic<br />
film which completes 25 years<br />
today. Yes, your love has been a<br />
constant!! A big thank you!! JAI<br />
HO!! DharamvirMalhotra #Pops<br />
#25YearsOfDDLJ."<br />
Celebrating 25 years of the blockbuster hit,<br />
which cemented his space as a romantic hero in<br />
Bollywood, lead actor SRK tweeted on Tuesday:<br />
"25 years!!! Filled with gratitude towards you<br />
for loving Raj & Simran, with all your heart.<br />
This always feels special. #DDLJ25."<br />
<strong>The</strong> film's lead actress Kajol wrote: "Raj &<br />
"Hum<br />
toh sab<br />
Hindustan mein fail<br />
huye, tune London mein<br />
fail hokar dikha diya..."<br />
and "Mohabbat ka naam<br />
aaj bhi mohabbat hai, yeh na<br />
kabhi badli hai aur na kabhi<br />
badlegi... Dilwale Dulhania<br />
Le Jayenge."<br />
Simran! 2 people, 1 film, 25 years<br />
and the love doesn't stop coming<br />
in! I am truly grateful to all<br />
the people who made it what<br />
it is today.. a phenomenon<br />
and a part of their own<br />
history. "<strong>The</strong> fans! Big<br />
shoutout to all of you.<br />
#25YearsOfDDLJ."<br />
the<br />
very<br />
first time.<br />
This has also been mentioned in<br />
Shammi Kapoor’s biography by<br />
Rauf Ahmed. <strong>The</strong> late actor said<br />
that he could not take his eyes off<br />
Madhubala when he saw her. He also<br />
confessed to have felt like being hit<br />
by a thunderbolt.<br />
Not only that, but the Teesri<br />
Manzil actor was extremely nervous<br />
while taking the actress in his arms<br />
for an intimate scene. Shammiji<br />
stated that he was so nervous that he<br />
kept forgetting his lines post which<br />
Madhubala helped him out.<br />
Talking about Shammi Kapoor, the<br />
legendary star left for his heavenly<br />
abode on August 14, <strong>2020</strong>, at the age<br />
of 79 years.<br />
Shabana Azmi, Raj Babbar<br />
remember Smita Patil on<br />
her birth anniversary<br />
Veteran actress<br />
Shabana Azmi<br />
paid tribute<br />
to the late Smita Patil,<br />
on the occasion of<br />
her birth anniversary.<br />
Smita's husband, actor<br />
Raj Babbar, and son<br />
Prateik, also took to<br />
social media to share emotional posts for<br />
the phenomenal actress, who passed away<br />
at the age of 31.<br />
"Remembering #Smita Patil on her birth<br />
anniversary. She went away 34 years ago but<br />
resides firmly in the hearts of cinemafiles,"<br />
tweeted Azmi who, along with Smita,<br />
became prominent faces of the thriving<br />
arthouse cinema circuit of the seventies<br />
and the eighties. Veteran actor-politician<br />
Babbar shared a throwback photo of the late<br />
actress on his verified Twitter account and<br />
wrote: "An artist of incomparable genius, a<br />
person with such an emotional soul - fondly<br />
remembering Smita today on her birthday.<br />
You had such a short journey and yet your<br />
captivating presence is felt by all whose life<br />
you touched. Your influence has been so<br />
meaningful. #SmitaPatil."<br />
Her son, actor Prateik Babbar, shares<br />
a "Happy Birthday mom" message on<br />
Instagram Stories, expressing gratitude<br />
to those remembering the late actress on<br />
her birth anniversary. Born on <strong>October</strong><br />
17, 1955, Smita Patil was honoured with<br />
multiple awards including two National<br />
Awards as Best Actress (for "Bhumika"<br />
and "Chakra"), besides the Padma Shri<br />
in 1985. Smita breathed her last on<br />
December 13, 1986.
18<br />
FEATURES<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Weekender</strong><br />
BLACK CHICKPEAS<br />
CHANA KEBAB<br />
INGREDIENTS:<br />
• 1cup - chickpeas<br />
• 1tsp - salt<br />
• 1/2tsp - oil<br />
• FOR KEBABS<br />
• 2 - potatoes, medium<br />
• 1tsp - mango powder<br />
• 1/2tsp - red chilli powder<br />
• 1tsp - coriander powder<br />
• 1/2tsp - salt or according to taste<br />
• 1tbsp - coriander, chopped<br />
• 2tsp - oil<br />
• 1tsp - cumin seeds<br />
• 1 - onion, small chopped<br />
• 2-3 - green chilli, chopped<br />
• 1tsp - ginger paste<br />
• 1cup - breadcrumbs<br />
• Oil for frying the kebabs<br />
METHOD:<br />
• Rinse chickpeas throughly under running<br />
water.<br />
• Transfer the chickpeas to a bowl and soak<br />
them overnight in 3 cups of water. By the<br />
morning, the chickpeas will swell and double<br />
in size.<br />
• Drain that water and rinse the chickpeas once<br />
again under running water.<br />
• Add the chickpeas in a pressure cooker and<br />
add enough water to cover them.<br />
• Add salt and oil to the chickpeas, mix well to<br />
combine and cook over medium flame for 20-<br />
25 minutes. Chana Kabab<br />
• Drain the water from the cooked chickpeas<br />
and transfer them to a mixing bowl.<br />
• Mash some of the black chickpeas with a<br />
potato masher.<br />
• Boil the potatoes, peel the outer skin and<br />
mash them.<br />
• Add mashed potatoes to the chickpeas and<br />
mix well with the fork.<br />
• Add mango powder, red chilli powder,<br />
coriander powder, salt and chopped fresh<br />
coriander, to the potato mixture and mix well<br />
again. Set aside.<br />
• Heat oil in a heavy base fry pan over medium<br />
flame.<br />
• Add cumin seeds, when they start to splatter,<br />
add chopped onions, chopped green chilies<br />
and ginger paste, sauté for 3-4 minutes or<br />
until the onions are translucent.<br />
• Add this onion mixture to the chickpea<br />
mixture. Mix until well blended.<br />
• Add in breadcrumbs, mix until thoroughly<br />
blended.<br />
• To make the kebabs; grease your hands with<br />
little oil, take a hand full of kabab mixture and<br />
shape it into a round disk (kabab).<br />
• Repeat the process until all the kebabs have<br />
been assembled.<br />
• Heat oil (in tablespoons) in a skillet over<br />
medium flame.<br />
• Add chickpea kababs to the skillet and<br />
shallow fry them until both the sides are<br />
golden brown and crisp. It will take about 2-3<br />
minutes on each side.<br />
• Transfer kebabs onto a kitchen paper towel.<br />
• Repeat the process until all the kababs are<br />
done.<br />
• Serve with a cup of tea and a chutney on the<br />
side.<br />
• Serves - 5-6<br />
Green Chutney<br />
Ingredients:<br />
• 1cup - coriander leaves<br />
• 1inch - ginger<br />
• 8 - garlic cloves<br />
• 6-8 - green chillies<br />
• 2tbsp - lemon juice<br />
• 1 - tomato, large<br />
METHOD:<br />
• Grind everything together into<br />
a fine paste using little water if<br />
needed in tablespoons.<br />
Kala chana curry<br />
INGREDIENTS:<br />
• 1cup - black chickpeas (kala chana)<br />
• 1tsp - oil<br />
• 1/2tsp - salt<br />
• 2cups - water<br />
• 1/2tsp - asafoetida<br />
• 1tsp - cumin seeds<br />
• 1 - onion, large<br />
• 6 - garlic cloves<br />
• 2inch - ginger piece<br />
• 3-4 - green chillies<br />
• 1/2tsp - red chilli powder<br />
• 1tsp - kashmiri chilli powder<br />
• 1/2tsp - turmeric powder<br />
• 1tsp - coriander powder<br />
• 2 - tomatoes, medium<br />
• 1/2tsp - garam masala powder<br />
• 1/2tsp - salt or according to taste<br />
• 2tbsp - oil<br />
• Fresh coriander<br />
METHOD:<br />
• Rinse chickpeas throughly under running<br />
water then transfer them to a bowl.<br />
• Soak the chickpeas overnight in 3 cups of<br />
water. By the morning, the chickpeas will<br />
swell and double in size.<br />
• Drain that water and rinse the chickpeas<br />
once again under running water.<br />
• Add the chickpeas in a pressure cooker<br />
followed by oil, salt and water and pressure<br />
cook them for about 20-25 minutes on<br />
medium flame (to check if the chickpeas are<br />
cooked; for that chickpeas should be soft and<br />
you should be able to crush them with two<br />
fingers). Set aside.<br />
• Meanwhile in a fry pan add 2 tablespoons of<br />
oil and heat it over medium flame.<br />
• Add asafoetida, stir, add cumin seeds and<br />
sauté for few seconds.<br />
• Peel, wash and grate onions then add them to<br />
the frypan; sauté for 4-5 minutes or until the<br />
onions are dark brown in colour.<br />
• In a blender add the ginger, garlic and green<br />
chillies with 2-3 tbsps of water and blitz to<br />
a paste.<br />
• Add ginger paste to the onions and sauté for<br />
2-3 minutes stirring continuously.<br />
• Lower the flame and add red chilli powder,<br />
kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric powder and<br />
coriander powder, mix well with a splash of<br />
water.<br />
• Wash and chop tomatoes, then add them<br />
to the masala, sauté for 2-3 minutes over<br />
medium flame or until oil comes on top.<br />
• Add onion masala to the cooked chickpeas,<br />
give a good mix and add water to make<br />
gravy (add more or less water according to<br />
your choice of preferred gravy).<br />
• Add garam masala powder and season with<br />
salt (do remember we already have added<br />
salt in it while boiling the chickpeas).<br />
• Pressure cook chickpeas for another 2-3<br />
minutes.<br />
• Garnish with chopped coriander.<br />
• Serve with rice or preferably roti<br />
• Serves 3-4<br />
Why coconut oil is so beneficial for our skin and hair<br />
Coconut oil has been used in<br />
India since ancient times.<br />
This marvel oil is a one-stop<br />
solution to many concerns related<br />
to health, nutrition or beauty. This<br />
oil has gained a lot of popularity<br />
recently because of its touted health<br />
benefits.<br />
People these days are using<br />
coconut oil for almost everything,<br />
from smoothies to bullet coffee,<br />
from oil pulling to cosmetic and<br />
what not. Coconut oil is a plantbased<br />
vegan form of oil which is<br />
made by pressing the fat from the<br />
white meat (fruit part) inside the<br />
matured coconuts. About 84 percent<br />
of its calories come from saturated<br />
fat. Also, coconut oil contains 50<br />
percent of lauric acid, which makes<br />
the oil more hydrating and antimicrobial.<br />
Coconut oil for hair<br />
Provides deep condition and<br />
tames the frizz- Coconut oil is a<br />
great hair conditioner.<br />
That is why it is used in many<br />
hair conditioner products both<br />
commercially and cosmetically as<br />
it can easily penetrate the strands<br />
and provides deep conditioning. <strong>The</strong><br />
weekly application of coconut oil<br />
can prevent protein loss from hair<br />
(keratin).<br />
<strong>The</strong>refore, it is a great source to<br />
provide deep hair nourishment. You<br />
can also straightaway use coconut<br />
oil as a frizz-fighting serum post<br />
hair wash.<br />
Adds that extra shine- <strong>The</strong><br />
application of a small amount of<br />
organic virgin coconut oil onto the<br />
ends of the hair will add a natural<br />
shine. Remember to apply the oil<br />
cautiously without making your hair<br />
look greasier.<br />
Minimises dandruff- Coconut<br />
oil can help lower the levels of<br />
yeast on the hair scalp that causes<br />
inflammation, flaking and scalp<br />
irritation associated with dandruff.<br />
Try minimising the problem with<br />
ultra-moisturisation of hair by<br />
massaging with coconut oil weekly.<br />
Prevents hair loss and hair<br />
thinning- As coconut oil is a great<br />
source of vitamin E and fatty acids,<br />
so it prevents hair loss and hair<br />
thinning.<br />
It also prevents premature greying<br />
of hair.<br />
DIY Coconut Hair Mask<br />
Coconut oil and aloe vera hair<br />
mask- This mask is a great food for<br />
hair. All you have to do is to take<br />
coconut oil for the hair length and<br />
add 1-2 tablespoon of fresh aloe<br />
vera gel to the warm oil. Massage it<br />
gently, and wash after 30-45 minutes<br />
with a mild shampoo. Your hair will<br />
be lustrous like never before.<br />
Coconut oil for ski<br />
Coconut oil is a blessing for the<br />
skin as well. It has the potentiality of<br />
treating many skin allergies:<br />
For a clear and nourished skin- As<br />
now we know that coconut oil has<br />
natural antibacterial, antifungal and<br />
moisturizing properties (also rich in<br />
Vitamin E), it can be used as a night<br />
moisturizer to get clean and clear<br />
skin without any harsh chemicals<br />
to the skin. Can be used as an eye<br />
cream-<br />
If you struggle from under eye<br />
issues like dark circles, puffy-baggy<br />
under eye, dehydrated under eyes<br />
or under eye wrinkles, then coconut<br />
oil is the one solution for all these<br />
problems.<br />
This pocket friendly solution will<br />
not only be kind to your wallets but<br />
is also kind to your skin. (Secret<br />
tip – if you want fancy thick<br />
eyebrows and lashes, just massage<br />
the brows and lashes very gently<br />
with a drop of coconut oil daily<br />
before going to bed.) Cure many<br />
skin allergies- Coconut is known<br />
for both healing and curing many<br />
skin allergies like, eczema, psoriasis<br />
(which is an autoimmune disorder)<br />
etc. for its high levels of linoleic<br />
acid.<br />
DIY Mask For skin<br />
Take 1-2 teaspoon of coconut<br />
oil and add 1 teaspoon of manuka<br />
honey or normal honey to it. Apply<br />
it on a dry face and rinse the face<br />
post 15 minutes of the application.<br />
You will get a naturally glowing and<br />
radiant skin instantly.<br />

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Barfoot and Thompson: Otahuhu, Auckland