The Indian Weekender, 26 February 2021

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Editorial The pink ball affair: India versus England The third Test match between India and England starting on February 24 at the huge and magnificent newly constructed Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad should be a very interesting affair. The stadium earlier named after the Ironman of India, Sardar Patel, has now been renamed as Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium. Yet, the Indian team will need to imbibe the same qualities of the ‘Man of Steel’ who played an important role in the freedom movement against the British Empire. India will not only need to play to win the series against England, but need to ensure a win to stay alive to qualify for the first World Test Championship (WTC) final in June. At one match all, the four-Test series is at a very crucial stage. England, on the other hand, require to win the two remaining Test matches to qualify for the WTC final. The pink ball battle will require a positive and aggressive approach, as winning for both sides is the only way forward. This itself should be enough to make the match enthralling and exciting. When two teams in any sport are set to play a game with a positive state of mind, the competition that emerges is what makes it wonderful to watch. The day/night encounter will be played with the Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) pink ball. This is a new experience for most international cricket players. The challenge that they face would also create that extra bit of interest for the millions of viewers watching the match. The pink ball has a coat of lacquer similar to the white ball, so the new ball swings a fair amount. Both India and England have world class pace bowlers in their midst to exploit the movement and hence batting against them will require good technique and temperament to be successful. Furthermore, an interesting aspect of a day/night match is also the change in conditions that emerges as dusk falls and then again under the illuminated dark night sky. This makes batting even more difficult. The newly laid pitch in Motera is expected to have a good bounce. The wicket during the domestic T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament recently showed that it spun viciously and most teams struggled to put up a good score. The wicket has not had a first-class five-day match played on it as yet and, unlike Chennai, preparing a vicious turning surface would not be easily possible. India have shown in the second Test match in Chennai that not only do they have better spinners to bowl on a turning track than England, but also their batsmen are more skilled to play the turning ball. The English batting struggled against spin and most of them looked terrified to be out there in the middle. The Motera stadium, with the largest spectator capacity for a cricket venue in the world, is built to offer every modern facility for the cricketer. It is expected to be the showcase venue of Indian cricket. India, therefore, cannot afford to provide a wicket that is not of Test standard. The cricketing world will be watching the match with added interest as Motera will also be the venue for the T20 World Cup final later this year. The interesting factors that the Test match in Ahmedabad will provide will be that both the pace bowlers and the spinners will play a part in the match. This is where India have the edge as they have a good pace and spin attack. Furthermore, with Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin in good batting form, the only change that may come about would be Jasprit Bumrah to replace Kuldeep Yadav. England, however, have some major issues in selecting their playing side. Their spinners have not shown the accuracy and guile required to be consistent and effective. Jack Leach, their left-arm spinner, has bowled reasonably well in patches, but his lack of experience and control of length has not made him a match-winning threat. Dom Bess, their off spinner in the first Test match, also did not show the ability to be accurate and effective and so England have a major dilemma as to whether to play with an additional pacer instead of him. England, one feels, cannot go in with only one frontline spinner and therefore will have to sacrifice either Stuart Broad or Jimmy Anderson for Dom Bess. The problem that faces England is that Ben Stokes has not been at his best as a bowler. They need him to contribute much more for them to become an effective bowling unit. One major issue that the Indian side will need to forget is their disastrous batting performance in the last day/night pink ball Test match in Adelaide against Australia. The 36-run total will definitely rankle in the minds of their batters. They will need to reflect on their wonderful performance at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens when they played their first ever day/night Test match against Bangladesh in November 2019. Their three top line batsmen -- Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane -- scored runs in that match that was played with a SG pink ball. Their mental strength as to how they will forget the disastrous Australian debacle will play a major part in the Indian team’s performance. They will need to show resilience and positivity facing the wily English pace attack of Jimmy Anderson/Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer The third Test match will be a seesaw battle between India and England. India at home with over 50,000 spectators behind them at the stadium will be the firm favourites. Cricket, however, is an uncertain game and with the playing conditions being far more uncertain both by way of the wicket and the day/night affair, victory or defeat will depend on the side that plays cautiously, sensibly and most importantly fields and catches well. Thought of the week “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” —Wilma Rudolph 26 February – 4 March 2021 Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu On-and-off rain and drizzle 22° 14° Partly sunny 24° 13° 25° 14° Indian Weekender : Volume 12 Issue 48 Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited Content Editor: Sandeep Singh | sandeep@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | rizwan@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Technical Officer: Rohan deSouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz Sr Graphics and Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | mahesh@indianweekender.co.nz Graphic Designer: Yashmin Chand | design@indianweekender.co.nz Accounts and Admin.: 09-2173623 | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz Media Sales Manager.: Leena Pal: 021 952 216 | leena@indianweekender.co.nz Sales and Distribution: 021 952218 | sales@indianweekender.co.nz Editor at Large: Dev Nadkarni | dev@indianweekender.co.nz Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent the views of the team at the Indian Weekender Kiwi Media Publishing Limited - 133A, Level 1, Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland. Printed at Horton Media, Auckland Parlty sunny Clouds and sun 24° 15° A touch o dafr This week in New Zealand’s history 29 February 1964 Opening of first road to Maungapōhatu A 25° 25° Copyright 2020. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved. Sunshine and pactcy clouds 26° 15° A few morning showers 26° 17° milling road built by the Bayten Timber Company provided the first vehicle access to the remote Urewera settlement of Maungapōhatu – famous as the former home of the prophet Rua Kēnana. 29 February 1924 Intelligence tests arrive in New Zealand schools Following a US study tour by Frank Milner, the rector of Waitaki Boys’ High School, the Education Department began applying the Terman Group Test of Mental Ability to all firstyear post-primary school students. 1 March 1862 Charles Thatcher gives first NZ performance The entertainer Charles Thatcher gave his first New Zealand performance at Shadrach Jones’ Commercial Hotel in Dunedin. 1 March 1916 New Zealand Division formed After the evacuation from Gallipoli in December 1915, New Zealand forces returned to Egypt to recover and regroup. In February 1916, it was decided that Australian and New Zealand infantry divisions would be sent to the Western Front. On 1 March, the New Zealand Division was formed. 2 March 1865 Missionary Carl Völkner killed at Ōpotiki On 2 March 1865, Anglican priest Carl Sylvius Völkner was killed at Ōpōtiki. During Völkner’s recent absence in Auckland, rumours had spread that he was a government spy. Locals warned him to stay away, but he returned to Ōpōtiki on 1 March and was promptly taken prisoner. 5 March 2013 Census held after two-year delay New Zealand’s five-yearly census had been scheduled for 8 March 2011. But after Canterbury’s devastating February earthquake (see 22 February), Government Statistician Geoff Bascand and Statistics Minister Maurice Williamson announced that it would not go ahead. Statistics New Zealand’s Christchurch operations had been significantly disrupted, and the exodus of people from the city would have skewed the results.
The Indian Weekender Friday, February 26, 2021 FIJI 13 Over 10,000 Fijians expected to benefit from the new Navosa Hospital Over 10,000 Fijians in the province of Nadroga and highlands of Ba will benefit from the new Navosa Hospital in Keyasi which is expected to be opened next Tuesday. Final preparations are underway for the opening of the hospital. Today, Health Minister, Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete said on Twitter that the Fiji Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Services are preparing to head to Navosa Hospital to ensure the COVID-19 vaccines anticipated to arrive in the country soon - Dr Waqainabete COVID-19 vaccines are anticipated to arrive in the country soon. This has been highlighted by the Minister for Health Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete while receiving two new cooler trucks worth $374,310 from the Japanese Government. Dr Waqainabete says the assistance has come at an exciting time and will assist in the distribution of vaccines and medicines to the allocated health facilities. He adds the Ministry of Health has included three new vaccines through its expanded immunization program and the assistance will further strengthen that space. The Health Minister says this not only applies to COVID-19 vaccines but others as well which require cold chain storage. The Japanese Ambassador to Fiji, Kawakami Fumihiro says the vaccination cold chain plays a critical role in vaccine storage and transportation. He says it is now becoming more important than ever as the whole world races to get COVID-19 vaccines. Fumihiro adds he is looking forward to the new cooler trucks helping address the challenges in the cold chain management and further supporting the Ministry with the introduction of new vaccines, especially the COVID-19 vaccine. medicines are stocked up and biomedical machines are ready for full operation. The project is a 25 million dollars investment by the government. The hospital was initially planned to be commissioned before the end of last year. Some of the services that will be offered at the new hospital includes x rays and ultrasound, maternity services, pharmacy services and laboratory testing. 29,211 COVID-19 lab test conducted in the country so far- Health Ministry Zero new cases A total of 29,211 COVID-19 lab tests have been conducted in the country so far. This includes a daily average of 133 tests per day over the last 7 days and a weekly average of 1048 tests per week over the last 2 weeks. The Health Ministry says there are currently no new COVID-19 cases and it has been 21 days since the last border quarantine case was reported. It says it has been 310 days since the last case was detected outside border quarantine on April 18th 2020. Fiji has had 56 COVID-19 cases in total, with 54 recoveries and 2 deaths since the first case was reported on March 19th 2020. The Ministry says the last 38 cases have been international travel-associated cases detected in border quarantine. Meanwhile, 111 million cases has been recorded worldwide with 2.46 million deaths. Fiji reviews immigration laws Fiji Bureau of Statistics Chief Executive Kemueli Naiqama says the review includes the immigration act, passport act and citizenship act. He adds Fiji has ratified some migration-related international conventions. “Fiji has ratified and adopted most key migration-related international convention. This has been translated into domestic laws.” The Immigration Act provides the process for migrant workers to apply for permits to allow them to be documented and be employed in Fiji. Chief of Mission for International Organization for Migration, Solomon Kantha says the annual number of permits has fluctuated from 7,400 in 2013 to nearly 23,500 in 2017. He adds over the past seven years, one-third of these permits were for visitors. “In 2019 the permits were issued to nationals of 139 countries. Permits refer to visas. Half were from six countries.15 percent were from China, nine percent from Australia, seven percent from India, the US 6.5 percent, the UK 6.5 and Solomon islands five percent”. Kantha says more than 3,900 people are estimated to have overstayed their visas between 2013 and 2019. BOOK ADS IN NEWSPAPER The most widely circulated WEEKLY publication for Kiwi-Indians and the most popular news platform with a strong online, social media, and print. We deal with all major advertising: Digital, Social Media and Newspaper Print advertising. PROPERTY AUTOMOBILE EDUCATION Call us for a customised advertising solution with Indian Weekender 021 952 216 Email sales@indianweekender.co.nz / leena@indianweekender.co.nz www.indianweekender.co.nz IMMIGRATION MORTGAGE EVENTS NEW ZEALAND Over a ton of colour to be used at Krishna Holi 2021 event in Kumeu The Indian Weekender Friday, February 12, 2021 11 RIZWAN MOHAMMAD T he biggest Holi event in the country on Sunday, February 14 at ISKCON Temple in Kumeu will put over one ton of colours for 10,000 visitors to play with celebrating the annual Hindu festival. Holi is one of the most popular and widely celebrated festivals for the Indian community after Diwali that is celebrated by the diaspora and the adjoining communities across the globe. The annual festival of colour falls on March 28-29 this year, and the religious element of the festival signifies the triumph of good over evil. It is observed a the end of winter and advent of spring month (in the Indian subcontinent), and spiritual part of the festival starts with Holika Dahan (burning demon Holika) also known as Chhoti Holi and the following day as Holi. In its 9th year, Krishna Holi event at the iconic Hare Krishna Temple in Kumeu, West Auckland attracts thousands of people from all walks of life, different ethnicities and faiths to be a part of a colourful and joyous event. Speaking with the Indian Weekender, Krishna Chandra from the temple said they are excited to see the festive season of Holi back after a gloomy year of Covid-19 in the country. “Holi at the Krishna Temple is one of the most vibrant events in our calendar- we see families dressed white clothing visi the temple and then dance and drench in dry and wet colours from noon till early evening,” Krishna Chandra, secretary and spokesperson of Hare Krishna Temple said. The temple spread over 100 acres start the free event at 11 a.m. and will have stalls that distribute at least ten to 12 colours, and there will also be watercolours for the visitors. A giant LED screen is also installed on the stage with a DJ and live music for the attendees to dance and have fun. “It’s a family-friendly- tobacco and alcoholfree event. People of all ages can have fun as there will be colour stalls, water stations, food stalls, changing rooms, showering stations for people drenched in colour,” Mr Chandra said. He added tha the temple stocks colours to be sanitisers are in place for people, arrangements used at the festival at least 2-3 years at a time. for children activities, so that everyone gets to The temple will be used over a ton of colour at enjoy the even to its fullest. the event both in its dry form and with water. “We have volunteers, security to usher “We have given 200 kgs of colour to fire vehicles to park in the appropriate places, brigade who will mix it in their water tank manage the oncoming and returning traffic, and then splash it on the visitors at different and make sure visitors feel comfortable at the intervals. event,” Mr Chandra added. “Since this year’s event coincides with The event organisers have appealed the Valentine’s Day, we have kept valentine theme visitors to come in white dress as colours tend event like previous years will be high octane, gifts and gift station too at the venue for the to exhibit its vibrancy on white clothing, get full of energy and good vibes,” Mr Chandra public to celebrate the occasion there,” Mr spare clothing to change after playing with added. Chandra added. colour and food and water arrangements have ISKCON Temple is located on 1229 Mr Chandra says all arrangements in been made a the venue. Coatesville-Riverhead Highway, Kumeu, West terms of Covid QR Code scanning and hand “Hol is always a fun event and Krishna Holi Auckland, and the event starts at noon to 5 p.m. Hare Krishna temple to host ‘Saatvik food festival’ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD T he Hare Krishna Temple in Kumeu, West Auckland is hosting its annual food festival event on Saturday, February 13, for the community. More than 3000 people are expected to attend the event where they will be served saatvik vegetarian food, tour the temple premises and have a relaxing family-fun day. “Our Hare Krishna Food Festival is very popular amongs the wider Kiwi community in Auckland, people from all faiths and ethnicities come to the temple, take a tour of the place knowing about the deities, the ISKCON establishment, its works for the community and have snacks and food during the day,” Krishna Chandra, secretary and spokesperson for Hare Krishna temple told the Indian Weekender. The event is said to be quiet, and exhibit a relaxing environment where people get to meet new people, make friends, experience the calmness being with nature, have Saatvik (pure) vegetarian food and have good family day. “This event is happening just one day before our most popular Krishna Holi event which is will be loud, full of energy, playfulness, music and dance,” Mr Chandra added. The events will start at 2 p.m. and end at seven in the evening. Besides the food festival, Krishna Temple organises lunch event every Sunday at its premises where 300-400 people come, chant mantras, meditate, spend some time with nature and dine with the community members. “It is a soothing atmosphere at the temple, chanting mantras with the community, knowing more about the religion, what can they do a the temple and how can they make a difference in the community by serving others and the less privileged. “There are also children’s activities organised so that they engage themselves and also have a good time at the temple,” Mr Chandra said.
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The Indian Weekender, 26 February 2021

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