The Indian Weekender, 26 November 2021

26NOVEMBER2021 • VOL 13 ISSUE 38 

www.iwk.co.nz /indianweekender /indianweekender 

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The Indian Weekender Friday, November 26, 2021 

NEW ZEALAND 3 

Kiwi Indians thrilled after India’s 

removal from ‘Very High-Risk’ category 

NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH 

The news of the removal of 

India from the very high-risk 

countries early next month 

has been a huge sigh of relief for 

many Kiwi Indians. 

On 23 April 2021, the New Zealand 

government introduced a new 

category of ‘very high-risk country,’ 

which included India, Brazil, 

Pakistan, and Papua New Guinea, to 

further bolster the country’s defense 

against Covid-19. And later, on 11 

August 2021, Indonesia and Fiji have 

also added to the list. 

Due to India being a very highrisk 

country, only New Zealand 

citizens and their immediate families 

could travel to New Zealand from 

India. And all others, including NZ 

residents and Permanent residents, 

had to spend 14 days in a green 

zone country before traveling to 

New Zealand. 

But according to this week’s 

announcement, even the permanent 

residents and residents who want 

to travel from India will not have 

to spend a fortnight in a green 

zone country before travelling 

to New Zealand. 

It has brought relief to many who 

want to travel from India or travel 

from New Zealand to India and then 

come back to New Zealand. 

Giving details around when 

travellers can enter New Zealand 

without going into MIQ, Covid-19 

Response Minister Chris Hipkins had 

said, “It’s very encouraging that as a 

country we are now in a position to 

move towards greater normalcy. We 

always said we’d open in a controlled 

way, and this started with halving the 

time spent in MIQ to seven days. 

Retaining a seven-day isolate at 

home period for fully vaccinated 

travellers is an important phase in 

the reconnecting strategy to provide 

continued safety assurance. These 

settings will continue to be reviewed 

against the risk posed by travellers 

entering New Zealand.” 

Another cherry on the cake is 

today’s announcement is that fully 

vaccinated New Zealanders will 

find it easier to come home from 

January 2022, with foreign nationals 

to follow from April onwards, 

as the Government removes the 

“ 

I can’t express 

how happy this 

announcement has 

made me. My elder 

daughter Hargun stays 

in India with my family, 

and I haven’t seen her 

for two years due to 

NZ’s border closure and 

strict MIQ policy. As a 

mother, it pained me 

beyond words. 

requirement for MIQ for most 

travellers. He further revealed that 

travellers could enter New Zealand 

without going into MIQ in a 

phased manner. 

In Step 1, fully vaccinated New 

Zealand citizens and those residenceclass 

visa holders and other eligible 

travellers will be able to travel 

without going to MIQ from 17 

January 2022 (provided they have 

been in Australia or New Zealand 

for the past 14 days). In step 2, fully 

vaccinated New Zealand citizens 

and those residence-class visa 

holders and other eligible travellers 

eligible from all but Very High-Risk 

countries, from 14 February and 

finally, in Step 3, fully vaccinated 

foreign nationals (possibly staged by 

visa category) will be able to come in 

without spending time in MIQ from 

30 April onwards. 

The news has delighted Kiwi 

Indians who want to travel from 

India and those who have plans to 

travel to India and then come back to 

New Zealand. One such Kiwi Indian 

is Amarpreet Kaur. 

The 43-year-old Permanent 

resident of New Zealand had been 

waiting for the news for months as 

she intends to travel to India to meet 

her daughter, who she hasn’t seen for 

the past two years. Talking about her 

story to Indian Weekender, the mother 

of two who stays in South Auckland, 

says, “I can’t express how happy this 

announcement has made me. 

"My elder daughter Hargun 

stays in India with my family, and I 

haven’t seen her for two years due to 

NZ’s border closure and strict MIQ 

policy. As a mother, it pained me 

beyond words. I had been waiting 

to go to India to meet her, but the 

thought of spending two weeks in 

a third country has been scary, and 

with a heavy heart, I kept praying for 

India to be removed as a very highrisk 

country. I am so relieved that 

now I can plan my trip easily, and I 

look forward to meeting her soon.” 

On the other hand, many Kiwi 

Indian residents in India can now 

think of travelling to New Zealand 

without the hassles of travelling 

to a third country, which is both 

financially and mentally draining. 

Gurpreet, who is a residence 

class visa holder but currently in 

Punjab, has welcomed the news. 

He says, “I left New Zealand due to a 

family emergency in August and had 

been in India since then. Due to the 

same, I have even lost my job, and I 

am in a financial mess. 

"Therefore, it is excellent news that 

I don’t have to come back through a 

third country as that would save me 

a lot of money and mental trauma. I 

had friends who had to travel through 

a third country, and they told me 

about the stresses they had to face, 

be it the food or the language issue." 

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4 NEW ZEALAND 

Friday, November 26, 2021 

The Indian Weekender 

Modi’s repeal 

of farm laws 

is good news 

for Indian 

diaspora 

SANDEEP SINGH 

The sudden announcement by India’s 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the 

repeal of three farm laws on Friday, 

November 19, has left the nation and the 

vast Indian diaspora all around the world 

equally stunned. 

If there was one single issue that has sown 

the seeds of dissension and had the potential 

to threaten the broad unity and social cohesion 

within the Indian diaspora all around the 

world, including in New Zealand, that was the 

issue of contentious farm laws. 

By repealing the three laws, despite the 

long-pending expert recommendations for 

farm laws from many decades, Prime Minister 

Modi has not only prevented the pre-1984 type 

restiveness witnessed in the Indian state of 

Punjab that has threatened to fray the delicate 

social fabric of the vast multicultural nation 

for decades. 

However, what is more relevant outside 

India, and here in New Zealand, is that the 

simmering restiveness within the segments 

of the Indian diaspora, including the Sikh 

community and others, will eventually subside. 

The decision to repeal farm laws was another 

dramatic and breathtaking announcement 

by Prime Minister Modi, something which 

his vast swathe of supporters admires almost 

unabashedly ––and his opponents despise, also 

equally unabashedly. 

Prime Minister Modi announced the historic 

political decision of his defeat on Guru Nanak 

Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the founder of 

Sikhism, in a televised address to the nation, 

confirming that the farm laws will be repealed 

in the next parliamentary session. 

It will take some time for the stunned 

farmers of Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar 

Pradesh, presently agitating on the borders of 

the capital New Delhi for almost a year, to 

wind up and return to their farms as appealed 

by Prime Minister Modi. 

It will also take some time for Modi’s vast 

supporters to digest the decision and accept 

the political defeat as magnanimously as 

Farmers feed each other sweets at the Ghazipur border. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he will 

be repealing three controversial farm laws, over which farmers and their unions have been protesting for 

a year. The law was passed in September last year, and protests began in November. 

It will also take some 

time for Modi’s vast 

supporters to digest 

the decision and accept 

the political defeat as 

magnanimously as 

their leader has himself 

conceded, to surprise many 

of his usual detractors 

and opponents while 

conceding his defeat on 

the issue on the occasion of 

Gurupurab. 

their leader has himself conceded, to surprise 

many of his usual detractors and opponents 

while conceding his defeat on the issue on the 

occasion of Gurupurab. 

In doing so, Modi might have almost 

reinvented himself politically within India, 

as the onus will now shift on the opposition 

parties – which have long been beleaguered 

and marginalized as the Modi-juggernaut 

has rolled and dominated the Indian political 

scene – to show equal magnanimity to Modi. 

Anyway, this challenge to Modi’s immense 

popularity within India was never mounted by 

opposition parties of India. 

It was rather a groundswell mass resistance 

by farmers of Punjab, Haryana, and 

Western UP. 

That explains why Prime Minister Modi 

could muster enough political courage to 

accept his defeat on the issue, and in the 

process, might have earned a few brownie 

points and even compelled a few of his 

staunch opponents to re-look Modi with a 

fresh perspective. 

Conceding defeat genuinely to the public 

is the true essence of democracy and the 

hallmark of a statesman, and Modi, by doing 

so, has shown that he is not immune to being 

a statesman, despite what his opponents 

perceive him to be. 

Time to acknowledge leadership 

shown within Indian diaspora 

in NZ 

It is time to acknowledge now that there 

was almost an equal, if not more restiveness 

and display of raw emotions within the Kiwi- 

Indian community over the farm reform issue 

back in India. 

New Zealanders of Punjabi-Indian origin 

have joined others around the world in 

organising peaceful protests in different cities 

of New Zealand to express their solidarity 

with India’s farmers, who were then protesting 

new farm legislation introduced by the central 

government in New Delhi. 

Similarly, in a new style of politics of the 

21st century, several smaller mini protests were 

organised by supporters of Prime Minister 

Modi in Auckland in opposition to peaceful 

protests in support of farmers of India. 

Social media was rife with erupting 

emotions that were ready to break the bank, 

causing much restiveness within the otherwise 

serene Kiwi-Indian community landscape. 

However, it is to the credit of diaspora 

leaders of all stripes within the Kiwi-Indian 

community – Sikh community and other 

social groups – and some deft handling by 

key leaders in the background that emotional 

outbursts were allowed to be channelised in a 

constructive and respectful manner. 

Those in the know of the things will 

corroborate the fact that despite bulging 

emotions on both sides – pro-Sikh community 

and pro-Modi, the diaspora leadership has 

absolute clarity in their mind that the overall 

unity and social cohesiveness of the Indian 

diaspora in New Zealand were paramount and 

non-negotiable. 

It is time to sincerely appreciate and 

commend such diaspora leaders within the 

Kiwi-Indian community for preventing any 

unwarranted escalation of emotions and 

maintaining an overall social cohesiveness 

within the Kiwi-Indian migrant community. 

The key message remains the same that as 

India continues on its momentous journey with 

impressive economic growth, development, 

and material advancement, emotions are 

bound to run high from time to time, but it is in 

the best interests of the Kiwi-Indian diaspora 

to learn how to keep themselves at a distance 

without jeopardising its own unity and social 

cohesiveness. 

Farmers celebrate news of the repeal of farm laws they were protesting against, in Singhu, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government will 

withdraw the controversial farm laws that were met with year-long demonstrations from tens of thousands of farmers who said the laws will shatter their livelihoods. The drawn-out demonstrations have posed one 

of the biggest political challenges to Modi, who swept the polls for the second time in 2019. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)


NEW ZEALAND 5 

Indian High Commissioner 

in NZ now accredited to 

Cook Islands 

IWK BUREAU 

India’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, Muktesh Pardeshi, has 

been additionally accredited to the Cook Islands beginning this month. 

Though India and the Cook Islands established diplomatic relations in 

1998, the Cook Islands was accredited to the Indian High Commission 

in Suva, Fiji since 1999, when the office in Fiji was established. 

Since November 8, it is now accredited to the Indian High 

Commission in New Zealand. 

High Commissioner Pardeshi said he was looking 

forward to pay an official visit to the Cook Islands to 

present his credentials and establish contacts with the 

political leadership, civil society and the small Indian 

community. 

The Cook Islands is a self-governing island country 

in free association with New Zealand. 

Cook Islanders New Zealand citizens, but have 

additional status of Cook Islands nationals, which 

other New Zealand citizens do not possess. 

Located to the east of New Zealand, the country 

that comprises 15 islands spread across a wide 

swathe of the South Pacific Ocean is a popular 

holiday destination for New Zealanders, 

Australians and Americans and has some of the 

most picturesque islands known worldwide 

for their natural beauty. 

New Zealand looks after the island 

nation’s defence and foreign affairs, but these 

responsibilities are exercised in consultation 

with the Cook Islands. 

The Cook Islands have been an active member 

of the Pacific Community since 1980. 

Only 1 in 4 support ‘Three Strikes’ Repeal 

FAMILY FIRST/ IWK BUREAU 

A 

poll 

has found that just 25 percent 

of New Zealanders want the ‘Three 

Strikes’ law repealed, including just 

29 percent of Labour voters. Almost half of 

Labour voters want the law retained. 

The nationwide poll of 1,000 New 

Zealanders was commissioned by Family First 

NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. 

Respondents were asked “Since 2010, New 

Zealand has had a ‘Three Strikes’ sentencing 

law for serious violent and sexual offenders 

who continue to commit offences. 

This law removes parole eligibility for repeat 

offenders and imposes the maximum prison 

term available for the offence committed, for 

those who offend a third or subsequent time. Do 

you want the three strikes law to remain, or to 

be repealed?” 

Only 25 percent of respondents want Three 

Strikes repealed, with 44 percent wanting 

it to remain and 31 percent unsure. Older 

respondents were more in favour of Three 

Strikes remaining. Net support for the law to 

remain by 2020 Party Vote is: National +45 

percent, ACT +40 percent, Labour +17 percent 

and Greens +7 percent. 

Ironically, the Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi 

when introducing the bill to scrap the law said 

“the public don’t like this law”. He is wrong. 

Gang-related shootings and the use of 

firearms in general – including against our 

police - have become disturbingly normal. In 

2020, gun crime hit a new peak. Firearm related 

offences are nearly double that of just 10 years 

ago. And family violence is also sadly on the 

increase. Even frontline services are expressing 

concern. 

In a 2018 report, Justice Department officials 

admitted that “…in comparison with second 

strikeable offences committed before the law 

came into effect there has been a drop in the 

number of second strike offences since the laws 

implementation.” 

“The Labour government had no public 

mandate for scrapping it, and the evidence 

suggests it is having the desired effect. There 

has been a dramatic drop from the number of 

1st strikes to 2nd strikes and then again to a 

third strike. Criminals aren’t stupid. 

“They are well aware of the law and its 

consequences. If the regime is scrapped, the 

government is in danger of sending a message 

that we’re not serious about the It’s Not OK 

zero-tolerance message on family violence, 

or zero tolerance on gun violence or sexual 

violence. The Three Strikes law reinforces 

that we take victimisations seriously,” 

says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of 

Family First NZ. 

An Official Information Act request at the 

end of 2018 said that for 2nd and 3rd strikers: 

• they had an average of 42 convictions as an 

adult. For 3rd strikers, it’s an average of 74 

convictions 

• 91% were assessed as being at a high risk of 

reoffending 

• 56% committed their 2nd strike on bail or 

parole or while serving a sentence. 

• 40% have a “strike type” conviction from 

prior to the three strikes regime 

• “This data indicates that the three strikes 

regime is accurately targeting the serious 

recidivist offenders.” 

India’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, Muktesh Pardeshi with Cook 

Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown. Photo: Cook Islands Times 

Cook Islands capital is on the island 

of Rarotonga, which also has its 

international airport and is the main 

population centre. More Cook Islanders 

live in New Zealand than they do in the 

Cook Islands. 

Cook Islands capital is on the island of Rarotonga, which also has its 

international airport and is the main population centre. More Cook Islanders 

live in New Zealand than they do in the Cook Islands. 

In addition to the Cook Islands, the Indian High Commission in New 

Zealand is also accredited to the Pacific Island nations of Samoa and Niue. 

Niue, too, like the Cook Islands is a tiny state that is in free association with 

New Zealand. 

Despite their small populations, persons of Indian origin do reside in 

those countries mainly for work or business reasons. 

New Zealand Qualifications Authority 

Approved Category 1 Education Provider

6 NEW ZEALAND 

Friday, November 26, 2021 The Indian Weekender 

New Year events could 

turn out a fizzer 

IWK Exclusive 

PRITI GARUDE KASTURE 

A 

month from when Prime Minister 

Jacinda Ardern said, “If you want a 

summer, get vaccinated,” it seems 

Aucklanders and those around the country 

may not be able to enjoy New Year parties 

after all, as event companies call this week’s 

traffic light announcement lacking in 

clarity and ambiguous. 

New Year parties may be in jeopardy as event 

organisers are still unsure of what to expect 

after December 15 and whether the limit on 

the number of people will extend in time for 

31 December. 

Sanchit Gupta, Founder of Page 3, organiser 

of Bollywood themed parties across Auckland 

is disappointed with the government’s 

announcement as it provides no new update 

or timeline for event organiser like him. 

He said, “Every single announcement is 

extremely complicated. It does not have any 

new information in terms of proper timelines 

or pathways. Even with the traffic light 

announcement, what about everything else? 

What about new year’s? What about the 

borders? Levels? 

How long do they expect the traffic lights to 

stay in place? There’s no clarity.” 

He says it may already be too late for them 

to plan a New Year’s party this year. “We need 

to organise staff, security, bartenders and 

everything that is required to manage 1000- 

1200 people. 

"If the government tells us in the second or 

third week of December, that we are allowed 

to host a new year event, it’s impossible for 

us to sell tickets, arrange everything and get 

organised to host an event. So, for us, this 

uncertainty isn’t helping at all,” he said. 

His sentiments were echoed by Bobby Sohal, 

who along with his partners Karanpreet Lamba 

and Harry Singh runs Vogue Entertainment. 

“It’s very hard to get any kind of clarity,” 

Bobby says. 

Sanchit Gupta, Founder of Page 3 

“As an event-based business, we look at not 

only the clientele, but the volume of clientele 

and the minimum requirements needed to 

host an event, at the establishments that we 

use. Although we have booked our venue and 

started our marketing for a New Year event, 

we cannot confirm anything yet, because 

at this stage as we don’t know if we can go 

ahead with it.” 

Meanwhile, across New Zealand, many 

Vogue Entertainment Team 

large and small-scale 

events have faced 

cancellations, due 

to uncertainty 

or Covid 

restrictions. Many 

of Canterbury’s 

iconic summer 

events have been cut 

short and restaurants 

and event venues 

Every single 

announcement is 

extremely complicated. 

It does not have any new 

information in terms 

of proper timelines or 

pathways. Even with the 

traffic light announcement, 

what about everything else? 

What about new year’s? 

What about the borders? 

Levels? 

across the country are suffering due to 

lack of business. 

Over the past 100 days of lockdown, Page 

3 and Vogue Entertainment have collectively 

cancelled over six events, with Page 3 

putting its expansion plans into Hamilton and 

Wellington on hold due to the uncertainty faced 

by the sector. 

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash, this month, 

announced an Events Transition Support 

Scheme for live, in-person paid events with 

more than 5000 attendees that are held between 

17 December until 3 April 2022, and that may 

face cancellations. 

But what about small-scale event companies 

like Vogue Entertainment, asks Bobby who 

are left in a lurch without any insurance or 

financial backing. 

“The government has covered events over 

the substantial number of 5000. The likes of 

Rhythm & Vines, their events are insured by 

the government. But smaller promoters like us, 

like the other event organisers that are pulling 

in under a 1000 or 2000 people, for them there 

is no transparency yet.” 

He says smaller promoters should also have 

some insurance base because most of them are 

flooding in money from their own pockets or 

in some cases not paying themselves, rather reinvesting 

their money back in the business. 

Sanchit reasons that no business can operate 

under ambiguity for long periods of time. He 

said, “Businesses need forecasting, right? 

More than anyone, the government should 

understand this better. 

When the government comes into power, they 

are focused on how they want to play out for the 

next five years. It’s not like the government will 

come in and say this is what we’re going to do 

for the next month, and then we’ll figure out 

what we need to do,” he adds. 

“We are an educated country, we understand 

that things might change, but at least having 

some tentative timeline would be an extremely 

helpful resource because it will help businesses 

like us plan and forecast our finances,” 

he concludes. 

To be able to organise and market events for 

New Year, the companies need clarity in the 

next two weeks. 

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A stunning, rare astronomical event 

New Zealanders were lucky to 

witness the once-in-800-years 

astronomical phenomenon 

called the blood micromoon last 

Friday night. 

Essentially a partial lunar eclipse, it 

started after sunset at 8.20pm, reaching 

its maximum at about 10.04pm – when 

97 per cent of the Moon’s face was 

covered by the Earth’s shadow. 

The partial eclipse ended 

about 11.48pm. 

Indian Weekender correspondent 

Priti Garude-Kasture and her husband 

Abhijeet watched the entire partial lunar 

eclipse from their home in Auckland 

photographing the rare phenomenon 

through their 12-inch, Dobsonian/ 

Newtonian telescope with a 30mm lens 

and a mirror with a high grade surface. 

They took photos with their iPhone. 

The most visited Indian news website in NZ 

For online advertising options: Contact: 

LEENA on 021 952 216 or Email: sales@indianweekender.co.nz


NEW ZEALAND 7 

National’s leadership woes continue 

Fifth leader in four years; Kiwi-Indian National supporters dismayed 

SANDEEP SINGH 

The National Party has once again 

imploded under the weight of 

burgeoning political ambitions of its 

caucus members as Judith Collins lost the plot 

and the leadership, after a three-hour marathon 

emergency caucus meeting on Thursday, 

November 25. 

The meeting was called after Judith Collins 

had unilaterally decided to demote Simon 

Bridges without briefing or taking the caucus 

into confidence the previous night and issued 

a press release – a move that was subsequently 

opposed publicly by many members of 

National’s caucus. 

At the end of the meeting, which witnessed 

Collins’s removal from the leadership, Dr Shane 

Reti, the current Deputy Leader, was elected as 

the new Interim Leader after a divided caucus 

failed to clearly decide on the next move. 

While the news of Simon Bridges launching 

an imminent leadership rollover was doing 

rounds over the past couple of weeks, the latest 

drama began to unfold when Collins issued 

a press release late on November 24 night, 

demoting the former and stripping him of 

all his shadow portfolios on the allegation of 

inappropriate behaviour a few years ago. 

Collins shocked the nation by issuing a 

written statement saying, “This evening, 

with unanimous support of the board of the 

National Party, Simon Bridges, Member for 

Tauranga, has been demoted and relieved of his 

portfolio responsibilities. 

“The decision follows an allegation of 

serious misconduct relating to Simon Bridges’ 

interaction with a caucus colleague.” 

It soon emerged that the complainant was 

another National MP, Jacqui Dean, who was 

Judith Collins 

party to a conversation about five years ago 

where Simon Bridges had said something 

inappropriately in general (and not to her), 

which she had then complained to then 

Deputy Leader Bill English –and Bridges was 

spoken to. 

By then, it also became apparent that the 

National caucus meeting was likely, given 

the fact that a recent poll has shown that 

National voters and New Zealanders have lost 

confidence in Judith Collins’s leadership of the 

National Party. 

A Newshub-Reid Research poll asked 

whether Kiwi voters preferred Bridges or 

Collins to lead the National Party. Bridges was 

backed in that poll by 40.7 percent of voters, 

while Collins languished at just about 23 

percent votes. 

It was in these circumstances that Collins had 

acted decisively, revealing her famed ruthless 

‘crusher’ streak and almost launched a preemptive 

strike on Bridges to deter him from 

initiating his own mission to roll her in the next 

Interim Leader Shane Reti 

caucus meeting. 

However, as it eventually turned out the 

next day, it was Collins who lost the plot and 

the leadership as some of Bridges’ loyalists 

and other MPs, in general, have either openly 

opposed her or at least distanced themselves 

from her, making her exit almost certain even 

before the caucus meeting began on Thursday 

morning at 9 am. 

Even then, the meeting dragged on for more 

than three hours, with the caucus breaking only 

once for break for water suggesting a divided, 

polarised, and almost clueless caucus. 

It was clear that the National Party was 

on the same pathway of self-destruction and 

implosion that started immediately after the 

first lockdown last year March-April 2020, 

seeing three leaders removed in the span of 

eighteen months. 

Soon after the meeting, interim leader Dr 

Shane Reti fronted the media, saying that his 

job for the next few days was to shepherd 

the next leader selection process pointing 

towards next Tuesday’s deadline when a vote 

is due within the National caucus to elect 

the new leader. 

Simon Bridges also came out and gave a brief 

media appearance explaining the concerning 

incident that happened five years ago under Sir 

John Key’s Prime Ministership and apologised 

to Jacquie Dean. 

Importantly, though, Bridges seems to be 

unfazed by what now appears to be a hit-job 

by Judith Collins to torpedo his own leadership 

ambition and revealed his intentions to once 

again put his hand up for another stint at the 

Party Leadership. 

Meanwhile, the other two names going round 

in media circles are of Mark Mitchell and Chris 

Luxon. However, more clarity will only emerge 

after a few days. 

Kiwi-Indian community dismayed 

However, regardless of how things unfold, 

many in the Kiwi-Indian community have 

expressed anguish and frustration at the 

National Party’s leadership turmoil and the 

choice of timing as poor politics. 

The Indian Weekender has spoken 

extensively to some leaders within the 

Kiwi-Indian community to tap their level of 

frustration with the National Party. 

Especially during a time when they are 

experiencing great stress owning to the Covid 

lockdowns, the government’s management of 

borders, international travel, and other related 

issues. 

Most Kiwi-Indian acolytes and long term 

loyalists of the National Party expressed dismay 

at what some described as the careless and 

irresponsible display of politics by its leaders. 

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8 NEW ZEALAND 

Only one in 10 women 

report domestic violence 

November 25 is the International 

Day for the Elimination of Violence 

against Women. Indian Weekender 

spoke to two women about their 

experiences and two organisations 

about how they can help. 

IWK Exclusive 

AVINASH SEN 

It is a sad truth that at least one in three 

women have faced abuse in their lifetime, 

according to a report published by UN 

Women, the United Nations organisation 

delivering programmes, policies and standards 

that uphold women’s human rights. 

The report based on data collected from 

13 countries since the pandemic shows that 

two out three women reported that they, or a 

woman they knew, had experienced some form 

of violence, but only one of every ten women 

would report such violence. 

The International Day for the Elimination of 

Violence Against Women is meant to spread 

awareness and also to awaken the notion that 

such acts can and should be prevented. 

Indian Weekender spoke to two women 

Tara and Elaine (not their real names) and 

two organisations, and asked them about their 

experiences. 

The women 

Tara is 30 years old and is currently studying a 

Bachelor’s in Counselling. Elaine is 25 and has 

spent some of her younger years in Germany. 

She has had some unpleasant experiences 

which she shared with us. 

Have you ever faced violence or abuse? If 

yes, could you tell us more about it? 

Tara: “Unfortunately, yes. The first incident 

was with someone I was dating. I ended up 

with a broken rib, attempted strangulation and 

extensive bruising. 

It was the first time I had dealt with such 

a violent outburst and I didn’t know how 

to cope with it so I never went to the Police. 

In hindsight I would absolutely go straight 

to the Police.” 

Elaine: “I was 11, in Germany, and was 

buying some ice-cream from a vending machine 

when a man approached me and asked to take 

pictures of my feet. Being young, I didn’t think 

anything of this request; I’d never even heard of 

fetishes. Later my mother came back and was 

very angry and upset.” 

Elaine didn’t realise how toxic it really was 

until the man vandalised her car, “kicking it and 

breaking the windscreen wipers off.” 

In your opinion, what are some red flags we 

should all look out for? 

Tara: Red flags to look out for I would say, 

look at their history. Watch how they treat 

their mum, sisters, friends, and people who 

serve them. 

Elaine: The people you should let into your 

world are NOT people who make you feel 

unsafe in the slightest way, no excuses. When 

“unsafe” enters your mind around this person, 

they are out. 

The organisations 

We spoke with Ranjna Patel, Director of 

Tāmaki Health and Chair of the Serenity 


Foundation and its Gandhi Nivas programme; 

and Jit Kaur, Founder of the New Zealand Sikh 

Women’s Association or NZSWA. 

Gandhi Nivas 

Gandhi Nivas came about thanks to a 

partnership with Total Healthcare PHO and 

Counties Manukau Police. Back in 2014, out 

of the entire New Zealand population, Indians 

consisted of only 3 percent. 

The police, however, found that 29 percent of 

the women killed were Indian women. 

Hence the decision was made to work 

alongside the community to solve this issue. 

Over time they extended their services to all 

family violence incidents. 

What they do 

Gandhi Nivas takes a unique approach to 

solving the issue of family violence; they focus 

on the men in the community, providing early 

intervention, counselling, and risk assessment 

in situations of family violence. 

It gives men counselling services, practical 

support and care plans designed to keep women 

and children safe. Men begin to realise how 

they can do better by being better. 

And it works. An evaluation by Massey 

University between 2014 and 2019 showed 

that 69 percent of offenders remained nonoffending 

after this novel intervention. 

NZSWA 

Jit found that many Sikh girls who came 

to New Zealand after marriage had no social 

support and unfortunately some even committed 

suicide. The NZ Sikh Women Association (Inc.) 

was formed in 2002. 


What they do 

The NZSWA takes issues of domestic 

abuse and migrant struggles very seriously. 

Unfortunately, in the Indian community, 

family abuse is often considered “normal” 

and not discussed outside the home. Some 

of the services they provide include client 

advocacy (legal, financial, child welfare, etc.), 

domestic violence prevention training, bilingual 

counselling, and referrals to networking 

agencies. 

So, dear friends, our take home message here 

is that girls and women do suffer violence and 

abuse in any society. And increasing awareness, 

empowering the girl child, and educating the 

men will go a long way to give all of us a safer 

environment to live in. 

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NEW ZEALAND 9 

Behavioural change key 

to tackling family violence 

November 25 is White Ribbon Day, which shines a light on family 

violence and violence against women. Internationally, people 

wear a white ribbon to mark the day. But does the significance of 

this day and the campaigns that come with it making a difference 

among Kiwi Indians’ Indian Weekender finds out. 

IWK Exclusive 

PRITI GARUDE-KASTURE 

The New Zealand Police 

annual report states that an 

act of family violence is 

reported every four minutes. Police 

were called out to 155,000 family 

harm incidents this past year but 

predict the number will hit 209,000 

calls – one every two and a half 

minutes – by 2025. 

On Wednesday, Minister for the 

Prevention of Family Violence 

and Sexual Violence Marama 

Davidson approved five funding 

grants to support national-level 

family violence and sexual 

violence prevention initiatives 

for LGBTQIA+ people, disabled 

people, older people, and new 

migrant communities. 

This announcement comes ahead 

of the launch of the first ever National 

Strategy for eliminating family 

violence and sexual violence, which 

will incorporate insights from public 

engagement across New Zealand 

in May-June 2021. The public 

engagement included working with 

diverse communities, building on 

the initial work undertaken with the 

communities so far. 

During the announcement, Marama 

Davidson said, “Community-based 

initiatives are proven to help prevent 

family violence and sexual violence. 

A total of $1.578 million will go 

towards developing resources, 

raising awareness, and expanding 

local programmes for people with 

different needs and experiences of 

violence in their communities.” 

She added that action against 

violence cannot just be reactive, 

rather developing prevention and 

healing components to stop violence 

from happening in the first place is 

essential. 

Family harm counsellors and 

public health professionals like 

Vishal Rishi, Director of the Asian 

Network, share similar sentiments 

to Minister. As a someone who 

works at the grassroots level, 

Rishi has witnessed the disconnect 

between national campaigns like 

White Ribbon, commemorated on 

November 25 every year, that targets 

the local New Zealanders but fails to 

resonate with migrant community. 

The reason for this, he believes, 

is because national campaigns 

focus more on jargons, while 

the problem with the migrant 

community lies in the fact 

that people refuse to accept or 

even understand the concept and 

definitions of family violence. This, 

Rishi believes, is one of the biggest 

issues within the migrant community. 

As a lead up to White Ribbon Day, 

Indian Weekender caught up with 

Rishi, a White Ribbon Ambassador, 

to talk about the Indian community’s 

refusal to accept or understand the 

issues of family harm, the problem 

with accepting status quo, and how 

words matter when it comes to 

family violence. 

"The numbers that are reported in 

the police system are just the tip of 

the iceberg." 

Rishi says, “There are many 

incidents which are not even reported 

to the Police or people do not even 

seek help. 

“People have started to say they 

are stressed or depressed, but for 

some of us, we don’t really know the 

meaning of stress and depression and 

what those who suffer from it have 

gone through in their lives. 

"There’s 

still a lot 

more work that’s 

needed with faith-based 

institutions and grassroots 

organisations but these last 

two years of Covid, has 

enabled our community 

leaders to think 

differently about 

social issues" 

“The same 

thing applies to the definition of 

family violence; it does not resonate 

with the community. Hitting someone 

is the only sort of domestic violence 

definition that most in the Indian or 

migrant people are aware of, but it is 

so much more than that. And that is 

the biggest issue. 

“We need to get people talking 

about these issues. Because unless 

you understand the root causes and 

where it originates from, we won’t 

be able to stop it. 

Hitting someone is an outcome of 

a lot of preventative things we could 

have done in the past.” 

"We can’t blame our behaviour on 

culture or saying that this is the norm 

in our culture or emulate what we 

have grown up seeing in our homes.’ 

Talking about status quo behaviour, 

Vaccine pass helpline swamped 

SAM OLLEY, REPORTER, RNZ 

Long waits, cut-offs, and unanswered 

messages are leaving callers to the 

Covid-19 vaccine pass helpline helpless. 

More than 1.75 million people have 

successfully got their QR code domestic 

certification since the My Vaccine Pass sitewent 

live a week ago. But the helpline is being 

swamped, having had 30,000 calls yesterday 

alone. Aucklander Jodie Drummond has tried 

the helpline “almost every hour” for the past 

week, to no avail. 

She was locked out of the system when she 

put the wrong driver licence number in for ID. 

“I’ve phoned and phoned and phoned. I’ve 

made over 100 phone calls now, in the last week, 

to try and get help. I’ve sent 60-something 

emails just trying to bombard them to just get 

a response. I’ve been on their Covid app on 

Facebook and tried to get some response. Still 

nothing.” 

She needs to make an urgent trip to her dying 

father when Aucklanders are let out on 15 

December. 

“I’ve got a father in palliative care in 

Blenheim that I desperately want to get down 

and see. So I’m not going to be able to board a 

flight, without it [the vaccine pass].” 

Frankton resident Monique Harvey is 

Rishi says, “A very simple example 

of this is that in most homes, male 

members are served first, and then 

they sit, and the women keep feeding 

them. It’s a very cultural thing, very 

simple, very normal. Women will 

pick up the utensils after they are 

finished from the table and put them 

in the dishwasher or wash them – 

again, a very simple thing. It happens 

in every home, right? 

“But the impressions this creates 

on the young minds that are 

watching, on the young boy or girl in 

the family, is that "Dad and I will sit 

while my mum and sister will serve." 

This is what registers in the young 

people minds, that this is my work 

and that is their work, which is not 

right. 

“In some homes, yelling and 

shouting is very normal. And that’s 

because they don’t know the impact 

it would have, on their families or 

young ones, or on relationships in the 

future. 

And that’s why we see after 25 

or 30 years, people have separated 

because women have had enough! 

They are broken, but the issue is by 

the time she breaks away, sometimes 

it’s too late. 

“That’s why I believe we need to 

start talking within our communities 

about accepting yes, that such a thing 

exists and that it is wrong.” 

"We stopped using the terms like 

family violence or domestic violence 

at our workshops because whenever 

we did, men would not come to the 

workshops." 

Rishi adds, “We changed our 

terminology from family violence to 

family harmony in 2011. Harmony 

mean love, love mean family love, 

people would then openly relate to 

it. When we used words like family 

violence or domestic violence, they 

double-vaxxed but only one dose is showing up 

on her record. 

She has tried the helpline up to 50 times a 

day. 

“Most of the time it says the call failed, so 

I honestly sit there and just keep pressing the 

callback button,” she said. 

“Next week I’m travelling up to Nelson 

for work and then we go into the traffic light 

system while I’m away... Are they going to let 

me get on the plane?” 

Yesterday, Covid-19 Response Minister 

Chris Hipkins gave assurances that a backlog 

of calls on Monday had been mostly resolved. 

“People might have to wait a little bit but 

they should be able to get through and they 

should be able to get the answers through that 

0800 number,” he told the 1pm briefing. 

But when RNZ called the helpline in the 

hours before and after the stand-up, the “please 

didn’t see themselves in that bracket 

– even though they are, they are just 

not aware of it, or willing to accept it. 

So, when we changed the 

terminology, more people started to 

come in, we started to squeeze some 

of the components and definitions of 

family violence into the delivery of 

the workshops. 

In our ethnic communities, we 

use the term family harm. Family 

harm is not necessarily domestic 

violence, but any harm that might 

befall the family. So, when the 

community started to see the words 

family and harm together, they 

started to get inquisitive to know 

what harm consisted of – that’s when 

we explained that harm could be 

related to family violence, domestic 

violence, gambling, smoking, 

alcohol and drug abuse, and 

range of issues. 

So, we don’t talk about it directly, 

because rather we embed these 

principles or definition in our 

health seminars, health workshops 

and well-being delivery.” 

"Covid has in a way been a 

blessing in disguise where we’ve 

started talking about community 

issues, which is a good start." 

Highlighting the positives of a 

rather dark issue, Rishi concludes, 

“There’s still a lot more work that’s 

needed with faith-based institutions 

and grassroots organisations but 

these last two years of Covid, has 

enabled our community leaders 

to think differently about social 

issues. Prior to this, no one was even 

interested in these things because 

everyone was settling down, settling 

in into the new country. Now, they 

are thinking socially, which is great.” 

try again later” automated message played. 

Automatic replies from the email help 

service haved asked people to be patient, due 

to “extremely high volumes in the support 

channel”. 

Auckland resident Vanisa Narayan has been 

repeatedly trying to get help for her partner. 

He has an overseas ID that the My Vaccine 

Pass site won’t recognise, and he needs a pass 

to sit a driving test for a new job. 

“We’ve already been waiting for a couple of 

months now since lockdown, but he couldn’t 

get his licence. He was booked in for his test 

the same week we went into lockdown.” 

Despite the ranging glitches there was one 

thing all of the helpline users told RNZ - that 

problem was the tech and resourcing, not the 

staff. 

Vaccine passes are valid for six months from 

their issue date.

10 NEW ZEALAND 



New Zealand needs to 

keep its cyber eye open 

AVINASH SEN 

Cyber-attacks are on the rise around the 

world and unfortunately New Zealand 

is not immune to this problem. 

According to the annual National Cyber 

Security Centre threat report, released on 16th 

November 2021, there were 404 cyber security 

incidents “with a possible national impact, or 

affecting Aotearoa New Zealand’s nationally 

significant organisations.” 

The report further states how this increase 

in cyber-threats, “reflects the harm caused by 

ransomware and extortion campaigns. This 

activity increasingly targets critical service 

providers and organisations with no tolerance 

for extended periods of disruption.” All of this 

took place within the 2020-21 financial year. 

Lisa Fong, director of NCSC (National 

Cyber Security Centre) has said, “We have seen 

a sharp increase in recorded criminal activity 

(27%) in the past year, which is a jump from 14 

percent last year. 

"This is a trend that has been reflected 

in public reporting of high-profile cases of 

disruptive ransomware and denial-of-service 

attacks affecting New Zealand private and 

public sector organisations. 

“Malicious cyber actors are increasingly 

using automated scanning to identify cyber 

security vulnerabilities, with actors returning to 

select high-value targets to exploit. 

"Criminal actors will typically look to disrupt 

critical services and publish stolen material to 

the internet and to media outlets in an attempt 

to apply further pressure on a victim to expedite 

their extortion demands.” 

Thanks to the NCSC’s efforts, an estimated 

$119 million worth of harm to nationally 

significant organisations was prevented during 

this period. 

In a typical month, the NCSC detects at least 

13 cyber intrusions that would affect one or 

more organisations. 

What is more worrying is that the trend of 

increased cyber-attacks shows no signs of 

stopping or slowing down. 

In fact, it is becoming easier for malicious 

actors to get their hands on the resources needed 

to conduct these types of attacks. 

Lisa Fong said, “It is becoming increasingly 

difficult to distinguish between state and 

criminal actors, particularly in cases where we 

are able to intervene early, but also because the 

line between state and criminal is becoming 

increasingly indistinct. 

"State actors sometimes work alongside or 

provide havens for criminal groups, and we are 

increasingly seeing criminal groups now using 

capabilities once only used by sophisticated 

state actors.” 

There have been a number of cases where 

such attacks have led to general chaos and 

disruption both in New Zealand and abroad. 

For example, in May of this year, a ransomware 

attack brought the services of DHB’s to a 

complete standstill. 

It took days before the hospitals were 

able to get their IT services up and running 

again, causing significant delays in some 

processes, and hospitals were forced to conduct 

everything manually. 

Also, back in early September this year, 

cyber-attacks left ANZ, Kiwibank, New 

Zealand Post, Inland Revenue and Metservice 

experiencing blackouts. 

Bank customers weren’t able to do 

their banking on the internet and some 

The man in the hood checks the malicious code on the keyboard. Cybercrime through the 

Internet. 

people reported being locked out of their 

accounts altogether. 

But just as malicious actors can get the 

resources to attack, so too can we get the 

resources to protect. 

People say that knowledge is power, so let us 

look into how these attacks work and what we 

can do to protect ourselves. 

How the attacks work 

One of the most common forms of cybertheft 

is the use of ransomware. 

A ransomware attack is when 

a malicious actor gains access 

to your machine/network (for 

example, by getting you to click on 

a link disguised as something harmless 

like a special discount or confirmation for a 

package delivery or a prize) and then infect the 

machine(s) with a program that encrypts all the 

files in your computer. 

They then hold your files as ransom, 

telling you to pay them a certain 

amount of money within a time limit. 

If you don’t pay, you risk having the files 

encrypted forever, and never being able to 

access them again. 

On 22 November, the Otago Daily Times 

reported on how a business (not named for 

security reasons) had their computer systems, 

telephone and commercial data taken out and 

how the business ended up having to pay the 

ransom demanded by the hackers, in order to 

restore their systems. 

Other types of cyber-attacks include: Malware 

(malicious software), the most common type 

of cyber-attack, is where a program or code is 

made to harm a computer or server; 

"Criminal 

actors will 

typically look to 

disrupt critical services 

and publish stolen material 

to the internet and to media 

outlets in an attempt to 

apply further pressure 

on a victim to expedite 

their extortion 

demands." 

DoS (Denial of Service and 

DDoS (Distributed Denial 

of Service) Attacks, 

where a network is 

flooded with false 

requests, making users 

unable to perform 

tasks like opening 

emails, logging in to 

websites or accounts or 

any other online service; 

and Phishing attacks, 

where a potential hacker uses 

social engineering techniques to 

manipulate a victim to share sensitive data. 

This could be done via email, SMS, social 

media or other means. 

The Psychology of Cyber Crime 

Of course, technology is only one 

part of the puzzle. We also have 

to consider the other part, namely 

the human element. One of the main ways a 

cyber-criminal is able to perform a successful 

attack is by exploiting/manipulating the 

human user or the man behind the machine. 

Let’s take a look at some of the tactics 

employed: 

Ransomware: We mentioned these types 

of attacks before, where the hacker encrypts 

all the user’s files. 

The reason why this is able to work is 

because they have taken away something 

that is important to you; photos of loved 

ones, bank documents, the ability to access 

your emails, work documents and so on. 

You want to get these important things back, 

believing that we can get money by investing Companies are always on the lookout for 

the attacker knows this, and they use this 

in this business or putting in a little money to these types of cyber-attacks and work on 

desperation against you so that they can get 

receive more later. Once they get the money, ways to better protect your machines. 

what they want, which is usually money. 

they tend to up the ante, promising more if Use two-factor authentication wherever 

Phishing Attacks: This type of attack 

more is given. It keeps going until finally, the possible. That way, even if someone does 

targets a person’s trust. 

target decides to stop, and they never get any discover your password, you can still prevent 

Attackers will pose as someone the person 

of the money that was promised. 

them from logging in. 

knows and try to coax private information 

Trapped abroad: This scam uses a target’s Backup your data regularly, both on the 

out of them or get them to click on a link/ 

sympathy against them. 

cloud and offline. 

download a file that will grant them access to 

A tourist on holiday has been robbed and If possible, try to backup any important files 

the targeted machine. 

they now need just a little money to travel onto a cloud service and also consider using 

They can also use this tactic to get someone 

back home. They will somehow make it an external hard disk, to keep offline backups 

to send money through manipulation, like 

urgent so that the money is sent before doubts of your files. Be wary of any message you 

sending money to receive a package or asking 

can form. 

may get from an unknown party. 

that you lend them money by posing as a 

Even if it is someone you know, stay 

friend or family member. 

What can we do to protect ourselves? 

vigilant, especially if they start asking for 

Nigerian Prince Scam: This is a very There are some simple steps we can take to 

personal information or money. 

old scam, but is still employed in one form protect our data from potential hackers. 

It’s a tough and predatory world out there, 

or another. Basically, the attacker convinces Practice using unique passwords for every 

and it’s important that we know what is done 

a person that they can get something for website/online service you use. You can use a 

and what can be done to protect our data. Stay 

nothing, and who doesn’t like free stuff? password manager to help you with this 

safe and take care. 

The attacker basically tricks us into Update your machines regularly.


NEW ZEALAND 11 

Bollywood’s surrogacy saga 

Bollywood star Preity Zinta is the latest to join the bandwagon of celebrities who have opted for 

surrogacy to complete their families. We look at other stars who have treaded the surrogacy route 

IWK Exclusive 

NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH 

Bollywood actress Preity Zinta and her financial analyst 

husband Gene Goodenough took everyone by surprise 

last week when they announced the arrival of their 

twins – son Jai Zinta Goodenough and daughter Gia Zinta 

Goodenough- into the family through surrogacy. 

The 46-year-old dimpled beauty shared the news on Twitter 

on Thursday by writing, “Hi everyone, I wanted to share our 

amazing news with all of you today. 

Gene and I are overjoyed and our hearts are filled with so 

much gratitude and with so much love as we welcomed our 

twins Jai Zinta Goodenough and Gia Zinta Goodenough into 

Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan 

The megastar and his interior designer wife, 

who married in 1991, welcomed their third 

child AbRam Khan through surrogacy in May 

2013. AbRam was born prematurely at 34 

weeks and spent a substantial amount of time 

in hospital after his birth. Confirming the same, 

Shah Rukh had said in a statement, “Amidst 

all the noise that has been going around, the 

sweetest is the one made by our new-born 

baby, AbRam,”.The couple is also parents to 

Aryan Khan and Suhana Khan. It won’t be 

wrong to say that the 8-year-old AbRam has 

become a star in his own right and he is mostly 

seen in the social media post of Shah Rukh. 

Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao 

Mr Perfectionist and ex filmmaker wife 

welcomed their son Azad Rao Khan, their 

first child, through surrogacy on December 1’ 

2011. Talking about their decision to opt for 

surrogacy, Kiran was quoted as saying, “It 

was the last resort for us as it wasn’t possible 

for me to have a child the natural way.” For 

the unversed, Aamir has two children- son 

Junaid and daughter Ira from his former wife 

Reena Dutta. Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao, who 

married in 2005 and issued a joint statement on 

July 3’ 2021 to announce their divorce. 

our family”. She further added, “We are very excited about 

this new phase in our lives. 

A heartfelt thank you to the doctors, nurses and to our 

surrogate for being part of this incredible journey. Loads of 

love and light – Gene, Preity, Jai and Gia.” 

The actress, who began her Bollywood journey in the 

year 1998 with Dil Se and has been part of hit films such Dil 

Chahta Hai, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Veer-Zaara among others, 

married her long-time American partner Gene Goodenough 

at a private ceremony in Los Angeles on February 29, 2016. 

Post her wedding, Preity moved to Los Angeles and has been 

spending most of her there. 

Preity is not the first Bollywood celebrity to take the route 

of surrogacy. Read on as Indian Weekender looks at our stars 

who got the biggest blessing of their lives through surrogacy. 

Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra 

The couple, who got married on November 

22, 2009, welcomed their bundle of joy, their 

second child, Samisha Shetty Kundra into 

this world on 15th February 2020 through 

surrogacy. Confirming the same, Shilpa had 

posted on social media, “Our prayers have 

been answered with a miracle. With gratitude 

in our hearts we are thrilled to announce the 

arrival of our little Angel. Samisha Shetty 

Kundra. Born on 15th February 2020 Junior 

SSK in the house.” 

The couple is also parents to a son named 

Viaan Raj, born on May 21, 2012. 

Revealing about her decision to out for 

surrogacy, Shilpa was quoted as saying, 

“After Viaan, I did want to have another child 

for the longest time. But I suffered from an 

autoimmune disease called APLA and that 

came into play every time I get pregnant. So, 

I had a couple of miscarriages and it was a 

genuine issue.” 

Sunny Leone & Daniel Weber 

The Indo-Canadian actress and her husband 

Daniel Weber became parents to twin boys 

Noah and Asher through surrogacy in March 

2018. Before that, in June 2017, Sunny 

announced that she adopted a baby girl named 

Nisha Kaur Weber. 

The couple had adopted Nisha from Latur 

village in Maharashtra when she was just 21 

months. old “For me, I chose surrogacy and 

I chose adoption because I wanted to keep 

going and I wanted to keep working. That was 

my personal choice. I thought I was going to 

have one but I had three. I wouldn’t change 

anything.” Sunny was quoted as saying. We 

chose to do surrogacy with a fertilised egg 

from Daniels genes and my genes. Asher and 

Noah are our biological children and God sent 

us an angel surrogate to carry our boys until 

they were born.” Sunny was quoted as saying. 

Karan Johar 

Filmmaker Karan Johar took the brave step 

and opted to become a single parent when he 

welcomed twins Roohi Johar and Yash Johar 

through surrogacy in February 2017. But it 

was on March 5’ 2017 that Karan made the 

news official and tweeted, “I am ecstatic to 

share with you all the two most wonderful 

additions to my life, my children and lifelines: 

Roohi and Yash. I feel enormously blessed to 

be a parent to these pieces of my heart who 

were welcomed into this world with the help 

of the marvels of medical science. This was 

an emotional yet well thought out decision 

which I have taken after considering all the 

responsibilities and duties that come with 

being a parent.” 

He further added, “I am eternally grateful 

to the surrogate who has fulfilled my lifelong 

dream and provided a warm, loving and 

nurturing environment to my children before 

bringing them into this world. She will always 

remain in my prayers.” 

"It may be noted that Kjo has given his 

mother Hiroo Johar due credit for her active 

role in co-parenting his kids. He was even 

quoted as saying, “I am co-parenting my 

children with my mother and I don’t think 

there can be a better relationship or a situation 

like that.” 

Tusshar Kapoor 

Actor Tusshar Kapoor has been a doting 

father to his son Laksshya ever since he was 

born via surrogacy on June 1 in 2016. Talking 

about his reasons for going the surrogate route, 

Tusshar, who is the son of actor Jeetendra, 

was quoted as saying, “Mujhe apna bachcha 

chahiye tha (I wanted a biological child). 

Maybe I will adopt in the future, you never 

know. Never say never to anything. If people 

who get married and have stereotypical 

families would like to have their own kids, 

why can’t I, as a single parent?” 

Talking about being a single father, the 

45-year-old, who gained recognition for his 

role as Lucky in the Golmaal film series, had 

said, Parenthood has been the most fulfilling 

and the most enriching part of my life. I’m 

more of the hands-on parent because I am both 

the father and the mother.” 

Ekta Kapoor 

Following the footprints of his brother, 

Tusshar Kapoor, producer Ekta Kapoor too 

went down the surrogacy path. She welcomed 

her son Ravie on 27 January 2019 at the age of 

44. Kapoor had said, “By God’s grace, I have 

seen many successes in my life, but nothing 

beats the feeling of this beautiful soul being 

added in my world. I cannot even begin to 

express how happy my baby’s birth has made 

me. Everything in life doesn’t go the way you 

want it to but there are always solutions to 

those hiccups. I found mine and today I feel 

immensely blessed to become a parent. It is an 

emotional moment for me and my family and I 

can’t wait to begin this new journey of being a 

mother to my little bundle of joy, Ravie Kapoor. 

Ekta had got her eggs stored when she was 36 

and talking about her journey to motherhood, 

she had said, “I had stored my eggs when I 

was 36. Had a calling for a long time I don’t 

know what was it. I don’t know I thought I 

might get married, might not. Very late, if it 

happens. Or it may never happen because I am 

not gonna do anything just for the sake of it. I 

have always been such a nonconformist, there 

was no way I would...(conform to marriage).”

Editorial 

National’s caucus 

circus mocks 

democracy 

The crisis in the National Party following leader Judith Collin’s overnight 

decision to demote Simon Bridges and relieve him of all his shadow portfolios 

that has ultimately resulted in her being rolled has provided a much-needed 

distraction to the Labour government from the manner in which it has rammed 

through an important legislation this week. 

This is the latest instance of the National Party’s woeful abrogation of responsibility 

in serving New Zealand democracy with effective parliamentary opposition at an 

extremely crucial time. It has once again shown that it is incapable of holding itself 

together with no trusted leader to helm it. 

The blitzing speed with which the government has rammed through the Covid-19 

Response (Vaccinations) Legislation Bill under urgency has rightly come in for 

severe criticism from all quarters as being against the spirit of democracy. 

The legislation was rushed under urgency because of the impending parliamentary 

recess and the need for passing it into law before the Covid-19 Traffic Light System 

came into effect on December 3 – to give it a legal basis. 

The Labour Party, in any case, had the numbers to see it through, even if the Maori 

Part opposed it. 

The urgency, however, meant that it has been pushed through without consultation, 

robust parliamentary debate or discussion through any committees in contravention 

of all democratic process. Urgency is used mostly in terms of a national crisis like 

external aggression or a major natural disaster. 

Even if Covid-19, as many might contend is of great national significance, few 

would agree to an important legislation affecting New Zealanders’ livelihoods to be 

passed under such urgency with scarce regard for due democratic process. 

This law effectively obligates employers to sack employees who are deemed to 

be covered by the My Vaccine Pass Mandate, should they not get their first dose of 

vaccination by December 3 and their second by January 17. 

The legislation will require businesses to give four weeks paid notice to employees 

who choose not to be – or refuse to be – vaccinated. 

Both the National and Act parties have slammed the government for the unseemly 

hurry in rushing the legislation with National describing it as “secretive, divisive 

and unduly rushed” and Act saying that “government had plenty of time to move it 

through the regular process which would have seen it subject to greater scrutiny.” 

The government does not seem to have spent enough time on working out the 

implications of the law, laying itself bare to a slew of legal challenges over the coming 

months, for they likely impinge on provisions of the Bill of Rights, guaranteed to 

every Kiwi. 

In not consulting businesses, it has overlooked the practicalities of enforcing 

vaccine mandates. 

A fast food chain human resources manager was quoted in the media as saying they 

were worried how their young employees would deal with having to enforce vaccine 

mandates such as checking vaccine certificates and turning away non-compliant 

persons, especially if they showed aggression at being turned away. 

Is a 15-year-old trained, equipped and safe to implement the vaccine mandate? 

Where is the clarity? 

Vaccine mandates have not gone down well in many other parts of the world where 

they have been similarly brought into effect by law. 

Europe has seen continuing g violent protests against vaccine mandates and newly 

re-enforced lockdowns across Europe, particularly in Austria, the Netherlands and 

Germany, as winter grips the continent raising fears of new waves of Covid. 

In New Zealand there have been continuing anti vaccine mandate protests and 

demonstrations throughout the country over the past several weeks that has resulted 

in some court action. 

In not offering strong resistance to the manner in which the government has pushed 

through this new Bill, National has shown its inability to conduct itself as a coherent 

and effective opposition to a numerically strong Labour government that has a run of 

the parliament. 

Thought of the week 

"To accomplish great things, we 

must not only act, but also dream, 

not only plan, but also believe." 

– Anatole France 

26 November - 3 December 2021 

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu 

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This week in New Zealand’s history 

Indian Weekender : Volume 13 Issue 38 

Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited 

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

Chief Technical Officer: Rohan deSouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz 

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

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Media Sales Manager.: Leena Pal: 021 952 216 | leena@indianweekender.co.nz 

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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 

Clouds 

and 

sun 

19° 

14° 

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and 

sun 

20° 

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Clouds 

and 

showers 

20° 

14° 

Copyright 2020. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved. 

A few 

morning 

showers 

21° 

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26 November 1960 

Kiwi Keith' begins 12-year tenure as prime minister 

A few 

morning 

showers 

26° 

17° 

Keith Holyoake led the National Party to victory over Walter Nash’s Labour government. He 

went on to become New Zealand’s third longest-serving prime minister, behind Richard 

Seddon and William Massey. 

27 November 1935 

Labour wins power 

The 1935 general election has long been seen a defining moment in New Zealand history. 

Undermined by its failure to cope with the distress of the Depression, the Coalition 

(‘National’) government was routed by the Labour Party led by Michael Joseph Savage. 


Women vote in first general election 

New Zealand women went to the polls for the first time, just 10 weeks after the governor, 

Lord Glasgow, signed the Electoral Act 1893 into law, making this country the first in 

which women had the right to vote in parliamentary elections. 


New Zealand's first family planning clinic opens 

For many years, the Family Planning Association (FPA) had tried to establish a clinic at 

which women could access information and services relating to contraception and fertility. 

In the early 1950s, several factors combined to enable the launch of the first family planning 

clinic in New Zealand. 


Air New Zealand A320 crashes in France 

At 4.46 a.m. New Zealand Daylight Time (4.46 p.m. on the 27th local time), an Airbus A320- 

200 operated by German charter firm XL Airways and owned by Air New Zealand crashed into 

the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Perpignan, France. All seven people on board were killed. 


Education Act passed into law 

The Education Act 1877 (passed into law on 29 November) established free, compulsory and 

secular education for all Pākehā New Zealand children. 


First woman mayor in British Empire elected 

By becoming mayor of the Auckland borough of Onehunga, Elizabeth Yates struck another 

blow for women’s rights in local-body polls held the day after the first general election in 

which women could vote.

RIZWAN MOHAMMAD 

he bi gest Holi event in the country 

on Sunday, February 14 at ISKCON 

Temple in Kumeu wi l put over one 

RIZWAN MOHAMMAD 

February 13, for the community. 

and dine with the community members. 

intervals. 

Chandra said. 

a ded. 

The Indian Weekender Friday, November 26, 2021 FIJI 13 

Fiji dropped from NZ 

‘very high risk’ list 

New Zealand residents living 

in Fiji, Indonesia, Pakistan, 

Brazil and India will be 

able to fly directly into New Zealand 

without the need to spend 14 days in 

a third country from December. 

These countries are being removed 

from the ‘very high risk’ list – the 

only country to stay on the list is 

Papua New Guinea. 

Kiwi residents trying to come 

back had to spend 14 days in another 

country first. 

Immigration adviser Katy 

Armstrong said the situation has not 

been fair for some time. Armstrong 

Fiji's main int'l 

airport ready 

to reopen 

Fiji is ready to re-open Nadi 

International Airport as more 

than 90 per cent of adults in 

the island nation have been fully 

vaccinated against Covid and amid a 

careful re-opening strategy in place, 

Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed- 

Khaiyum said on Wednesday. 

According to Fijivillage news 

website on Wednesday, the opening 

on December 1 means Nadi will 

now be the gateway of Covid-safe 

tourism in a post-pandemic Pacific, 

reports Xinhua news agency. 

Khaiyum's remark came as 

the Nadi International Airport 

has achieved Airports Council 

International's airport health reaccreditation 

for its Covid-19 health 

NZ pledges 

additional 

budget support 

New Zealand has pledged an 

additional over $50 million 

in budget support to the 

Government during a meeting today. 

Minister for Economy, Aiyaz 

Sayed-Khaiyum and New Zealand 

High Commissioner, Jonathan Curr 

met in relation to this today. 

Sayed-Khaiyum says this budget 

support which is deployed directly 

by the Government reaffirms New 

and safety measures. 

The airport is located in Nadi, the 

third largest city on the western side 

of Viti Levu, the main island in Fiji. 

Khaiyum has thanked Fiji Airports 

management and staff for their 

consistent commitment towards 

a safe and sustainable restart for 

the aviation sector and the tourism 

industry. 

Airports Council International 

Asia-Pacific Director-General 

Stefano Baronci said this reaccreditation 

serves to reassure 

passengers that internationallyrecognized 

safety measures remain 

in place for the resumption of travel 

to Fiji. 

Fiji Airports Chairman Geoffrey 

Shaw said the re-accreditation is a 

significant announcement ahead of 

next week's official opening of the 

country's international border. 

Shaw said they are looking 

forward to next Wednesday with 

great excitement and to welcome 

their first Fiji Airways flight, 

marking the resumption of tourism 

in the island nation. 

Fiji Health Ministry warns of a third wave of Covid-19 

FBC NEWS 

Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for 

Health and Medical Services 

Dr James Fong is warning 

Fijians to guard against a third wave 

of Covid-19 over the Christmas and 

New Year break. 

“Because of excessive gatherings 

that are going to happen over the 

Christmas and New Year,” he 

warned. “We will have the wave of 

the unvaccinated in the hospital. 

“We can only keep promoting 

Covid-safe measures so that the third 

wave is a small wave and not a tidal 

wave; a wave we learn to live with 

and learn from.” 

In March 2020, Fiji was hit with 

has worked with hundreds of New 

Zealand residents who have been 

stuck offshore for months, many 

who have had to go home to deal 

with family emergencies. In April, 

Zealand’s confidence in Fiji’s ability 

to effectively manage its economic 

response and recovery from the 

pandemic. 

Sayed-Khaiyum thanked the High 

Commissioner for his service in Fiji 

and for his personal commitment 

to strengthening the Fiji-NZ 

the first wave. 

It was eventually contained and 

for months there were no reported 

community transmission cases until 

as the Delta variant emerged around 

the world, New Zealand added Fiji 

to a list banning residents flying in 

directly. The ban will be uplifted next 

month. 

relationship.This includes helping 

to secure the delivery of Pfizer 

COVID-19 vaccines to immunize the 

under 18-year-olds. 

The High Commissioner, whose 

tenure ends next month, expressed 

his pleasure in delivering the 

budget support. 

the second wave caused by the Delta 

variant struck in April this year. 

Dr Fong clarified that transmission 

and serious illness data the ministry 

Tourism Fiji positive as 

high bookings recorded 

FBC NEWS 

Tourism Fiji says the booking 

numbers indicate a positive 

start for the tourism industry. 

Tourism Fiji Chief Executive, 

Brent Hill said while there have been 

several bookings from Australia 

and the United States, they are also 

expecting visitors from Europe and 

Asia to grace our shores. 

“Most of the tourists are at this 

stage coming in from Australia, 

which is fantastic and to be expected 

because we got four airlines coming 

in with Fiji Airways, Qantas, Jet, 

and Virgin, but also the numbers are 

really positive also coming out from 

US. We are really excited that the 

Los Angeles service is doing really 

well, and we are pleased to see that.” 

United States of America Chargé 

d’Affaires, Tony Greubel, also 

shared similar sentiments. 

“Americans are really excited to 

be returning here, so Fiji Airways has 

announced daily flights to the United 

States beginning on 01 December. I 

heard from Tourism Fiji and officials 

that the majority of the tourists here 

in December are actually originating 

from the USA.” 

Meanwhile, hiking room and food 

prices will scare tourists away to 

competitors, says newly-appointed 

President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere. 

While opening the 2021-2022 

Parliament Monday, he said the 

recovery of the tourism sector and 

the economy would not be measured 

in months, but in years and Fiji 

needed to tread cautiously. 

Ratu Wiliame said it would not 

happen at all “if we get greedy and 

try to sprint our way to recovery by 

hiking up prices in our hotels and 

restaurants”. 

gathered, showed that Covid-19 

would still be around and pose risks 

to the public. 

“We have to rely on transmission 

data and serious illness data,” the 

Permanent Secretary said. 

“The Spanish flu was a 

huge problem.” 

“Then over many years we had 

sufficient immunity to reduce 

caseload and severe disease 

admission to the point we call it mere 

flu and the vaccine is reserved for the 

vulnerable only.” 

He said they expect the same for 

Covid-19 and until then, the best way 

to deal with the virus is to keep on 

practising Covid-safe measures. 

“That short-sightedness will scare 

tourists away to other, attractively 

priced destinations that are offering 

vacation deals of a lifetime,” he said. 

Ratu Wiliame said Fiji’s brand 

must stand out in the highly 

competitive sector. 

" 

Government has 

empowered our 

hoteliers and tour 

operators to do so with 

practical incentives, 

reduced duties, and 

attractive tourism 

packages so that we 

can be price sharp, 

COVID-safe and capture 

a big share of the 

market. 

“Government has empowered our 

hoteliers and tour operators to do so 

with practical incentives, reduced 

duties, and attractive tourism 

packages so that we can be price 

sharp, COVID-safe and capture a big 

share of the market. 

“The next several months should 

not be focussed on short-term 

margins, but on long term market 

share so that our people not only get 

their jobs back but keep them.” 

To build on this economic 

momentum, Ratu Wiliame said, 

businesses and individuals should 

seize the opportunity for investment 

and started constructing homes, 

apartments, warehouses, shops, 

and factories to take advantage of 

Fiji’s economic recovery and helped 

diversify the country’s economic 

base. 

Tourism Fiji is expecting over 

35,000 visitors next month. 

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NEW ZEALAND 

The Indian W ekender Friday, February 12, 2021 1 

Over a ton of colour to be used at 

Krishna Holi 2021 event in Kumeu 

European nations are experiencing 

a resurgence in Covid-19 

cases once again. 

The World Health Organisation 

has linked this on not enough people 

in the world being vaccinated. 

Meanwhile, Fiji has recorded 15 

new cases, of which seven were 

recorded on Saturday and eight in 

the 24- hour period ending at 8 am 

Monday. 

There is no Covid-19 

death recorded. 

600,427 people or 97.1 percent 

of adults have received one dose 

and 557,486 people or 90.2 percent 

of the target population are now 

fully vaccinated. 

T 

ton of colours for 10, 0 visitors to play with 

celebrating the a nual Hindu festival. 

Hol 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 acro s the globe. 

The a nual festival of colour fa ls on March 

28-29 this year, and the religious element of the 

festival signifies the triumph of g od 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 

C hoti Holi and the fo lowing day as Holi. 

In its 9th year, Krishna Holi event at the 

iconic Hare Krishna Temple in Kumeu, West 

Auckland a tracts thousands of people from a l 

walks of life, di ferent ethnicities and faiths to 

be a part of a colourful and joyous event. 

Speaking with the Indian W ekender, 

Krishna Chandra from the temple said they are 

excited to s e the festive season of Holi back 

after a gl omy year of Covid-19 in the country. 

“Holi at the Krishna Temple is one of the 

most vibrant events in our calendar- we s e 

families dre sed white clothing visi the temple 

and then dance and drench in dry and wet 

colours from n on ti l early evening,” Krishna 

Chandra, secretary and spokesperson of Hare 

Krishna Temple said. 

The temple spread over 1 0 acres start the 

fr event at 1 a.m. and wi l have sta ls that 

distribute at leas ten to 12 colours, and there 

wi l also be watercolours for the visitors. 

A giant LED scr en is also insta led on the 

stage with a DJ and live music for the a tend es 

to dance and have fun. 

“It’s a family-friendly- toba co and alcoholfr 

event. People of a l ages can have fun as 

there wi l be colour sta ls, water stations, f od 

sta ls, changing r oms, showering stations for 

people drenched in colour,” Mr Chandra said. 

He ded tha the temple stocks colours to be 

used a the festival at least 2-3 years at a time. 

The temple wi l be used over a ton of colour at 

the event both in its dry form and with water. 

“We have given 2 0 kgs of colour to fire 

brigade who wi l mix it in their water tank 

and then splash it on the visitors at di ferent 

“Since this year’s event coincides with 

Valentine’s Day, we have kept valentine theme 

gifts and gift station t o at the venue for the 

public to celebrate the o casion there,” Mr 

Chandra a ded. 

Mr Chandra says a l a rangements in 

terms of Covid QR Code sca ning and hand 

sanitisers are in place for people, a rangements 

for children activities, so that everyone gets to 

enjoy the even to its fu lest. 

“We have volunt ers, security to usher 

vehicles to park in the a propriate places, 

manage the oncoming and returning traffic, 

and make sure visitors f el comfortable a the 

event,” Mr Chandra a ded. 

The event organisers have a pealed the 

visitors to come in white dre s as colours tend 

to exhibit its vibrancy on white clothing, get 

spare clothing to change after playing with 

colour and f od and water a rangements have 

b en made a the venue. 

“Hol is always a fun event and Krishna Holi 

event like previous years wi l be high octane, 

fu l of energy and g od vibes,” Mr Chandra 

ISKCON Temple is located on 1 29 

Coatesvi le-Riverhead Highway, Kumeu, West 

Auckland, and the event starts at n on to 5 p.m. 

Hare Krishna temple to host ‘Saatvik food festival’ 

T 

he Hare Krishna Temple in Kumeu, West Auckland 

is hosting its a nual f od festival event on Saturday, 

More than 3 0 people are expected to a tend the event 

where they wi l be served s atvik vegetarian f od, tour the 

temple premises and have a relaxing family-fun day. 

“Our Hare Krishna F od Festival is very popular amongs the 

wider Kiwi community in Auckland, people from a l faiths and 

ethnicities come to the temple, take a tour of the place knowing 

abou the deities, the ISKCON establishment, its works for the 

community and have snacks and f od during the day,” Krishna 

Chandra, secretary and spokesperson for Hare Krishna temple 

told the Indian W ekender. 

The event is said to be quiet, and exhibit a relaxing 

environment where people get to m et new people, make 

friends, experience the calmne s being with nature, have 

S atvik (pure) vegetarian food and have g od family day. 

“This event is ha pening just one day before our most 

popular Krishna Holi event which is wi l be loud, fu l of energy, 

playfulne s, music and dance,” Mr Chandra a ded. 

Th events wi l start at 2 p.m. and end at seven in th evening. 

Besides the f od festival, Krishna Temple organises lunch 

event every Sunday at its premises where 3 0-4 0 people 

come, chant mantras, meditate, spend some time with nature 

“It is a s othing atmosphere a 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 di ference in 

the community by serving others and the le s privileged. 

“There are also children’s activities 

organised so that they engage themselves 

and also have a g od time a the temple,” Mr

14 

INDIA 


India, US agree on transitional 

approach on 'Equalisation Levy' 2020 

India and the US have agreed 

on a 'transitional approach' on 

'Equalisation Levy' 2020. 

According to Ministry of Finance, 

India and the US will remain in 

close contact to ensure that there 

is a common understanding of 

the respective commitments and 

endeavor to resolve any further 

differences of views on this matter 

through constructive dialogue. 

The final terms of the agreement 

shall be finalised by February 1, 

2022. Notably, on October 8, 2021, 

India and the US joined 134 other 

members of the OECD or G20 

Inclusive Framework in reaching 

agreement on the 'Statement on a 

Nepal, India 

to recognise 

Covid vax 

certification 

Nepal and India on Tuesday 

agreed to recognise 

Covid-19 vaccine 

certification. A Memorandum of 

Understanding (MoU) was signed in 

this regard by India's Ambassador to 

Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra and the 

Himalayan nation's Health Secretary 

Roshan Pokharel during a function. 

Due to the lack of mutual 

recognition of the Covid vaccines, 

travellers from the two nations were 

facing trouble. 

People who have been fully 

vaccinated can now travel in the two 

nations after showing the vaccine 

certificate, according to Nepal's 

Ministry of Health and Population. 

Nepal has been using the Indiamade 

Covishield, China's Vero Cell 

and three other American vaccines 

to inoculate its population against 

Covid-19. 

This MoU is a significant step in 

easing travel for fully vaccinated 

travellers of both countries and marks 

another milestone in robust Covid-19 

related cooperation and coordination 

between New Delhi and Kathmandu, 

a statement issued by the Indian 

Embassy in Kathmandu said. 

Two-Pillar Solution to Address the 

Tax Challenges Arising from the 

Digitalisation of the Economy'. 

Furthermore, on October 21, 2021, 

the US, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, 

and the UK reached an agreement 

on a transitional approach to 

existing 'Unilateral Measures' while 

implementing 'Pillar 1'. 

"The agreement is reflected in 

the joint statement that was issued 

by those six countries on that date 

('October 21 Joint Statement')." 

Accordingly, India and the US 

have agreed that the same terms that 

apply under the 'October 21 Joint 

Statement' shall apply between the 

US and India with respect to India's 

charge of 2 per cent equalisation levy 

on e-commerce supply of services 

and the US' trade action regarding 

the said 'Equalisation Levy'. 

"However, the interim period 

that will be applicable will be from 

1st April 2022 till implementation 

of 'Pillar 1' or 31st March 2024, 

whichever is earlier," the ministry 

said in a statement. 

India Pavilion named 'One of the Most Iconic' at Expo Dubai 2020 

The India Pavilion at Expo 2020 

Dubai has been recognised 

as 'One of the Most Iconic' 

pavilions by the American Institute 

of Architects (AIA). More than 190 

pavilions are participating in the sixmonth 

long event being held in Dubai 

but the Indian pavilion remains one 

of the most popular corners, having 

recorded 350,000 visitors in less 

than 50 days of its inauguration on 

October 1. 

"We are pleased to be a part of 

India's journey and success at the 

Expo 2020 and are happy to celebrate 

the achievement. At AIA, our 

primary goal is to ensure the safety of 

the planet with a focus on sustainable 

practices. The India Pavilion has 

achieved the same while representing 

the diverse cultural background of 

the country. The Pavilion not only 

showcases the rich history of the 

country, but also represents the 

Ease in travel restrictions to raise 

airport infra sector's profits: ICRA 

Ease in travel restrictions post 

the lockdown is expected to 

raise the airport infrastructure 

sector's operating profits in FY22, 

ICRA said on Wednesday. 

However, the outlook for the sector 

continues to remain "negative", the 

ratings agency said. 

"The sector's operating income 

and operating profits are estimated at 

Rs 14,000 crore and Rs 3,250 crore 

(operating loss of Rs 1,450 crore 

in FY21), respectively, in FY22," 

said Rajeshwar Burla, Group Head, 

Corporate Ratings, ICRA. 

"Domestic traffic has witnessed 

healthy MoM (month-on-month) 

growth since June 2021 with traffic 

reaching 72 percent of pre-Covid 

levels in October 2021, the highest 

since the start of the pandemic. 

Passenger traffic is expected to 

witness 82-84 per cent YoY (year-onyear) 

in FY22," the ratings agency 

said. 

"The significant ramp up in 

vaccination, decline in Covid cases 

and pick up in revenge leisure 

travel are supporting the growth in 

domestic passenger traffic," it added. 

In addition, the recent 

announcement by the Ministry of 

Civil Aviation to increase the seat 

capacity to 100 per cent with effect 

from October 18 also supported the 

sector. 

Further, ICRA notes that the 

ongoing capacity expansion plans at 

some major airports are expected to 

be delayed by 12 to 18 months due to 

the pandemic. 

"The completion cost is expected 

to increase due to increase in interest 

during construction as some of the 

airports have funded capex with 

bullet bonds which have been drawn 

down at once," it added. 

India's lasting legacy in the UAE. 

Talking about the 

"We uniqueness of the 

are pleased to 

India Pavilion, 

be a part of India's 

Dr Aman Puri, 

journey and success 

at the Expo 2020 and 

Consulate 

are happy to celebrate the General of 

achievement. At AIA, our India in Dubai 

primary goal is to ensure the said, "We are 

safety of the planet with a delighted to 

focus on sustainable see the response 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visits the India Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020. 

practices." towards the India 

Pavilion and the work 

numerous opportunities, possibilities 

and offers a window into the future," 

said AIA President Mr Daniel S. 

Hart. 

The external facade of the India 

Pavilion is made of 600 individual 

colourful blocks and is capable of 

at the Pavilion which transports 

them to a virtual India. While the 

traditional Indian elements showcase 

the rich cultural and traditional 

heritage of the country, its modern 

architectural concepts, economic and 

scientific capabilities. 

done by CP Kukreja Architects 

led by Dikshu Kukreja. We would 

like to thank AIA for choosing the 

India Pavilion as one of the most 

iconic pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai. 

We believe the theme of 'Connecting 

minds, creating a future' has been 

kinetic movements symbolising the Built across a 1.2-acre plot with translated through the pavilion 

theme - India on the move. 

a state-of-the-art building, it is set structure". 

The visitors also get to experience 

the immersive AI and VR technology 

to be a permanent structure and will 

become a part of District 2020 and 

"As India represents a rich blend of 

cultures and influences, the same is 

Be careful with 

banning all 

cryptocurrencies 

in India: 

Experts 

With the Indian government 

seeking to ban all private 

cryptocurrencies in the 

upcoming Crypto bill 2021, experts 

and leading industry players on 

Wednesday said that provisions 

relating to "banning" private 

cryptocurrencies would have to be 

looked at very carefully. 

The Cryptocurrency and 

Regulation of Official Digital 

Currency Bill, 2021 seeks to prohibit 

all private cryptocurrencies in India 

in the Winter Session of Parliament 

starting November 29. 

It, however, allows for certain 

exceptions to promote the underlying 

technology of cryptocurrency and 

its usage. Former Finance Secretary 

Subhash Chandra Garg said that 

cryptocurrencies don't function and 

provide services as currencies only. 

"When you 'ban' crypto currencies 

what exactly do you ban? Similarly, 

what are the permissible exemptions? 

Do you permit crypto currencies to 

make in platform payments the largest 

exemption issue? What is the manner 

you permit purchase of exempted 

cryptocurrencies for exempted use 

by sovereign currencies?" he asked. 

The biggest matter which will 

need to be seen in the proposed 

bill is how are crypto platform 

going to be permitted to produce 

goods, services and assets using the 

versatile technology of blockchain 

and cryptography when its use as 

a currency-asset, elaborated Garg 

who headed the inter-ministerial 

committee (IMC) that drafted the 

cryptocurrency bill. 

According to Shivam Thakral, 

CEO, BuyUcoin, the crypto bill 

should be flexible enough for young 

Blockchain projects to flourish. 

"We also request the government 

to give immediate clarity on the 

taxation and filing of crypto assets," 

he said. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi 

had earlier said that all democratic 

countries need to work together on 

cryptocurrency and ensure that it 

does not end up in the wrong hands. 

also represented in our architectural 

heritage. India is home to 1/6th of 

the humanity and is an enormously 

diverse nation, the India Pavilion 

beautifully captures this diversity 

and tells the story of India. Every 

day, we see thousands of excited 

visitors who are mesmerised by the 

interactive nature of the Pavilion. 

We are looking forward to hosting 

many such visitors and sustaining the 

momentum," Dr Puri added. 

On the AIA recognition, Principal 

Architect of India Pavilion, Dikshu 

C. Kukreja said, "It is a great honour 

to be recognised by AIA and we are 

delighted to showcase our country 

at the Expo. We understand the 

importance of Expo 2020 Dubai and 

the Pavilion has been designed to 

showcase India's diversity, heritage 

and the numerous opportunities 

presented by the country on a global 

pedestal".


WORLD 15 

Global COVID caseload tops 258.6m 

The global coronavirus Center for Systems Science and worst-hit country with the world's 613,066 deaths). The other worst figures showed. 

caseload has topped 258.6 Engineering (CSSE) revealed that highest number of cases and countries with over 5 million cases Nations with a death toll of over 

million, while the deaths the current global caseload, death deaths at 47,980,076 and 773,738, are the UK (9,985,529), Russia 100,000 are Mexico (292,524), 

have surged to more than 5.16 toll and the total number number of according to the CSSE. The second (9,238,330), Turkey (8,598,380), Russia (261,526), Peru (200,894), the 

million and vaccinations to over vaccine doses administered stood worst hit country in terms of cases France (7,553,513), Iran (6,088,009), UK (144,579), Indonesia (143,753), 

7.44 billion, according to the Johns at 258,695,154, 5,165,134 and is India (34,526,480 infections Germany (5,472,957), Argentina Italy (133,330), Iran (129,177), 

Hopkins University. 

7,448,434,896, respectively. 

and 466,147 deaths), followed by (5,317,633), Spain (5,103,315) and Colombia (128,188), France 

In its latest update the University's The US continues to be the Brazil (22,030,182 infections and Colombia (5,052,733), the CSSE (119,605) and Argentina (116,415). 

Biden administration seeks to reinstate 

workplace COVID vaccine rule 

The Biden administration asked a federal appeals 

court to lift a court-ordered stay on a sweeping 

workplace COVID-19 vaccine rule to avoid 

serious harm to public health, or alternatively to allow a 

masking-and-testing requirement. 

Delaying the rule by the Occupational Safety and 

Health Administration (OSHA) that requires employees 

to be vaccinated or tested weekly would lead to thousands 

of hospitalizations and deaths, the administration said in 

a filing with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. 

The White House asked for the rule to be reinstated 

immediately, but the court set a briefing schedule that 

runs through Dec. 10. The administration of President 

Joe Biden, a Democrat, has issued several rules aimed 

at encouraging vaccinations, although OSHA’s Nov. 5 

standard is the most far-reaching. 

The OSHA rule requires businesses with at least 

100 employees, covering tens of millions of American 

workers, to comply by Jan. 4. Although 82% of U.S. 

adults have gotten at least one vaccine dose, requiring 

shots against COVID-19 has become a divisive political 

issue over trade-offs between civil liberty and public 

health. The rule was challenged by Republican-led 

states, businesses and trade groups, and it was quickly 

blocked by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New 

Orleans, which called it “staggeringly overbroad” and a 

“one-size-fits-all sledgehammer.” 

'Travelling Australians 

not required to pay for 

Covid tests' 

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt 

confirmed that interstate travel'ers 

will not have to pay for their 

mandatory Covid-19 tests. 

Hunt said that federal and state and 

territory governments will continue to fund 

polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on a 

50-50 basis, reports Xinhua news agency. 

It comes after the Queensland government 

declared that travellers would be required 

to pay A$150 ($108) for a mandatory PCR 

test within 72 hours of arrival when the 

state reopens its borders to the pandemichit 

Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 

Victoria state and New South Wales state in 

December. 

Hunt told Nine Network television that 

the state government has "wavered" on the 

funding agreement after significant backlash. 

"We haven't changed anything," he said. 

Australian Prime Minister Scott 

Morrison’s legislative agenda came 

under risk after a conservative lawmaker 

in his coalition government threatened to 

withhold support if the government does not 

abolish mandatory COVID-19 vaccine rules. 

Australia’s two largest states, New South 

Wales and Victoria, have banned unvaccinated 

people from entering places such as restaurants 

and shops, citing a threat to public safety, while 

also requiring that they work from home. 

George Christensen – a backbench lawmaker 

from the junior National party – threatened to 

abstain from voting on government legislation in 

the House of Representatives unless those rules 

are scrapped. 

Morrison’s government has a single vote 

majority in Australia’s lower house. Without 

Christensen’s vote, Morrison would have to rely 

on opposition support to pass legislation into 

law. The prime minister is hoping to pass 

several pieces of key legislation in the final 

sitting period of the year in a bid to improve his 

standing in the polls ahead of an election that 

must be held by May 2022. 

“Until federal action is taken against vaccine 

discrimination, I will be voting according to 

my conscience, or abstaining from votes … 

rather than just voting with the government,” 

Christensen said. While Morrison has said 

he opposes mandatory vaccination 

orders, except for health workers, 

he has not usurped state leaders 

on the issue. 

More than 80% of 

Australians over the age of 

16 have received at least one 

COVID-19 vaccine dose, while 

in many parts of the country, 

nearly all adults have opted for 

inoculation. 

Border rules, swift lockdowns and tough 

social distancing rules have helped Australia to 

keep its coronavirus numbers far lower than 

many other comparable countries, with around 

200,000 total cases and nearly 2,000 deaths. 

Satellite for tracking world's water to launch in 2022 

An international team of engineers and 

technicians has finished assembling a 

next-generation satellite that will make 

the first global survey of the Earth's surface 

water and study fine-scale ocean currents. 

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography 

(SWOT) mission is scheduled for launch in 

November 2022, and the final set of tests on 

the spacecraft have started, according to a 

statement by NASA. 

SWOT is a collaboration between NASA 

and the French space agency Centre National 

d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), with contributions 

from the Canadian Space Agency and the UK 

Space Agency. 

The SUV-size satellite will collect data on 

After the stay was imposed, lawsuits from across the 

country were transferred to the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati. 

That has given the Biden administration an opportunity 

to ask for the 5th Circuit ruling to be reviewed. 

The administration said in its filing that if the ruling 

remained, it should at least be modified to allow the 

masking-and-testing requirement. 

A modified stay would also shield employers from 

state and local laws banning vaccine and mask mandates, 

the administration said. 

Florida is among the states that have banned businesses 

from requiring vaccination against COVID-19. 

Australian PM’s legislative agenda threatened 

by division over COVID vaccine rules 

the height of the Earth's salt and fresh water -- 

including oceans, lakes and rivers -- enabling 

researchers to track the volume and location of 

water around the world. 

Australia's international borders 

will be reopened to eligible visa 

holders from 1st December 

Australian Prime Minister 

Scott Morrison has 

announced today that 

international borders will be 

reopened to eligible visa holders 

from 1st December. 

SBS News reports that Morrison 

says fully-vaccinated visa holders 

will no longer be required to secure 

an exemption to travel into the 

country. 

Morrison says those eligible for 

the rule change will include skilled 

migrants, international students, 

humanitarians as well as working 

holidaymakers and provisional 

family visa holders. 

He adds the return of skilled 

workers and students to Australia is 

a major milestone in their pathway 

after being locked out for almost two 

years due to the pandemic. 

The Australian Prime Minister 

says under the new rules, the visa 

holders must have received a 

SWOT will help to measure the effects of 

climate change on the planet's water, such as 

the processes by which small, swirling ocean 

currents absorb excess heat, moisture, and 

greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide from the 

atmosphere. The mission's measurements will 

also aid in following how much water flows 

into and out of the planet's lakes, rivers, and 

reservoirs, as well as regional shifts in sea level. 

"SWOT will be our first global snapshot of all 

surface water that we have now, how the water 

moves around the planet, and what happens to 

it in a new climate," said Nadya Vinogradova 

Shiffer, SWOT programme scientist at NASA 

Headquarters in Washington, in the statement. 

In June, the satellite's scientific instruments 

"Until 

federal action is 

taken against vaccine 

discrimination, I will 

be voting according to my 

conscience, or abstaining 

from votes … rather than 

just voting with the 

government." 

vaccine approved by the Australian 

Therapeutic Goods Administration 

and provide proof of their vaccination 

status. 

He says visa holders will have 

to comply with the quarantine 

requirements in the state or territory 

upon their arrival. 

He further says this will enable 

them to move into the next stage of 

reopening to international students 

and get essential workers back into 

the country. 

were shipped to France, from the agency's Jet 

Propulsion Laboratory in the US. Ever since, the 

teams have been working to connect the part of 

the spacecraft holding the science instruments 

to the rest of the satellite and ensure that the 

electrical connections function properly. 

The next six months will involve three 

phases of testing to make sure the satellite will 

be able to survive the rigours of launch and 

the harsh environment of space. Engineers and 

technicians will attach the satellite to a device 

called a shake table, which simulates the intense 

vibrations and rattling of launch. Then the 

spacecraft will move into an acoustic chamber 

to bombard it with high-decibel sounds similar 

to those of blastoff.

16 

FEATURES 


Popular South Indian recipes 

Kerala Recipes-Prepare yourself for a culinary journey that canvases everything from exquisite 

seafood to ignored vegetables, from coconut milk to crispy curry leaves, from spluttering mustard 

seeds to soft and spongy appams. Prepare yourself for a scrumptious ride to 'God's own country'. 

Fish Mappas (Fish Curry) 

Fish Mappas is a Kerala style curry where fish is cooked 

in creamy coconut milk and served with appams 

Ingredients 

• 3 tsp coconut oil 

• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds 

• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds 

• 5-6 curry leaves 

• 2 slit green chillies 

• 1/2 sliced onion 

• 1 tsp coriander powder 

• 1/4 tsp mustard powder 

• 1/2 chopped tomato 

• 2 soaked kokum fruits 

• 4 big cubes of any sea fish 

• 1/2 cup fish stock 

• 1/2 cup coconut milk 

• For the tempering: 

• 2 tsp coconut oil 

• 1/4 tsp ginger juliennes 

• 1/4 tsp chopped garlic 

• 5-6 curry leaves 

• 2 Tbsp chopped shallots 

Method 

• Heat oil in pan. 

• Add mustard seeds, fenugreek 

seeds, curry leaves, slit green 

Ingredients 

• 1 cup chopped spinach 

• 2 Tbsp oil 

• 1/2 Tbsp mustard seeds 

• 2 Tbsp chopped red chillies 

• 7 to 8 curry leaves 

• 2 Tbsp chopped green chillies 

• 1/2 Tbsp turmeric powder 

• 1 Tbsp chopped garlic 

• 2 Tbsp grated coconut 

• Salt to tas 

Healthy cooking every day 

An array of delicious ingredients like kokum fruits, curry leaves and coconut milk is 

used to prepare this sumptuous dish of fish curry. 

chillies and sliced onions. Saute 

till onions turn brown. 

• Now add coriander powder, 

mustard powder, chopped tomato, 

kokum fruits, big cubes of any sea 

fish and fish stock. 

• Cover and cook for 5 minutes. 

• Now remove cover and reduce to 

Cheera Thoran Kerala style stir-fry 

An authentic Malayali stir fry with spinach, 

coconut and mild spices. Absolutely healthy! 

Method 

• Heat oil in a pan. 

• Add mustard, red chillies and 

curry leaves. 

• Now add green chillies, turmeric 

powder, chopped garlic and 

spinach. 

• Let the spinach steam, then add 

grated coconut. 

• Season and cook for a few 

minutes. 

• Serve garnished with grated 

coconut 

a semi dry consistency. 

• Add coconut milk and let simmer 

for 2 minutes taking care not to let 

the milk come to a boil.Temper 

with coconut oil; ginger juliennes, 

chopped garlic, curry leave and 

chopped shallots. 

• Serve hot with appams. 

Kerala mutton stew 

About Kerala Mutton Stew Recipe: Succulent chunks of mutton simmered 

in delicate southern flavors of coconut milk, curry leaves, cinnamon etc. 

Ingredients 

• 500 gms cubed mutton (boiled 

with 10 gm ginger) 

• 100 gms onion, sliced 

• 5 gms green chillies (slit) 

• 10 gms ginger strips 

• 1 tsp pepper corns 

• 10 Curry pattas 

• 1 coconut, grated 

• to taste Salt 

• 100 gms oil 

• 150 gms cubed potatoes 

• 50 gms diced carrot 

For sabut garam masala: 

• 1 Cinnamon stick 

• 4 Cardamoms 

• 4 Cloves 

Method 

• Boil mutton along with ginger. 

Set aside. 

• Boil potatoes and carrots. Set 

Kozhikodan Biryani 

Ingredients 

• 1 Kg Chicken legs (small pieces) 

• 400 gram Rice 

• 600 ml Water (the water is 1.5 

times more than the quantity of 

rice) 

• 6 Green cardamoms 

• 2 Cinnamon sticks 

• 3 Bay leaves 

• 3 Javitri 

• 10 gram Fennel seeds 

• 200 gram Onion 

• 80 gram Tomatoes 

• 20 gram Green chilli 

• 50 gram Ginger 

• 50 gram Garlic 

• 50 gram Red chilli powder 

• 50 gram Coriander 

• 30 gram Mint 

• 5 gram Turmeric 

• to taste Salt 

• 15 gram Garam masala 

• 60 ml Oil 

• 4 Eggs, boiled 

• 30 gram Butter 

Method 

• Pour oil into the pot, add whole 

spices into it and stir a while. 

• Put crushed onions, julienne of 

green chillies and ginger. 

• Now add ginger & garlic paste, 

aside. 

• Extract coconut milk twice. 

• Heat oil and saute sabut garam 

masala, onion, green chillies, 

ginger, curry patta, peppercorns. 

• Add boiled mutton, potatoes and 

carrot along with second extract 

of coconut milk and cook. Add 

salt to taste. 

Paal Payasam (South Indian dessert) 

mint, coriander and stir. 

• Add turmeric, red chilli and 

fennel powder. 

• Now add pieces of chicken, 

chopped tomatoes, water and 

butter. 

• When chicken is almost cooked, 

add rice and salt. 

• Cover and simmer it for a while 

till done. 

• Cut each egg into four then 

garnish on the rice. 

Key Ingredients: Chicken legs 

(small pieces), Rice, Water (the 

water is 1.5 times more than the 

quantity of rice), Green cardamoms, 

Cinnamon sticks, Bay leaves, Javitri, 

Fennel seeds, Onion, Tomatoes, 

Green chilli, Ginger, Garlic, 

Red chilli powder, Coriander, 

Mint, Turmeric, Salt, Garam masala, 

Oil, Eggs, Butter 

• Stir first extract of coconut milk 

just before serving. 

• Key Ingredients: cubed mutton 

(boiled with 10 gm ginger), 

onion, green chillies (slit), ginger 

strips, pepper corns, Curry pattas, 

coconut, Salt, oil, cubed potatoes, 

diced carrot, Cinnamon stick, 

Cardamoms, Cloves 

delicious, creamy, rice and milk enriched with the goodness of cashews and raisins, paal payasam is a south Indian dessert, a version of kheer, 

A made on various festivals and celebratory occasions like onam. It is a simple recipe with richness of nuts and goodness of milk. 

Ingredients 

• 50 gms rice 

• 1 litre milk 

• 5 gram cardamom powder 

• 100 gms sugar 

• 50 ml ghee (clarified butter) 

• 50 gms cashew nuts 

• 25 gms raisins 

Method 

• Wash and soak the rice for 1/2 an hour. 

• Cook the rice in milk until soft. 

Lighter Takes 

& Easy Tips 

• Add cardamom powder, sugar and stir until 

the sugar is dissolved. 

• Heat ghee in a pan and add the cashew nuts. 

• When the cashew nuts are slightly golden, 

add the raisins and saute for a minute. 

• Pour on the rice mixture and serve warm.


WORLD 17 

CROSSWORD FreeDailyCrosswords.com 

NO: 93 

ACROSS------------, 

1) Life of_ (carefree 

existence) 

6) Flat-bottomed open boat 

11) "Shogun" sash 

14) Apparently amazed 

15) Country of over 1 billion 

16) Car tracking digits (abbr.) 

17) Gain experience 

20) Doubter's outbursts 

21) Like most NBA players 

22) Calorie-rich pastry 

23) 67.5 degrees, on a compass 

24) Retail center 

25) Fence repairer 

26) Bronco catcher 

28) Deafening noise 

29) Find in a mine 

30) Hole in your head 

34) Bums of documentaries 

35) Provider of wide-angle 

shots 

KEEP WATCH 

37) One way to get the gravy 

38) Former or previous 

39) Affectionate utterance 

40) Cape_ (cottage style) 

41) Olympic prize 

45) Greyhound alternative 

4 7) Crossing the Atlantic 

50) Day before a holiday 

51) Dutch shoe 

52) "_ go bragh" 

53) Hai ry jungle creatures 

54) Maryland state flowers 

57) Be in pain 

58) Model of perfection 

59) "Beetle Bailey" character 

60) "2001" mainframe 

61) From Oslo, e.g. 

62) More likely 

28th February 

DOWN 

1) "Friends" female 

2) Big lizard 

3) Woodworker's machines 

4) Classic poetry 

5) Japanese currency 

6) Twine fiber 

7) Bell sound 

8) Short poem (var.) 

9) "Fee_ foe furn" 

10) Enrich 

11) Goes too far 

12) Marsh heron 

13) "Psst!" follower 

18) Airport stat. 

19) Billion years 

24) Cow sounds 

25) Prefix meaning "one thousandth" 

27) Quick cut 

28) Attempt to lose weight 

31) Prepared Bond's martini 

32) Work the bar 

33) "The Catcher in the _" 

34) Santa's seat? 

35) Gridiron game 

36) Mme. Bovary 

37) Hom of Africa nation 

39) "Rock the_" (The Clash hit) 

40) Birch tree spike 

42) Make an exit 

43) Exact retribution 

44) Not as great 

46) Legendary elephant eater 

4 7) Vicinities 

48) Move like a crab 

49) Coast Guard officer (abbr.) 

52) You right now, theme-wise 

53) " ... and make it fast!" 

55) Tokyo, long ago 

56) Place with a president 

ANSWERS CROSSWORD NO: 93 

FreeDailyCrosswords.com 

ACROSS------------, 

1) Life of_ (carefree 

existence) 

6) Flat-bottomed open boat 

11) "Shogun" sash 

14) Apparently amazed 

15) Country of over 1 billion 

16) Car tracking digits (abbr.) 

17) Gain experience 

20) Doubter's outbursts 

21) Like most NBA players 

22) Calorie-rich pastry 

23) 67.5 degrees, on a compass 

24) Retail center 

25) Fence repairer 

26) Bronco catcher 

28) Deafening noise 

29) Find in a mine 

30) Hole in your head 

34) Bums of documentaries 

35) Provider of wide-angle 

shots 

KEEP WATCH 

1R 21 3L 4E S y 

1A G A 

1i: u T 

,.. A 

N 

AB 

LA 

I L 

,.. A L 

58 

1 

37) One way to get the gravy 

38) Former or previous 

39) Affectionate utterance 

40) Cape_ (cottage style) 

41) Olympic prize 

45) Greyhound alternative 

47) Crossing the Atlantic 

50) Day before a holiday 

51) Dutch shoe 

52) "_ go bragh" 

53) Hai ry jungle creatures 

54) Maryland state flowers 

57) Be in pain 

58) Model of perfection 

59) "Beetle Bailey" character 

60) "2001" mainframe 

61) From Oslo, e.g. 

62) More likely 

N 

E 

------- 

D E A 

6 

N OR s 

HITORI NO: 93 

I N 

T H 

T E 

E R 

N E 

s lJ SAN s 

5 

SARGE 

6 

hP TE R 

28th February 

DOWN 

1) "Friends" female 

2) Big lizard 

3) Woodworker's machines 

4) Classic poetry 

5) Japanese currency 

6) Twine fiber 

7) Bell sound 

8) Short poem (var.) 

9) "Fee_ foe furn" 

10) Enrich 

11) Goes too far 

12) Marsh heron 

13) "Psst!" follower 

18) Airport stat. 

19) Billion years 

24) Cow sounds 

25) Prefix meaning "one thousandth" 

27) Quick cut 

28) Attempt to lose weight 

31) Prepared Bond's martini 

32) Work the bar 

33) "The Catcher in the _" 

34) Santa's seat? 

35) Gridiron game 

36) Mme. Bovary 

37) Hom of Africa nation 

39) "Rock the_" (The Clash hit) 

40) Birch tree spike 

42) Make an exit 

43) Exact retribution 

44) Not as great 

46) Legendary elephant eater 

47) Vicinities 

48) Move like a crab 

49) Coast Guard officer (abbr.) 

52) You right now, theme-wise 

53) "... and make it fast!" 

55) Tokyo, long ago 

56) Place with a president 

Eliminate numbers until there are no duplicates in any row or 

column. Eliminate numbers by marking them in Black. You are 

not allowed to have two Black squares touching horizontally or 

vertically (diagonally is ok). Any White square can be reached 

from any other (i.e. they are connected). 

SUDOKU SOLUSIONS AND ANSWERS NO: 93 

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

1. Which planet has the most moons? 

Saturn 

2. What part of a plant conducts 

photosynthesis? Leaf 

3. How many elements are in the periodic 

table? 118 

4. Where is the smallest bone in the 

human body located? Ear 

5. How many hearts does an octopus 

have?3 

6. Who discovered penicillin? Alexander 

Fleming 

7. Queen Elizabeth II is the longest 

reigning monarch of the UK, followed 

by Queen Victoria – but who is third? 

George III 

8. Which two houses were involved in the 

War of the Roses? York, Lancaster 

9. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, 

beheaded, survived – who was Henry 

VIII’s last wife? Catherine Parr 

10. Which year did the European Union 

first introduce the Euro as currency? 

1999 

11. What is the capital of Bulgaria? Sofia 

12. What is the capital of New Zealand? 

Wellington 

13. Beirut is the capital of which country? 

Lebanon 

14. What is the capital of Canada? Ottawa 

15. Hanoi is the capital of which country? 

Vietnam 

16. What is the capital of Argentina? 

Buenos Aries 

17. The capital of Iceland is? Reykjavik 

18. Slovakia’s capital is? Bratislava 

19. What’s the capital of Belgium? 

Brussels 

20. What is the capital of Brazil? Brasilia 

BOOK NOW: +09 218 4000 

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INDIA - NEW ZEALAND 

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AUSTRALIA 

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FLIGHTHTS TO 

FIJI - USA

18 ENTERTAINMENT 


Most popular movies on Netflix right now 

Here’s our list of must-watch movies and series for the week, curated by the Indian Weekender team for our readers. 

Vivo 

dark, gut wrenching turn after he lashes back 

at attackers. 

Cast- Joaquin Phoenix, Robert de Niro, 

Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, 

Glen Fleshler, Bill Camp and many more. 

Doctor Sleep 

Rurouni Kenshin 

Cast- Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, 

Alexa PenaVega, Daryl Sabara, Steve 

Buscemi, Mike Judge. 

Barnyard 

music- loving kinkajou embarks on the 

A journey of a lifetime to fulfil hid destiny 

and deliver a love song for an old friend. 

Cast- Lin- Manuel Miranda, Ynairaly 

Simo, Zoe Saldana, Juan De Marcos, Brian 

Tyree Henry, Gloria Estefan, Micheal Rooker, 

Nicole Byer. 

Hustlers 

struggling stripper and her street-smart 

A mentor team up to turn the tables on their 

Wall Street clientele during the 2008 global 

financial crisis. 

Cast- Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Julia 

Stiles, Keke Palmer, Mercedes Ruehl, Lili 

Reinhart, Cardi B, Lizzo. 

Joker 

In this sequel to ‘The Shining”, Danny, noew 

a traumatised adult, is sought out by a young 

psychic as evil beings that feed on their powers 

close in. 

Cast-Ewan McGregor, Rebecca 

Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, crab Lumbly, 

Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce 

Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Cliff Curtis, 

Robert Longstreet and more. 

Spy kids 

Before he was a protector, Kenshin was a 

fearsome assassin known as Battosai. But 

when he meets the gentle Tomoe Yukishiro, his 

story begins to change. 

Cast- Takeru Satoh, Kasumi Arimura, Issey 

Takahasi and more. 

Aftermath 

Desperate to save their marriage, a young 

couple takes a deal and moves into their 

dream home, but disturbing events reveal the 

house’s troubled history. 

Cast- Ashley Greene, Shawn Ashmore, 

Sharif Atkins and many more. 

Spy kids 2 

When things get crazy at a farm, its up tp 

boisterous bovine named Otis to save 

the day in this animated children’s tale. 

Cast- Kevin James, Coutney Cox, Sam 

Elliot, Danny Glover, Wanda Sykes 

DrillBitTaylor 

The tables are turned when pint- sized kids 

Carmen and June must rescue their secretagent 

parents from the diabolical clutches of 

Alexander Minion. 

Cast- Antonio banderas, carla Gugino, 

Alan Cumming, teri Hatcher, Cheech Marin, 

Danny Trejo. 

Spy kids Carmen and June Cortez team up 

with two other point size secret agents, 

Gary and Gertis Giggles, in order to take on an 

evil scientist 

Three high school freshmen devise a novel 

plan for dealing with the school bully: 

They hire an ex- soldier turned beach bum as 

a bodyguard. 

Cast- Owen Wilson, Leslie Mann, Nate 

Hartley, Troy Gentile, David Dorfman, 

Alex Frost 

In 1981 Gotham city, a struggling, mentally 

ill comic battles to be seen. His life takes a 

Must-watch movies on Disney Plus 

Made in Heaven 

Mid Wicket Tale 

Yeh Meri Family 

Stories by Rabindranath Tagore 

The collected short stories of Tagoreji is 

made into a series that will make you fall 

in love, adore nature and embrace life just the 

way it is. 

Bring Stereotypes and the usual cliches, 

made in heaven talks about love, lust, 

money and how each Gender feels vulnerable 

in different situation. 

Little Things 

Highlighting the journey of Indian cricket, 

Mid wicket tales is a 12 episode web 

series starring veteran Actor Naseeruddin Shah 

who narrates the journey of Indian cricket. 

Pushpavalli 

You ‘ll have a constant smile on your face 

while watching this feel- good series that 

anyone born in the 80’s or 90’s relate to. 

Family Man 

Bhavar 

This series revolves around the NRI 

Bengalis and Durga Pooja. The happy 

and gun event turns into a nightmare when a 

terrorist group plans to abrupt the party. What 

happens next is for you to watch. 

Phone a friend 

This modern love story is very relatable 

to the millennial generation and ia good 

mixture of laughs, warmth and has a perfect 

ending. 

You might end up hating yourself if you are 

single watching little things. The story of 

an adorable couple who finds happiness in little 

things is a feel-good series that you shouldn’t 

miss watching. 

This comedy based drama is fir everyone 

who has been in love with the fear of 

confronting. It’s hilarious and makes you feel 

light and addicted to Pushavalli’s innocent yet 

naughty character. 

Manoj Bajpayee’s incredible performance 

as a family man who is also a part of the 

national investigation agency is an interesting 

tale worth your time. 

Broken but beautiful 

With heart melting songs in it, this series 

focusses on the point that everyone 

needs somebody to lean on and head. A beautiful 

tale that every broken heart must watch.

New Lynn, Lot 2/21 Craigbank Avenue 

Brand New affordable family homes in Craigbank Avenue. It is perfect for modern Auckland living. 

The floor plan of the ground floor consists of a bedroom with a bathroom and a spacious open plan dining area. The indoor-outdoor 

flow to a large deck creates a spectator entertaining area and an internal access garage adds to the comfort of these fabulous homes. 

On the top floor, the master bedroom with ensuite and two more bedrooms and a bathroom provide enough space for all. 

Best Features: 

- Spacious double bedrooms within built wardrobes 

- Security Alarms for security 

- Modern Kitchen with good quality Bosch appliances 

- Central Vacuum and In-Built Music system 

- Estimated Completion in April 2022 

New Lynn is growing in popularity as a convenient suburb to live in and it is no surprise that it was one of the suburbs which came out 

on top in Auckland. Perfect for first home buyers and/or investors to add this low maintenance investment to your portfolio. 

Carefully designed, beautifully appointed and superbly located - these houses are at the top of their game for modern living. Be the first 

ones to buy, as they won't last long. Act quickly to buy off the plans to have choice of colors and beat the price rise. Call us today to 

book a meeting. 

All plans, images, and artist's impressions of exterior and interior are intended as a guide only. 

All information provided has been obtained from sources we believe to be accurate. However, we can not guarantee the information is 

accurate and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. 

(Including but not limited to a property's land size, floor plans, and size, building age, and condition) 

Interested parties should make their own inquiries and obtain their own legal advice. 

55D Hillside Road, Mount Wellington 

In Alert Level 3 we are able to conduct private viewings. If you would like to view this property, please get in touch. 

Set up in a new development of freehold homes, the quality and style of these fabulous homes sets a new benchmark for newly built. 

Situated In one of the best and vibrant locations of Mt Wellington, for those who are seeking a lifestyle in Central, you must add this at the top of your list of mustsees. 

Across two spacious floors of living and accommodation, the scale of this 263m2 house is surprisingly versatile. The floor-plan on the ground floor consists of a guest 

bathroom, a bathroom and a great open plan dining area. The indoor-outdoor flow to a deck where you can enjoy in a sunny entertaining area and an internal access 

garage adds to the comfort of these fabulous homes. On the top floor, there is a master bedroom with ensuite and two more bedrooms and a study room. Also, one 

common bathroom provide enough space for all. 

Close to public transport, amenities and excellent schooling, the centrality and convenience found here heightens a lifestyle that is relaxed. 

Just few a minutes drive to Sylvia Park and Auckland CBD. Carefully designed, beautifully appointed and superbly located - these houses are at the top of their game 

for modern living. Be the first ones to buy, as they won't last long. Act quickly to buy off the plans to have choice of colors and beat the price rise. Call us today to 

book!

The Indian Weekender, 26 November 2021

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