The Indian Weekender, 06 May 2022

06 MAY 2022 

VOL 14 ISSUE 7 

www.iwk.co.nz /indianweekender /indianweekender 

Selling solutions, 

not promises 

Pg6 

Pg2 

Pg7 

Gary Bal 

DIRECTOR AND LICENSEE AGENT 

gary.bal@century21.co.nz 

0276040504 

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2 

NEW ZEALAND 

Friday, May 6, 2022 

Read online www.iwk.co.nz 

New Zealand on course to 

reconnect with the world 

NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH 

New Zealand is set to 

reclaim its status as a 

favoured destination 

for international tourists and 

business travellers after it 

eased entry into the country. 

Visitors from around 60 

visa-waiver countries can now 

travel to NZ provided they 

are vaccinated and do a predeparture 

and arrival test for 

Covid-19, while other travellers 

on a valid visit visa will require 

to self-test on arrival in NZ. 

From October 2022, all visa 

categories are permitted to 

enter the country. 

For now, that deadline 

is not flexible. 

“There’s no update to the 

most recently stated position,” 

a spokesperson from the 

office of Covid-19 Response 

Minister Chris Hipkins said . 

“However, the government 

continues to take advice on all 

border settings.” 

But Immigration Minister Kris 

Faafoialso appears to leave the 

door ajar : “The government 

continues to review New 

Zealand’s reconnecting 

strategy to see if and when 

it might be possible to bring 

forward final steps of the 

reconnecting plan sooner than 

previously signalled.” 

The government’s cited alibi 

for wanting to hold off the 

anticipated influx of visitors, 

particularly from India , if all 

visa categories are opened 

up, is that Immigration New 

Zealand (INZ) is short staffed. 

Catriona Robinson, associate 

deputy secretary, INZ, told 

Indian Weekender that INZ 

has been “making several 

operational decisions to 

ensure that it is ready to end 

As we work 

towards fully 

opening New 

Zealand’s borders 

again, INZ has been 

making a number of 

operational decisions 

to ensure we are 

ready to end the 

border exception 

regime and prepare 

for a return to 

increased volumes 

of visa applications 

from migrants 

wanting to come here. 

the border exception regime 

and prepare for a return to 

increased volumes of visa 

applications from migrants 

wanting to come to NZ.” 

Robinson argues that the 

Covid-19 pandemic and the 

border closure as a result has 

put the immigration system 

under pressure. INZ has had to 

adapt to new challenges , she 

pointed out. 

“This work cannot be 

unwound with the flick of 

a switch, particularly as we 

continue to effectively run 

two immigration systems until 

we have a fully open border 

again,” Robinson said, adding: 

“We have been working 

towards building capacity and 

capability to ensure timely 

visa decisions for applicants 

across all visa categories can 

be delivered. 

"We have been planning 

since July 2021 to return INZ’s 

workforce to a level which will 

be appropriate for when the 

borders are to reopen. 

"But with no certainty in 

the initial months of when our 

borders may reopen, what 

that would look like and what 

demand there would be, our 

planning has necessarily had 

to be based on projected 

forecasts.” 

According to Robinson, INZ 

is in the midst of an ongoing 

recruitment drive with 229 

new staff hired over the last 

12 months. 

An additional visa 

processing centre has 

opened in Christchurch to 

meet the exigency. 

More visas will be routinely 

processed via the immigration 

online platform, which is already 

happening in the case of visitor 

visa applications and 2021 

resident visa applications. 

The new employer 

accredited work visa will follow 

suit shortly. 

Robinson claims visa 

application volumes are hard 

to forecast, but reiterates her 

commitment to “reconnecting 

New Zealand with the world.”

Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, May 6, 2022 

NEW ZEALAND 3 

MBIE investigation 

on 'Responsible 

lending code’ 

completed 

SANDEEP SINGH 

The Ministry of Business 

Innovation and 

Enterprise (MBIE) has 

confirmed that the muchawaited 

investigation into 

the changes introduced 

in the responsible lending 

code a few months ago has 

now been completed and 

handed over to the Minister 

of Commerce and Consumer 

Affairs Dr David Clark. 

An MBIE spokesperson told 

the Indian Weekender that 

the Minister of Commerce and 

Consumer Affairs has now 

been provided with a final 

report and advice from officials 

on the initial implementation 

of changes to the Credit 

Contracts and Consumer 

Finance Act (CCCFA). This was 

provided at the end of April. 

“This follows an investigation 

by MBIE, in consultation with 

other members of the Council 

of Financial Regulators. The 

objective of the investigation 

was to identify any impacts 

of the recent CCCFA changes 

that came into force on 1 

December 2021, considering 

the scale and nature of the 

impacts, to assess what, if any, 

further actions are needed. 

“Decisions on next steps 

are expected to be made this 

quarter. This report is also 

expected to be published 

this quarter, subject to 

Cabinet approval,” the 

spokesperson said. 

In the beginning of the year, 

the Minister had called for an 

enquiry after reports emerged 

that the changes introduced 

in the credit contracts and 

consumer finance act from 

December 1, 2021, were 

causing trouble for genuine 

borrowers in the form of an 

unusual level of scrutiny by 

banks and financial institution 

in the credit applications. 

The government had brought 

in changes in the responsible 

lending code with an intention 

to safeguard vulnerable people 

from irresponsible lending 

and placed a requirement 

on lenders to follow a 

robust process and ensure 

that lending is affordable 

and suitable. 

However, since then, an 

unusually high number of 

applications seeking credit 

from banks, who would 

have otherwise got their 

applications approved, were 

denied access to credit, even 

for petty amounts, sighting 

seemingly trivial expenses as 

daily coffees and takeaways. 

Following a lot of media 

reporting, the Minister had 

called for an investigation by 

MBIE to ensure that the banks 

and financial institutions were 

not acting in a manner that 

would have unnecessarily 

compromised the intent of 

changes brought into the 

responsible lending code. 

Additionally, the Minister 

had also announced some 

changes in March this year 

to responsible lending rules 

to curb any unintended 

consequences being caused 

by the Credit Contracts 

and Consumer Finance Act 

(CCCFA), introduced in 

December 2021. 

Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Dr David Clark. 

The changes included 

clarifying that when borrowers 

provide a detailed breakdown 

of future living expenses, 

there is no need to inquire 

into current living expenses 

from recent bank transactions. 

Clarifying that the requirement 

to obtain information in 

‘sufficient detail’ only relates 

to information provided by 

borrowers directly rather than 

relating to information from 

bank transaction records. 

Providing alternative 

guidance and examples for 

when it is ‘obvious’ that a loan 

is affordable. 

The changes though 

welcome then, had yet not 

made any significant impact 

in relaxing the availability of 

credit for genuine borrowers, 

which is most visibly impacting 

the housing market in the form 

of tightening of credit. 

Minister considering 

advice on the report 

Meanwhile, Minister Dr David 

Clark has confirmed that he has 

received the report and now 

considering the next steps. 

“I’ve received the final 

report from officials and the 

Council of Financial Regulators 

on the initial implementation 

of changes to the Credit 

Contracts and Consumer 

Finance Act (CCCFA). 

“I am now considering 

the advice and decisions on 

Government’s next steps 

will be made this quarter,” 

Clark said. 

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4 

NEW ZEALAND 


China silent amid calls 

to end persecution 


VENU MENON IN WELLINGTON 

Curious passers-by stopped 

to watch the procession, 

led by a brass band, as it 

wound its way along Willis Street in 

downtown Wellington. 

Banners held aloft read ‘Stop the 

persecution of Falun Gong’. 

The Falun Gong, followers of a 

Buddhist-origin practice outlawed in 

China, marked its 30th anniversary 

with a protest march in Wellington 

on April 30. Pamphlets distributed to 

the public claim Falun Gong members 

suffer persecution by Chinese 

authorities for practising their faith. 

Founded by Li Hongzhi in 1992, Falun 

Gong is based on his teachings and 

health practices set out in his seminal 

work, Zhuan Falun. 

Li, who left China in 1996, lives in the 

US, according to Falun Gong members. 

His departure from his homeland 

proved fortuitous. It preceded what 

Auckland-based human rights lawyer 

Kerry Gore calls “an unprecedented 

persecution of Falun Gong practitioners 

in China.” 

Gore alleges the persecution involves 

the full range of state-sponsored 

repression from unlawful arrest and 

illegal detention to forced labour and 

custodial torture. Gore also accuses 

the Chinese authorities of engaging in 

“involuntary live organ harvesting of 

vital organs”. 

Amnesty International appears to 

back the Falun Gong’s claims. 

The human rights watchdog says 

Falun Gong practitioners were “held in 

psychiatric hospitals, in Re-education 

Through Labour (RTL) facilities or 

sentenced to long prison terms.” 

“Torture and other ill-treatment 

are endemic in all forms of detention, 

despite China’s ratification of the UN 

Convention against Torture in 1968,” 

Amnesty International adds. 

However, Dr. Heather Kavan, a Massey 

University academic, is sceptical. Kavan 

says that the “Western governments’ 

policies regarding human rights issues in 

China are often largely based on media 

Western governments’ 

policies regarding 

human rights issues 

in China are often 

largely based on media 

reports (or on the reports of 

agencies, such as Amnesty 

International, who use the 

media as a source), so the 

information’s credibility is 

vital. 

reports (or on the reports of agencies, 

such as Amnesty International, who 

use the media as a source), so the 

information’s credibility is vital.” 

Kavan maintains that Amnesty 

International’s reports are not 

independently verified, and mainly 

come from Falun Gong sources. 

But personal anecdotes abound. 

David Huang, 50, who runs a small 

business in Auckland, arrived in NZ in 

2006 as a refugee. David told Indian 

Weekender that he was detained at the 

Guang Zhou City No.1 Labour Camp for 

three years between 2001 and 2004. 

David’s wife, Zhixiang Luo, was 

detained in Guang Zhou City Huang 

Pu District Brainwashing Centre, 

where she went on a hunger strike. 

She was shifted to the First Affiliated 

Hospital of Jinan University, Guang 

Zhou City, where she died. David 

claims his wife had head injuries at the 

time of her death. 

Officials at the Chinese Embassy 

in Wellington were not available for 

comment. The Embassy is temporarily 

closed. Attempts by Indian Weekender 

to contact the Economic and 

Commercial Counsellor’s office at Hill St 

in Wellington were also unsuccessful. 

A staff who answered the door 

bell said the Counsellor was out of 

the country indefinitely. 

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NEW ZEALAND 5 

Age just 

a number 

for this 

84-year-old 


It’s important to have a 

twinkle in your wrinkle’ – 

Anon 

And 84-year-old athlete 

Jagjit Singh Kathuria is a living 

example of this adage, who 

believes in defying all the odds 

at his age. 

The Papatoetoe resident has 

won a whopping 12 medals 

at the recently concluded 

18th Edition of the Australian 

Masters Games, which took 

place in Perth, Australia shares 

his story with a sparkle in his 

eyes. 

“I have won four gold 

medals, four silver and four 

bronze medals. I participated 

in 13 events, including weight 

throw and pentathlon, but I, 

unfortunately, missed one as 

I was late by 10 minutes, and 

they didn’t allow me to enter 

even though the event had 

not started. My competitors 

in these events were from 

Australia, NZ, India, Singapore, 

Thailand and Sri Lanka, among 

others.” 

An educator by profession 

before he retired serving as 

principal and headmaster of 

several private schools in 

Haryana and Punjab in India, 

Kathuria came to New Zealand 

in 2008. 

Ask him about how his 

interest in sports began, and 

he happily reveals, “I was 

always interested in sports 

right from my college days. 

I used to play hockey and 

football. I was even awarded 

the Best Athlete at Malwa 

Training College in 1958, 

and even when serving as 

principal of different education 

institutes, I made sure I was fit. 

But then, when I did lose touch 

with sports. But in 2017, I met 

the veteran and multiple world 

records in the over-100 years 

old categories Indian trackand-field 

athlete, Man Kaur in 

NZ and got so inspired that I 

started taking part in sports 

again.” 

As we kept conversing with 

Jagjit Singh Kathuria during the 18th Edition of the Australian 

Masters Games in Perth 

the veteran, it was impossible 

to miss his energy, and he 

reinforced that age is just a 

number for him. 

“Main to apne aapko ko 

buddha nahi kehta, aur koi 

kehta hai to main mana karta 

hoon ki mujhe budda mat 

kaho.” (I don’t feel old, and 

if someone calls me old, I 

tell them not to do so). It is 

in the mind – you are as old 

as you think”, says Kathuria, 

who advocates fitness for the 

community and the youngsters 

and encourages senior citizens 

to participate in sports. 

When asked about the 

mantra behind his fitness, he 

says, “As per my routine, I 

walk at least 3 km daily, do an 

hour of exercise and an hour of 

yoga each day to keep myself 

fit. I do not 

follow any 

special diet. I am also a member 

of the Pakuranga Club, and the 

coach help mentors me, which 

helps me keep in shape.” 

On a parting note, revealing 

his upcoming plans, he says, 

“I have already registered by 

name is upcoming games in 

South Island Masters Games 

in Timaru which will take place 

in October and Pan Pacific 

Masters Games in Gold Coast 

in November. My dream is to 

participate in World Masters 

Games. Let’s see when that 

happens,” signs off Kathuria. 

HAPPY VESAK 

BUDDHA JAYANTI! 

Melissa Lee 

National MP 

National Party Spokesperson for 

Ethnic Communities 

MPLee@parliament.govt.nz 

melissalee.co.nz 

mpmelissalee 

Authorised by Melissa Lee, National 

List MP, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.

6 

NEW ZEALAND 



‘We are living in endless fear’ 


been able to do anything.” 

Now, on to an inspirational side of 

Sokhi’s life. Sokhi is a sports achiever 

even at the age of 69 and has won 8 

medals at the recently concluded 18th 

Masters Games in Perth. 

He says, “I have been interested in 

sports from the age of 8. Besides other 

athletics, I played sports like cricket, 

soccer, volleyball, and hockey.” 

Singh came to New Zealand around 

the year 2000 to participate in a 

games event in Dunedin and then fell 

in love with the country and decided to 

settle here with his family. He is looking 

forward to joining in South Island 

Masters Games in Timaru in October 

and then later at World Masters 

Athletics next year. 

Tapendra Singh Sokhi with wife Amarjeet Kaur Sokhi 

Sharing his motto for fitness, he 

says, “I do not eat junk food and prefer 

to eat natural foods. I feel content and 

happy with myself and my life, and 

that’s very important. I want to inspire 

youngsters and tell them that sports 

are a great way to get away from stress 

and depression. If 

I can win medals 

at this age, so 

Ram raids, methamphetamine 

use, armed robbery – these were 

the unfortunate things that 

made headlines in the last few days. 

Considering the same, it won’t be an 

exaggeration to say that we’re amid 

a youth crime epidemic, especially in 

Auckland. 

And small business owners, especially 

dairy owners, feel the brunt of the 

same the most. 

We spoke to Kiwi Indian senior citizen 

Tapendra Singh Sokhi, who expressed 

his helplessness at the current law and 

order situation. Sokhi, who has been 

running a dairy shop named Highway 

Dairy in Mt Wellington, Auckland, since 

2003, says, “I have been running this 

shop for the last 20 years and have 

experience incidents of crime, ram raids 

and theft at least 40 times. I had to put 

grills across the cash counter and even 

boulders outside my shop to deter the 

culprits.” 

With a sign of frustration and 

helplessness on his face, Sokhi revealed 

that the stress of increasing crimes had 

taken a toll on his health. 

“Earlier, I didn’t have diabetes or 

high blood pressure, but now I have 

developed both because of the 

tremendous trauma and stress I face 

each time an incident happens in my 

shop, or I hear of increasing cases. I 

have been traumatised. 

“Hamari jaan sukhi rehti hai (We live 

in constant fear). We are always fearful 

that someone will come and harm us.” 

Sokhi’s wife Amarjeet, too, pitched 

in saying, “These criminals have no 

Mortgages: 

• Home loans 

• Commercial Property loans 

• Business Loans 

• Top up & Debt consolidation 

• Re-Finance and Refixing 

• Investment Property loans 

• Restructuring of loan 

• Construction & Renovation 

Nimish Parikh 

Registered Financial Adviser 

M. 021 236 7070 

nimish@saffronfinance.co.nz 

Earlier, I didn’t have 

diabetes or high 

blood pressure, but 

now I have developed 

both because of the 

tremendous trauma and 

stress I face each time 

an incident happens 

in my shop, or I hear of 

increasing cases. I have 

been traumatised. 

shame. Just the other day, they broke 

the shutter of our shop. Whenever our 

daughter in law is alone at the shop, we 

tell her to keep the door closed even 

though we have grills for her safety. 

We are always scared.” 

Sokhi, who served in the Indian Army 

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Tapendra Singh Sokhi with medals 

for nine years, also said that though 

police do come within minutes of any 

incident, nothing substantial is done 

beyond that. 

“What should I say about the police? 

They do come. I don’t want to criticise 

them. At times, I have even provided 

them with names and addresses of the 

culprits, but even then they haven’t 

can you…just 

get up and try 

your passion. I 

will be happy if I 

can inspire even a 

single person.” 

Former Speaker criticises 

trespass orders for former MPs 

RNZ 

A 

former Speaker of 

Parliament says 

issuing trespass 

notices to former MPs was a 

“stupid move”. 

A political backlash and the 

threat of legal action appear 

to have forced Speaker Trevor 

Mallard to withdraw five 

trespass notices, including 

those issued to Winston 

Peters and Matt King. 

Sir David Carter 

told Morning Report there was 

no justification to trespass 

former MPs from Parliament 

grounds. 

“I think trespass orders 

should be considered for 

people who come on and 

protest and break the law, for 

people who protest peacefully 

we should actually encourage 

protest at parliament.” 

He said under no 

circumstances should 

protesters who had acted 

peacefully and within the rules 

be trespassed. 

Sir David Carter 

Sir David said Mallard is 

meant to be parliament’s 

person but he is too 

entrenched in Labour. 

Sir David, a former National 

MP, said the role should have 

the respect from both sides 

of the house. 

“From what I gather from 

talking to former colleagues 

of mine, they’ve become 

exasperated with some of 

his decisions or in particular 

words out of order. 

“He just looks to me like 

he’s not accepting the role 

as parliament’s person he’s 

there actually as a Labour 

Party member and there to 

protect the government and 

that’s not the essence of a 

good speaker.” 

Carter said he did his best 

in the job and he encouraged 

Trevor Mallard to change his 

attitude and do his. 

Deputy-Prime Minister Grant 

Robertson told First Up he 

was pleased the decision to 

trespass former-MPs had 

been withdrawn. 

“He and the parliamentary 

service made some 

independent decisions here 

(and) there have been 

conversations between 

politicians of all parties and 

the speaker over the last few 

days. 

“It’s a good thing the 

trespass notices have been 

withdrawn against those 

former MPs.” 

However, he said people 

should not forget the 

unsavoury scenes at the 

parliament protest and a 

proportionate response would 

be required for some people 

who were in attendance.


NEW ZEALAND 7 

‘From fasting to feasting’ – 

Eid-Ul-Fitr celebrations in NZ 

SANDEEP SINGH 

The festival of Eid-Ul-Fitr – a 

major religious day celebrated 

by Muslims around the world 

that marks the conclusion of Ramadan, 

the Islamic holy month of fasting 

– was celebrated in New Zealand 

on Tuesday, May 3. 

Devout Muslims all over the country 

began their day and the festivities by 

offering morning prayers – Namaz – 

at various mosques and followed by 

meeting and greeting loved ones and 

wider communities, accompanied by 

feasting on cuisines from different 

parts of the world. 

The celebration commemorates 

the end of the 30 days of dawn-todusk 

fasting that Muslims observe 

throughout the month of Ramadan. 

Leading the celebratory events in 

the country was the major event at 

Eden Park stadium that witnessed the 

enthusiastic participation of thousands 

of festival-goers, several dignitaries, 

and members of wider communities. 

Organised by New Zealand Eid Day – a 

not for profit community organisation 

based in Auckland – the Eden Park Eid 

celebrations had a dedicated place for 

offering Eid Namaj, accompanied by a 

range of food stalls, henna stalls, other 

craftworks, and bouncy castles for 

children to allow people indulge in fun 

food and festivities. 

The stadium premises was full during 

the prayers on Eid, with separate 

arrangements made for males and 

females, followed by an Eid carnival for 

the families to enjoy the day. 

Fun activities included bouncing 

Eid celebration at Eden Park Stadium: Minister Michael Wood (below centre) posing during the celebration 

castles, photo booths, face painting, 

henna, ethnic clothing and women’s 

accessories and delicacies from 15- 

20 different nations serving the best 

snack and foods of the countries. 

Among dignitaries attending the 

event, the key was Minister for 

Transport and Workplace Relations and 

Safety Michael Wood – who has been a 

regular at this event for the last many 

years. 

Speaking to Indian Weekender, Wood 

extended Eid Mubarak greetings to 

everyone saying, “It is really good to 

be here at New Zealand Eid Day at Eden 

Park. It is a day of joy and celebrations 

for the Muslim community. A very 

positive environment. Good to be here.” 

“Part of our job as MP is to connect 

and represent all different communities. 

New Zealand today, in 2022, is an 

enormously diverse society. Certainly, 

it is in my electorate Mt Roskill. So 

being in such community events, 

hearing about their issues and showing 

our support to them is a very important 

part of our job as the government and 

also as MPs. 

“Eid is a day of celebration and of 

joy for the Muslim community. But I will 

acknowledge the Muslim community 

for really opening up these sorts of 

Eid is a day of 

celebration and of 

joy for the Muslim 

community. But I will 

acknowledge the Muslim 

community for really 

opening up these sorts of 

events for the communities 

more broadly. The way 

we build a more cohesive, 

successful and happy 

society is by sharing our 

cultures and our faiths by 

accepting one another and 

by being willing to learn 

from one another,” 

events for the communities more 

broadly. The way we build a more 

cohesive, successful and happy society 

is by sharing our cultures and our faiths 

by accepting one another and by being 

willing to learn from one another,” 

Wood said. 

MAHESH KUMAR 

Christchurch Muslim 

community joined the 

rest of New Zealand 

to celebrate Eid-Ul-Fitr on 

Tuesday, 3 May, with the 

morning prayers offered at the 

Pioneer Stadium. 

Eid-Ul-Fitr marks the end of 

the holy month of Ramadan 

and is celebrated worldwide 

with gusto and fervour. 

All over Christchurch, 

there were four different Eid 

prayer sessions organised by 

different Muslim organisations. 

Besides the 3000-strong 

Muslim community, the 

prayers were also attended by 

several dignitaries and even 

non-Muslim members from the 

wider community. 

Traditionally, worshippers 

all around the world, begin 

their day by offering morning 

prayers, and then get together 

with friends and family to greet 

each other and exchange gifts. 

A sombre part of the day is to 

remember and pay tributes to 

Eid-Ul-Fitr prayers in Chch mark 

beginning of month-long celebrations 

those who have departed. 

A traditional feast is also 

held on this day, with delicacies 

prepared in a traditional 

manner. 

Liyaqat, a worshipper who 

attended the prayers told 

Indian Weekender, “It is the 

time for the families and 

extended families to come 

together, open your 

“It 

is the time 

for the families 

and extended families 

to come together, open 

your fast together and 

offering prayers. It’s 

fast together 

and offering 

prayers. 

It’s a very 

beautiful 

feeling.” 

T h e r e 

will also be 

celebrations and 

get-togethers held 

by the different Muslim 

and ethnic organizations in 

Canterbury over the next two 

to three weeks, with the big 

event taking place on Saturday, 

7 May at The Commons in 

central Christchurch. 

The event is being organised 

by Asturlab Cultural Centre in 

association with the Muslim 

a very beautiful 

feeling.” 

Association of Canterbury with 

support from ChristchurchNZ 

and Christchurch City Council. 

This event will be the first 

time that Eid celebrations 

are taking place in outdoor 

setting. The event which will 

have presence of several 

dignitaries promises to be 

lovely autumn evening filled 

with traditional festive sounds, 

food and lights. 

After the horrific events of 

15 March 2019, everyone in 

Canterbury has stood up for 

cultural harmony alongside the 

Muslim community, and their 

active participation in the 

cultural events is a testament 

to the spirit of the city.

8 

NEW ZEALAND 


Auckland Marathi 

Association celebrates 25 

years; sets new initiatives 



For any Indian cultural organisation 

in New Zealand, it is no small 

achievement to be able to keep 

bonding across the community for 

more than 25 years. But the Auckland 

Marathi Association (AMAI) has been 

successfully catering to the city’s 

Marathi-speaking diaspora since 1995. 

In the sixth part of our special series 

on the ethnic-cultural associations in 

NZ, we focus on AMAI and its work 

for the Marathi Indian community and 

much more. 

“AMAI started as a home away from 

home for people of Marathi origin in NZ 

in 1995. Twenty-seven years back, a 

few families from Maharashtra felt the 

need to bond around our shared culture 

and identity in a new land, NZ, which 

they were still learning to call home. 

We aim to be an extended family for 

all Marathi people. It is a platform for 

all Marathi people to get together, 

celebrate talent, share culture and 

bond in different events (in person 

or virtual). We are an easy-going 

committee,” reveals AMAI President 

Vishal Patil. 

Patil said this year they have also 

started ‘AMAI Katta’ for people to 

interact with each other and ‘AMAI 

Career’ for people to publish, seek jobs, 

or seek career guidance. 

AMAI has more than 500 members; 

however, in a true sense, it caters to 

more than 5000 Marathi people in 

and around Auckland. “We provide 

an unbiased platform for people to 

propose and be part of any event that 

helps the community. We’ve also seen 

some people connect in AMAI events 

like Chaha Katta and find friends for a 

lifetime,” explains Patil. 

Some of their Facebook events have 

more than 10000 views and visitors 

from Tauranga, Hamilton. Interestingly, 

they even ship their annual Diwali Anka 

(publication) to members in Hamilton. 

There are many events throughout 

the year that are celebrated with zest 

and zeal by AMAI, which has one of the 

youngest executive committees of any 

cultural association. 

“We celebrate Ganesh Utsav, Diwali 

Pahat, sports day and various other 

programs. Our events have dance, 

music, games and delicious food. We 

also work with external parties to get 

more Marathi content in NZ, like Marathi 

movies. We recently concluded the first 

season of Auckland Maharashtra Cricket 

League and celebrated Maharashtra 

state formation Day, Anand Jatra, on 

1 May at Mt Eden War Memorial. It is 

always easy to connect with people 

who speak the same language and 

share the same background. Moreover, 

life is a festival and nothing better than 

celebrating it like back home, at your 

new home,” says Patil. 

According to Patil, the strength 

of AMAI lies in making sure that the 

community remains connected to its 

root while they adopt the new modern 

avatar. “It is exhilarating to see new 

people coming to events and find new 

friends, as we adopt the cool avatar 

while keeping our roots to traditions. 

It is wonderful to see teams being 

formed during sports and the families 

connecting later. The fact that we 

have been able to provide a platform 

for existing talent to perform, inspiring 

the new generation and supporting our 

people when they go through tough 

times is wonderful. After all, AMAI 

is our family and being an enabler 

through volunteering is a matter of 

great satisfaction and pride.” 

Giving an insight into AMAI’s future, 

Patil says, “We are trying to get a 

larger space for the next Ganesh Utsav 

and simplify our technology backend. 

In June, we’ll have our AGM before 

handing it over to the new committee 

for the next two years. We’d also like 

to connect with Marathi Students and 

make it easy for them to integrate with 

larger groups.” 

Marathi community commemorates Maharashtra 

Day with scrumptious food and music 


The Kiwi-Marathi community in 

Auckland celebrated Maharastra 

Day with full fervour on 

May 1 (Sunday). Maharashtra Day 

commemorates the formation of the 

state of Maharashtra on May 1, 1960. 

For the Marathi diaspora, the day holds 

special significance as it celebrates 

Maharashtra’s statehood, rich heritage, 

and culture. 

The Auckland Marathi Association 

(AMAI) celebrated the 62nd 

foundation day of the western Indian 

state of Maharashtra at the Mt Eden 

War Memorial. The event, aptly named 

Anand Jatra (Feast of Happiness), 

provided a platform for small businesses 

run by the local Marathi community 

members by setting up their stalls free 

of cost, 

Apart from the cultural performances 

and live performance by Neel Patel, 

the event saw hundreds of attendees 

savouring the Marathi delicacies such 

as Puneri Mastani, Sabudana Vada, 

Vada Pav, Kheema Pav, Puran Poli, 

Vishal Patil 

Aamrakhand and much more served 

at the food stalls. Besides that, there 

were stalls selling handcrafted wooden 

goods, ready to wear Nauvari Sarees 

and a nail art studio, among others. 

Pictures from the Anand Jatra event 

“I am overwhelmed at the support 

we got for the event. It was wonderful 

to see that the event not just received 

huge support not only from the Marathi 

people but also from the wider Indian 

community. 

"The sight of people packing up to 10 

boxes as takeaways was a testimony to 

the delicious food being served at the 

event, and due to the overwhelming 

response, most of the food was sold 

out before time, despite catering 

being available for almost six times the 

RSVP,” says a proud AMAI President 

Vishal Patil. 

The attendees, too, had a word of 

praise for the do. Prashant Belwalkar, 

a known face of the Kiwi Marathi 

community who attended the do, 

says, “It was an entertaining concept 

with authentic Maharashtrian culinary 

delights. It was great to see the 

young and not so young participating 

in numbers on the foundation day of 

Maharashtra.” 

Expressing her experience, another 

attendee Priti Garude Kasture said, 

“It was a great celebration of the 

Maharashtrian community on May 1. 

It was great to catch up with many 

familiar faces, and the experience was 

also further magnified by the different 

varieties of food and performances. 

“Such events always evoke a sense 

of nostalgia in me, as I am reminded of 

all the festival celebrations we used to 

have in India. It was a warm and happy 

event, and I’m glad I attended it.”


NEW ZEALAND 9 

First ‘Vacation Bible School’ by 

Whangārei Marthoma Church 

well-received in community 

SANDEEP SINGH 

The first-ever Vacation Bible 

School organised by Whangārei 

Marthoma Church of the 

Northland region was well received 

within the community with enthusiastic 

participation from children, families, 

educationists and the church’s 

organizing team. 

Organised for three consecutive 

days from April 29-May 1, the school 

witnessed participation from about 

40 children along with a 14-member 

support team of VBS Director, music 

team, teachers and volunteers. 

Vacation Bible School is a specialised 

form of religious education for children, 

organised by Churches, which may 

employ Bible stories, religious songs, 

arts and crafts, skits, or puppet shows 

to cater to children of different age 

groups within the community. 

Speaking with Indian Weekender, 

Rabin Ranji, the Secretary of Whangārei 

Marthoma Church, said, “We are happy 

to hear strong positive feedback from 

parents. 

"We hope that the VBS will be a 

critical element in providing a spiritual 

upliftment to the lives of our children in 

the community, especially delivered in 

a fun-filled manner. 

“Many activities including seed 

planting, gratitude wall and Love Feast 

were carried out on the various days, 

which helped children understand and 

appreciate the value of nature, family 

& friends and the need for sharing,” 

Ranji said. 

The success of this inaugural event 

has encouraged the church and the 

organising committee to plan Vacation 

Bible School once every year in 

Whangārei during school holidays. 

Expressing satisfaction on the 

participation and the opportunity for 

the spiritual education of the children 

We are happy 

to hear strong 

positive feedback 

from parents. 

We hope that the 

VBS will be a 

critical element in 

providing a spiritual 

upliftment to the 

lives of our children 

in the community, 

especially delivered 

in a fun-filled 

manner. 

in the first-ever VBS school, the 

Very Reverend K S Mathew, Vicar-in- 

Charge of the Whangārei Marthoma 

Church, said, “This will go down as a 

historic event in your faith journey 

as a community of believers. It will 

be etched out in the memory of our 

children, particularly as an evergreen 

and indelible event.” 

Emily Henderson, Local MP for 

Whangarei, attended the event and 

Air NZ succeeds in raising 

$1.2bn equity 

RNZ 

Air New Zealand has successfully 

completed its $1.2 billion equity 

raise, which will be used to repay 

its government loan and strengthen its 

financial position for recovery. 

A bookbuild for about 274 million 

shares, which were not taken up in the 

initial offer round, were oversubscribed 

and offered to existing and new 

investors at 81 cents each, which was 

a 28-cent per share premium over the 

initial offer price of 53 cents. 

“The rights offer was structured to 

provide all eligible Air New Zealand 

shareholders with a fair opportunity to 

participate in the equity raise or receive 

value for their rights,” Air New Zealand 

board chair Dame Therese Walsh said. 

“We are delighted with the level of 

support shown for Air New Zealand 

by existing and new shareholders and 

to have been able to return value to 

those shareholders who did not or were 

ineligible to participate.” 

Trading of new shares issued under 

the capital raise rank equally with 

existing shares and were expected 

to begin trading on NZX and on 

ASX on Monday. 

congratulated the church’s organising 

team for bringing together children and 

the community for a noble cause. 

The key members of the 

organising team included School 

Director - Jessin Thomas, School 

Convener - Tony George, 

Sunday school Headmistress - Jency 

Jacob, Whangārei Marthoma Church 

Vicar-in-Charge - Very Reverend K S 

Mathew, Vice President - Renju Mathew 

and Secretary - Rabin Ranji. 

The Northland region of New Zealand 

2022-23 Annual Plan Consultation Document 

What do you 

think of our 

2022-23 

Annual Plan? 

Hamilton City Council’s 2022-23, Annual Plan looks at how we 

can deliver and fund what we said we’d do in Year 2 of the 

2021-31 Long-Term Plan. We also check in to see if there’re 

any changes we need to make, to address what’s happening 

in our community and the impact any external factors are 

having on our organisation. 

This year we have the major challenge that we didn’t foresee 

of increasing costs driven mainly by the high rate of inflation 

New Zealand is experiencing. We plan to cover this by 

borrowing more rather than increasing rates above what we 

set out in our Long-Term Plan, or by cutting services. 

We’ve also identified a few additional projects to tackle 

emerging needs and issues. 

You can share your voice at 

haveyoursay.hamilton.govt.nz 

has a small but thriving community 

of followers of Marthoma Church – a 

church based in Kerala, India – within 

the broader Malayali community in the 

region. 

About Marthoma Church 

The Marthoma Church is one amongst 

a variety of Christian communities 

from India, originally from the southern 

Kerala state (being the sixth largest 

Christian church in Kerala) with now its 

followers spreading all around the world 

along with broader Indian diaspora to 

places like North America, Europe, the 

Middle East, Malaysia, Singapore, South 

Africa, Australia and New Zealand. 

The Marthoma Church sees itself as 

a continuation of the Saint Thomas 

Christians, a community traditionally 

believed to have been founded in the 

first century by Thomas the Apostle, 

who is known as Marthoma (Saint 

Thomas) in Syriac. 

1

10 

NEW ZEALAND 



‘How we see 

ourselves is how 

the world sees 

us’ – Jaishankar 

VENU MENON 

India will replace America as the 

leader of the Free World in 50 years’ 

time, said Tony Abbott, the former 

prime minister of Australia, at the just 

concluded Raisina Dialogue 2022, a 

conference on geopolitics attended by 

world leaders, held in New Delhi. 

Abbott said it was obvious that 

India was going to shape the world 

“once it decided to take its place on 

the world stage.” 

But S. Jaishankar, External Affairs 

Minister of India, was not looking that 

far ahead. He was looking at the next 

25 years and seeing three key areas 

where India fell short. 

“The first is that we didn’t pay 

enough attention to social indicators 

and human resources. Second, we 

didn’t focus enough on manufacturing 

and technology. Third, we didn’t 

give importance to hard security 

as we should have,” Jaishankar 

told the audience. 

Jaishankar said India’s emphasis in 

the next 25 years would be on building 

“capability, capability and capability” in 

every domain. 

India’s foreign minister articulated 

his defining foreign policy stance. “We 

must be confident about who we are. 

It’s better to engage the world with a 

sense of who we are, rather than try to 

please them by being a pale imitation 

of who they are.” 

Building capability and self-identity 

would be the way forward for India. 

“This idea that others define us, that 

we need to get approval from some 

quarters, I think that’s an era we 

need to put behind us,” Jaishankar 

maintained. 

Jaishankar hoped that in the next 25 

years, India would be in the forefront 

of a globalisation that was more fair, 

more decentralised, and one that was 

“not leveraged or weaponised.” 

This foreign policy vision is detailed 

in Jaishankar’s book, “The India Way: 

Strategies for an Uncertain World”. 

India is projected in the book as a 

nation willing to take risks, a “decider 

The first is that we 

didn’t pay enough 

attention to social 

indicators and human 

resources. Second, we 

didn’t focus enough 

on manufacturing 

and technology. 

Third, we didn’t give 

importance to hard 

security as we should 

have. 

and shaper rather than an abstainer”. 

However, India abstaining on the 

Russia-Ukraine conflict at the UN 

Security Council would appear to 

contradict its risk-taking persona. 

India’s foreign minister had a handy 

answer: “In the Security Council, we 

have a plan. 

"The problem is we need to have 

other people with a similar plan.” 

On Ukraine, Jaishankar was focused 

on “stopping the fighting and starting 

the talking.” 

But not everyone is skeptical of India’s 

position on Ukraine. Putin’s aggression 

has likely steered the European Union 

toward India. 

From the EU’s standpoint, India 

emerges as a relevant, important 

strategic partner, given its commitment 

to rules-based international governance. 

Navigating geopolitical differences 

appears to be the recommended norm 

in the emerging world order. 

The EU has close ties with China, based 

on its geo-economic compulsions. 

But its geopolitical differences with 

India do not rule out a possible Free 

Trade Agreement (FTA) between the 

EU and India in the future. 

To that extent, India’s definition 

of itself is shaped by the world’s 

perception of China. 

It’s fair to say, therefore, that 

India’s security alliances are shaped by 

China’s belligerence. 

Simon Bridges gives last speech to Parliament 

RNZ 

Simon Bridges gave his 

last speech to Parliament 

on Wednesday, signing 

off after 14 years in the House. 

‘This job done well is 

tough’ 

Bridges began his speech by 

saying it had been a privilege 

to represent the people of 

Tauranga, and serve in various 

roles including a cabinet 

minister and leader of the 

National Party. 

“There have been highs 

and lows, and even the 

lows have provided good 

material,” he said, joking that 

he would have another book 

in stores just before next 

year’s general election. 

He had enjoyed helping 

people get access to medical 

attention they need, such as 

infertility treatment, and had 

also enjoyed seeing many 

infrastructure projects come 

to fruition during his time as 

works minister. 

However, he said many had 

declared his political career 

over during his 14 years in 

Parliament, especially after 

robust encounters with 

members of the media such 

as Morning Report’s Susie 

Ferguson. 

“And now it is.” 

Bridges had some advice 

for new MPs - not to lose 

sleep over what might happen 

because it usually doesn’t. 

He referred to UK Prime 

Minister Boris Johnson and all 

the “crazy s***” he had gotten 

away with and he still remained 

in his government’s top job. 

He called for the focus 

to be on holding the 

powerful - that was, the 

government - to account. 

He also appealed to 

politicians not to be driven 

by focus groups and polls, 

because voters did not want 

robots or “shades of beige” in 

their MPs. He also advocated 

for big wide-ranging policies. 

“Be bold.” 

“This job done well is tough 

...we need the highest quality 

people here.” 

In his early days in 

Parliament, many politicians 

were prepared to share their 

Simon Bridges 

strong views on subjects, 

however, now it was “oversanitised”, 

he said, adding 

that Speaker Trevor Mallard’s 

efforts to turn it into a school 

library “hadn’t helped”. 

Bridges said there were 

too many narrow viewpoints 

expressed in the media in 

Aotearoa, in contrast to 

the wide range of opinions 

expressed in countries such as 

the UK and the US. 

The retiring member who has 

belonged to National for 30 

years urged his party to relect 

the views of the entire country 

- not just those in Wellington 

and Auckland. 

He acknowledged the hard 

work of his staff and the 

support of his family. 

“I hope now I’m at 

home more you don’t 

get sick of me.” 

He also said he was proud of 

his Māori ancestry, adding that 

in some ways he was out of 

step because he did not want 

Māori to be treated differently 

or as victims. Bridges received 

a standing ovation at the end 

of his speech and many MPs 

moved forward to congratulate 

him. 

‘It’s been a blast’ 

Heading into the debating 

chamber ahead of the 

speech, for what was likely the 

last time as an MP, Bridges said 

he was not sad or emotional 

about his move, but he would 

miss colleagues and staff in 

Parliament. 

“It’s been a blast and a 

real privilege to be member 

for Tauranga, a senior 

minister - even leader of the 

opposition - and I’d be lying if 

I said I’d enjoyed every single 

minute of it but I wouldn’t 

swap anything out.” 

He said his speech would 

include “a little truth-telling” 

but not as much as Louisa 

Wall’s had been. 

“If we put Louisa at level 

nine, I’m a solid five and a half 

... I haven’t consulted my media 

law defamation text books, 

I’m not using Parliamentary 

privilege, my colleagues will 

come out okay.” 

He reflected that Parliament 

had been a more “frank, lively 

place” when he first arrived. 

“There was a sense of great 

characters who really got up 

and did the business, if you 

like, but I think it has become 

- and perhaps it’s societal 

changes, social media and 

media trends - a slight more 

timid place. I don’t know that’s 

entirely good.” 

“But I think the National 

Party is still the National 

Party, the way a Big Mac is 

still a Big Mac.”


NEW ZEALAND 11 

Kerala Cultural Forum hosts 

Easter and Vishu celebrations 

MAHESH KUMAR 

IN CHRISTCHURCH 

The Malayali community of 

Christchurch celebrated Easter 

and Vishu in style on 22 April 

at Middleton Grange School. The 

gathering brought more than 200 

people together for an intimate, 

warm family celebration. 

This is an important event 

on the calendar for the Kerala 

community in Christchurch, where 

members from the Christian and 

Hindu faiths get together to 

celebrate Easter, which marks 

the death and resurrection of 

Jesus Christ, and Vishu, which 

marks the start of a new year. 

Organised by Kerala 

Cultural Forum, the event 

was sponsored by Impact 

Outdoors, Solidity Financial 

Services, 5 River Spice Bazaar, 

Silver Fern Immigration 

and SK Finance. 

The Keralite community 

was treated to a series of 

dazzling cultural performances 

performed by members of 

different age groups during the 

event, in addition to a touching 

Easter message delivered by 

Father Joy Thottamkara. 

Vishu, which is the traditional 

New Year and celebrated with 

great fervour in the Indian state 

of Kerala, is believed to signal 

the arrival of good luck and fortune. 

An important Vishu ritual is Vishukkani 

which is the first thing Lord Vishnu sees 

after waking up. 

A variety of articles representing 

prosperity are displayed around Lord 

Krishna, and traditional oil lamps are 

lit, in the hope that these are the first 

things that Lord Vishnu will see upon 

waking up. 

Another interesting ritual observed 

Glimpses from the Easter Vishu celebration in Christchurch 

during Vishu is Vishu 

Kaineetam which is 

the hansel given to 

children in the form of 

coins, preferably gold. 

The ritual symbolises 

blessings from the 

elders and sharing 

one’s wealth with 

loved ones. 

At the event 

t h e younger members of 

the community received the Vishu 

Kaineetam from Ms Uma Varma, the 

much-celebrated dance teacher. 

President of Kerala Cultural Forum, 

Binu Thomas, welcomed all the guests 

and Joint Secretary Anitha Chacko 

gave the vote of thanks. 

Syam Dev, the secretary of the forum 

told Indian Weekender, “The muchawaited 

event was attended by around 

The much-awaited 

event was attended 

by around 250 

members from the 

community and gave 

them the opportunity to 

create a stronger bond 

amongst each other. 

250 members from the community and 

gave them the opportunity to create a 

stronger bond amongst each other.” 

The event concluded with dinner for 

the community members. 

Next up on 4 September, there will 

be the Onam celebrations, which is the 

biggest festival in Kerala. 

The forum expects around 700 

people to attend the event. 

Kerala Cultural Forum (KCF) was 

founded in 2011 to bring together 

Indians of Kerala origin living in 

Christchurch. 

It strives to preserve the Malayali 

traditions and to offer younger 

members an opportunity to experience 

and learn from the rich cultural heritage. 

The forum also provides help and 

assistance to Keralites planning to 

come to Christchurch for work, as 

student or tourist. 

They can be contacted via their website 

https://kcfchristchurch.org.nz/ or by 

emailing secretary@kcfchristchurch. 

org.nz

Editorial 

NZ – India relations: 

Lost in translation 

How often do we hear the word “relationship”, when it comes to building 

stronger ties between New Zealand and India? Government, business 

councils, educational institutes – all stress on the importance of building a 

long-term relationship to be successful in India. 

On the question of how success with India might look like, kiwi trade pundits 

often look at Australia’s success with India, especially after the recently signed, 

Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). The pundits have 

identified Aussies’ longstanding relationship with India as a key ingredient to this 

success. So, if it was purely a matter of relationship, why hasn’t NZ, a country 

whose foreign policy is heavily aligned to its trading opportunities, secured a trade 

deal with India? Or is India, the world’s fifth largest economy, not worth pursuing? 

Just in recent months India signed an FTA with the UAE and a formal trade 

negotiation with the UK is under way. India’s talks of a similar trade deal with 

Israel, EU and the GCC countries are also advancing well. So, the old narrative of 

India being a difficult country to trade and secure an FTA, is out of the window. 

With NZ not able to secure a trade deal with India, there must be an important 

part of the puzzle that’s missing. NZ has a long standing and friendly relationship 

with India. Indian diaspora are now about 220,000 and a growing number of Indian 

visitors and students are coming to NZ every year. Now, if we add our deep 

cricketing connections and NZ’s love for curry, it is unfathomable why Wellington 

still hasn’t struck a trade chord with New Delhi. 

The answer might be in our understanding or misunderstanding of the word 

relationship. Sometimes, it’s easier to get lost in translation even though you may 

be speaking the same language but in a completely different cultural context. For 

example, the Indian “head bobble” which to most Kiwis is as confusing as a “yeahnah” 

is to Indians. So, do we have a classic case of lost in translation? It is worth 

investigating. 

The Oxford dictionary translates the word relationship to Sambandh in Hindi. The 

word Sambandh is used in various contexts; in defining links within families. When 

two families unite through marriage the father-in-law of one’s son or daughter 

become Samdhi or forms a Sambandh (relationship). The word Sambandh finds its 

use more frequently in a family setting rather than trade or business. 

So how does one build Sambandh with India? It totally depends on what’s your 

approach to this relationship. For a country like NZ, where foreign policy is guided 

by trade, it’s beneficial to understand what the equivalent term for “business 

relationship” is in Hindi. 

The average Indian businessperson will emphasise on the importance of the word 

“Vyavahar” in business. Vyavahar is the behaviour and actions of a person. The 

Oxford dictionary translates Vyavahar to behaviour or dealings (as in business, 

trade). Behaviour, when dealing with India is the single most important factor to 

building that long term partnership based on trust, developing the confidence, and 

giving birth to a relationship. 

Vyavahar is the first lesson that any aspiring young businessperson in India 

learns. Without good Vyavahar one cannot achieve diplomatic, geopolitical, 

cultural engagement, or a trade deal with India. 

The key to building successful business relations with India is hinged on the 

behaviour and not aspirations of building a long term relationship. We have in the 

past seen political statements from NZ, calling for a ban on students coming from 

New Delhi, ironically at a time when NZ’s then Foreign Minister was in New Delhi; 

or a flash closure of NZ borders to flights from India, barely providing any notice. 

These behaviours undo years of hard work that trade negotiators, diplomats and 

private businesses on either side put in to strengthen relations. 

Australia has been diligent over the past 11 years on trade negotiations with 

India, with an aggressive push in the past five. Mainly due to the high confidence 

and friendship between Prime Minsters Narendra Modi and Scott Morrison. The 

engagement between Australia and India has ranged from trade to security in the 

Indo Pacific through the QUAD alliance. 

Morrison’s keen interest in India and his constructive comments on initiatives 

like the Raisina Dialogue, created a positive environment for trade negotiations to 

accelerate. Morrison appointed former PM Tony Abbott to lead trade mission to 

India and in a historic move, Australia also repatriated ancient artefacts to India – 

instantly winning millions of Indian hearts. 

Sending the right messages, creating a social license, and showcasing trust – all 

these amounted to signalling the right behaviour of a trusting partner, which was 

reciprocated by India in more than equal measure, finally resulting in CECA. 

A country’s foreign policy always acts in its own national interest, with trade 

being an important subtext. However, for trade relations to flourish it needs two 

key ingredients: People-to-people connection, their willingness to work together; 

and the top leadership on both sides showing commitment to the relationship. 

The people-to-people connections between NZ and India is already strong, now it’s 

time for the leadership to commit to building much-needed Vyavahar. 

Sandeep Sharma is the Chief Executive of Quality New Zealand Education Ltd, 

Christchurch Chapter Head of the INZBC & Chair of NZIIA - Christchurch. 

Thought of the week 

“Getting old is like climbing a mountain; 

you get a little out of breath, but the 

view is much better!” - Ingrid Bergman 

6 May – 12 May 2022 

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu 

Fine apart 

from morning 

cloud 

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cloudy 

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cloudy 

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winds 

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Indian Weekender : Volume 14 Issue 7 

Fine, then 

showers 

This week in New Zealand’s history 

26° 

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Showers 

Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited 

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

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Waikato Reporter: Sandeep Singh | 021 952 245 | sandeep@indianweekender.co.nz 

Wellington Reporter: Venu Menon | 021 538 356 | venu@indianweekender.co.nz 

Christchurch Reporter: Mahesh Kumar | 021 952 218 | mahesh@indianweekender.co.nz 

Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher 

is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication 

Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent 

the views of the team at the Indian Weekender 

Kiwi Media Publishing Limited - 133A, Level 1, Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland. 

Printed at Horton Media, Auckland 

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

Send your suggestions and feedback to editor@indianweekender.co.nz 

25° 

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7 May 1856 

Henry Sewell becomes the country’s first premier 

Few 

showers 

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Henry Sewell took office as colonial secretary - as early premiers were called 

- on 7 May 1856. He had been asked by Governor Thomas Gore Browne 

to form the country’s first official ‘responsible’ government. Sewell held the 

position for just 14 days before being replaced by his provincialist rival William 

Fox, whose ministry lasted just over a week. 


New Zealand Railways Magazine launched 

Originally intended as a journal for the Railways Department’s 18,000 staff 

and their major customers, the New Zealand Railways Magazine evolved 

into a hugely popular general-interest periodical 


New Zealand celebrates Victory in Europe 

Germany surrendered on 7 May, New Zealand time, but acting Prime Minister 

Walter Nash insisted that celebrations wait until after British Prime Minister 

Winston Churchill officially announced peace at 1 a.m. on 9 May, New Zealand 

time. 


NZ’s first woman barrister and solicitor appointed 

Following the passage of the Female Law Practitioners Act 1896, Ethel 

Benjamin became the first woman to be admitted as a barrister and solicitor 

of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. 


Charles Upham presented with first Victoria Cross 

New Zealand’s most-decorated soldier, Charles Upham, received the first of 

his two VCs – for outstanding gallantry and leadership during the Battle of 

Crete in 1941 – from King George VI at Buckingham Palace 


National Party founded 

Following their crushing defeat by the Labour Party in the 1935 general 

election, the remnants of the United–Reform coalition government met in 

Wellington on 13–14 May 1936 to establish a new ‘anti-socialist’ party.


NEW ZEALAND 13 

Almost 200,000 Auckland children 

overdue for dental check-ups 

RNZ 

The number of children 

who’ve missed their 

free routine dental 

check-ups in Auckland has 

hit a record high and health 

authorities warn it’ll take over 

a year to catch up. 

The Auckland Regional 

Dental Service said more 

than 186,000 primary and 

intermediate school children 

are overdue a visit to the 

dentist - that’s two-thirds of 

all those enrolled. 

Parents who can afford it 

are being encouraged to pay 

for their kids to see a private 

dentist. Paediatric dentist 

Dr Katie Ayers is worried 

children’s tooth decay is going 

untreated. 

“We know that a significant 

number of those children will 

have oral health needs and 

some of them will have very 

significant levels of need and 

until they’re seen we don’t 

know what treatment they 

require and can’t schedule 

Sought-after 

Kiwifruit licences 

selling for top prices 

RNZ 

that treatment.” 

Dr Ayers is the New 

Zealand Dental Association’s 

spokesperson for access to 

care. She said it was important 

to pick up problems before 

they became severe. 

But pandemic lockdown 

restrictions have meant 

thousands of children have 

missed out on preventive care, 

such as x-rays, fissure sealants 

and fluoride varnishes. 

“It might mean more teeth 

needing to be extracted 

because the decay has got 

so bad that the teeth can no 

longer be restored other ways. 

It may also mean more children 

need treatment under general 

anaesthesia because their 

needs are so great they can no 

longer manage it in the dental 

chair.” 

The Auckland Regional 

Dental Service tracks tooth 

extractions but director Tim 

Wood said it’s too early to tell 

if there’s been an increase. 

The service saw 86,000 

children last year, that’s less 

than half before the pandemic. 

Now the number of children 

who have missed their routine 

visit sits at 66 percent of 

those enrolled, the highest 

it’s been and way above the 

national target which is less 

than 10 percent. 

Wood said it would take 

months to catch up. 

“On top of the normal work 

we’ve got to do in terms of the 

kids that still need to be seen 

on on top of those that are in 

arrears, it’s well over a year’s 

work for us to catch up.” 

He said urgent cases were 

being prioritised. 

“If any child is experiencing 

any dental discomfort they 

would get right to the top 

of the priority list and seen 

straight away, otherwise we’re 

trying to schedule children in 

as quickly as we can.” 

But the backlog is building, 

at a time when the public 

dental service is grappling with 

staff shortages. 

He said the mobile dental 

clinics would focus on seeing 

children in lower socioeconomic 

areas. 

“We’re trying to expand 

our hours and therefore the 

number of appointments we’ve 

got. If people can afford to go 

and see a dentist privately 

then they’re by all means 

welcome to do that.” 

Dr Ayers is also encouraging 

parents to consider private 

treatment - something she’s 

aware not all families can 

afford. 

“It’s quite a big step for 

New Zealand families to then 

consider that they need to 

fund private dental care for 

their children but it might be 

part of the fix of the system 

that those that can afford it 

do need to go privately while 

those who are most in need 

are prioritised within the free 

system.” 

Paediatric dentist Dr Katie 

Bach works for a private dental 

clinic and has noticed higher 

rates of tooth decay since 

lockdowns. 

Each year, Zespri releases licences 

to grow the fruit, which growers 

then bid for. This year, 350 

hectares for gold kiwifruit were up for 

grabs - half of what was offered last 

year.Zespri said the reduction is due to 

higher-than-expected yields on existing 

orchards and the need to maintain the 

balance between supply and demand to 

protect grower returns. 

The median price of SunGold Kiwifruit 

licence reached $801,000 per hectare 

up from $550,000 last year but the 

minimum price dropped down from 

$525,000 per hectre in 2021 to 

$451,950 this year. 

Meanwhile 350 hectares of RubyRed 

kiwifruit licences were also released - 

the median price was $147,000 per 

hectare up from almost $75,000 last 

year. The minimum price dropped from 

$58,000 in 2021 to $44,217 a hectare 

this year. 

Both Zespri SunGold and RubyRed 

Kiwifruit licence pools were 

undersubscribed, with 324ha of 

SunGold and 280ha of RubyRed 

Kiwifruit license allocated in 2022. 

The company said it was going to 

review the licensing process. 

“Balancing supply and demand 

remains critical to growing the value 

we are able to bring back from the 

market for our fruit, and this will remain 

Zespri’s focus as we undertake a review 

of the licence release programme, 

including consulting with growers over 

the coming months with workshops 

with growers underway already,” Zespri 

said in an update to growers.

14 

FIJI 

Fully vaccinated visitors to 

Fiji will no longer be required 

to produce a pre-arrival 

negative Covid-19 test prior to 

entry effective Sunday. 

This was revealed in a statement by 

the Fijian government this morning, 

adding this move will reduce costs 

and lend greater convenience to 

those travelling to Fiji. 

The change applies to all 

visitors entering Fiji by air or sea 

who were previously required to 

take a polymerase chain reaction 

(PCR) test or rapid antigen test 

(RAT) prior to arrival. 

This step is in line with best 

practices for entry requirements 

among highly vaccinated societies, 

and follows countries such as 

Australia and Singapore, which have 

also removed Covid-19 testing as an 

entry prerequisite. 

The current requirement to book 

an in-country pre-Covid RAT test 

prior to departing for Fiji, remains. 

Effective Sunday, all visitors above 

the age of 16 must now display proof 

of full Covid-19 vaccination prior to 

entering the country. 

The lowering of the age requirement 

for the vaccine prerequisite comes as 

more children globally are granted 


access to vaccines. 

Fiji’s key visitor markets have 

considerably high coverage of 

vaccination amongst those below the 

18-year age threshold. 

These moves follow Fiji’s continued 

effort to strengthen its in-country 

testing programme and wider 

community surveillance efforts 

designed to ensure the safety of 

visitors and Fijians alike. 

The Covid-19 Risk Mitigation 

Taskforce says it will continue to 

review entry requirements and 

Covid safety measures, with a 

focus on strengthening community 

surveillance and the robustness of the 

in-country testing digital platform, 

supplemented by the already high 

vaccination rates. 


Fiji Airways bookings see weekly rise 

Fiji Airways Chief 

Executive, Andre 

Viljoen confirms they 

continue to see a weekly 

increase in bookings through 

the national airlines. Viljoen 

Fiji drops 

pre-arrival 

Covid-19 

testing 

requirement 

adds the bookings recorded 

so far are almost reaching 

pre-COVID levels. 

He says many visitors from 

Australia, New Zealand, and 

the USA are taking advantage 

of Fiji’s opening. 

“We are only six percent 

behind the bookings that we 

had for the same period in 

2019 and that period is from 

April to September this year.” 

Tourists arriving into the country at Nadi International Airport 

The change applies to 

all visitors entering Fiji 

by air or sea who were 

previously required to 

take a polymerase chain 

reaction (PCR) test or rapid 

antigen test 

(RAT) prior to arrival. 

Viljoen says the removal 

of the pre-arrival negative 

COVID-19 test is a further 

boost for tourists wanting to 

visit our shores. 

Most of the hotels and 

resorts in the Western 

Division are slowly returning 

to their normal buzz, 

creating more opportunities 

for those dependent on the 

tourism sector. 

Fiji has lots to 

offer to visitors 

The key priority for the tourism 

sector is ensuring there’s a strong 

perception of Fiji around the world. 

Tourism Fiji Chief Executive Brent Hill 

says their strategic plan is to highlight 

locations that have yet to be fully explored 

by visitors. 

“For Australians, if they feel like they 

know Fiji, we want to show Fiji with 

this beautiful exotic location, it’s got 

so much to uncover so we showing 

Australians, Savusavu, Taveuni, Kadavu, 

all these parts in Fiji maybe they didn’t 

know about before.” 

Hill adds Tourism Fiji is advertising heavily 

in key travel markets such as Australia, 

New Zealand, and the United States which 

is working well. 

“From that perspective, we really 

aim to keep our foot down and keep 

that marketing pressure going as our 

competitors start to open up we want to 

make sure that we are really strong in our 

key markets.” 

He adds they want these markets to 

know that Fiji is affordable and convenient. 

Japan, China, Singapore, and Europe 

will also be targeted once they open to 

commercial travel. 

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NEW ZEALAND 

Over a ton of colour to be used at 

Krishna Holi 2021 event in Kumeu 

The Indian Weekender Friday, February 12, 2021 11 

RIZWAN MOHAMMAD 

T 

he biggest Holi event in the country 

on Sunday, February 14 at ISKCON 

Temple in Kumeu will put over one 

ton of colours for 10,000 visitors to play with 

celebrating the annual Hindu festival. 

Holi is one of the most popular and widely 

celebrated festivals for the Indian community 

after Diwali that is celebrated by the diaspora 

and the adjoining communities across the globe. 

The annual festival of colour falls on March 

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

festival signifies the triumph of good over evil. 

It is observed a the end of winter and advent of 

spring month (in the Indian subcontinent), and 

spiritual part of the festival starts with Holika 

Dahan (burning demon Holika) also known as 

Chhoti Holi and the following day as Holi. 

In its 9th year, Krishna Holi event at the 

iconic Hare Krishna Temple in Kumeu, West 

Auckland attracts thousands of people from all 

walks of life, different ethnicities and faiths to 

be a part of a colourful and joyous event. 

Speaking with the Indian Weekender, 

Krishna Chandra from the temple said they are 

excited to see the festive season of Holi back 

after a gloomy year of Covid-19 in the country. 

“Holi at the Krishna Temple is one of the 

most vibrant events in our calendar- we see 

families dressed white clothing visi the temple 

and then dance and drench in dry and wet 

colours from noon till early evening,” Krishna 

Chandra, secretary and spokesperson of Hare 

Krishna Temple said. 

The temple spread over 100 acres start the 

free event at 11 a.m. and will have stalls that 

distribute at least ten to 12 colours, and there 

will also be watercolours for the visitors. 

A giant LED screen is also installed on the 

stage with a DJ and live music for the attendees 

to dance and have fun. 

“It’s a family-friendly- tobacco and alcoholfree 

event. People of all ages can have fun as 

there will be colour stalls, water stations, food 

stalls, changing rooms, showering stations for 

people drenched in colour,” Mr Chandra said. 

He added tha the temple stocks colours to be sanitisers are in place for people, arrangements 

used at the festival at least 2-3 years at a time. for children activities, so that everyone gets to 

The temple will be used over a ton of colour at enjoy the even to its fullest. 

the event both in its dry form and with water. “We have volunteers, security to usher 

“We have given 200 kgs of colour to fire vehicles to park in the appropriate places, 

brigade who will mix it in their water tank manage the oncoming and returning traffic, 

and then splash it on the visitors at different and make sure visitors feel comfortable at the 

intervals. 

event,” Mr Chandra added. 

“Since this year’s event coincides with The event organisers have appealed the 

Valentine’s Day, we have kept valentine theme visitors to come in white dress as colours tend event like previous years will be high octane, 

gifts and gift station too at the venue for the to exhibit its vibrancy on white clothing, get full of energy and good vibes,” Mr Chandra 

public to celebrate the occasion there,” Mr spare clothing to change after playing with added. 

Chandra added. 

colour and food and water arrangements have ISKCON Temple is located on 1229 

Mr Chandra says all arrangements in been made a the venue. 

Coatesville-Riverhead Highway, Kumeu, West 

terms of Covid QR Code scanning and hand “Hol is always a fun event and Krishna Holi Auckland, and the event starts at noon to 5 p.m. 

Hare Krishna temple to host ‘Saatvik food festival’ 

RIZWAN MOHAMMAD 

T 

he Hare Krishna Temple in Kumeu, West Auckland 

is hosting its annual food festival event on Saturday, 

February 13, for the community. 

More than 3000 people are expected to attend the event 

where they will be served saatvik vegetarian food, tour the 

temple premises and have a relaxing family-fun day. 

“Our Hare Krishna Food Festival is very popular amongs the 

wider Kiwi community in Auckland, people from all faiths and 

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

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

community and have snacks and food during the day,” Krishna 

Chandra, secretary and spokesperson for Hare Krishna temple 

told the Indian Weekender. 

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

environment where people get to meet new people, make 

friends, experience the calmness being with nature, have 

Saatvik (pure) vegetarian food and have good family day. 

“This event is happening just one day before our most 

popular Krishna Holi event which is will be loud, full of energy, 

playfulness, music and dance,” Mr Chandra added. 

The events will start at 2 p.m. and end at seven in the evening. 

Besides the food festival, Krishna Temple organises lunch 

event every Sunday at its premises where 300-400 people 

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

and dine with the community members. 

“It is a soothing atmosphere at the temple, chanting mantras 

with the community, knowing more about the religion, what 

can they do a the temple and how can they make a difference in 

the community by serving others and the less privileged. 

“There are also children’s activities 

organised so that they engage themselves 

and also have a good time at the temple,” Mr 

Chandra said.


INDIA 15 

Modi, Denmark PM hold 

talks, review progress of 

Green Strategic Partnership 

Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi, who is on a threenation 

Europe trip, 

and his Danish counterpart 

Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday 

discussed a wide range of 

issues, including regional and 

global matters. 

The two leaders held talks in 

a one-on-one format, followed 

by delegation-level talks, an 

official statement said. 

Both the Prime Ministers 

reviewed progress of the 

India-Denmark Green Strategic 

Partnership. Discussions 

also covered cooperation in 

renewable energy, especially 

offshore wind energy and 

green hydrogen, as well as skill 

development, health, shipping, 

water, and the Arctic, among 

others. 

"Prime Minister appreciated 

the positive contribution of 

Danish companies in India 

to our flagship programmes. 

Prime Minister Frederiksen 

highlighted the positive role of 

Indian companies in Denmark. 

"Both leaders lauded the 

expanding people to people ties 

between the two countries, 

and welcomed the Declaration 

of Intent on a migration and 

mobility partnership," it said. 

According to the statement, 

the Prime Ministers noted 

with satisfaction the progress 

made in various areas since 

the visit of the Danish Prime 

Minister to India in October 

2021 especially in the sectors 

of renewable energy, health, 

On border protection, India 

has joined the likes of US 

& Israel, says Amit Shah 

Union home minister 

Amit Shah compared 

India with the likes of 

the United States and Israel in 

hitting back at those meddling 

with the borders. 

“After Narendra Modi 

became the Prime Minister, 

terrorist attacks took place 

in Uri in 2016 and Pulwama in 

2019, we carried out surgical 

strikes and air strikes within 

10 days inside Pakistan,” 

Shah was quoted as saying by 

news agency PTI. Shah, who 

inaugurated several projects 

in Bengaluru during the day, 

said, “Earlier only two nations, 

the United States of America 

and Israel, used to retaliate 

whenever someone meddled 

with their borders and military. 

shipping, and partnership." 

water. 

The two shared 

convergence of interest on the 

importance of climate action, 

green growth and energy 

diversification. 

"The independence of 

energy supply based on 

fossil fuel is vital in this 

regard as well as security 

policy. Thus, the two leaders 

agreed to further strengthen 

their cooperation within the 

renewable energy sector 

and welcomed the work on a 

comprehensive Energy Policy 

Dialogue in India and Denmark, 

especially strengthening 

cooperation on crosssectoral 

energy planning 

with a focus on green 

hydrogen, integration 

of renewable energy, 

energy storage and 

decarbonisation." 

In this regard, the two 

Prime Ministers welcomed 

the discussions towards an 

Energy Policy Dialogue at the 

ministerial level. 

The two leaders took note 

of the progress in the work 

of the International Solar 

Alliance (ISA) and welcomed 

planned Danish support to the 

work of ISA, including through 

strengthening its Secretariat. 

They emphasised the 

importance of India-EU 

Strategic Partnership and 

reaffirmed their commitment 

to further strengthen this 

partnership. 

India registers fewer births in pandemic year: CRS data 

The number of births registered 

in the Civil Registration System 

(CRS) declined 2.4% on 2020 

(over 2019), and the number of deaths 

increased 6.2%, according to data 

released by the Union ministry of home 

affairs (MHA) on Tuesday. 

Given the trend in births and deaths 

registered in CRS over the years, the 

decline in birth rate can be explained by 

fewer births as people start preferring 

smaller families, but it can also be 

explained by the Covid-19 pandemic, 

especially the hard nationwide lockdown 

Now Modi, our great nation 

India has joined that group." 

Shah is visiting Karnataka for 

the second time in over a 

month where Assembly polls 

are due in 2023. 

"Some people question 

how it (surgical strike and air 

strike) had any effect. I tell 

them that it (counter attack) 

has a huge impact. Now, the 

entire world knows that no 

one can meddle with the Indian 

border, otherwise a befitting 

reply will be given," the home 

minister said. 

Shah also hit out at the 

previous Congress regime on 

security measures and said 

India used to issue statements 

whenever terror attacks were 

carried out by Pakistan-backed 

India is not the first country to report a fall in births 

during a pandemic and similar trend was reported 

in many high-income countries. 

between late March and the end of May 

2020, and restrictions on movement 

and activities that continued for pretty 

much the rest of that year. These may 

have made it difficult for people to 

"Both 

leaders lauded 

the expanding 

people to people 

ties between the two 

countries, and welcomed 

the Declaration of 

Intent on a migration 

and mobility 

Union home minister Amit Shah in Bengaluru. 

extremists but things only 

improved after Modi became 

the Prime Minister. 

Speaking about other 

achievements of the Modi 

government, he said there 

were many issues such as the 

abrogation of Article 370, 35- 

A, which gave special powers 

to Jammu and Kashmir, and 

the implementation of the 

Citizenship Amendment Act 

(CAA) which were sorted out 

in no time. 

"August 5, 2019 will be 

written in Indian history with 

golden letters. People were 

saying that if Article 370 is 

abolished then it will lead to 

a bloodbath but no one could 

even dare to throw a pebble, 

let alone bloodbath. 

"Prime Minister Modi 

annexed Kashmir with rest 

of India by abolishing Article 

370," Shah said. 

register births and also, as suggested 

by anecdotal evidence, resulted in an 

increase in home deliveries. 

And the increase in death rates can 

be explained by consistent efforts 

by the government to get all deaths 

registered, although it can also be 

explained by more pandemic-related 

deaths. A total of 24.22 million births 

and 8.12m deaths were registered 

in India in 2020, according to a CRS 

report released on May 3 by the Office 

of the Registrar General of India under 

MHA. CRS is one of the main sources 

India is changing 

under Modi govt: 

Nadda 

BJP chief J.P. Nadda 

said on Tuesday that 

the safe evacuation of 

23,000 Indian nationals from 

war-hit Ukraine under the 

leadership of Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi shows that 

India is changing. 

Nadda was addressing party 

workers in the national capital 

after inaugurating the South 

Delhi district BJP office. 

"An empowered India 

under the leadership of Prime 

Minister Modi safely evacuated 

23,000 Indians from war-hit 

Ukraine, which shows that 

India is changing. Not just 

Indian students, but people 

from other countries were 

also evacuated by India from 

Ukraine, when other nations 

failed to evacuate their 

citizens," Nadda said. 

He told the party workers 

that when the Indian 

government was ensuring the 

safe evacuation of students 

from Ukraine, the BJP workers 

kept in touch with their parents 

and visited them multiple times 

to offer support. 

"Not just this. Didn't Modiji 

talk to (Ukraine President 

Volodymyr) Zelensky? Didn't 

he talk to (Russian President 

Vladimir) Putin? Didn't he 

arrange for the safe evacuation 

of our people," Nadda asked 

the gathering. 

He also said that the officials 

of the External Affairs Ministry 

had reached the borders of 

Ukraine and arranged visas 

overnight to bring back the 

stranded Indians. 

"This is the changing India. 

Modiji has empowered India," 

the BJP chief said. 

He also talked about 

Covid vaccination and other 

welfare measures of the Modi 

government like free ration, 

Kisan Samman Nidhi etc. 

Taking a dig at the Aam 

Aadmi Party, Nadda said, "The 

AAP contested 377 seats 

in Uttar Pradesh Assembly 

polls where all its candidates 

lost deposits. Similarly, in 

Uttarakhand it lost deposits in 

68 seats it contested." 

of the most detailed annual birth and 

deaths statistics in India, as it is based 

on administrative data generated from 

compulsory registration of births and 

deaths. Of the 24.22m registered 

births in 2020, 12.6m (52%) were of 

boys and 11.6m (48%) were of girls. In 

deaths, 60.2% were of men and 39.8% 

, of women; 1.8% registered deaths 

were of infants. The number of births 

registered in the 2020 decreased from 

24.82m births in 2019. The number 

of deaths increased from 7.64m to 

8.12m.

16 

WORLD 

On Jodhpur situation, 

Guterres hopes security 

forces will ensure 

peaceful celebrations 

UN Secretary General 

Antonio Guterres hopes 

that security forces 

will ensure that all religious 

celebrations can take place 

peacefully and communities 

can work together, his Deputy 

Spokesperson Farhan Haq said. 

"I think the basic point is 

our hope that the various 

communities will work together 

and that the government 

and the security forces will 

ensure that everyone can 

go about their activities, 

including their celebratory 

activities, peacefully", he said 

in answer to a question about 

violence in Jodhpur during Eid 

celebrations. 

Some areas of the city in 

End of free 

Twitter? Elon 

Musk hints he 

may charge 

commercial, 

govt users 

Elon Musk has dropped 

a major hint of what 

Twitter will be like 

under him as he revealed 

his plans of making Twitter 

something like a paywall social 

media platform. 

However, he clarified 

that for "casual users", 

Twitter will always be free, 

but a slight cost may be 

imposed on commercial and 

government users. 

"Ultimately, the downfall of 

the Freemasons was giving 

away their stonecutting 

services for nothing," Musk 

tweeted making premises for 

introducing a fee for Twitter. 

Twitter will not be absolutely 

new to the idea of fee-based 

subscription and Twitter Blue 

is a similar concept, which 

gives Twitter's most loyal 

customers exclusive access 

to premium features and app 

customisation for a small 

monthly subscription fee. 

Twitter Blue is available on 

Twitter for iOS, Android and 

the web in the US, Canada, 

Australia, and New Zealand. 

While Twitter Blue offers 

exclusive features to its 

paying customers, what Musk 

hints at is to make the use 

of the basic platform feebased 

for commercial and 

government users. 

As he has added a ‘maybe’, 

it is clear that Musk himself 

has kept the idea at a state of 

probability and his tweet is to 

test the water. 

Rajasthan have been put under 

curfew after clashes over the 

display of flags. 

According to media reports, 

tensions rose when a saffron 

flag was replaced with an 

Islamic flag. 

Police reportedly replaced 

United States President 

Joe Biden urged 

voters to defend 

the “fundamental” rights 

of a woman amid reports 

that the country’s Supreme 

Court is looking to scrap the 

landmark 1973 Roe v Wade 

ruling that had legalised 

abortion nationwide. 

"I believe that a woman's right 

to choose is fundamental," 

Biden said, referring to 

the landmark ruling in the 

1973 Supreme Court case 

‘Roe v Wade’ that legalised 

abortion in the country and 

which is now apparently set 

to be overturned. 

"Roe has been the law of the 

land for almost 50 years, and 

basic fairness and the stability 

of our law demand that it not 

be overturned," Biden added. 

the flags with the national 

tricolour. 

There were instances of 

stone-pelting by groups and 

police used batons and teargas 

in response to the situation, 

according to reports. 

State Minister Rajendra Singh 

Yadav said that more than 50 

people have been arrested. 

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot 

tweeted a call for brotherhood 

and peace. 

"While respecting the 

tradition of love and 

brotherhood of Jodhpur, 

Marwar, I make a touching 

appeal to all the parties 

to maintain peace and 

cooperate in restoring law and 

order," he said. 

Indo-Canadian MP moves 

motion in parliament to mark 

Nov as Hindu Heritage Month 

An Indo-Canadian MP 

has moved a motion in 

Canada’s parliament to 

have November proclaimed as 

Hindu Heritage Month. 

The motion was initiated 

on Monday by Chandra Arya, 

an MP from the ruling Liberal 

Party representing Nepean in 

the Ottawa area. It also has 

14 joint seconders, cutting 

across party lines. 

The motion is still to be 

debated, and passed through 

both chambers of parliament, 

the House of Commons and 

Senate, before Hindu Heritage 

Month becomes a reality. 

The motion calls upon the 

Canadian government to 

“recognise the contributions 

that Hindu-Canadians have 

made to the socio-economic 

development of Canada, 

and their services to the 

Canadian society, the richness 

of Hindu Heritage and its 

vast contribution to the 

world of arts and science, 

astronomy to medicine, and 

its culture and traditions and 

the importance of educating 

and reflecting upon it for our 

future generations in Canada 

by declaring November, every 

year, Hindu Heritage Month.” 

Similar heritage months are 

already dedicated in Canada. 

A look at the world's 

toughest abortion laws 

Biden also said that a leaked 

copy of a draft majority opinion 

published by Politico on the 

Supreme Court striking down 

the right to abortion is yet to 

be verified. “We do not know 

whether this draft is genuine, 

or whether it reflects the final 

decision of the court,” Biden 


said. He, however, said that 

if the document proves to be 

authentic, abortion laws will 

depend on individual states, 

and "it will fall on voters to 

elect" officials who back the 

right to the procedure in 

November's midterm elections. 

Biden also urged the 

Congress to enshrine legal 

abortion in US law, which 

would be the only way of 

overcoming the Supreme 

Court ruling that the leaked 

document apparently shows 

is set to be issued. 

Biden said he would "work to 


Joe Biden says woman's right to choose fundamental amid row 

over SC ‘opinion’ on abortion 

I believe that a 

woman's right 

to choose is 

fundamental," Biden 

said, referring to the 

landmark ruling in the 

1973 Supreme Court 

case ‘Roe v Wade’ that 

legalised abortion in 

the country and which 

is now apparently set 

to be overturned. 

Boris Johnson tells Ukraine’s Parliament 

Kyiv will win the war, offers more aid 

British Prime Minister 

Boris Johnson told the 

Ukrainian Parliament 

that it was Kyiv's finest hour 

and it would emerge victorious 

in the ongoing war with Russia. 

Johnson became the first 

Western leader to address the 

war-torn nation’s parliament 

since Russian forces invaded 

Ukraine on February 24. 

"This is Ukraine's finest hour, 

that will be remembered and 

recounted for generations to 

come," he added, echoing the 

words spoken by Churchill in 

1940 when Britain faced the 

threat of being invaded and 

defeated by Nazi Germany. 

Johnson also saluted the 

country's bravery in exploding 

"the myth of (Russian 

President Vladimir) Putin's 

invincibility". 

The British PM has been 

voicing his support for Ukraine 

since the war began which 

Russia calls a “special military 

operation”. "The so-called 

irresistible force of Putin’s war 

machine has broken on the 

May is observed as Canadian 

Jewish Heritage Month, 

October as Canadian Islamic 

History Month and April as 

Sikh Heritage Month. 

In his speech in the House 

introducing the motion, Arya 

said that “proclaiming Hindu 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson 

immovable object of Ukrainian 

patriotism and love of country," 

Johnson further said. In further 

relief for Ukraine, Johnson 

also announced 300m pounds 

($375m) military aid, including 

electronic warfare equipment 

and a counter-battery radar 

system. 

"We will carry on supplying 

Ukraine, alongside your other 

friends, with weapons, funding 

and humanitarian aid, until we 

have achieved our long-term 

goal, which must be so to 

fortify Ukraine that no-one will 

ever dare to attack you again." 

Heritage Month also provides 

an opportunity to remember, 

celebrate and educate both 

current and future generations 

about Hindu-Canadians and 

the important role they have 

played and continue to play in 

communities across Canada.” 

pass and sign into law" such 

legislation but acknowledged 

the reality that the conditions 

are not right with today's 

evenly divided Senate 

between his Democrats and 

Republicans. Striking down 

the Roe v Wade ruling would 

reshape the battle between 

Democrats and Republicans for 

control of the Congress in the 

November midterm elections, 

potentially energising both 

parties’ bases. 

The campaigns are getting 

underway with primaries in 

Ohio and Indiana.


SPORTS 17 

Defending 

champions 

CSK out of title 

contention 

RAHUL PATIL 

Surprise captaincy 

changes and a few 

upset victories were 

the highlights last week at IPL 

2022. After Mumbai Indian’s, 

Chennai Super Kings became 

the second team to be out 

of title contention. Cricket 

analyst Rahul Patil analyses all 

the action from Week 6. 

Game 41 

Delhi Capitals 150 for 6 

(Warner 42, Powell 33, Umesh 

Yadav 3/24, Narine 1/19) beat 

Kolkata Knight Riders 146 for 

9 (Nitish Rana 57, Shreyas Iyer 

42, Kuldeep 4/14, Mustafizur 

3/18) 

Both teams tried their best 

to lose this game. Yes, you 

read that right. The level of 

cricket was so poor from both 

sides that nobody deserved 

to win. Finally, it came down 

to which team made the least 

mistakes and in that regard 

Delhi deserved the win. 

Rovman Powell struck some 

lusty blows towards the end 

to pick up the much needed 

two points for Delhi. KKR on 

the other hand have now lost 

5 games in a row and are 

faced with the improbable task 

of winning all their remaining 

games to qualify for the 

playoffs. 

Game 42 

Lucknow Super Giants 153 

for 8 (de Kock 46, Hooda 34, 

Rabada 4/38, Sandeep Sharma 

1/18) beat Punjab Kings 133 

for 8 (Bairstow 32, Mayank 

25, Krunal 2/11, Chameera 

2/17, Mohsin 3/24) 

Every IPL season we see 

Punjab Kings start with a bang 

and fizzle out towards the end. 

This year is no different. The 

ease with which LSG defended 

a below par total of 153 tells 

us about the shocking display 

of the Punjab batters. LSG 

are now only a couple of wins 

away from qualifying for the 

playoffs whereas Punjab with 

more losses than wins in the 

tournament have to start 

putting together back to back 

wins. 

Game 43 

Gujarat Titans 174 for 4 

(Tewatia 43, Miller 29, 

Hasaranga 2/28, Shahbaz 

2/26) beat Royal Challengers 

Bangalore 170 for 6 (Virat 

Kohli 58, Patidar 52, Sangwan 

2/19) 

Virat Kohli finally scored 

his first 50 of this year’s 

tournament but his slow strike 

rate meant that Bangalore in 

scoring 170 were about 15-20 

runs short on a great batting 

wicket. RCB’s bowlers though 

had Gujarat at 95 for 4 and 

at that stage RCB might have 

fancied their chances but the 

combination of David Miller and 

Rahul Tewatia that has been 

instrumental in Gujarat being 

on top of the leaderboard 

once again put on a whirlwind 

unbeaten partnership of 79 in 

just 40 deliveries that knocked 

the wind out of RCB. With 

8 wins from 9 Gujarat now 

have one foot in the playoffs 

whereas Bangalore need to win 

3 of their remaining 4 games 

in order to have a chance at 

qualification. 

Game 44 

Mumbai Indians 161 for 

5 (Suryakumar Yadav 51, 

Varma 35, Ashwin 1/21) beat 

Rajasthan Royals 158 for 6 

(Buttler 67, Kartikeya 1/19, 

Meredith 2/24) 

The beauty of the IPL is 

that on a given day any team 

is capable of beating their 

opponents regardless of 

where they sit on the points 

table. Mumbai who have lost 

all 8 of their games this year 

finally secured their first win 

by beating no 2 ranked side 

Rajasthan Royals. It took a 

cameo from their returning 

David (Tim David) to overthrow 

Goliath (Rajasthan Royals). The 

Royals had an off game and 

require a couple of wins more 

from their remaining games 

to qualify for the playoffs. 

Although Mumbai’s chances 

in IPL 2022 are over they can 

still upset the chances of other 

teams by continuing to win 

their games. 

Game 45 

Lucknow Super Giants 195 

for 3 (K L Rahul 77, Hooda 

52, Thakur 3/40) beat Delhi 

Capitals 189 for 7 (Pant 44, 

Axar 42, Khan 4/16) 

Delhi’s season this year 

has been full of squandered 

opportunities and yet again 

they failed to finish a game 

from a winning position. LSG 

on the other hand yet again 

put on an impressive show. 

Captain consistent KL Rahul 

and Deepak Hooda scored 

breezy half centuries to help 

post a mammoth score and 

on the bowling front young 

quick Mohsin Khan impressed 

yet again. In a match where 

batters from both teams 

scored at almost 10 runs 

per over Mohsin finished with 

figures of 4-0-16-4 which are 

sensational specially in a T20. 

Game 46 

Chennai Super Kings 202 

for 2 (Ruturaj 99, Conway 

85*, Bhuvneshwar 22) beat 

Sunrisers Hyderabad 189 for 

6 (Pooran 64*, Williamson 47, 

Choudhary 4/46) 

With Jadeja handing the 

captaincy back to M S Dhoni 

earlier in the week all eyes 

were on how CSK perform 

and they didn’t disappoint. 

Thanks to a massive 182 run 

opening wicket partnership 

between man of the match 

Ruturaj Gaikwad and all 

format run machine Devon 

Conway, CSK posted 202 in 

their innings. When on song 

watching Ruturaj bat is like eye 

therapy. Even against Umran 

Malik who bowled a couple 

of deliveries at 154 kmph 

he didn’t look hurried at all. 

Although Nicholas Pooran kept 

the Sunrisers in the hunt with 

a typical swashbuckling 64 not 

out the target was just too big 

for one man to achieve. 

Game 47 

Kolkata Knight Riders 158 for 

3 (Rana 48*, RInku Singh 42*, 

Boult 1/25) beat Rajasthan 

Royals 152 for 3 (Samson 54, 

Umesh 1/24, Narine 0/19) 

After 5 losses on the trot 

KKR had to win this game to 

keep their hopes alive in the 

tournament and they found 

an unlikely hero to win the 

game for them. Playing his 

5th IPL season Rinku Singh 

came in a tricky situation 

but kept calm and played the 

dominant role in an unbeaten 

partnership with Nitish Rana to 

take KKR home comfortably. 

Like every other youngster in 

the tournament Rinku Singh’s 

story too is an extremely 

touching one and reminds us 

about the importance of never 

giving up. With back to back 

losses the Royals now need to 

stop the slide to ensure their 

playoff qualification. 

Game 48 

Punjab Kings 145 for 2 

(Dhawan 62*, Rajapaksa 

40, Ferguson 1/29) beat 

Gujarat Titans 143 for 8 (Sai 

Sudarshan 65, Rabada 4/33) 

This is what Punjab do. They 

look really poor against weaker 

teams and lose miserably but 

have the ability to surprise 

teams better than themselves. 

They absolutely decimated 

table toppers Gujarat in this 

game and kept their hopes 

alive for a place in the playoffs. 

Chasing 144 for a win Shikhar 

Dhawan who like fine wine 

seems to get better with age 

top scored with a classy 62 

and reminded everyone of his 

pedigree. The biggest talking 

point of the game though was 

a cameo (30 from 10 balls) by 

Liam Livingstone who took 28 

of a Mohammed Shami over 

including the biggest six of this 

year’s tournament which went 

117 mts from the bat. 

Game 49 

Royal Challengers Bangalore 

173 for 8 (Lomror 42, Du 

Plessis 38, Theekshana 3/27) 

beat Chennai Super Kings 160 

for 8 (Conway 56, Moeen Ali 

34, Patel 3/35, Hazlewood 

1/19) 

CSK’s middle and late order 

batting let them down in a 

must win game and with the 

loss there is no chance that 

they can make the playoffs 

from here. 

For RCB Virat Kohli once 

again scored some runs but 

once again they came at a 

slow rate. Thankfully cameos 

from the rest of the batters 

made sure they got a fighting 

total on the board which they 

defended by bowling tightly 

and fielding brilliantly. 

They are now in the top 4 

and with 3 more games to play 

have a great chance of making 

it to the playoffs. Could this 

finally be Bangalore’s year?

18 

FEATURES 



The Indian Weekender Friday, June 19, 2020 17 

FEATURES 

PRAWN MASALA 

INGREDIENTS 

MARINATION 

• 1/2kg - prawns 

• 1/4cup - yoghurt 

• 1tsp - turmeric powder 

• 1tbsp - chilli powder 

• 1tsp - salt 

• 1/2 - lime 

FOR MASALA 

• 4 - dry whole red chillies 

• 1tbsp - coriander seeds 

• 1/2tsp - cumin seeds 

• 1/4tsp - mustard seeds 

• 1tsp - peppercorns 

• 1/4tsp - fenugreek seeds 

• 10 - garlic cloves 

• 1tbsp - tamarind pulp 

• 4tbsp - water 

• 2tbsp - oil 

• 15 - curry leaves 

METHOD 

• Shell, devein and wash the 

prawns. 

• In a medium bowl add yoghurt, 

turmeric powder, chilli powder, 

salt and juice of lime, mix well 

with the fork. 

• Add prawns to the yoghurt 

mixture and mix well until the 

prawns are well coated with 

the mixture. Keep aside for 30 

minutes. 

• For the paste; in a dry fry pan 

add whole red chillies, coriander 

seeds, cumin seeds, mustard 

seeds, peppercorns, fenugreek 

seeds and fry them for 5-6 minutes 

stirring frequently over a medium 

flame until fragrant, then turn the 

heat off and transfer them onto a 

plate to cool. 

• Add prawns along with its 

marination and cook for 4-5 

minutes or until extra water 

evaporates ( keep stirring during 

this process ). 

• Add curry leaves and mix well. 

• Then add red chilli paste and stir 

for 2-3 minutes or until oil comes 

on top. 

• Continue to cook prawns with the 

lid on stirring halfway through 

cooking until the prawns are 

cooked through ( More water 

can be added at this stage if the 

masala is too dry ). 

• Serve hot with rice 

TIP - if you are using frozen cooked 

prawns then thaw and add them in 

the end. 

• Serves-4 

PRAWN STIR FRY 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1/2kg - prawns 

• 3 - garlic cloves 

• 2inch - ginger 

• 5 - dry red chillies whole 

• 4 - spring onions 

• 1tbsp - corn flour 

• 2tbsp - soy sauce 

• 1tsp - honey or sugar 

• 2tbsp - chilli sauce 

• 1tsp - salt or according to taste 


METHOD 

• Shell, devein and wash the 

prawns. 

• Wash and slice garlic cloves and 

wash and julienned ginger. Keep 

both the things aside for later use. 

• In a heavy base saucepan heat 1 

tablespoon of oil over medium 

flame. 

• Add prawns and fry until extra 

water evaporates ( It will take 2-3 

minutes ),then transfer them onto 

a plate. Keep aside for later use. 

• In the same saucepan add another 

1 tablespoon of oil. 

• Add sliced garlic and sauté for 2 

minutes over medium flame or 

until they are brown in colour. 

• Add julienned ginger and whole 

red chillies cut into halve; fry 

them for a minute. 

• Add chopped spring onions and 

sauté until they are soft and oil 

starts to separates. 

• Lower the flame and add cornflour, 

stir, add soy sauce, honey and 

chilli sauce, stir everything until 

well combined. 

• Now add the prawns, sauté for 

few seconds then cover and let 

cook until they are done. 

• Garnish with few spring green 

onions. 

• Serve hot. 

• Serves - 4 

• When the seeds are of the room 

temperature add them to a blender 

and grind it to a fine powder. 

• To the powder add garlic cloves, 

tamarind pulp and water and 

blend everything into a smooth 

paste. 

• Set aside. 

• In a heavy base saucepan heat oil 

over medium flame. 

PRAWN 

CURRY 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1kg - prawns 

• 1tsp - turmeric powder 

• A pinch of salt 

• 1 - onion, large 

• 5 - green chillies 

• 2tbsp - ginger paste 

• 2tbsp - garlic paste 

• 1 - tomato, large 

• 1tbsp - red chilli powder 

• 1tbsp - coriander powder 

• 1tbsp - coconut powder 

• 8 - curry leaves 

• 1tsp - salt or according to taste 

• 1/2cup - water 

• 1 - lemon 


• 1/2cup - coriander 

leaves 

METHOD 

• Shell, devein and 

wash the prawns. 

• Place the prawns 

in a bowl with the 

turmeric and salt. 

Mix well and set 

aside. 

• Peel, wash and slice 

onions. Wash and slice 

green chillies length wise. 

• Set aside for later use. 

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in 

a heavy base saucepan over 

medium flame. 

• Add prawns to the oil and fry for 

2-3 minutes stirring continuously 

until light pink in colour then 

transfer them onto a plate and 

keep aside for later use. 

• To make the curry; in the same 

saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of oil 

over medium flame. 

• Add the sliced onions and fry for 

3-4 minutes until dark brown in 

colour 

now add 

green chillies 

and sauté for 

another 1 minute. 

• Add ginger paste, stir, add garlic 

paste and sauté until oil separates. 

• Now add the chopped tomato 

and cook for 3 minutes until they 

began to soften and oil starts to 

separate. 

• At this stage, lower the flame and 

add red chilli powder, coriander 

powder, coconut powder, curry 

leaves and salt (Remember 

we have already used salt in 

frying prawns so add little), 

sauté everything for a couple 

of minutes with a splash of water 

(Teaspoon of water is added so 

that the powders does not get 

burned). 

• Now add the prawns along with 

water; cover and cook for 2-3 

minutes until they start to turn 

opaque and are cooked through 

(Add more water if the masala 

starts to stick to the bottom of the 

pan or to make curry as per your 

choice). 

• Turn the heat off, garnish with 

fresh chopped coriander and 

squeeze lemon on top. 

• Serve with a choice of Indian 

bread or steamed rice. 

• Serves - 6


ENTERTAINMENT 19 

Cannes to celebrate its 

75th year by screening 

Satyajit Ray's 'Pratidwandi' 

With the Cannes Film Festival 

celebrating its 75th edition 

this year and India being the 

Country of Honour, the festival will 

screen Satyajit Ray's acclaimed movie 

'Pratidwandi' (1970). 

'Pratidwandi' has been officially selected 

for a special screening in the Cannes 

Classic section this year. 

Based on a novel by the same name 

by Sunil Gangopadhyay, the film unfolds 

the story of Siddharta, an educated 

middle-class youth caught in the 

turmoil of social unrest, dealing with his 

struggles to find a job. 

The film is known for experimenting with 

specific techniques such as photo-negative 

flashbacks. It bagged three National 

Awards, including Best Direction, in 1971. 

It also won a nomination for the Gold Hugo 

Award at the Chicago International Film 

Festival in 1971. 

Last year on the occasion of Ray's 

birth centenary, NFDC-NFAI kickstarted a 

project of digitally restoring his films in 4K 

resolution. 'Pratidwandi' was one of the 

first films selected for the purpose. 

Ravinder Bhakar, Managing Director, 

National Film Development Corporation 

of India (NFDC), said, "Ray set out many 

firsts in the world of cinema. 

'Pratidwandi' is known for experimenting 

with techniques such as photo-negative 

flashbacks, among others. The NFAI 

(National Film Archive of India) has been 

diligent about this while restoring the 

original negative. We are pleased to roll 

out the first of the 'Calcutta Trilogy' of 

Ray at the Cannes Film Festival." 

Seemabaddha (1971) and Jana Aranya 

(1976) were the next two films directed 

by Ray that formed his 'Calcutta Trilogy'. 

The 75th edition of the Cannes Film 

Festival will take place from May 17 to 28. 

Meanwhile, Information and Broadcasting 

Minister Anurag Thakur announced 

that India will be the official 'Country of 

Honour' at the upcoming 'Marche' Du 

Film', organised alongside the Cannes Film 

Festival, in France. 

"It is the first time the Marche du Film 

has an official Country of Honour, and this 

special focus will continue annually with 

different nations in the spotlight at future 

editions," he said. 

Language row: Sonu Nigam says 

country already facing problems, 

let's not divide people further 

Singer Sonu Nigam has come 

down heavily on the recent 

language row which was 

sparked after a Twitter showdown 

between Bollywood actor Ajay 

Devgn and Kannada superstar Kiccha 

Sudeep. The singer has said that it 

is not correct to put an imposition 

on anyone especially in terms of 

languages. 

The National Award-winning singer 

was speaking at the FICCI Flo event, 

where he said that it's pointless to 

engage in such debates and add 

fuel to the fire as people are already 

getting divided on multiple lines 

across the country and this will 

seriously dent the integrity of our 

nation and make the society weak. 

FICCI Flo is the women's wing of 

Federation of Indian Chambers of 

Commerce & Industry (FICCI), which 

is an India-based non-governmental 

trade association and advocacy 

group. 

He mentioned that from what he 

knows (having spoken with experts 

in the field), the Constitution of 

India, the document which binds 

the country's law and order, does 

not recognise Hindi as the state's 

national language, "Nowhere in the 

Constitution is it written that Hindi 

is our national language. It might be 

the most spoken language, but not 

the national language." 

He went on to state that although 

debatable, Tamil is the oldest 

language in the world, "In fact, Tamil 

is the oldest language. There is a 

debate between Sanskrit and Tamil. 

But, people say Tamil is the oldest 

language in the entire world." 

Nigam that country is already 

reeling with enough issues that need 

to be resolved with other nations 

and initiating a new problem within 

the country will only add to the 

troubles that the people are already 

plagued with. 

He asked, "'Abhi tumhaare baaki 

deshon se pange kam hain jo tum 

apne desh mein kar rahe ho? (Aren't 

we facing enough issues with other 

countries that we are starting 

one within our own?) Why is this 

discussion even happening?" 

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The Indian Weekender, 06 May 2022

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