The Indian Weekender, 29 July 2022

Friday, 29 July 2022 

Volume 14 / Issue 19 

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Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, July 29, 2022 

NEW ZEALAND 3 

Government announces three new skilled 

SANDEEP SINGH 

Minister of Immigration 

Michael Wood has 

announced three new 

skilled residence pathways 

for temporary migrants 

after having completed two 

years of acceptable work 

in New Zealand. 

The three pathways are 

Straight to residence, Work to 

residence, highly paid - ‘twice 

the median wage’. 

The Straight to residence 

pathway will be ready for people 

to apply for from 5 September 

2022, while work to Residence 

and Highly Paid pathways will 

be available for people to apply 

in September 2023. 

This was announced just now 

by the Minister of Immigration 

Michael Wood. 

“From 5 September, skilled 

workers in specified occupations 

will be able to apply for the 

Straight to Residence pathway. 

Skilled migrants on the ‘Work 

to Residence’ and ‘Highly Paid’ 

resident pathways will be able 

to apply from 29 September 

2023, once they have obtained 

24 months of acceptable 

work in New Zealand,” 

Minister Wood said. 

All three categories are linked 

residence pathways for temporary migrants 

with the recently announced 

Green List that fast tracks 

temporary migrants’ entry 

into the country and eventual 

gaining of residency rights. 

Straight to Residence 

and Work to Residence 

Pathways 

The main requirement for 

both Green List pathways is 

the need to have a job in, or 

job offer for, one of the Green 

List occupations and meet the 

specified requirements on the 

list for the said occupation. 

• The employment or offer 

of employment must also 

be full-time (at least 30 

hours per week), genuine, 

and be permanent or for at 

least a 12-month fixed term 

contract. 

• The Straight to Residence 

visa provides a straight 

to residence pathway. 

Eligible migrants employed 

in these occupations can 

come to New Zealand on a 

work visa from 4 July and 

apply for residence from 5 

September 2022. From 5 

September 2022 residence 

can also be applied for 

directly from offshore. 

• Contractors are eligible 

for the Green List Straight 

to Residence pathway, 

provided applicants meet 

some additional criteria. 

• The Work to Residence 

visa differs as the applicant 

must also demonstrate they 

have at least 24 months of 

acceptable work in New 

Zealand. Acceptable 

work means having 

worked in an 

occupation on 

the Green List 

and meeting 

the specified 

requirements for 

that occupation 

for the duration 

of the 24 month 

period. This work in New 

Zealand can only be claimed 

on or after 29 September 

2021. Work must be on an 

AEWV unless the person had 

commenced work on another 

visa before 4 July 2022. 

Highly Paid Resident 

Pathways 

• The Highly Paid resident 

pathway was created 

to provide a pathway to 

residence for people who 

were paid at least two times 

the median wage (currently 

$55.52 per hour) over 

a 24-month period while 

working in New Zealand. 

• Similar to the Work to 

Residence work experience 

requirements, the principal 

applicant must demonstrate 

they have at least 24 

months of acceptable work 

in New Zealand. Acceptable 

work means having earned 

at or above two times the 

median wage for at least 24 

months. 

• This work in New Zealand 

can only be claimed on or 

after 29 September 2021. 

This aligns with the 2021 

Resident Visa and ensures 

that the small number of 

people who do not qualify for 

this can still have some work 

in New Zealand recognised. 

• The two times median wage 

amount will be updated 

annually in February based 

on the June quarter median 

hourly earnings from wages 

and salaries as published by 

Statistics New Zealand. 

• The application fee and levy 

will be between $4,020 

and $4,890 depending on 

whether the applicant is 

applying from within New 

Zealand or another part of 

the world. This fee is aligned 

with the fee for the Skilled 

Migrant Category. 

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4 

NEW ZEALAND 

Friday, July 29, 2022 

Read online www.iwk.co.nz 

PLANTING TREES TO MARK 75 

YEARS OF INDIAN NATIONHOOD 

VENU MENON IN 

WELLINGTON 

The Wellington Indian 

Association 

is 

collaborating with the 

Indian High Commission in 

planting trees to commemorate 

75 years of Indian Independence. 

The tree planting event is 

scheduled to take place in 

Newlands in Wellington on 

August 6, according to Dipak 

Bhana, association president. 

This was corroborated 

by Mr Durga Dass, Second 

Secretary ( Press, Information 

& Culture), Indian High 

Commission, Wellington. 

The association, formed 125 

years ago, had a pre-Covid paid 

membership of 1200, which 

currently stands at 690. 

Bhana attributed the decline in 

membership to the adjustments 

that had to be made in the new 

Covid environment, such as 

capping the number of people 

attending an event and strict 

adherence to protocols like 

wearing face masks. 

“A key and often invisible 

component of our function is 

advocacy,” says the association 

site. Bhana explains: “The 

invisibleness is how we put 

our heads down and get on 

with doing the job we need 

to do. We don’t want to draw 

attention to ourselves. That’s 

how we integrate with society.” 

The advocacy work 

includes consulting the New 

Zealand Police and conveying 

the apprehensions of the 

community on pressing issues 

such as the ram raids on the 

dairies. “We provide feedback 

to the authorities as to what 

our members are experiencing. 

We provide advice to the police, 

as well as to the immigration 

officials when they ask for it.” 

Bhana said Indian dairy 

owners have been ram-raided 

in the Wellington area. “But 

they tend to keep it private and 

confidential. They don’t want 

to publicise it, because once 

you put it in the news, other 

people find out, your insurer 

finds out, and that draws a lot 

of negative attention which 

they don’t want.” 

Bhana said ram raids 

were happening despite 

increased police presence 

and community patrols. He 

cited socio-economic factors, 

including high inflation, as key 

drivers of crime. 

According to Bhana, social 

media played a key role among 

youngsters looking to advertise 

their criminal exploits to earn 

recognition among their peers. 

“There’s a lot of content on 

social media that helps wouldbe 

criminals to do what they 

need to do,” Bhana said. 

The authorities were 

taking a pro-active approach 

and pulling down the posts 

as they came up on social 

media, Bhana noted. 

But not all the perpetrators 

of ram raids came from 

disadvantaged families. 

“They’re just doing it for fun,” 

Bhana said. 

Indian businesses sore at missing out on maximum 

relief from City Council 

VENU MENON 

Retail outlets operating 

close to Parliament, 

owned by members 

of the Indian and wider 

subcontinental diaspora, said 

their claims for relief were 

either overlooked or not 

adequately met after suffering 

revenue losses following the 

23-day blockade of the area by 

protestors early this year. 

A total of 91 businesses 

applied for a one-off $30,000 

payment from a $1.2 million 

business relief fund set up 

jointly by the Wellington City 

Council and the government to 

aid businesses impacted by the 

occupation of the Parliament 

grounds by protestors, before 

they were cleared by the police 

on March 2. 

The City Council added $1 

million to the government’s 

contribution of $ 200,000 to 

establish the relief fund. 

Businesses that experienced 

a reduction in revenue of 50 per 

cent or more from 6 February 

2022 to 2 March 2022 were 

eligible to apply. 

The relief was capped at 

a maximum of $ 30,000 as 

a one-off payment to every 

eligible business. 

Thus far, a total of $974,600 

has been disbursed from 

the fund to 50 businesses 

deemed eligible for relief by 

the City Council. 

Of these, 18 businesses 

received the maximum one-off 

payment of $30,000. 

The rest of the 

applicants received varying 

amounts with the smallest 

payment being $2000. 

City Council appointed a 

panel of senior staff, assisted 

by an independent financial 

consultant, to determine which 

businesses qualified for relief. 

Businesses had to provide 

documentation to support their 

claims of revenue loss for the 

period of the protest, between 

February and March. 

City Council Economic 

Wellbeing and CCOs manager 

Anna Calver noted that 

businesses “were either 

forced to shut completely or 

suffered massive downturns in 

custom due to the disruption 

and intimidation associated 

with the protest.” 

Indian Weekender revisited 

businesses operating at 

the arcade on Molesworth 

Street, across the 

road from Parliament. 

While foot traffic in the 

business district appeared 

to have gradually picked up 

since the protest ended, 

business is yet to return to 

pre-protest levels. 

The road closures and police 

The invisibleness 

is how we put our 

heads down and 

get on with doing 

the job we need to 

do. We don’t want 

to draw attention to 

ourselves. That’s how 

we integrate with 

society.” 

cordons around Parliament 

during the protest choked the 

customer flow to Sunil Gandhi’s 

convenience cum Lotto and NZ 

Post outlet at the arcade. 

Gandhi’s customers came 

from the government offices 

located in the building, 

including high-profile names 

such as New Zealand Rugby. 

With officegoers forced to work 

from home during the protest, 

Gandhi estimated his revenue 

loss was upward of the 50 per 

cent eligibility norm set by the 

Council and resolved to “fill out 

the forms” to apply for relief. 

But Gandhi was left out of the 

City Council’s list of businesses 

eligible for relief, according to 

Asha, a member of the family. 

The story was much the same 

in the case of the Molesworth 

Shoe and Bag Repairs Store, a 

family-owned business started 

in 1936. The business failed to 

qualify for relief despite suffering 

revenue loss on account of the 

Parliament protests. 

Across the hallway, the 

Everest Chullo cafeteria, which 

had a “closed” sign pasted 

on its glass door in the early 

days of the protest, has since 

opened for business. 

Ram Tamang, the café’s 

Nepali-origin owner, had 

started the outlet in 

December, just prior to the 

occupation of the Parliament 

grounds by protestors. 

Tamang told Indian 

Weekender he had applied for 

the maximum relief of $30,000 

but ended up getting $18,000. 

This amount went some way in 

meeting overheads such as rent 

and staff salaries. 

P&J Vallabh Partnership t/a 

Freeman’s Lotto and News 

Agency, one of the listed 

recipients of the maximum 

grant of $30,000, declined to 

take questions when contacted 

by the Indian Weekender. 

The City Council’s precondition 

of providing proof of 

50 per cent revenue loss kept 

In keeping with its stated 

goal of promoting Hindu culture 

and religion, the association 

operates its own temple in 

Kilbirnie, which is open to the 

public. Hindu festivals such as 

Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi and 

Karva Chauth are celebrated 

for wider Wellington Hindus. 

The association also runs 

a soup kitchen on Tory 

St to feed the homeless 

across communities. 

Are there members from 

ethnic Indian communities 

receiving food aid? 

“The Indian diaspora that 

needs help are very shy about 

asking for help. Sometimes 

we have to reach out to our 

membership to say that there 

is government help available 

out there. 

"But they (Indians) are very 

shy about asking for help. If 

we know somebody is having 

a hard time, we go and visit 

them,” Bhana explained. 

some business owners out of 

the reckoning for relief. 

Babu Chauhan, who owns the 

Lesvos store at the Wellington 

Rail Station, saw a revenue 

loss of 30 per cent and was, 

therefore, not eligible for 

relief. However, Chauhan was 

a recipient of the Council’s 

Covid relief fund, which 

preceded the protest-related 

relief payments. 

City Council’s Calver 

acknowledged its panel 

exercised “discretion regarding 

the location of some businesses 

that applied for payments.” 

Clearly, that left room for 

debate around the criteria 

adopted by City Council while 

shortlisting businesses eligible 

for relief.


NEW ZEALAND 5 

Parliament to hear plea on 

migrants stranded overseas 

VENU MENON 

“If you talk to employers in New 

Zealand at the moment, anybody 

that is of good character and has 

the skills, they will take them as a 

worker. They don’t mind where they 

come from. They (employers) would be 

very disappointed if the government’s 

policy is to bring people from elsewhere 

and not India, because we have a strong 

relationship with India. We have a very 

large Indian community in New Zealand 

that now calls New Zealand home,” said 

Todd McClay, National MP from Rotorua. 

McClay was speaking to the Indian 

Weekender in the Parliament precincts 

shortly after receiving a petition 

submitted on Wednesday on behalf of 

the Migrant United Council, an umbrella 

organisation representing 26 registered 

migrant groups in New Zealand. 

The petition, supported by around 

5,000 signatures, requested Parliament 

to “urge the government to automatically 

reinstate the visas of migrants that 

expired while our borders were closed 

due to Covid-19 restrictions, and extend 

those visas for a period starting from 19 

March 2020 and ending at an appropriate 

time after our borders reopen.” 

Rajeev Bajwa, founder and chairperson 

of the Migrant United Council, explained 

the compulsion behind his petition: 

“We never reacted when the borders 

were closed because we were facing a 

global pandemic. 

"When borders were reopened, Prime 

Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on 3 

February 2022 that all migrants under 

all visa categories could re-enter the 

country from 13 April 2022. Then she 

brought in the condition that only those 

holding current, valid visas could return.” 

This left scores of migrants stranded 

around the world, unable to return 

because their visas had expired, Bajwa 

noted. 

IWK BUREAU 

The government is urging 

people to ensure their 

accurate bank details are 

updated with Inland revenue 

Department to start receiving 

the Cost-of-Living support. 

With the first of three monthly 

Government Cost of Living 

payments due to be made 

on Monday, Revenue Minister 

David Parker is urging people to 

make sure Inland Revenue has 

their bank account details. 

From 1 August, Inland 

Revenue will pay three monthly 

instalments each of about 

$116 into the bank accounts 

of the 2.1 million eligible Kiwis 

– but many thousands of bank 

account details are still needed. 

“Since taking office, our 

Government has worked hard 

to lift incomes and make life 

more affordable for Kiwis and 

their families. There is no easy 

fix to the current global Cost of 

Living pressures many people 

Urge the government to 

automatically reinstate 

the visas of migrants that 

expired while our borders 

were closed due to Covid-19 

restrictions, and extend 

those visas for a period 

starting from 19 March 2020 

and ending at an appropriate 

time after our borders 

reopen.” 

In India, an estimated 900 migrants 

were unable to re-enter New Zealand 

because their visas had expired, 

according to Bajwa. 

Bajwa’s petition aimed to press the 

legal rights and “secure justice” for 

stranded migrants worldwide, who have 

been disadvantaged by the changes in 

immigration rules. 

Bajwa set out a three-step approach 

to secure his goal. First, have the issue 

raised in Parliament. Second, get the 

petition discussed in the parliamentary 

petitions committee. Third, exercise the 

right to approach the Ombudsman. 

are facing. The Government’s 

Cost of Living payments are 

the latest step we are taking,” 

David Parker said. 

“This new Cost of Living 

Payment sits alongside the 

Government’s Winter Energy 

Payment, and, together, these 

payments will support 81 per 

cent of New Zealanders aged 

18 and over with their bills this 

year. 

“The measures we’re putting 

in place will make a difference 

for people across the country. 

They build on actions we’ve 

taken since 2017 to ensure 

Kiwi families have more in their 

pocket to get ahead – policies 

like the family tax credit, 

free school lunches, cheaper 

doctors’ visits, and the removal 

of school donations. We’re also 

fixing the supermarket sector 

and increasing competition, to 

make sure that Kiwis pay a fair 

price at the till,” David Parker 

said. 

There is no need for anyone 

to apply for the payment and 

people will receive the payment 

if Inland Revenue can confirm 

they: 

• earned $70,000 or less in 

the period 1 April 2021 to 

31 March 2022 

If justice was still denied to the 

stranded migrants, the Migrant United 

Council intended to take the issue to 

the streets by resorting to nonviolent 

agitation, including relay hunger strikes. 

“I have full faith in our parliamentary 

process. I believe we will get justice if we 

are patient,” Bajwa added. 

But National’s McClay and Taupo 

MP Louise Upston, who were backing 

Bajwa’s petition in Parliament, denied 

the Labour government’s changes to 

immigration policy were discriminatory 

or targeted at any particular ethnic 

migrant community. 

“If it’s shown that the government 

has put this policy in place for only 

one country of this world, then I think 

those people would be right to feel it’s 

discriminatory,” McClay said. 

‘But I think this is for many countries. 

They would be not only from India but 

many parts of Asia and elsewhere in the 

world, like South America, where people 

had visas to come here, the border was 

closed, their visas had run out and they 

can’t come to New Zealand,” he added. 

But McClay acknowledged he did not 

know if there were similar cases from 

other countries. 

The Tauranga MP was of the view that 

• are not entitled to receive 

Winter Energy Payment by 

receiving the NZ Super or 

a qualifying benefit from 

Ministry of Social 

Development (MSD) 

• are aged 18 or older 

• are both a New Zealand tax 

resident and present here 

• are not in prison. 

• David Parker said an 

estimated 2.1 million 

people will be eligible for 

the payment but to receive 

it they need to give Inland 

Revenue up to date bank 

details. 

“Since the payment 

was announced more 

than 43,000 people have 

given inland Revenue their 

bank account numbers. 

"But there are still more 

than 164,000 people for 

whom the department doesn’t 

have those details. 

“Inland Revenue is working 

with more than 600 community 

groups, sports bodies and other 

organisations – particularly 

the immigration system was not working 

as it should. 

He wondered why the stranded 

migrants could not be reinstated or a 

pathway for them to come back to New 

Zealand couldn’t be found when those 

people were able to enter the country 

before Covid. 

‘If they are not able to come now, what 

has changed in that period of time?” 

Upston supplemented McClay, saying 

those who worked in New Zealand 

before and had returned home to other 

countries were being disadvantaged 

by the policy of the government. 

They should be allowed to come back 

and “continue to contribute to our 

businesses, our communities and our 

country,” she added. 

Kanwaljeet Bakshi, National’s ex-List 

MP, spoke of the stranded migrants he 

had met on his last visit to India and 

described them as being “traumatized”. 

“We need people who have NZ 

experience. There is a shortage of 

workers in every sector,” Bakshi noted. 

Gaurav Sharma, Labour MP from 

Hamilton West, told Indian Weekender 

there would be further policy 

announcements in September and that 

“the new minister is definitely looking at 

broader immigration policies as well.” 

Paramjit Singh, a former office bearer 

of the Wellington gurudwara, said New 

Zealand needed “working hands to keep 

the economy growing.” 

With the petition being raised by 

a sitting MP during Question Hour, 

the petition is now embedded in the 

parliamentary process. 

Govt urges people to update bank details with IRD to receive Cost of Living payment 

groups for Māori and Pacific 

peoples - to spread awareness 

about who might be eligible for 

the payment and the need to 

provide bank account numbers. 

“There are fact sheets in 

6 languages and webinars in 

English and te reo Māori to 

help them share information 

about the payment and what’s 

needed for people to receive it. 

People can update bank 

account details through myIR. 

They can also use the selfservice 

number 0800 257 

777 to add or change a bank 

account and other details. It is 

a 24/7 number and there is no 

wait time. 

“Inland Revenue will check 

to see who is eligible for the 

payment before each monthly 

payment is made. It is possible 

to be eligible for one, two or all 

three payments.” 

For most people the three 

main payment dates are: 

• 1 August 2022 

• 1 September 2022 

• 3 October 2022.

6 

SANDEEP SINGH 

NEW ZEALAND 

Genuine and credible borrowers 

are still struggling to get access 

to credit from banks, despite the 

government’s slight dial back of the 

controversial changes in the responsible 

lending rules late last year. 

The government first changed the 

lending rules on December 1, 2021, 

which placed additional responsibility 

upon the banks to check the debt 

servicing capabilities of potential 

borrowers precipitating a dramatic 

turndown of loan applications. 

Following a sustained furore and 

a petition being signed by 10,000 

people requesting the government to 

reconsider the law changes, Commerce 

and Consumer Affairs Minister David 

Clark announced changes to the Credit 

Contracts and Consumer Finance Act in 

early March - less than four months after 

it was tightened. 

However, four months after the dialback 

by the government, potential 

borrowers are still facing rejection from 

banks even on their application for 

a secured loan against their houses, 

despite having enough equity. 

Chander Aggrawal (name changed) 

told the Indian Weekender that he was 

frustrated after two banks declined to 

provide a small loan of 20K, including a 

top-up on his home mortgage. 

“I have significant equity on my home, 

my wife and I are full time working, plus 

I drive uber on weekends to top up my 

income, and my wife runs a small parttime 

business which also brings cash in 

the home.” 

“Yet banks questioned our debt 

servicing capabilities in future in 

declining the loan application,” Chander 

said frustratingly. 

This frustration is even more palpable 

among many small business operators, 

who are struggling for access to cash for 

IWK BUREAU 

“Following on from the successful 

group applications, the Prime 

Minister’s Scholarships for Asia 

and Latin America are now open to 

individual applications, and this is 

the only opportunity for individuals 

to apply in 2022,” Grant McPherson, 

Chief Executive, Education New Zealand 

Manapou ki te Ao said. 

These scholarships enable talented 

New Zealanders who are passionate 

maintaining cashflow in their businesses 

owing to Covid and are relying on their 

ability to top up their home loans. 

Shalina Singh (name changed) an 

Auckland-based restaurant owner, told 

the Indian Weekender that she has 

exhausted all possible avenues for a 

business loan, after having borrowed 

from the government’s small business 

cashflow scheme and was counting on 

her ability to top up her mortgage to 

keep her struggling business afloat – 

only to be disappointed by the bank. 

“It is really frustrating to know that 

nothing has changed on the ground even 

after the government had announced 

in March that it was rolling back the 

changes initially brought late last year,” 

Singh said. 

“Now I am forced to seriously 

contemplate borrowing unsecured loans 

from other private players, which would 

be at a significantly higher cost and 

restrictive terms and conditions.” 

“I am not sure if the government is 

actually achieving its initial intention 

about supporting local and global 

communities to add an international 

dimension to their learning and develop 

their global citizenship competencies 

and networks. 

“We welcome diverse applicants from 

all stages and walks of life - you don’t 

need to be a current student, and you 

don’t need top grades. We are looking 

for applicants who can display qualities 

like cultural awareness, initiative, 

and confidence. Previous scholarship 

recipients have come from a wide range 


of safeguarding the interests of the 

borrowers. Not in my case, at least,” a 

frustrated Singh asserted. 

New Zealand bankers Association 

– a consortium of leading banks in 

New Zealand which is a non-profit 

unincorporated organisation funded by 

member banks through subscriptions 

– is also of the view that the changes 

brought by the government in early 

March might not be enough to make a 

difference for the genuine and credible 

borrowers. 

New Zealand Bankers’ Association 

chief executive Roger Beaumont told 

the Indian Weekender that nothing 

would have changed on the ground for 

the borrowers. 

“The government made changes to 

the Credit Contracts and Consumer 

Finance Act that came into force last 

December. These new lending rules had 

had a big impact on banks’ ability to 

of backgrounds and have studied in a 

range of fields, including environmental 

science, languages, law, the arts, and 

business.” 

More than 2,400 Kiwis have benefited 

from the programme since 2013, 

contributing to New Zealand’s ability to 

engage with key partners in Asia and 

Latin America. 

The Prime Minister’s Scholarship 

is open to New Zealand citizens or 

permanent residents who are at least 

18 years old at the time of application 


How effective has been govt’s tweak 

to ‘responsible lending rules’ for 

genuine and credible borrowers? 

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David 

Clark 

It is really frustrating to 

know that nothing has 

changed on the ground 

even after the government 

had announced in March 

that it was rolling back the 

changes initially brought late 

last year." 

lend to customers who could afford to 

borrow before the changes came in. 

“The new rules are designed to help 

vulnerable customers avoid unaffordable 

debt. The issue is that they apply a 

one-size-fits-all approach to credit 

applications which has affected many 

mainstream consumers and has resulted 

in more applications being declined. 

Banks no longer have the flexibility and 

discretion they used to have to help 

people get a loan. The new rules mean 

that some people who could afford loans 

before the December change are now 

missing out. 

“The government recently made 

some tweaks to the new rules, which 

haven’t really made much difference 

for most borrowers. That’s because most 

of the existing requirements remain in 

place, meaning customers still have to 

provide detailed information about their 

spending, resulting in a more painstaking 

process and more loan applications 

being declined than before the 

December rule change. 

“The new rules apply to any new 

consumer lending, big or small, 

from a new home loan or top up to 

increasing your credit card limit, or 

getting a car loan, so they’re having a 

widespread effect. 

“Some small businesses may be 

affected by the new lending rules, 

especially if they’re securing a loan with 

their residential property. Other business 

lending applications will be assessed on 

a case-by-case basis taking into account 

the particular bank’s lending policies and 

risk appetite,” Mr Beaumont said. 

Individual applications for PM’s Scholarships for Asia and Latin America now open 

and have been a resident in New 

Zealand for at least 12 of the previous 

24 months. Scholarship funding can 

be used to cover, for example, tuition 

fees to undertake a course in Asia or 

Latin America, flights to and from 

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medical insurance and visa fees. 

More information is available on the 

Education New Zealand Manapou 

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https://scholarships.enz.govt.nz/. 

Applications close on August 31, 2022.


NEW ZEALAND 7 

NZ Gujarati Sports and Cultural Association 

awards continue to grow bigger 

SANDEEP SINGH 

Glitter, glamour, and euphoria 

described the electrifying 

environment at the NZ Gujarati 

Sports and Cultural Association award 

night last weekend. 

Held at Mahatma Gandhi centre on 

Saturday, July 23, the second edition 

of the mega celebrations of the 

awards witnessed a colourful range of 

performances interspersed between 

several award facilitation and speeches 

from key dignitaries attending the event. 

The event witnessed participation 

from more than 600 guests, including 

invited community leaders from other 

community associations and Hon Consul 

of India, Bhav Dhillon, as the chief guest. 

Speaking on the occasion Mr Dhillon 

acknowledged the role played by the 

Gujarati diaspora within the wider Kiwi- 

Indian diaspora and said, “Our Gujarati 

communities are well-known for their 

enterprising spirit and their strong desire 

of remaining connected with their roots 

and preserving cultural identity.” 

Sharing the excitement of the 

successful organisation of the awards 

Vice President of NZGSCA, Ritesh Raniga, 

who was also the event director for the 

night, said, “It was the culmination of 

a lot of hard work and toil from Grand 

Awards Night Sub Committee and the 

executive members. 

“It gives us immense pleasure that 

our guests were able to sit back and 

enjoy the wonderful event and celebrate 

achievements within our sports,” Mr 

Raniga said. 

Ten different awards recognising 

individual and team excellence and 

winners in Cricket, Soccer, Squash, Table 

Tennis, Golf, Snooker and Netball were 

presented. 

Notably, NZGSCA has been organising 

the sports tournaments and the award 

ceremony for many years, but in the 

last two years, the executive committee 

have raised the scale and grandeur of 

the event. 

NZ Gujarati Sports and Cultural 

Association was incorporated in 1995, 

five years after being run and operated 

informally as a society. 

NZGSCA works towards bringing 

together the Gujarati Indian diaspora 

that moved to New Zealand from 

“Our Gujarati communities 

are well-known for their 

enterprising spirit and their 

strong desire of remaining 

connected with their roots 

and preserving cultural 

identity.” 

India, Fiji, and other nations by hosting 

different sports and cultural events to 

keep them connected to their roots. 

The 2022 office bearers of the 

NZGSCA Executive Committee are 

Paresh Parshotam (President), Ritesh 

Raniga (Vice President), Rohit Patel (Vice 

President), Sunil Bhikha (Secretary), 

Ketan Patel (Assistant Secretary), Anish 

Patel (Treasurer) and Ashok Kapadia 

(Assistant Treasurer). 

Inclusion of netball and women key 

highlights over the last two years. 

Paresh Parshotam, President of 

NZGSCA told the Indian Weekender 

that the inclusion of women’s sports 

(netball) over the last two years at the 

awards ceremony was the key highlight 

as it has expanded the scope of games 

and participation to another level. 

“There was an absolute unanimity 

amongst our executive committee team 

about bringing our women into the 

fold of competitive sports, and we are 

pleased to be able to do so” 

“The enthusiasm from our women in 

the community has been overwhelming 

and we are confident that next year 

we can look forward to even greater 

participation,” Mr Parshotam said. 

There was an auction organised for the 

formal part of the evening for supporting 

St John ambulance, and 31,150 was 

raised by generous donations from 

members of the community. 

This was better than last year’s 

collection of $21,150. A cheque will 

subsequently be handed over to St John 

ambulance at a separate event. 

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8 

NEW ZEALAND 



Lord Ganesha finds permanent 

abode in Christchurch 

MAHESH KUMAR IN 

CHRISTCHURCH 

The first Ganesha temple in 

the greater Christchurch 

region is set to move to its 

permanent location. The Sri Ganesha 

temple, established in February 2018, 

and managed by the Christchurchbased 

Sri Ganesha Trust , will move 

to its new location at 3 Bishopdale 

Court, Bishopdale, Christchurch by 

the end of August. 

The Sri Ganesha-Trust is managed by 

five trustees and a temple committee. 

The temple conducted the first pooja 

at Waimari Community Centre on 10 

February 2018. 

The Trust was established with a clear 

vision to propagate and promote the 

religious, spiritual, and cultural welfare 

of the Hindu community. 

Over the past four years, the Trust 

has been instrumental in bringing the 

community together to celebrate the 

festival and other cultural activities and 

foster a spirit of belonging. 

Sathiya Muralidaran, one of the 

trustees, told the Indian Weekender: 

“There was a need to have a place to 

not just worship but also to teach 

ourselves and our children about our 

religion, languages, cultural heritage and 

come together to celebrate our festivals 

as a big family.” 

The temples permanent location is 

expected to draw devotees beyond 

Christchurch region . Worshippers are 

expected to pour in from Dunedin, 

Ashburton, Oamaru, Timaru, Blenheim, 

and other parts of South Island. 

Currently, the temple has a core 

following of more than 300 people. 

In the past, poojas were conducted 

in community centers with members 

having to carry the paraphernalia for 

every pooja. 

That will not be the case anymore. 

The temple premise will have all the idols 

permanently installed, making it easier 

for devotees just to come and join the 

prayer ceremonies. 

Having a permanent temple premise 

will also help the Trust conduct and 

facilitate Hindu marriages, fulfill vows 

and host cultural festivals according to 

There was a need to 

have a place to not just 

worship but also to 

teach ourselves and our 

children about our religion, 

languages, cultural heritage 

and come together to 

celebrate our festivals as a 

big family.” 

the Hindu scriptures and rites. 

The Trust conducts regular Poojas 

and has been organising various events 

to benefit the community, including a 

Covid19 Vaccination drive in 2021 in 

collaboration with Christchurch District 

Health Board (CDHB). 

When the pandemic first hit the world, 

the Trust was the first to announce 

free Zoom Yoga classes, Thevaram and 

Bhajan sessions for the devotees in April 

2020 amidst the nationwide lockdown. 

Around the same time, the Trust 

also donated food vouchers and 

offered legal advice to those who lost 

their jobs due to Covid19, families 

facing hardships and people with 

underlying health conditions. 

The community appreciated the 

free classes offered to the children 

aged 5-13 years, to inculcate Indian 

values based on a cultural history 

dating back 5000 years through 

stories and activities. 

They also conduct free meditation 

sessions for adults. These classes are 

to be re-scheduled at the permanent 

premises at Bishopdale. 

The Trust is currently raising funds for 

the renovation of the new premise . 

If devotees want to contribute to the 

funds, donations can be made either 

through the website www.sgtc.org.nz 

For more details, visit their website or 

email at admin@sgtc.org.nz 

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NEW ZEALAND 9 

Under ACT everybody will save 

money,' says Damien Smith 

SANDEEP SINGH 

“Everybody under ACT will save 

money,” says Damien Smith, 

Associate Finance Spokesperson 

The ACT Party released its Cost-of- 

Living document last week that proposes 

to scrap tariffs on many imported items, 

including wines, clothes etc to ease the 

cost of living for New Zealanders along 

with tax cuts. 

To discuss more on this, the 

Indian Weekender interviewed 

ACT Party MP Damien Smith, 

Spokesperson, Associate Finance. 

Here are the excerpts. 

IWK: Please tell us about this cost-ofliving 

document released last week 

and what does it mainly proposes to 

bring soaring inflation under control? 

Damien Smith: Our cost-of-living 

document runs alongside ACT Party’s 

fully costed alternative budget, which 

means that we’re trying to address as 

a part of the cost-of-living crisis that 

people are facing. And you mentioned 

inflation. We’ll touch on that in a 

second. …everywhere you look, costs 

are rising, we’ve got to help people 

to, to get through that. And to get to 

the other side. 

So we’ve just got a very clear policy 

document on how we do that. We 

launched it last week, it was very well 

received in the press, and each of our 

MPs who’ve got portfolio responsibilities, 

along with David and Brooke, inputted 

to this document. I was involved with 

was the Reserve Bank piece. You know, 

we’ve got an issue now where it’s going 

to be very painful in terms of them 

having to lift the OCR to fight inflation 

because inflation needs to be tamed 

to… The ultimate villain in this is the 

government printing too much money, 

too much money into the economy. And 

it’s chasing too few goats. And that’s 

the classic definition of inflation. 

IWK: How do you think reducing tariffs 

will address taming of inflation? 

Smith: We want to abolish all tariffs. 

And, you know, it affects everything 

from school uniforms, an extra $20 a 

week through to railway locomotives 

that we want to bring into the country to 

increase transport. So it also means that 

our producers become more competitive 

here, they can’t rely on that. 

DAMIEN SMITH 

And it increases productivity. So you 

know, the secondary to help people 

is we want to reduce taxes to be the 

leaders in the South Pacific region. We’re 

going to bring in two tax rates; one is 17 

and a half per cent for people that earn 

up to $70,000, which will save money 

and then everything will be under a flat 

28 per cent. 

We will repeal the envy tax of 39 per 

cent brought by the Labour government 

and replace that with 28 per cent. 

We believe bringing more money into 

people’s back pockets is the way to help 

them. 

IWK: Don’t you think that tax cut may 

not be a right solution in current economic 

climate? 

Smith: Everybody under the Act will be 

better off. Even for people on lower to 

middle incomes, there’ll be a tax offset 

for them. And every household under 

our carbon tax refund will receive … 

an extra $100 a week to help you buy 

petrol. So, everybody is going to be 

better off under this Act policy than the 

labour policy 

IWK: The government is already 

extending fuel subsidy till January 

to support New Zealanders with fuel 

prices and paying the cost of living 

payment from next week, so why ACT 

is criticising it? 

Smith: The cost-of-living payment is 

too little too late. It’s a political reaction. 

That’s why we prefer tax cuts 

because it’s instead of hundreds of 

dollars, it’s thousands of dollars. And 

you know, this has been a reaction 

where it’s really expensive for the IRD to 

administer this payment. 

It helps people earning under $70,000. 

But you know, a lot of people aren’t 

going to take it up because they can’t 

be tracked in the system, and even if 

they do it’s already been eaten up with 

inflation anyway. 

IWK: If Act reduces tax brackets, then 

isn’t there less money in coffers under 

an ACT government which means that 

they will have less money or at the 

disposal for public spending on public 

infrastructure. And other criticism is 

that this policy is designed to make 

rich people richer. What do you have 

to say? 

Smith: ACT’s policy is to bring 

in a smaller government. So every 

frontline service, whether it be the 

healthcare system, policing, or teaching, 

is in our budget, so there’d be no 

cuts in those areas. 

What we’re doing is attacking the 

excessive spending on the government 

programs that they’re implementing. … 

In terms of the overall budget, there’s 

a huge amount of effort needed to get 

back to surplus in our first 100 days. We 

really got to make some hard decisions 

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that this can’t go on. …Why shouldn’t 

the government tighten its belt, just 

like everybody else has to in their high 

schools. 

IWK: ACT’s cost of living document is 

also talking about the supply of the 

labour issue, basically allowing more 

temporary migrant workers from 

overseas. Can you tell us more about 

this? 

Smith: Dr. James McDonald, our 

immigration expert, is writing a piece at 

the moment on another policy document 

which we will launch, but in essence, 

there’s just the migration settings by the 

government and the administration of 

immigration has been appalling over the 

last two and a half years, and it’s really 

affected communities like yourselves. 

We want to focus on bringing back … 

parental visas, partner visas etc. Under 

an ACT government, skilled workers like 

nurses won’t have to sit around and 

worry about how they’re going to get 

residency when they come here. 

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10 

NEW ZEALAND 

Celebration 

of Cultures 

2022 a huge 

success 



MAHESH KUMAR 

The IndianNZ Association 

of Christchurch hosted 

the Christchurch 

Multicultural Festival - 

Celebration of Cultures at the 

La Vida Convention Centre on 

July 23. 

A 1,500-strong crowd 

from different ethnicities 

turned up to witness the 24 

performances put together by 

the Association. 

The event was supported by 

Ministry for Ethnic Communities 

and Christchurch City Council. 

Indian cuisine was available 

for visitors to savour at La 

Vida Convention Centre, which 

was decorated in traditional 

Indian style. 

First hosted last year at 

the request of Christchurch’s 

Multicultural Communities, 

the Christchurch Multicultural 

Festival - Celebration Of 

Cultures has become incredibly 

popular and is now a keenly 

awaited annual event . 

The highlight of the evening 

was a scintillating show put 

up by performers from around 

20 different countries that 

showcased their culture through 

dance and music. The countries 

included India, Fiji, Nepal, 

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, 

Korea, Japan, Iran, Argentina, 

Mexico, Chile, Philippines, Spain, 

and Poland, among others. 

The evening started with a 

Bharatnatyam performance, 

followed by traditional Chinese 

and Korean dances. 

The Japanese Drumming 

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group had some foot-thumping 

beats while the Polish folk 

dance group charmed the 

audience with their gracious 

moves. A traditional Chilean 

dance performance also offered 

the audience a rare opportunity 

to enjoy their distinct culture. 

The three-hour show ended 

with an energetic performance 

by the Punjabi group that had 

the audience on its feet. 

The performers were aged 

from 10 to 60 years and wore 

traditional costumes that 

created a vibrant environment. 

Each of the performing groups 

also received a certificate from 

the organisers. 

Duncan Webb, Labour MP 

for Christchurch Central, 

was the chief guest for the 

evening. “It was a great night 

at Christchurch’s Multicultural 

Communities’ Multicultural 

Festival 2022. A fantastic 

night of performances, 

meeting old friends and great 

food, he said ” 

Formed in 2017, IndianNZ 

Association of Christchurch 

organises free events for 

the wider communities in the 

region. 

Parminder Kaur, who is 

the chair of the association, 

said: “We want to provide 

the Kiwi-born children with 

an opportunity to experience 

and showcase the cultural 

diversity of our community and 

give them a platform to stay 

connected with their roots.” 

Every year, the Association 

hosts three annual events- 

Christchurch Lohri Mela, 

Christchurch Multicultural 

Festival - Celebration Of 

Cultures and Mela Punjabana Da 

- Ladies Cultural Night. 

The association regularly 

provides help to the needy 

or International students and 

has helped many families 

during the Covid19 pandemic 

with their basic needs. The 

association also organised 

Learning Communities HUB 

with the MInistry of Education 

for awareness of New Zealand 

Curriculum system to the new 

migrant families. 

The Association is now 

planning and preparing to host 

its next event Mela Punjabana 

Da - Ladies Cultural Night, to be 

held on October 8. 

Thanking the sponsors, 

Gurvinder Aulakh, president of 

the association, said, “I want to 

thank our presenting partner, 

Loan Market Paramount 

and Nathan Miglani, Arise 

Financial Services, Harmandeep 

Raywhite, Bombay Bazaar, 

Glass Delivery Specialist 

and LS Jewels & Outfit for 

their support. Without their 

motivation and cooperation, it 

would not have been possible 

to undertake the festival of this 

magnitude.”


NEW ZEALAND 11 

Kiwi flautist with 

spiritual connection 

to India 

MAHESH KUMAR 

The cross -flute is referred to in 

Wikipedia as “the outstanding 

wind instrument of ancient India.” 

Hindus revere the Bansuri, an Indian 

bamboo cross-flute that served as Lord 

Krishna’s musical instrument. 

The flute has gained popularity 

throughout the years, becoming the 

instrument of choice for international 

artists, such as l Sir James Galway, 

Ian Anderson, and the Rock 

band Jethro Tull. 

But when it comes to bamboo 

flute, Indian influence has been very 

prominent, with the ‘Bansuri Guru’ Pandit 

Hariprasad Chaurasia being the most 

recognised name. 

For the Kiwi-born flautist Nelson 

Myer-Daly, Pandit Chaurasia has been a 

major influence and inspiration. Myers- 

Daly is one of the most popular names 

in the Christchurch music circuit who 

specializes on the cross -flute. 

In an interview with the Indian 

Weekender, Myers-Daly said he always 

felt drawn to Indian culture and music. 

As a Sri Chinmoy disciple, taking up the 

flute was a natural progression and way 

to express his spirituality. 

Excerpts: 

How and when did you become interested 

in playing the flute? 

Music has been a large part of my life 

for most of my life. I have played guitar, 

percussion, drums and even Irish whistle 

when I was a kid. 

Having a musician 

father who 

listens to a 

wide variety 

of music, I 

have always 

grown up 

hearing 

music from 

different 

cultures such 

a s 

African, Middle Eastern, and Indian. 

In my later teens, I really started 

to take an interest in learning Indian 

classical music as I was drawn to it on an 

emotional level. 

Do you remember when you started 

learning to play the flute? 

Eight years ago, when I had the chance 

to see Rakesh Chaurasia perform at 

Auckland Girls Grammar, I was so moved 

by his music that I decided I wanted to 

learn how to play the bamboo flute. 

Soon I ordered the E bass classical 

flute. I was learning how to hold it and 

get a sound within a couple of weeks. 

As opposed to Irish or western flutes, 

the technique of this instrument is quite 

different. Covering the holes requires a 

As opposed to Irish or 

western flutes, the technique 

of this instrument is quite 

different. Covering the 

holes requires a lot of finger 

stretching and takes time to 

become comfortable with. 

lot of finger stretching and takes time to 

become comfortable with. 

Who has been the inspiration in your 

journey? 

My family has followed Sri Chinmoy as 

a spiritual teacher since I was three years 

old, and he has been a major influence 

and motivation to live a spiritual life, 

practise meditation, and create music. 

How did you learn to play the flute? 

Did you have a teacher? 

I’ve learned a lot about playing the 

flute through listening to recordings 

and viewing videos of masters. I have 

also been lucky to have classes with 

Debopriya Chatterjee, a disciple of 

Hariprasad Chaurasia Senior. 

Where have you performed so far? 

I have performed and been part of 

many projects and concerts over the 

years which is always such a blessing 

and learning experience. 

Lots of my performances 

have been with my 

dad in Monk Party 

but I have also 

been involved with 

Auckland-based 

musicians such as 

Tabla player Basant 

Madhur, Father and 

Daughter music duo 

Yadvinder Singh & Amrita 

Kaur. I have also performed 

with overseas musicians such 

as Sarangi player Kamal Sabri, 

Kirtan singer Krishna Das, Bengali 

Singer Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, and 

Irish whistle player Brian Finnegan. 

Have you visited India? 

I have not had the chance yet to go 

to India physically but I do feel very 

connected to India in many ways. I do 

plan on going and studying at Pandit 

Hariprasad Chaurasia Gurukul. It will be a 

dream come true to meet and learn from 

him and some of his senior 

disciples such as Debopriya 

Chatterjee. 

Which Indian flute player(s) 

do you admire and follow? 

I really admire and 

keenly observe the work 

of Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, 

Rakesh Chaurasia, Debopriya 

Chatterjee, Suchismita 

Chatterjee, Rupak Kulkarni. 

Then there is the other 

Gharana of flute players such 

as Pt Rajendra Prasanna and 

his son Rishab Prasanna which 

I follow. 

Apart from the flute, which 

other instruments do you 

play? 

The flute is my main instrument. But I 

also play the percussion and I sing too. 

Tell us something about Monk Party. 

My father and I collaborate as Monk 

Party and we play the devotional 

compositions of Guru Sri Chinmoy 

blending our musical interests from 

around the world to offer a meditative 

experience to our audience. 

Till now, we have recorded 

For the Kiwi-born flautist Nelson Myer-Daly, 

five albums and have toured 

NZ, Australia, parts of the US 

and Mongolia.

Editorial 

NZ border reopening will 

spark range of emotions 

When New Zealand borders finally re-open fully with the rest of the world on 

July 31, a range of emotions is going to be stirred. 

For many, it would bring a sense of jubilation about the final removal of 

restrictions on entry into New Zealand or possibly of euphoria for seeing the end of 

one of the most severe and unprecedented travel restrictions experienced by the 

current generation of New Zealanders. 

However, for many people, the day will bring back the sombre and harrowing 

experience of March 19, 2020, when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern came out at a 

media conference and announced the dramatic closure of borders from midnight. 

Many then thought that it was probably the state’s biggest intrusion into individual 

rights as ever experienced by New Zealanders. It was only a few days later that New 

Zealanders found out that the state was gearing up even further to encroach upon 

individual freedoms by restricting the basic right of free movement - in the form of 

a complete lockdown. 

The entire country chose to rally behind the government, fully understanding the 

grave danger that faced the world in the form of the novel Coronavirus, barring a 

minuscule minority, whose initial opposition to those lockdowns was more delusional 

than based on any reasonable or scientific grounds. This changed, though, with 

successive lockdowns. 

The border closure left an indelible mark on the lives of a large number of people, 

separating families like never seen before, barring the periods of the first and second 

world wars. 

Although the government, wearing the mask of “kindness”, made small concessions 

in the early stages of the pandemic, allowing some New Zealanders to bring their 

overseas-based partners and families, most, particularly ethnic migrant minorities, 

remained outside the ambit of its “kindness” and experienced forced separation for 

significant periods due to closed borders. 

The subsequently closed border regime witnessed a massive retrenchment of 

immigration bureaucracy for want of viable work, thus making them even more 

emaciated and depleted with credible human resources who can see through 

the pain and desperation in the applications for entry into the country on 

compassionate grounds. 

It is here that temporary migrant workers experienced the maximum impact of the 

closed border regime, with not only losing the ability to bring their overseas-based 

families but also losing the ability to travel overseas for family reunions or attending 

important life events like birth and deaths in the family and return to the country. 

The last and probably the most unfortunate segment amongst temporary migrant 

workers were the ones who were caught almost unaware on the wrong side of the 

borders and were locked out of the country and slowly witnessed their valid legitimate 

visas not being honoured by NZ government’s new border closure directive. 

Their plight and the loss of tens of thousands of dollars invested in New Zealand 

higher studies, work and paying taxes and years of efforts in building a New Zealand 

life have moved many hearts and continue to raise many emotions of fellow Kiwi- 

Indians and ethnic migrant communities. 

Many key stakeholders in the community, including this publication, continue 

to raise their voice with those in power and demand a genuine, compassionate 

intervention and allow them back into the country and resurrect the Kiwi image of a 

fair country with a sense of fair-go at life. 

A petition has been presented to the New Zealand parliament as late as 

Wednesday this week, led by a migrant advocacy group, Migrant United Council, 

which complements the work of many other migrant advocacy groups within the 

community, requesting a compassionate reconsideration and allowing temporary 

migrants back into the country. 

Probably, the opening of borders after July 31 will move the lawmakers and the 

government to let bygones be bygones and let those temporary migrant workers 

back into the country and have a fresh go at the dream of a Kiwi life. 

Indeed, July 31 will trigger many emotions. 

Although, it is less likely to have many emotional scenes of family reunion at 

the airports on July 31 as previously seen when NZ first opened borders for the 

vaccinated Australian travellers earlier this year after keeping borders closed for 

four long months of Delta lockdown. 

Since April 12 this year, the New Zealand borders have already been opened on 

a staggered basis allowing a different set of travellers from different parts of the 

world, particularly from visa waiver countries and those on work visas. 

For the rest of the world, particularly the parents and new students who are keen 

to travel to New Zealand, July 31 only means the opening of visa processing. It will 

still take a couple of months, depending upon Immigration New Zealand’s ability and 

intent to process different types of visas, before New Zealand can expect a new set 

of travellers into the country. 

It will, though, for sure go some way in contesting, if not completely erasing, the 

strong world-view that New Zealand has been closed to the rest of the world right 

from the onset of the global pandemic. 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

I'm not going to continue knocking that old door 

that doesn't open for me. I'm going to create my 

own door and walk through that." 

— Ava DuVernay 

IN FOCUS : Picture of the week 

Haridwar:Kanwariyas gather at Har Ki Pauri ghat to collect 

Holy water from the Ganga river for their pilgrimage during 

the month of Shravan in Haridwar. 

This week in New Zealand’s history 

31 July 1843 

Foundation stone laid for NZ's first purpose-built theatre 

Laying the foundation stone for the Royal Victoria Theatre on Manners St, 

Wellington, Alderman William Lyon welcomed the new amenity – ‘a theatre [was] 

a necessary concomitant of an advanced state of civilization.’ It was a moraleboosting 

event six weeks after the Wairau Affray (see 17 June) had shocked local 

settlers. 

4 August 1923 

Rail tunnel pierces the Southern Alps 

The opening of the 8.5-km Ōtira tunnel completed the long-planned transalpine 

railway between Christchurch and Greymouth. 

4 August 1965 

Cook Islands achieves self-government 

First included within the boundaries of New Zealand in 1901, the islands were 

governed by a Resident Commissioner until 1946. When they achieved selfgovernment, 

Cook Islanders remained New Zealand citizens. 

5 August 1914 

New Zealand enters the First World War 

Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro- 

Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia- 

Herzegovina, on 28 June 1914, Germany gave its ally Austria-Hungary a ‘blank 

cheque’ to take whatever action it deemed appropriate. 

5 August 1988 

Cartwright Report condemns cancer treatment 

The report was triggered by the publication in Metro magazine of ‘An Unfortunate 

Experiment’, an article by Sandra Coney and Phillida Bunkle which alleged that 

cervical cancer patients at Auckland’s National Women’s Hospital were receiving 

inadequate treatment. 

Indian Weekender : Volume 14 Issue19 

Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited 

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

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

Multimedia Specialist: Karan Bhasin | 022 0772 156 | karan@indianweekender.co.nz 

Accounts and Admin.: 09-2173623 | accounts@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 

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


FIJI 13 

Fiji depends on Aust and NZ 

BA.5 confirmed 

in Fiji 

for human capital: Narayan 

Fiji has depended heavily 

on Australia and New 

Zealand for human capital 

to form proper educational 

infrastructure that could ensure 

students were equipped for the 

labour market. 

Monash University academic 

and Fiji Higher Education 

Commission commissioner 

Professor Paresh Narayan 

said this was the reality 

over the past 10 years for 

Fiji and Pacific countries. 

“Now 10 to 15 years ago, 

we as a country, as Fijians 

and as Pacific Islanders did not 

quite have the human capital 

to build this bridge between 

a knowledge economy and 

tertiary institutions,” he said. 

“We depended on Australia 

and New Zealand. 

“That dependency has to 

go because now we have 

got sufficient human capital, 

located in different places of 

course, but we need to depend 

more on Pacific islanders to 

shape and build this bridge.” 

He said the two countries also 

had an important role to play in 

equipping countries such as Fiji 

to retain their people who move 

away to work in Australia and 

New Zealand. 

Professor Paresh Narayan attends the Inaugural Higher Education Forum 2022 at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa in Denarau Nadi. 

Picture: REINAL CHAND 

“This is an equally important 

role for Australia and New 

Zealand because they take 

away our five per cent of the 

cream. They obviously have 

a responsibility to help us 

shape and replace that five 

per cent in some ways through 

infrastructure and curriculum 

development.” 

Professor Narayan added that 

a group of local organisations 

were taking steps to reduce 

Fiji’s loss of a skilled workforce. 

“There is a very small sample 

Now 10 to 15 years 

ago, we as a country, 

as Fijians and as 

Pacific Islanders 

did not quite have 

the human capital 

to build this bridge 

between a knowledge 

economy and tertiary 

institutions." 

of leaders in Fiji who want to 

do research including the Fiji 

Higher Education Commission. 

“When you look at the 

leadership in these institutions 

in FCCC, Reserve Bank of Fiji, 

the scholarship commission and 

Investment Fiji, you actually 

have young people who have 

educated themselves and 

who want to do research and 

want to make greater use 

of the data to make more 

informed policy decisions 

which is a very positive sign. 

It is going to take us to this 

knowledge economy.” 

We have the BA.5 strain 

of Omicron in the 

community. 

Permanent Secretary for 

Health, Doctor James Fong 

says although BA.5 has the 

ability to evade immune 

protection against infection 

induced by prior infection or 

vaccination, there remains 

significant protection against 

severe disease. He says there 

is no evidence that BA.4 

and BA.5 cause more severe 

disease than previous variants. 

The Permanent Secretary says 

this is demonstrated in our 

persistently low hospitalization 

data for severe diseases despite 

the community-wide escalation 

currently seen. 

Dr. Fong is urging everyone 

to stay up to date with their 

Covid-19 vaccination, in 

particular adults over the age of 

50 and anyone with underlying 

medical conditions should get 

vaccinated and get their first 

and second booster doses 

when due. He says the elderly 

and people with underlying 

medical conditions are at 

higher risk of severe Covid-19 

disease so people in this group 

with Covid-19 symptoms must 

come forward to be tested, 

put onto a monitored care 

pathway by a medical provider, 

and immediately brought 

to the hospital if severe 

symptoms are present. 

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14 

INDIA 

Droupadi 

Murmu takes 

oath as 15th 

President of 

India 

Droupadi Murmu was 

sworn in as India’s 

15th President at an 

impressive ceremony in the 

packed and historic Central Hall 

of Parliament 

Droupadi Murmu took oath of 

office as the 15th President of 

India on Monday and created 

history by being the first tribal 

head of State and the second 

woman to occupy the country’s 

highest constitutional post. 

“That I attained the post of 

President is not my personal 

achievement, it is the 

achievement of every poor 

person in India. My election is a 

proof of the fact that the poor 

in India can have dreams and 

fulfil them too."said Madam 

President after being sworn in 

by Chief Justice of India (CJI) 

N V Ramana at Parliament’s 

Central Hall. 

Ms Murmu, who succeeds 

Ram Nath Kovind, is India’s 

youngest President at 64 

and the first to be born after 

Independence. 

She took her oath of office in 

Hindi and in the name of God to 

"preserve, protect and defend 

the Constitution and the law". 

“It is a tribute to the power of 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday 

expressed concern over what he called an 

“increasing tendency of political parties” to 

put their ideology or interest above the country. 

Addressing an event via videoconference in 

Kanpur to mark the 10th death anniversary of 

former Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha member 

Harmohan Singh Yadav, the PM said political 

parties need to be mindful that opposing a party 

or an individual should not go against the country. 

“Ideologies have their own place, so do political 

ambitions, but the fact remains the country is 

first, society is first; Rashtra Pratham,” he said. 

A tendency of putting ideology and interest 

before the country was gaining currency, he said. 

“Many a time, the Opposition parties place 

obstructions before the government because 

they could not implement decisions when they 

were in power. Now, when they are implemented, 

they oppose. It is the duty of all political parties 

that opposing a party or a person is not going 

against the country,” he said. 

Most political parties, particularly the non- 

Congress ones, have fulfilled this thought of 

keeping the country first, he added. 

“During the 1971 war, the Opposition parties 

India’s 15th President Droupadi Murmu signs a register after taking oath in the Central 

Hall of Parliament, in New Delhi, Monday, July 25, 2022. 

“That I attained the post of President is not my 

personal achievement, it is the achievement 

of every poor person in India. My election is a 

proof of the fact that the poor in India can have 

dreams and fulfil them too." 

our democracy that a daughter 

born in a poor house in a 

remote tribal area can reach 

the highest constitutional 

position in India. That I attained 

the post of President is not 

my personal achievement, it is 

the achievement of every poor 

person in India,” she said in her 

address, marking her journey 

from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj – one 

of the most underdeveloped 

districts in India-- to the 

Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

Former President Ram Nath 

Kovind, Rajya Sabha Chairman 

M Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha 

Speaker Om Birla and CJI 

Ramana were on the dais while 

other dignitaries including 

‘Ideologies have their place, but the 

country must come first,’ says PM 

supported the government of the day and 

strongly sided with the government after the 

(first) Pokhran nuclear test in 1974. Then, they 

came together to save democracy and the 

country when the Emergency was imposed,” he 

said. Paying tribute to Harmohan Singh Yadav, 

the PM said the SP leader started as a gram 

pradhan and reached a point where he used to 

guide UP’s politics from his village. He was a 

champion of farmers’ rights and fought against 

the emergency, the PM added. 


former President of India 

Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi, Congress 

president Sonia Gandhi and 

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen 

Patnaik seated in the front row 

seat of the historic Central Hall. 

Prime Minister Modi said 

that Ms Murmu assuming 

the Presidency is a 

“watershed moment” for 

the “poor,marginalised and 

downtrodden”. 

"In her address after taking 

oath, President Droupadi Murmu 

Ji gave a message of hope and 

compassion. She emphasised 

on India's accomplishments and 

presented a futuristic vision of 

the path ahead at a time when 

India is marking Azadi Ka Amrit 

Mahotsav,"Mr Modi said. 

The day began with outgoing 

President Kovind and Ms Murmu 

arriving in a majestic procession 

from the Rashtrapati Bhavan 

to the Parliament Building, 

escorted by the horse-mounted 

President’s Bodyguards. 

India’s new president was 

given a 21-gun salute after 

which she signed the oath 

register amid thunderous 

applause and thumping of 

desks. 

Premier higher educational 

institutions in the 

country should look to 

expand their campuses abroad, 

a government-constituted 

committee has recommended 

and pitched for the Indian 

Institutes of Technology (IITs) 

to take the lead on this front, 

officials familiar with the 

development said. Tasked to 

prepare a framework for Indian 

universities to set up campuses 

abroad, the 16-member 

committee — headed by the 

chairman of standing committee 

of IIT council, K Radhakrishnan 

— was constituted by the 

Union education ministry after 

IIT-Delhi submitted a proposal 

last year for opening centres in 

Saudi Arabia and Egypt. 

According to ministry 

officials, the committee has 

recently submitted its draft 

report on “structure for 

opening campuses abroad by 

higher education institutions”. 


Monkeypox: 

India on alert 

after reporting 

fourth case 

India's fourth case of 

monkeypox has been 

reported in a man in national 

capital Delhi who has no history 

of foreign travel. The federal 

health ministry has asked the 

Delhi government to trace the 

34-year-old's contacts, local 

media has reported. 

States have been asked to 

carry out "close surveillance" 

for the virus. 

The government has also 

issued preventive guidelines on 

the disease. 

Delhi chief minister Arvind 

Kejriwal said the patient in the 

city is stable and recovering 

from the infection. 

"There is no need to panic," 

he added. 

The man had travelled to 

Himachal Pradesh state before 

he fell ill - surveillance teams are 

checking whether he could have 

contracted the infection there, 

or from a friend, The Indian 

Express newspaper reported. 

The first three cases in 

India were reported from the 

southern state of Kerala - all of 

them had travelled to the state 

recently from countries in the 

Gulf region. 

Last week, the World Health 

Organization (WHO) declared 

the monkeypox outbreak a 

global health emergency. 

More than 16,000 cases have 

now been reported from 75 

countries, said WHO director 

general Dr Tedros Adhanom 

Ghebreyesus. 

"The WHO's assessment is 

that the risk of monkeypox 

is moderate globally and in all 

regions, except in the European 

region, where we assess the 

risk as high," he said. 

There had been five deaths so 

far as a result of the outbreak, 

he added. 

Premier higher educational institutes 

should expand campuses abroad: Panel 

The committee has strongly 

supported the idea that 

country’s top institutes 

establish 

“residential 

campuses” abroad and the 

ministry of external affairs and 

the Indian envoys facilitate the 

process, said a senior ministry 

official, requesting anonymity. 

“Discussions are underway 

on the draft recommendations 

submitted by the committee. It 

is recommended either to allow 

individual institutes to set up 

their campuses abroad or to do 

that in collaboration with other 

institutes or universities in India 

or in the host country,” the 

official said. 

“There is discussion that the 

top IITs may take the lead and 

start the expansion process.”


WORLD 15 

USAID chief says human rights, diversity part of India-US talks 

USAID chief Samantha Power said 

that issues such as human rights 

and diversity form part of the 

US administration’s dialogue with the 

Indian government, especially at a time 

of “headwinds in the face of freedoms” 

in many parts of the world. 

Power, who was on a three-day visit to 

India to advance the bilateral strategic 

partnership and to discuss the global 

food crisis, was responding to a question 

at a news conference on the US not 

raising such issues with India in view of 

New Delhi’s importance in countering 

Europe and the Americas have 

been affected the most by 

the monkeypox outbreak, 

Director General of the World Health 

Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom 

Ghebreyesus told journalists. 

These two regions have 

reported 95 per cent 

of the diagnosed 

cases, he said, 

warning against 

stigma and 

discrimination 

in monkeypox 

messaging. 

O v e r 

1 8 , 0 0 0 

monkeypox 

cases have 

been reported 

to the WHO from 

78 countries. 

More than 70 per 

cent of these came 

from the European region 

and 25 per cent from the 

Americas, he said. 

He said that 98 per cent of the 

reported cases have been among men 

who have sex with men, stressing that 

stigma and discrimination can be "as 

dangerous as any virus and can fuel the 

outbreak." 

"As we have seen with COVID-19 

misinformation," it can spread rapidly 

online, he said, "so we call on social 

media platforms, tech companies 

and news organizations to work with 

us to prevent and counter harmful 

information." 

Last Saturday, the WHO officially 

declared monkeypox a public health 

emergency of international concern 

(PHEIC). A PHEIC is the highest level 

of alert that the United Nations (UN) 

regional challenges such as China. There 

are “headwinds in the face of freedoms 

in many, many parts of the world”, and 

India’s civil society, its free press, free 

speech and free association are worthy 

of emulation by other countries, she 

said. “So, it is incredibly important in this 

country and in the US for human rights 

to be respected, for diversity to be 

celebrated, and of course, that is part 

of the dialogue that we have with the 

Indian government. It is also something 

we are struggling with back in the US,” 

she said. Power described India as an 

MONKEYPOX: 

Europe, US worst 

hit; account 

for 95% of the 

diagnosed 

cases, says WHO 

health body can give. 

The WHO has been 

urging countries to 

take the monkeypox 

outbreak seriously 

by taking the steps 

needed to stop 

transmission and 

protect vulnerable 

groups. "The best 

way to do that is 

to reduce the risk of 

exposure and make safe 

choices," he said. 

"For men who have sex 

with men, this includes, for the 

moment, reducing your number of 

sexual partners, reconsidering sex with 

new partners, and exchanging contact 

details with any new partners to enable 

follow-up if needed." 

Meanwhile, Canada, the European 

Union and the US have already approved 

the vaccine called MVA-BN (Modified 

Vaccinia Ankara - Bavarian Nordic) 

for use against monkeypox, and two 

other vaccines are also being assessed. 

However, due to the lack of data on 

the effectiveness and dosage of the 

vaccines, the WHO currently does not 

recommend mass vaccination against 

monkeypox. 

It also urges all countries that 

are administering such vaccines to 

collect and share critical data on their 

effectiveness. 

“absolutely critical actor” in the Indo- 

Pacific and all over the world, and said 

“India’s leadership beyond its borders” 

draws on the lessons and dynamism that 

it shows at home. 

“There’s no question that a major 

source of India’s strength has been the 

potency and vibrancy of its civil society, 

the pluralism, the debates that have 

occurred here over so many decades... 

the rollicking media debates,” she added. 

In a speech on the theme “The world 

is one family”, which was delivered 

before the news conference, Power said 

India has been positioned as a future 

development leader because of its 

values, and not just its assets. 

“It has been India’s multiethnic, 

multiparty democracy that has allowed 

it to withstand the challenges it has 

faced and come out ahead stronger and 

more resilient,” she said in her speech. 

“It has been its support for free 

expression over decades that has 

allowed injustices to come to light. It 

has been its tolerance for diversity and 

dissent that has allowed reforms to take 

hold, and institutions to progress. 

Aust inflation hits 21-year high 

Australia has recorded its highest 

rate of inflation in more than 20 

years, with consumers paying 

more for everything. 

According to data released by the 

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 

on Wednesday, the Consumer Price 

Index rose by 1.8 per cent in the June 

quarter and 6.1 per cent over the last 

12 months. It is the highest figure since 

2001 and the second-highest quarterly 

increase since the Goods and Services 

Tax (GST) was introduced in 2000. 

Automotive fuel prices rose by 32.1 

per cent in the 12 months to June and 

the price of new houses by 20.3 per 

cent. "Shortages of building supplies and 

labour, high freight costs and ongoing 

high levels of construction activity 

continued to contribute to price rises 

for newly built dwellings," said Michelle 

Marquardt, head of Prices Statistics 

at the ABS. "The CPI's automotive 

fuel series reached a record level for 

the fourth consecutive quarter. Fuel 

prices rose strongly over May and June, 

following a fall in April due to the fuel 

excise cut." 

The cost of vegetables rose by 7.3 

per cent in the June quarter alone and 

that of fruit by 3.7 per cent as a result 

of catastrophic flooding across much of 

the east coast earlier this year. 

The ABS said the supply chain 

disruptions due to flooding events, 

labour shortages, and rising freight 

costs contributed to higher prices. 

Responding to the data, Treasurer Jim 

Chalmers warned it would "get tougher" 

for Australians "before it gets easier" 

towards the end of 2022. 

Chalmers will on Thursday deliver a 

ministerial statement on the economy 

to Parliament, which he said would be 

"confronting." 

"It is not news to millions of Australians 

who feel its inflation challenge, every 

time they go to the supermarket and 

every time the bills arrive," he said. 

"This inflation outcome today mirrors 

the lived experience of Australians who 

are doing it tough right now."

16 

SPORTS 



Boys are young, but played maturely: Shikhar 

Dhawan after series win over West Indies 

Following his side's 119- 

Pooran was next up on crease. Pooran for 42 off 32 balls after 

run win over West Indies 

The 12th over was bowled by being caught by Dhawan at 

in the third and final ODI, 

pacer Prasidh Krishna and it mid-on. 

Indian skipper Shikhar Dhawan 

said that the young players 

performed maturely. 

turned out to be expensive, 

with Pooran-King smashing four 

boundaries in it collectively. 

Thakur gave another jolt to 

the hosts, sending back Akael 

Hosein for just one run after 

Top bowling spells from 

It was spinner Axar Patel who skipper Dhawan took another 

spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and 

pacers Mohammed Siraj and 

gave India their fourth wicket, 

removing King, who was looking 

great catch. There was not 

much batting left with the 

Shardul Thakur helped India 

threatening. He had scored Windies except for Holder, who 

crush West Indies by 119 runs 

in the rain-hit third and final ODI 

of the series here at Queen's 

42 off 37 balls before he was 

trapped leg before wicket by 

the bowler. 

needed to pull off something 

really great to guide his team 

to a consolation win. 

Park Oval on Thursday. 

Keacy Carty was next up Things continued to go 

"I feel the boys are young, but 

on the crease. Pooran's game downhill for Windies, with Paul 

they played maturely. The way 

became more attacking, dismissed for a duck by Chahal 

India win ODI series against West Indies 

they handled themselves on the 

smashing Deepak Hooda for a after he was caught by Thakur 

field, really proud of them. Very match presentation. 

delivered timely blows to their four and a six and Axar for a at point while attempting to 

good signs for us. I am quite India has completed a clean opponent. 

four as well. The duo took the reverse sweep. Holder was 

pleased with my form, I have sweep of 3-0 over the hosts. Chasing 257, West Indies hosts to the 100-run mark at running out of partners at this 

been playing this format since India can walk away with a lot got off a nightmarish start, end of 18 overs, with Pooran point, now joined by Hayden 

a long time. I was happy with of positives after this match losing opener Kyle Mayers and being the aggressor. 

Walsh. Walsh was the ninth 

the way I played that knock, in as their batting was great, Shamarh Brooks in the second Shardul Thakur broke the 29- wicket down at a score of 137 

the first ODI. And even today, lead from the front by openers over to pacer Mohammed Siraj. run stand between the duo, after being caught by Dhawan 

happy with my peformance. Shikhar Dhawan (58) and Following this, opener Shai bowling out Carty for just five at slips. 

The way he scored those 98 Shubman Gill (98*). Setting Hope and Brandon King resumed runs off 17 balls. At this point, Jayden Seales was the last 

runs, it was amazing to watch. a target of 257 in 35 overs the chase for the hosts. They half of Windies line up was back player dismissed, sent back 

The way all the boys responded, after the match was hit by rain, both maintained solid running in the hut at 103. 

to pavilion by Chahal. Windies 

it was pretty amazing. We feel Windies batters never looked between the wickets. King Jason Holder was the next were bundled out for 137. They 

lucky to come here, we are as if they were in the game was the aggressor during the batter to arrive on the crease. had lost the match by 119 runs 

thankful to the crowd. They as Indian bowlers feasted on partnership. Hope-King added The all-rounder was making and India had completed a 3-0 

make us more popular. I am them. The hosts fell prey to a 47 runs to their stand before his return to white-ball cricket clean sweep in the series. 

proud of our bowling unit, they world-class bowling attack with the former was stumped by after a while and had a task Chahal finished as the leading 

gave hundred percent. The way their careless shot selection. wicketkeeper-batter Sanju in hand to build a solid stand bowler for India with 4/17. 

Siraj took those two wickets, Chahal (4/17), Siraj (2/14) and Samson for 22 off 33 balls on with his skipper. Prasidh finally Siraj and Thakur also took two 

and the way Shardul and others Thakur (2/17) were extremely a delivery by spinner Yuzvendra got his first wicket of the day, wickets. Krishna and Axar got 

bowled," said Dhawan at post- 

economic with the ball and Chahal. Captain Nicholas dismissing the danger man one scalp each.


FEATURES 17 

Gujrati Recipes 

Healthy cooking every day 

Lighter Takes 

& Easy Tips 

A collection of recipes from Gujarati cuisine that are not just easy but also delicious to cook and 

eat. If you are a lover of Gujarati food but don't know how to cook the cuisine, try out recipes 

from this amazing list. Gujarati recipes are known for its hearty and flavourful breakfast recipes. 

Saragva nu lot valu shaak 

(Drumsticks cooked in curd curry) 

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 Drumstick, cut into pieces and 

steamed 

• 1 tablespoon oil 

• 3 Curry leaves 

• 1/2 teaspoon Sesame seeds/ Til 

seeds 

• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin seeds / jeera 

• 1/4 teaspoon Mustard seeds / rai 

• 1/2 teaspoon Red chilli powder 

• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder 

• 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing) 

• 1/2 cup Curd 

• 1/2 cup besan / gram flour 

• Salt to taste 

Method 

• Make yogurt paste by combining 

yogurt with gram flour, turmeric, 

asafoetida, red chili powder and salt. 

Add 1.5 cup water and beat until 

thick lumpfree batter is prepared. 

• Heat little oil and roast yogurt 

mixture. Stir till mixture thickens. 

• Add steamed drumsticks to mixture. 

Cover and cook for few minutes. 

Adjust taste with salt. 

• Stir. Add seasoning / tadka made 

of hot oil and fried mustard seeds, 

cumin seeds, sesame seeds and curry 

leaves. 

• Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve 

Saragva (Shing) Nu Lotvalu Shaak 

along with Phulka. 

Khaman Dhokla 

Dhokla is one of the specialities of Gujarati cuisine and is enjoyed as a snack. 

This is an easy-to-make snack recipe that can be prepared anytime and is best 

enjoyed with tempered or pan-fried green chillies. 

Ingredients 

• 1 cup gram flour 

(besan) 

• 1 teaspoon sugar 

• 1 teaspoon salt 

• 1 tablespoon refined oil 

• 1 teaspoon mustard 

seeds 

• 11/2 cup water 

• 1 3/4 teaspoon lemon 

juice 

• 3/4 teaspoon baking 

soda 

• 15 curry leaves 

• 1 teaspoon coconut 

powder 

• For Garnishing 

• 4 sliced green chilli 

• 1 handful coriander 

leaves 

Method 

• To prepare this 

delicious Khaman 

Dhokla recipe, take 

a glass bowl and add 

gram flour, salt, water, 

lemon juice and baking 

soda in it. 

• Mix well all these 

ingredients. 

• Allow the batter to 

ferment for 1-2 hours. 

• In the meantime, 

pour boiled water 

in a steamer and 

grease the utensil 

with oil. 

• Pour the dhokla batter 

in the utensil and cook 

on low flame for 15-20 

minutes. 

• Check with knife after 

15 minutes by inserting 

it inside the dhokla. 

• If the knife comes out 

clean, remove it from 

the stove. 

• Allow the dish to cool 

and then cut into 

pieces. 

• For the tempering, 

heat another pan with 

oil in it over moderate 

flame. Once the oil is 

sufficiently hot, add 

mustard seeds, curry 

leaves and vertically 

sliced green chilli. Add 

1/2 cup of water in the 

pan and allow it to boil. 

• On 2-3 boils, squeeze 

1/2 lemon, add sugar 

and green coriander 

leaves. If you are 

someone who likes 

it spicy you can add 

some finely chopped 

green chilies to the top 

coating. 

• You can also make 

Dhokla sandwich by 

layer Dhokla and adding 

your favourite sauce to 

it. Turn off the heat 

and pour the tempering 

on the dhokla. 

• Transfer the dish to a 

serving bowl and serve 

it with green coriander 

chutney. 

• Khaman Dhokla is best 

enjoyed when paired 

with Faafda and Jalebi. 

• Try this delicious snack 

recipe at home with your 

family and friends. 

Methi Ka Thepla 

How Flour kneaded with methi, ginger, 

chilies, herbs and yogurt and made 

into crisp paranthas. 

Ingredients 

• 2 Cups Atta 

• 2 Tbsp Oil 

• 1 Tbsp Dried Methi 

• 2 tsp Salt 

• 2 tsp Ginger and Green Chillies (make paste) 

• 1 tsp Garlic 

• 2 tsp Coriander Powder 

Trevti Dal 

Ingredients 

• 1 cup chana dal 

• 1 cup toor daal 

• salt as required 

• refined oil as required 

• 1 cup finely chopped tomato 

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic paste 

• 1/2 teaspoon lime juice 

• 1 1/2 dry red chili 

• 1 cup moong dal 

• 3 cup water 

• 1/2 teaspoon powdered turmeric 

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 

• 1/4 teaspoon ginger paste 

• 12 pinch asafoetida 

• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander 

leaves 

Method 

• To make this recipe, take a bowl and add 

chana dal, moong dal, toor dal. Wash them 

well and soak for one hour. Once done, 

drain the water and transfer the lentils in a 

pressure cooker. 

• Add turmeric powder and required amount 

of water. 

• Pressure cook the dal for 5-7 whistles or 

until they becomes tender. Then, mash the 

Rice flour khichu 

Craving for a lip-smacking recipe? 

Try out Rice Flour Khichu, made with 

boiled rice flour, green chilies, cumin 

seeds and sesame seeds to give you 

a brilliant combination of amazing 

flavours. 

Ingredients 

• 2 tablespoon peanut oil 

• 2 1/4 cup rice flour 

• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 

• 2 teaspoon finely chopped green chillies 

• 1 ounce finely chopped spring onions 

• salt as required 

• 1/7 teaspoon baking soda 

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 

• 3 1/3 cup water 

How to make Rice Flour Khichu 

• To prepare this recipe, take a pan and place 

it on medium flame. Add enough water 

along with sesame seeds, cumin seeds, 

• 1 tsp Sugar 

• To knead Yogurt 

• As needed Water 

Method 

• Take all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. 

• Knead the ingredients well with yogurt and 

some water. 

• Make thin paranthas out of the dough. 

• Cook the paranthas from both sides, over 

high flame till greenish brown. 

• Serve hot. 

lentil. Now, take a pan over medium flame 

and heat oil in it. 

• Once heated, add cumin seeds, when it 

starts crackling add dry red chilli, asafoetida 

powder, ginger and garlic paste. Saute them 

for few seconds. 

• Next, add chopped tomatoes and stir the 

mixture. 

• Add red chili powder and saute again for 

another 3-4 minutes or until the tomatoes 

becomes soft. Once done, transfer the 

cooked lentils in the mixture along with 

water and salt. Mix them well and simmered 

for 7 minutes. 

• Add lime juice and chopped coriander 

leaves. Stir for another few minutes and turn 

off the flame. 

• Your Trevti Dal is ready. 

• Serve hot with pulao or chapati. 

chopped green chilies, baking soda and salt 

according to your taste and boil the mixture 

for the next 10-12 minutes. 

• Now, add the rice flour and stir, as to prevent 

any lumps. Cover the mixture with a lid 

and let cook for another two minutes. Add 

peanut oil and keep stirring occasionally. 

• Transfer Rice Flour Khichu in a serving dish 

and enjoy. Normally, Khichu is prepared 

with these simple ingredient mentioned 

above but you can even add vegetables and 

cashews as per your choice.

18 

ENTERTAINMENT 


Movie Review: Shamshera 


U. PRASHANTH NAYAK 

1 Star out of 5 (Poor) 

Director: Karan Malhotra 

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vaani 

Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt 

Hindi (English subtitles 

available), Release 22/7/22 

K.G.F PART 3 

Welcome to Kapoor 

Gold Fields! Only this 

feels like you’ve seen 

two movies like this before, with 

Part 3 adding to the torture. 

Do you remember the time 

when you watched a movie 

in a fog of sheer boredom, 

with tantalizing visions of 

when you could walk out into 

the sun or driving rain when 

the show is over? 

This is the umpteenth 

such flick in the third year 

of the pandemic, and you 

thought mankind’s suffering 

was almost over. 

There were a dozen people 

in the entire theater for a 

weekend afternoon show, and 

it is a tribute to the everlasting 

resilience of Aucklanders that 

those brave dozen remained 

till the end (somebody 

It’s his third nod as the 

Best Actor at the National 

Film Awards after Zakhm 

(1998) and The Legend of 

Bhagat Singh (2002). 

And at this stage in his 

career, Ajay Devgn isn’t 

consciously working for 

awards, they happen to be a 

by-product, 

This time, it’s for his period 

drama Tanhaji - The Unsung 

Warrior(2020), which costarred 

his wife Kajol, Saif Ali 

Khan, and Sharad Kelkar. 

In an exclusive conversation 

after the awards were 

announced, he starts off by 

thanking and congratulating 

others, “I thank all of you for 

your best wishes. 

I have the highest regard for 

the National Awards. And, I’m 

humbled and happy to receive 

my third mention as Best 

Kashmera Shah has talked about 

nepotism in her new interview. 

She has said that she doesn't like 

people talking about nepotism and that 

‘it doesn't matter’ if someone is talented. 

She also said that if her sons, Rayaan and 

Krishaang will make their film debut then 

that will be because it is in their blood 

and not because of nepotism. 

Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan's Yes Boss 

co-star Kashmera Shah thanks him on 25 

years at movies 

Kashmera made her acting debut with 

1996 film Yes Boss. The film starred Shah 

Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla. She later 

appeared in several films such as Koi 

Kisi Se Kam Nahin, Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, 

Hindustan Ki Kasam, Kahin Pyaar Na Ho 

should make a movie on 

their impossible adventure). 

Budgeted at Rs.150 crore, 

news reports indicate roughly 

the same attendance pattern 

as above in 4000 theatres the 

movie has released in, indicating 

a box office bomb so big that 

the great Shamshera himself 

could not have detonated such 

a thing. 

‘Shamshera’s plot and set 

design has a lot of similarities 

to ‘K.G.F’, which unfortunately 

forebodes blood-curdling 

consequences for the audience. 

Ranbir Kapoor portrays the 

legendary ‘Shamshera’ – a born 

again super-champion in Britishmisruled 

India. 

Actor. My congratulations to 

Sooriya (who shared the Best 

Actor award with Devgn) and 

all the other winners of the 

various categories,” he says. 

Do such big honours make 

him feel an added sense 

of responsibility , both as 

an actor and filmmaker (he 

There are no towns or cities 

here, just open hinterland 

and dungeon-like citadels. 

Shamshera is the leader of 

the ‘Khameran’ tribe who are 

unwittingly thrown into a jaillike 

fortress by the conniving 

colonial invaders, and further 

brutalized by a devious officer 

Shuddh Singh who is keen on 

being consistently Satanic 

towards people of his own land. 

You can’t kill Shamshera – he 

will rise from the dead and fly 

through the alley-ways and hills 

like Spider-man. 

A lot of gold has been agreed 

upon as ransom to free his 

people, and that is enough 

for the hero to embark on 

co-produced 

Tanhaji)? 

“Awards 

& box office 

success don’t 

necessarily add 

pressure or a 

greater sense of 

responsibility at this 

stage of my career. 

I’ve completed 30 years 

in Indian cinema. Surely that 

must stand for something. 

After a point, responsibility 

is there through & through. 

Cinema is my lifeline,” quips 

the actor. 

His first reaction, upon 

Jaaye, Aur Pappu Pass Ho Gaya and many 

more. 

Kashmera said, “If someone talks 

against Bollywood or talks about 

nepotism, I take that personally because 

I am a living proof of the fact that 

nepotism never matters. I was good and 

hence I got work, thereby helping me 

shine in this industry. Hence, I don’t like 

people talking against it.” 

Kashmera, who directed and produced 

2019 film Marne Bhi Do Yaaron, also 

spilled beans on her next directorial 

project Shriman Aishwarya Rai. 

Talking about it, she said, “It’s also 

about friendship and the film industry. 

I got tired of people talking against the 

industry. I wanted to advocate that in 

awesome adventures, where 

he scrawls his name in red in 

the Devanagari script wherever 

he’s laid siege, while his people 

await their saviour. 

The first one hour is the 

worst – as though a ten-yearold 

scribbled an action fantasy. 

The story strokes are so 

broad you could fit India, Britain, 

Pakistan and Bangladesh within 

those lines (not that the 

film’s ersatz geography will 

give you any idea where you 

are). Looking for the action 

sequences to have originality 

or flair? 

Dream on. Except for a smart 

hiding place in a marriage scene, 

most other scenes are such 

routine attack and escapade, 

cat-‘n’-mouse sequences 

that ‘Tom & Jerry’ seems far 

superior. Ranbir’s romance with 

Vaani Kapoor is cookie-cutter 

drivel, with the only person 

enjoying here being the hero 

himself who gets to hug a nearly 

nude heroine in a pool. You 

love over-melodramatic crying 

and rending and fake emotions 

where the actual script leaves 

Ajay Devgn on his third National Award for Best 

Actor: I have the highest regard for these awards 

"Awards 

& box office 

success don’t 

necessarily add 

pressure or a greater 

sense of responsibility 

at this stage 

of my career." 

hearing the news, was this: 

“I smiled, said a thank you to 

someone up there and folded 

my hands in a namaste. 

"Then, I silently thanked 

my parents.” 

In a business as unpredictable 

as films, Tanhaji was one of 

the rare examples of a film 

which ran in theatres for 

weeks, got a terrific word-ofmouth 

and that translated into 

box office collections. 

Devgn has a reason for it, 

“Tanhaji upheld the balance of 

good writing, clear storytelling, 

sincere performances, grand 

VFX, good costumes, great 

music and vision. 

That’s perhaps why the 

film struck the right balance 

and cut across barriers. I 

congratulate my director Om 

Raut, my creative team & 

each of my co-actors.” 

Kashmera Shah calls herself 'living proof that nepotism never 

matters': ‘I was good and got a chance’ 

this industry friendship is very important 

and people do care for each other. 

People get work for being good artists, 

and not for being somebody’s sons or 

daughters. The latter also happens. But 

that doesn't matter. If my sons become 

an actor tomorrow then will you guys 

call it nepotism? Acting and dancing is in 

their blood so they might do that. 

you stone-cold ? You’ve come 

to the right place. 

Ranbir Kapoor continues 

his superstar knack (Bombay 

Velvet, Sanju) of periodically 

selecting big budget pictures 

that mock taste and shock 

expectations. Sanjay Dutt pulls 

role No.100 as another scruffy, 

rasping, nefarious creep. 

The songs are forgettable 

while the cinematography, as is 

director Karan Malhotra’s yen, 

is good with two sequences 

standing out – a shot zooming 

up a giant tree, and another in 

a train attack sequence. 

What Malhotra is yet to 

show is the ability to find a 

good script, to display more 

directorial focus and a higher 

level of directorial vision rather 

than the same hare-brained 

commerce-craving wreckage. 

How can he when one of 

India’s biggest production 

houses Yash Raj Films merrily 

agrees to bankroll a sleepwalker 

like this.? 

For more movie reviews by 

U Prashanth Nayak please 

click: http://www.upnworld. 

com//upn/movie_lists 

Ratna Pathak Shah 

says India's turning 

conservative: ‘Do you 

want to be Saudi?’ 

Actor Ratna Pathak Shah has 

spoken about India moving 

towards becoming an 

'extremely conservative society' 

and asked if we want to become 

like Saudi Arabia. In a new interview, 

Ratna said that firstly a conservative 

society clamps down on its women. 

She also said that India could become 

like Saudi Arabia as it's 'very very 

convenient'. 

Ratna spoke about how women in 

the 21st century are still observing 

age-old traditions like Karwa Chauth. 

It is a Hindu ritual in which a woman 

fasts and prays for her husband's long 

life. She also said that she was asked 

for the first time last year if she will 

fast for her husband. Ratna has been 

married to actor Naseeruddin Shah 

for 40 years. They have two sons 

Imaad Shah and Vivaan Shah. 

Ratna said, "Nothing has changed 

for women, or very little has changed 

in very crucial areas...Our society is 

becoming extremely conservative. 

We're becoming superstitious, we're 

being forced into accepting and 

making religion a very important part 

of one's life. 

She also said, "We are moving 

towards an extremely conservative 

society. The first thing a 

conservative society does is clamp 

down on its women. 

Look at all the conservative 

societies in this world. Women are 

the ones who are most affected. 

What's the scope of women in Saudi 

Arabia? Do we want to become like 

Saudi Arabia? 

And we will become because 

it's very very convenient. Women 

provide a lot of unpaid labour within 

the home. If you have to pay for that 

labour, who will do it? Women are 

forced into that situation."

Inviting nominations for 

The Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame 2022 

The guidelines, which need to be adhered to, for 

nominations, are as follows: 

1. The nominee needs to have an undisputable 

2. Should be nominated by a person of repute. Further, 

the nominee. 

3. The nominator has to provide their full contact 

details. No anonymous applications will 

be accepted. 

4. 

business, sports, art, culture, or any other 

profession). 

5. 

‘The Indian Weekender Honours’ recognises individuals who have built a road to 

glory for themselves and left a path for the coming generations to tread on; who 

have touched the lives of thousands and enriched the society with their being; 

who have brought fame and respect to New Zealand and the Kiwi-Indian community. 

The Indian Weekender invites nominations for such personalities from the 

community for getting inducted into the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame 2022. 

We also invite nominations for Kiwi Indian Young Achiever of the Year 

and Kiwi Indian Community Service Exellence Award 2022. 

Nominate Online: visit www.halloffame.co.nz 

Post your nominations: Fill this form and post it to the address given below. 

Indian origin, from any part of the world, who has 

settled here in New Zealand. To be of Indian origin, 

at least one of the parents of the nominee have to 

be Indian, by blood, thereby making the nominee 

of Indian lineage. 

6. The nominee must have either a Permanent 

Residency (PR), or Citizenship of New Zealand to 

be eligible for consideration. 

7. The nominee should have no prior convictions. 

8. For minors, under the age of 18, parental consent 

will be required. 

9. The successful candidate will be required to attend 

the ceremony in person. In case a person is not able 

to attend, due to any unforeseen circumstances, the 

jury will use its discretion. 

10. 

cannot be challenged. 

ENTRY FORM: Nomination form for The Indian Weekender Honour s 2022 | Pleas e fill and pos t it to the addres s below 

Nominator Details 

Nominee Details 

About the Nominee 

Name of the nominator 

Name of the nominee 

For how long have you known the nominee? 

Professional details of the nominator 

Age of nominee 

Please state your reasons for nominating the above person. You may mention the 

achievements of the nominee in his/her profession. 

Gender M F 

Address & Contact number of nominator 

Address & Contact number of nominee 

Category 

Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame 

Kiwi Indian Young Achiever of the year (16 to 35 years only) 

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How according to you has the Nominee brought fame and respect to the Kiwi-Indian 

community? (Add extra sheets to this form, if required) 

Declaration by Nominator 

the nominee for this application. 

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Nominee has accepted to appear in person 

for the ceremony, if he/she gets chosen 

for the nominated category for Kiwi Indian 

Honours 2022. 

Yes 

No 

I hereby declare that the above information is true to the best of my knowledge. I also 

allow The Indian Weekender and the Jury to use the information provided for background 

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Signed: 

Date: 

What to do next? 

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and send / or email at: 

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Auckland 1061 

(Add extra pages to this form if required.) 

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