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Friday, 12 August 2022 

Volume 14 / Issue 21 

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Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, 12 August, 2022 

NEW ZEALAND 3 

Celebration of ‘unity in diversity’ to 

mark India I-Day at Gandhi Centre 

SANDEEP SINGH 

The key Indian diaspora 

organisations of 

Auckland are urging Kiwi- 

Indians to celebrate the spirit 

of “unity in diversity” – the key 

defining feature of India - and 

come together to participate 

in the India Independence Day 

event on Sunday August 21, 

at the iconic Mahatma Gandhi 

Centre in central Auckland. 

Every year India celebrates 

Independence Day on August 

15, and several celebratory 

events are organised by Indian 

diasporic communities all 

around the world, including in 

New Zealand. 

However, this year is special, 

as it has been marked with 

yearlong “Azaadi ka Amrit 

Mahotsav” celebrations globally 

to celebrate and commemorate 

75 years of independence and 

the glorious history of its people, 

culture and achievements. 

Acknowledging and accepting 

the key spirit of “Azadi ka 

Amrit Mahotsava,” most of the 

Indian diaspora organisations 

have joined hands together 

and decided to be part of 

one mega celebration being 

organised under the aegis of 

Jeet Suchdev 

a broad umbrella organisation 

– Auckland Indian Diaspora 

Organisation. 

“Unity in diversity is the key 

defining feature of India, and 

the people of India have built a 

nation together in the last 75 

years on this basic foundational 

principle where we all celebrate 

our respective individual 

identities – based on languages, 

religion, regions, faiths or belief 

system and culture – but we 

always come together and 

celebrate our unity along with 

all our diversities at festivals 

of national significance,” Jeet 

Suchdev, President of Bhartiya 

Samaj Charitable Trust said. 

“This is a moment we all 

Narendra Bhana 

should strive to come together 

on one common platform to 

reinforce our mutually shared 

common Indian identity,” 

Sachdev added. 

Similar sentiments are being 

echoed by several other key 

community associations, 

including NZ Telugu Association, 

Telangana Federation of New 

Zealand, Auckland Indian 

Association, and New Zealand 

Indian Central Association. 

Pan-India flavour of 

celebrations 

Anitha Mogilicharla and Suneel 

Kuncha, the new President 

and the Secretary of the NZ 

Telugu Association (NZTA), 

said, “India’s Independence 

Day marks the celebration of 

the fearless and gallant acts 

of many Indians involved in 

the freedom movement to 

end the 200 years of British 

rule. Despite having significant 

regional, linguistic, cultural, and 

religious variations across the 

country, India stands tall as one 

united nation embracing this 

diverse nature. 

It comes as natural to us 

Indians to welcome diversity 

wherever we are. 

“NZ Telugu Association is 

partnering with the wider Indian 

community to celebrate this 

great day as one big nation. 

We would like to reiterate once 

again that United we stand 

and divided we fall. Jai hind,” 

Mogilicharla and Kuncha said. 

Kalyan Rao Kasuganti of 

Telangana federation of NZ 

said, “Our people are extremely 

happy and excited about the 

75th anniversary of India’s 

Independence Day. 

“This is a time to celebrate 

the struggles and triumphs 

of our ancestors in the 

commonly fought struggle 

for independence, and we 

pay tribute to them for their 

valiant courage and sacrifices. 

India is a diverse country with 

different languages, religions 

and cultures. 

"On this day, we unite to 

celebrate our nation together 

in pride and happiness. 

“As a Telangana state 

representative in NZ, we are 

organising a dance programme 

and will celebrate with all of our 

communities at the Mahatma 

Gandhi centre event on Sunday, 

August 21,” Mr Kasuganti said. 

Narendra Bhana, President 

of the New Zealand Indian 

Central Association (NZICA), 

said, “I am delighted to be 

part of the India Independence 

Day celebrations to be held at 

the Mahatma Gandhi Centre 

on Sunday, August 21 2022. 

This celebration holds a 

special significance for Kiwi- 

Indians living in Auckland and 

surrounding regions, as all Indian 

communities come together 

and celebrate India’s national 

day under one platform. 

• Continued on Page 13 

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4 

NEW ZEALAND 

Maori Language Commissioner Prof Rawinia Higgins 

Friday, 12 August, 2022 

Read online www.iwk.co.nz 

Takes one 

generation to 

lose a language, 

three to reclaim 

it: Prof Higgins 

VENU MENON IN WELLINGTON 

Maori was declared an official 

language 35 years ago this 

month. In an interview with 

the Indian Weekender, Maori Language 

Commissioner Prof Rawinia Higgins 

plots the journey of the language 

spoken by the first inhabitants of 

Aotearoa. This interview was edited for 

clarity and length. 

Excerpts: 

Q. You’ve worked in the area of revitalisation 

of the Maori language. How 

do you assess the progress of this 

mission so far and what are the main 

obstacles in the way of this progress? 

A. When I think about the initiatives 

that have led to where we are today, if 

we go back 50 years ago to the signing 

of the petition [presented to Parliament 

in 1972], that was driven largely by the 

first generation urban migration of Maori 

people and supported by a number of 

non-Maori people as well, to gather those 

signatures, [it is noteworthy that] they 

were the generation who weren’t taught 

the language, and so they didn’t have 

access to the language necessarily. And 

so that sense of language loss became 

an emphasis as part of their university 

lives at Auckland University and Te reo 

Māori society here at Victoria University. 

Those students led the way in 

terms of collecting those signatures 

for the petition. 

And from there we see it becoming 

the catalyst of the creation of initiatives 

largely from our community. At that 

time, a majority of the Maori language 

speakers were our elders. 

They got in behind the efforts 

of Kohanga reo or the preschool 

language nest. 

And then that led to Kura Kaupapa 

Maori and the like. And then, of 

course, they also contributed to Maori 

broadcasting and the creation of Maori 

radio stations, and then eventually we 

got Maori television. 

So all of these efforts, if we think 

about where we’ve come from, started 

from those who didn’t have language, 

supported primarily by elders who still 

had language, and creating a generation 

of language speakers. 

We see in our stats today that 

the language is largely in the hands 

of young people. 

And I think , as a way to frame 

language revitalization, which takes 

three generations to restore, one 

generation to lose, that we’re certainly 

on the right trajectory with this new 

generation of language speakers taking 

up the mantle, who will themselves be 

parents soon, if not already creating 

generation two. 

So, I think the obstacles initially were 

probably [on account of it being] a 

community-led movement, which has 

become institutionalised in terms of 

being part of the education system or 

the broadcasting system. 

And it certainly had some opportunities 

to strengthen itself, but we’re still 

probably a long way off from achieving 

normalisation at large or on a large scale. 

Q. As the chair of the Maori Language 

Commission, do you see political 

goodwill [or the lack thereof] in 

promoting the Maori language in the 

wider community? 

A. When we had the opportunity to 

change the original legislation from 

1987 and 2016, the new provisions in 

the Maori Language Act actually outline 

the role of the government versus the 

role of the community, Maori iwi and 

Maori interest groups as well. So there 

we use the analogy of the Wharenui 

[Maori communal house]. 

Inside that house, there is a smaller, 

narrower part and that’s what we call 

taha iti o te, the small side of the house. 

And that’s led by Timata Wai and 

their focus is on micro- language 

revitalization, the language of the home, 

intergenerational language transmission 

and creating that new generation. And 

the tara nui, or the larger side of the 

house, is the crown. 

The Maori Language Commission 

coordinates and leads the efforts of 

government agencies, to try and be a 

bit more coordinated with our approach, 

but also how that sets better conditions 

across our society. 

So I think there has been a lot of 

political goodwill that led us to the 

legislation, by getting support across 

the parties, but also the efforts 

and the initiatives we do today as a 

result of the legislation and the policy 

framework that helps navigate what is 

the role of the state versus what is the 

role of the family. 

Q. Is enough being done to integrate 

other ethnic communities into mainstream 

NZ society, including instilling 

an awareness of Maori heritage and 

culture in these other ethnicities? 

A. One of the things that we tried 

to do as part of our efforts at the 

Maori Language Commission is to 

be more inclusive. 

One of the campaigns we ran around 

introducing ourselves [to other ethnic 

communities] was to try and encourage 

other languages to be part of that. So for 

Matariki [Maori New Year], we reached 

out to a number of ethnic groups for 

their equivalent of the word for Matariki. 

We also did introductions. So lots 

of people have been learning how to 

introduce themselves in Te reo Maori. 

When we learn to embrace 

languages as being more 

than a political statement 

but as being an integral part 

of who we are as a nation, 

that gives a bigger uplift to 

[people] wanting to learn and 

wanting to use the language 

in their everyday life. 

We’re trying to encourage people to 

do that in their language as well as in Te 

reo Maori and to not have everything in 

just Maori and English. 

But also to see what it looks like 

with Maori and Japanese or Maori and 

Yugoslavian, and other languages. One 

of the things that people have said 

to us is that why is it just English and 

why is everything translated back into 

English. Why can’t it be our language, 

our heritage languages? 

We have been trying to promote 

an awareness of more than just 

bilingualism, but also trying to embrace 

multilingualism. 

We are trying to be inclusive, to 

allow people to feel connected to Te 

reo Maori by way of being part of the 

Maori language movement. And so 

we’ve tried to reach out to as many 

people as possible. 

Q. Do you foresee a time when the 

Maori language will be fully integrated 

into mainstream NZ? 

A. I think we’re starting to see strong 

signs of that. There will be some people, 

parts of our society, who will say that 

there is too much Maori language 

already. 

There will also be others who say 

there’s not enough and that we need 

to be fully bilingual or multilingual, if we 

include sign language into that in terms 

of an official language. 

I think one of the things we should 

celebrate is where we come from. If we 

use 50 years ago as a starting point in 

terms of the reclamation of language, 

that is a different era. 

The absence of language in any 

form, whether oral or written, was 

hard to see then. 

There are generations of people in 

this country who think it’s normal that 

the national anthem is in two languages. 

People are also using more and more 

[Maori] language on television, at 

meetings and in schools as part 

of the norm. 

Therefore, I think we’re certainly 

heading in the right direction. Will we be 

fully bilingual? I hope so. 

When we learn to embrace languages 

as being more than a political statement 

but as being an integral part of who 

we are as a nation, that gives a bigger 

uplift to [people] wanting to learn and 

wanting to use the language in their 

everyday life.


NEW ZEALAND 5 

Kiwi Indian receives 

prestigious award for 

community work 

NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH 

Getting an award is 

undoubtedly the 

best recognition of 

one’s hard work, dedication 

and commitment. And if a 

government of your adopted 

country bestows the honour, 

it becomes even more special. 

And that’s how Mohinder 

Singh Nagra, who has been 

honoured with Civic Honours 

Awards by the Hastings District 

Council Under Health & Welfare 

category for community 

volunteer service in Hawkes 

Bay, is currently feeling. 

He is the only person of Indian 

origin on the list of awardees this 

year. A special event was held 

on Tuesday night at Functions 

on Hastings at Toitoi -Hawke’s 

Bay Arts and Events Centre to 

recognise 20 individuals who 

have selflessly given back to 

the community and helped 

improve and enrich the lives of 

others. The award, presented 

annually, recognises the 

voluntary service of individuals 

or groups/organisations which 

has contributed significantly to 

the Hastings District. 

Sharing his excitement about 

winning the award, Nagra, who 

dons multiple hats of being an 

entrepreneur, restaurateur as 

well as Justice of the Peace 

despite being a family man, 

says, “I am very honoured 

to receive this award as it is 

extraordinary and a high award 

given by the Hastings District 

Council to those who help 

others within the community. 

Being the only Indian this year, I 

feel very proud!” 

Nagra has been living in NZ for 

over three decades and actively 

works for the community. He 

details his journey in NZ and 

says, “I came to NZ in 1989 

and resided in Whanganui 

and started all community 

functions, like Diwali, Vaisakhi 

and religious events. 

“Then we moved to Hawkes 

Bay in 2000 and saw the same 

gap between the community 

here in Hawkes Bay. Therefore, 

we got the community together 

and participated in many events. 

We won the best Community 

Float in the Blossom Parade by 

our Indian Community, with lots 

of colours. 

“The same year we introduced 

the first-ever Diwali function in 

Hawkes Bay in 2002. 

2002 was also the year we 

organised a community show of 

celebrities to come to Hawkes 

bay for their live performance 

shows.” 

Nagra, who is also the owner 

of Indian grocery stores under 

the name of MP foods, revealed 

that despite a lot of Indian 

community members here in 

Hawkes Bay, there were no 

Indian Asian grocery stores, 

and that’s where his family 

got together and began the 

grocery store. “This brought 

the community together and 

made it feel like at home with 

all their grocery needs under 

one roof,” he maintains. 

Moving on to Nagra’s 

community work, he has been 

a member of the Hastings Sikh 

Society for the past 15 years 

continuously. He has been 

involved with the Sikh temple 

and all other religious and 

cultural activities. 

Interestingly, he became a 

Justices of the Peace (JP) In 

2010 and was the first Indian 

JP in Hawkes Bay. “Since 

becoming a JP, I Have been 

helping locals and immigrant 

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst with 

Mohinder Singh Nagar 

people for their needs from 

certifying their papers to 

helping them understand what 

things mean and filing important 

documents,” he says. 

Lastly, when asked about 

his message to the community 

members to help them inspire 

to do community work, he says, 

“Everyone is busy, but despite 

having a busy life, taking out 

some time for others will not 

hurt, especially for those who 

are in need.” 

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6 

NEW ZEALAND 



Special book launch on Indian 

PM Narendra Modi in Melbourne 

SANDEEP SINGH 

A 

special 

Minister 

book launch 

event on Indian Prime 

Narendra 

Modi and his contribution to 

governance, development and 

service to humanity was held 

in Melbourne across Tasman on 

Sunday, August 7. 

The event witnessed 

participation from several 

dignitaries around the world, 

including India’s Minister of State 

for External Affairs Meenakshi 

Lekhi, High Commissioner of 

India to Australia Manpreet 

Vohra, Local MP of Australian 

Labour Party, Julian Christopher 

Hill, Hon Consul of India in New 

Zealand Bhav Dhillon, Chief 

Patron NID Foundation, among 

several key stakeholders from 

the global Indian diaspora all 

around the world. 

The event was organised by 

Sarabjot Dhillon and Rupinder 

Brar who are successful 

members of the Indian Diaspora 

in Melbourne. 

NID Foundation (New India 

Foundation) - an India based 

Non-Government Organisation 

committed to India’s social, 

economic, and political 

outreach and engagement 

with communities, both 

domestically and internationally 

by generating reform-oriented 

intelligence – has been at 

the forefront of organising a 

global chain of events titled as 

“Vishva Sadbhavna – Gesture 

of Goodwill” and spread 

awareness about the works and 

achievements of Indian Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi. 

Speaking on the occasion 

about the philosophy behind the 

series of “Vishwa Sadbhavna” 

events Mr Sandhu said, “For 

us, Vishwa Sadbhavana is a 

mission to spread brotherhood, 

peace, harmony and Hon’ble 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 

vision and India’s philosophy of 

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.” 

“For us, Vishwa 

Sadbhavana is a 

mission to spread 

brotherhood, 

peace, harmony 

and Hon’ble Prime 

Minister Narendra 

Modi’s vision and 

India’s philosophy 

of Vasudhaiva 

Kutumbakam.” 

Representing the Kiwi-Indian 

presence, the Hon Consul of 

India Bhav Dhillon, who also 

emceed the coveted event, 

enlightened the guests in 

attendance that the series of 

global Vishwa Sadbhavna – 

Gesture of Goodwill events had 

its beginning on April 29 earlier 

this year when India’s Prime 

Minister Mr Modi had opened 

his residence for more than 

140 members of the Global 

Sikh delegates as part of his 

efforts to outreach with Sikh 

community. 

Following that earlier event in 

New Delhi, the NID foundation 

has taken upon itself to 

organise such events across 

key centres of the global Indian 

diaspora all around the world, 

and the Melbourne chapter was 

the second such event after an 

earlier held event in Chicago, on 

the west coast of the United 

States of America. 

The two books launched in 

Australia on occasion were Modi 

@20: Dreams Meet Delivery and 

Heartfelt: The Legacy of Faith. 

The former book delves into 

the rise of Narendra Modi in 

Indian politics and as the Prime 

Minister of the world’s largest 

country and describes it as a 

watershed moment in Indian 

politics, whereas the latter book 

showcases PM Modi’s special 

bond with the Sikh community. 

Mr Dhillon also revealed from 

the stage that a similar special 

book launch event is also 

planned for NZ and is in the 

early stages of planning, and 

more details of the event will 

be announced in due course.

Happy Indian 

Independence Day 

The ACT Party celebrates 

alongside you. 

Authorised by David Seymour MP, ACT Party Leader, 

Parliament Buildings, Wellington. 

act.office@parliament.govt.nz 

act.org.nz

8 

NEW ZEALAND 



Period poverty widespread in NZ 

VENU MENON 

It may come as a surprise to many 

that New Zealand is among the list 

of countries that are experiencing 

period poverty. 

Period poverty is defined as the lack of 

access to sanitary products, menstrual 

hygiene education, toilets, hand washing 

facilities and waste management. 

Every day, girls and women around 

the world miss school or work because 

they are unable to manage their periods, 

studies indicated. 

A recent Otago University study 

estimated that 94,788 girls between 

the ages of 9 and 18 may not be able 

to afford period products in NZ, and may 

be staying home during their periods, as 

a result. 

Shuari Naidoo, a student at Victoria 

University in Wellington, as well as the 

CEO and founder of Moraka Menstrual 

Cups, saw herself as a period activist on 

a mission to counteract period poverty 

in NZ, by creating affordable and 

sustainable period products. 

“We should strive towards ending 

period poverty in society and making 

sure that people have access to period 

products, but also improving our 

relationship with periods,” Naidoo told 

the Indian Weekender. 

Naidoo said one in five New Zealanders 

had experienced period poverty. 

The rate was higher for Maori and 

Pasifika populations, with 60 per cent of 

Maori youth having experienced period 

poverty, according to Naidoo. 

Naidoo described period poverty as a 

Shuari Naidoo 

“silent issue” that people didn’t want to 

be seen to be struggling with. 

The problem was not limited to 

pockets of society, but occurred across 

communities, Naidoo noted. 

“It affects Maori, Pasifika, Pakeha, 

Asian, immigrant, people from refugee 

backgrounds. And it primarily affects 

people on middle to lower incomes.” 

Naidoo believed period poverty was 

driven by a combination of factors, 

such as income, “meaning one can’t 

afford the monthly burden of buying 

pads and tampons”, and also the stigma 

associated with periods. 

Issues that affect women or subjects 

that are pertinent to women were often 

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stigmatised, Naidoo contended. 

Naidoo’s company is based in NZ 

and usually trades with universities, 

NGOs and direct-to-consumer markets 

in NZ. “But we are definitely looking to 

Australia in the near future.” 

Naidoo started Moraka Menstrual Cups 

when she was 16 years old, under the 

Young Enterprise Scheme. 

She was inspired by her mother who 

wanted to start a menstrual cup business 

but didn’t feel the time was right. Then, 

in 2012, she had a conversation about 

it with Naidoo. The company came to 

fruition in 2019. 

We should strive towards 

ending period poverty in 

society and making sure 

that people have access to 

period products, but also 

improving our relationship 

with periods. It affects 

Maori, Pasifika, Pakeha, 

Asian, immigrant, people 

from refugee backgrounds. 

And it primarily affects 

people on middle to lower 

incomes." 

How viable is her product as compared 

to other period products? 

“We try to make our cups as 

affordable as possible. The average 

menstrual cups cost around $ 30 to $ 

90, which is unaffordable for people of 

middle to lower incomes. Buying pads 

and tampons monthly can be a financial 

burden for people.” 

But Naidoo conceded the average 

cost of menstrual cups was still high. So, 

her strategy was to “get people through 

the door” by pricing her product at an 

“affordable cost.” 

Moraka’s menstrual cups, that 

Naidoo claimed were made from “100 

per cent medical grade silicone,” 

cost $22 a piece. 

That still presented a conundrum 

for buyers accustomed to 

cost-effective alternatives. 

But Naidoo argued menstrual cups 

eliminated the cost of buying monthly 

pads and tampons and allowed 

people to access period products 

instead. “You’re able to go about your 

everyday life without having to pay 

for pads and tampons. 

"Furthermore, menstrual cups 

lasted 10 years. So that’s 10 

years’ worth of period products 

in just one cup.” 

That was a debate for the market to 

resolve. Meanwhile, Naidoo remained 

firm that “the period equity movement 

would only get bigger.” 

Indian retailers raise 

concern on ram-raids, 

rising crime 

SANDEEP 

SINGH 

Ne w 

Zealand 

Indian 

B u s i n e s s 

Association 

(NZIBA) – an 

association of 

Indian retailers 

– has expressed 

concerns about the unabated rise in 

crime and ram raids along with the 

government’s perceived “soft on crime 

approach.” 

A general meeting was held by the 

members of the association on August 8 

in South Auckland to share the concerns 

around the safety of retailers, their 

staff and customers, where a consensus 

emerged that the government was not 

doing enough to curb retail crime. 

Speaking with the Indian Weekender 

Chairperson of NZIBA, Davinder Rahal, 

said, “The members present in the 

meeting denounced the steps taken 

by the government so far which they 

feel would not result in any productive 

outcome.” 

“We strongly believe that there is 

a serious need for judicial review, with 

a focus on how to make laws harsher 

for the serious crime perpetrators,” Mr 

Rahal said. 

Jaspreet S. Kandhari, General Secretary 

NZ Indian Business Association, said, 

“The ethnic businesses in particular, 

which become the main target and 

victims, have started to feel that 

that the government has been largely 

lackadaisical in dealing with this issue.” 

Need to provide more support to victims 

of retail-crime 

The retailer association also expressed 

the view that there was an urgent need 

for a more collaborative approach 

to delivering post-crime relief to the 

victims of retail crime, who are largely 

left on their own to deal with the cost of 

invasion at their workplaces. 

• Continued on Page 9


NEW ZEALAND 9 

Connecting ethnicities 

through dance 


Auckland is all set to 

witness a multicultural 

dance extravaganza as 

the Nepalese Cultural Centre 

New Zealand Inc (NCCNZ) is 

hosting its sixth multi-ethnic 

dance festival. 

The free event, which will 

take place on September 24’ 

2022, at Victory Convention 

Centre, will witness dances 

from 48 ethnic groups from 29 

countries of origin. Participants 

will perform unique cultural 

dances and share glimpses of 

their culture. 

This year’s lineup includes 

participants from countries in 

the Middle East, Africa, Pacific, 

Asia and Europe showcasing 

their talent. 

Talking about the same, 

Kamal Prasad Shrestha, 

President, NCCNZ, said, “Our 

organisation was established in 

2008 to provide and promote 

Nepalese culture to the 

wider community. 

"During the past 14 years, 

we have organised many events 

that have helped Kiwis learn 

about the Nepalese culture 

and provided opportunities 

to all ethnic groups to 

promote their culture. 

"We also aim to help 

communities in New Zealand 

understand each other’s culture 

and traditions. And that’s 

the inspiration behind having 

an annual multi-ethnic dance 

festival, which began in 2016. 

The event aims to demonstrate 

the multicultural atmosphere of 

New Zealand.” 

On being asked, what is 

unique about this year’s event, 

Shrestha said, “The speciality of 

the event is many more ethnic 

communities are participating 

to showcase their culture. 

We will see participation from 

Indonesia, Bulgaria and Japan 

for the first time. 

"We are making all the effort 

to make them more effective 

by including glimpse films for all 

countries of origin and synopsis 

of the songs.” 

Shrestha further revealed 

that “Unity in diversity” is 

the festival’s theme, and the 

past five festivals have seen 

participation from 56 ethnic 

groups from 39 countries of 

origin. “New Zealand is the 

most ethnically diverse country 

in the world. It is therefore 

important to maintain its ethnic 

diversities and such festivals 

are very important,” points out 

Shrestha. The fifth multi-ethnic 

dance festival was organised on 

November 25 2020. 

There will also be many food 

stalls in the venue selling a 

variety of cuisine. There will 

also be stalls selling artefacts 

and souvenirs from various 

regions of the world, among 

many others. 

On a parting note, Shrestha 

said, “The simple idea of getting 

every ethnic community on a 

common platform has grown 

leaps and bounds, and I hope 

the support we get continues.” 

What: 6th multi-ethnic dance 

festival 

Where: Victory Convention 

Centre, 98 Beaumont Street, 

Freemans Bay East, Auckland 

CBD, Auckland 1010 

When: September 24, 2022 

Entry fee: Free event with 

more than 300 free car parks 

available. 

• Continued from Page 8 

“The members were of the 

opinion that there is a need to 

adopt a long-term strategy and 

short-term approach to provide 

immediate support and relief 

to the victims who are facing 

the financial brunt besides 

undergoing mental trauma and 

living under constant fear on a 

daily basis,” Mr Rahal said. 

The association has decided 

to take up a number of steps 

in the coming days, which 

will include meetings with 

the Police authorities and 

political members, submitting a 

memorandum, and, if required, 

holding a peaceful protest or 

march to raise the voice and 

express displeasure of the 

community affected at large. 

The meeting was attended by 

S. Ajit Singh Randhawa (Advisory 

Board member), Roshni Chadha 

(President), Navtej Randhawa 

(Spokesperson), Jaspreet 

Kandhari (Gen Secretary), 

Arjit Dubey (Jt Secretary), 

Gurpreet Kandola (Treasurer) 

and Navjot Chadha (Asst 

Treasurer), apart from several 

other members. Hardeep Singh 

from Christchurch also joined 

the meeting virtually to express 

his concern and share his ideas 

on how to raise the issue 

collectively. 

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NEW ZEALAND 



Christchurch small business owners 

meet to discuss concerns 

MAHESH KUMAR 

Dairy stores and other 

small company owners 

from Christchurch 

met on Friday, 5 August, to 

address a range of difficulties 

and worries that the business 

community is facing. Former 

Member of Parliament Kanwaljit 

Singh Bakshi and the Dairy 

and Business Owners group 

President, Sunny Kaushal, 

travelled from Auckland to 

address the meeting. 

According to New Zealand 

government statistics, there 

are approximately 530,000 

small businesses in NZ that 

constitute 97 percent of all 

firms. These businesses account 

for 28 percent of employment 

and contribute over a quarter 

of NZ’s GDP. Despite this size, 

many of these businesses are 

feeling that their concerns are 

not being addressed. 

It is a widely known fact that 

over the last two to three years, 

the small business sector in NZ 

is struggling and trying to cope 

with the onslaught of multiple 

challenges. 

These challenges include 

shortage of staff due to border 

closure, lack of demand due to 

lockdowns, continued ram raids 

and rising criminal incidents 

among others. 

Saji Thomas and Christchurch’s 

community leader Natu Rama 

organized the meeting. Rama 

told Indian Weekender, “I 

have been observing the pain 

that the small businesses and 

dairy owners, in particular, are 

going through and on Sunny 

Kaushal’s request, I called for 

the meeting. The idea was to 

get together, acknowledge the 

common issues and challenges, 

and discuss what can be done 

collectively to allay the fears 

and tackle the challenges they 

are facing individually.” 

Topics discussed during 

the meeting included 

the government’s recent 

announcement about outlawing 

smoking and eventually ending 

tobacco sales. The government 

intends to implement 

Smokefree Generation, which 

will make purchasing tobacco 

products illegal for anybody 

born on or after January 1, 

2009. The proposal calls for 

a sharp 95% reduction in the 

number of stores that are 

permitted to sell tobacco goods 

and mandating the sale of low 

nicotine products. Dairy owners 

fear that prohibiting smoking 

will have a negative impact on 

their livelihood and cause them 

to lose more than 50% of their 

turnover. 

For business owners, it is 

like being between a rock and 

a hard place. There is a major 

dilemma when it comes to 

selling cigarettes in stores, 

since they attract robberies 

and ram-raids, but they also 

contribute significantly to their 

revenue. It is possible that 

many of them will have to shut 

down as a result of losing this 

chunk. 

Many of those present also 

opined that smoking ban will 

actually lead to a black market 

an already-growing black 

market for cigarettes. 

It is still a few years 

away before smoking ban 

repercussions begin to be felt, 

however the meeting centered 

around the immediate issue 

of rising crime. In the recent 

years, the nightmare of ramraids 

and break-ins has been 

experienced by many dairy 

businesses in Christchurch just 

like other NZ cities. The issue of 

police inaction was also raised 

and discussed. 

Kaushal shared, “The 

Government needs to listen to 

what retailers are telling them. 

The soft on crime approach is 

not working. Currently, 97% of 

offenders are getting away with 

their crimes. Offenders must be 

arrested, tried and sentenced.” 

Talking about the police, 

Kaushal said, “We need police 

to be more visible in the 

community. They must work 

closely with businesses, building 

relationships and gathering 

information on offenders. 

“Perhaps we take a cue from 

the UK and re-task parking 

wardens into Police Community 

Support Officers with antisocial 

crime prevention rather 

than ticketing the shoppers, 

delivery drivers and contractors 

we need. In Auckland alone, 

that would provide an extra 

resource of around 160 people 

to support the Police. 

“For our vulnerable 

businesses, Fog Cannons and 

Bollards are a good deterrent. 

The dairy shop sector bleeds for 

the $1.8 billion they collect for 

the government off cigarettes 

and GST, so around $25 million 

would help to provide twothirds 

of dairies with bollards 

and fog cannon.” 

Sangeet Mehta, who endured 

the horrific experience of 

having his dairy ram-raided 

three times, revealed the 

gruesome ordeal that his young 

family had to go through. 

Everybody agreed that there 

is a need for all business owners 

to come together and form a 

band to ensure that their voice 

reaches the authorities and 

policy makers. 

THE 2022 LOCAL ELECTIONS 

It’s almost time 

to vote in the 

local elections. 

Enrol by 12 August to make voting 

in the local elections easy. 

0800 36 76 56. 

vote.nz

Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, 12 August, 2022 INDEPENDENCE DAY - SPECIAL ISSUE NEW ZEALAND 11 

A little piece of India in Wellington 

VENU MENON IN WELLINGTON 

“We are planting 75 trees to 

commemorate 75 years of Indian 

Independence. This is a huge 

milestone. It’s about people being able 

to forge their own path, about India 

coming out of British rule and into Indian 

self-rule,” Wellington Mayor Andy Foster 

said.Foster was speaking to the Indian 

Weekender at an outdoor event held at 

a reserve in Newlands on Saturday to 

mark 75 years of Indian Independence. 

The event was organised by the Indian 

High Commission in collaboration with 

the Wellington Indian Association (WIA). 

Labour Member of Parliament Greg 

O’Connor also grabbed a spade and 

joined the crowd in planting saplings. 

Icy, gale-force winds failed to dampen 

the enthusiasm of the crowd with Foster 

and O’Connor taking the lead in picking 

up shovels and digging pits on the grassy 

hillside to embed the saplings. 

Talking to the Indian Weekender, 

Foster hailed Mahatma Gandhi as one of 

“the great men of history who helped 

achieve Independence for India in a 

peaceful way.” 

The mayor added that, while each 

nation had its own identity which needed 

to be celebrated, “we also need to learn 

to live together as a family of nations. 

“As we have seen, it doesn’t happen in 

certain parts of the world.” 

In this context, Foster noted NZ and 

India were two democracies that shared 

a strong friendship. 

“The 100,000 plus people of Indian 

origin who call NZ home are proud of 

their Indian roots,” he pointed out. 

Foster hoped the saplings would grow 

into a forest and “this area becomes a 

little piece of India in Wellington, NZ.” 

Pitching his voice above the gusting 

wind, Indian High Commission Head of 

Chancery and acting Charge d’Affairs 

Mukesh Ghiya thanked the Park Rangers 

for “giving this opportunity to the 

Indian High Commission and the Indian 

people for celebrating the Azadi Ka 

Amrit Mahotsav, by giving 75 plants 

for planting on the 75th Anniversary of 

Indian Independence.” 

Ghiya was accompanied on the 

occasion by Second Secretary Durga 

Dass.The High Commission officials 

muddied their hands in the service of 

government and country. 

“Thanks for giving this 

opportunity to the Indian 

High Commission and 

the Indian people for 

celebrating the Azadi Ka 

Amrit Mahotsav, by giving 

75 plants for planting on the 

75th Anniversary of Indian 

Independence.” 

“Planting 75 trees on this occasion is 

an important event for the Indian High 

Commission and for the Government 

of India as well,” Dass told the Indian 

Weekender. “The harsh weather did not 

stop us from going ahead with the tree 

planting.” Before proceeding to the tree 

planting venue, the community members 

as well as dignitaries assembled at the 

Johnsonville Community Centre where 

Wellington Indian Association president 

Dipak Bhana welcomed the gathering. 

Paramjit Singh, former Wellington 

Gurudwara office bearer, opened the 

Crowd at tree planting site in Newlands 

proceeding with a Sikh prayer. Foster, 

O’Connor, Ghiya and a Park Ranger then 

addressed the seated audience. WIA 

general secretary Tejas Kalidas gave 

the vote of thanks. O’Connor, who 

has an office in Johnsonville, warned 

the assembly that planting trees was 

a challenge in the harsh Wellington 

weather. He reminded everyone, 

however, of an old saying: “No one ever 

learned to sail on a still lake.” 

A very 

happy 76 th Indian 


to all of our Indian community 

across Aotearoa 

Left to Right: Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan (MP for Maungakiekie, Minister for the Community 

& Voluntary Sector, Diversity, Inclusion & Ethnic Communities, and Youth), Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall 

(Labour List MP, Minister for COVID-19 Response and Seniors, Minister of Research, Science and 

Innovation), Marja Lubeck (Labour List MP based in Kaipara ki Mahurangi), Vanushi Walters (MP 

for Upper Harbour), Naisi Chen (Labour List MP based in Botany), Ibrahim Omer (Labour List MP), 

Dr Gaurav Sharma (MP for Hamilton West), Ingrid Leary (MP for Taieri) 

Contact Labour’s Ethnic Communities Team: 

09 622 2557 | ethnic_communities_labour@parliament.govt.nz 

/Labourethnic | labour_ethnic_communities 

Authorised by Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington.

The Azadi Amrit Mahotsav means 

elixir of energy of independence; 

elixir of inspirations of the warriors 

of freedom struggle; elixir of new 

ideas and pledges; and elixir 

of Aatmanirbharta. Therefore, 

this Mahotsav is a festival of 

awakening of the nation; festival 

of fulfilling the dream of good 

governance; and the festival of global 

peace and development. 

www.hciwellington.gov.in 

IndiainNewZealand 

72 Pipitea Street, Thorndon 

Wellington 6011 

IndiainNewZealand 

IndiainNZ

Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, 12 August, 2022 INDEPENDENCE DAY - SPECIAL ISSUE NEW ZEALAND 13 

Indian films are much beyond 

Bollywood: Shreya Gejji 


It’s a big win for Kiwi-Indian 

filmmaker Shreya Gejji, the 

producer and screenplay 

writer of the short film 

Perinayaki. The film has been 

judged New Zealand’s Best 

Short Film at the 11th annual 

New Zealand’s Best Short Film 

competition’s jury-awarded 

prizes during the NZ International 

Film Festival. 

The director of the film, Bala Murali 

Shingade, also won the Creative New 

Zealand Emerging Talent Award, 

and Perianayaki actor Jeyagowri 

Sivakumaran’s performance also earned 

a special mention. Perianayaki is a short 

film about a recent non-English speaking 

Sri Lankan immigrant woman in her 

50s who struggles to fit in and build 

meaningful relationships with her limited 

grasp of English. 

Speaking to Indian Weekender from 

Melbourne, Australia, where she is 

attending the Melbourne Film Festival 

with two of her films (Kāinga and 

Perianayaki), Shreya could not contain 

her excitement. 

“It was such an honour for the film to 

receive this award because as people 

of colour, we all know how hard it is to 

represent our stories and stories from our 

communities, so this acknowledgement 

means a lot. It is also the first film I 

have written and 

produced so receiving 

the Best NZ Short Film award 

is just that much more special. “ 

The 30-year-old, who has been living 

in NZ for the past 15 years, says she 

feels the win is not only hers and 

the director’s but also for the wider 

Indian community. She feels that it 

is encouraging that Indian films are 

being recognised beyond Bollywood. 

“I want people to realise that there 

is much more to Indian cinema and 

filmmaking than just Bollywood. It is 

great to receive this recognition from 

NZIFF but it’s really important that 

the Indian community supports local 

filmmakers like us and comes out to 

watch our films in full strength. It signals 

to funders that we are here and our 

stories matter.” 

Lastly, she is hopeful that this win 

for her film will pave help the next 

generation of Indian filmmakers in NZ. 

“We stand on the shoulders of giants 

- there have been so many filmmakers 

before us who paved the way on this 

path, and I hope that this win opens the 

door a little more for the next generation 

of Indian filmmakers in New Zealand,” 

she signs off. 

• Continued from Page 3 

“The cultural programme from almost 

all states of India showcases real diversity 

and unity in the Indian community in 

New Zealand,” Bhana concluded. 

Open invitation for every Kiwi-Indian 

Echoing the sentiments of the need 

to demonstrate a mutually shared 

sense of unity amongst the diverse 

Kiwi-Indian community, Hon Consul of 

India Bhav Dhillon said, “I would humbly 

request everyone to unite together, 

thereby ensuring maximum presence 

and collaboration for this momentous 

occasion. 

“The government of India is sending 

a special cultural troupe of Bhangra 

performers to showcase different 

facets of the rich Indian culture on 

the momentous occasion of 75th 

anniversary of India’s Independence 

Day,” he added. 

“The Auckland Indian diaspora 

organisation have taken special care in 

including cultural performances from 

every state and region of India to 

showcase not only the richness of the 

Indian culture but also the mutually 

shared sense of togetherness as a part 

of the great Indian nation." 

NAME CHANGE 

I, Manak Rai S/O Sh Natha Ram, residing at 2/39 Simkin 

Avenue, Saint Johns, Auckland, 1072. I have changed my 

name to Manak Rai Jairath, DOB 11/12/1984 

Happy 75 th 

Indian Independence Day 

Dr Gaurav Sharma MP for Hamilton West 

gaurav.sharma@parliament.govt.nz 

www.gmsharma.info 

Follow me on facebook.com/gmsharmanz 

Authorised by Dr Gaurav Sharma MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

The Tricolour of India does not contain only three colours in itself, but is a 

reflection of the pride of our past, our commitment to the present and our 

dreams of the future. After 75 years of independence when we are beginning 

the journey of a new India, the Tricolour is once again representing the unity 

and consciousness of India.” - Narendra Modi 

Editorial 

Sam Uffindell 

saga - Now is 

not the time 

for Luxon to err 

N 

ow 

is not the time for Chris Luxon to err, or else National Party 

might find itself tumbling down the same path of a downward spiral 

that it has travelled a number of times in the past couple of years. 

Currently, the party had regained some momentum after quite a long 

time, including having a genuinely popular Leader who is polling at a record 

22 per cent as the preferred prime minister, just below Jacinda Ardern at 

30 per cent according to the 1 News/Kantar polls. 

All other previous Leaders after the 2017 elections had always trailed at 

abysmally low of under-fives even during the heydays of National polling 

at high 40’s between 2017-2020. 

The party, along with its Centre-Right ally ACT Party, is currently polling 

at 48 per cent ahead of the Labour-led Left coalition trailing at 42 per 

cent and would form a government if elections were held now. 

However, this change of fortune can fast revert if Luxon continues to 

make avoidable mistakes. 

Luxon is already making too many “genuine mistakes” with the latest 

being related to the Sam Uffindell saga, where he acknowledged that his 

staff was alerted by the fellow MP and National Party’s campaign chair for 

Tauranga electorate Todd McClay about a red flag on Uffindell’s references. 

However, the staff had chosen not to keep Luxon informed in real-time on 

this important issue. 

This has come in the backdrop of other sloppiness from Luxon’s staff not 

too long ago when a video posted on his social media page implied that 

he was visiting Te Puke on that day, whereas in reality, he was holidaying 

with his family in Hawaii. 

Consequently, Luxon was seen apologising on national radio on the first 

day after parliament recess, seemingly suggesting New Zealanders to 

ignore the “genuine mistakes” of his staffer. 

The speed and uprightness with which Luxon fronts up the media and 

takes responsibility for “genuine mistakes” mostly of others have so far 

eliminated any potential hit on Party’s poll numbers, largely keeping his 

brand image as an “outsider” intact. 

Yet, he has to realise that any favourable public approval is not a finite 

resource and could suddenly erode, often without much warning. 

Specially, when episodes like the Uffindell saga rub into the long-running 

reputational issue with the National Party’s candidate selection process. 

The head start that Luxon got, and was not available to his immediate 

predecessors, was for his brand image of being an “outsider” – which 

largely meant that he would remain outside of National’s often detested 

political machinery that ends up propping aggressive, alpha male types 

with a boisterous outlook toward the rest of the world. 

However, if Luxon is seen as someone unwilling to, or incapable of taming 

those imperious political forces within the National Party, then he will soon 

lose that head start and the poll numbers will begin to tumble. 

The rise in the latest poll numbers is largely driven by a real cost-of-living 

crisis and New Zealanders’ growing sense of gloom over the country’s 

economic outlook in the near future. 

It will be unfortunate for the party if the focus of the voters 

returning back to the Party’s fold after two long years of exodus 

is once again distracted from real issues affecting New Zealanders 

to the preparedness of the party to offer a genuine challenge to the 

government in next elections. 

IN FOCUS : Picture of the week 

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed into law a bill 

which expands the medical benefits for the veterans who 

were exposed to toxins from burning pits of trash on military 

bases, a step to support veterans and their families. 

This week in New Zealand’s history 

12 August 1816 

New Zealand’s first mission school opens 

The new school stood beside missionary Thomas Kendall’s house in the small 

Church Missionary Society (Anglican) settlement at Hohi (Oihi) in the Bay of 

Islands, which had been founded 18 months earlier. 


Death of David Lange 

David Lange was New Zealand’s youngest prime minister of the 20th century. 

Renowned for his sharp wit and oratory, he led the fourth Labour government 

from 1984 until 1989. 


Women’s suffrage petitions presented to Parliament 

These petitions, signed by 9000 women, contributed to the introduction of a 

Female Suffrage Bill in Parliament. This received majority support in the House of 

Representatives but was defeated in the Legislative Council. 

16 august 1944 

CORSO formed 

CORSO was set up to support aid efforts in war-torn nations. It became 

increasingly involved in the developing world and also spoke out about poverty 

in New Zealand. 


New Zealand Company ship Tory arrives 

The sailing ship Tory dropped anchor in Queen Charlotte Sound to pick up fresh 

water, food and wood before proceeding to Port Nicholson (Wellington Harbour). 


First women’s cycling club in Australasia formed 

Soon after the development of the modern bicycle, Australasia’s first women’s 

cycling club was formed in Christchurch. 

Indian Weekender : Volume 14 Issue 21 

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 

Auckland Reporter: Navdeep Kaur Marwah: | 021 952 246 | navdeep@indianweekender.co.nz 

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

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

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

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

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

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

the views of the team at the Indian Weekender 

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

Printed at Horton Media, Auckland 

Copyright ® 2022. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved. 

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


INDEPENDENCE DAY - SPECIAL ISSUE INDIA 15 

India’s march towards Aatmanirbharta 

AMB. (DR.) MOHAN KUMAR 

It was in May 2020 that Indian Prime 

Minister Modi made a clarion call for a 

Bharat that was “Aatmanirbhar”. 

It is important to clarify what this 

meant and what it did not. While a rough 

translation of the word is no doubt “selfreliant”, 

it is nevertheless not the kind of 

self-reliance that India arguably believed 

and practiced in the early years of its 

independence up until the seventies 

and eighties. It is easy to state what 

it is not. It is certainly not autarchy; it 

is certainly not inward-looking; and it 

is most certainly not stopping imports 

and making every product at home. 

It may be more prudent to think of 

“Aatmanirbharta” as Self-Reliance 2.0. 

In this framework of Self-Reliance 2.0, 

the PM clarified that rather than be selfcentred, 

India will open up even more to 

the world outside, guided by its motto: 

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, or our earth 

is just one family. PM Modi went on to 

say that Aatmanirbharta will stand on 

five pillars: economy, infrastructure, 

technology, demography and demand. 

PM explained the raison d’être of 

Aatmanirbharta by saying that this 

should prepare India for participation in 

global supply chains and that this is a 

battle India cannot afford to lose. 

There is little doubt that the global 

pandemic i.e. Covid-19, played a 

significant role in India’s push for Self- 

Reliance 2.0. 

Take the simple example of PPE 

(Personal Protective Equipment) and 

N-95 masks. At the beginning of the 

pandemic, India was not making any 

India and NZ co-operation 

MELISSA LEE 

National Party List MP 

Spokesperson for 

Ethnic Communities 

As the Indian diaspora in New 

Zealand looks ahead to another 

75 years of Indian Independence 

and the commemorations that will be 

taking place across our nation, I want 

to acknowledge everyone from our 

Indian communities who have made New 

Zealand a wonderful place to live. 

Indian New Zealanders are the backbone 

of many New Zealand industries. We find 

their enterprising spirit at the heart of our 

hospitality sector, our business sector 

and our growing innovative technology 

companies. They form a vital component 

of our heritage and their presence is 

welcomed in New Zealand. It can be 

said the New Zealand Indian population 

represents the identity of New Zealand 

itself in that the populations come from 

a variety of faiths, social backgrounds 

and values, they are migrants and they 

are intergenerational New Zealanders. 

Our New Zealand Indian communities 

are growing substantially with nearly 

250,000 expected to be calling New 

Zealand home by the time of the next 

census. The wider Kiwi Asian population 

number over 20% of our population. 

New Zealand’s Asian and Indian identities 

may soon be larger than our Maori 

Pacific ones. Despite this there are still 

many challenges for New Zealand Indian 

communities much like for those of 

other ethnic backgrounds in our country. 

We still see discrimination against New 

N-95 masks. Today, India manufactures 

at least 200,000 N-95 masks a day, 

if not more. Even more impressive is 

India’s own record of vaccinating its 

mammoth population. 

In 2020 when Covid emerged, almost 

no one believed India could ever fully 

vaccinate its population and that such 

an exercise would take years and years. 

Yet, in July 2022, about 18 months 

the first vaccination began, India 

completed 2 billion doses of vaccines 

for its citizens. The story of how this 

was achieved is worthy of a case study 

which will cover vital issues such as 

public-private partnership, centrestate 

cooperation and not to mention 

building awareness among citizens and 

getting their participation willingly in this 

exercise. 

Indeed, the WHO and others have 

praised India and the best practices 

here will be emulated the world over. 

Zealanders from migrant backgrounds 

regardless of their generational heritage 

or their value to our country. More must 

be done to combat the scourge of racist 

cowardice, disunion and hate that can 

rear its ugly head when times get tough. 

We must be a country unified through 

diversity and not encourage beliefs and 

enmities that will grow into division. 

The 75th Anniversary of Indian 

Independence isn’t just a celebration 

of Indian identity but also is a 

commemoration of our shared ties as 

part of the Commonwealth of Nations, 

partners on the global stage that 

stand up for human rights, democracy 

and opportunities for all. The Indian 

nation and its international legacy has 

both historically and in the modern 

age shaped world culture through the 

migration of its ideals, its peoples and 

its values globally, in 2022 this will 

only grow further. In remembering my 

own positive visits across the Indian 

subcontinent I sincerely hope that many 

of you will be able to also reunite with 

your friends and families off shore again 

very soon. The past two years have 

been trying for many in New Zealand and 

we are now seeing migration numbers 

making it clear people are choosing to 

leave New Zealand rather than rebuild 

our future together. We must do more 

to see New Zealand as the aspirational 

country we know and love and that can 

only be done under National and through 

the efforts of us all to build our country 

for the better. 

I wish everyone across the New 

Zealand Indian Community a very happy 

Indian Independence Day and a great 

rest of 2022 ahead. 

Proving that Self-Reliance 2.0 is not just 

for Indians, India also exported a large 

number of vaccines and PPE countries all 

over the world. The latest statistics from 

the MEA website talks of 240 million 

(approx) vaccines which have been 

delivered to 101 countries, of which 

there are developed, developing and 

least-developed countries. The story of 

India being the pharmacy of the world 

is too well known to bear any repetition 

here. All of this is real “aatmanirbharta” 

at work. 

The Cowin platform that India used for 

distributing vaccines to its mammoth 

population was remarkable. Cowin is 

essentially a cloud-based IT solution for 

planning, implementing, monitoring and 

evaluating Covid vaccination in India. By 

July 2021, India decided to make this 

open platform available to all countries 

for their use. In the Cowin global conclave 

organized in July 2021, as many as 142 

countries in the world expressed interest 

in adopting this platform. Again, this is 

Aatmanirbharta at work. 

The war in Ukraine has had a profound 

impact not just in Europe, but more 

importantly for developing and leastdeveloped 

countries. Specifically, the 

war has impacted food, energy and 

commodity prices adversely. Wheat 

shortage in particular, is expected to 

affect Africa and the Middle-East quite 

significantly. 

At a time like this, it is comforting to 

know that India’s position when it comes 

to food security for its huge population 

is satisfactory. 

This is yet another manifestation of 

Self-Reliance 2.0. Indeed, not only was 

The New Zealand National 

Party joins with the people 

of India in wishing our 

warmest congratulations 

on 75 years of national 

independence! 

If you require any assistance I and my 

office are always happy and ready to 

provide advice and support. 

Please get in touch on 09 520 0538 or at 

MPLee@parliament.govt.nz to make an 

appointment. 

Melissa Lee 

National List MP based in Auckland 

melissalee.co.nz • mpmelissalee 

Authorised by M Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn. 

India able to give away food-grains and 

lentils to 800 million of its citizens as 

part of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan 

Yojana, India was also able to carry out 

modest exports of food-grains to low 

income countries that needed it. Again, 

Aatmanirbharta at work. 

Yet another amazing success story of 

Aatmanirbharta is the case of Unified 

Payments Interface (UPI) which is a 

government-backed centralized digital 

payment gateway, widely popular in 

India. To understand the significance of 

UPI, consider this: India accounted for 

the largest number of worldwide digital 

transactions in 2021 at a whopping 48 

billion, a number that is nearly three 

times bigger than China’s (18 billion) 

and is at least six times bigger than the 

transactions of US, Canada, UK, France 

and Germany combined. Voices in the US 

are saying that we must learn from India 

which is leapfrogging into the future. 

Again, Aatmanirbharta at work. 

The above is not to suggest 

that everything is rosy. India faces 

monumental challenges with regard to 

eradication of poverty, job creation and 

investment in health/education/skills of 

its vast population. 

But the lessons are clear: India is sui 

generis and it is only an “Indian” model 

that will work for India and Indians. 

Hence, the capital importance of 

Aatmanirbharta. After all, as we have 

seen above, ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ is 

not just good for India but also for the 

world at large. 

[Ambassador (Dr.) Mohan Kumar is a 

former Indian Ambassador and a full 

time academic now.]

16 INDIA 

INDEPENDENCE DAY - SPECIAL ISSUE 



India’s approach to development partnership 

AMBASSADOR GURJIT 

SINGH 

In a globalising world there 

was an increasing shift 

towards development 

partnership. Today, when 

globalisation is threatened due 

to the pandemic and a new war 

in Europe, there is a greater 

requirement for development 

partnership programmes. India’s 

approach to development 

partnership was rooted in the 

experience of India’s freedom 

movement. 

This had solidarity with other 

developing countries who were 

also shaking off the yoke of 

colonialism and thereafter, of 

under- development. Despite 

initial resource constraints, 

India immediately after its 

independence in 1947, began 

to share its developmental 

experience and technical 

expertise with other countries. 

This began with scholarships 

and capacity building 

programmes and then spread 

to institution building. 

India’s developmental 

partnership 

approach 

focuses on human resource 

development; it shows respect 

for partnerships, provides for 

diversity, looks at the future and 

puts sustainable development 

at the centre. India’s 

development cooperation is 

typically unconditional. 

In a survey of African 

interlocutors 60% said that 

they saw the HRD, capacity 

building, training and 

scholarships as a valuable part 

of the Indian partnership, next 

only to Indian FDI. Cooperating 

with development partners on 

an equal basis, and guided by 

their development priorities is 

India’s fundamental approach. 

In the landmark address of 

Prime Minister Modi to the 

Parliament of Uganda in July 

2018 he said ‘Our development 

partnership will be guided by 

your priorities. It will be on 

terms that will be comfortable 

for you, that will liberate your 

potential and not constrain 

your future. We will build as 

much local capacity and create 

as many local opportunities as 

possible’. 

India’s model of development 

cooperation is organised to 

be responsive to requests 

from partner countries and 

provide technically and 

financially feasible solutions. 

The main instruments of India’s 

development partnership 

include lines of credit, grant 

assistance, small development 

projects, technical consultancy, 

disaster relief and humanitarian 

assistance, as well as capacity 

building programmes under the 

Indian Technical and Economic 

Cooperation (ITEC) programme. 

In a recent survey in Africa, the 

ITEC had the best recall among 

various development efforts. 

The establishment of the ITEC 

program in 1964 came about 

as India understood that newly 

independent and emerging 

countries faced challenges for 

their development. There was 

an opportunity to fill such gaps. 

The ITEC hence brought India’s 

own development experience 

and growing achievement to 

share with other developing 

countries. 

The ITEC program has 6 core 

qualities. These are: 

1. Training in India for regular 

courses in several areas 

within the ITEC courses 

2. Provide consultancy services 

and conduct feasibility 

studies for proposed 

projects in partner countries 

3. Set up grant-based projects 

in partner countries in areas 

mutually agreed upon 

4. Dispatch experts to partner 

countries 

5. Study and experience 

sharing tours by decision 

makers from partner 

countries 

6. Provision for disaster relief 

and humanitarian assistance 

Indian partnership directly 

supports national development 

priorities. India also contributes 

to multilateral funds for similar 

achievements like the IBSA fund 

or the India-UN Development 

Partnership Fund. Where loans 

are involved or institutions are 

built, there is now a greater 

emphasis on business plans to 

make these projects financially 

sustainable. 

The main point is that they 

should support development 

priorities, which internationally 

today include the Sustainable 

Development 

Goals. 

Development cooperation 

adds value to the development 

processes of its partners. 

The projects emanating from 

the partnership can play an 

important role in providing 

incentives for profitable 

activities, which can have 

developmental impact. The 

Indian impact investment 

movement for implementing 

the SDGs through investment 

is an example of this. The 

development partnership 

that India follows creates 

new opportunities for other 

developing countries using its 

own experience, and capability 

of its public and private sectors. 

Thus, it tries to overcome 

the structural impediments 

that limit the absorption among 

other countries and creates 

easily scalable and transferable 

models. This criterion is 

increasingly important. The 

Indian model of cooperative 

development partnership seeks 

to provide ownership of the 

assets and the capacities which 

are built through partnership 

with India of the host country. It 

aims to complement resources 

and capacities while respecting 

the sovereignty of partners and 

their own development plans. 

This has led to the Indian 

partnership model earning 

respect among developing 

countries and from international 

partners. India’s efforts are also 

cost effective and spend less 

on high fees for consultants 

and focus more on delivery. 

The creation of a new 

Trilateral Development Fund in 

India will incrementally channel 

diverse funds into supporting 

the Indian model of cooperation 

in developing countries. 

[Ambassador Gurjit Singh is a 

retired Indian diplomat and has 

been India’s Ambassador to 

Germany, Indonesia, ASEAN, 

Ethiopia and the African Union] 

2022

The New Zealand National 

Party joins with the people 

of India in wishing our 

warmest congratulations 

on 75 years of national 

independence! 

Christopher Luxon 

Leader of the Opposition 

Christopher.Luxon@parliament.govt.nz 

christopherluxon.national.org.nz 

christopherluxon 

Melissa Lee 

National MP 

MPLee@parliament.govt.nz 

melissalee.co.nz 

mpmelissalee 

Authorised by M Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.

18 INDIA 


Tricolour a symbol of 

India's unity, integrity 



Addressing a Tiranga Rally in 

Surat via video conferencing, PM 

Modi recalled that in a few days' 

time, India is completing 75 years of its 

independence. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 

Wednesday said the Indian national flag 

does not contain only three colours in 

itself but is a reflection of the pride 

of our past, our commitment to the 

present and our dreams of the future. 

Addressing a Tiranga Rally in Surat via 

video conferencing, PM Modi recalled that 

in a few days' time, India is completing 

75 years of its independence. 

The Prime Minister said that all of us are 

preparing for this historic Independence 

Day as the Tricolour is hoisted in every 

corner of India. The Prime Minister 

remarked that every corner of Gujarat 

is full of enthusiasm, and Surat has only 

added to its glory. 

"The attention of the whole country is 

on Surat today. In a way, a mini India is 

being seen in the Tiranga Yatra of Surat. 

People from all sections of society are 

involved in this together," he said. 

PM Modi further said that Surat 

has shown the real uniting power of 

the Tricolour while adding that even 

though Surat has made a mark on the 

world because of its business and its 

industries, today the Tiranga Yatra will 

and diversity: PM Modi 

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. 

"The Tricolour of India 

does not contain only three 

colours in itself, but is a 

reflection of the pride of our 

past, our commitment to the 

present and our dreams of 

the future." 

be the centre of attention for the entire 

world. While addressing the gathering, 

the Prime Minister acknowledged the 

people of Surat who brought alive the 

spirit of our freedom struggle in the 

Tiranga Yatra. 

"There is a clothing seller, shopkeeper, 

somebody is a craftsman of looms, 

someone is a sewing and embroidery 

artisan, another one in transportation, 

they are all connected," he said. 

He appreciated the efforts of the 

entire textile industry of Surat who 

turned this into a grand event. 

"Our national flag itself has been a 

symbol of the country's textile industry, 

the country's khadi and our selfreliance," 

said PM Modi. 

He said that Surat has always prepared 

the basis for a self-reliant India in this 

field. The Prime Minister further added 

that Gujarat led the freedom struggle 

in the form of Bapu and gave heroes 

like Iron Man Sardar Patel who laid the 

foundation of Ek Bharat Shreshtha 

Bharat after independence. The message 

emanating from the Bardoli movement 

and the Dandi Yatra united the entire 

country. 

"The Tricolour of India does not 

contain only three colours in itself, but 

is a reflection of the pride of our past, 

our commitment to the present and our 

dreams of the future," PM Modi said. 

He also mentioned that our Tricolour is 

a symbol of India's unity, India's integrity 

and India's diversity. 

"Our fighters saw the future of the 

country in the Tricolour, saw the dreams 

of the country, and never let it bow 

down by any means. After 75 years of 

independence when we are beginning 

the journey of a new India, the Tricolour 

is once again representing the unity and 

consciousness of India," he added. 

The Prime Minister expressed 

happiness that the Tiranga Yatras being 

held across the country are a reflection 

of the power and devotion of the Har 

Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan. 

"From August 13 to 15, the Tricolour 

will be hoisted in every house of India. 

People from every section of the society, 

every caste and creed are spontaneously 

joining with only one identity. This is the 

identity of the conscientious citizen of 

India," he said. 

The Prime Minister emphasised 

that this is the identity of the child of 

Mother India. He expressed immense 

satisfaction after men and women, 

youths, elders, everybody is playing 

their role in supporting the Har Ghar 

Tiranga campaign. PM Modi also 

expressed happiness that many poor 

people, weavers and handloom workers 

are also getting additional income due 

to the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign. The 

Prime Minister concluded his address 

by underlining the importance of such 

events that give new energy to our 

resolves in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. 

"These campaigns of public participation 

will strengthen the foundation of New 

India," he added. 

Bank of India (New Zealand) Ltd 

Bank of India (New Zealand) Ltd 

wishes everyone 

Services we offer : 

1. Opening of Zero balance saving account 

2. Free remittance to India with attractive exchange rate 

3. Same day credit to any bank in India. 

Contact here: 

Auckland: 09 9265797 

Papatoetoe: 09 2781784 

www.bankofindia.co.nz 

Head Office: 

10 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland 1023 

Papatoetoe branch: 

31 East Tamaki Road, Papatoetoe, Manukau 2025


INDEPENDENCE DAY - SPECIAL ISSUE WORLD 19 

At UN, China puts hold on bid by India, 

US to sanction Pakistan terrorist who 

plotted Kandahar plane hijacking 

While all other 14 

members of the United 

Nations Security 

Council (UNSC) on Wednesday 

agreed to impose sanctions 

on Abdul Rauf Azhar, a top 

commander of Pakistan-based 

proscribed terror outfit Jaishe-Mohammad 

(JeM), only one 

country stood out by coming to 

the defence of a terrorist and 

placing a hold on the proposal. 

India and the United States 

wanted Azhar to be designated 

as an international terrorist and 

be subjected to a global travel 

ban and freezing of his assets, 

a proposal that would need 

to be agreed by all members 

in the 15-nation UNSC body 

but China, a permanent vetowielding 

member of the UN and 

a close ally of Pakistan, delayed 

the move by putting a hold on 

it. Reuters cited a spokesperson 

for China’s mission to the United 

Nations as saying that the delay 

was done as China needed 

“more time to study the case.” 

“Placing holds is provided for by 

the Committee guidelines, and 

there have been quite a number 

Five terrorists hijacked the IC-814 plane during its flight from Kathmandu to Delhi on 

December 24 1999 that year | Photo Credit: Reuters 

of similar holds by Committee 

members on listing requests,” 

the Chinese spokesperson 

was quoted as saying. 

Azhar has been under US 

Sanctions since 2010 after the 

United States accused him of 

urging Pakistanis to engage in 

militant activities and organize 

suicide attacks in India. 

He was accused of being 

involved in the planning and 

execution of numerous terror 

attacks, including the 1999 

hijacking of an Indian Airlines 

aircraft in Afghanistan’s 

Kandhar, the 2001 attack on 

“The United States 

values cooperation 

with our Security 

Council partners to 

effectively use this 

tool in an apolitical 

way to stop terrorists 

from exploiting the 

global order to do their 

misdeeds,” 

the Indian Parliament and the 

2016 attack on the Indian 

air force base in Pathankot. 

On Tuesday, India’s Permanent 

Representative to the United 

Nations Ruchira Kamboj, in an 

apparent reference to China, 

said that the practice of placing 

holds and blocks on listing 

requests of terrorists without 

giving any justification must end. 

India’s 

Permanent 

Representative to the United 

Nations Ruchira Kamboj made 

these remarks during a UNSC 

debate on Tuesday on threats to 

international peace and security 

caused by terrorist acts. 

She said, “It is most regrettable 

that genuine and evidencebased 

listing proposals 

pertaining to some of the most 

notorious terrorists in the world 

are being placed on hold. Double 

standards and continuing 

politicization have rendered 

the credibility of Sanctions 

Regime at an all-time low.” 

China on repeated occasions 

has put the listing of Pakistanbased 

terrorists under the UNSC 

Al-Qaeda and ISIL Sanctions 

Committee on hold. 

Earlier in June, India 

slammed China after it 

blocked the proposal to 

list terrorist Abdul Rehman 

Makki under the Sanctions 

Committee, also known as 

the UNSC 1267 Committee. 

Ambassador Kamboj said 

India has suffered from the 

menace of terrorism for 

decades and has learned 

to counter this threat with 

resolve and firm determination. 

“We hope that the 

international community will 

stand united in addressing 

this threat to humanity with 

zero tolerance,” she added. 

A spokesperson of the US 

mission to the United Nations 

told Reuters, “The United States 

respects other countries’ needs 

to verify that a sanctions 

proposal meets their “domestic 

evidentiary threshold to 

justify a listing at the UN.” 

“The United States values 

cooperation with our Security 

Council partners to effectively 

use this tool in an apolitical 

way to stop terrorists from 

exploiting the global order 

to do their misdeeds,” the 

spokesperson added.

20 INDIA 




Explained: History of popular slogans raised 

How did the famous slogans first come about, and where have they come from? Inspiring a 

Be it ‘Jai Hind!’ or ‘Vande 

Mataram!’, most of the 

popular patriotic slogans 

raised today are likely to have 

their origins in the movement 

for Indian independence. 

But how did these calls first 

come about, and where have 

they come from? Inspiring and 

controversial, we explain the 

history of slogans that have 

endured in India’s politics. 

1. ‘Jai Hind’ by Netaji 

Subhash Chandra Bose 

Bengal’s Netaji Subhas 

Chandra Bose popularised 

‘Jai Hind’ as a salutation for 

soldiers of his Indian National 

Army (INA), which fought 

alongside Netaji’s ally Japan 

in the In his 2014 book, 

‘Lengendotes of Hyderabad’, 

former civil servant Narendra 

Luther said the term was 

coined by Zain-ul Abideen 

Hasan, the son of a collector 

from Hyderabad, who had gone 

to Germany to study. There, 

he met Bose and eventually 

left his studies to join the INA. 

His grand-nephew, Anvar Ali 

Khan, later wrote that Khan 

was tasked by Bose to look for 

a military greeting or salutation 

for the INA’s soldiers, a 

slogan which was not caste or 

community-specific, given the 

all-India basis of the INA. 

Luther’s book says Hasan 

had initially suggested ‘Hello’, 

which was rejected by Bose. 

According to Anvar Ali Khan, 

the idea for ‘Jai Hind’ came 

to Hasan when he was at the 

Konigsbruck camp in Germany. 

He overheard two Rajput 

soldiers greet each other with 

the slogan ‘Jai Ramji ki’. That 

led to the idea of ‘Jai Hindustan 

ki’ in his mind and it was then 

shortened to ‘Jai Hind’, with the 

term meaning ‘Long live India’ 

or a call to lead a fight for India. 

2. ‘Tum mujhe khoon 

do, main tumhe aazadi 

doonga’ by Netaji 

Subhash Chandra Bose 

As per the book ‘Subhas 

Chandra Bose: The 

Nationalist and the Commander 

– What Netaji Did, What 

Netaji Said’ edited by Vanitha 

Ramchandani, the slogan had 

origins in a speech Netaji made 

in Myanmar, then called Burma, 

on July 4, 1944. 

“The British are engaged in a 

worldwide struggle and in the 

course of this struggle they have 

suffered defeat after defeat on 

so many fronts. The enemy 

having been thus considerably 

weakened, our fight for liberty 

has become very much easier 

than it was five years ago,” he 

said, encouraging Indians to 

utilise the opportunity provided 

by the Second World War. 

He added, “Such a rare and 

God-given opportunity comes 

once in a century…through the 

help of generous Nippon, it has 

become possible for Indians in 

East Asia to get arms to build up 

a modern army,” as support of 

East Asian countries like Japan 

(called Nippon in Japanese) was 

a strategy he believed in. 

Underlining his core philosophy 

of violence being necessary 

to achieve independence, he 

said, “Friends! My comrades in 

the War of Liberation! Today I 

demand of you one thing, above 

all. I demand of you blood. It is 

blood alone that can avenge the 

blood that the enemy has spilt. 

It is blood alone that can pay 

the price of freedom,” ending 

the sentiment with “Tum mujhe 

khoon do, main tumhe aazadi 

doonga” (Give me blood and I 

promise you freedom). 

3. ‘Vande Mataram’ 

by Bankim Chandra 

Chatterji 

The term refers to a sense 

of respect expressed to the 

motherland. In 1870, Bengali 

novelist Bankim Chandra 

Chattopadhyay wrote a song 

which would go on to assume 

a national stature, but would 

also be seen as communally 

divisive by some. Written 

in Bengali, the song titled 

‘Vande Mataram’ would not 

be introduced into the public 

sphere until the publishing of 

the novel Anandamath in 1882, 

AB International wishes everyone Happy India Independence Day


INDEPENDENCE DAY - SPECIAL ISSUE INDIA 21 

during the Indian independence movement 

nd controversial, we explain the history of slogans that have endured in India’s politics. 

of which the song is a part. 

Vande Mataram would soon be 

at the forefront of sentiments 

expressed during the 

freedom movement. 

The novel Anandmath, set 

in the early 1770s against the 

backdrop of the Fakir-Sannyasi 

Rebellion against the British in 

Bengal, came at a time of the 

Bengal agrarian crisis when 

the region was hit by three 

famines one after another. 

Chattopadhyay’s novel held the 

Muslim Nawab responsible for 

the excruciating circumstances, 

claiming it was the Nawab 

bowing down to The East India 

Company that had caused such 

a situation. 

4. ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ by 

Maulana Hasrat Mohani 

‘ 

Inquilab Zindabad’ (Long live 

the revolution) was first used 

by Maulana Hasrat Mohani in 

1921. Historian S Irfan Habib, 

writing in The Indian Express, 

said Mohani (1875-1951) 

was born in a town called 

Mohan in the Unnao district 

of Uttar Pradesh. Hasrat was 

his pen name (takhallus) as a 

revolutionary Urdu poet, which 

also became his identity as a 

political leader. Hasrat Mohani 

was a labour leader, scholar, 

poet and also one of the 

founders of the Communist 

Party of India in 1925. 

Along with Swami Kumaranand 

— also involved in the Indian 

Communist movement — 

Mohani first raised the demand 

for complete independence 

or ‘Poorna Swaraj’, at 

the Ahmedabad session of 

the Congress in 1921. He was 

later elected a member of the 

Constituent Assembly and was 

also a member of the drafting 

committee of the Constitution 

along with Dr B R Ambedkar. 

His stress on Inquilab was 

inspired by his urge to fight 

against social and economic 

inequality, along with 

colonialism. Before Mohani 

coined this slogan, the Bolshevik 

Revolution in Russia made the 

idea of revolution symbolic 

of the struggle for oppressed 

nationalities globally. 

It was from the mid-1920s 

that this slogan became a war 

cry of Bhagat Singh and his 

Naujawan Bharat Sabha, as 

well as his Hindustan Socialist 

Republican Association (HSRA). 

5. ‘Sarfaroshi ki 

Tamanna’ by Bismil 

Azimabadi 

“ 

Sarfaroshi ki tamanna 

ab hamare dil men hai, 

dekhna hai zor kitna bazu-eqatil 

men hai” (Our hearts are 

now longing to die for a good 

cause, that we shall see what 

strength the arms of killers 

possess), are the first two lines 

Wishing everyone 

Happy Independence Day 

of a poem written by Bismil 

Azimabadi, a freedom fighter 

and poet from Bihar, after the 

Jallianwalah Bagh Massacre of 

1921 in Amritsar, Punjab. In 

the poem, the line ‘Sarfaroshi ki 

tamanna ab hamare dil men hai’ 

is repeated, and the two lines 

have been used often in Hindi 

movies with patriotic themes. 

The lines were popularised 

by Ram Prasad Bismil, another 

revolutionary. 

They convey a deep longing 

to take on an enemy, a spirit 

seen in the way Bismil, an Urdu 

poet and revolutionary, was 

part of major events that raised 

the spirits of fellow freedom 

fighters at the time. 

He was a part of the Kakori 

train robbery, a successful 

and ambitious operation in 

which a train filled with British 

goods and money was robbed 

for Indian fighters to purchase 

arms. 

6. ‘Do or Die’ by 

Mahatma Gandhi 

In 1942, with the Second 

World War commencing and 

the failure of Stafford Cripps 

Missions – which only promised 

India a ‘dominion status’ 

where it would still have to 

bear allegiance to the King 

of England – it was realised that 

Your no. 1 choice for over 18 years 

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TEAM 

MUNISH SETH 

021 686 474 

the movement for freedom 

needed to be intensified. 

On August 8, 1942, the All- 

India Congress Committee met 

in Gowalia Tank Maidan (August 

Kranti Maidan) in Bombay. 

Gandhi addressed thousands 

after the meeting to spell out 

the way forward. 

He told the people that 

he would firmly take his 

demands to the Viceroy, 

saying, “I am not going to be 

satisfied with anything short of 

complete freedom. 

Maybe he will propose 

the abolition of salt tax, 

etc. But I will say, ‘Nothing 

less than freedom’”. 

He then told the people 

what they must do: “Here is a 

mantra, a short one, that I give 

you. Imprint it on your hearts, 

so that in every breath you give 

expression to it. 

The mantra is: ‘Do or Die’. 

We shall either free India 

or die trying; we shall not 

live to see the perpetuation 

of our slavery.” 

2 

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Eastern Beaches 2022

22 ENTERTAINMENT INDEPENDENCE DAY - SPECIAL ISSUE 

The inner conflict that 

tears every Delhiite apart 

isn’t easy to explain. 

Regardless of where you live 

in this city, it is likely that you 

have spent just as much time 

in awe of it as you have in 

utter disgust. It’s almost like a 

Stockholm syndrome situation. 

You feel like you’ve been held 

hostage by Delhi, but you 

can’t possibly imagine living 

anywhere else. 

Because behind every pile 

of trash, underneath every 

defaced medieval ruin, there is a 

story. It is a story of resilience, 

of culture, of co-existence. It is 

a story of violence, of jealousy, 

of betrayal. There is drama in 

every square inch of this city. 

Which makes you wonder: why 

is it that Delhi remains relatively 

underrepresented in cinema? 

There could be any number of 

reasons. Perhaps it is because 

not enough people from Delhi 

make movies. We certainly 

don’t have a resident Ray. Cities 

like Kolkata and Mumbai have 

been immortalised on the big 

screen, but the most cinematic 

city of them all has been 

ignored.In this, the first of a 

new series about films and 

shows that accurately capture 

our cities on screen, we’re 

going to list the best titles set 

in Delhi. 

Paatal Lok 

Were it not for streaming— 

particularly the initial wave 

of creative freedom that 

the landscape afforded—we 

wouldn’t have got one of the 

most stunningly accurate 

depictions of Delhi in the 

Prime Video series Paatal Lok. 

Jaideep Ahlawat’s noir-inspired 

narration perfectly captures 

not just the social hierarchy 

of this city, but gives it an air 

of mythic majesty. This is the 

sort of city that can kill you, 

but it’s also the sort of city 

that can compel someone to 

compose a poem on the horrid 

circumstances of your death. 

Delhi Crime 

From its earliest frames, it 

is clear that Netflix’s Delhi 

Crime has an eye for 

authenticity. Inspired by the 

harrowing 2012 gang rape of a 

medical student, which was, in 

many ways, our own 9/11-level 

moment of reckoning, Delhi 

Crime is a distressing (yet 

uplifting) recreation of the case. 

I remember being impressed 

with its keen attention for 

detail, particularly with regard 

to real-life locations. But I also 

remember being slightly put off 

by its reverence for the Delhi 

Police. And that, in an abstract 

way, is what this city is all 

about. 

Khosla Ka Ghosla 

Perhaps the most skilled 

chronicler of contemporary 

Delhi working in mainstream 

Hindi cinema, director Dibakar 


Banerjee would go on to honour 

the city in several films. But 

his laugh-out-loud satire of 

middle class drudgery, Khosla 

Ka Ghosla, remains his finest. 

A keen observer of colourful 

characters, Banerjee adds 

some authentic local flavour 

to the film, glimpsed in blinkand-miss 

asides about Rajma 

Chawal-fuelled indigestion, and 

overheard discussions on porn. 

Khosla Ka Ghosla also makes a 

strong case for how, contrary 

to popular belief, Delhiites can 

turn to culture when brute 

force fails. 

Gurgaon 

Even the nice people who 

actually live in Gurugram are 

wary of venturing beyond 

certain imaginary borders. Just 

like how in Delhi, food delivery 

apps and e-commerce giants 

forbid their delivery personnel 

from entering a handful 

of neighbourhoods on the 

outskirts of the city. And for 


Bollywood has been disrespecting New Delhi for decades, but 

these films (and shows) capture the capital’s wicked wisdom 

good reason. Director Shanker 

Raman’s Gurgaon is a stark 

reminder of just how sinister 

the peripheries of this city can 

be; all you have to do is take 

a wrong turn—metaphorically 

and literally. It has no patience 

for weakness, it preys on the 

superstitious, and thrives on 

revenge. 

Vicky Donor 

While most other titles on 

this list represent the spirit of 

the city, few films have been 

able to capture the endearing 

obnoxiousness of a very 

particular creature—the Delhi 

uncle—better than Shoojit 

Sircar’s Vicky Donor. 

Played by Annu Kapoor, Dr 

Baldev Chaddha is the kind 

of person who addresses 

Ayushmann Khurrana’s 

Vicky as ‘my dear’, makes a 

hilarious hand gesture every 

time he says the word ‘sperm 

(pronounced spuh-rum)’, and is 

prone to casual discrimination 

against ‘Bongs’. 

We all know at least one 

Chaddha uncle. 

Happy 75th Indian Independence day 

to us 

Talk 

Hall 

about 

and 

hiring 

catering 

needs.


INDEPENDENCE DAY - SPECIAL ISSUE FEATURES 23 

Energy Bites 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1/4cup - walnuts 

• 1/4cup - almonds 

• 1/4cup - pistachios 

• 10 - dates 

• 5 - figs 

• 1tbsp - chia seeds 

• 2tbsp - shredded coconut 

METHOD 

• Add the walnuts to a food 

processor and pulse a few 

times until chopped. 

• Repeat the process with the 

almonds, pistachios and then 

transfer them into a bowl 

along with cashews. Set 

aside. 

• Add the dates, figs to a food 

processor and process until 

well combined. 

• Transfer them into a plate. 

• Set aside. 

• Add chia seeds to the date 

mixture and mix well using 

your hands (as per your choice 

you can make powder of chia 

seeds and then add them). 

Add all the nuts to the date 

mixture and mix until all the 

ingredients come together. 

• With slightly damp hands, 

roll half tablespoon of the 

mixture into ball, then roll 

each ball in the shredded 

coconut. 

• Store the energy bites in 

an airtight container in the 

refrigerator for up to 1 week, 

or in the freezer for up to 3 

months (Approximately 12 

balls you will get).Serve 

• TIP; If dates are dry, soak 

them in warm water for 

30 minutes to soften and 

then drain. 

DRY FRUIT LADOOS 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1/3cup - grated coconut 

• 1/3cup - cashews 

• 1/3cup - almonds 

• 1/3cup - pistachios 

• 21/2tbsp - edible gum (gond katira) 

• 3/4cup - wheat flour (atta) 

• 1cup - jaggery (gur) 

• 11/2tbsp - water 

• 1/2tsp - cardamom powder 

• 6tbsp - clarified butter (ghee) 

METHOD 

• In a heavy base fry pan, over medium flame, 

dry roast grated coconut, then, transfer it into 

a plate and set aside. 

• Add 1 tablespoon of clarified butter in the 

same fry pan. 

• Roast almonds and cashews over medium 

flame until slightly aromatic. 

• Add pistachios and fry for another 2 minutes. 

• Transfer the nuts into a plate along side 

roasted coconut. 

• Once the nuts are cool then coarse grind them 

along with coconut and set aside for later use. 

• In the same frypan add 3 tablespoon of clarified 

butter. Add edible gum and roast over medium 

flame till they are fluffy and separated. 

VARIATION OF ENERGY BITE 

INGREDIENTS: 

• 100gm - dates, chopped 

• 50gm - almonds, sliced 

• 50gm - pistachios, sliced 

• 50gm - cashews, chopped 

• 1tbsp - poppy seeds 

• 6 - figs, chopped 

• 1tbsp - cardamom powder 

• 1tbsp - pumpkin seeds 

• 3tbsp - clarified butter 

METHOD 

• In a fry pan dry roast poppy 

seeds and keep aside for 

later use. 

• In the same pan add 2 

tablespoons of clarified 

butter over medium flame. 

• Add almonds, pistachios and 

• cashews, roast them, then 

transfer them into a plate. 

• In the same pan add 1 

tablespoon of clarified butter. 

• Transfer puffed edible gum into a plate. 

• Again in the same fry pan add 2 tablespoon of 

clarified butter. 

• Add wheat flour and fry over medium flame 

until light brown in colour and aromatic 

(approximately for 8 minutes). 

• Transfer wheat flour into a plate. 

• Add nuts along with coconut to flour and mix 

well. Add puffed edible gum and cardamom 

powder to the flour mixture and mix everything 

well. Set aside. In the same fry pan add jaggery 

along with water. 

• Melt jaggery over medium flame while stirring 

continuously, once the boil comes remove the 

pan from the flame. 

• Add flour mixture to the jaggery and mix 

everything until well combined with the spoon. 

• When jaggery cools down a bit, rub some 

clarified butter on your hands and then roll half 

tablespoon of the mixture into ball. Repeat the 

process until the mixture is finished. 

• Store dry fruit ladoo’s in an airtight container. 

TIP: Everything is roasted for long shelf life. 

• These ladoo’s can be kept for months. 

• If using seeds, toast them until they turn 

aromatic then add them. 

• Gram flour (besan) can be used instead of 

wheat flour as per your choice. 

• Add dates and figs, roast 

them for 2-3 minutes, then 

transfer them into a plate. 

Add roasted nuts to dates 

and figs. 

• Add cardamom powder 

and pumpkin seeds, mix 

everything until well 

combined. 

• Roll half tablespoon of the 

mixture into ball, then roll 

each ball in the roasted 

poppy seeds. Serve 

Bhartiya 

Samaj and Roopa 

aur Aap Charitable 

trust wishes you all 

Happy India 


Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav 

Mr Jeet Jeet Suchdev Suchdev QSM JP QSM JP 

Bhartiya Samaj 

and Roopa aur Aap 

Charitable trust 

wishes you all 

Happy India 


a very Happy 


Mobile: 0212221020 | Email: | Email: jeet@xtra.co.nz | Address: | Address: 13 May 13 Rd, May Mount Rd, Mount Roskill, Roskill, Auckland Auckland 1041

7C E L E B R A T I N G 

TH 

YEARS 

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Fill your Life Happiness and Prosperity. 

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