THE INDIAN WEEKENDER, 2 DECEMBER 2022

Friday, 02 December 2022 

Volume 14 / Issue 37 

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Big turnout at 

Sikh Games 

Selling solutions, 

not promises 

not enough 

being done: 

community leaders 

Zonjo 

Antony 

to be 

repatriated 

Monday 

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2 

NEW ZEALAND 

Friday, 2 December, 2022 

Govt needs to do lot more, 

say community leaders 

Read online www.iwk.co.nz 

NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH 

The Kiwi Indian 

community across New 

Zealand is frustrated 

and seems fed up with the 

runaway crime situation in 

the country. The unfortunate 

death of Janak Patel, who 

was fatally stabbed outside 

Sandringham’s Rose Cottage 

Superette last Wednesday, has 

impacted everyone. 

The community members 

strongly feel that the death of 

a young dairy worker should not 

be in vain, and the government 

should take prompt actions to 

make sure we don’t lose more 

Janaks. 

After the death of Patel, 

several protests were 

organised across NZ, asking 

the government on Monday 

(November 28) to make strict 

laws for the offenders and 

spreading the key message 

that ‘Enough is Enough.’ 

On Monday (November 

28), Prime Minister Jacinda 

Ardern announced a $4 million 

fund to support local council 

crime prevention programmes 

to be matched dollar-for-dollar 

with councils. 

She also said the Retail Crime 

Prevention Fund would be 

expanded to include aggravated 

robberies committed in the 

past year. 

A $4000 subsidy for small 

shops and dairies to install a 

fog cannon if they choose, “not 

just those who have been the 

victim of a crime”, was also 

announced. 

On Tuesday (November 29), 

Community leaders at the protest in Auckland. 

many senior community leaders 

met PM Jacinda Ardern and 

Police Minister Chris Hipkins, 

among others, at Mahatma 

Gandhi Centre, where the 

community leaders expressed 

their concern and frustration 

over the growing crime scene in 

New Zealand and how no one is 

feeling safe in NZ. 

Indian Weekender spoke to 

some of the Indian community 

leaders who were present at 

the meeting and asked them 

what the government should 

be doing and whether the 

government has done enough. 

Narendra Bhana, President, 

New Zealand Indian Central 

Association 

The government needs to 

realise that more than this 

funding is required. Money 

can’t solve everything. Their 

approach seems to be reactive 

rather than proactive. They 

need to learn that installing 

fog cannons can’t solve the 

problem. All this government 

can think of is fog cannons. The 

government is clueless about 

the ground realities, and I don’t 

understand who is advising our 

Prime Minister. 

"Money can’t solve 

everything. Their 

approach seems to be 

reactive rather than 

proactive. They need 

to learn that installing 

fog cannons can’t 

solve the problem. All 

this government can 

think of is fog cannons. 

The government is 

clueless about the 

ground realities, and I 

don’t understand who 

is advising our Prime 

Minister. 

- Narendra Bhana, President, 

NZ Indian Central Association 

The focus should be on 

prevention and measures that 

can solve the situation apart 

from making stricter laws. 

I would also say that the 

government needs to focus on 

a better social welfare system. 

If any offender commits any 

crimes, their benefit should 

be deducted. The govt needs 

to focus more on the victims’ 

human rights as much as the 

human rights of offenders. 

The meeting was our 

opportunity to meet and 

express Indian communities’ 

serious concerns to the Prime 

Minister, Minister of Police and 

Minister of Ethnic Communities. 

No deal or settlement has been 

reached with the government 

Jeet Suchdev, Chairperson, 

Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust 

During our meeting with the 

government officials, all the 

community leaders voiced our 

concerns strongly. They have 

listened to us and have assured 

us of taking quick action. We 

must wait and watch, but there 

is no doubt that the current law 

and order situation is getting 

out of hand. 

There is a lot of pressure on 

the govt to take quick action. 

We are very clear that enough 

is enough, and we know there 

is a lot that we expect from 

this government. We want our 

people to feel safe, and the 

government should do all it can 

to ensure that. 

Suneel Kuncha, General 

Secretary, New Zealand 

Telugu Association 

The government has done 

too little too late. They need 

to step up, or we will have 

more tragedies. They have 

lost the confidence of the 

broader Indian community, 

and they need to put their 

act together if they want that 

confidence back. 

The government is too soft 

on crime, which immediately 

needs to be looked at. 

In our meeting, I proposed that 

we consider having cashless 

retail stores by government 

stepping in and subsidising the 

bank charges so there is no 

cash, which would minimise the 

risk to some extent. 

Navtej Randhawa, Founding 

member of Radio Spice and 

community leader based in 

South Auckland 

The current government 

needs to connect closely with 

the community regarding their 

aspirations and expectations. 

The law and order situation 

is getting out of hand. The 

government needs to act and 

find quick solutions. Janak’s 

death has struck a nerve 

with the community, and 

enough is enough. 

We need to move towards 

a safer NZ for hardworking 

kiwis who put their heart and 

soul into keeping the country 

moving in the right direction. 

It is high time the government 

listens and brings stricter laws 

to address the issue head-on. 

The meeting connected the 

concerns of our community to 

the authorities. 

The problems were voiced 

strongly, and we all need 

to work together to find 

solutions to get out of this 

menace. We can’t afford to 

lose more Janaks. 

No one at PM’s electorate office to meet 

and accept protestors’ memorandum 


AND DEV NADKARNI 

Despite being a working 

Monday (Nov 28) for 

everyone, hundreds of 

people came together to show 

their support at the nationwide 

protest against the slaying 

of Janak Patel. 

The protest outside 

Prime Minister Jacinda 

Ardern›s electorate office 

in Mount Albert was part 

of simultaneous nationwide 

protests demanding justice for 

Janak Patel, who was tragically 

stabbed to death outside 

the Rose Cottage Dairy in 

Sandringham on Wednesday 

(November 23). 

People started gathering 

there from 12:00 pm onwards. 

Passing traffic tooted in 

support, and even the people 

in public transport showed their 

Protestors plastered the doors of the Prime Minister’s electoral office. 

support. It may be noted that 

despite public knowledge that 

a protest was being planned, 

the electoral office was closed 

with no staff to answer the 

door. Community leaders 

had planned to hand over a 

memorandum to Prime Minister 

through her office. 

Despite people knocking 

on the door, there was no 

one in the office to receive 

the memorandum, which 

disappointed the community 

leaders and those at the 

protest. especially since the 

murder took place in the Prime 

Minister’s electorate. 

The community leaders 

said they had now decided to 

e-mail the memorandum to the 

Prime Minister’s office. 

As for support from the 

political parties, the ACT Party 

was represented by its leader 

David Seymour and deputy 

leader, Brooke van Velden. 

Interestingly, not even a single 

sitting MP from the National 

Party was present at the protest. 

However, former National Party 

MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi was 

present. There was also former 

NZ First MP Mahesh 

Bindra lending his support. 

Media were also present in 

full force at the event, including 

the ethnic media. 

The presence of Chinese 

media members in numbers 

reflected the high interest in 

the protest, as the increasing 

crime continues to adversely 

affect the entire business 

and migrant community 

of New Zealand. 

In the next hour, protestors 

spilled on to New North Road, 

giving a hard time for police to 

control traffic. 

With the protestors locked 

out of the office, one attendee 

said, “I guess the only way into 

the PM’s electoral office is to 

ram-raid it!” 

At the end of the designated 

time of the protest, 2:30 pm, 

the protestors plastered the 

doors of the Prime Minister’s 

electoral office with the ‘Enough 

is Enough’ posters. 


people at the protest, including 

prominent community leaders, 

to know their thoughts on the 

increasing crime and ways to 

tackle the situation: 

• Continued on Page 7

Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, 2 December, 2022 

NEW ZEALAND 3 

Malayali man Zonjo Antony 

to be repatriated on Monday 


The news of the passing 

away of 32-year-old 

Indian national Zonjo 

Antony in Auckland has left the 

community in disbelief. 

Antony was found 

unresponsive at his home in 

Browns Bay by his closest 

friend Jayesh Thomas Vaidyan 

on Monday (November 28) at 

around 4 pm. 

Antony, who originally hails 

from Thrissur, Kerala, India, 

leaves behind his wife, Anna, 

and six-year-old son Leon. 

He migrated to New Zealand 

as a student in September 2019 

and studied Health sciences 

at the 

10 

Eastern Institute of 

Technology (EIT) in Auckland. 

Only six months back, Anna and 

Leon joined him in NZ. 

Antony was holding a 

post-study open work visa 

and worked at The Sands 

care centre and village as a 

healthcare assistant. 

Talking to the Indian 

Weekender, Vaidyan said, “I 

have lost my brother..my best 

friend… my confidante. 

I last met him on Sunday 

(November 27) night at 10:50 

Late Zonjo Antony in happier times. 

pm before he went for his 

night shift. Everything was 

absolutely fine. 

"He was everything to me. 

We saw so many ups and downs 

in the last three years. I can’t 

believe that he is no more 

with us.” 

As per Vaidyan, Antony 

returned at 7:30 am on Monday 

and, as usual, dropped his 

son to school and his wife 

to her work. 

It was around 3 pm that 

Anna called Vaidyan as she got 

a call from Leon’s school that 

no one had come to pick him 

and Anthony was not picking 

up her calls. 

Says Vaidyan, “It was around 

3:50 pm that I reached home 

after finishing my shift and saw 

Antony’s car parked in front 

of the house. I knocked on the 

door, but no one opened it, 

and then I went inside and saw 

him lying in his room upside 

down. I tried reviving him, but 

he was not responding, and in 

the meantime, the ambulances 

were called, the staff tried to 

save him but we had lost him.” 

Antony’s family includes his 

father, mother and married 

sister, who are all in India and 

trying to cope with the loss. 

The family wishes to perform 

his last rites according to Indian 

culture and customs in India, 

and the High Commission of 

India (HCI) is providing full 

support to the family in this 

time of grief. 

The HCI has made all the 

necessary arrangements to 

help with the repatriation and 

will bear all costs. 

A statement from the 

HCI read, “HCI came to know 

about the untimely demise of 

Mr. Zonjo Antony, an Indian 

national, who died on 28th 

November 2022. His wife wishes 

to repatriate the body to India 

for final rites. The HCI team is in 

touch with the wife, conveyed 

our deepest condolences, and 

assured all possible assistance 

to repatriate the mortal remains 

to India.” 

His body is being repatriated 

to Cochin, India, on Monday 

(December 05) and is expected 

to reach Cochin on Wednesday 

via Emirates Airlines – Auckland- 

Dubai-Cochin. 

The Auckland Malayali 

Samajam (AMS) – the 

community group of Malayali 

people in Auckland- also 

provides all immediate support 

to the distraught family. 

Blessan M Jose, President, 

AMS, said, “We are all with the 

family of Antony at this critical 

time. It is a tragic loss of a 

bright young life for the entire 

Malayali community in NZ. 

"We will do our best to 

support his family with 

whatever help they need at this 

difficult time. We had a viewing 

and special prayer service for 

him on Thursday (December 

1) at Immaculate Conception 

Parish (St Mary’s Church) and 

have also started a givealittle 

page (https://givealittle. 

co.nz/cause/a-hand-in-time-ofneed).” 

“I am so thankful to the 

entire community, including the 

Auckland Malayali Samajam and 

the High Commission of India 

and especially Hon Consul of 

India in Auckland Bhav Dhillon, 

for all the support they have 

extended,” said Vaidyan. 

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4 

NEW ZEALAND 

Show of 

solidarity by 

dairy owners 

in Wellington 



VENU MENON IN WELLINGTON 

Protestors gathered outside deputy 

prime minister Grant Robertson’s 

electoral office at 220 Willis St in 

downtown Wellington today, calling for 

urgent action to address the retail crime 

emergency facing the country. 

Dairy owners nationwide downed their 

shutters on Sunday to protest the killing 

of dairy worker Janak Patel following 

a burglary at his store in Auckland on 

November 23. 

Protestors raised slogans such as 

“Enough is Enough” and “Where is 

Robertson,” and waved the Indian 

tricolour at passing vehicles, as 

community leader Nagin Bhai Patel 

addressed the gathering. 

New Zealand Indian Central Association 

(NZICA) Vice President Manisha Morar, 

who was at the forefront of the protest, 

said: “We need tougher action on crime. 

Things are too soft. 

"They [offenders] have become 

brazen, they are not afraid to pull out a 

knife, to pull out a gun.” 

Thakur Gopal, a dairy owner from 

Island Bay, told the Indian Weekender 

that his store had been robbed multiple 

times, usually at night, and that the 

culprits were let off by the police on the 

grounds that they were minors. 

“The police don’t care, because they 

know Indians are soft. We won’t put a 

knife into anybody, because we have 

families and we don’t want to go to jail.” 

Protestors debated the need to tighten 

laws around underaged offenders. 

Some argued parents must be held 

liable and pay for losses suffered by 

affected businesses. Others held the 

view that National’s proposal of sending 

youth offenders to a boot camp kept 

them off the streets for a year or two. 

But whatever their viewpoints, 

protestors were united on the conviction 

that the law was not firm enough to deal 

Snapshot of the protest in fron t of Grant Robertson's office in Wellington. 

“The police don’t care, 

because they know Indians 

are soft. We won’t put a knife 

into anybody, because we 

have families and we don’t 

want to go to jail.” 

with young offenders. 

The offences ranged from “take 

and run” to “smash and grab” and 

car-borne ram raids. Nearly everyone 

present nursed a sense of futility 

and hopelessness in approaching the 

authorities. 

“He’s only 16, so you cannot charge 

him for the crime. But he is old enough 

to vote?” Newtown-based dairy owner 

Nilesh Vallabh asked, in an obvious 

reference to the proposed move to 

lower the voting age. However, Vallabh 

is mindful that many young offenders 

take to crime as a result of challenging 

conditions in their own lives. 

At one point, the protestors were 

prepared to take their protest to the 

Parliament grounds, but quickly dropped 

the plan for lack of the necessary 

clearance from the authorities. 

NZICA’s Morar went around collecting 

signatures as part of a dairy owners 

networking initiative aimed at keeping 

them in touch with one another, and 

updated on developments.


NEW ZEALAND 5 

High Commissioner Neeta 

Bhushan visits Gandhi Centre 

DEV NADKARNI 

India’s High Commissioner to New 

Zealand Ms Neeta Bhushan visited 

Auckland’s Mahatma Gandhi Centre 

and the Auckland Indian Association 

for the first time on 29 November. 

Ms Bhushan started her visit of the 

sprawling complex with a darshan at 

the Radha Krishna Mandir, where priest 

Rev Devrambhai Rawal greeted her 

and offered a small puja on her behalf, 

reciting mantras. 

The High Commissioner was 

accompanied by India’s Honorary 

Consul in Auckland Bhav Dhillon and the 

committee members of the Auckland 

Indian Association led by President 

Dhansukhbhai Lal. 

Dhansukhbhai briefly outlined the 

hundred-year history of the Auckland 

Indian Association, how it had begun in 

the garage of an early Indian settler’s 

home and its journey through the Gandhi 

Hall in downtown Auckland to its present 

premises in Eden Terrace. 

Ms Bhushan keenly listened to 

descriptions of the Association’s many 

activities and asked several questions 

about the organisation’s workings. 

The office bearers explained its strong 

governance systems and its robust 

constitution that guaranteed democratic 

processes were always adhered to. 

She was appreciative of the work that 

India’s High Commissioner to New Zealand Ms Neeta Bhushan with the Community members at Mahatma 

Gandhi Centre in Auckland. 

Ms Neeta Bhushan garlands the statue of Mahatma 

Gandhi. 

the association did along with other 

Indian community organisations and the 

Indian High Commission during the Covid 

crisis, distributing food and essential 

from its premises while adhering to 

strict quarantine measures set out by 

NZ’s health authorities. 

It’s a testament to the organisation’s 

cohesiveness and spirit of working 

Ms Neeta Bhushan paying tribute to late Janak Patel 

at the Rose Cottage Superette 

together selflessly that as well as 

President Dhansukhlal, three former 

presidents – Narendra Bhana (now 

President of NZICA), Ashok Daji Gaiwala 

and Harshad Patel were present to 

welcome the High Commissioner and the 

Honorary Consul on the day. 

The President and committee members 

also briefed the High Commissioner about 

the activities of the Centre for Indian 

Performing Arts (CIPA) the association’s 

joint initiative with the Mohan 

Nadkarni Foundation. 

CIPA was launched on August 15, 

2021, and then High Commissioner Mr 

Muktesh Pardeshi at whose hands it was 

inaugurated had announced a grant from 

the Government of India. 

High Commissioner Ms Bhushan 

wished the association well and said that 

the High Commission looked forward to 

working closely with the association. 

Later in the day, the High 

Commissioner and the Honorary Consul 

visited the Rose Cottage Superette, the 

site of the unfortunate killing of dairy 

worker Janak Patel. 

She paid her respects to the departed 

soul and placed flowers outside the 

dairy. She met with close family 

member Ishwarbhai and family friend 

Vinod Kumar who were at the site. 

Ms Bhushan expressed her deepest 

condolences and assured support from 

the High Commission, seconded by the 

Honorary Consul.

6 

NEW ZEALAND 



Presence of thousands makes 

NZ Sikh Games a huge success 


The presence of thousands of 

people at the NZ Sikh Games over 

the weekend (November 26–27) 

was a testimony to the event’s success. 

Due to the Covid restrictions in place 

last year, the games had to be cancelled, 

which meant that the Sikh community 

missed out on one of the most significant 

events on their calendar. 

And to make up for it, the organisers 

combined the third (2021) and fourthyear 

events to host mega games. 

NZ Sikh Games began in 2019 as a 

massive platform for sportsmen and 

women to compete in different sporting 

games under one banner. 

More than 20,000 people attended 

the recently concluded NZ Sikh Games 

over the two days at all the different 

venues, including the main venue, Bruce 

Pulman Park in Takanini. 

The athletes came from all across 

NZ, such as Waikato region, Hamilton, 

Tauranga, Rotorua, Bay of Plenty region, 

Napier, Wellington, and Christchurch 

and abroad to compete in sports such 

as cricket, soccer, netball, volleyball, 

hockey, badminton, shooting, gold, kho 

kho, gatka, athletics, table tennis, dastar, 

wrestling and kabbadi competitions. 

While the hockey events happened 

at ACG Strathallan Hockey Stadium, 

the tennis competition took place at 

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were officially opened on Saturday, 

November 26, in the presence of many 

dignitaries such as National Party leader 

Christopher Luxon, National Party MP 

Judith Collins, Hon Consul of India in 

Auckland Bhav Dhillion, Labour Party MP 

Glimpses from the NZ Sikh Games. 

Dr Anae Neru Leavasa and Councillor 

Daniel Newman among others. The 

inaugural ceremony also saw dignitaries 

observing a moment of silence for Janak 

Patel, who lost his life in the Sandringham 

aggravated robbery. 

Dhillon said, “It is a great celebration 

of sport and culture! New Zealand 

is a much richer place — socially, 

culturally, and economically — for all 

the contributions from migrant families. 

I enjoyed spending time with many of 

those families and celebrating such a 

great sporting occasion this afternoon.” 

Another known community leader 

Navtej Randhawa, who has been closely 

associated with the games, said, “The 

NZ Sikh Games were a grand affair 

promoting our community’s sporting 

spirit and giving an opportunity to our 

next generation to connect with our 

heritage. Such initiatives are crucial and 

should be encouraged to preserve our 

rich culture in NZ.” 

Despite poor weather on Sunday, 

the attendance of the community 

to witness the event surpassed the 

organisers’ expectations. Daljeet Singh 

Sidhu, the President of the NZ Sikh 

Games’ Organising Committee, said, “It 

is inspiring to see the growth of the 

NZ Sikh Games every year. New teams 

are standing up and being prepared 

and trained to participate in the New 

Zealand Sikh Games, which is very 

motivating. We focus to encourage 

young kids to participate in games and 

we have seen the number growing every 

year.” 

He added, “The big turnout, despite 

the rain for both the sports and cultural 

event on Sunday, is a sign the community 

really does care about Sikh games and 

waits for the event to take place every 

year. It was humbling to see people 

coming out despite unfavourable 

weather and supporting our event.” 

Not just sports 

Massive langar service was also provided 

at the Pulman Park venue, which 

included food, beverages, soft drinks, 

sweets, and snacks for all visitors and 

participants at the event for two days. 

Apart from sports, the two-day event 

also saw various groups showcasing 

impressive cultural dance and live music 

performances. Another event highlight 

was a kids’ zone that featured many fun 

activities, including bouncy castles and 

a toy train. 

Sidhu reveals they plan to have a 

bigger NZ Sikh Games next year. He 

said, “We want our NZ Sikh Games to be 

more professional, organised and detailoriented. 

We will do some meetings to 

get feedback from the participants and 

analyse to make improvements. We 

hope to hold the next event better and 

at an even bigger scale.” 

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NEW ZEALAND 7 

ChCh dairy owner to call it 

quits citing rising crime 

MAHESH KUMAR 

In the wake of last week’s tragic 

stabbing incident at the Sandringham 

dairy, where 34-year-old Janak Patel 

lost his life, the small business owners’ 

community has been shocked. 

The retail crime rate has been 

steadily increasing over the last 2-3 

years, but last week’s incident has 

brought it to a head. 

Mukesh Patel, the owner of a dairy in 

Christchurch, is one of many business 

owners who decided to quit and seek 

other employment. 

Patel has been operating the Bridge 

St dairy in South Brighton for almost 

20 years now and there has not been 

any incident in his store yet; he has 

made up his mind to quit the business 

by March 2023. 

Originally from Mumbai, Patel moved 

to New Zealand in the year 2000. 

“I have decided enough is enough. In 

January, I will put up the dairy for sale 

and I will leave in March, no matter what 

happens. I want to go back to India 

though I am still not certain about the 

plans.” 

“I’ve been exercising all possible 

caution. I shut down the store early 

at six o’clock. Fortunately, the 

neighbourhood is really safe, and the 

Mukesh Patel at his shop. 

community is fantastic. However, I have 

been observing what is happening with 

many other business owners I know, and 

I do feel uneasy.” 

Business owners in Christchurch have 

organised themselves in response to 

the rising incidents. Indian business 

owners have started a WhatsApp group 

to facilitate better communication. A 

massive protest has also been organised 

on Sunday to highlight the business 

community’s concerns. 

There have been quite a few friends 

of Patel’s who have shut down their 

businesses and moved to Australia 

recently. Many others want to quit the 

business but are forced to continue 

due to pressing financial reasons or 

lease restrictions. He has also asked his 

daughter and son-in-law to close their 

dairy business and look for a job or take 

up another profession. 

“I am grateful to the community around 

who has been very supportive and want 

me to stay. But this Government’s 

attitude towards business owners has 

frustrated me, and I have made my 

decision to quit.” 

“I wish the government will take a cue 

from other nations with strict legislation 

to combat such crimes. A soft approach 

has only encouraged more people to 

take up to crime. We always feared 

that given the current course of events, 

a tragic incident similar to the one in 

Sandringham would inevitably occur 

sooner rather than later. It is a very 

sad incident, and our heart goes out to 

Janak’s young family.” 

I also fear that if things continue the 

way you will soon have people being 

attacked inside their homes and nobody 

will be safe. 

After the Sandringham stabbing 

incident, the government has announced 

additional funding and payment of 

$4000 to every small shop and dairy 

wanting to install fog cannons. 

Commenting on the funding to address 

dairies safety concerns, Patel says these 

measures are just knee-jerk reactions 

and won’t have much impact on rising 

crime. 

Patel said the business community 

is a hard-working community that 

contributes significantly to the economy. 

“We do not deserve to be living in fear 

24x7 for the safety of our livelihood 

and our family. After the death of 

Janak Patel, hopefully the government 

will enact some strict legislation and 

strengthen the laws to make sure the 

loss is not in vain.” 

• Continued from Page 2 

Jeet Suchdev: The current situation is 

alarming. People are feeling so unsafe. 

Unless there is a change in law, nothing 

will happen. 

"We need to have stricter laws. 

Someone who has committed a crime 

should be treated as a criminal despite 

their age. The faith in government needs 

to be restored. 

Ghouse Majeed: If the offenders do not 

fear severe punishments, they will not 

stop committing these crimes. We had a 

clean record, and the global image of NZ 

is getting tarnished each day. There is a 

need to seriously look into loopholes in 

the law, so the offenders do not dare to 

do them again. 

Narinder Singla: People are not safe, 

and there is much frustration. People are 

demanding stricter laws. 

Change of the law is the need of the 

hour. More brutal punishment is needed 

despite the age. 

Anjali: The law should change as we 

are scared, which is not good. Everyone 

is concerned about safety in NZ, which is 

not good. Stricter laws are the need of 

the hour. Enough is enough Good to see 

the support. 

Chandrakant Bhai: What has happened 

is terrible. People need to be punished, 

and they need to be scared of 

reoffending. The problem is that these 

offenders know they can get away even 

after committing significant crimes. 

They need to change. 

Community members during the protest. 

Chandra Prakash Satija: I have been 

staying here for 26 years. This is the 

worst situation. 

The criminals have no fear, and what 

is scary as the laws are too soft. And it 

seems all human rights are for offenders. 

This Labour government needs to go. 

Jay: If the law and order situation 

doesn’t improve, we will ensure Labour 

doesn’t come to power in subsequent 

elections. She needs to understand the 

gravity of the problem. 

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 

MPLee@parliament.govt.nz 

melissalee.co.nz 

mpmelissalee 

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DO YOU WANT TO GROW IT BY FOCUSING ON 

THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT CUSTOMERS? 

TALK TO US. 

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advertising solution with 

Indian Weekender. 

Call at 022-3251630 

Email sales@indianweekender.co.nz 

Authorised by Melissa Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wellington.

8 

NEW ZEALAND 



‘We were asked whether the 

protest was really needed’: 

Community leaders 

Community leaders Narendra Bhana and Dhansukh Lal say that they were 

questioned subtly about the need to protest against the slaying of Janak Patel 


The untimely death of slain dairy 

worker Janak Patel has left 

the entire country, especially 

the broader migrant and business 

community, in shock and grief. 

The 34-year-old was tragically 

stabbed to death outside the Rose 

Cottage Dairy in Sandringham on last 

Wednesday (November 23), shortly 

after the superette was robbed. His 

funeral at Ann’s Funeral Home in 

Wiri on Sunday (November 27) saw 

thousands of people, including PM 

Jacinda Ardern, ministers Michael Wood 

and Priyanca Radhakrishnan, MPs Mark 

Mitchell, Melissa Lee and former MP 

Kanwaljit Bakshi. Former NZ First MP 

Mahesh Bindra, bidding a tearful final f 

arewell to him. 

On November 28, there was a 

nationwide protest outside Prime 

Minister Jacinda Ardern’s electoral 

offices at 658 New North Road, Mount 

Albert, Auckland, against the slaying 

of Janak Patel and for a firm, decisive 

action on perpetrators of ram raids, 

thefts and all violent crimes in the 

community, especially those directed at 

retail businesses. 

New Zealand Indian Central 

Association President Narendra Bhana 

was at the forefront of this protest, 

and other community leaders such 

as Dhansukh Lal, President of Auckland 

Indian Association and Dairy and 

Narendra Bhana 

Business Owners Group chairperson 

Sunny Kaushal. 

However, when speaking to Indian 

Weekender, Mr Bhana and Mr Lal 

acknowledged that there were 

indirect pressures questioning the 

need for the protest. 

Says Bhana, “There were indirect 

attempts, and we were asked if the 

protest was really needed or can’t it be 

avoided. However, the protest is needed 

to show and voice our concerns. The 

government need to wake up and wake 

up now. We don’t want any lip service, 

and the actions on the ground need to 

be there to stop this grave situation 

of threat that the business owners are 

Dhansukh Lal 

feeling now.” 

Adding to this, Lal says, “There were 

indirect and subtle pressures suggesting 

that some people in authority did not 

want the protest to occur. However, 

we feel that the protest is needed to 

wake up this government. It is not about 

just the safety of the Indian business 

community but of the wider business 

and migrant community. There needs to 

be dialogue, and the government needs 

to realise that enough is enough.” 

Bhana and Lal maintained that the 

government must be harsh on offenders 

and that actions are required on a 

priority basis before it is too late. 

Said Bhana, “We do not want more 

unfortunate deaths like that of Janak 

to happen in NZ. But it seems the 

government is waiting for more such 

events before realising the gravity 

of the situation. Jacinda Ardern 

needs to acknowledge how big the 

security problem has become and do 

something about it now. Government 

should introduce tougher punishment 

and imbibe fear in the offenders. The 

government also needs to listen to 

victims living in fear.” 

“Small business owners are 

very nervous and feel insure. 

Their families constantly 

worry about whether they 

will return from work. Is this 

the NZ we want? 

Says Lal, “Small business owners 

are very nervous and feel insure. Their 

families constantly worry about whether 

they will return from work. Is this the 

NZ we want? I have been here in NZ for 

34 years, and the law and situation were 

never so bad. I hope the government 

wakes up before it is too late.” 

DEV NADKARNI 

The eleventh edition of 

Old is Gold, perhaps the 

longest running Hindi film 

music show in New Zealand, 

took loyal listeners of this longrunning 

show down memory 

lane at Auckland’s Dorothy 

Winstone Centre last Saturday. 

Conceived and directed by 

Amit Sengupta, fondly known 

as Amit-da, the well-respected 

kaumatua of Hindi film music 

in this country, the eleventh 

edition of his signature concert 

lived up to the high standard 

it has set for itself these 

past years. 

Amit-da is an accomplished 

musician, singer, composer 

and teacher having taught 

dozens of singers who are now 

proficient performers in their 

own right in New Zealand and 

further afield. 

It comes as no surprise, 

therefore, that many of the 

lineup of singers at Saturday’s 

show counted among his 

Amit-da takes us down melody lane 

Guncha, Amit Sengupta and Arif at Old is Gold-11 last weekend 

grateful shagirds. 

The show began precisely at 

7pm (Amit-da is well-known 

as a stickler for punctuality 

and time management and 

has his proceedings time by 

the second, which is indeed 

commendable) with one of 

Auckland’s most promising 

female voices, Ankita Ghatani, 

singing the prayerful ‘Alla tero 

naam, Ishwar tero naam’, the 

soulful devotional immortalised 

by composer Jaidev for the 

yesteryear blockbuster ‘Hum 

Dono’. The original was sung by 

Lata Mangeshkar. 

That set the tone for the 

32-song repertoire sung by 

such accomplished singers as 

Guncha, Arif, Rachit, Pritha, 

Jayant, Jayesh, Ravie, Sasi, 

Aritra, Om, Kutu and Raj with 

several of them pairing up for 

diets and lend their voices to 

the choruses where required. 

The songs were all classics 

across genres from devotional 

to romance to qawwali and 

straddling an era of more than 

five decades. 

An interesting item presented 

from the iconic but commercially 

below par film Mera Naam Joker 

by theatre personality and 

restaurateur Jayesh Bateriwala 

had him sing and dance in a 

clown’s costume and make-up. 

It was announced as a surprise 

item without revealing the 

name of the singer and left to 

the audience to guess. 

The proceedings were 

peppered with sher-o-shayari 

by the competent Arif, who also 

sang solo and duets in his usual 

excellent voice and manner. 

The banter between the 

artistes and Amit-da as well 

as with compere Arif were 

entertaining and raised many a 

laugh from the audience. 

Auckland’s well-known and 

experienced accompanists 

provided the score: Among 

them were Hemant Thakar and 

Cloyd D’Mello on keys, Navneel 

Prasad on tabla and dholak, 

and Amit-da himself on the 

harmonium. 

As is his wont, during his 

Old is Gold concerts down the 

years, Amit-da announced 

donations to two organisations 

that work for the public weal 

– Starship Children’s Hospital 

and St John’s Ambulance. 

He presented the proceeds 

from part of his ticket sales 

and sponsorship collections 

as well as private donations 

to representatives of the two 

organisations on stage. 

The lovely melodies of Old is 

Gold-Eleven, were a fine way to 

ring the curtain down on the 

Hindi film music concert lineup 

of 2022.


NEW ZEALAND 9 

Indian-Kiwi couple prove love 

overcomes all boundaries 

MAHESH KUMAR 

river Narmada at Hoshangabad, Indian culture and its traditions. 

Madhya Pradesh. 

Also, a big shoutout to my inlaws, 

who have been extremely 

Love is a beautiful thing, 

It was a typical Indian 

and when it comes to love 

wedding following all the Hindu supportive. Whenever I needed 

across cultures, it can be 

rituals, with Lindquist coming any help or advice, they were 

even more beautiful. 

The story of an Indian woman 

and her Kiwi husband getting 

on a white decorated horse 

with the baraat. 

“It was amazing to see him 

always there. 

“Currently, we are in India 

and enjoying our stay. Ty’s 

married in their traditional 

follow all our traditions. We family joins us occasionally 

culture is heartwarming and 

a testament to the power of 

love without sacrificing one’s 

exchanged lotus varmalas, then 

did the seven pheras and got 

the family’s blessing. 

via social media, and we share 

our pictures and videos with 

them regularly.” 

identity or beliefs. 

"We also had lots of fun Lindquist says, “I always 

After getting married in a 

with elaborate Haldi, Mehendi, had an open mind and after 

western ceremony in NZ, Indian 

Mata Poojan and Sangeet meeting such a beautiful 

Aditi Raj Birole and her Kiwi 

ceremonies. My parents were woman, love overcame the 

husband Ty Bruce Lee Lindquist 

incredibly happy.” 

cultural boundaries. It has been 

have recently got married in a Aditi Raj Birole and her Kiwi husband Ty Bruce Lee Lindquist have recently got married in Were there any doubts a fascinating journey observing 

a traditional Indian ceremony. 

traditional Indian ceremony. 

about the relationship due and partaking the Indian 

Born and raised in Madhya tie the knot on 18 November “I always had an 

to their different cultures traditions. I have gained so 

Pradesh, India, Aditi finished her 2021, in a western-styled 

and backgrounds? 

many new experiences. 

open mind and after 

Master’s in Clinical Research and ceremony with a plan to visit 

Initially, we had doubts, “I am having a great time in 

followed it up with an MBA in India soon and follow it up with meeting such a 

but then we embraced our India. Aditi’s parents have been 

Clinical Research Management a traditional Indian wedding. beautiful woman, love differences and tried to spoiling and pampering me. 

in India before moving to Birole shares, “We chose 

overcame the cultural understand and learn from each They are such lovely and warm 

New Zealand to pursue Post to celebrate our union with 

other. He was amazing from the people,” Lindquist shares. 

Graduate Diploma in Business two ceremonies because we 

boundaries. It has 

beginning. He helped me get a Birole runs a marketing 

Enterprise at SIT, Invercargill. have tremendous love for our been a fascinating job and prepare for it. He took company and has worked as a 

An outgoing person, Birole respective cultures and respect journey observing and me sightseeing. We also cooked Radio Jockey in India with Radio 

met Lindquist at a party in the our customs. 

partaking the Indian 

a lot together. 

Mirchi and then with Southland 

university where he was studying "In our minds, having just 

"Over the years, we have Radio in Invercargill. Lindquist 

Automotive engineering. a single ceremony would not traditions. I have 

worked hard to understand is an Automotive engineer 

When Birole first arrived have been enough.” gained so many new each other’s perspectives. We besides being a qualified Chef. 

in NZ, she encountered Recalling the first ceremony, experiences. 

both are strong, compassionate The couple has been 

difficulties getting used to Birole says, “It was a beautiful 

individuals, and in many ways, exploring India and also looking 

the new country, its culture, ceremony with about 25 guests moment for me.” 

we complement each other. We for business opportunities. 

food, and language. 

that included his family and our The couple exchanged really value our companionship “We are really excited about 

Lindquist helped her adjust close friends. 

the rings and signed the and the foundation of it our future together,” Birole 

to the new life and as they got My family in India connected marriage certificate before is our mutual respect for concludes. 

to know each another better, virtually. I remember it was a marriage celebrant. each other’s culture.” 

they began to explore different 7am in India and they were Exactly one year after the Birole says, “Our cultures have 

aspects of their own cultures all glued to the webcam ceremony, on 18 November enriched us. We have learned 

and developed a liking for wearing fancy Indian outfits 2022, the couple tied the so many things about living by 

each other. After a courtship of and smiling broadly. It was knot again in India with Birole’s just observing each other. My 

six years, the couple decided to a happy and unforgettable family and friends near the holy husband has become a big fan of 

Falling house prices: Wellington leads with 

15.9 percent drop in November – CoreLogic 

RNZ 

House values continued 

to fall last month but 

at a slower pace, with 

Wellington leading the decline. 

CoreLogic’s House Price Index 

(HPI) showed a 0.6 percent 

drop in November, which was 

less than half the 1.3 percent 

drop in October. 

However, the drop in values 

was mixed in the major centres, 

with Christchurch still growing 

at an annual rate of 4.9 percent, 

while Wellington fell 15.9 

percent, with more significant 

drops in Porirua, Lower Hutt 

and Upper Hutt. 

“Wellington continues to 

be at the epicentre of the 

downturn,” CoreLogic head of 

research Nick Goodall said, with 

affordability the main reason 

for the correction. 

Dunedin also fared better 

than most of the pack 

with a minor 0.3 percent 

increase in value. 

Auckland’s value drops were 

also moderate, but Goodall said 

there was a need for caution as 

many of November’s sales took 

place prior to the market being 

hit by the most recent round 

of pessimism and continuing 

interest rate hikes. 

Housing affordability would 

continue to be a concern 

heading into 2023, he said. 

“Falling house values are 

starting to improve many of 

the measures we track, but 

persistently increasing interest 

rates is impacting mortgage 

serviceability. 

“The latest data reports 

an average 50 percent of 

income is required to service a 

mortgage with 80 percent loanto-value 

ratio for the average 

dwelling value,” he said, adding 

mortgage interest rates were 

likely to rise to 8 percent from 

next year. 

The difference between the 

New Zealand’s central bank 

tough stance and the Reserve 

Bank of Australia wait-andsee 

approach was intriguing, 

Goodall said. 

“The RBNZ will be wary of this 

too but appear comfortable in 

the knowledge they can always 

reduce the OCR in the future 

to stimulate the economy and 

borrowing if required.” 

‘Scary’ for some 

The number of houses being 

listed for sale has crashed by 

26 percent compared with 

the same period last year as 

property prices fall. 

While the drop in listings 

might be considered “scary” by 

some, it should be remembered 

listings had risen sharply as 

the Auckland lockdown came 

to an end last November, 

Vanessa Williams from 

realestate.co.nz said. 

The national average asking 

price is now below $900,000, 

which is down nine percent 

since last January. 

Williams told Morning 

Report nobody had predicted 

the “hot market” during the 

pandemic years 2020-2021 

and the latest figures could be 

regarded as “a correction to 

the intense growth rate”. 

For two years regions 

had seen prices go 25 to 

30 percent higher which 

was not sustainable. 

The nine percent drop in 

prices since January was a 

cooling of the inflated Covid-19 

times, Williams said. 

Earlier this week ANZ 

predicted prices would fall 

by 22 percent with the 

market around halfway 

through the fall cycle. 

“We just don’t know what 

levers the government or the 

Reserve Bank are going to pull 

but should things stay as they 

are we will probably continue 

to see that cooling of prices,” 

Williams said.

10 

NEW ZEALAND 

Thousands 

gather to 

farewell 

Janak Patel 



DEV NADKARNI 

Thousands converged on a 

funeral home in South Auckland 

to farewell slain dairy worker 

Janak Patel on this wet and gloomy 

Sunday afternoon. 

The 34-year-old, recently married 

Patel was tragically stabbed to death 

outside the Rose Cottage Dairy in 

Sandringham on Wednesday shortly 

after the superette was robbed. 

People began gathering at Ann’s 

Funeral Home in Wiri as early as 2pm 

for the funeral that was scheduled 

to start at 5pm. The venue’s car park 

was full, and vehicles spilled on to the 

neighbouring roads well before the 

funeral got underway. 

The cortege arrived shortly after 4:30 

pm and proceedings began before the 

scheduled time. 

As family and friends brought Janak 

into the hall amidst Hindu chants, 

the atmosphere was emotional with 

sobbing family members clinging 

to the coffin, sobbing. 

With all seats in the hall long taken, 

mourners spilled out beyond the foyer 

into the parking lot, braving the rain. 

The public ceremony began shortly 

thereafter and was conducted with 

utmost dignity and grace. 

Only four speakers addressed 

the gathered thousands. Family 

representative Mitesh served as MC 

and read out the eulogy describing 

Janak’s life. He profusely thanked both 

community leaders and the community 

at large for their continuous support to 

the bereaved family. 

Family members Kirit (speaking in 

Gujarati) and Pooja were followed by 

US court ban on NZ fish exports receives mixed reaction 


AUnited States court has 

ordered an immediate 

ban on New Zealand 

exports of several species of 

fish which have been caught 

in the Māui dolphin habitat 

along the West Coast of the 

North Island to help protect the 

critically endangered species. 

The injunction handed down 

by the United States Court of 

International Trade applies to 

nine species from the West 

Coast North Island inshore 

trawl and set net fisheries, 

including snapper, tarakihi and 

spotted dogfish. The ban is 

on exports from the inshore 

trawl fishery and inshore gillnet 

fishery off the west coast of 

the North Island. 

People from the community gathered in huge numbers at the funeral of Late Janak Patel. 

India’s Honorary Consul in Auckland Bhav 

Dhillon delivering a vote of thanks on 

behalf of the family. 

There was not a hint of rancour in 

any of the speeches following what 

had happened despite the widespread 

outpouring of anger from all sections 

of the community expressed 

publicly, on social media and in 

conversations all weekend. 

Politicians kept at bay 

However, the family’s decision to 

disallow any politicians to address the 

gathering, as was announced at the 

very outset by MC Mitesh, was strongly 

indicative of the collective anger of the 

community toward politicians of all hues. 

Politicians present included Prime 

Minister Jacinda Ardern, Labour ministers 

Michael Wood and Priyanca Radhakrishnan. 

National was represented by MPs Mark 

Mitchell, Melissa Lee and former MP 

Kanwaljit Bakshi. Former NZ First MP 

Mahesh Bindra was also present. The 

only mention they received was in the 

This development came after 

the non-profit marine wildlife 

conservation organisation 

Sea Shepherd NZ filed legal 

proceedings in the court in 

Manhattan to ban the trade 

to protect endangered Māui 

dolphin habitats under the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act. 

The ban will remain in place 

until the US finds NZ’s fishery 

regulations are comparable with 

American standards or until the 

court case is resolved. 


different organisations to know 

their take on this development 

and how it would impact the NZ 

fisheries industry. 

James Brown, Manager 

International 

Fisheries 

Management, Ministry for 

Primary Industries (MPI) 

“We are working through the 

decision, but understand there 

will be a hearing next month to 

vote of thanks. 

NZ Police Detective Inspector Scott 

Beard, who has been fronting the 

media with updates since the slaying 

was also present. 

After the speeches and priest Acharya 

Ajay Trivedi’s recitations from ancient 

Hindu texts and words of consolation 

the family paid floral tributes to 

the departed soul followed by the 

politicians and community leaders. 

Nearly every community leader was 

present representing their respective 

associations. Among them were Jeet 

Suchdev, Prithipal Singh, Sunny Kaushal, 

Narendra Bhana, Dhansukh Lal, Kalyanrao 

Kasuganti and many others. 

The politicians present made a beeline 

for the grieving family after paying their 

respects to Janak and huddled over 

them by turns for a while. 

Nationwide protest announced 

As the continuous stream of mourners 

continued to pay their respects, New 

Zealand Indiand Central Association 

hear further arguments. 

“The US government is the 

defendant in the matter, and 

NZ will provide information and 

support where required. 

“New Zealand has put in 

place comprehensive measures 

to protect Maui dolphins 

based on the best available 

scientific information and 

extensive consultation with 

New Zealanders. 

“In the meantime, we will 

work with exporters to identify 

and divert potentially affected 

products. Because of the 

extensive restrictions NZ has 

already put in place to protect 

Maui dolphins, particularly on 

the West Coast of the North 

Island, we anticipate the 

temporary stop to trade will 

affect a relatively small portion 

President Narendra Bhana announced 

the nationwide protest against the 

slaying of Janak Patel and for firm, 

decisive action on perpetrators of ram 

raids, thefts and all violent crime in the 

community, especially those directed at 

retail businesses. 

The protest will take place outside 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s electoral 

offices at 658, New North Road, Mount 

Albert, Auckland between 12:30 

and 2:30 pm tomorrow (Monday 28 

November). 

Supporters from other cities are 

encouraged to gather in front of their 

local Labour MP’s office. For those small 

Businesses owners unable to join the 

protest are encouraged to close their 

doors between 12:30pm and 2:30pm 

and stand in front of their businesses 

with posters that are being provided 

as PDFs to be printed. The printable 

poster has been widely circulated 

on social media. 

The Kiwi-Indian community has been 

congregating in the Sandringham 

neighbourhood, rallying around the 

grieving family, maintaining vigils outside 

the premises almost continuously since 

the unfortunate incident and has held a 

succession of meetings. 

“This is not just a win for Maui 

and the marine mammals of 

Aotearoa. It is also a win for 

independent science.Maui is 

the rarest marine dolphin in 

the world, and they deserve our 

care and protection. Industrial 

trawling in their habitat 

shouldn’t be an option.” 

- Michael Lawry, Managing 

Director, Sea Shepherd NZ 

of overall fisheries trade to the 

United States – less than $2 

million per year.” 

• Continued on Page 11

Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, 25 November, 2022 

FIJI 11 

Workshop on boosting India- 

NZ trade ties held in Wellington 

VENU MENON 

Indian High Commissioner 

Neeta Bhushan hailed the 

recent visit to New Zealand 

by Indian External Affairs 

Minister S. Jaishankar as a 

signal that the two countries 

were “poised for massive 

growth in the coming 

months and years.” 

She was addressing 

participants at a wellattended 

workshop, 

themed India 

Unplugged: Export– 

Import Pathways, 

conducted by the India 

New Zealand Business Council 

(INZBC) at the Indian High 

Commission in Wellington on 

November 25. 

The initiative was 

spearheaded by Second 

Secretary (Political and 

Commercial Representative) 

Manoj Kumar Sahu on behalf 

of the Indian High Commission, 

Wellington. 

High Commissioner Bhushan 

noted there was “political 

direction” coming from New 

Delhi to strengthen ties 

between the two countries, 

with their respective defence 

ministers engaging to discuss 

maritime cooperation on the 

sidelines of a multilateral 

meeting in Cambodia recently, 

which followed on the heels of 

the Indian Naval Chief’s visit to 

NZ and the signing of a White 

Shipping Agreement. 

The high commissioner 

projected India as one of 

the fastest-growing large 

economies, with a growth 

trajectory of around 7.12 per 

cent for the next few years. 

India offered stability when 

other parts of the world 

faced economic and political 

uncertainty, she noted. 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi, who prioritised ease of 

“Please 

look at 

India with a longterm 

perspective,” 

she advised potential 

investors, urging them 

to visit India. “Building 

relationships and trust 

is important.” 

doing business, 

had instructed 

Indian high 

commissions around 

the world to cut red tape 

and simplify procedures and 

processes to attract investors, 

the high commissioner told 

the assembly. She identified 

the sprawling Indian middle 

class with its high disposable 

income as a growing market for 

investors from outside. 

“Please look at India with a 

longterm perspective,” she 

advised potential investors, 

urging them to visit India. 

“Building relationships and 

trust is important.” 

The high commissioner 

offered the services of key 

enablers such as the Federation 

of Indian Chambers of 

Commerce and Industry (FICCI) 

, Confederation of Indian 

Industry (CII) and Invest India 

to assist investors. 

“Come to India with a spirit 

of collaboration,” the high 

commissioner urged investors, 

with special reference to NZ’s 

specialized sectors, such as 

agriculture and forestry, which 

she said could complement 

Indian partners to find solutions 

for perennial problems such as 

“stubble- burning in Delhi,” a 

major cause of pollution in the 

Indian capital. 

Patrick Kouwenhoven, 

head of Infosys NZ, picked 

Indian High Commissioner Neeta Bhushan during a INZBC workshop in Wellington last week. 

up the thread from the high 

commissioner’s speech and 

eyed India as a prime target for 

tech exports. 

He said India was poised 

to become the world’s most 

populous country in two years’ 

time. 

India was also “younger” than 

China, with an average age of 

28.4 years (10 years younger 

than China). 

The Infosys NZ head made 

the striking projection that tech 

exports from NZ would surpass 

dairy exports by 2027. 

Hayden Douglas of the Bank 

of New Zealand (BNZ) dwelt 

on the “supply chain pain” 

experienced by businesses 

during the pandemic in the areas 

of procurement, manufacture 

and sale of products, both 

offshore and in NZ. 

Lead times for procurement 

and shipping were extended 

during this period, typically from 

1-3 months to 6-12 months, 

and beyond. This had a major 

impact on businesses’ working 

capital. As a result, businesses 

were “ordering significantly 

higher levels of stock,” which 

caused a severe drain on cash, 

since it was all tied up in stock. 

Add to that the rise in prices, 

which in turn affected business 

growth. 

“This was a perfect storm 

for businesses,” he said. As 

a solution, BNZ continued 

to provide trade finance to 

struggling businesses. 

Up next was Thomas Cheng 

of New Zealand Export Credit 

(NZEC), which was part of the 

Treasury, whose role was to 

work with exporters, banks 

and other agencies to help NZ 

exporters grow and manage risk 

internationally. Cheng described 

the products offered by NZEC 

to exporters, which included 

Insurance and guarantees. 

Cheng listed the exports 

to India supported by NZEC, 

which included sectors such 

as agriculture and forestry, 

manufacturing, food and 

beverage and textiles. 

This was followed by questions 

from the audience, which 

were mostly directed at the 

high commissioner. Typically, 

the questions centred around 

the bureaucratic hurdles and 

delays faced by businesses who 

engaged with the Government 

of India. 

In response to a question 

on the need to verify the 

credentials of vendors based in 

India, INZBC Secretary Garry 

Gupta said: “There are some 

private verification firms in India 

which do these kinds of checks, 

at cost… Also, chambers like CII 

and FICCI provide background 

checks.” He said INZBC, despite 

its limited resources, could also 

be emailed for help. 

On a somewhat offbeat 

but relevant note, Intellectual 

Property Rights lawyer 

Peter Dengate Thrush raised 

awareness on the need for 

businesses to understand the 

value of intangible assets such 

as IP, citing some illustrious 

examples of companies with 

high IP value, such as Coca 

Cola, Microsoft, Apple, Rolls 

Royce and others. 

Stressing the role of the 

Indian diaspora, Indian High 

Commission Second Secretary 

Durga Dass highlighted the 

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas annual 

convention organised by 

the Government of India to 

mark the contribution of the 

overseas Indian community. He 

informed the gathering that the 

next two-day convention was 

to be held from 8 January 2023 

in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The 

theme is: “Diaspora- Reliable 

Partners for India’s Progress in 

Amrit Kaal.” 

He invited the NZ diaspora 

to visit India to attend the 

forthcoming event. 

Rachael Kerr of New Zealand 

Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) 

explained the agency’s role in 

helping NZ businesses move 

their goods and services 

around the world. The agency 

helped businesses “grow 

their capability and improve 

their global reach, invest in 

growth and connect to other 

businesses.” 

INZBC Christchurch chapter 

head Sandeep Sharma 

summarised the presentations 

made at the session, which 

ended with the speakers 

receiving token presents 

from High Commissioner 

Neeta Bhushan. 

US court ban on NZ fish exports receives mixed reaction 

• Continued from Page 10 

Michael Lawry, Managing 

Director, Sea Shepherd 

New Zealand 

“This is not just a win for 

Maui and the marine mammals 

of Aotearoa. It is also a win 

for independent science. Maui 

is the rarest marine dolphin in 

the world, and they deserve our 

care and protection. Industrial 

trawling in their habitat 

shouldn’t be an option.” 

Dr Jeremy Helson, Chief 

Executive, Seafood NZ 

“While this is concerning, it 

is a procedural matter related 

to the expiry date of the 

existing National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA) advice on the risk to 

the dolphins and has no bearing 

on anything substantive in 

the case brought against the 

export of fish from NZ’s Maui 

dolphin habitat into the US by 

Sea Shepherd NZ et al. Any 

assertion that this ruling in any 

way is a criticism of the Ministry 

for Primary Industries risk 

management decisions around 

Maui dolphins is not reflected in 

the court documents. The court 

has yet to issue its ruling on the 

substantive issues of the case. 

“NZ fishing has been excluded 

from Maui dolphin territory, 

fishing methods have been 

banned, and monitoring by 

cameras is on most vessels 

operating in this area. The review 

of the camera monitoring of 

some 4,000 trawl events over 

the past two years has seen 

no Maui or Hector’s dolphins 

at all, let alone any captures. 

No Maui dolphin has died due 

to commercial fishing since 

2003, and toxoplasmosis, not 

fishing, has been named by the 

Department of Conservation 

as a significant threat to this 

species. Any impact on fish 

exports to the US with this 

ruling is yet to be assessed.” 

Ellie Hooper, Greenpeace 

Aotearoa oceans campaigner 

“After years of recklessly 

endangering a rare indigenous 

dolphin, the NZ fishing industry 

will pay the price. 

“This win by Sea Shepherd 

is damning for NZ’s fishing 

industry and an indictment on 

the NZ government for not 

taking more decisive action to 

protect the Māui dolphin. 

“We need to see more action 

by the Labour government to 

curtail the harm done by the 

fishing industry, from pushing 

Māui dolphins to extinction 

to destroying ancient coral 

habitats on seamounts 

with bottom trawling nets. 

“The ban could cost NZ’s 

fishing industry up to $200m, 

but it’s nothing compared 

to the price paid by this 

tiny dolphin species found 

only in Aotearoa and the 

reputational damage that may 

be done to NZ”.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

Geopolitics ultimately comes down to partners and 

choices. For India, who gives access; who provides 

markets and who collaborates are the key criteria. 

- Indian External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar 

Editorial 

Fog cannons and 

boot camps fall 

short of enacting 

tougher laws 

A 

week after the killing of a worker in the course of a burglary at a 

convenience store in Auckland, the government is scrambling to 

put together a coherent crime prevention policy to salvage its 

waning credibility in the public eye. 

But offering subsidies to small businesses to purchase security 

apparatus to better protect themselves in the event of a burglary cannot 

be dressed up to look like a policy decision. 

That appears to be the case in the Labour government’s announcement 

of November 29 granting dairy owners a subsidy of $ 4000 to buy fog 

cannons for their stores to ward off would-be thieves. 

That move speaks more to the absence of effective measures in the 

crime prevention arsenal of law enforcement agencies than to actually 

thwarting crime. 

Janak Patel, the fatality in last week’s Sandringham dairy robbery, has 

emerged as a grim totem for interest groups to hold aloft and rally 

around. 

With an election year looming and a by-election under way, the 

snowballing issue is forcing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her party 

to get their optics right, with Ardern attending the victim’s funeral even 

as small businesses began mobilising on the streets to converge at a 

planned rally at Aotea Square in Central Auckland on December 4. 

Yet, rampant youth crime and the perception of impunity for 

offenders notwithstanding, Ardern looked more wronged than wrong 

while complaining to media that some protestors were claiming the 

government was “preferencing the criminal.” 

But harsher penalties for retail crime lies at the heart of the protests by 

angry business owners up and down the country, which neither Labour’s 

augmented crime prevention fund nor National’s proposed boot camp 

for youth offenders, answers. 

The government is prioritising rehabilitation over punishment and is 

committed to providing wraparound support to young offenders aimed 

at weaning them away from a life of crime. 

But this laudable approach is also long drawn and evolutionary in terms 

of results. Victims of retail crime want to be able to run their businesses 

safely and are looking to the government for crime deterrence here and 

now. 

They see harsh punishment as an effective deterrent to youth crime. 

But harsher penalties would require a change in the laws protecting 

youth offenders from harsher prosecution, which is a question New 

Zealand lawmakers like to approach with kid gloves. 

A uniform code of compliance with existing laws binds parties across 

the political spectrum in an unspoken pact on the floor of Parliament, 

which guarantees protection from incarceration to underaged offenders 

for the foreseeable future. 

This means the Labour government can at most make cosmetic rule 

changes, such as raising the funding for crime prevention or reviewing 

laws to allow police to chase offenders fleeing in cars, while opposition 

National must be content with rehashing tired old policies. 

But for small business owners protesting under the slogan of harsher 

punishment for youth offenders, their goal remains just that – a slogan. 

IN FOCUS : Picture of the week 

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held the 4th India-France 

annual defence dialogue with Minister of Armed Forces of the 

French Republic Sebastien Lecornu in New Delhi on Monday 

(November 28). 

This week in New Zealand’s history 

December 1 1898 

First movie shot in New Zealand 

The first motion pictures known to have been taken in New Zealand were made by 

photographer W.H. Bartlett for the entrepreneur Alfred Whitehouse, who in 1895 

had imported the colony’s first ‘kinetoscope’. 


First Bishop of Aotearoa consecrated 

Frederick Bennett, who had a Ngāti Whakaue mother and an Irish father, 

was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1897. He spent 13 years as superintendent 

of the Māori mission in Rotorua before moving to Hastings for mission work in 

Hawke’s Bay. 


Land confiscation law passed 

The New Zealand Settlements Act enabled the confiscation (raupatu) of land from 

Māori tribes deemed to have ‘engaged in open rebellion against Her Majesty’s 

authority’. Pākehā settlers would occupy the confiscated land. 


First female ascent of Aoraki/Mt Cook 

Freda du Faur was the first female to complete the ascent of Aoraki/Mt Cook. 


Bluff Island Harbour opened 

The 40-ha man-made Island Harbour, eight years in the making, is the centrepiece 

of the modern port facilities at Bluff, New Zealand’s southernmost commercial 

deepwater port. 


First ‘one man one vote’ election 

New Zealand’s electoral law had been changed so that no one could vote in more 

than one general electoral district. This ended the long-standing practice of 

‘plural voting’ by those who owned property in more than one electorate. 

Indian Weekender : Volume 14 Issue 37 

Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited 

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

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Accounts and Admin.: 09-2173623 | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz 

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

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

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

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

the views of the team at the Indian Weekender 

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NEW ZEALAND 13 

Polio All Transit Day observed 

IWK BUREAU 

Rotarians around Auckland 

took part in a Polio All 

Transit Day, which raises 

awareness for the End Polio 

Now Campaign. 

This is the third year that 

Rotarians have flooded the 

Auckland city rail and ferry 

network with a sea of red polio 

shirts. The day was observed 

on Friday November 11 

Deputy Mayor Desley 

Simpson and Act Deputy 

Leader Brook van Valden sent 

the Rotarian riders off from 

the Britomart Station at 8am, 

where they welcomed more 

Rotarian riders as their journey 

along the network continued. 

Camaraderie and networking 

with a purpose came together 

with contagious energy as the 

riders met old and new friends 

along the way. 

Members of the public 

were intrigued, interested to 

learn more from our riders 

and often inspired to donate 

along the way. 

“We are grateful to all 

who joined in the fun with a 

special mention to the team 

of 10 who rode the trains for 

a full eight-and-a-half hours,” 

said an organiser. 

The End Polio Now campaign 

Record OCR rate hike can risk forced stagflation 

RAHUL SEN 

New Zealand’s central 

bank raised interest 

rates by a record 75 

basis points to 4.25% yesterday 

and further tightening is 

expected with a forecast for 

the OCR peaking at 5.5% in the 

third quarter of 2023, up from 

a previous peak of 4.1%. 

This record hike was deemed 

necessary to bring inflation 

back to its expected target 

within 1-3% over the medium 

to longer term, at the risk 

of contracting the economy 

for nearly four quarters 

starting Q2 2023. 

The key argument put 

forward for this decision is 

that this is a response to rising 

inflation expectations globally 

and across all OECD countries, 

and that NZ is not an exception 

to this headwind. 

It is however noted in a recent 

Bloomberg article that the 

RBNZ approach contrasts with 

that of the Australian central 

bank’s move to quarter-point 

hikes in October from halfpoint 

as well as a lower hike 

by Canada last month, citing 

the impact of higher borrowing 

costs on households. 

Cleary, the aggressive 

monetary policy stance of 

RBNZ aimed at stemming down 

inflation towards its target band 

by 2025, could untowardly 

force a stagflation scenario for 

the New Zealand economy in 

the short to medium term next 

Rotarians around Auckland took part in a Polio All Transit Day. 

started in 1988 when there were 

350,000 polio cases reported 

around the world. Today, 34 

years on, the Wild Polio virus 

is only found in two countries; 

Pakistan and Afghanistan, with 

a combined total of 41 cases to 

date in 2022. 

Every dollar donated through 

Rotary Clubs/Rotarians/ 

members of the public attracts 

$2 from the Bill and Melinda 

Gates Foundation. 

Every year The Rotary 

Foundation has a goal of 

$50 million USD and when we 

year. Stagflation refers to a 

macroeconomic scenario where 

the economy is experiencing a 

slowdown in growth, combined 

with high inflation and high 

unemployment. 

While the first two conditions 

already exist in the NZ economy, 

we are still at a reasonably 

low level of unemployment, 

thus allowing macroeconomic 

policy making to control price 

stability at the cost of an 

impending recession. 

The risk however is that with 

the forecasted recession in 

2023, unemployment would 

grow, and if headline inflation 

continues to rise, this could 

create a perfect environment 

for stagflation. 

This could particularly be 

expected if supply side inflation 

from the twin shocks of 

COVID-19 and the Ukraine war 

continue to hammer the global 

economy, making it harder to 

control domestic inflation. 

Recent news about growing 

COVID cases in China, our 

largest trading partner with 

attain this amount the Gates 

Foundation match it with 

another $1 million USD. 

This $150 million USD then 

with the assistance of our 

partner UNICEF assists with 

the vaccinating of 450,000 

children every year. 

As the Covid pandemic 

recedes, everyone is more 

aware of how quickly a 

pandemic can spread. 

The last polio pandemic 

was in the 1950s and those 

of us who are old enough to 

remember will recall that back 

whom we have the biggest 

supply chain links through 

trade, is clearly pointing out to 

such an eventuality. 

While continued rise in 

OCR is expected to tame 

our non-tradable inflation 

through reduced aggregate 

demand, rising supply 

side tradable inflation will 

unlikely be impacted. 

Why should stagflation be 

avoided at all costs? Standard 

short-term macroeconomic 

policy making allows a tradeoff 

between lower inflation, 

higher growth and lower 

unemployment, but that does 

not work when all three moves 

in the opposite direction at the 

same time. 

The best cure to avoid such 

a scenario is productivity 

increase that allows growth 

without additional inflation. 

In the NZ context, this is 

easier said than done with 

exacerbating skills shortages 

and impending job losses 

in critical industries that 

contribute to human capital, 

then schools were closed, and 

people encouraged to stay 

home to avoid contact. 

A polio outbreak is only a 

flight away. 

Since 1985, Rotary’s key 

humanitarian priority has been 

to rid world of polio 

Rotary spearheaded the 

campaign at a time when there 

were over 1,000 polio cases a 

day in 125 countries, paralysing 

and even killing children. 

Today, the number of cases is 

down by 99.9%. 

Over the past 35 years, 

Rotary members, working with 

communities around the world, 

have contributed more than 

US$2.1 billion and countless 

volunteer hours to the fight to 

end polio. 

Inspired in part by Rotary’s 

volunteer commitment and 

fundraising success, the Global 

Polio Eradication Initiative 

(GPEI) was launched in 1988. 

This remarkable partnership 

which includes Rotary, World 

Health Organization, UNICEF, 

the US Center for Disease 

Control & Prevention and, more 

recently, the Bill & Melinda 

Gates Foundation and GAVI 

the Vaccine Alliance. These 

organisations work alongside 

governments of the world to 

end polio. 

such as tertiary education. 

With falling real incomes and 

rising borrowing costs due to 

the continued expected OCR 

hike, the pain will unfortunately 

be disproportionately felt 

Mortgages: 

• Home loans 

• Commercial Property loans 

• Business Loans 

• Top up & Debt consolidation 

• Re-Finance and Refixing 

• Investment Property loans 

• Restructuring of loan 

• Construction & Renovation 

Nimish Parikh 

Registered Financial Financial Advice Provider Adviser 

M. 021 236 7070 

nimish@saffronfinance.co.nz 

Because of the efforts of 

Rotary and our partners, nearly 

19 million people who would 

otherwise have been paralysed 

are walking, and more than 1.5 

million people are alive who 

would otherwise have died. 

Despite there only being a 

handful of cases left in the 

world, continued campaigning, 

health worker training and 

vaccination programmes are 

essential to stop the disease 

returning and ensuring the 

world is certified polio-free. 

Over 400 million children 

still have to receive their 

polio vaccinations by the 

GPEI partners multiple times 

every single year in more 

than 50 countries. 

Rotary members continue 

to be key players in many 

aspects of the polio programme 

including on the ground in a 

number of countries as well as 

fundraising and advocacy. 

Failure to eradicate polio 

could result in as many as 

200,000 new cases worldwide 

every year within a decade. 

To date there are only two 

countries endemic with polio 

and they are Afghanistan and 

Pakistan with 22 reported cases 

of Wild Polio. From 350,000 

in 1988 when the programme 

started to 22 in 2022. 

by lower to middle income 

households. 

Dr Rahul Sen is the Senior 

Lecturer, School of Economics 

at AUT. The views expressed in 

this article are his own. 

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14 

INDIA 

India and France hold 

talks on deepening 

bilateral military ties 

India and France discussed 

ways to deepen their 

bilateral military ties with 

a focus on defence industrial 

cooperation pivoting on the 

Make in India initiative, increasing 

the scope and complexity 

of exercises between their 

armed forces, and boosting 

maritime cooperation in the 

Indo-Pacific, officials familiar 

with the matter said 

The 4th India-France Annual 

Defence Dialogue between 

defence minister Rajnath Singh 

and his French counterpart 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh receives French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien 

Sebastien Lecornu was held. Lecornu prior to inspecting the Guard of Honour, at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, in New Delhi, 

A wide range of bilateral, India, on Monday, November 28, 2022. 

regional, defence and defenceindustrial 

cooperation issues 

France has been increasingly “Future collaborations 

looking at strengthening its and potential co-production 

were discussed, and the 

strategic partnerships in the opportunities were discussed. 

ministers reviewed the ongoing 

Indo-Pacific region — the The ministers agreed that the 

military-to-military cooperation 

country is present in the region technical groups from both 

which has gone up substantially 

through its overseas territories, countries should meet early 

in the recent years, the defence 

and 93% of its exclusive next year and take the key 

ministry said in a statement. 

economic zone is located in the cooperation issues forward,” 

“Had warm and fruitful 

Indian and Pacific Oceans. the statement said. 

discussions with the Defence 

“The ministers recognised Increasing military-to-military 

Minister of France, Mr Sebastien 

their convergence on a number cooperation by expanding the 

Lecornu during the fourth Indiaof 

strategic and defence issues scope of bilateral exercises also 

France Annual Defence Dialogue 

and shared the commitment to came up during the dialogue. 

in New Delhi today. A wide 

work together on enhancing In April 2021, the navies of 

range of bilateral, regional & 

cooperation in bilateral, the Quad grouping —India, 

defence industrial cooperation 

regional and multilateral fora, the United States, Japan and 

issues were discussed during 

with a focus on the Indo-Pacific Australia — conducted complex 

the dialogue,” Singh wrote 

region,” the ministry said. maritime drills in the eastern 

on Twitter. Strengthening 

Another key area discussed Indian Ocean Region as part of 

maritime cooperation was 

was defence industrial French Navy-led exercise called 

one of the main points on the 

cooperation with a focus “La Pérouse” for the first time. 

agenda, the officials said. 

on the government’s Make The ministers agreed to 

The Indo-Pacific region is of 

in India initiative aimed at strengthen defence cooperation 

significance to both India and 

strengthening the country’s in all areas “crucial for strategic 

France who have made repeated 

defence manufacturing sector, autonomy and tackling our 

calls for a free, open and rulesbased 

order in the region amid 

cutting down import of military common challenges,” Emmanuel 

hardware, and tapping arms Lenain, the French ambassador 

China’s assertive behaviour in 

export opportunities globally. to India, said on Twitter. 

the disputed South China sea. 



India, Australia to conduct joint army exercise in Rajasthan 

The armies of India and 

Australia are set to 

conduct Austra Hind 

22, a training exercise, at the 

Mahajan field firing ranges in 

Rajasthan beginning today 

till December 11, with the 

drills helping the two sides to 

deepen their interoperability 

and also strengthen the 

bilateral 

relationship, 

the army said. 

“This is the first exercise 

in the series of Austra Hind 

(drills) with participation of all 

arms and services contingent 

from both armies,” an army 

spokesperson said on the eve 

of the drills. 

The drills coincide with an 

ongoing bilateral army exercise, 

Yudh Abhyas, between the 

Indian and US armies in 

Uttarakhand, which also aims 

to boost interoperability. 

The aim of Austra Hind 22 

is to build positive military 

relations, imbibe each other’s 

The aim of Austra Hind 22 is to build 

positive military relations, imbibe each 

other’s best practices. 

best practices, and promote 

the ability to operate together 

while undertaking operations 

in the semi-desert terrain 

under a UN peace enforcement 

mandate, he said. 

“This joint exercise will 

enable the two armies to 

share best practices in tactics, 

techniques and procedures for 

conducting tactical operations 

at company and platoon level 

“This joint exercise will 

enable the two armies to 

share best practices in 

tactics, techniques and 

procedures for conducting 

tactical operations at 

company and platoon level 

for neutralising hostile 

threats. Training on new 

generation equipment and 

specialist weapons is also 

planned.” 

for neutralising hostile threats. 

Training on new generation 

Gujarat election: PM 

Modi looms large in 

state polls 

The western Indian state of 

Gujarat is set to choose 

its next government in a 

two-phase election that begins 

on Thursday. 

Pre-poll surveys have 

predicted that Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi's Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP) will win a 

majority of the 182 seats in 

the state for a record seventh 

time in a row, defeating the 

main opposition Congress party 

and new entrant Aam Aadmi 

Party (AAP). Results will be 

announced on 8 December. 

Analysts say that the biggest 

factor in favour of the BJP is Mr 

Modi's appeal among voters. 

"It is [Mr Modi's] iconic, 

larger-than-life Hindu hriday 

samrat (the king of the Hindu 

heart) image which draws 

all the votes," says political 

scientist Ghanshyam Shah. 

Gujarat has a close 

connection with India's current 

prime minister: Mr Modi was 

chief minister of the state for 

12 years since 2002 and it was 

here that he polished his brand 

of strident Hindu nationalism, 

established his paradigm of 

development and his version 

of governance that is visible in 

several national policies. 

It isn't surprising, then, that 

Mr Modi is the face of the BJP's 

election campaign in the state. 

"You remove him and it all 

goes crashing like a pack of 

cards," says Achyut Yagnik, a 

political analyst. 

Gujarat's chief minister 

Bhupendra Patel - the state's 

third since Mr Modi stepped 

down to become India's prime 

minister in 2014 - asks for 

votes in Mr Modi's name, as do 

other BJP candidates. 

A 4 November survey by 

equipment and specialist 

weapons is also planned.” 

Casualty management, 

casualty evacuation and joint 

logistics planning also fall 

under the ambit of the drills. 

The Australian contingent 

includes soldiers from the 13th 

Brigade of the 2nd Division, 

while the Indian contingent 

includes troops from 

the Dogra Regiment. 

“During the exercise, 

participants will engage in 

a variety of tasks ranging 

from joint planning, joint 

tactical drills, sharing basics 

of special arms skills and 

raiding a hostile target. 

The joint exercise, besides 

promoting understanding and 

interoperability between the 

two armies, will further help 

in strengthening ties between 

India and Australia,” the 

spokesperson added. 

Apart from army exercises, 

India and Australia regularly 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi' 

polling agency C-Voter has 

predicted anywhere from 131- 

139 seats for the BJP, 31-39 

for the Congress and 7-15 for 

the AAP. Some other surveys 

have predicted between 115 

and 125 seats for the BJP. 

In the months leading up to 

the election, all three major 

parties in the fray have tried 

to woo voters by making lofty 

promises and trashing their 

opponents. The Congress calls 

the AAP a "vote-breaker" in a 

conventionally bi-polar state. 

The AAP, in turn, accuses the 

Congress of allowing the BJP's 

"misrule" to continue since 

1995, when the right-wing 

party first won the election. 

Campaign promises 

Like it did in other states, the 

BJP began its campaign with 

the promise of a "doubleengine 

government" - one in 

power both nationally and in the 

state - which could deliver allround 

development. Since then, 

Mr Modi's rousing speeches 

criticising his opponents have 

often made news. 

"They call me names, they 

say they will show my place, 

they call me a lowly person. I 

am the most abused person. 

[But] I swallow all of it because 

it is the country's development 

that is in my heart," he has said. 

conduct joint air force and 

naval drills too. 

The two countries recently 

took part in the multi-nation 

Malabar exercise alongside the 

navies of the US and Japan. 

The trade relationship 

between the two countries 

also received a boost last 

week Australia’s Parliament 

ratified an interim trade deal 

with India, which is expected 

to boost exports of Indian 

products ranging from textiles 

to pharmaceuticals, and gems 

to jewellery. 

The Economic Cooperation 

and Trade Agreement (ECTA), 

signed by the two countries in 

April, was passed by Australia’s 

House of Representatives on 

Monday and the Senate cleared 

it on Tuesday. 

ECTA is set to enter into 

force 30 days after it is ratified 

by India’s Parliament.


WORLD INDIA 15 

Aust argues against 'endangered' 

Great Barrier Reef status 

Australia's environment 

“The reason that UNESCO in have affected the reef's water 

minister said her 

the past has singled out a place quality. “If the Great Barrier 

“If 

government will lobby 

as at risk is because they Reef is in danger, then every 

this World 

against UNESCO adding the 

wanted to see greater coral reef in the world is in 

Heritage site is 

Great Barrier Reef to a list of 

government investment danger,” Plibersek said. “If this 

in danger, then most 

endangered World Heritage 

or greater government World Heritage site is in danger, 

World Heritage sites 

sites, arguing that criticisms of 

action and, since the then most World Heritage sites 

around the world are in 

government inaction on climate 

change of government, around the world are in danger 

danger from climate 

change were outdated. 

both of those things have from climate change.” 

change.” 

Officials from the UN cultural 

happened,” she added. The report said Australia's 

agency and the International 

The new government has federal government and 

Union for Conservation of 

legislated to commit Australia Queensland authorities 

Nature released a report warning 

that without “ambitious, rapid 

to reducing its greenhouse gas 

emissions by 43% below the 

should adopt more ambitious 

emission reduction targets in 

and sustained” climate action, 

2005 level by 2030. 

line with international efforts 

Australia Great Barrier Reef: A sea turtle swims over corals on Moore Reef in Gunggandji 

the world's largest coral Sea Country off the coast of Queensland.(AP) 

The previous government to limit future warming to 

reef is in peril. 

only committed to a reduction 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 

The report, which Environment Minister Tanya already addressed several of of 26% to 28% by the end degrees Fahrenheit) since 

recommended shifting Plibersek said the report was the report's concerns, including of the decade. Plibersek said pre-industrial times. The 

the Great Barrier Reef to a reflection on Australia's action on climate change. her government has also minor Greens party, which 

endangered status, followed previous 

conservative “We'll very clearly make the committed 1.2 billion Australian wants Australia to slash its 

a 10-day mission in March to government, which was voted point to UNESCO that there dollars ($798 million) to caring emissions by 75% by the 

the famed reef system off out of office in May elections is no need to single the Great for the reef and has canceled end of the decade, called for 

Australia's northeast coast after nine years in power. Barrier Reef out in this way" the previous government's the government to do more 

that was added to the World She said the new center-left with an endangered listing, plans to build two major dams to fight climate change in 

Heritage list in 1981. 

Labor Party government has Plibersek told reporters. 

in Queensland state that would light of the report. 

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano erupts 

for first time in nearly 40 years 

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, 

the world’s largest 

active volcano, began 

erupting on Sunday for the 

first time since 1984, ending 

its longest quiet period in 

recorded history. The night sky 

above Hawaii’s largest island 

glowed a hellish red as bright, 

hot lava sprang forth at the 

volcano’s summit at around 

11:30 p.m. local time on 

Sunday (0930 GMT Monday). 

The lava is contained within 

the summit and does not 

threaten Hawaiians living 

downslope for now, the U.S. 

Geological Service (USGS) said. 

The service warned residents 

on Monday that volcanic 

gases and fine ash may 

drift their way. 

Mauna Loa rises 13,679 feet 

(4,169 meters) above the 

Pacific Ocean, part of the chain 

of volcanoes that formed the 

islands of Hawaii. It last erupted 

in March and April of 1984, 

‘UK delivering on new FTA with India’: Rishi Sunak 

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has 

reiterated the UK's commitment 

to a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) 

with India as part of the country's wider 

focus on enhancing ties with the Indo- 

Pacific region. 

Delivering a talk Monday night at 

the Lord Mayor of London’s Banquet 

-- his first major foreign policy speech 

since taking charge at 10 Downing 

Street last month -- the British-Indian 

leader reflected upon his heritage and 

committed to promoting British values 

of "freedom and openness" around the 

world. He also pledged to "do things 

differently" when it came to China, which 

he said poses a "systemic challenge" to 

British values and interests. 

The Mauna Loa volcano is seen erupting from vents on the Northeast Rift Zone on the 

Big Island of Hawaii, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. 

sending a flow of lava within 

5 miles (8.05 km) of Hilo, the 

island’s largest city. 

Hawaii’s Emergency 

Management Agency said it 

had opened two shelters on 

the island as a precaution but 

also emphasized that there are 

Rishi Sunak 

"Before I came into politics, I invested 

in businesses around the world. And 

no signs that lava will threaten 

populated areas and that it 

had not issued any evacuation 

orders. 

About half of all recorded 

eruptions of Mauna Loa had 

been confined to the summit, 

the agency said. 

Singapore parliament passes laws to 

decriminalise gay sex but protect definition 

of marriage against legal challenge 

Singapore will decriminalise 

gay sex but protect the 

definition of marriage 

against legal challenge after 

Parliament approved changes 

to two bills. A repeal of the 

colonial-era Section 377A of 

the Penal Code was passed with 

a majority of 93 to three votes 

in parliament, reported Channel 

News Asia. A constitutional 

amendment to protect the 

definition of marriage against 

legal challenge was passed with 

a majority of 85 to two votes, 

according to the report. 

Law and Home Affairs Minister 

K Shanmugam reiterated that 

the constitutional change 

would protect the heterosexual 

definition of marriage along with 

laws and policies based on that. 

Social and Family Development 

Minister Masagos Zulkifli 

stressed that there were no 

plans to change the definition 

of marriage to include samesex 

marriages, adding that it 

would be against the law for 

the opportunity in the Indo-Pacific is 

compelling," said Sunak. 

"By 2050, the Indo-Pacific will deliver 

over half of global growth compared 

with just a quarter from Europe and 

North America combined. That's why 

we're joining the Trans-Pacific trade 

deal, the CPTPP, delivering a new 

FTA with India and pursuing one with 

Indonesia," he said. 

"Like many others, my grandparents 

came to the UK, via East Africa and the 

Indian subcontinent and made their lives 

here. In recent years, we've welcomed 

thousands of people from Hong Kong, 

Afghanistan, and Ukraine. We're a 

country that stands up for our values, 

that defends democracy by actions not 

religious leaders or any licensed 

solemniser to solemnise a 

same-sex couple. 

“One can still preach on 

the pulpit their beliefs about 

homosexuality or family, even 

if others might disagree. But 

no one should incite violence 

or hate towards others,” the 

report quoted him as saying. 

He added that religious 

organisations, as owners of 

their premises at places of 

worship, have the discretion to 

refuse same-sex solemnisations 

or weddings to be 

held on their premises. 

“In exercising religious 

freedom, we must understand 

that we are also members 

of a plural society,” the 

minister said. “We must 

graciously accommodate those 

who have different values from 

us. Gay people are members of 

our society and have access 

to the same opportunities 

and social support as other 

Singaporeans,” he added. 

just words," he noted. 

On China, Sunak said he wants to 

"evolve" the UK's approach as he 

distanced his government from a slogan 

used by the previous Conservative 

Party led government to describe 

UK-China bilateral relations just over 

seven years ago. 

"Let's be clear, the so-called ‘golden 

era’ is over, along with the naïve idea 

that trade would lead to social and 

political reform. But nor should we 

rely on simplistic Cold War rhetoric. 

We recognise China poses a systemic 

challenge to our values and interests, 

a challenge that grows more acute 

as it moves towards even greater 

authoritarianism," he cautioned.

16 

SPORTS 


'All the seniors are 

going...': Shikhar 

Dhawan after 

India's defeat to 

New Zealand 


Kane Williamson-led New Zealand secured a series 

win over Shikhar Dhawan's Team India after the 

third One Day International (ODI) produced yet 

another no-result on Wednesday. 

The second and third ODI of the three-match series 

were abandoned due to persistent rain in New Zealand. 

With the hosts winning the 1st ODI by 7 wickets, 

Williamson-led New Zealand ended up sealing the series 

1-0 following the washing out of the third encounter at 

the Hagley Oval, Christchurch. 

India suffered a 1-0 series defeat at the hands of 

Williamson-led New Zealand in the absence of several 

seasoned campaigners. 

The Dhawan-led side missed the services of skipper 

Rohit Sharma, vice-captain KL Rahul, former captain 

Virat Kohli, veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and 

pace ace Jasprit Bumrah. 

Seasoned campaigners Kohli, Rohit and Kohli are 

expected to feature in India's upcoming series against 

Bangladesh. After rain played spoilsport in 

Christchurch, stand-in skipper Dhawan 

offered an interesting assessment of 

India's performance in the ODI series. 

“Going to Bangladesh, hopefully 

Virat Kohli showed great 

faith in Rishabh Pant’, says 

former childhood coach 

Offering an interesting assessment 

of India's performance in the 

recently concluded One Day 

International (ODI) series against 

hosts New Zealand, Virat Kohli's 

childhood Rajkumar Sharma lashed out 

at one of the star performers of the 

Shikhar Dhawan-led side for his mediocre 

run in the limited-overs format. 

With veteran gloveman Dinesh 

Karthik making way for first-choice 

wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, 

power hitter Sanju Samson was asked to 

warm the bench for the better part of 

the New Zealand series. 

Samson's non-selection in the third 

and final ODI of the New Zealand series 

also sparked a massive debate on social 

media. While Samson was ousted from 

the playing XI, wicketkeeper-batter Pant 

failed to repay selectors' faith in the 

third and final ODI of the bilateral series. 

Wicketkeeper-batter Pant scored 10 off 

16 balls to complete a forgetful tour of 

New Zealand on Wednesday. 

Reflecting on Pant's recent 

performances while speaking to India 

News Sports, Kohli's childhood coach 

Sharma observed that the Indian 

management has given Pant a long rope. 

Recalling how batting icon Kohli backed 

the youngster during his memorable 

captaincy stint, Sharma claimed that the 

Indian southpaw has failed to deliver the 

goods in white-ball cricket. 

“Rishabh Pant's on-field performances 

have not been satisfactory at all. It is 

the weather will be better there. We 

are a young unit. The bowling unit 

learnt about bowling the good length 

area more. We were short at times. 

"All the seniors are going to be back 

in the side. More Asian wickets is a more 

practical journey to the World Cup for us. 

Important to get the small things right - right lengths 

for the bowlers, batting close to the body in these 

conditions for the batters... these are the learnings,” 

Dhawan said after the series decider was abandoned in 

Christchurch. 

Batting first in the 3rd ODI on Wednesday, Dhawanled 

Team India posted 219 in 47.3 overs. Skipper 

India's Virat Kohli, right, celebrates with batting 

partner Rishabh Pant. 

very unfortunate, as he has been given a 

long rope by the team management. We 

all know how Virat Kohli showed great 

faith in Pant during his captaincy. And 

even after that, he kept on getting many 

chances. While he has done quite well in 

red-ball cricket, he has failed to deliver 

in white-ball cricket,” Sharma said. 

Sharma feels Pant should return to 

domestic cricket in the wake of his 

lean patch. After a series of forgetful 

knocks in New Zealand and Australia 

(World Cup), Pant will hope to return 

back to scoring ways in India's upcoming 

assignment against Bangladesh. "There 

is no harm in going back and playing 

domestic cricket when you are not in 

form. It is always better to work on 

your basics if you can see that you are 

struggling in terms of stroke-making. He 

should play domestic cricket and then 

make a comeback to the national side," 

Kohli's childhood coach added. 

"Important 

to get the small 

things right - right 

lengths for the bowlers, 

batting close to the 

body in these conditions 

for the batters... 

these are the 

learnings." 

Shikhar Dhawan 

More players might give central contracts 

for T20 leagues, hints NZ pacer Tim Southee 

The assortment of T20 leagues, 

including the cash-rich IPL has 

entirely changed the landscape 

of cricket with more and more players 

inclined to forego their national contracts 

in lure of lucrative overseas deals, feels 

New Zealand pacer Tim Southee. 

Three New Zealand players — Trent 

Boult, Martin Guptill and Jimmy Neesham 

— have so far given up their central 

contract to play in different leagues 

across the globe. 

“It has been an interesting last 

few months where the landscape of 

cricket has changed, quicker than 

most thought,” Southee said ahead of 

Wednesday’s third ODI against India. 

“I am contracted to New Zealand 

Cricket at the moment and I’ve been 

back to the IPL (Indian Premier League) 

this year and we’ll see what happens 

over the coming years. But it’s definitely 

changing the landscape of cricket to 

what it was two-three years ago.” 

Southee will turn up for Kolkata Knight 

Riders in 2023 IPL season.Southee, 

himself, remained non-committal about 

the possibility of following the footsteps 

of his teammates and stepping away 

from his national contracts. 

“I haven’t looked too far ahead, to be 

honest. There’s enough cricket to come 

in the coming months to worry about 

before having to look too far ahead. But 

it’s something all players are trying to 

stay with and think about in the moving 

landscape of the game,” he said. 

Southee took three wickets in the first 

one-dayer against India to become the 

first bowler in the world to take 300 

Test, 200 ODI, and 100 T20I wickets. 

Dhawan scored 28 off 45 balls before Shreyas Iyer 

(49) and Washington Sundar (51) guided India to a 

modest total. In reply, New Zealand were 104-1 in 

18 overs when rain gods made their presence felt in 

Christchurch. However, the hosts didn't bat through 

a minimum of 20 overs in the rain-marred contest and 

the third ODI ended in a no-result. 

New Zealand's Tim Southee 

“It is special because no one has done 

it before. When you finish your career 

and when you look back, hopefully be 

proud what you have achieved. I enjoyed 

my time and hopefully have many years 

to go and few more wickets as well.” 

Southee said he wants to continue 

playing all three formats. 

“The body feels pretty good at the 

moment. So (will continue) as long as I 

can still handle juggling all three and still 

being able to perform at the level I need 

to at this level. I love playing all three 

formats, so hopefully can do that for a 

wee bit while longer,” he said. 

The 33-year-old also attributed the 

contribution of long-serving strength 

and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson. 

“You have to keep looking at ways to 

get better. Having played for a while, 

you have experience on your side – good 

experience, but also bad experiences, so 

just trying to stay with the times and 

trying to stay a step ahead.


FEATURE 17 

Healthy cooking every day 

Egg and cottage cheese bowl Paneer fried rice 

Looking for a yummy and healthy breakfast treat? Then try this super easy 

and delicious Egg and Cheese Bowl recipe made with some simple kitchen 

ingredients. To make this easy dish all you need is some homemade Chena and 

eggs along with desi spices and herbs. You can tweak the recipe as per your taste 

preference. You can make this dish and replace your heavy meals for a protein rich 

treat. Packed with the goodness of amino acids, fiber and immunity boosting spices, 

this dish is a must try! 

Ingredients 

• 2 eggs- brown 

• 2 handfuls coriander leaves 

• 2 onion 

• 4 green chilli 

• black pepper as required 

• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder 

• 1 tablespoon butter 

• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese 

• 1 tomato 

• 6 cloves garlic 

• salt as required 

• 1 teaspoon red chilli 

• 1 Pinch turmeric 

Method 

• Wash and chop veggies 

• To make this quick recipe, wash and 

peel the veggies and finely chop the 

coriander leaves. 

• Add garlic and green chilies 

• Next, take a pan and add butter, 

minced garlic and green chilies. Add 

in the veggies. 

• Stir fry and serve it hot 

• Crack open the eggs and crushed 

Chena along with some spices like 

red chillies, garam masala, salt and 

pepper. Stir fry this dish and serve 

hot with bread toast, roti or tortilla. 

Enjoy 

Lighter Takes 

& Easy Tips 

Yearning for a sumptuous and quick meal? Then we have got your back! Here’s 

a delicious and easy-to-make Paneer Fried rice, which can be made at home 

with some super simple ingredients. In fact, this recipe is so easy that you can 

actually reuse leftover rice and cottage cheese block, add a choice of veggies and 

you are sorted with a wholesome and healthy meal. 

Ingredients 

• 150 gm paneer 

• 2 tomato 


• refined oil as required 


• 1 handful coriander leaves 

• 2 cup boiled basmati rice 

• 1 onion 

• 1/2 cup cabbage 

• 1 teaspoon spice chili 

powder 

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

• 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce 

Method 

• To begin with this easy 

recipe, wash and chop the 

veggies. Cut the panner 

pieces. 

• Take a pan and add oil, once the oil is 

hot enough. 

• Add onions and garlic cloves. Saute 

for 2 minutes. 

• Increase the flame and add tomatoes 

and cabbage, once the veggies are 

Mushroom risotto with cracked wheat 

Many people believe that becoming a vegan is a little hard, but they do not know that it's not that difficult. Here is a 

simple recipe that's made with cracked wheat or daliya, button mushrooms, onion, coconut milk and vegetable stock. 

Mushroom Risotto with Cracked Wheat is a mouth-watering vegan recipe that can be made with simple ingredients. 

Ingredients 

• 1 cup broken wheat 

• 1 onion 

• 2 tablespoon parsley 

• 3 cup veg stock 

• 500 gm button mushroom 

• 1 teaspoon garlic 

• 3 tablespoon virgin olive oil 

• 1/2 cup coconut milk 

Method 

• Heat a large non-stick frying pan 

over medium-high heat and add 

1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once 

shimmering, add the mushrooms. 

Cook for 4-5 minutes, until 

mushrooms are nicely browned, 

stirring only occasionally. Reduce the 

heat to medium. 

• Add coconut milk with herbs in the 

mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes 

• Add the herbs & garlic to the 

mushrooms and season with 

salt. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring 

frequently to prevent burning. Add 

the milk to the pan and stir into the 

mushrooms. Season with a pinch of 

salt and pepper and cook for 2 more 

minutes. Turn off the heat and set 

the mushrooms aside. 

• Cook the risotto in a large non-stick 

saucepan or deep sauté pan over 

medium heat. 

• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of 

olive oil. Once hot, add the onions 

and and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, 

until translucent. 

Egg Spinach salad 

Ingredients 

• 4 egg 

• 150 gm small potatoes with skins 

• 2 handfuls coriander leaves 

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

• 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 


• 1 cup spinach 

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 

• 1 teaspoon dry red chili 


• water as required 

Method 

• Take a pan and add water along with 

a dash of salt, add the eggs and cook 

• Add the cracked wheat and stir 

quickly until all of the grains are wellcoated 

and the smells slightly toasty, 

60 to 90 seconds. 

• Ladle in 1 cup (240 mL) of the warm 

vegetable broth and stir frequently 

but not constantly. 

• Once it has absorbed the liquid, add 

the next round of broth, 1 cup at a 

time. Continue this process stirring 

about every 30 seconds and adding 

more broth when most of the liquid 

is absorbed for about 20 minutes, 

until the risotto is slightly firm and 

creamy, but not too soft or mushy. 

• Transfer the cooked mushrooms to 

the risotto and stir to warm through 

for a few minutes. Remove from the 

heat, and then stir in vegan cheese, 

if using. 

• Taste for seasonings, adding a bit 

of salt as needed and some black 

pepper to season. Garnish with 

fresh chopped parsley and serve 

immediately. 

them till they turn hard boiled. In the 

meantime, take a pan and add in olive 

oil. 

• Once the oil is hot enough, add in 

garlic chopped sauté for a minute, 

then add in small potatoes. 

• Once done, add the spinach leaves, 

spices, cheese and give it a nice toss. 

• Turn off the flame, transfer the 

salad to a serving plate, add in the 

boiled eggs by cutting them into half, 

season with salt and pepper. 

• Garnish with coriander leaves and 

enjoy! 

wok tossed and slightly golden brown. 

Add the soy sauce and the spices. 

• Lastly, add boiled leftover rice and 

paneer, cook for 5 minutes at high 

flame. 

• Season with salt and add corinader 

leaves. Serve hot and enjoy 

Chicken Casserole 

Ingredients 

• 500 gm chicken boneless 

• 2 tablespoon refined flour 

• 1/2 cup chopped mushroom 

• 8 cherry tomatoes 

• 1/4 tablespoon black pepper 

• 1/2 tablespoon oregano 

• 4 cloves minced garlic 

• 3 tablespoon butter 

• 500 ml milk 

• 100 gm spinach 


• 1/2 tablespoon chilli flakes 

• 2 grated cheese cubes 

• 1 cup boiled hakka noodles 

Method 

• Heat butter in a pan. Now add 

boneless chicken pieces to the pan 

and cook for about 10 minutes. Now 

flip the chicken pieces and cook for 5 

minutes more. Take out the cooked 

chicken pieces on a plate. 

• Now in the leftover butter, add minced 

garlic and chopped mushrooms. Saute 

for 3-4 minutes. Add refined flour and 

saute for a minute. Now pour milk into 

the pan and cook it for 6-7 minutes. 

Adjust the salt. Also add boiled 

noodles, grated cheese, black pepper 

powder, red chilli flakes and oregano. 

Cook for 2-3 minutes more. 

• Now add cooked chicken pieces along 

with spinach leaves and cook for 2 

minutes. Cut the cherry tomatoes 

into half and add them to the pan as 

well. Cook for five minutes. 

• Switch off the flame and add the 

mixture to a square dish. Cover with 

foil and bake for 20 minutes at 180 

degrees celsius. 

• Once baked, Chicken Casserole is 

ready to be served.

18 

ENTERTAINMENT 

A film fest for 

Dilip Kumar's 100th 

birth anniversary 

called 'Dilip Kumar: 

Hero Of Heroes' 

Film Heritage Foundation 

on Saturday announced 

a film festival to 

celebrate late cinema 

legend Dilip Kumar's 100th 

birth anniversary. The festival, 

titled ‘Dilip Kumar Hero 

Of Heroes’, will be held on 

December 10 and 11, the notfor-profit 

organisation, founded 

by filmmaker and archivist 

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, 

said in a press release. 

During the film gala, organised 

in partnership with leading 

multiplex chain PVR Cinemas, 

Dilip Kumar's criticallyacclaimed 

movies, including Aan 

(1952), Devdas (1955), Ram 

these films with great difficulty 

Aur Shyam (1967) and Shakti 

with many people asking me 

(1982), will be screened in over 

why some of their favourite 

30 cinema halls and 20 cities 

Dilip Kumar films were not 

across the country. Dungarpur 

included... I hope this will be a 

said the festival is an incredible 

wake-up call to filmmakers and 

opportunity to bring back "one 

producers to realise that time 

of the greatest actors of Indian 

is running out and that they 

cinema on the big screen". Dilip 

should look into preserving 

Kumar died at the age of 98 in 

their films before it is too late," 

July 2021. 

he said. 

"He truly is the 'Hero of 

Saira Banu said she is 

Heroes' as even today he is an 

elated that the Film Heritage 

actor that the biggest stars look 

Foundation is celebrating Dilip 

up to. Film Heritage Foundation 

Sahab’s 100th birthday with 

could think of no better way to 

the festival. "They could not 

celebrate this milestone than 

have chosen a more apt title to 

a festival of his films back in 

commemorate India’s greatest 

theatres. Even though some of 

actor -- 'Dilip Kumar Hero Of 

these films were released nearly 

Heroes'. He was my favourite 

seventy years ago, the power 

hero from the time I was 12 

of Dilip Kumar’s performances, 

years old when I first saw him 

his craft as a method actor and 

in Aan in technicolor. It will be 

his charisma make him ageless," 

a joy to watch him back on the 

he added. 

big screen, larger than life, like 

Dungarpur, who earlier 

he has been in my life," she 

curated a film festival to mark 

added. 

Amitabh Bachchan's 80th 

Amitabh Bachchan urged all 

birthday, said it made him sad 

film lovers and contemporary 

that many of Dilip Kumar's 

actors not to miss the 

great films survived only in 

incredible opportunity of 

low-resolution formats that 

watching Kumar's films on the 

could not be projected on the 

big screen. His films will be 

big screen. "I cobbled together 

Bhumika Chawla has been 

working simultaneously 

in Hindi as well as 

regional film industries, but the 

actor says, people in Bollywood 

feel that she has stopped 

working altogether, and that’s 

why she hasn’t been getting 

enough work. 

“Either I am not a good 

actor or my PRs are not 

making enough calls, or they 

don’t know I am working still. 

I honestly don’t know,” quips 

Chawla, whose last film, Sita 

Raman was a direct-to-OTT 

release. The actor is now busy 

shooting for a new Tamil film 

and preparing for the first 

schedule of her unannounced 

Hindi film, which will go on 

floors in January next year. 

a master class in acting, the 

veteran actor added. 

"Even today I am learning 

every time I watch his films. Dilip 

Kumar was and is my idol. I 

am still to meet an actor 

who could match his 

faultless performance, 

his flawless diction 

and the intelligence 

and commitment he 

brought to his craft. 

His every spoken word 

was poetry and when 

he appeared on the screen, 

everything else was a blur. I 

had the privilege of sharing the 

screen with him just once and 

the experience was one I will 

cherish," he added. 

"Even today I am learning 

every time I watch his 

films. Dilip Kumar was 

and is my idol. I am 

still to meet an actor 

who could match his 

faultless performance, 

his flawless diction and 

the intelligence and 

commitment he brought 

to his craft. His every 

spoken word was poetry 

and when he appeared 

on the screen, everything 

else was a blur." 

Kamal Haasan said Dilip 

Kumar set an international 

bar for Indian actors to follow. 

"Erudite, eloquent and excellent 

in his chosen field. Cinema 

can make people believe that 

those who have departed are 

still alive. In that context to 

me Dilip Kumar ji is one of the 

world's best actors alive. It's 

an incredible feat by the Film 

Heritage Foundation and I'm 

grateful to them for keeping 

my heritage alive," he said. 

Recounting the times when 

she had started her acting 

journey, Chawla says it used 

to be a different ball game 

altogether. 

“But now, I don’t know how 

the industry works. Like if I 

want to work with someone on 

a streaming giant, I don’t know 

how to enter that zone. I could 

actually put up on my [social 

media] page and say that, ‘I am 

looking for work and somebody 

give me work’, but I don’t know 

who to approach. 

May be I should connect with 

some agency and they can 

help me get some good work. 


Asha Parekh has said that 

she finds it hurtful that 

Indian women prefer to 

wear western dresses and gowns 

for their weddings instead of 

the traditional dresses such 

as ghaghra-choli. Asha was 

speaking at a session at the 

ongoing 53rd International Film 

Festival of India in Goa. Asha 

said, “Everything has changed 

(since the time when she 

worked in films). 

The films that are being 

made are …I do not know, we 

are so westernised. gowns 

pehen k wedding pe aa rahi 

hain ladkiyan. Arre bhaiya, 

humari ghaghra choli, saariyan 

aur salwar-kameez hai aap 

wo pehno na (Dear, we have 

ghaghar-choli, salwar-kameez 

and sarees, wear those).” 

She added, “Why dont you 

wear those? They just watch 

the heroines on the screen (and 

wish to copy them). Screen pe 

dekh ke wo jo kapde pehen 

rahe us tarah ke kapde hum 

bhi pehnenge …mote ho, ya jo, 

hum wahi phnenge. 

Ye western ho raha hai 

mujhe dukh hota hai (They 

just want to wear the clothes 

they see heroines wearing 

onscreen. Even if they are fat 


Asha Parekh says she doesn't 

understand why Indian women 

wear western dresses for 

weddings, 'even if they are fat' 

I still feel like I am beginner, 

a newcomer, a student,” the 

actor shares. 

Chawla made her Hindi 

film debut with Tere Naam 

(2003) and she credits 

audiences that she has 

managed to survive in this 

industry for so long. 

“I have spent almost 23 years 

[in films] and I can give the 

credit only to God, audience 

and industry people who have 

been kind enough to give me 

work. I still don’t know how the 

show business works. It’s like a 

gamble. 

It’s like, ‘Let’s go on social 

or whatever, they do not care 

if the clothes will look good on 

them, whether they are fat or 

anything. I get hurt when I see 

this westernisation). We have 

such great culture, dance and 

music we could get it all back in 

pop culture.” 

Asha also addressed the 

rumour that she did not like Dilip 

Kumar and that was the reason 

why she never worked with him. 

“Four-five years ago, some 

press gentleman wrote that 

I did not work with him (Dilip 

Kumar) because I did not like 

Dilip Kumar. I adored him and 

always wanted to work with 

him. There was a film called 

Zabardast which I signed with 

him. We were supposed to work 

together but I was unlucky and 

the movie got shelved.” 

Chiranjeevi honoured at IFFI, says he can never 

quit acting, ‘I’m a slave to the love of my fans' 

Actor Chiranjeevi was 

honoured with the 

Indian Film Personality 

of the Year award at the 53rd 

International Film Festival of 

India (IFFI). 

Speaking at the closing 

ceremony of the festival after 

receiving his award, Chiranjeevi 

said that he can never quit 

acting and would continue 

acting all his life because he’s 

a slave to the love of Telugu 

cinema fans. 

Chiranjeevi also expressed 

his gratitude to the Telugu 

film industry and his fans for 

embracing him even after he 

took a break from acting for 

a decade. “I thank IFFI and the 

government of India for giving 

me this wonderful award and 

great honour. Few recognitions 

are special, and this award is one 

such. I was born into a middleclass 

family, to humble parents. 

My fame, name, charisma, all 

privileges, the invaluable love 

and affection of my fans and 

everything, I owe everything 

to the film industry. I was born 

as Konidela Siva Shankara Vara 

Prasad to my parents and I was 

re-born as Chiranjeevi in the film 

industry,” he said in his speech. 

Bhumika Chawla: Even after spending 23 years in the film industry, I still feel like a beginner 

media, let’s make a few calls, 

let’s attend a few parties’. You 

don’t really know what’s going 

to work,” she tells us. Sounding 

content with how her journey 

panned out in all these years, 

Chawla doesn’t mind admitting 

that she is looking for good 

opportunities. 

“I am very happy with what I 

have done so far, but I am still 

hungry for good work. 

I still want to work with 

people who can bring out the 

best in me. I am not going to 

sit down and not want to grow 

- not just in terms of work, but 

also as a person,” she states.

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* Founded 2007 in Australia

THE INDIAN WEEKENDER, 2 DECEMBER 2022

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