Indian Weekender 17 October 2014

www.iwk.co.nz17 October 2014

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17 October, 2014 Vol. 6 Issue 13 | www.iwk.co.nz

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READERS CONTRIBUTION

Spirituality, religion and humanity Chander Satija

First Man came: Religions were instituted later for the evolution of his soul. Man was not made for the sake of religion but the purpose was to attain bliss and to realize the Lord.

The God created human beings; and only later did they become Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus and so forth. God does not belong to any particular race, country, nationality, caste or religion. His language, colour, race and religion is love only. He is all pervading, omnipresent, omnipotent and monotheistic.

We all are spiritual divine beings passing through human existence. Our soul is a particle of God. That means we belongs to Him and He belongs to us; we are of Him, as He is of us.

True religion teaches us to love all and to remember God. While loving the Lord, we have to love His creation also. Muslim Mystic Sheikh Saadi had said,

Sons of Adam are organs of each other. As in the beginning , they spring from the same stalk. When pain is caused to one organ, other organs lose their tranquillity.

According to Hinduism, Compassion is the basic element of any religion. Lord Buddha also said, Non-violence is the supreme religion.

A Muslim saint has said, Thousands of rituals and worship and obeisances; thousands of fasts/Rozas and in each fast thousands of prayers; and remaining awake for thousands of nights... all are not acceptable to the Lord if that man injures others.

In the Holy Quran it is mentioned that different modes of worship and rituals have been prescribed by prophets in different times.

Whether one utters Ram or Khuda or Allah or God or Lord Buddha or Christ, Vahe Guru or Jehovah or any other name, the reference is to the same Merciful Creator who is nameless.

In any language you pray to the God, He understands it only if it is done from the core of our heart. What is happening today, all over the world, is that radicals are killing innocent children, women and old people all in the name of Allah/ God. Hatred is being spread against people of other faiths and religions.

Many people have been maimed for life and families ruined since their bread -winners are

either killed or seriously injured in the ruthless bomb/ missile attacks. Women are prohibited from going to work in jobs or prevented from studying in school or college. How could such suppressive countries progress?

In Syria, Iraq and many other countries in the Middle-East and Africa, Sunnis and Shiites are fiercely fighting against each other, killing hundreds of innocent people and destroying

their cities and home without any valid reason and with no positive conclusion or result.

Their intolerance and narrow-mindedness towards other sects and faiths divide the people, resulting in unending blood bath. Who is going to gain? None of these communities nor the common people of any sect or religion are going to gain except perhaps arms manufacturers or dealers.

Concepts like Jihad-murderous attempts to enforce belief and behaviour on others- belong in the evil past of human history. The end products of such actions are hatred, destruction

and total anarchy. And there is worldwide identification of Muslims communities with intolerance and militancy.

With one breath, they say, Allah is merciful and most compassionate yet with another breath they say, Kill the infidels: destroy the unbelievers, showing no mercy in their cruel killing of the innocent.

Maulvi Rum, the highly respected mystic

of Turkey, once said, The Saints /Prophets/ Murshid have come to unite and not to separate people.

Mystic Hafiz has said, The same candle lights the mosque, church and the temple. I wonder why there is enmity between the believers and non-believers.

If we treat people of other faiths as non-believers or infidel, then we are not following the Will of the Lord but going against it. And that is sin. If we speak hatred and abuse to them or about them, that is blasphemy. How Allah would be happy with such acts of cruelty against its own loving children.

The radicals brainwash the youths to convince them that by waging Jihad they would go upon their death to Zannat( paradise) and enjoy the pleasures of the beautiful virgins in gardens of delight. How stupid is this ignorant myth! If they killed the children of an all-mighty father, how he is going to treat the perpetrators? Would He punish them to Hell or reward them to paradise.Even a child can answer this question correctly .

Even putting aside reason for a moment and assuming that the killers went to paradise, would such mentally sick sadistic monsters, guilty of such evil, enjoy the fruits of their cruelty? Allah /God rule the whole universe with the Law of Karma, basically the law of cause and effect. According to this universal law:As you sow, you shall reap .

Karmic Law is a matter of balancing our karmic debit and credit account. Prophet Mohammed also said, He who does a good deed will receive ten times its worth; And he who does evil will be requited to an equal degree; and no will be wronged.

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DIFFERENT STROKES, SAME SPIRITWould you prefer one big Diwali celebration that everybody attends? Or would you rather have one festival for each region central, south, west and north for Kiwi-Indians residing in distant suburbs?

Paula Ray

The Queen of all Diwalis was held at Aotea Square last weekend. Queen Street, the lifeline of Auckland Central, was blocked off mid-way to make way for celebrations. If you were lucky enough to be present there, chances are you felt you were back in India. From the aroma at the food stalls to the handicrafts and workshops, not to mention the crowd around you was oh-so Indian! Unless, of course, you looked up and saw the city skyline and released you were actually miles away from your home country.

Every Kiwi-Indian is touched by Auckland Diwali Festival, whether they physically make their way to it or savour it from afar. Most times, unless you are adventurous enough, you dont wish to brave the traffic and pay for parking to have a few of hours of fun at the festival. You would rather hear about the celebration updates on radio and wait for your regional or local Diwali festival to visit with friends and family.

But the question is does this not dissect the community into smaller pockets? Is it better to have one big Diwali celebration that everybody attends together? Or have one festival for each region central, south, west and north to accommodate the Kiwi-Indians who reside in distant suburbs across the length and breadth of the city? These are questions that are often pondered over by Kiwi-Indians. So, let us explore the pros and cons of having one Diwali versus several Diwali celebrations in Auckland.

ONE DIWALI, ONE CELEBRATIONThe fact that an important road like the

Queen Street is blocked for Diwali shows that the New Zealand government recognises the Kiwi-Indian community and respects its culture. It is a big thing for the community that has worked hard to be where it is now, says Naveen Prakash, President of Waitakere Indian

Association. Harshad Patel, President of New Zealand

Indian Central Association, prefers to get all community organisations together for one gala celebration and plans to work on it in the near future. Diwali showcases our unity as an ethnic community, expressed through cultural activities and festivities. We can get together and do it together, says Patel.

Diwali signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. It has also come to represent the Indian diaspora all across the world, says Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, National MP. To borrow Shashi Tharoors phrase of Indias Soft Power, celebration of Diwali by the Indian diaspora in NZ and across the world has without doubt helped in telling the India story to the world.

Mahatma Gandhi Centre used to be the venue for Auckland Councils Diwali

The fact that an important road like the Queen Street is blocked for Diwali shows that the New Zealand government recognises the Kiwi-Indian community and respects its culture. It is a big thing for the community that has worked hard to be where it is now

- Naveen Prakash, President of Waitakere Indian Association

Continued on Pg 4

Ram Leela at Waitakere Diwali 2013


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Bakshi adds, As a Member of Parliament I get invited to and feel privileged to attend Diwali celebrations all across the country. It is, therefore, a bit hard for me to say that I do not enjoy the festivities and the hospitality. However, in my opinion celebrating this unifying festival in every suburb doesnt do justice to it. Neither does it convey to the wider society the true meaning of the festival.

ONE DIWALI, MANY CELEBRATIONSMultiple celebrations might apparently

showcase the Kiwi-Indian community to be divided. It does not help that the festivities have been reduced to a dance event, resulting in the festival losing its distinctive character. Of course, we do have a spectacular fireworks display in the end. However, one of the major arguments for multiple celebrations is the fact that it gives each region an opportunity to showcase its talent. Regional celebrations help the local community residing in that region to come together and know each other. This is difficult to achieve in the big crowd that descends at Auckland Central.

Bakshi says, Celebrating Diwali at a single spot may prove challenging due to logistical issues. The Indian diaspora is spread in all areas of Auckland. To create ease of access for members of our communities I feel it is best to celebrate Diwali in South, West and Central Auckland.

On a positive note, Bakshi adds, The organising committee of Diwali in all these areas can team up with smaller community organisations towards integrating their efforts towards planning and organising Diwali in each zone of Auckland. All organisers should be provided with an opportunity to participate

equally and they should be acknowledged for their work and efforts. As members of an ethnic community in a foreign land, I believe we should put efforts to stand united in times of joy and adversity. I think in celebrating the festival of Diwali collectively, rather than in small groups, we stand to further build on the India story.

Thinking along the same lines, Nimmi Bedi, community facilitator, South Auckland, says, So many celebrations of the same festival do not give a good image of the community. However, it is not fair to have only one Diwali either. Rather we could arrive at a mid-point and have one in each region that combines the local community organisations in that region.

All of these celebrations are predominantly about Bollywood and Bhangra, with pockets of other Indian elements thrown in. The real festival has disappeared, laments Bedi. We celebrate our traditional form of Diwali at our

gurudwara in Papatoetoe. Diwali, actually, means different things to

different communities within India and each community celebrates it in a different way. In spite of the multiple celebrations, interestingly enough, all of them adhere to the generic festival theme.

A smaller and more regional celebration, however, brings the community people together and makes it easier for them to know each other. When we ask our members if they went to the Auckland Central Diwali, almost 80 per cent of them say they have not, says Prakash, President of Waitakere Indian Association. The community events help us to discuss issues of concern and work out what works better. This is also when we can gauge peoples opinion and relay it to the Council.

With the increase in Kiwi-Indian population, the local talents have also multiplied. Their variety is reflected in the increase in cultural

performances. Not everybody can make it to the Auckland Diwali. The regional celebrations give every performer a platform to showcase their talent, says Darshana Sinnarkar, resident of Mt Roskill. An opportunity to perform brings the kids along with their parents and friends, and thats what ensures participation, says Prakash.

BURMA INVITED TO DIWALI The diversity of our culture is not just

reflected in the many ways in which Diwali is celebrated in the country, but also in the many opinions on how to celebrate the festival. The wish to organise the best also brings out the best in all organisers. So, frankly speaking, the multiple celebration approach stands to gain in the long run.

In their attempt to provide Kiwi-Indians with the best-ever Diwali year after year, Auckland Council believes in being a step ahead. This year, it was heard at an ATEED (Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development) meeting that, for some added attraction, their marketing team was planning to bring the elephant from the zoo to Aotea Square during the celebrations. But they did not get permission from Auckland Zoo.

When approached by Indian Weekender, the zoo authorities said: It turns out that ATEED did not ask for our elephant Burma to join the Diwali Festival celebrations in Aotea Square. We have in the past been asked by other organisations if our animals could leave the zoo premises, but have declined as we strictly follow the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) guidelines for Zoos in New Zealand.

Irrespective of whether elephant Burma made it to the celebrations or not, Kiwi-Indians had a gala time at the Auckland Diwali Festival. The spirit of the organisers is reflected in the way they go out of their way to make an event memorable even if it comes in the form of multiple celebrations.

Continued from Pg 3

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NEW ZEALAND

Indian cultural celebrations begin at Massey UniversityA 10-day celebration of Indian culture began last week at Masseys Albany campus with the launch of an exhibition of rare photos of Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

More than 70 people attended the event, held at the campus library to commemorate Gandhis birthday. It was hosted by the universitys new migrants director Professor Shaista Shameem in partnership with the campus registrar, the Albany Students Association and the Office of the Assistant Vice-Chancellor Mori and Pasifika.

Among the guests were Indian dignitaries, business people and Auckland community groups. Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand Ravi Thapar acknowledged Massey for recognising someone, who is an icon symbolising something that will continue to be relevant. Mr Thapar said he sees New Zealand as a very smart and innovative country with enormous potential for doing more business with his country in science and technology exchanges.

National Party Member of Parliament Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi said he hoped leaders like Gandhi would continue to inspire young people. We have been fortunate to have lived in a time where we have seen or read stories about the struggles of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, he said.

Professor Shameem says Massey University is actively recognising and embracing the increasing diversity of the people of Auckland, which includes a significant Indian population. An Indian documentary film festival is also running alongside the exhibition until October

10. Three of the six documentaries are about Gandhi. The festival is screening in the library mini-theatre each lunchtime.


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NEW ZEALAND

The hand that feedsBelongs to Shivani Arora, executive chef at India Gate Restaurant, who cooks and serves food to thousands, not only within the Kiwi-Indian community but also beyond Paula Ray

There is a pair of hands that wields the ladle and brings out just the right mix of aromatic spices. The fragrance weaves its magic and makes its way out of the kitchen to engulf all within its generous folds. Such is the beauty of Annapurna. She does not let any soul go hungry. In fact, she regularly cooks for about 3,000-odd people at charity fundraising events within the Kiwi-Indian community in Auckland. But most of the time, her kindness goes unrecognised. She is a silent worker who prefers to work behind the scenes, in her quiet and graceful ways.

That is precisely why, at Indian Weekender, we decided to pay tribute to the leading lady of Indian hospitality for her many deeds. Her inner circle of friends and family often refer to Shivani Arora as Annapurna, the Goddess of food and nourishment.

She discovered her penchant for cooking at the tender age of 12, when she used to live with her extended family in Chandigarh, India. Her passion to buy spices from the market, roast and grind them in the right proportions, and add them to make mouth-watering dishes, has only grown over the years. Today, she is the epitome of perfection when it comes to Indian food in Auckland.

Arora holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a B.Ed. Before moving to Auckland at the beginning of the millennium, she was a teacher

by profession in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Soon after she arrived in Auckland with her husband and two sons, Arora visited an Indian retail store in Sandringham and immediately decided to buy it. In another three years, the couple opened their second retail store, Khyber Spice Invader, in Royal Oak. This was followed by The Base, a Nandos franchise, in Hamilton, and Chaska Da Punjab in Epsom. It was the latter that was renamed India Gate Restaurant and thus began the couples ever-successful foray into the hospitality and retail industry.

The opening of India Gate Restaurant marks a watershed in the history of Indian hospitality in Auckland. Aroras commitment to preservation of culture, tradition and a style that lives up to the expectations of Maharajas (kings), is reflected by the service and quality

standards of the restaurant. Arora is actively involved with the day-to-day running of her enterprise. In fact, she is often seen in the restaurants kitchen, sharing her culinary expertise with her staff.

Her name comes up first when finding a reliable catering service at all meetings organised by community associations as well as places of worship, like temples and gurdwaras.

India Gate is also well known for its charity fundraiser activities, where Arora volunteers to feed a few thousand people at local charities - and she actually cooks for them herself.

In addition to her varied culinary crowns, Arora is also the Vice President of Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan in New Zealand and has been instrumental in organising all of the six Mata ki Chowki that have been held at Shirdi Sai Sansthan so far. Her zeal to serve the community and take her social responsibilities seriously is also manifested via her involvement with several non-profit organisations in the country.

Arora is the undisputed role model for many a Kiwi-Indian woman who has left her family in search of a new home on the soil of this country.

Our very own Annapurna has created an oasis for them and their family as she continues to feed not only the body but also the soul of the community in her own tacit avatars.


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Has gender arrived? asks Prof Deshpande

On Monday 29 September, the New Zealand India Research Institutehosted a public seminar at Victoria University by Rajeshwari Deshpande, Professor of Politics at the SavitribaiPhule Pune University, India,and the current ICCR visiting chair for Contemporary Indian Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney. Prof Deshpandes seminar, entitled Womens Vote in Indian Elections: Has Gender Arrived?, examined the nature of womens vote casting in India. Her talk was woven around her analysis of the National Election Studies (NES) data set on Indian elections generated by the Lokniti research programme of the Centre for Study of Developing Societies, Delhi.

The NES data, Professor Deshpande argued, provide an empirical vantage point to understand the trends of routine political participation of Indian women during the last two decades. Her analysis of the data indicates that gender as an explanatory factor to understand the nature of womens vote cannot be seen in isolation and that at times caste and class may override gender in deciding the way women vote. Professor Deshpande argued that gender thus remains enmeshed in other dimensions of social hierarchy and regional dynamics in deciding the nature of womens political participation. In that sense, gender has not become a major factor in Indian electoral politics yet.


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SOON IN AUCKLAND CITY ALSO

MAYORALDRIVENews from the Counci l

Local boards gain power to object to alcohol licences

Auckland Council has delegated local boards the power to object to alcohol licence applications in their area.

Until last months Governing Body meeting, local boards did not have the authority to engage in legal proceedings such as objecting to an application for an alcohol licence.

Like any party objecting to a licence application, local boards will be required to follow strict criteria outlined in the Sale & Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

Criteria such as the suitability of the applicant and whether the amenity and good order of the locality may affect the area are just some of the grounds required to make an objection.

An objection by any resident, business, local board or agency (e.g. Police, Medical Board of Health) must be filed with the District Licensing Committee (DLC) within 15 working days of the first public notice announcing an application has been made.

DLCs consider all aspects of the application and any objections before they make the decision on whether to grant or decline an application.

In making their final decision the DLC must follow the criteria set out in the Act.

State of Auckland snapshot available

A statistical snapshot of Aucklands social and natural environment in 2014 is available online from October 10th, with the release of Auckland Councils State of Auckland report cards.

The report cards provide the most recent statistics on Aucklands water, soil and air quality, demographic make-up, land supply, biodiversity and how Aucklanders rate their quality of life. The cards report the topics regionally and for local board areas, so local communities can compare their communities performance with others across Auckland.

Martin Neale, Team Leader Environmental Science Research, Investigations & Monitoring, says the report cards provide objective evidence about how Auckland and its communities are progressing towards becoming the worlds most liveable city.

The report cards provide us with information that we can easily compare across areas and with previous years, so we can monitor our progress as a community, says Dr Neale. He says as the region develops so will its economy and pressure on the natural environment.

However, the information the councils researchers gather helps shape the regions responses and ensures that resources are invested in the right places.

For example, Pakuranga Stream is amongst the worst five locations in the region for water quality, but it is also the focus of the Auckland Council supported Volcano to the Sea community and environmental project intended to improve environmental health.

Council to consult on sale of products in legal high sale areas

Auckland Councils Regional Strategy and Policy Committee today voted to adopt its proposed draft policy on psychoactive substances and consult on plans that would

see the sale of the products restricted throughout the city. While council cannot legally prevent the substances being sold once licensed by government, it can ensure that the retail outlets selling the products are not near vulnerable communities, schools,

or treatment centres for mental health issues or substance abuse.

The decision to approve the draft policy and put it out to public consultation comes while the government has temporarily restricted the sale of the products. It is expected that the consultation and implementation of the policy will be complete ahead of the resumption of licenses being granted by government.

Committee chair councillor George Wood says that the decision to approve the draft policy was the correct one and that public safety should be the number one priority.

I am pleased the committee reached this decision. Now we will make sure that the consultation on the policy will allow Aucklanders to engage on this issue and have their voices heard.

Council projects bag Best Design Awards

A project commissioned by the Waitemat Local Board won three awards at this years national Best Design Awards.

The sculpture-led identity for Studio One Toi T (the refurbished Artstation) took the Gold Pin for Small Brand Identity, as well as Best Environmental Graphics. Studio One Toi T was also awarded the Purple Pin for Graphic Design, one of the events supreme awards for a project that raises the bar of New Zealand design. The project was developed and produced by multi-award winning Alt Group.

Winners were announced at a special event on Friday 10 October. Waitemat Local Board Chair Shale Chambers says he is delighted the boards innovative approach to providing for its communities has been so significantly recognised.

While accepting the awards, Mr Poole thanked the Waitemat Local Board and Auckland Council teams, adding he was extremely proud to see Studio One Toi T being recognised at such a high level.

The work was described by the judges as breaking down the barrier between the art world and the rest of the world.


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NZSEs class of 2014 graduates amidst applauseOn Thursday, 09 October 2014 New Zealand School of Education (NZSE) held their graduation ceremony at the Dorothy Winston Centre in Auckland Girls Grammar. The staff of NZSE proudly watched on as graduates crossed the stage in their regalia to receive their certificates from the Head of Schools in front of their family and friends. This was the graduates time to shine and be rewarded for all their hard work through their academic journey.

The graduation ceremony was held for over 300 students who have successfully completed their NZSE programmes and was kicked off with a touching powhiri performed by the Kapa Haka Group from the Rutherford College.

Inspired by NZSEs vision of transforming lives through the power of learning, industry speaker Stephen Paea (Sales Manager at Liberate IT), opened the ceremony with a motivational speech about his own student journey and how academic studies has transformed his life.

Alongside Stephen, Raj Peram (international student) spoke about his student journey from Hyderabad, India and what it meant to be a student at NZSE. NZSE provides both international and domestic students with so much support and made the transition in coming to New Zealand very easy he says. Raj has the Career Services Team at NZSE to thank for helping him land his Customer Service Technician role at leading telecommunication company iiNet. Raj reaped the awards of studying at a leading ICT tertiary provider as he started this position not long after the completion of his programme at NZSE.

Delivering a range of programmes from its five schools: School of ICT, School of Business, School of Design, School of Education, School of English and Foundation

Studies, NZSE is a quality education provider starting from just one campus and has grown into three campuses. With campuses in New Lynn, Manukau and Auckland CBD, they have Auckland covered for delivering quality tertiary educational opportunities to both domestic and international students

With the mission of producing successful graduates through exciting educational

experiences, NZSE is dedicated to their strategy of total student experience and is striving to increase student readiness for either employment or further tertiary education. NZSE has a dedicated Career Services Team with a focus on building strong relationships with NZ businesses and engaging with NZ employers on a regular basis to prepare our students for the job market.

New Zealand School of Education - Where exciting, educational experiences serve to transform lives and deliver best in class employment outcomes.

For more information on the Schools and programmes offered at NZSE, please feel free to visit their website at www.nzse.ac.nz or call them on 0800 99 88 11.

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10

Red Black OrangeWaikato Innovation Park receives $3M to ramp up value-added food productionThe Waikato Innovation Park has received a $3 million equity injection from Callaghan Innovation. It will use the funds to kick off a $5.0 million expansion of its FoodWaikato spray drying facility this month.

At full capacity, the new manufacturing capability is expected to inject an additional $38.5 million per year in export revenues back into the New Zealand economy from the sale of new, value-added consumer products.

With this expansion, FoodWaikato will provide a greater level of development and innovation capability to dairy companies thats cow, goat and sheep - as well as fruit and vegetables producers.

Were moving from helping our customers manufacture ingredients that sell for around US$4,700 per tonne to US$20,000 per tonne. At full capacity, we will produce around 2500 tonnes of new, value-added products,

explained Waikato Innovation Park CEO, Stuart Gordon.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce said the investment aligns with Callaghan Innovations goal of accelerating commercialisation of innovation by firms in New Zealand.

The expansion of FoodWaikato provides more open access facilities that support smart ideas coming out of the food and beverage sector.

With an estimated $38.25 million per year of additional export revenues expected to flow back into the New Zealand economy due to this one initiative, the FoodWaikato plant expansion will help more companies take their innovations to new export markets and help the Government reach its goal of doubling the value of exports by 2025, Joyce outlined.

Stuart Gordon said expanding the facility is all about helping more companies take their innovations to new export markets.

Indian origin lecturer praised for anti-racism stand

An Indian origin professor from New Zealands University of Canterbury, who returned a student-voted lecturer of the year award to protest what he calls an underbelly of hate on campus, has been praised by the countrys race relations commissioner, media reported.

Ekant Veer, an associate professor who has taught marketing at the university since 2010, won the award on a vote from the university students association UCSA, NZ City reported.

But he returned the award after what he says was UCSAs failure to act over the RoUndie 500 event run by the universitys Engineering Society, where participants were encouraged to dress up in costumes that were the more inappropriate the better.

Veer - of Indian descent and born in the English city of Liverpool - says this resulted in a host of costumes that were undeniably racist and sexist.

I have no proof that the UCSA has taken the matter seriously. With no apology and no guarantee of ensuring similar behaviour does not occur again, I believe that racist and sexist behaviour will continue.

New Zealands Race Relations Commissioner Susan Devoy has said Veer epitomised the Kiwi fighting spirit.

Devoy said Christchurch students should not forget that foreign nations were some of the first to send search and rescue teams into the devastated city in February 2011 and migrant workers and Asian companies were investing millions in the rebuild.

Veer said he has been a target of racism since arriving in 2010.

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Red Black OrangePromises from foreign buyers

The automatic approvals and the sale of New Zealand land and businesses continues but no-one is checked to see if foreign buyers keep their promises of creating jobs in New Zealand.

The Overseas Investment Office attaches a list of supposed benefits to New Zealand with each approval, suggesting that the sale will increase our exports and bring more wealth for New Zealand as a whole.

No one appears to be checking to see if any jobs are created at all? Who checks to see

if our exports increase? Who is checking the contract and holding the new owner of our land to account?

Among the sales that are approved byt the Office many applicants say they will build exclusive accommodation and hunting lodges. Kiwis are able to do this. How many more fancy lodges do we need anyway? Are they ever built? Is this just a trick, a quick insert into the application by a lawyer so the OIO is satisfied?

August sales and increased investments in land approved by the Overseas Investment Office include dairy farms, vineyards and bare land n Canterbury, Marlborough, Auckland and Taranaki with buyers mainly from Australia,

the UK and the US.Investor groups are prominent again as they

are each month - groups that see the money-making possibilities from buying New Zealand land and businesses. Its fair to say their profits are moved overseas via our banking system which is close to 100 per cent foreign owned. Our wealth is being siphoned off.

The National government ignored the call from a majority of New Zealanders not to sell our assets. The alternative for the government is to prove that there are substantial benefits to New Zealand and New Zealanders from sales to foreigners. And to prove that Kiwis are not being shut out of opportunity on their own land because wealthy foreign buyers have pushed

prices beyond the reach of locals. Its the same picture in the housing market.

Among land and business sales approved in August is Nelson land for purchasers who intend to migrate and live here, the $36 million sale of Towers life insurance business to Australian interests and a $22m additional investment in dairy farms near Ashburton.

It has also approved British trader Richard Magides purchase of land in Queenstown where he has pledged to build a luxury lodge. Mr Magides has previously bought Ben Avon Station, in Otago, where he also promised to build a lodge, though it does not appear a consent has been lodged yet. He has also previously bought a penthouse and winery.

War without peace

There are few more defining moments for a government than the decision to wage war. Prime Minister, John Key has said we are within weeks of deciding what action we will take against Islamic State (also known as ISIS) in Iraq. The options range from providing humanitarian aid to special forces (SAS) being deployed.

This may sound like an easy decision. The public beheading of Westerners has been broadcast widely and there is a growing humanitarian crisis as more civilians join the millions of displaced people from the Syrian conflict. There is a growing sense that something must be done.

But defining something is not straightforward. Western intervention in Iraq over the past twenty five years has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties, destroyed infrastructure and left a legacy of hatred and sectarian division. If military action is about achieving intended consequences, the record of recent US coalitions has been abysmal. The Middle East is now more dangerous and unstable than ever, and the provision of weapons and training for one group of allies today only strengthens a new group of enemies tomorrow. More aerial bombardment of the irregular forces of the Islamic State in either Iraq or Syria is unlikely to be effective, and even less likely to create the conditions for building peace.

Further, joining a US-led coalition, without a United Nations mandate, will make it clear that New Zealand is deepening our alliance

with the US, a departure from our independent foreign policy and the decision not to join the US coalition in Iraq in 2003. This has broader implications for our foreign relations and potentially exposes New Zealanders to greater risk as they travel abroad.

There are many places in the world where intervention is needed, where there are more civilian casualties and a greater chance of success. It is hard to escape the view that the US has prioritised this war because of oil reserves. In a world that is rapidly making a transition to renewable energy, with more fossil fuel reserves than can ever be used, this rationale looks increasingly misguided.

The Green Party argues that any intervention should have an objective analysis to show it is politically wise and it is in accordance with international law. These conditions have not been met. Further, it should be properly

mandated. Before the election, the Prime Minister dismissed suggestions of New Zealand involvement, but now appears to be in favour. He has suggested that there may be Parliamentary debate prior to a government decision. But a wider democratic process is needed, with objective analysis of the options, and without scare-mongering over terrorism or fanning the flames of prejudice against Muslim communities. At the least, there should be a Parliamentary vote on whether to commit New Zealand to this war, rather than a decision by the government.

Barry Coates was a Green Party candidate for Mt Roskill and narrowly missed out on becoming an MP. He was formerly the Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand and has experience of international negotiations on trade, climate change and sustainable development.

Barry CoatesGreen Party

Winston PetersNZ First leader

POWER COLUMN


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INDIAN WEEKENDERIndian Weekender 265x180.indd 1 29/08/14 11:44 am

Hot deals on the fifth anniversary of hot yoga classesTo celebrate the 5th anniversary of opening Achel hot yoga offered free classes to all on the 11th October - at both their studios in Botany and Manukau.

A special offer to readers of this paper is that you can practice a free class between the 15th & 31st October when you present this article.

Do you have back ache, trouble sleeping or would just like your clothes to fit better, this is the perfect opportunity to try a very popular form of yoga. Achel hot yoga predominantly offer bikram yoga classes. Bikram yoga is a 90 minute class that encompasses 26 postures and 2 breathing excercises carried out in a heated room that targets all the systems in the body in an attempt to balance strength with flexibility and that works to get the entire body working more efficiently.

Bikram yoga is a beginners series readily accessible to people that have not done any yoga/sport at all, catering to all fitness levels.

As part of the anniversary celebration they had their biggest sale to date and offer these savings to you when you attend your free class included are 1 month unlimited yoga $99 (normally $160) or one year unlimited yoga $999 (normally $1300).

Ms Adoko an immigrant to Auckland first practiced Bikram yoga in 2004 and felt the benefits of the practice almost immediately.

Having been introduced to yoga at a young age, she always had an affinity with the practice and a keen interest in health and wellbeing, but spread this enthusiasm across a wide range of sports including rugby, tennis, netball, soccer, swimming, running, gym work and cricket. Then in 2006, after realising that it gave her the

ideal combination of challenge, fitness, stress relief and health benefits ms Adoko decided that bikram yoga was something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. In 2006 she trained to become a bikram yoga teache; in 2009 the Botany studio was opened and late last year in 2013 the Manukau studio opened.

At Achel Hot yoga they believe that health is a birth rite and therefore offer a wide range of payment options to allow anyone that wants to practice yoga to do so. There are also a limited number of spots for students to exchange work at the studios for classes.

Students have reported improvement in symptoms of chronic illnesses including back pain, insomnia, a reduction in stress levels amongst many others.

Many of us are diligent and plan for our retirement financially but unfortunately many get to retirement and physically are not able to enjoy their time due to health reasons. In regularly attending hot yoga classes you plan for your physical well being now and for years to come.

All are welcome to attend a free class with us - look at our website for class times.


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INDIA

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Kailash Satyarthi, champion of child rights, wins NobelKailash Satyarthi, Indias best known face

against child labour, was last week awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Pakistani teenager Malala Yousufzai for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a proud nation in congratulating the Delhi-based 60-year-old activist, who pledged to keep fighting to secure freedom for the hundreds of thousands from poor families who slog away as child workers in pitiable conditions.

Satyarthi is the fifth Indian to win a Nobel prize after Rabindranath Tagore (1913, Literature), C.V. Raman (1930, Physics), Mother Teresa (1979, Peace) and Amartya Sen (1988, Economics). Rajendra K. Pachauri accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for the Inter-governmental Panel on Climatic Change (IPCC) in 2007.

Born in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, Satyarthi, who gave up a promising career as an electrical engineer when he was 26, expressed hope this recognition would strengthen the struggle of child labourers.

This award is a dedication to all those people and activists fighting for the cause of children. I hope this will give strength to the struggle of children working as labourers, Satyarthi told media.

The lanky Indian, who is usually dressed in a simple khadi kurta-pyjama, shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Malala, the Pakistani teenager who stood up to the Taliban and survived a near fatal shooting.

Satyarthis Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA, or Save Childhood Movement), has for years

not just campaigned against child labour but raided factories as well as sweat-shops that employ children illegally, turning them into virtual slave labour and often paying them a pittance for hours of hard toil.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it was awarding Satyarthi and Malala for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.

It said that showing great personal courage, Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhis tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain. He has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on childrens rights.

Malala was shot by a Taliban gunman as she took a bus home from school in Pakistans

northwest in 2012. She went to Britain for treatment.

The Nobel Committee regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism.

It said there were 168 million child labourers in the world now. In 2000, the figure was 78 million higher. The world has come closer to the goal of eliminating child labour.

Satyarthis group has so far freed about 80,000 children from servitude, including bonded labourers, and helped in their successful re-integration, rehabilitation and education.

President Mukherjee said: The prize should be seen as recognition of the contributions of Indias vibrant civil society in addressing complex social problems such as child labour and the important role played by them in collaboration with the government in the

nations efforts to eliminate all forms of child labour in the country.

Prime Minister Modi hailed Satyarthi for devoting his life to a cause extremely relevant to entire humankind. He added: The entire nation is proud of his momentous achievement. I salute his determined efforts.

Modi also congratulated Malala, saying her life is a journey of immense grit and courage.

Amnesty International praised Satyarthi and Malala for promoting the rights of the worlds most vulnerable children. Satyarthi has dedicated his life to helping the millions of children in India who are forced into slavery and work in torrid conditions, it said.

Several prestigious awards have been conferred on Satyarthi, including Defenders of Democracy Award (2009, US), Alfonso Comin International Award (2008, Spain), Medal of the Italian Senate (2007, Italy) and Robert F. Kennedy International Human Rights Award (US).

Satyarthi is credited with the enactment of national and international legislations, treaties and conventions besides constitutional amendment on child labour and education.

Terming the Nobel Peace Prize to Satyarthi as a big and historical occasion, Shireen Vakeel Miller, advocacy director with NGO Save the Children, told media: This event will bring into the spotlight the problem of child labour in India. Said Meenakshi Kohli, well known child rights activist: It is great that a person who has contributed so much to eradication of child labour has won the Nobel Prize. But we have to continue with the momentum gained and not forget the issue once the spotlight goes.


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Who is Kailash Satyarthi? Maya Shivam

I have a confession to make. I had no idea of who Kailash Satyarthi was till the news broke about him being awarded the Nobel peace prize for 2014. I checked with many friends and even they did not have a clue of about who he was. All this is not a reflection on the Nobel committee but a commentary on people like us who think that they are aware citizens but are really ignorance personified. And the blame for this ignorance can also easily be placed on the media of the country, who are responsible directly and indirectly for holding a mirror on to happenings in the country.

As our popular media spends an inordinate amount of energy in concentrating on trivia, on leggy beauties and the popularity rantings of our ministers and what we think is news. In the process, many real things, things that are meaningful and make a difference to our life, are all neglected. Specially those who chip along without any care for name or fame but just to make a difference to peoples lives.

Needless to say, having realized how little we knew about Kailash my first resort was to hit Google. I did manage to find quite a bit of information on him but the fact still remains how little we have known about this man.

Kailash Satyarthi has spent a lifetime fighting against child labour, but for the mainstream media such matters hardly make news. Nor do child and women trafficking; nor does hunger or poverty. Well, to be correct, it does make news, but only sometimes and such news is relegated to the inside pages. The front pages are dominated by the commercial news or updates on the glitterati. Of course, the aspiring middle classes men and women

are all excited about special deals and trends and this is what we write about. In this myopic world of have-nots posing as haves, is it strange that nobody has heard of Kailash Satyarthi?

As I dug further I realize that the responsibility does not all lie with the media. The efforts of this man have never been realized by the Government of India. His Biographical website has a list of accolades he has received for his work from around the world and sadly the name of his own country is conspicuously missing from the list. I have listed these accolades at the bottom of this article just for the benefit of out readers.

What struck me most was the story that Kailash Styarthi has shared, that really prompted him to think about child labour. On Kailash Satyarthis first day at school, he spotted a child his age at work as a cobbler on

the doorstep of his classroom. He shares how he asked his teacher and then even the Principal of his school, why that child was not studying but worked while Kailash himself attended school. This incident stayed with him, Sathyarthi said in interviews years later, and it pushed him to devote his life to fighting child labour.

Anyhow, now that Kailash Satyarthi is a Nobel Peace Laureate, the media of the world is interested in him and I am sure he will receive the attention he deserves and so will the cause that he has devoted his life to. We have compiled some quick facts and list of accolades that he has received, just so that you know him a little better.

TIMELINE FACTS Born: 11 January 1954, Vidisha,

India 1975-80: Graduated in Electrical

Engineering, diploma in high voltage engineering and later taught at a college in Bhopal.

1980: Founded and edited Hindi fortnightly, The struggle shall continue, which focused on human rights issues.

1983: Founded the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, a movement campaigning for rights of children.Over 80,000 children saved so far through the movement from child labour.

1989: Co-Founded the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude (SACCS).

1994: Started Rugmark, a social labeling program in which rugs are labeled and certified to be child-labour-free by factories that agree to be regularly inspected.

1995: Won the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Award.

1998: Organized the Global march against Child Labour across 103 countries

2004: Brutally attacked while rescuing children from a local circus, Great Roman Circus. Attacked again in 2011 while rescuing children from garment sweatshops in Delhi.

2011: Bal Mitra Gram (BMG) programme started in 2011 where child labourers are withdrawn from work to be enrolled in school.

Member of a High Level Group formed by UNESCO on Education for All comprising of select Presidents, Prime Ministers and UN Agency Heads.

Indian government yet to confer any civilian award on him so far.

ACCOLADES RECEIVED Defenders of Democracy Award (2009-

USA) Alfonso Comin International

Award (2008-Spain) Medal of the Italian Senate (2007-Italy) Heroes Acting to End Modern Day Slavey

by US State Department (2007-USA) Freedom Award (2006-USA) In October 2002, Satyarthi was awarded

the Wallenberg Medal from the University of Michigan in recognition of his courageous humanitarian work against the exploitation of child labor.

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Award (1999-Germany)

La Hospitalet Award (1999-Spain) De Gouden Wimpel

Award (1998-Netherlands) Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

Award (1995-USA) The Trumpeter Award (1995-USA) The Aachener International Peace

Award (1994-Germany)


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Satyarthis Nobel Prize leaves rescued children delightedEighteen-year-old Manan Ansari has no idea what a Nobel Peace Prize but he is delighted to see a smile on the face of the most important man in his life-- child rights crusader Kailash Satyarthi, who rescued him from the mines of Jharkhand when he was just eight.

Waiting in the lobby of the Bachpan Bachao Andolans (BBA) office here in south Delhi to meet the man of the hour, Ansari got to know about the news in the afternoon and immediately rushed to meet Satyarthi, whom he proudly calls his mother, father, friend, guide and confidante.

He means everything to me. If it was not for him I may have not been alive today as I was working in a mine back home (Jharkhand) when I was rescued, Ansari who is pursuing a course in science from the Delhi University told media.

Its a special day because he has won the prize and I am the happiest person in the world

today, added the boy who wants to become a doctor.

After being rescued, Ansari was taken to Rajasthan where he completed his schooling and then came to Delhi this year for his graduation.

BBA has been one of the first NGOs to have started work on child rights, and against child labour in 1980. Touching the lives of thousands of young children, often from socially and economically vulnerable background, the group actively participates in rescue operations along with police and the labour department and helps the kids reunite with their families.

BBA has also led successful campaigns against the use and sale of products in domestic and international markets that employ children to do the work.

For 22-year-old Suman Kumar Mahto,

Satyarthi is a guiding light who has helped him become independent.

I never imagined that one day I would become a graphic designer and earn enough money for not only myself but also my family, a proud Mahto who earns around Rs. 15,000 every month and sends a major share of his salary to his mother and brother back home in Bihar.

Mahto was employed as a domestic help in Bihar when rescued by BBA back in 2001. He came to Delhi in 2010 to pursue a course in graphic designing.

According to Mahto, Satyarthi has the gift to sense if any of his child is worried or bothered about something and also the ability to solve that problem.

When I came to Delhi, the thought of how to earn a decent livelihood gave me sleepless nights. But he (Satyarthi) comforted me and helped in standing on my feet, Mahto said.He knows how to deal with troubled children like us. He talks to us like a friend and keeps cracking jokes to make us feel comfortable, he added.

He means everything to me. If it was not for him I may have not been alive today as I was working in a mine back home (Jharkhand) when I was rescued...


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Editorial

Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, AucklandPrinted at Guardian Print, AshburtonCopyright 2010. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

Indian Weekender Volume 6 Issue 13Publisher: Kiwi Media Group LimitedManaging Editor: Giri Gupta | [email protected] Editor: Paula Ray | [email protected] Editor: Maya Shivam | [email protected]: Swati Sharma | [email protected] Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza | [email protected]: Mahesh Kumar | [email protected] & Business Development Manager: Gaurav Gupta - M: 021 292 4519 | [email protected] and Marketing Manager: Leena Pal - M: 022 015 1971 | [email protected] Accounts and Admin.: Farah Khan - P: 520 0922 | [email protected] Sales and Admin Support: Alpana Gupta | [email protected]

Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher is not responsible for advertisers claims as appearing in the publication

From the desk of Managing EditorIt has been a week since we published the story on the Indian Prime Ministers first address to the people, in the radio series called Mann Ki Baat. I had shared last time that I am inspired by it. But really, I have not been able to forget the story shared by Modi even for a minute, this past week.

Modi recounted the story of a tigress and her two cubs that Swami Vivekananda would often relate to make people realize their inner strength. One of the cubs got lost and was raised by a sheep and began to think and act like a sheep until one day it accidentally met its mother again. The cub roared when it was made to realize it was a tiger, not a sheep.

This story is so true for India. We have been so focused on our weaknesses over the past few years that we forgot what our strengths were. It has taken the genius of this great leader to remind us that we are like that tiger cub; we are the king of the jungle. I am sure it will not be long before the world will hear India roar. In spite of whatever the critics say, this man has made the world stop in its tracks and take a second look at the mighty power called India. We hope you enjoyed our last issue. Do write to us about what you thought. We love to hear from our readers, so we can constantly grow.

The Auckland Diwali festival was a huge success. Participating in the events of the weekend, one could not help but be proud of our rich cultural heritage. The diversity of our arts, food, languages, attire and traditions and yet there is one name that describes us - Indian. The Indian Weekender Speaker Series were enlightening. It was an honour to listen to the masters of their own fields talk about various aspects of India and of being Indian.

I realized that the first migrants from India to New Zealand date back as far as the 1800s. I also read an article recently on Indian soldiers who even fought the Battle of Gallipoli. Needless to say, they were part of the British forces then. So really, our relationship with this country that we now call home has been long and strong. And as we take on the colours of this land we call our own, its important that we share the colours that we have brought with us from our roots and the Diwali festival is all about that sharing. It was heartening also to see so many other cultures come together and share our festivities. To immerse themselves in the rich and vibrant colors that is the very essence of our culture. Our current issue is dedicated to bringing this spirit of Diwali to you.

The other point that the Speaker Series brought home was - hope. As we listened to the stories of people who have become role models in the community recount stories of their humble beginnings, one could not but feel hopeful for a better tomorrow. The key they said was - persistence. There is great strength within us. There is only the need for us to recognize the strength within us, like Swami Vivekananda said. And like Prime Minister Modi said: If we recognise the strength within ourselves, our self-esteem will rise and we will be victorious. Our country will also become victorious and successful.

As we light up every nook and corner of our cities, homes and hearts, heres hoping that this Diwali lights up the lives of all our readers. No matter what your circumstances are, we hope you will not forget that you are the tiger; never forget your own potential and never let go of the hope for a better tomorrow.

On behalf of the Indian Weekender family, I have the pleasure of wishing all our readers a very Happy and a Joyous Diwali! May the year ahead be filled with prosperity and good fortune. God Bless.

Giri Gupta

Just as one candle lights another and can light thousands of other candles, so one heart illuminates another heart and can illiminate thousands of other hearts.

- Leo Tolstoy

I began to write it because I was bored. I have written some articles in the past for few magazines and I enjoyed writing. But I didnt think I will complete a book,

Not sure if Ill pen second half of autobiography Uma Ramasubramanian

Seasoned actor Naseeruddin Shah, who quietly released his autobiography, says he hasnt chronicled his entire life in the book and is unsure if he would pen the second half or not!

One can read about his first marriage, daughter Sheeba, professional ups and downs and how he wooed and wed his present wife Ratna in his autobiography titled And Then One Day, which took him four years to complete.

I didnt keep it as a secret. I just thought I will never complete it, Naseer told media in an interview.

And Then One Day, which hit the stands in the first week of September, didnt happened just like that.

His journey has been vast, experiences have been varied and accolades and appreciations have been aplenty, but the book is the result of his boredom.

I began to write it because I was bored. I have written some articles in the past for few magazines and I enjoyed writing. But I didnt think I will complete a book, said the 64-year-old who has done about 200 films in a career spanning over four decades.

He wrote it as long as he could stand it.Then I gave it up. Then I thought what the

hell is the point of writing this. Later after a gap of a year or two, I wrote my experiences with people who influenced me, so Ratna said why

dont you put this all together in sequence. So I did that, said the actor.

From theatre to parallel cinema to mainstream movies, from crossover cinema to international film, Naseers oeuvre boast of variety and quality. Thanks to that, he was honoured with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan, Indias third and fourth highest civilian awards, for his contribution to Indian cinema.

However, the autobiography doesnt chronicle every stage of his life.

I have completed the story up to my second wedding. But I dont know whether I will write the second half or not...it will take another 12 years at least, but I am not sure about that, said Naseer won prestigious National Awards of Sparsh, Paar and Iqbal.

Was your wife Ratna the driving force behind the autobiography?

No, it was not Ratna. Ratna was curious about it, but the driving force was Ramchandra Guha, who read one of my articles on (former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan) Pataudi and said he liked it and I was very kicked about that.

He asked me have you written anything else, so I gave him these (first) 100 pages (of the book). He liked it and said you have to finish this because dont wait too long life is uncertain and dont wait to write about your entire life. He was my unofficial editor before I found a publisher, said Naseer.

Uma Ramasubramanian can be contacted at [email protected]


17

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OPINION / EDITORIAL

Irony of peace award amid India-Pakistan border friction C Uday Bhaskar

In a surprise announcement, Indias little-known child rights adherent Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistans Malala Yousafzai have together been awarded this years prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.

This prize assumes significance not only because this is the first time that the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi (who incidentally did not receive the Nobel) has been acknowledged by the Nobel committee. Concurrently, it is a first for Pakistan, in that a young girl internationally recognized for braving a brutal Taliban attack and who remains committed to education for the girl-child has been awarded the coveted prize.

But this joint award is even more ironically poignant, coming as it does when India and Pakistan are engaged in an intense exchange of ordnance across the contested Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir and heavily guarded International Border. The fact that innocent civilians have been killed on both side underscores the imperative of nurturing peace on the sub-continent despite the revisionist agenda of the deep-state in Pakistan.

Kailash Satyarthi has been active in the movement against child labour since the 1990s. His organization Bachpan Bachao Andolan has freed thousands of hapless children from various forms of servitude and helped in their successful re-integration, rehabilitation and education.

The Norwegian Noble committee awarded the peace prize to Kailash Satyarthi for

showing great personal courage and strength. The committee noted that Satyarthi followed the great tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and has headed various forms of peaceful protests and demonstrations, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain. The Committee further added: His contribution towards the development of important convention on childs rights is immense.

In relation to Malala Yousafzai, it was observed that she has shown by personal example that even children and young people can contribute to improving their own situation. It is pertinent to note that Malala has worked under the most dangerous situations and the citation said: Through her heroic struggle, she has become a leading spokesperson for girls right to education.

An exile of sorts, who cannot return to

her country because of the Taliban threat, Malalas choice for the Peace Prize draws attention to Pakistans most severe socio-cultural challenge - that of radical and ideological extremism which, among other inflexible strictures, forbids girls from obtaining education. Malala herself is a victim of such radical extremism and was shot at by the Taliban in 2012 for supporting girls education and protesting against curbs imposed by extremist forces.

On the other hand, in India, though gender-equity is not as distorted, the status of children in general and women in particular leaves a lot to be desired. The shameful Nirbhaya case of December 2012 is illustrative. The plight of young children who are forced into employment that often takes the form of servitude bordering on bonded labour is one of Indias glaring

omissions. Estimates of the total number of Indian children who are forced into labour vary from 12 to 17 million and this is deplorable.

Satyarthi symbolizes the quiet one-man crusade against this form of exploitation and hopefully the Nobel prize (despite its incongruous reference to the Hindu-Muslim identity of the awardees) will focus much needed attention and spur a more concerted collective effort in this regard.

The improvement of basic human security indicators which includes a secure future for children and the removal of misplaced cultural taboos that target girls and women is a challenge for large parts of southern Asia. In their respective trajectories, both Satyarthi and Malala have emerged as role-model crusaders for the struggle against suppression of children and young people.

As the guns remain silent and an uneasy peace prevails on the India-Pakistan border, hope for that abiding peace remains elusive. Perhaps it may yet filter through the many tears that scar the faces of the oppressed children of the sub-continent.

That the sub-continent still has a wry sense of humour is summed up in this lighter vein quip from Pakistan doing the cyber rounds:

When Pakistan is getting its first Nobel Peace Prize, an Indian comes and steals half of it. Im going to call one half of the 2014 Nobel Peace prize as Azad Nobel Peace Prize and the other half as Indian Held Nobel Peace Prize.

C Uday Bhaskar is a strategic analyst

and Director, Society for Policy Studies. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at [email protected]

Maya Shivam

If Modi has one finger on the pulse of the countrys youth he has his other fingers on social media apps. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fuelled a spike in social media and interest in his government and its policies, including foreign policy.

With a robust foreign policy agenda and some well-publicised diplomatic engagements, the Twitter handle and Facebook page of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has seen a quantum jump of 400 percent since the Modi government came into power over four months ago. Its website has more than doubled its viewership since.

This has particularly happened after Modis recent visit to the US, where he got celebrity like treatment from the affluent and influential Indian community. The cyberspace also seemed to be buzzing during his visit to Japan and visits to India by leaders of China and Australia.

The MEA website - www.mea.gov.in - in its attempt to reach a wider global audience is now available, besides in English and Hindi, in Spanish and Arabic, with the latter introduced a few days ago. It will be available in French and Russian by early next year. Two months ago it was named among the 40 best government websites in the world for Design Inspiration, along with websites of the US House of Representatives and Japans Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Colourful photographs on the latest diplomatic events are constantly uploaded as are interesting photo features and articles on any major event. It has seen a more than doubling

of visitors since Modi came to power, with the figure at present standing at more than 26 million. Its section on documentaries is gaining in popularity, with a new documentary uploaded every week by the Public Diplomacy Division of the ministry. The current documentary Bridging Worlds: A Meeting of Minds: The Story of Indians in The United Kingdom has got over 1,400 views on its YouTube channel.

During Prime Minister Modis major visit to the US, the spokespersons Twitter handle was a constant source of news and updates of what the prime minister was doing or who he was

meeting. The twitter handle and the website saw a huge number of visitors during this time. While the news from Facebbok front was that Modi had more Facebook fans in the US than most current members of Congress, governors and other political candidates, according to a media report.

Modis American Facebook base of almost 180,500 is larger than all but 21 American elected officials and current candidates.

Therefore, the visit of Facebook CEO to India is significant ahead of the lauch of the Digital India Mission. While in India he met

with the Prime Minister after which Modi said on his Facebook page Had a wonderful meeting with Facebook CEO Mr. Mark Zuckerberg. We discussed several issues during our meeting,

He also said: I spoke to him about Swachh Bharat Mission. Mr. Zuckerberg shared that Facebook would assist the Government of India in the Clean India mobile application. This will surely give an impetus to Swachh Bharat Mission.. Modi requested Zuckerberg to identify certain areas where the social media can help in promoting Indias tourism potential.

Zuckerberg is excited about Digital India initiative. I requested him to identify certain areas where Facebook can help us in that. I also requested Mr. Zuckerberg to identify how Facebook can help promote Indias rich tourist potential across the world, he said.

Its no wonder that Mr Modis popularity is hitting new heights especially with Generation-X now being called the Social Media Generation.

Modi had more Facebook fans in the US than most current members of Congress, governors and other political candidates

Social Media Governance


18

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FEATURES

From the desk of I am Woman

I am Woman I am MalalaMalala Yousufzai, the 17-year-old Pakistani girl education campaigner who was shot in the head in 2012 by a Taliban gunman, is the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Prize.

Malala won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize along with Indian childrens rights activist Kailash Satyarthi.

In naming her for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said: Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzay has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations. This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle, she has become a leading spokesperson for girls rights to education.

Born July 12, 1997, in a Sunni Muslim family at Mingora in Pakistans Swat Valley, Malala attended a school run by her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai.

After the Taliban started attacking girls schools in Swat, Malala gave a speech in Peshawar, Pakistan, in September 2008, on How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?

The next year, she started writing a blog under the pen name Gul Makal for the BBC on life under Taliban threats, but her identity was given away in December the same year.

Her activism did not go unnoticed and, in 2011 she was nominated for the International Childrens Peace Prize, also known as the

Childrens Nobel. The same year she was awarded the National Youth Peace Prize of Pakistan.

Then on Oct 9, 2012, Malala was shot in the head while on her way to school by a Taliban militant. Her friends were also injured.

From that horrific moment two years ago to this momentous October morning, the 17-year-olds tale has been one of immense inspiration for millions of people across the world who value childrens - and not just girls - rights and education.

After being shot, a critically injured Malala was airlifted to a military hospital in Peshawar. There a damaged portion of her skull had to be removed. Later the Pakistan government at its expense, airlifted her to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, where she was treated for life-threatening injuries and pulled back from the brink.

In England, after being discharged from hospital, she started attending Birmingham High School in March 2013.

On July 12 that year, her 16th birthday, she gave a speech at the UN. She said: I speak - not for myself, but for all girls and boys. I raise up my voice - not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights: Their right to live in peace; their right to be treated with dignity; their right to equality of opportunity; their right to be educated.

In October 2013, she released her autobiography: I am Malala: The girl who

stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban.

The same month, the European Parliament conferred on her the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize last year too but did not get it.

This year she became the Nobel laureate, the youngest ever. She was in school in Birmingham when the good news floated in.

Speaking at United Nations Malala said Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty, injustice and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of scho

Indian Weekender 17 October 2014

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Transcript of Indian Weekender 17 October 2014