Hobsonville Tornado and disaster: A pictorial perceptive

Hobsonville Tornado and disaster: A pictorial 

perceptive

Section of Hobsonville Road that was blocked by fallen trees, since been cleared.

Our sympathies are with families who have lost their loved ones.

The concrete slabs that fell on the truck, killing two people.. See the sheer size, and imagine the force of wind.

School site and general development of the area.

As somebody who lives in West Auckland and daily drive by the disaster zone via Hobsonville Road , I wish to bring better perspectives to others who are guessing the site of accident/deaths and the a general area of disaster.

Map showing site location, school site, road closure, police cordon and Upper Harbour Bridge

Yesterday, 6^th December, the date of disaster, parts of Hobsonville Road

 and Motorway 18 (Upper Harbour Motorway) and bridge were closed because of blockage by fallen trees and other debris.  People reached Hobsonville from North Shore via Coatsville - Riverhead Highway.

Cleared and trimmed branches of trees at Hobsonville, near Upper Harbour Bridge that had blocked the motorway on 6th December, 2012.

Upper Harbour Bridge that had to be closed near Squadron  Drive on- ramp because of branches and other debris

The site where two accidental deaths happened was at the new school building site where concrete slabs fell on a truck where the deceased were taking shelter from the storm.

Uprooted tree-trunk and damaged fence at Hobsonville point construction site.

Stories of disaster are well covered in the media. I attempt to bring some pictorial perspectives. Police cordoned off access to the building site at Hobsonville Road entries to Wallingford Way, Carnegie Crescent and Clark Road, which are access to the construction site. This is Hobsonville Road from the other end from Westgate

[All photos by Thakur Ranjit Singh]

How dirty politicking shamed India: Suspension from Olympics

How dirty politicking shamed India: Suspension from Olympics

Thakur Ranjit Singh was punished by Auckland Indian community for a Facebook posting, among others, about India’s performance in Olympics  and other truths about corruption in India that shame Indian Diaspora. Now the truth is out

This is the extract of my famous or infamous facebook posting on India’s Independence that riled the Indian community, which, assisted by Indian Newslink, formed a lynch mob to scalp Thakur. They said, how dare Thakur, not a real Indian    say such things about Mother India, Bharat mata, They went on to curtail my human rights, freedom of speech and I was suspended on pressure by Indians as Vice President of Waitakere Indian Association.

Below is an extract of what I wrote on 15 August, 2012 on Facebook on India’s Olympic failures:

As a business community we have done well, how about as human beings? Look as Olympic medal tally. China with the same population is in top 3 while India with a billion people HAS BECOME A LAUGHING STOCK. Do we still have corrupt officials like Kalmadi leading our sporting team? HOW IS OUR BHARAT MAHAAN?

NZ Sports at Yahoo reported the following:

LAUSANNE (AFP) - India has had its rights suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) because of its stance of electing tainted officials it was announced after a meeting of the IOC Executive Board here on Tuesday.

Suspension of their IOC rights means India will not receive IOC funding and its officials would be banned from attending Olympic meetings and events.

India's athletes would also be barred from competing in the Olympics under the national flag, although the IOC could allow some to take part under the Olympic flag.

The suspension comes amid an ongoing row between the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the IOC over the election procedure for top posts in the national organisation due to be held on Wednesday.

A New Delhi court directed the faction-ridden IOA to hold the vote according to the government's sports code but the IOC wanted it to abide by the Olympic charter that favours autonomy and prompted its action on Tuesday.

[Full story: http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/news/article/-/15553974/india-suspended-from-olympic-committee/

Suresh Kalmadi, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee's Secretary General  and President of IOA, who brought international shame to Indian Diaspora first through Commonwealth Games and now through IOA. Is that the best India has to offer?

Meanwhile, Times of India reported the following:

NEW DELHI: Sports became the unfortunate loser in this battle for power, the fight to control the country's top sports body, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The violation of the Olympic charter in the IOA elections may be perceived as the reason for IOC's extreme step, but the developments in the run-up to the December 5 IOA elections showed that it could not be the only reason.

When the IOC's ethics commission wrote a letter suggesting that the IOA president Suresh Kalmadi, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee's secretary general Lalit Bhanot and former Badminton Association of India President VK Verma should be suspended from the Olympic movement, one thought good sense would prevail.

Suddenly, Kalmadi pulled out of the IOA elections, making the national contest an open one for the first time in 16 years. This is when ugly politicking began' which finally ended in the suspension of the country from the Olympic movement on Tuesday.

The elections became a pitched battle between Kalmadi and his long-time IOA associate, secretary general Randhir Singh, who now wanted the top-most post. Kalmadi, sources said, was not happy with the fact that he got the flak for the Commonwealth Games scam and even went to jail but Randhir walked away without any taint.

[Full story: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/IOA-suspension-How-dirty-politcking-shamed-India/articleshow/17486367.cms

I have a question for Indians representing the group that wanted me punished for speaking truth about corruption, black money in Swiss banks and shameful treatment of women: do they support such vices in India?

It is time for Indian leadership to do some soul-searching about the stigma of corrupt people that Indian politicians and officials bestow to Indian Diaspora. With such international corruption and poor governance records, how can you blame Kiwis if they start looking us, Indian and People of Indian Origin migrants with suspicion and doubt?

You be the judge whether Thakur was wrong in speaking truth about India? How long will Indian media and leadership sweep such shameful actions under the carpet?

Venkat Raman, Sunny Kaushal, Vinod Patel, Jeet Suchdev, Ahmed Bhamji, Sunil Chandra and Balubhai Mistry, among others, who headed the Indian lynch mob on me , need to do some soul-searching.

Daago Mama: Thanks to Radio Tarana for maintaining Hindi language decorum, sensitivity and proper usage

Daago Mama: Thanks to Radio Tarana for maintaining Hindi language decorum, sensitivity and proper usage

You must be wandering, Thakur, or Fiji Pundit  seem to have become his old shadow of Daily Post days when he used to be Liu Muri, which in Hindi is Aage Picche (a slimy person with changing views). Some would think, one day he criticises Radio Tarana’s news team for using non-understandable, but high level of Hindi and next minute he is praising the station.

Of course I did not criticise them for using high standard of Hindi, (in fact I am thankful for that). In fact I was critical of them not translating to English or explaining the words in more understandable terms to attract interest of listeners for whom “pure” Hindi is difficult to understand, especially for school-age children schooling with Pakehas.

As a Hindi radio station geared for all Indians, Radio Tarana did well to maintain its decorum and respect for standard Hindi language and did not go down to make it into Pidgin Hindi and were careful not to compromise with linguistic engineering, like done by the rival Apna 990.

For example, in Apna 990, language used may be considered by some as inappropriate for a radio station where they use the term ‘Daago mama”. Full version is: miyan ke kitchen, bappa ke jamin, ka bole mausa, Daago mama. It means husband’s kitchen, father’s land, what say uncle, urging mother’s brother (Mama- uncle) to do something unusual or spectacular. This is very colloquial or informal Hindi not generally regarded suitable for formal usage. Of course the debate on use of Fiji –Hindi is another issue to be discussed later.

One need to appreciate that in its 16 years of existence, Radio Tarana did its best to ensure the high standard and respectability of Hindi language used at the station. I had a talk with Radio Tarana where there was more hurt than complaint for my doing a piece on standard of Hindi in news. (Read article at: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=207937644965682419#editor/target=post;postID=7561154533754616799]

I was told, there was nothing wrong in raising the issue, but it could have been done discreetly. Agreed. This is because Thakur had always been regarded as a friend and well-wisher of the Radio Tarana team, has a history of working closely with them, hence this behaviour was not expected of me. I could have spoken directly to them. Agreed. Radio stations are supposed to be run by experts who need to have the pulse of the community. My role as a blogger called me to publish anyway, and bring issues to public attention. Or if not, there are qualified people, those near to the community, academically qualified, with media experience, running business in Communications and media from their community, who can help. It often needs an Indian to understand and appreciate Indian psych.

The hurt felt by Radio Tarana is understandable. It was the same that I felt when I was stabbed in the back by those I considered to be my friends. But in this case, I was being constructive, not vindictive or vengeful as I recently experienced from Indian lynch mob.

Venkat Raman from Indian Newslink, associated with Indian community leaders to kick me in the teeth for exercising my freedom to speak, my rights to exercise democracy. They worked in conjunction with political opportunists, and working with a Labour Party political apprentice, they were able to have me suspended as vice president of Waitakere Indian Association. This Thakur had provided some seven years of free and sellable articles to Ravin Lal’s paper, yet Venkat is prepared to publish comments by Vinod Patel, head of Hindu Council of NZ and owner of Mega mitre 10 that Thakur was a failed journalist, writing hateful and unresearched articles. The irony is that Indian Newslink had been using those articles for FREE to sell its advertisements for so many years. It is such hypocrisy of Indian leaders and their media which made me start a watchdog, so that no little god in media can again be the judge, jury and executioner. Erroneous reporting were not corrected, neither was I given a right of reply by Indian Newslink. Therefore, my blogsite, Fiji Pundit is to work as a watchdog for Indian media which feels invisible and beyond reproach.

Hence now people with a gripe against our media have somebody to speak for them. Fiji Pundit is here to expose weaknesses, vice and lack of journalistic ethics publicly, and bring hitherto little Gods, all powerful Indian media to public attention and exposure. Indian media appears to have become too close to rich businesses politicians and its advertisers and the community have little say where issues concerning the community are sacrificed. 

Fiji Pundit will fill that vacuum and publish what is not generally seen elsewhere.

Therefore the issue I raised about use of language and education role of media in Radio Tarana was an example of how social media would work as a watchdog and hopefully, a medium of change.

Engaging with Fiji: New Zealand thawing cold relations

Engaging with Fiji: New Zealand thawing cold relations – Fijian Minister Filipe Bole in New Zealand for Medical treatment.

Fiji's Minister of Education, Filipe Bole, currently in New Zealand for medical treatments.

Currently Fiji’s Education Minister, Filipe Bole is reportedly in New Zealand for medical treatments. Stuff, Dominion Post newspaper’s website reported that an ailing Bole was let into New Zealand which has briefly lifted its ban on politicians involved in the military rule of Fiji to allow an ailing minister into the country. [Strangely the full story from the website appeared to have been removed.]

The Stuff seems to have got its signals wrong because it is not a brief lifting of sanctions but appears to be a systematic thawing of cold relations that had existed between the two neighbours. This is not the first time Bole was allowed into New Zealand. Previously, he attended an Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) ministerial meeting in Manukau, Auckland on 22 March, 2010. It was then hailed as a very promising sign.

It is evident that Bole’s treatment in New Zealand was a result of the July high-level meeting in Sydney of Australian, Fijian and New Zealand foreign ministers, which signaled a thawing of diplomatic relations. This included reappointing high commissioners by all three countries and easing by Australia and New Zealand of some travel sanctions on members of the Government.

It appears the change in heart was initiated at the 2010 Natadola meeting in Fiji.

When engaging meeting at Natadola in Fiji was held on 22 and 23 July, 2010 and an overwhelming support for Fiji was shown by Pacific countries, some doomsday pundit had their day. One was Kiwi journalist Michael Field, a supposed expert of Pacific issues, now banned from Fiji. He said the following:  

“Natadola and its communiqué will quickly fade away. It was nothing but an ego fest for one man.”

Fiji's Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama

By that one man, he meant Fiji’s Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama. Three years ago, I had predicted this small engaging meeting was to grow great. So it did. History is a testimony to the fact that most big things today had a humble, in fact, some, very insignificant beginnings. Whether it is the genesis of Colonel’s Sander’s KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), the Mc Donald’s, the World Disney or, the formation of United Nations which replaced the League of Nations and so on. Perhaps the coming generation may view the Natadola Fiji Engaging meeting in a similar manner.

Certain sections of the Communiqué that resulted from that meeting revealed that the island countries which attended the meeting showed an understanding, and perhaps an acceptance and appreciation of Fiji situation. What one could deduce out of those communiqué was an expression that the system under which Fiji had been governed was a failure and there was a need to substitute the old imported system with a home-grown one. It was also recognised that the development process in Fiji which was trying to implement changes conducive to its current level of developments and other environmental factors, was to be a lesson to  other countries on how they could implement changes that suited them. With a strategic and leadership position that Fiji occupies in the Pacific, it could not be ignored by the other sections of the Pacific community. Australia and New Zealand had boycotted that engaging meeting. But it now appears that what started in Natadola in some small way has borne fruit and encouraged fruitful talks with both Australia and New Zealand which has seen Bole in Auckland and other behind the scene developments.

We must commend New Zealand government, in particular its Foreign Affairs Minister, Murray McCully, and the National government’s pragmatic changing policy towards a past neighbour and close ally.

New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister, Murray McCully -pragmatic action in engaging with Fiji

 Good positive steps, keep it up, McCully, well done and much appreciated. Wish a quick recovery for Minister Filipe Bole. Get well soon.

Explaining Exuberance of Verbosity: My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves

My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves (song)

When news editors become verbose and bombastic, this is how you explain their stupidity 

[From Wikipedia]

My Name is Anthony Gonsalves is a popular comic song from the 1977 Bollywood film Amar Akbar Anthony. One unusual feature of this song is that the actor featured in its picturization, Amitabh Bachchan, provides vocals along with the playback singer Kishore Kumar. Amitabh speaks and Kishore Kumar sings.

The opening line, "sophisticated rhetorician intoxicated by the exuberance of your own verbosity", that is spoken by Anthony when he emerges from the Easter egg, is an almost exact quotation from a speech in the Parliament of the United Kingdom given by British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli in 1878.

Exuberance of Verbosity

.
This is one thing I've always, always wanted to figure out -- what the heck was Antony Gonzalves trying to say??

In "Amar Akbar Antony", a popular Hindi movie from the late 1970's, Amitabh Bachchan, playing the role of a maverick named Antony Gonzalves, pops out of an Easter egg and sings a song. Its a mixture of English and Hindi, and delightful, unadulterated nonsense.

The Hindi lyrics fits into the overall plot and makes some sense - Mr. Gonzalves, the 'party entertainer' is trying to woo a girl on the sly. But what is he trying to say in English??

Here it is - gibberish deciphered:

"Wait, wait...WAIT! You see the whole country of the system is juxtapositioned by the haemoglobin in the atmosphere because you are a sophisticated rhetoritian intoxicated by the exuberance of your own verbosity!!"

"You see such extenuated circumstances coax me to preclude you from such extravagance!"

"You see the coefficient of the linear...is juxtapositioned by the haemoglobin of the atmospheric pressure in the country!"

Exuberance of Verbosity:When Indians in Auckland can hardly understand Hindi news on their Indian radio station

When Indians in Auckland can hardly understand Hindi news on their Indian radio station

British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, world’s most prestigious brand, operates under Royal Charter as a public service broadcaster. Its Charter specifies that the mission of the Corporation is to "inform, educate and entertain". BBC exists to serve the public interest and to promote its public purposes: sustaining citizenship and civil society, promoting education and learning, stimulating creativity and cultural excellence, representing the UK.

Similar parallel may apply to national stations in India (All India Radio), New Zealand (Radio New Zealand), Fiji (Fiji Broadcasting Commission for Indigenous I-Taukei programmes), and so on. Among other things, these stations are also guardians of culture and language of original settlers of respective countries.

This role or obligation however does not apply to Hindi or Indian radio stations in New Zealand. It therefore came as a surprise to me when listening to certain newsreaders of Radio Tarana who appear to sit with Hindi-English-Hindi dictionary, and bombastically translate English news into Hindi that normal mortal Indians find hard to understand and decipher. The purpose of language is communication, and not to show linguistic prowess of its editors and sub-editors. [This used to be done with my understandable articles, when adulterated by one Indian Newspaper editor, with his officious editing, inserting difficult and hard-to-understand words).

I can read and write Standard Hindi and Fiji Hindi and would consider myself above-average in understanding of Hindi. When listening to Radio Tarana news of certain newsreaders, my children used to ask,” Papa what language is the announcer speaking in, what did he say?” My reply “I did not understand with formal Hindi classes to year 9, how can you understand?”

For example, the newsreader speaks about conflict in Iraq, and would say, so many people died because of a suicide-bomber, which he will say in Hindi as “ Atm-Ghaati humlaa” without so much as repeating in English so normal mortal Indians could be educated and understand, especially children struggling to speak and understand Hindi in New Zealand. Other unusual, never-spoken Hindi vocabulary normally are used in Hindi news which even I do not understand, full of verbosity such as: “Prashashnic kaaryawahi (disciplinary action) “Sacratmak” (optimism-positive), “Sthayi Sachiu (permanent secretary), “Raj waadi, prajatantra” (democracy), Baam Panthi dal (left wingers –I do not know what they mean, “Vyahan” (car), “Vyahan chalak” (car driver).

Another, younger news reader of Radio Tarana, who I expected to be more liberal in use of understandable Hindi, took the cake. It was good that I had heard the news in English and understood because I knew the context. He used the word “Saamling” which no Indian I spoke to understood what it meant. It was reportedly used for “lesbian”, but I am not sure if that is correct. Another word used by the same newsreader the other day was “Anubandh” which I do not still understand and hope some Indian can tell me what it means.

So, is Hindi News in Radio Tarana about informing and educating or is it to show the Hindi language skills of the news team that common Indians hardly grasp. Like Latin and Shakespearean language, it sounds good, but very few understand. While this was brought to attention of management many years ago, nothing has changed. In fact, it has gone worse. The general attitude is “Who is this Thakur, telling us our job.” Well, Fiji Pundit has spoken and many will listen.

I hope Fiji Pundit will bring some culture change, where once again in our adopted country, Indians and people of Indian origin are able to understand Hindi news on an Indian radio station.

The state of Indian media in Auckland:FIJI PUNDIT-Indian Media Watch

The state of Indian media in Auckland

Is Indian media in Auckland working as divisive forces in search for audience and readers? Are they dividing the community with carrots of funding/sponsorships, seeking exclusivity in organising multitudes of same festivals in one location? Are they also dividing sports, especially soccer? Many have been thinking on these lines, but nobody was speaking. Was the mouse in the community waiting for somebody to tie the bell on the cat’s neck? Well, no more waiting - over to FIJI PUNDIT, a new blogsite by THAKUR RANJIT SINGH to act as Indian Media Watch to guard the guardians, because some editors and media owners act as little Gods in the community. No more now, Fiji Pundit will speak without fear or favour and expose their agenda.

Thakur Ranjit Singh operates new blogsite Fiji Pundit, that will also endeavour to be  Indian Media Watch in Auckland: Guarding the guardians.

I decided to go this way when Indian lynch mob, headed by Indian Newslink, tried to gag my freedom of speech and denied my right to be corrected when misquoted and misreported in Indian Newslink [Read in Fiji Pundit: http://www.fijipundit.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/satyamev-jayate-hey-ram-indian.html]

Henceforth, any aggrieved individual can approach Fiji Pundit to highlight any grievance, seek redress from Fiji media in Auckland or highlight cases of prostitution of journalism standards for commercial success.

When I started my communications company Media Relations Limited, I was armed with Masters in Communication Studies (MCS) with Honours from perhaps the best media institution in New Zealand - Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

My intention was to bring some semblance of professionalism in communication in general and Indian media in particular. This is because some rich people or those with access to resources feel that merely being rich or having success in some business makes them experts to run media or pass judgement on others. Indian media in Auckland has become a cut-throat business, and to gain advertisers, there is cut-throat competition literally. If you shut the ten or so Indian media-wallahs in Auckland in a room, unsupervised with no holds barred, they would end up killing each other, giving cut-throat competition a new meaning.

When a new radio station was launched, I had offered to provide my expertise and was able to dig up my offer and advanced the following to market myself. This is also an opportunity to provide my credentials to the readers of Fiji Pundit:

1) With my advanced understanding of media and communications and general political commentary, I could lead your news and current affairs team, together with talk-back, interviews, panel discussion and other related issues. With my high level of standard Hindi and Fiji Hindi, I could anchor any programme in any form of Hindi. I had converted / translated standard Hindi to Fiji Hindi in the recent movie Pump Up the Mandali, produced by Mirchee TV

2) As a former publisher and general manager Fiji’s Daily Post newspaper, I could assist in strategic management, market positioning and market penetration strategy of your media group. I provided this support to the new newspaper, Indian Weekender when it was launched at Waitakere Holi Mela in 2009 and when I was its Chief Reporter. With intense competition from already-established two-24-hour Hindi radio stations and a saturated Hindi radio market, it is essential for this station to determine what it will do different. There still needs to be strong and rational strategic market planning to wrest control of the market with proper SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis and market penetration strategy. That is where I could help.

3) As a media commentator, community leader and a community worker, I am well known in the Indian community and the media circle. I am also well known through my frank and straight political and media commentary. Hence my integrity and frankness will gain customers who believe in truth and fairness. (Satyamev Jayate)

4) With my knowledge and leadership in promoting Fiji Hindi, this unique language could be utilized as a promotional tool in your organisation, depending on the marketing positioning of your station. I was also the producer and presenter of Radio Fiji’s Fiji-Hindi programme Tanik Hamri Bhi Suno. I also authored yet another Fiji Hindi column, Lo kar lo baat, this time, in the Hindi weekly paper Shanti Dut which was owned by Murdoch’s Fiji Times.

5) Success, acceptability, image and credibility of media organisations are dependent of the integrity, sense of morality, ethics and character of individuals in the organization. I am confident I can bring these attributes to your organisation.

My offer was not taken, and there was no acknowledgement or reply. I have heard through grapevine that things are not too well at the new radio station now. There are reportedly some rumblings, as noted on Facebook.

Now you can rely on Fiji Pundit to bring you update on this story and other areas of interest on Indian Media.

Keep reading Fiji Pundit for the real inside news.

[Next Update: When Indians cannot understand Hindi news at Radio Tarana]