Indian Ancestry Overseas (Research Material) /wef Sept 07th, 2022

India restoring Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia: Jaishankar

‘Today, we are restoring and renovating the temples in Angkor Wat. These are contributions which we are making outside because the civilisation of India has gone beyond India’.

The Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia is being restored by India because our civilisation is not limited to India, but is spread across countries, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday said.

Addressing the Kashi Tamil Sangamam on the subject ‘contribution of temples in society and nation building’ being held here, Mr. Jaishankar said, “There are temples not only in India, not only in the Indian subcontinent, but in many regions beyond.”

“I had gone with the Vice President to see the biggest temple in the world—the Angkor Wat temple complex. Today, we are restoring and renovating the temples in Angkor Wat. These are contributions which we are making outside because the civilisation of India has gone beyond India,” he said.

“So, today when we are restoring, rebuilding, and re-energising Indian civilisation, our task is not only in India. Our task is all over the world. But, it is not only where our civilisation went, it is also where our travellers went, our traders went, our people of faith went,” he said.

Recalling his days as India’s ambassador to China, the minister said, “Some of you know that for many years, I have been an ambassador to China. I have seen the remnants of Hindu temples even in China on the east coast.” He said that there is a very special connection between Ayodhya and Korea, whose people want to be associated with the developments in Ayodhya, he said.

He also mentioned that Shrinath jee temple in Bahrain, and said, “All these were established by our people, when they went out. It is a matter of pride for us that we are building a temple in UAE, that we got approval to built a temple in Bahrain. We have done a lot of work in Vietnam.”

“So, how do we today take our culture out, take our values, our philosophy, our way of life and share it with the rest of the world through activities outside. We are very committed in the foreign ministry to doing that. We also support what people of India are doing outside … There are more than 1,000 temples in the US,” he said.

He said that there are 3.5 crore Indians and people of Indian origin abroad, who have taken Indian culture with them abroad. “So, it is also our efforts today to support them, and we do it in different ways.” Mr. Jaishankar also informed the audience that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged ₹200 crore to build a Ramayan Circuit into Nepal, “so that all of us will have an opportunity to visit our heritage in close quarters.”

“Even in Sri Lanka, we restored the Thiruketheeswaram Temple in Mannar. This temple was closed for 12 years. So the fact that we took interest, made efforts, has made it possible for the revival of that temple,” he said.

Thiruketheeswaram Temple, one of the five sacred Ishwarams dedicated to Lord Shiva, is venerated by Shaivites throughout the subcontinent and the temple was testimony to the most difficult period in the history of Sri Lanka as it was closed for 12 years during the armed conflict and reopened in 2002.

The minister also said that in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake, many temples were damaged because they were old. “We have committed $50 million for restoration of cultural heritage in Nepal.”

thehindu.com

Leo Varadkar begins second inning as Irish Prime Minister

Varadkar has Indian roots as his father Ashok is from Maharashtra and his mother Miriam is Irish. He is also amongst the few openly gay leaders of the world.

Smooth handover of power midway in coalition deals is a risky proposition in this part of the world, but not in Ireland as Leo Eric Varadkar was sworn in as Ireland’s prime minister on Saturday. This is his second stint as PM; he first occupied the hot seat in 2017.

The 43-year-old Varadkar is an Irish Fine Gael leader who served as deputy PM and minister for enterprise in the outgoing government since 2020. He succeeded Michael Martin, who will function as deputy PM under Varadkar. Eighty-seven members of Irish Parliament voted to elect Varadkar as PM, while 62 were against it.

On June 26, 2020, a first-ever coalition government was formed that comprised Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Green Party. As part of the arrangement, Fianna Fáil leader Michael Martin was to hold office of PM until December 16 and then hand over the baton to Varadkar.

Varadkar has Indian roots as his father Ashok is from Maharashtra and mother Miriam is Irish. He is also amongst the few openly gay leaders of the world and lives with his partner Matthew Barrett, who is a qualified medical practitioner like Varadkar.

It was during a radio interview on January 18, 2015 (his 36th birthday) that Varadkar came out as being gay. “It’s not something that defines me. I’m not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician or a gay politician for that matter. It’s just part of who I am, it doesn’t define me, it is part of my character I suppose,” he had said. He has also been an advocate of same-sex marriage.

He has studied medicine and completed his internship at KEM Hospital in Mumbai. Varadkar has been regularly visiting India, specially Maharashtra. His last trip to India was in 2019 with his partner.Sources said Varadkar would like to visit India as soon as possible depending on scheduling issues since India is already caught up with various events around the G20.

There are many issues that Varadkar will have to deal with in his present term. These includes issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol—the part of Brexit treaty which Varadkar negotiated in 2019 to keep the region within the European Union’s customs block—which remains unresolved.

Ireland is also grappling with a cost of living crisis, high energy bills and an influx of refugees from Ukraine.Housing will be one of the new government’s major policy priorities as it looks to deliver progress ahead of an election due by March 2025. The shortage of homes has been building up for a decade and with forecasts showing a decline in new construction next year. One of Varadkar’s first pieces of legislation will be a planning bill.

newindianexpress.com

Anjan Luthra installed as new Cricket Scotland chair: “Major challenges and opportunities lie ahead”

The former Scotland Under-15, 17 and 19 international, Luthra will take experience in private equity and business into the role. In July, the governing body were found to be institutionally racist.

New Cricket Scotland chair Anjan Luthra has pledged to cleanse the organisation after it was found to be “institutionally racist”.

Luthra has been appointed as Tony Brian’s permanent successor on a two-year deal.

A former Scotland Under-15, 17 and 19 international, Luthra’s main experience comes in private equity and media.

He is the co-founder and chief executive of London-based global media company RAMP. Luthra also created Thrillz, a celebrity video and experience platform.

A chartered accountant having qualified with EY in Scotland, he has experience in restructuring high-profile Scottish firms.

In July, a Plan4Sport Changing The Boundaries report found the governance and leadership of the body, formed in its current guise in 1908, “enabled a culture of racially aggravated micro-aggressions”.

Investigations were triggered after allegations made by former Scotland off-spinner Majid Haq, the country’s leading wicket-taker, and teammate Qasim Sheikh.

Majid told The Cricketer last month the governing body “still don’t get it” after it emerged they were reluctant to suspend a person accused of racial discrimination from their coaching staff for the T20 World Cup.

Prior to the report being made public, the entire Cricket Scotland board resigned and installing a new board is among Luthra’s priorities.

“The Changing the Boundaries report highlighted serious institutional failings and I am committed to implementing the recommendations and findings from the report as we rebuild the organisation, starting with the appointment of independent board members,” he said.

“Major challenges and opportunities lie ahead and I am excited about what the future holds for Cricket Scotland.”

Interim CS ceo Gordon Arthur added: “The chair will lead the governance review that is one of the major recommendations emanating from ‘Changing the Boundaries’ and provides an important bridge to the International Cricket Council, sportscotland and our other stakeholders.”

thecricketer.com

Hong Kong’s sole Sikh temple reopens after Rs 2.4bn renovation

As Sikhs world over gear up to celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanti on Tuesday, the only Gurdwara in Hong Kong has reopened its doors after a HK$230 million (Rs 2.4 billion) makeover.

The 553rd birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev falls on November 8, and will be celebrated with fanfare at the Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple in Wan Chai district, which reopened after five years.

With a larger three-storey building to accommodate the growing Sikh population in Hong Kong, the renovated temple is now equipped with a medical centre, bigger congregation hall and a kitchen to serve around 3,000 people, the South China Morning Post reported.

“The temple is not just a religious facility, it’s very much a part of the social life for Hong Jong’s 15,000-odd Sikhs,” Gurdev Singh Ghalib, the building committee convenor, told RTHK News.

Sikhs are one of many religious minority groups living in Hong Kong. The city’s Sikh community, now 15,000-strong, traces its roots to the beginning of the 20th century.

The temple, designed in India, was renovated with the help of donations by Hong Kong’s Sikh community.

It will also provide Punjabi and Cantonese language classes to help Indian immigrants adjust to the city, and foster a sense of cultural belonging.

The gurdwara was built in 1901 by the Sikh members of the British Army Regiment stationed in Hong Kong.

The temple “sustained significant damage when it was bombed in the 1940s during the Asia-Pacific War”, the South China Morning Post reported.

During the war, both Sikhs and non-Sikhs sought refuge in the temple, and after the war came to an end, these groups came together to rebuild the temple, the report said

Family fled Punjab in the ’80s, 19-yr-old at T20 World Cup for Netherlands

Vikramjit Singh, tipped to be one of the brightest cricketing talents in the Netherlands, will take guard against India, the country of his forefathers, on Thursday, which he calls “the biggest match of my international career”.

On a cold December night in 1984, Khushi Cheema returned home and asked his wife to pack their belongings. The following day, the Sikh family from village Cheema Khurd near Jalandhar boarded a train for Delhi. During the 52-km ride, 5-year-old Harpreet kept asking his father where they were going. He only got a smile as an answer.

“I can never forget that night and the next morning. It still feels like it happened yesterday. My father took that decision to keep his family safe after the rise of insurgency in Punjab during the mid-1980s,” Harpreet tells The Indian Express over phone from Amstelveen in the Netherlands.

Cut to the present, Khushi Cheema is back on his farm in Jalandhar, and Harpreet is running a transportation company in Amstelveen.

His 19-year-old grandson, Vikramjit Singh, tipped to be one of the brightest cricketing talents in the Netherlands, will take guard against India, the country of his forefathers, on Thursday, which he calls “the biggest match of my international career”

After the win against Pakistan in the opening game, India will start as favourites against a nation where cricket isn’t a mass sport.

“I was five when I came to the Netherlands. It was very hard; you didn’t know the language, it was a completely different culture. It took me a few years to settle down,” says Harpreet.

He goes down memory lane, recollecting his family’s hardships and the discrimination he faced growing up.

“Back then, there was racism. I faced a lot because of my skin colour, turban and beard,” says Harpreet.

But with time, things eased. Khushi Cheema, who started driving a taxi in his new country, handed over his transportation company to his son before moving back to India in 2000.

“My father handed over the business to me and moved back to India. He said his duty as a father was done, we are well settled here now, and he wanted to go back to his pind (village), to his people,” Harpreet says.

The family’s bond with India was too strong to cut off. Vikramjit was born in Cheema Khurd and he moved to the Netherlands only after he turned seven. He never had to face problems like his father.

At 11, he was spotted at an U-12 tournament by then Dutch skipper Peter Borren, who spent hours and hours in the nets to groom the youngster. He also got a sponsorship from Beat All Sports (BAS), a sports goods manufacturers company that made bats for Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh.

At 15, he was already in the Netherlands ‘A’ side and two years later, made his senior team debut.

“For me, cricket started in Cheema Khurd. When I moved to the Netherlands, I used to go with my father as he used to play in the local leagues. At 12, I played alongside him when he was captain,” Vikramjit says from Sydney.

Borren got Vikramjit enrolled at his club VRA, Amsterdam, where he was captain.

“Not sure what he saw in me but I feel lucky that someone like Peter, with so much international experience, is my mentor. He has guided me throughout my cricketing career so far,” says Vikramjit.

It is not easy to be a professional cricketer in a country obsessed with football with a cricket season ending in September before resuming in March.

Here, Harpreet came to his son’s rescue. During his playing days, he had become friends with Amit Uniyal, a former Punjab and Rajasthan Royals bowler, who used to play league cricket with him in the Netherlands. From 2015-16 to 2019-20, the youngster spent six months at Uniyal’s Gurusagar Cricket Academy in Chandigarh.

“I had my doubts first. NRI kid, will he be able to train twice a day? Will he be able to get along with the local lads? But he surprised me with his temperament, his immense self-belief and hard work. He never complained and I am not surprised to see his rise in International cricket,” says Uniyal.

In 2021, Vikramjit shifted his base to Jalandhar and started training with former India U-19 player Taruwar Kohli, who also used to play for a club in Amsterdam.

“One of the reason was that Taruwar Kohli’s Powerplay Cricket Academy was near my village (Khurd Cheema), and now my mother doesn’t have to worry about me anymore. It was kind of exhausting for her too. Above all, I got to spend more time with my Dadu (grandfather),” says Vikramjit, who has gifted his Netherlands jersey to his grandfather, a die-hard cricket fan.

‘Privileged’: Fiji is 1st Pacific nation to host 12th World Hindi Conference

Anjeela Jokhan, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Education, Heritage, and Arts, said the country is honoured to be the first in the Pacific to host the prestigious event and praised the partnership with India.

Fiji will be hosting the 12th World Hindi Conference next year from February 15-17, 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said at an event held here in New Delhi.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar launched the logo and website of Vishwa Hindi Diwas along with V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs and Permanent Secretary for Fijian Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts Anjeela Jokhan.

Speaking at the event, Anjeela Jokhan said that Fiji is privileged to be the first country in the Pacific to host the prestigious event and hailed the partnership with India.

“We are honoured to have been nominated by the Indian government as the next year’s host for the World Hindi Conference as this platform will provide us with a wonderful opportunity to promote and celebrate Hindi, one of our country’s main languages. Indeed Fiji feels blessed and privileged to be the first country in the Pacific to host this prestigious event,” said Fijian Secretary Anjeela Jokhan.

“We will do our best to make this conference a grand success. Fiji Hindi is in fact enshrined in the Fiji Constitution as one of our official languages. Not only this we also teach Hindi in our primary and secondary schools. While it is compulsory for students of Indian origin in primary schools, it is an optional subject in secondary schools. Hindi is also taught in our universities,” she added.

Jokhan noted that the partnership with the government of India has grown from strength to strength over the past 52 years and the people of our nations have been deeply enriched through our bilateral interactions and engagements. The official added, “Our two nations have an undeniable bond which can be seen in mutual understanding and respect that we have for each other’s sovereignty, common development and shared prosperity.”

“It is based on our shared history which is rooted in age-old ties of culture. In Fiji, we have a very cordial relationship with the High Commission of India that enables us to celebrate together many events such as Yoga Day, World Hindi Day, and so forth. In fact, in 2020 we held Regional Hindi Conference in Suva”, she continued saying.

Further highlighting the contribution made by the Fijian scholars towards developing Hindi, she said that the country looks forward to hosting the event. “With a significant portion of our population having Indian heritage, we have worked together to ensure the protection and promotion of our languages, traditions, and culture. We are proud to say that Fijian scholars have made a contribution towards developing Hindi not just in Fiji but across the world via the Fijian diaspora.”

Fiji looks forward to hosting this event from February 15-17, 2023, she highlighted and said, “We look forward to hosting this significant event in our country. We know that we will receive the Indian diaspora from a number of nations and this will give our people the opportunity to develop networks and friendship.”

The three-day conference would be held in the Fijian city of Nadi.

Canadian city gets first turban-wearing Sikh woman councillor

Indo-Canadian healthcare worker Navjit Kaur Brar has become the first turban-wearing Sikh woman to be elected as Brampton City Councillor in the recent Municipal council polls.

Brar, a respiratory therapist and a mother of three, won the race for City Councillor in Wards 2 and 6, beating Jermaine Chambers, a former Conservative MP candidate for Brampton West.

Brar had 28.85 per cent of the votes cast on Monday with Chambers as nearest contender with 22.59 per cent, and Carmen Wilson coming in third at 15.41 per cent, the Brampton Guardian reported.

“I am so proud of @Navjitkaurbrar. She was a selfless and dedicated front line healthcare worker during the pandemic. She has stepped up for public service and I am confident she will be a phenomenal addition to Brampton City Council,” tweeted Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, who won a second term in recent election.

As part of her campaign she knocked over 40,000 doors and spoked to over 22,500 residents in the last two months.

“Over the past 3 years, I’ve spoken to countless Bramptonians and the sentiment I hear is that they are all hurting, they feel unheard, they feel left behind. With the rising cost of living It’s getting harder to raise and provide for your family in Brampton… As your city councillor I will fight for better services for all Bramptonians and ensure that your voices are heard,” Brar had said in her campaign pitch.

Brar previously ran as the Ontario NDP candidate in Brampton West, losing out to incumbent Progressive Conservative MPP Amarjot Sandhu.

Another Sikh candidate, Gurpartap Singh Toor, knocked off his opponent Gurpreet Dhillon in Wards 9 and 10 by a scant 227 votes.

As many as 40 Punjabis were in the fray for Brampton civic elections, according to local media reports.

Out of 354,884 eligible voters in Brampton, only 87,155 of them turned up to cast ballots — an abysmal voter turnout of approximately 24.56 per cent, according to unofficial results, The Pointer reported.

The Indo-Canadian community, along with the councillor candidates, had raised concerns over the election date overlapping with Diwali — one of the most-awaited festivals celebrated by the large swathe of Indian diaspora present in the North American country.

“It is very problematic that the elections are taking place on the Diwali day, especially the municipal election that has always seen a low voter turnout,” Gurpratap Singh Toor, who has won Wards 9 and 10, had told Omni Punjabi.

Elections for municipal government are held every four years on the fourth Monday of October, which fell on October 24 this time.

These polls usually elect a mayor and city council and sometimes also a school board.

Around 40 per cent of Brampton’s population is South Asian, and the municipal election also fell on the religious festival of Diwali, celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains.

“Greatest Privilege”: Rishi Sunak, First Indian-Origin UK Prime Minister

UK is facing an economically toxic combination of recession and rising interest rates. Critics blame the economic downturn on the Conservative Party and what they call its “series of miscalculations”.

Rishi Sunak is the next Prime Minister of UK, tasked to steer the economically floundering nation days after his predecessor Liz Truss stepped down, conceding defeat. At age 42, he is the youngest and the first person of colour to hold the post.

ndtv.com

Odia entrepreneur felicitated in British Parliament

UK-based Odia entrepreneur and co-founder of NesT Group Arun Kar has been honoured with ‘Mahatma Gandhi Samman’ at the House of Commons in British Parliament, London. He was felicitated ahead of the 153rd birth anniversary celebration of Mahatma Gandhi.

Kar, an NRI, has made a place for himself in innovations in various diversified fields like Information Technology and Environmental Sustainability.

He has been featured on Forbes, Fortune’s cover page and also been a winner of National Business awards in UK.

He is also a Guinness World Record holder and has been felicitated as Global Indian of the Year – 2021 by AsiaOne Magazine.

nie

Dubai’s Kay Godkhindi creates history in all-female chair umpire team at Sofia Open

In a first, supervisor, tournament director, referee and chief of umpires are all women who have been assigned to an ATP tour event.

There’s a strong Dubai connection to the ongoing Sofia Open in Bulgaria run by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuits.

This is for the first time, an all-female chair umpire team, including the ATP supervisor, tournament director, referee and chief of umpires, was assigned to an ATP Tour event.

Tournament Director Kay Godkhindi, who is of Indian origin and holds an Australian passport, grew up in Dubai and went to college in the USA.

She told Khaleej Times from Sofia about the exciting aspect of the event.

“Truth be told, we had no clue about history being made in front of our eyes. At the end of the day, it’s a sport where gender is of little consequence. Besides, gender doesn’t define an individual’s capabilities. However, it’s a wonderful concept to have equal opportunity in both the ATP and the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) and empowering women as and when possible is a step towards the right direction,” she said while lavishing praise on ATP for championing the gender cause.

Tennis has had several prominent female officials, including those officiating in men’s matches, for several decades.

Anne Lasserre, who is the ATP Supervisor for the ATP 250 in Sofia, is the gender-bender pioneer.

“I think it’s an honour as well to be the first female. I worked as a chair umpire for the ATP a long time ago,” Lasserre said.

“I think things and the situation are evolving, which I think is a good thing. It’s an honour, I’m proud of it…

“It’s good to think about the future and being able to break this glass ceiling and give this opportunity to other females to do the same job as we do in every sport,” she told atptour.com.

ATP Senior Director of Officiating Administration Ali Nili told atptour.com: “The ATP Officiating Department prioritises high performance and a diverse officiating team. The tournament in Sofia is an example of our successful efforts in that direction. While the road to progress is long, we are proud of the direction we are heading, and the future seems bright.

khaleejtimes.com