Indian Newslink: Tough contest spells quality entrants

Tough contest spells quality entrants
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Venkat Raman on 14/11/2009 16:50:00
 
Quality and success are the characteristic features of the entries to the Indian
Newslink Indian Business Awards (IBA) 2009, according to the panel of judges,
which is independent of this newspaper.
At press time, the panel were busy selecting finalists and winners in each
category.
This year, there are ten award categories, in addition to the Supreme Business
of the Year Award (see box below).
Ignition Partner Limited Executive Director Chad Wilkie is leading the panel as
its Convenor.
The finalists and winners will be announced at the IBA 2009 Awards Night Gala
Black Tie Dinner tomorrow (November 16) at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Auckland
City, at which John Campbell of TV3 and Campbell Live fame will be the Master of
Ceremonies.
Prime Minister John Key, Opposition Leader Phil Goff, Waitakere and Manukau City
Mayors Bob Harvey and Len Brown will be among the guests of honour.
Waitakere City and Waitakere Enterprise are the principal supporters of IBA 2009
and were the source of encouragement and patronage in launching the Awards
scheme (IBA 2008) last year.
Commercial banks and major companies of the private sector have booked tables to
entertain their business associates, colleagues and staff at the function.
With about 425 guests expected, the event is not only a sell-out but also an
important occasion for the Indian business community in New Zealand.
Participants and guests from Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch are
among those attending the Awards Night Dinner.
Major Transformation
The lounge area of the Stamford Plaza Hotel, where the Awards Night will be
held, will undergo a metamorphosis to accommodate a specially constructed stage,
television screens and other equipment.
Associate Sales & Marketing Manager Sunny Kaushal said it would be a new
experience for the management and staff of the hotel.
“We will transform the lobby into a spectacular showcase and for the first
time ever have a sit-down, table-served dinner for more than 400 guests. Apart
from my team, several other departments including those of Food & Beverage,
Executive Chef, and Property have been working for months planning and
fine-tuning the programme. We will leave nothing to chance,” he said.
Mr Kaushal said Indian Newslink held its first Indian Business Awards in
November 2008, following the success of which the Hotel was delighted to sponsor
the Best Innovation Business Award this year.
“It is important to recognise and reward successful Indian businesses and
Stamford Plaza has always been keen to support such initiatives,” he said.
General Manager Peter Gee will present the Award to the winner at the ceremony.
Quality Entertainment
Quality entertainment will form an interesting and invigorating backdrop to the
ceremony, including classical and contemporary dances (by Ratna Nagalakshmi
Venkat), a fashion show and live entertainment, in each of which performers are
from the resident Indian community.
Anshu Rattan, Dagny Rocha, Denisha Ramanandi, Jumana Shakeer, Kiran Dhaliwal,
Rupasha Bhattacharya, Sabrina Farouk, Sangeeta Selvaraj, Shreya Gejji, Suchitra
Venkat and Varsha Donthi Reddy are among the models participating in the fashion
show, produced by Reshabh D Productions and sponsored by Auckland based retail
company Roop Darshan.
Indiana Publications (NZ) Limited, publisher of Indian Newslink, Indian Newslink
Fastfind Indian Business Directory and owners of IBA is the event manager.
The company has culled local talent to provide live entertainment throughout the
evening. The group includes Joseph Alexander (Alex), Joscel Alexander, Hemant
Thaker and Shivam Padayachi.
Joseph Alexander (Alex) is well known to the Western audiences as a performer
with electronic drums at a number of business, community and social events but
has become an important part of the musical orchestra performing at Indian shows
over the past three years.
Influenced and inspired by ‘drummer icons’ such as American session and
studio drummer Steve Gadd, Jazz Fusion drummer Dave Weckl and groups such as UB
40, Dire Straits, Eagles, Clearance Clearwater Revival (CCR), Syro Gyra and Deep
Purple, he has been a source of endearment to a cross-section of the people.
Alex has appeared in the New Zealand production of ‘Grease.’
He has also performed in several bands including ‘Rewind’ (NZ) ‘Crimson
Rage’ (India) and is currently associated with ‘Velocity,’ playing
electronic drums.
Joscel Alexander is a chip off the old block, and like his father, follows
Weckl, in addition to Steve Smith, Mike Johnston, Dennis Chambers and Thomas
Land.
An AUT University student pursuing a course in Hospitality Management, Joscel is
adept at acoustic drums.
Almost all organisers of Indian shows first ascertain the availability of Hemant
Thaker, before they even confirm booking the venue; for, over the years, this
young keyboard player has become an integral part of every orchestra.
Well versed in Bollywood numbers, Hemant adapts easily to any circumstance and
hence is considered an amicable artiste.
He has a number of albums to his credit, composed for several organisations and
associations in the community.
Base guitarists are often considered trendy, living in a world of their own;
conforming to which is Shivam Padayachi. His role at ‘Desi Fever,’ a popular
local band is pronounced and music lovers recognise and applaud his talent at
all shows.
Shivam is a registered electrical inspector, adding yet another string to his
qualifications and capabilities.
Our Sponsors
Waitakere City Council
Waitakere Enterprise
The National Bank of New Zealand
TV3 & Campbell Live
Suburban Newspapers Auckland
The National Business Review
Radio Tarana
Voicenetip, Fiji/USA
Hotel Stamford Plaza
Education, Trade and Technology Alliance NZ (ETTANZ)
Millennium Foods Limited
Murray Sharma & Associates Limited
Planet Ayurveda, Auckland
Our Panel of Judges
Chad Wilkie, Executive Director, Ignition Partner Limited (Convenor)
Nevil Gibson, Editor-in-Chief, The National Business Review
Vijaya Vaidyanath, Chief Executive, Waitakere City Council
Adrian Dixon, Consultant, CBA Consultants
Steve Corbett, Chief Executive, e-Centre Ltd, Massey University
Tony Bacon, Sector and Partner Manager, Vodafone NZ
Tim Livingstone, Senior Partner, UHY Haines Norton, Chartered Accountants
Clair McGowan, Managing Director, Commercialisation Advisers Ltd
Chip Dawson, Managing Director, International Business Management Ltd
David Hawkins, Associate Professor, Unitec School of Design