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Posted
on 02-Jun-03 05:09 AM
Lets talk in this thread about all those South Asian women and their achievements in the West.
WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE
Ludhiana girls hat-trick as mayor in Newzealand
Teena Singh
IT must be the luck of the name Turner, apart from her own grit and vision of politics that helped Sukhi Gill Turner, wife of Newzealand cricketing legend; Glen Turner, to get a third term as Mayor of Dunedin Southern Newzealand consecutively. She has created history as the first woman to be elected as a Mayor. In Newzealand, there are no chief ministers or governors. The mayors is the highest office and s/he is in charge of the well-being of a city, a district and its people. This history was repeated third time over on October 13, 2001. The lady has unshakable convictions and principles and is highly admired by people. In her words: Local government is not just about sewage and potholes, but also about the general well-being of the community . Is our mayor listening? She has always been focused towards a clean and sustainable development . She created popular support by opposing the sister city link with Shanghai because of China's record of human rights abuses. She chose human rights, instead of business opportunities. It was the question of putting Dunedin's interests and her personal principles before and above wallet politics . Her Chandigarh-based parents Squadron leader Jasbir Singh Gill and Premjit Kaurs Dolly became the dolly-catch for Glenn.
The newspapers around the world covered their love story and wedding. People could not believe the dignity with which Glenn Turner went through a Sikh marriage, wearing a pink turban. He had said: Anything for Sukhi . After a four-year-long whirlwind romance around the globe, Glenn had to convince Jasbir of his family values and his ever-lasting love for Sukhi, before getting the latters blessings to marry his daughter in 1973.
For Sukhi, it was only Glenn or else no marriage ever. She was always a brilliant student , says her mother Premjit. Passing out of All Saints Anglican School, Nainital, Sukhi joined Sophia College, Mumbai. She spent just one year there, before winning a scholarship to do her graduation from Bethany College, West Virginia, USA in history and political science. Mumbai also introduced her to Glenn. Premjit wondered what Glenn found in her girl with spectacles. I fell for her mind, Glenn says. Life for some begins after 40. After a lifetime of being a dedicated wife and mother to Glenn and their two children Natasha, now 24, and son Shaan, 22 years old, Sukhi could be well be Newzealand's nominee to the United Nations or the next Newzealand Ambassador to India. They could well be one of the most-photographed and written about Newzealanders. Sukhi has kept up the magic of the Orient and is always alive to the country of her in-laws. Be it her introducing Indian food and spices or making her father do the ardaas at the opening meeting of her Council or by wearing a Sari for a Scottish Ball at Castles, Larnach. Despite her Indianness, Sukhi adopted and became a true Newzealander from the moment, she took the oath of citizenship, after her wedding in 1973. To note, she did not take a lifetime to show her allegiance to her in-laws nation and was elected on merit and not as a bahu of a riyaasat (pun intended). Sukhi has been very socially involved citizen of Dunedin. From being a member of local kindergarten committee, she went on to becoming the highest polling candidate for her childrens school board trustees. She was Vice-president of the Federation of University Women, Otago, Established Neighborhood Support Group and was a member of womens, environmental network before becoming the first citizen of Dunedin. I was always interested in politics, especially in the politics of change. The negative effects of the restructuring of Newzealand Society in the 80s and 90s really dismayed me and thus I joined the Green Party of Aotearoa in 1993 , she says. In her first attempt, she got elected to the City Council. It was the first time in 27 years that an incumbent mayor was defeated and Sukhi won by 2410 votes to become the first woman Mayor of Dunedin, to be re-elected in 98 and again in 2001 for a further tenure of three years. Hats off to Sukhi who is called The Ludhiana Girl, The Nainital Girl, The Mumbai Girl, The Chandigarh Girl and The Indian Girl!
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