India Irate After Anchor's Not-So-Diplomatic Play on Name

(Oct. 7) -- India today blasted New Zealand after a television anchor made fun of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's name, pronouncing it phonetically over and over, even after being told by another announcer that her name was pronounced "Dixit."

Dikshit is in the news because New Delhi is hosting the Commonwealth Games, which kicked off last Sunday with a grand opening ceremony following weeks of bad press about the mismanagement of the event.

"It looks like Dick-sh--," Paul Henry said during a breakfast show on the television station TVNZ and then proceeded to repeat his joke and laugh loudly for over a minute. "And it's so appropriate because she's Indian. ... So she would be in Dick-in-sh-- ... walking along the street."


"Paul, her name is Ms. Dixit," said the main anchor.

Henry was probably playing off media reports in the run-up to the Games, which said that some of the rooms and toilets for the athletes were not ready and in unhygienic conditions.

Following the remarks, India's Ministry of External Affairs summoned New Zealand High Commissioner Rupert Holborow and handed him a "demarche" -- a formal protest.

"It was conveyed to him [Holborow] that the government strongly and unequivocally denounces the racist remarks of the journalist in question," read a statement by the ministry. "It is shocking that such bigoted views have been aired by a representative of a mainstream media organization of a multiethnic democracy like New Zealand.

"These remarks are totally unacceptable to India and should be condemned by all right thinking people and nations," the statement continued, calling for "demonstrative action" against the anchor to "send out a clear signal" against "such behavior."

Later, Holborow issued his own statement in which he described the remarks as "culturally insensitive, inappropriate and vulgar."

"They reflect the views of only one media commentator, who has already been censored for other racist and unacceptable comments, and certainly not the New Zealand government or people," he said.

Henry shot his mouth off last week, as well, when he observed that New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand, who is of Indian origin, didn't look like a New Zealander. The TV anchor has reportedly apologized for the remarks.

There are currently more than 100,000 New Zealanders of Indian ethnic origin (almost 3 percent of the population), the second largest immigrant group from Asia after China.

Meanwhile, New Delhi's chief minister stayed out of the fray, even as India's media branded the remarks "racial slurs" and blasted the anchor.

"I was too busy to notice," Dikshit said.