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VOL 40. ISSUE 46

80p

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe 24th Mar to 30th Mar 2012

Govt to relax Sunday trading laws during Olympics 2012

Gurkhas in British army under threat due to Nepal government bill

Small retailers to suffer as they can’t compete with big retailers gency legislation lifting the six-hour limit over eight weekends in July, August and September.

The Chancellor said it would be a chance to try to stimulate the economy. But this relaxation is not going to benefit the small shopkeepers as they cannot compete with the big and departmental stores. When

British retailers will be able to cash in on the influx of tourists visiting the London 2012 Olympics this year, with the government set to relax Sunday trading laws. Shop opening laws on Sundays will be eased for the Games.

Chancellor George Osborne confirmed that he is to push through emer-

Century

and not out

Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, treated like God by his fans, ended the long and tiring wait for his 100th international century on Friday last at Dhaka's Sher-e Bangla National Stadium.

Sachin hits his 100th century.

Tendulkar, the leading run scorer in the history of both Test and one-day cricket, achieved the most-coveted ton by taking a single off Shakib Al Hasan against Bangladesh in Asia Cup. Tendulkar's century came off 138 balls and was studded with 10 fours and a six.

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big shops are open the customers will go to them. In fact it is a loss for them.

The Chancellor, who will set out details in the Budget on Wednesday, said it would be an opportunity to try to stimulate the economy. “We have got the whole world coming to London and the rest of the country for the Olympics and it would be a great shame, particularly when some of the big Olympic events are on a Sunday, if the country had a “closed for business” sign on it,” he said.

Mr Osborne faced a backlash over the speed of the move – which will mean emergency laws being rushed through Parliament in the next 10 days. Critics also predicted the Government would move to a permanent shift in opening hours, undermining family life for those working in retailing.

But Government sources say they have secured cross-party support for the measures, which could give a much-

needed boost to the economy. Treasury estimates suggest that allowing shops in London’s West End to open on Sundays for just four more hours would lead to an extra 100,000 people shopping in the area at a time when the city will be flooded with foreign visitors. Large retailers, including the Trafford Centre in Manchester and Selfridges in London, have been privately lobbying for the change.

Until 1994, only specialist outlets such as garden centres, corner shops or chemists were allowed to trade on a Sunday. The move comes at a time of growing tension between the Government and the Church over plans to legalise same-sex marriage by 2015. .A Whitehall source said: ‘The emergency legislation will be very clear that this is only a "The Church of England would, however, strongly oppose any further attempts to erode the special nature of Sunday, Continued on page 26

The Gurkhas have been the pride of the British army for years. But almost two centuries of Gurkha service in Britain’s armed forces is now set to draw to a close after Nepal MPs backed a ban on recruitment when economic conditions are strong enough to generate alternative jobs.

A parliamentary report setting the Himalayan state’s foreign policy, said the recruitment of Gurkhas to fight in foreign armies should be ended, reported a national daily.

Its authors com-

plained that since Britain granted retired Gurkha troops the right to remain in the UK, the amount of income Nepal earns from the arrangement has declined.

Those who support a ban say the recruitment of poor young men to fight other country’s wars hurts Nepal’s national image.

A ban would break a bond which dates back to 1815 when the East India Company’s officers defeated a Gurkha army in the Anglo-Nepal but admired their warrior skills and spirit.

Continued on page 6

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

ONE TO ONE Keith Vaz MP with Javed Khan, CEO, Victim Support Javed became Chief Executive at Victim Support in October 2010. He leads 1,500 staff across England & Wales, with 7,000 specially trained volunteers. The agency is the oldest and largest of its kind in the world, supporting 1.5 million victims and witnesses every year.

Prior to this, Javed was the Executive Director to the multi-agency London Serious Youth Violence Board, responsible for working across London’s key agencies and Whitehall departments to improve inter-agency working to drive down serious youth violence.

Previously Assistant Director of Education in Birmingham, in January 2004 Javed joined Harrow Council as Chief Education Officer. Originally a Maths teacher, he has brought 27 year’s experience of working in schools, sixth form and further education colleges, with ten years as a Chief Officer in local government, and more recently in the senior civil service.

Listed in the Asian Power100 publication in 2009, he is a Non Executive Board member of the Children’s Workforce Development Council; a member of Skills for Justice Sector Skills Council Board and sits on the Executive Board of Victim Support Europe.

1) Please tell us about your current position?

Chief Executive of Victim Support 2) What are your proudest achievements?

Rising from very humble origins to become a Director Education and now Chief Executive of

Lord Dolar Popat I was saddened to hear last week that Dr Rowan Williams had decided to step down as the Archbishop of Canterbury after ten challenging, yet glorious years in the role.

It has been a privilege to work with Dr Williams both in the House of Lords and in the community and I am sure many will join me in paying tribute to Dr Williams for not only courageously leading the 77 million strong global Anglican community, but also for his role in uniting different communities and championing the importance of faith in our society.

I would particularly like to thank Dr Williams for his role in establishing the Hindu-Christian Forum, alongside Nitin Palan, the

the world’s oldest and largest victim support agency.

My family originates from the Kashmir region of Asia, with neither of my parents ever having been touched by the magic wand of education.

I was taught about the value of hard work and ethics at an early age, with little or no material

Having been a mathematician, I have benefitted from a good enough eye for figures that accountants haven’t been able to bamboozle me.

However the down side has been my lack of written skills, which I have had to work very hard at developing.

And as unfortunate as it is, I have faced the pains of institutional racism surfacing its ugly and often covert head more than once along the way.

4) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?

I have been fortunate to work with a number of highly inspirational leaders, from whom I have learnt a great deal about leading policy, practice & people, deploying resources, and how to have fun whilst you do it.

Most prominent have been Tony HenryPrincipal of East Birmingham College, and Professor Tim BrighouseDirector of Education at Birmingham City Council.

5) What is the best thing about your current role?

possessions to distract us.

I learnt how even a basic level of education can make a profound difference to your life, and that without it many doors remain firmly shut.

3) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

In the early days it was a lack of confidence alongside a poor understanding of my cultural origins.

Leading a values driven organisation that is full of the most passionate and committed people that you could ever hope to work for. If coming in every day and facing the range of stresses and strains that a CEO goes

A tribute to Dr Rowan Williams

Hindu Inter-faith Co-ordinator. Last year’s launch undoubtedly represented a milestone event between our two great faiths and I would like to thank the Archbishop for offering a hand of friendship to the Hindu community which will be remembered for many years to come.

The launch of the Forum in November 2011 at the Lambeth Palace was an historic event, whereby the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke of the importance of faith, particularly at a time when society seemed confused and muddled on the true meaning of religion.

Dr Williams also acknowledged the many similarities between the two faiths and communities, many of which he had discovered on his recent

Lord Popat speaking at the launch of the Hindu-Christian Forum alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams and Sri Dharma Das Ji, President of Bhaktivedanta Manor.

trip to India, which he referred to as a “deeply enriching experience”.

Dr Williams has also been renowned for taking the work of the Church abroad, particularly in Africa where he has taken a close interest in Sudan and

Kenya, often helping to ease diplomatic tensions in the region.

The role of Archbishop of Canterbury is certainly not an easy task, and Dr Williams has shown great vigour and strength in his attempts to hold the

Church together against its new challenges and changing times.

His reign has undoubtedly been overshadowed by the row over gay clergy and women bishops, but Dr Williams has continued to work tirelessly with sincere devotion, integrity and pride. I do not envy Dr Williams new successor, who he wittily said would need the “constitution of an ox and the skin of a rhinoceros.”

Speculation has already started on who will succeed Dr Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury and my fellow Ugandan Parliamentarian Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York has been tipped to be the favourite to take the role.

Originally from Kampala, the charismatic

through, and really loving every minute of it, leaving the office each day with a great sense of job satisfaction is anything to go by…then I feel blessed to have this role.

6) And the worst?

Quite honestlyisn’t one!

there

7) What are your long term goals?

Apart from achieving world peace (!), I don’t do long term goals. I believe that a greater power controls our destiny and all that we can do is get the very best out of all opportunities that present themselves. Our destiny will look after itself.

8) If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change?

Ensure that victim support services remain nationally commissioned, ensuring best value, high standards and an entitlement for all.

9) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figures would you like to spend your time with and why?

Bruce Lee - to help keep me fit. Jalaluddin Rumi to understand the meaning of life & love. Stevie Wonder & Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - what a duet that would be!

and outspoken Bishop has taken a number of difficult roles within and outside the Church, including being the chair of the Damilola Taylor Murder Review. If successfully elected, Dr Semtamu would become the first black leader of the Church of England and would represent a real step forward in opening up the Church.

Dr Williams will be greatly missed and I would like to wish him all the very best for his new role as Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. I am sure that Dr Williams will continue to support the work of the HinduChristian Forum and I am confident that his legacy of instilling faith and promoting inter-faith dialogue will be remembered for many years to come.

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

COMMENT

Time running out for SriLanka The hopes engendered at the end of the Colombo Government's war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appear to have withered on the vine. Sri Lankan President Mahindra Rajapakse spoke eloquently of reconciliation in the aftermath of that searing conflict, but his words are yet to be translated into institutional deeds.

Truth is, that the relationship between the Tamil minority in the north and the Sinhalese majority in the south, and in the rest of the country, has been a troubled one, ever since it emerged as an independent state from British colonial rule in Feb 1948 . Sinhalese nationalism became increasingly strident, wit leading political figured pressing the Buddhist clergy into political service. The cocktail of politics and religion took its inevitable toll of trust and the demons of fear and ethnic hatred ruled the roost. Sri Lanka was declared a Buddhist state with Sinhala as the sole official language and the slow exclusion of the Tamil community from the country's political mainstream.

Such is the broad canvas of the past.

President Rajapakse, it would appear, hoped to achieve a lasting peace based on mutual trust and goodwill between Sinhalese and Tamils.

But without a constitutional framework reflecting a devolution of power to the tails in the north of Sri Lanka honeyed words are nothing more than vacuous pieties.

President Rajapakse is plagued by the demons of Sinhalese nationalism; he insists on centralised rule from Colombo and has commandeered chauvinist forces to bend the country to his will. As a result democracy itself and the rule of law in Sri Lanka under threat.

Independent voiced in the media many of whom are Sinhalese have been muzzled and coercive tactics against of political opponents of every ethnic stripe. Army death squads operating with white vans routinely kidnap Tamil community leaders, of whom many have disappeared. The international community has raised the alarm but President Rajapakse is playing the nationalist card in his regim's defence. The US has said it will introduce a vote of censure at UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, and it is surely time that India took amore critical stand against its neighbour. New Delhi has shown great forbearance towards the Rajapakse regime. There have been good reasons for such a policy. These include a desire to retain a measure of influence in Colombo through trade and investment and political persuasion. But it takes two to tango. India's Tamil population has a significant voice the country's affairs and there is growing concern among them at the present turn of events in Sri Lanka. Indian support of the US censure of the Rajapakse government could be a welcome shot across its bows.

Relaxing trading hours to benefit big retailers The Cameron government’s proposal to relax Sunday trading laws during the Olympics is a welcome step. It is clearly sensible - though to argue that this will do much to bolster consumer spending overall is somewhat far-fetched. The relaxation will benefit only big retailers and departmental stores. The small shopkeepers will suffer as they can’t compete with the big retailers. So the move is a bonanza for big retailers and a loss for small shopkeepers. Britain, like most nations, is becoming a 24-hour, seven-day society, and is the livelier for it. Adequate rest days are naturally essential; but should the Church, already in dispute over other issues, blame the Government for changing mores?

Shopping is not an Olympic sport. But Britain is a nation of shopkeepers. Let them open their door. We are on crossroads - One is that to keep the shops open for long hours during Olympics that pauses the country as ‘happening and doing business’ and outsiders gets chance to shop and in return locals will get employment and be paid more, the economy get chance to progress. The other view is to not to accept working long hours on Sundays but to be with family and enjoy the bonding time.

It will picture London in better light. When the whole world is coming to London - and the rest of the country - for the Olympics, it would be a shame - particularly when some of the big Olympic events are on Sundays - if the country had a closed for business sign on it. But it is better to slog a bit for few days till Olympics lasts and make a good impression to the outside world and in return also earn more. There is also

chance that 7,500 jobs would be created, generating extra money for the economy and the Government through tax. Usually the country benefits from tourists and this is a chance not to miss.

The decision has provoked uproar in some quarters. Sabbatarians, who for the past 20 years have seen their dourly rigid observance steadily undermined, argued that the change was a cover for creeping deregulation. Some Conservative MPs, mindful of the recent campaign by Iain Duncan Smith to promote family togetherness, voiced concern that small, family-run businesses would be at a disadvantage to the big stores that can roster staff for Sunday duties. And Church leaders expressed sadness that the Government has appeared to concede yet another step in the growing secularisation of daily life.

These objections all have some validity. It would indeed be a pity if fathers found less time to spend with their children or if the change were to encourage Britons to spend most of their leisure time in shopping malls; or if churches found attendance dropping still further because of the rival attraction of materialist indulgence.

In fact none of this is likely to occur. The provision of leisure activities, including outdoor pursuits, has vastly increased in the past 30 years and shopping is unlikely to make any real difference to sport, culture or religion. Those who still hankered for a Victorian Sunday had only to look at the rigidly enforced Sunday trading laws in Germany, which until only a few years ago reduced German town centres to a ghostly silence every weekend.

Sachin Tendulkar: India's eternal flame It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that Sachin Tendulkar is India's icon as no national figure has been this past century. He symbolises for his nation the eternal flame of aspiration and achievement. He is the most unifying figure in a diverse and fractious country, a hero who silences discord and invites concord at the very mention of his name. His century in the Asia Cup ODI tie against hosts Bangladesh in Mirpur marked his 100th international century, for unlikely to be repeated in our lifetime and many more to come.

Though Virat Kohli’s high scores in the last match have proven that there are definitely youngsters to take Sachin’s place someday, but it

is also possible that such long standing success may not be ever created in Indian history again.

The crowning hundred was a long time coming by Sachin’s exalted standards and the pressures on him were truly intimidating. He came tantalisingly close to achieving the feat but luck was clearly not with him. He persevered and won out in end, much to the joy and relief of his millions of fans. The steel in him showed but also the sense of proportion wherein reminded his audience at the post-match press conference in Dhaka that he wasn't God but Sachin. Perhaps not, for who would wish to violate the First Commandment?

www.abplgroup.com

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Thought for the Week Words open the soul's window to ideas and the discourse of words is how we grope our way to conversation and, when conversation can be stripped of its inequalities and hidden hegemonies, how we eventually become capable of cooperation, of common life with others, and even of justice.

- Benjamin R. Barber (1995)

“Our London” CIIr Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

Libraries are Community Hubs I’ve always seen libraries as community hubs. As a senior Councillor in Harrow I have demonstrated this by ensuring libraries are not closed, by removing the Tory threat of privatisation and as promised, restored the Sunday opening of central library which was closed by the previous Tory administration.

As to the accusation made against me by the Tory GLA candidate for not attacking Brent Council ‘for its assault on the Libraries’ I’d respectfully suggest to my opponent that he keeps himself informed. I know and people know that he does not live in Brent or Harrow but you’d expect him to stay in touch with local issues – it’s obvious, he is not and does not even follow local news. If he cared to check the facts out he’d know I have made my position clear against the closure of Brent libraries and criticised Brent Council. My stance on this issue and the root causes for the cuts cannot be clearer or stronger.

It is entirely due to the Tory and LibDem Coalition Government’s ill-conceived and savage imposition of cuts that local authorities across the UK have been placed in an impossible position of having to make stringent – often unpalatable cuts like Library closures(s). This is clearly putting local authorities such as Brent Council in an extremely difficult position of having to make tough choices.

Brent Council is facing up to the staggering level of cuts imposed by the Government, but as a responsible authority Brent is committed to protect frontline services from the cuts forced upon it by uncaring Tory Government.

I’m not a Brent Councillor so as such have no powers or vote on Brent Council but I have expressed my opposition to Library closures.

During the controversy I have met campaigners fighting the library clo-

sures in Brent in support of their concerns, lobbied Brent Councillors and throughout the campaign taken a constructive approach to find a way forward. To this end I’ve offered my help in the past and reaffirm my commitment to work with campaigners for viable community run library project(s) and coordinate dialogue with Brent Council. There is need for a clear strategic approach to the future of libraries Londonwide and Ken Livingstone’s announcement to stand up to prevent library closures bodes well for the future.

Since libraries across the country have come under pressure to close, my colleagues in the London Assembly and I have been lobbying the Tory Mayor of London.

We have asked him to help Councils in London who are faced with the decision of closing of libraries. Unfortunately the Mayor’s announcement launching the ‘Libraries Trust’ last year has come to nothing. The Mayor is good on rhetoric but poor on delivery.

If my Tory opponent was genuinely concerned about ‘scores of families’ and sincerely believed that ‘our children are our future’ he’d oppose Tory government’s savage cuts affecting families. Tories have stifled growth, created record level of massive unemployment and lead the country to double dip recession.

Londoners too are worse off under Tory Mayor of London who lacks vision and is responsible for devastating measures like the cuts in police numbers resulting in increase in crime and staggering rise in public transport fares undermining the quality of life of Londoners.

Contrast that with Ken Livingstone who put London on the map in his administration for eight years and is guaranteeing to restore police numbers and reducing public transport fares at no extra cost to Londoners.

4

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Leicester Voice Email: majithia.meera@gmail.com

In brief

Olympic torch route revealed

By Meera Majithia

Leicester businessman bags top award A Leicester-based businessman has been named ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ at the prestigious Indo British Business Forum Awards (IBBF) held at the British Parliament.

Kulvinder S Sethi (Vic Sethi) of Daewoo International Europe, received the award on March 15th from the Minister of State of the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Gregory Barker, Lord Dholakia and Rt Hon MP Virandra Sharma.

Mr Sethi was recognised not only for the success of his family business but for the contribution he has made back to the community on a global level.

He said: “It is a great honour to receive such a prestigious award in the British Parliament in London and I would like to thank the IBBF, its management and the people who have nominated me for this award. This would not have been possible without the blessings of the almighty, my elders, my parents in Leicester, Kuwait and Montreal as well as my family, friends, well wishers and my dear-

From L-R: Vic Sethi, Lord Dholakia, Minister of State of the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Gregory Barker and Rt Hon MP Virandra Sharma.

Courtesy: Pukar news

est wife.”

Attendees at the event included Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, councillors, entrepreneurs, business owners and many more dignitaries from across the country.

In addition to the awards, IBBF hosts an annual summit where the most dynamic leaders from the UK and India

come together to discuss current business trends and topics related to the markets in India, UK and the European Union. A number of smaller satellite events are also held throughout the year on specific topics.

Mr Sethi added: “We are proud to be British and living in Britain and we do sincerely owe it to the Royal family for having us

here in this great land of opportunity. I feel honoured that is also the year of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics.”

The businessman also commented that he wanted to see the revival of the British industry and that it can only be achieved by the loyal support of the British people, retailers and the government.

Recovering officer takes his bone marrow campaign on the road A Leicestershire police officer, who has undergone a potentially life saving bone marrow transplant has now taken his campaign on the road to help others who are in the same position.

Inspector Rik Basra has been suffering from acute myloid leukaemia and when the disease returned for a second time, doctors told him his only hope was to receive a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant.

Working with the pioneering blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan, Rik’s family, friends and colleagues held a number of donor events in Leicester, including at the 2011 Diwali celebrations and at a local Gurudwara, in a bid

to increase the number of people on the donor register, particularly from an Asian background. The ‘Rik Basra Campaign’ is

now holding a donor event in Birmingham in a bid to help a young mother who is also suffering from leukaemia.

Mother of two Kam Dudwall, 37, of Wolverhampton is currently in remission but may need a transplant in the future. She is the new face of a campaign aiming to attract donors at the Nishkam Centre, Handsworth, on Sunday, March 25th.

Rik’s wife, Kas Basra, who is leading the campaign, said: “It is fantastic

that Rik has had a chance of life by receiving stem cells from a donor in Germany via Anthony Nolan. He remains in isolation at home but is recovering well following his transplant on Christmas Eve last year.

There is a substantial shortage of Asian donors on the national and international donor register and we have received fantastic support from Anthony Nolan to help change this.”

Figures released from the Anthony Nolan Trust show that while they are able to find a math for 90% of northern European patients, they are only able o find a match for 40% of patients from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Former city councillor suspended from party A former city councillor has been suspended for the second time after he was found to have pestered two schoolgirls for sex and indecently assaulted a young woman.

Manish Sood, 40 of Roundhill Road, Leicester has been suspended from the Labour Party and is facing an internal investigation for his conduct.

A report in the Leicester Mercury claims that he is reported to have

kissed a 22-year old on her bottom in the guise of ‘therapy’ and offered to pay two

girls, aged 14 and 15, to visit his home for ‘massages’.

He admitted causing or inciting the two teenagers to engage in sexual activity, and to sexually assaulting the 22-year-old at Leicester Crown Court.

Sood, son of the city’s former Lord Mayor Manjula Sood, was given a three-year community order with supervision and was told he must attend a sex offender group work

programme. A sexual offences prevention order was also put in place banning him from unsupervised contact with children under 16 along with restrictions placed on his computer.

He was the Labour councillor for the Leicester’s Fosse ward, and Parliamentary candidate for Norfolk North West when he made national headlines two years ago for openly criticising Gordon Brown.

The route the Olympic flame will take through Leicestershire on July 2nd and 3rd this summer has been revealed.

Ernie White, Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet member for health, is urging people to line the route to celebrate the unique sporting occasion.

He said: “This milestone means that communities now have the opportunity to get together and plan how they want to celebrate this exciting event. Managing the torch relay is important and we’re working with the police, city and district councils and others to ensure our residents can celebrate the event safely. The Games are a once-in-a-lifetime sporting occasion and by encouraging young people into sport and helping

communities bring celebrations to life, we are creating a fitting legacy.”

Leicestershire County Council will use tried and tested rolling road blocks to enable residents to enjoy the torch relay and to keep them safe.

With an event of this size, some traffic disruption is inevitable but the approach is designed to minimise hold ups and ensure that the event keeps to schedule.

Information about the parking restrictions and other issues during the relay and the torch relay dress rehearsal, which takes place on April 20th, will be delivered to householders and businesses on the route over the next few months.

For more information visit www.london2012. com/olympictorchrelay

Appeal for witnesses following assault in nightclub Detectives investigating an assault on a 21-yearold man in a city nightclub are appealing for potential witnesses to come forward.

The incident took place at about 3am on Sunday, February 26th at Chilli Whites in Belvoir Street when the victim was hit over the head with a glass bottle.

The victim sustained injuries to his head, face and arms and was treated at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The suspect has been described as being an Asian man, 20-25 years-

old, about 5’6”, of medium build, with cropped back hair and stubble.

Detective Constable Sarah Walker investigating the incident, said: “This was a nasty attack and resulted in the victim receiving stitches to his head, we would urge anyone who knows anything about the incident to contact us.

Anyone with any information can contact DC 4202 Sarah Walker on 101 (officer’s identification number 4202), or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Go green with Beaumont Leys roadshow Company bosses in Beaumont Leys are invited to find out about the benefits of cheaper, easier and greener travel at a business forum being held next week.

The forum is being held as part of the Beaumont Travel Roadshow, which takes place at Beaumont Shopping Centre on Wednesday, March 21st.

Confirmed speakers at the business forum include Andrew Bannister, head of group environmental management at Volkswagen, and Rick Moore, president of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce.

The free event will use case studies of the business benefits that other companies have seen through the introduction of sustainable travel schemes. People working or shopping in Beaumont Leys are also invited to come along to the roadshow to find out more about sustainable travel, test drive an electric car or have a go on an electric bike and get pro-

fessional advice about travel subsidies, adult cycle training and other support available.

The event is being organised by Leicester City Council and Go Travel Solutions. Cllr Rory Palmer, Deputy City Mayor and cabinet lead on transport and climate change, said: “Employers can play an important role in promoting greener, sustainable travel and helping us achieve our goal of making Leicester a low carbon city.

“This roadshow is all about showing local companies the benefits of working with us to make bus travel, cycling and walking a more attractive option for their staff.”

Sarah Duffin, Beaumont Shopping Centre manager, said: “We hope lots of local employers will join us and take this free opportunity to learn about greener travel.

It will be a fun and entertaining way to find out about encouraging your employees and, where appropriate, customers to travel more sustainably.”

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

5

‘Royal Halal’ range of frozen ready-cooked meals launched in a ‘royal way’ It was a crispy afternoon in the Southall region as we made our way to the formal launch of some real tasty ready made halal food. Welcomed with some samosas and pakoras, we were in for a real treat as we witnessed unveiling of one of the finest halal pre cooked food. How is this brand different than any other Indian pre cooked food available across the UK? The answer is simplethese packed meals have no preservatives, is scientifically packed and has been carefully tested at the specialised laboratories owned by Bombay Halwa group. Obviously it goes without saying that it also speaks of ‘a quality’ unknown otherwise, being manufactured by ‘the brand’ that has been dominating the food industry for over 4 decades.

Along side, the paranthas served (that could be just tossed in a toaster) remained soft and tasty through out as we tasted endless variety of veg and non veg food straight from the ‘Royal’ kitchen, finishing the gala feast with some yummy shikhand, also available in packs.

Lord Noon and his family personally supervised everything as they ensured the guests feel at home.

Lord Gulam Noon, produces 1.5 million curries a week for various food brands. He launched

Lord Noon, Chef Jayan Nambiar and Shabbir Kanchwala, Assistant Managing Director talking to the invited guests during the launch

‘Royal Halal’ meals under his own family-owned brand on Friday at the company headquarters, Bombay Halwa in Southall, Middlesex amongst invited guests, journalists, food critics and creme de la creme of the community.

Royal Halal is a range of premium frozen ready-cooked meals that promise quality and the authentic taste of home-cooked food.

Consistent with Bombay Halwa’s philosophy of product innovation and evolution, the Royal Halal meals come in four distinct flavours - Saag Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, Kadhai Chicken and

Butter Chicken, with Baghara Rice as an accompaniment, in all meals.

Talking about the new range, Lord Noon, Chairman and Managing Director, Bombay Halwa, told the Asian Voice, that the time was right for a premium quality Halal food product to be launched in the UK market. “We have been closely surveying and monitoring the market for a few years now and know that the word ‘Halal’ has become very buoyant in the Muslim community. The Royal Halal dishes are mainly targeted at this community, but are not necessarily only for them.

These are indeed for anyone who likes quality meat dishes,” he said. “In the Royal Halal range, there are no artificial colours or added preservatives. This

is very important, as sometimes, preservatives may become non-Halal,” Lord Noon added. His vision for this product is to see it being distributed not just in the UK, but also in Europe and the Middle East. As an accompaniment to these meals, Bombay Halwa has also launched Royal Paranthas.

“These are as easy to toast as slices of bread and act as an ideal accompaniment to the Halal meals or can be enjoyed by themselves as a snack,” said Executive Chef, Jayan Nambiar. The Chef also shared his experience of having developed and produced the Royal Halal range.

“These meals are cooked in a very traditional manner, just as you would at home. There are no shortcuts or readymixes used in the preparation and even though we cook these in large quanti-

ties, the aim has always been to try and retain the taste of home-cooked food,” he added.

The Royal Halal range is already available through various independent retailers and cash-andcarry stores and Bombay Halwa is in advanced talks with multiples and supermarkets.

The range, produced by Bombay Halwa, joins other fine products under the Royal brand, including Indian sweets, savoury snacks, pickles, chutneys and sauces, among others.

Shabbir Kanchwala, Assistant Managing Director, Bombay Halwa, was also present at the occasion and gave an interesting snapshot of the journey of Bombay Halwa - from its humble beginnings in 1973 to the vast food empire that it is today.

Royal Halal products

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Sri Aurobindo society and their Sarvam project

Cllr Sachin Rajput Conservative Greater London Assembly Candidate For Brent & Harrow

Honesty in politics Like most commuting Londoners I was rather intrigued in reading the front page Evening Standard article on 12th March 2012 headed “Ken’s Fares Cut Damned

By City.” Despite a clear lack of workable future policy and direction and a desperate need to get elected no matter what, rather than in his case for him to retire gracefully, it is a shame to politics that yet again Ken Livingstone’s balmy election promises have been exposed for what they really are…election gimmicks with no real prospect of delivery.

Independent rating’s agency Moody’s, which assesses the financial health of organisations, assessed the impact on Transport for London if Ken Livingstone’s 7% fares cut was introduced.

As a daily bus, tube and train user I understand the needs of Londoner’s when it comes to using public transport. People want a system which is reliable, which is safe, which is comfortable to travel in with air conditioning and where possible has more carriages to transport people to and from work and from recreational activities.

And naturally, people want this at as fair a cost as possible.

Boris Johnson has delivered a lot of this within Brent and Harrow for example with increased capacity tubes with air conditioning passing through the constituency. But it can not be denied that to achieve this there must be investment in the system across London and where Labour have failed to make that investment in the past and where Ken Livingstone himself is responsible for not taking action against the unions

who hold the transport users in contempt with their sporadic strike action and demands, there must be a clear plan to continue to invest in the transport system that we all depend on. Within the article I refer to, city analyst Ralph Silva is quoted as saying “the financial consequences of Ken’s proposals would be catastrophic for TFL’s finances, London’s infrastructure and its prospects for growth, and as a result would render the Tube impotent.”

Commentator David Buik goes further adding “the implications are huge.

Livingstone is massively irresponsible for offering this election gambit.

He hasn’t thought it through. It could lead to more financial difficulties for TFL.” So it appears that the Labour-camp have promised yet another unworkable policy to attempt to con the electorate to vote for them. The electorate are familiar with Labour’s failure to deliver on their promises evidenced by the rejection of Ken Livingstone at the last Mayoral election in 2008 with the appointment of Boris Johnson as the Conservative Mayor of London to replace him.

Also, the electorate returning the Conservatives to 10 Downing Street with David Cameron as the Conservative Prime Minister reasserts this position of mistrust with the Labour Party.

In light of the above, it could not have come at a better time, but this week has also seen a detailed document published by the Conservative Mayor of London Boris Johnson which sets out what he has achieved during his

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current term in office but also sets out what he has not achieved putting honesty at the heart of both politics and his campaign in general. It is this honestly and truth which sets him apart from his challenger Ken Livingstone who has never published such statistics and who has been challenged to do so by Boris which would no doubt expose Mr. Livingstone’s previous election gimmicks and unkept promises. Boris Johnson’s progress report can be downloaded from the following web-address: http://progressreport.ba ckboris2012.com.

Aside from pledges on crime, policing, bendy buses and the like, readers will be familiar with one of Boris Johnson’s earliest pledges in 2008 for example which is referred to in the report, which was to announce the appointment of the Forensic Audit Panel which he delivered on, and which panel subsequently concluded in their report that Ken Livingstone’s London Development Agency “misspent” money “on a massive scale, say tens of millions” (Source: GLA, Report of the Mayor’s Forensic Audit Panel, 15th July 2008).

Asian Voice readers may be interested to note, prior to reading the Progress Report itself, that Boris’s success rate on achieving his pledges and promises is one of 91%. Aside from being an honest reflection on where improvements are needed, Boris’s record is certainly one of substantial achievement and I for one commend it.

Mr Vijay Poddar

Sri Aurobindo spent his early childhood years from 1879 to 1893 in England, with a brilliant academic career at Cambridge. The famous Oscar Browny told him “ I have examined the papers at 13 examinations and I have never during that time seen such excellent papers as yours. As for your essay it was wonderful”.

Sri Aurobindo returned to India at the age of 21.

The moment he put his foot on Indian soil at Apollo Bander in Bombay a vast peace and calm descended upon him never to leave him. Sri Aurobindo joined the Baroda State Service in 1893 and worked in the administrative department and secretariat and finally as a professor and viceprincipal of the Baroda College.

During his stay in Gujarat, Sri Aurobindo gained mastery over Sanskrit and also learnt Hindustani, Marathi and Gujarati. He made a deep

Gurkhas....

Continued from page 1 Their heroics in battle with the British and British Indian Armies inspired fear around the world. They have fought in most of Britain’s major conflicts, including Afghanistan where a number of Gurkha troops have lost their lives. Today there are still 3,800 Gurkhas serving in British forces around the world, while more than 30,000 serve in the Indian Army.

Singapore and Brunei have their own Gurkha forces.

study of the political, cultural and social scene in India, and started practicing yoga. He studied the Mahabharat, Ramayana, Kalidas, Bhavbhuti, Bankim as well as Homer, Dante and many others.

His first collection of poems was published from Baroda. These thirteen years is the longest period he stayed at a place except for his stay in Pondicherry.

During this period, Sri Aurobindo also started to work for India’s Freedom from behind the scenes. He perceived the need for broadening the base of the movement and for creating a mass awakening. He went to Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, contacted the secret groups working in this direction, and became a link between them. He established close contact with Lokmanya Tilak and Sister Nivedita and arranged for the training of Jatin Banerjee in the Baroda Army. He then sent him to organise the revolutionary work in Bengal.

Sri Aurobindo came to

Pondicherry in 1910. To work on Sri Aurobindo’s vision for the dynamic application of spirituality to life, Sri Aurobindo Society was founded in 1960 by the Mother.

Padam Lal Bishwakarma, chairman of Nepal’s Parliamentary International Relations and Human Rights Committee, told the Daily Telegraph he wanted the recruitment to end but not until the country could offer the men alternative jobs which matched its pay.

Major (Retd) Tikendra dal Dewan, Chairman, BGWS told Asian Voice, “This is not the first time this issue has been raised. It is a personal and irresponsible opinion of a few ministers for obvious political reasons.

These ministers should

Ken Livingstone lands in double controversies Ken Livingstone has landed in two major controversy just before the mayoral election.

He is facing scrutiny over his tax affairs after a complaint was lodged with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs accusing him of “setting disallowable expenses” against tax.

Labour’s mayoral candidate for London has rejected the claim, accusing critics of “vexatious complaints”.

Mr Livingstone has been under pressure to explain why he fed earnings of more than ￡ 200,000 a year into a limited company, reducing his tax burden from up to 50 per cent to just 20 per cent.

He repeatedly said that he used the money to pay the salaries of staff. But he also admitted that those workers were employed to work on his mayoral campaign, and not for the company in question, Silveto Ltd. On the other hand Ken Livingstone has promised to turn London into a “beacon” for the words of the Prophet Mohammed in a sermon at one of the capital’s most controversial mosques.

Mr Livingstone has described Mohammed’s words in his last sermon as “an agenda for all humanity.” He praised the Prophet’s last sermon, telling his audience: “I want to spend the next four years making sure

that every non-Muslim in London knows and understands [its] words and message.” He also promised to “make your life a bit easier financially.” Mr Livingstone was speaking at last Friday’s Jummah prayer at the North London Central Mosque, also known as Finsbury Park Mosque, formerly controlled by the terrorist recruiter Abu Hamza.

While his action has been condemned by many critics, for using religion to woo voters or supporters, it remains a very usual tactics, often used by politicians -especially in a country that promotes secularism. Looking at the broader picture, it’s interesting to watch a Christian talk

Sri Aurobindo in England (1883)

The Society, works for a new world order based on a s p i r i t u a l foundation. Among the various projects taken up by the Society is Sarvam.

It was started as a model village project for seven villages in Puthurai and Perambai Panchayats in the Villipuram district of Tamil Nadu. The project started as a single-person interaction with the community and went on to become a community full-fledged involved process of inclusive development covering all areas of rural development like infrastructure development, education, income generation, health, sanitation and communitymedia.

If you would like to know more about SARVAM and their activities or would like to donate please speak to Mrs Shilpa Shah on 07931717288 (between 2.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m) or email on shilpa.sarvam@gmail.com first manage employment for the economy migrants that flood Saudi Arabia and work under appalling conditions. Nepal should remain proud of the Gurkhas serving the British and Indian Armed Forces where they play an integral part in global peace keeping. The thousands that sacrificed their lives in the Great Wars stands testimony to Nepal’s contribution for world peace. Nepal is a rich country but made poor by these unscrupulous politicians who ironically depend on foreign aid in every venture yet scream foul when individuals look after themselves serving with dignity. It is due to the Gurkhas that Nepal became known to the world much before the ascent of Mt Everest in 1953. They have thus first and foremost remained the true ambassadors of Nepal!” about Islam so passionately, though we cannot over rule the fact that he was standing in a mosque talking to Muslims, who were his potential voters.

Livingstone has been a pioneer of faith based festivals in Trafalgar square.

Though one cannot turn a blind eye to his tax massacre, but him praising and promoting Islam standing in a mosque may be a very common picture in the world of politics.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Lords, MPs and experts debate on efforts to boost Indo-British trade relation

The Hinduja brothers have launched a scathing attack on David Cameron’s efforts to boost trade links with India, claiming that Britain has failed to capitalise on its historic ties to the fastgrowing Asian economy in an exclusive interview with The Times.

Gopichand and Srichand Hinduja have warned that rising taxes and lengthy visa delays for Indians were deterring investment in Britain and accused Mr Cameron of ignoring the advice of Indian entrepreneurs based here.

The remarks from one of the world’s most powerful Indian businessmen come just days before George Osborne is due in Delhi for talks with Pranab Mukherjee, the Finance Minister, on the trade relationship which has failed to grow despite being a focus of Mr Cameron’s Government.

Nearly two years after Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne led what No 10 called “the biggest trade mission in history” to India, Britain has slipped to 16th place in a league table of the nation’s trade partners, behind Belgium.

Criticising the Government’s current approach, Gopichand Hinduja questioned the quality of advice being offered to Mr Cameron on India trade matters.

“The Prime Minister has to take some advice from the overseas Indians who understand and see what is lacking. There couldn’t be any better tips and suggestions.”

His brother, Srichand P. Hinduja, said Britain risked jeopardising one of its greatest natural advantages: “Because of the English language, [Indians] feel comfortable there . . . It’s a second home.” The brothers proposed that the UK Government help to create investment funds through which British companies could invest in new Indian infrastructure.

Srichand Hinduja also said Britain could play a role in helping to foster the adoption of British science and technology by Indian companies that could assist in the country’s development.

Asian Voice spoke to community stalwarts, Lords and MPs regarding their view on the points raised by Hinduja brothers about Indo-British trade relations.

Rt Hon Keith Vaz, Chair of the Home Affairs Committee told Asian Voice, “Our relationship with India is vital.

Following my recent visit there I wrote to the Prime Minister asking him to

The Hinduja brothers

ensure our economic, trade, educational and Diaspora ties are as strong as possible. I urged him to put together a joined up set of Ministerial visits to India and to set up a special unit in Number 10 or the Cabinet Office to focus on the relationship.

I also suggested he involved Diaspora businessmen in his discussions, and in Government visits to India.

“11.9% of all immigrants coming to Britain are Indian – the largest number from any country coming to the UK. We need a structure and a forum to facilitate their input to Government policy. It is very important that we listen to what they have to say to build upon this very special relationship.”

Barry Gardiner, Chair of the Labour Friends of India told Asian Voice, “I am delighted that the Hinduja brothers, senior players in UK-India trade, have weighed into this debate. I secured a debate in Parliament last month on this exact topic, in which I warned that the UK-Indian trade relationship is in trouble. Between 2000 and 2010 the UK fell from fourth to seventh in the list of India’s largest export markets and from third to 22nd in 2010 in imports. The UK now provides only 1% of all imports into India.

“I couldn’t agree more with Gopichand Hinduja when he says “take some advice from overseas Indian who understand and see what is lacking”.

That is why Labour Friends of India are holding the first of a nationwide tour of Community Outreach events for the Indian community in North West London in Parliament on April 19th.

I hope more people involved in UK-India trade will now engage in this vital discussion.”

Lord Popat, told Asian Voice, “These comments are disappointing and I don’t believe they are accurate.

This Government has prioritised trade and diplomatic links with India –both as a

member of the BRIC countries but also as a key ally with whom we have a deep and historic relationship.

The Government is working to offset many of the barriers that have hampered companies –including barriers to doing business abroad.

With lower corporation tax, better skilled employees, improved infrastructure and an easier planning system we are taking the necessary steps to boosting our businesses. I know that there are concerns over visas and I have discussed this with Ministers. It is being kept under constant review by the Government.

More can be done to help SMEs –including helping them to exportbut this Government has done more in two years than the previous Government did in thirteen to show Britain is open for business. I fear that these comments may be motivated more by Party political allegiances than by an accurate review of the current business climate.”

Alpesh Patel, one of the UK’s best financial commentator and author said, “Britain is still sending mixed messages, despite the best efforts of the Prime Minister. He has won the election, and no longer needs to appease the right-wing anti-immigration wing of his party.

The message is simple, and has to be co-ordinated from one platform with his Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary and Business Secretary: Britain is open for business means: 1. Fast track visa for employees of overseas investors into UK whose companies have invested 500k+ in past 36 months – ie entrepreneurs. They go top of the list.

Guaranteed 5 day turnaround time. And we will speak to you on the phone and email not just by letter!

2. Right to remain for any student you receives a 1st class degree for any of the top 25 British Universities Continued on page 30

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Midland Voice

Dee Katwa

Contact: Dhiren on 07970 911 386 or dhiren.katwa@abplgroup.com

MP: ‘Failed bureaucrats line their pockets with public money’ The coffers of Advantage West Midlands, the regional development agency, are almost empty. Where has all the money gone, does anyone really know?

Probably not. But what we do know is this: bonuses of £188,570 were paid to 277 staff at AWM since May 2010, with the agency planning further performance bonuses. Now, Black Country MP James Morris has called for the agency’s staff to give the money back.

Around 40 people are still working at its offices in Birmingham just weeks before it is formally closed. The £300 million-a-year quango was charged with improving the economy by drawing

down European funding and grants. It also owned a huge portfolio of property including the i54 business park in Wolverhampton.

The Conservatives said the government had been unable to change the payments due to “appalling contract arrangements” instigated across the public sector

by Labour.

Commenting on these figures from the Conservative Party, Mr Morris, Tory MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, said: “It is shocking that the taxpayer is forced to foot the bill for unnecessary bonuses at this scrapped quango.”

He added: “The sight of failed bureaucrats lining their pockets with public

MP James Morris

Boy, 5, honoured Congratulations to Dennis Maczka from Dudley, the youngest recipient of an award at a ceremony in Telford. Dennis, aged five, was honoured for his lifesaving help. He had raised the alarm, and alerted neighbours, after seeing his mum collapse. Dennis, pictured, was among a list of staff from West Midlands Ambulance Service, police, the military and members of the public who were recognised last Thursday for their lifesaving assistance.

Dog attacks on postmen More than seven postmen are mauled by dangerous dogs every week in the Midlands, it has been revealed.

Nationally, the number of dog attacks on Royal Mail workers every year ranges from around 3,700 to nearly 4,800, resulting in injuries – many severe – and considerable trauma. The problem has now sparked a national inquiry, to be led by Sir Gordon Langley, looking at why there are so many attacks and what effects they have on postal workers.

‘CCTV’ in loos A pervert teacher who set up a secret camera to film women in a public toilet at Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens has been sentenced to a three-year community order. Dad-of-two Alan English, 55, from Harborne, admitted eight counts of voyeurism. English, pictured, an ex-police officer, also pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images of children. He was also sacked from his job at King Edward VI Five Ways School in Bartley Green.

Pair rented room to grow drugs Two brothers who rented a room in a house in Hall Green, Birmingham, to use for a “sophisticated” cannabis operation have been jailed. Navid Khan, 28, got 18 months and Nadim Khan, 22, was sentenced to ten months, suspended for 18 months and was ordered to do 200 hours’ unpaid work. Police who searched the room discovered four-and-a-half kg of cannabis packed in bags with a street value of up to £18,000.

Photo: West Midlands Ambulance Service

8

money epitomises Labour’s something-fornothing culture. People across the West Midlands will see these ridiculous bonuses, paid in the dying days of this unnecessary agency, as the ultimate reward for failure.”

And this is not the first time either that an MP has challenged this quango. In December 2010, another Tory MP, Chris Kelly, had questioned the credibility of AWM following an alleged cash-for-honour style exchange.

Mr Kelly, MP for Dudley South, had asked why AWM was allowed to enter and win the Midlands Excellence Awards. “I question the credibility of such an award being given to an organisation that had a financial interest in it,” MP Kelly had told Asian Voice in December 2010.

Since 1999, AWM had spent £1.2 million with Midlands Excellence – the not-for-profit body which, apparently, helps make the West Midlands economy more effective and efficient – including £80,957 supporting the awards programme. But bosses had defended the claim and said the decisions on the awards were made

with complete impartiality and independence. MP Kelly had made his comment after AWM took two of the Midlands Excellence Awards 2010 in the highly commended category and as the “most improved organisation”.

In 2005, Asian Voice had launched an inquiry into the alleged misuse of public funds, specifically from the SRB6 (Single Regeneration Budget) initiative. Unfortunately, a satisfactory conclusion was never reached, which was, at the time, partly blamed on the sudden death of Councillor Ken Hardeman, who had a key role in the initiative.

Some background: Heralded as the government and city council’s grand solution to tackling Birmingham’s inner city problems, it had proved a disgrace. The seven-year scheme had used only £16 million of the £30 million allocated to it. It had created just 200 jobs instead of the predicted 800, safeguarded only 165 jobs rather than the expected 1,536 and trained a mere 1,552 of an anticipated 4,218 students.

The scheme was supposed to raise £60 million in private funds to keep all the projects up and running once the public money had run out. But, it had raised a paltry £3,000.

Funding for SRB6 came from the government through AWM, but the city council was responsible for overseeing performance and financial accountability.

AWM is being replaced by a series of local enterprise partnerships, or LEPs.

£800k bill for Du hunt Detectives from cash-strapped West Midlands Police have spent £800,000 on the hunt for a Birmingham businessman accused of slaughtering a young family.

Anxiang Du, 53, pictured, went missing after the murders of university lecturer Jifeng Ding, his wife Helen and their two daughters Xing and Alice in Northamptonshire last April. The victims had all been stabbed to death. Cops have run up the huge bill on interpreters, travel expenses and leaflets.

Jailed scientist loses JP job A magistrate jailed for the manslaughter of a two-year-old girl has lost his job as a JP. Rashpal Chana, 49, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years behind bars last November. Before the death, Chana, pictured, had been a leading scientist who was invited to Buckingham Palace in 2006. The Office for Judicial Complaints confirmed the disgraced high-flier would not be allowed to serve on the bench on his release from jail.

News in Brief Living without a roof Homelessness has risen by more than a fifth in the West Midlands, according to new data. The region’s homeless rate of 3.9 homeless applications per 1,000 households is higher than anywhere in the country, compared to 3.6 in London, 2.0 in the East Midlands and 1.4 in the North West.

Boot out threat Three female war veterans, Hilda Turner, aged 104, Honor Richards and Gladys May Walker, aged 102 and 101, respectively, are among 30 elderly residents who are facing eviction from New Bradley Hall, a care home in Kingswinford, Dudley, because of a council modernisation review.

Life expectancy gap People in some of Birmingham’s most deprived districts have a life expectancy of 12 years less than those in the wealthiest, it has emerged. A resident of Nechells is likely to live until the age of 71 as a result of high rates of heart and liver disease and strokes, while in leafy Sutton Coldfield people can expect to live until 83.

Hospital unveils £1.5m unit A new £1.5 million theatre suite offering advanced vascular surgery for patients who suffer a potentially life-threatening burst in a blood vessel has opened at Dudley’s Russells Hall Hospital. The unit was unveiled by Stourbridge MP Margot James.

Consultant vascular surgeon Atiq Rehman described the new suite “a huge step forward” for the hospital.

Cash flow woes More than a quarter of smaller businesses in the West Midlands are suffering cash flow problems, with over half of them blaming customers dragging their feet over settling their bills. Companies operating in construction, manufacturing and professional services are worst hit by late payments, according to research

by Lloyds TSB.

£150 smoke Smoker Umar Ali has been told to pay £150 after failing to pay a fine for dropping a cigarette butt in Birmingham city centre. Ali, 20, of Shard End, pleaded guilty to throwing litter at Birmingham Magistrates. He was fined £35 and ordered to pay £100 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Energy bills ‘headache’ The majority of people in the West Midlands consider energy bills to be their biggest financial worry, according to new research. Of those polled in a survey by Co-operative Energy, 55.7% said finding cash for electricity and gas bills was their greatest financial headache – surpassing rent, car costs and the weekly shop.

Gifts galore Nearly two-thirds of people in the West Midlands spend more on Mother’s Day presents than on Valentine’s Day gifts for their other halves, according to a poll of 2,000 people. Jonathan Smith from delivery firm Yodel, which carried out the research, said: “It’s heartening to see that mothers aren’t missing out, even if we can’t visit them.”

Trusted tradespeople Almost three-quarters of Brummies rely on advice from family and friends when looked for a trusted trader, research has found. Seven out of ten people from Birmingham told researchers they sought recommendations before hiring tradespeople, while 15% said they turned to the internet for help. To find out more visit www.trusteddecorator.co.uk

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

9

YOUR VOICE

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Aviation Sector – India The fate suffered by Air India in my view is very largely attributable to the Civil Aviation Ministry. They did not provide adequate resources and tended to thwart the work of the management – not to speak of disregarding the principle of merit-based employment.

I would like to add to the consequences you have stated which would arise from the closure of King Fisher Airlines. I have learnt that state-owned banks have significant exposure (through heavy lending) to the Airline some of whose shares are also held by public sector investor entities.

Sir Andy Chande Via Email

Importance of vegetarianism It is a pity that the speakers at the debate organised by City Hindus regarding the relevance and importance of Vegetarianism amongst today’s Hindus could not do justice to the subject proposed and questions raised.

Vegetarianism is a core principle of Hinduism and no Hindu Sadhu or Monk eats meat and they are our spiritual guides. Some Hindus like their Hinduism to be free of any rules! Mahatma Gandhi came to England in 1888 and never ate meat and it is a pity that many Hindus in 2012 feel the need to eat meat when vegetarian food is so easily available.

Compassion to animals and vegetarianism are Hinduism’s greatest gifts to the world - all Hindus should practise this ideal.

Nitin Mehta Via Email

To Cull or not to Cull

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Are many Gods better than one!

On Sunday, 18th March 2012, there was a lively discussion on BBC One programme “Big Question” and one question, the topic of discussion was on Hinduism, in particular the Hindu tradition or rather misconception of believing in more than one God. Jay Lakhani, speaking on behalf of Hindus was most impressive and knowledgeable, giving practical answers to mischievous comments, questions and misinterpretations.

As Jay said, there is one God, Supreme Power but in Hinduism there are many ways, routes and ladders one can climb to attain Mox, the ultimate aim of Unison with God. As usual, some Christian theologises tried to bring in castism which is or rather was a cultural heritage, practice rather than religious doctrine! Jay had logical answers to any illogical or mischievous question put to him.

Watching a programme on Christianity in India, mainly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, I was dumb struck that when Indians convert to Christianity, they take their class prejudice with them and there are some one hundred divisions amongst Indian Christians who have their own exclusive churches and would not attend the mass, the service of other converted Hindus.

There is a class system among every religion, culture and tradition in India, although it is a dying tradition and it would cease to exist within a few decades, as is the case here in Britain where 99% of our younger generation find their own partners, either in Unis or amongst their own friend circle. That is why there is no “Honour Killing” among Indians, especially among East African Asians of every religious persuasion.

I-Foundation denied permission to start faith school in Croydon Croydon’s unfair, unjust denial to I-foundation’s faith school is depressing, after selfless Sewa by Hindus. Decision falsifies multi religious/multi faith ethos professed by Croydon Council. Opportunity to create awareness about other faiths, should be grabbed, which Councillors failed to do.

Council has made show of diplomacy by rejecting application of both competitors. It gave excuse that I-Foundation already has its plate full by anticipated opening of additional faith schools, but turned blind eye to success of IFoundation schools in Harrow and Leicester. Croydon Councillors must view favourably the acceptance of IFoundation schools by Leicester and Redbridge and twice by Harrow. Croydon Council has underestimated IFoundation’s endeavours, and placed it at same level as many failed indigenous organisations.

Councillors have failed to note that IFoundation has backing of ISKCON who fought upto European court to reverse a ban on its Watford temple. It would be expensive for both parties, if the exercise would be repeated for I-Foundation’s faith school in Croydon.

Croydon Council must also note that with awareness about other faith, students, parents and the whole society can benefit, augmenting discipline by ones own faith.

Hindus must wrench right with might, in true spirit of karma yoga.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Welcome to the new High Commissioner

It has selected badgers to kill as part of a scheme to tackle bovine tuberculosis and hopes that shooting these lovely animals could make a dent in the cow TB problem. Hence as many as 130,000 badgers are to be wiped out to curb the disease from entering the food chain through beef. It says that this is a tragic necessity.

Badgers’ TB may be bad for farmers, but to slaughter these beautiful furry animals is brutal. There are also plans to kill geese in Lake Windermere and to kill urban foxes too.

Some of us, especially the Jains, believe that killing badgers, or any other living creatures for that matter, would be wrong under any circumstances. Jainism believes in compassion to all living creatures, whether human or animal. What gives us the right to decide that certain species is to be eliminated? Farmers argue that if we do not kill the badgers, many cows will suffer from tuberculosis.

How comes human race are entitled to decree which animals are to be killed.

If badgers are to be slaughtered because they spread tuberculosis, perhaps humans who spit and sneeze in the streets and spread the ‘flu and other fatal diseases should also be tackled in a similar manner!

Recently few water suppliers have announced a ban on hose pipes. I knew this was coming someday. Water is a very important entity that plays a vital role in everyone’s routine. Whether it is taking shower, shaving, washing hands, washing a vehicle, cooking or something else; you name it, one needs water for sure.

Deforestation, green house effect as well as the nature imbalance; all of these including many other factors have together put us into this situation where we have to ban people using excess amount of water. Since we know, at this stage, that this is just the beginning; let’s act together and utilise only what we need.

I have seen some people putting the tap on full flow and let it run while they do brush, shave, washing something, etc.

I believe we can do the same tasks with keeping the tap on a controlled low flow as well or using the tap as and when needed. Let us all respect and understand the importance of water which would gift us a better future.

We the people of Indian origin in Britain welcome the New Indian High Commissioner Dr. Jaimini Bhagwati. It is nice to read that he is well educated and hold Doctorate in Finance and Masters in Physics. I hope he will take his position to sort out the real mess which we are face in acquiring visas.

It is important to inform him that if he does not find any complaints in the feedback register, it is due to the facts that they do not give the register to any body who wish to complain.

I visited India last month and was surprised and very pleased to see the new international airport of Delhi, had excellent young staff and, very helpful.

Decorations in the airport both in arrival and departure places were exceptional and I took some good pictures. Staff were really kind that they allowed me to take pictures in the airport and even remained near me so that no one could trouble me.

Therefore I expect the New High Commissioner to bring changes in his office as well as the newly created Agencies who issue Visas. I will be very willing to offer my free services if required.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Devang Bhatt Harrow, London

Dharam Sahdev Ilford

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

Britain’s Water Woes

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'(#)*&"+,-. /##.012.%3$ ‘Smile Pinky’ too gets the Oscar

Boyle says Mumbai dwarfed the statuette Cricket crazy Indians for the first time was seen so euphoric on Monday morning, as they expected a couple of Oscars. British Indians in the UK, Dharavi slums, the shanty township of Mumbai, a village in Uttar Pradesh and almost the entire Bollywood waited in expectation, glued to their TV sets. They burst into celebrations as one by one, their heroes, the actors of the British Indian film and the music maestro, A R Rahman bagged the top awards in the world of entertainment.

British actress Kate Winslett also won the Oscar after having missed it almost five times earlier.

‘Smile Pinki’, a short documentary on a cleft-lipped Indian girl in Uttar Pradesh directed

by American director Megan Mylan, won the Oscar for the Best Documentary (Short).

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Female foeticide Female foeticide has finally reached the UK Indian communities. In the UK abortions have been performed but principally due to socio economic reasons which is completely unrelated to gender biases.

However now it seems that many gender based abortions have probably been carried out undetected.

The government should not just punish the doctors but the couples as well who have let such a first degree of murder happen.

Dr K R N Moorthy Handsworth

Liberal Democrats vs NHS

I think the Liberal Democrat party is just another form of the Tory party. They are supporting the Conservatives now in order to destroy the NHS. I think most of the people now understand that voting Lib Dems make no sense. If there is a general election tomorrow Nick Clegg and the Lib Dem MPs will lose their jobs first.

No wonder they are sticking by the Tories! It’s self interest v/s national interest.

J B Patel Birmingham

Election in UP I would like to draw the attention of two letters published in Asian Voice (17/3/12) on state elections in India. The way in which election was fought on the basis of caste and religion is a eye opener for millions of people in India.

UP is the largest state in India with more than 150 million population with more than 18 per cent of the Muslim population. Even though the Hindu population accounts for 80 per cent of UP population all political parties especially the Congress and SP were competing each other for appeasing Muslims by promising to provide reservation for them in jobs in the state and national levels.

Some senior politicians went to the extent of 9 per cent reservation for Muslims and Samajwadi Party went to the extent of 18 per cent.

Consequently the only issue that was raised in the election was reservation for Muslims and issues concerning economic and social developments were not at all.

It is interesting to note that Muslims in Goa voted against the congress since the party did not sanction a burial ground in a village where there is hardly any Muslims living.

The National Commission of Minorities is going to take the case on behalf of the Muslim community.

Interestingly, when several temples were desecrated in Kashmir the Minority Commission failed to take action.

The present UPA government is dominated by religious minorities and no action is ever taken to unite India on the basis of one nation. The time has come for the Hindus to wake up.

Arun Vaidyanathan Via Email

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Head teacher suing school Governors over racism claim A good number of racist parents were allegedly involved in a campaign to oust an Indian headmistress from a primary school, an employment tribunal was told.

One man was allegedly heard to say “bloody Indian woman should not be in charge of our children” while children were reported gossiping that their parents “hated blacks.”

Details of the racist remarks, made at the school which caters for children from five to 11 years, were given to the tribunal by head teacher Sudhana Singh, pictured, who is suing the governors and Reading Borough Council for race discrimination.

Traumatised Mrs Singh, a teacher with 20 years experience, claimed that she experienced “deeply rooted racist views” when she took

Indian diaspora pins ‘hopes of efficiency’ in the new Indian High Commissioner Dr Jaimini Bhagwati, a noted economist and vetdiplomat, has eran assumed office as the High commissioner of India to the United Kingdom.

Successor of Nalin Surie, Dr Bhagwati took charge on February 27 and was warmly welcomed in the India House in a formal function on February 28. He will be meeting the

over as headteacher of Moorlands Primary School in Reading, Berks, a daily has reported.

One supporter of the unpopular head was branded a “Paki lover,” the tribunal heard.

Mrs Singh is suing the local authority and the Governors of Moorlands Primary School after she claims she was subjected to a campaign of unlawful race discrimination, bullying and harassment.

The hearing is expected to last 15 days.

Shelina Permalloo has been crowned the winner of MasterChef, after judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace said she brings ‘’sunshine to a plate’’.

The 29-year-old became the second woman to win the title in eight years after weeks of intense competition in the BBC1 culinary challenge, beating Andrew Kojima and Tom Rennolds.

She said: ‘’I am completely and utterly overwhelmed. I never thought it was going to be me that would win. The guys were

Last month, India’s finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, said he did not even want Britain’s aid and that it is just a ‘peanut’ in the booming country’s development expenditure.

Mr Mukherjee spoke just days after India decided to reject a British-built Typhoon fighter jet as preferred candidate for a 13 billion defence deal –choosing a French option instead.

There has been growing anger from Tory back-

benchers over the increase in Britain’s aid budget, which comes at a time when public services are being slashed in the UK. Though some of the MPs and Ministers have said that India still needs the help from the west for poverty alleviation.

Now Mr Mitchell has accepted that the aid programme to India should be wound up as the Indian economy booms and its own efforts to alleviate poverty become increasingly effective.

Teenager first ever white victim of honour killing?

The mother of a teenager stabbed to death as she walked by a canal last week claimed her daughter was the victim of a brutal honour killing.

Laura Wilson, 17, was repeatedly knifed in the head by her Asian boyfriend Ashtiaq Ashgar on a secluded tow path after their relationship turned sour. Her mother, who has never spoken publicly before, believes her daughter was murdered because she challenged the code of ethics which some ethnic communities still follow. It is thought that Miss Wilson could be the first white victim of an honour killing in Britain.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mrs Wilson said: “I honestly think it was an honour killing for putting shame on the family. They needed to shut Laura up and they did.”

Although only a

Indian press and other community members on 22nd and 28th March respectively. He is a member of the 1976 batch of the Indian Foreign Service. He holds doctorate in finance and a masters in physics. He brings with him rich experience having served inter alia as the Indian ambassador to EU, Belgium and

Luxembourg, in the ministry of external affairs in various senior positions, in the ministry of finance and also the World Bank.

Dr Bhagwati, pictured, is a Gujarati ambassador to Britain in a very a long time and has hopes pinned in him to make changes in various departments of the Indian High Commission including the visa regime

available for the British Indians.

Shelina Permalloo crowned Masterchef winner

Britain decides to axe aid to India Britain is to stop giving out hundreds of millions of pounds in aid to India, the Coalition has announced this week.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said the current eight-year 1.6billion aid package – which will last until 2015 – would be the last.

Until then, the average annual spend on aid to India will be 280million, despite the fact that the country is rich enough to have a space programme.

11

Ashtiaq Ashgar

Laura Wilson

teenager, she already had a baby by an Asian man, Ishaq ‘Zac’ Hussein, a 20year-old. But her mother revealed that he refused to recognise the child and Miss Wilson was really in love with his friend, Ashtiaq Ashgar.

She admitted: ‘”Ashtiaq was her first love, she adored him.”

Stung by Mr Hussein’s rejection of her and their child, Miss Wilson decided to confront the men’s families and tell them she had had sexual relations with both of them.

D e t e c t i v e Superintendent Mick Mason, now retired from South Yorkshire Police, believes this may have been the trigger for a plan to kill her.

In October 2010, three days after the confrontation, Miss Wilson agreed to meet Mr Ashgar by a local canal. Police believe he began a frenzied knife attack on the girl before throwing her into the water. Mr Ashgar was found guilty and sentenced to 17 years in prison and Mr Hussein was acquitted.

so amazing and I just never thought it could happen to me.’’

Shelina (pictured), who lives in Tooting, south London, grew up in Southampton in a Mauritian family where she learned all about the food her parents grew up with.

She said: ‘’My mum is a brilliant cook. I learnt everything from her. I’m basically her sous chef. She taught me to cook by intuition: never by using scales, always by sight and taste.

So I developed a strong palate from a young age. ‘’I only ate Mauritian food growing up as it gave our family that affinity of being close to the island.

Mauritian food is very frugal which is great in these economic climates but at the same time full of flavour, heady with aromatics, nutritional and damn

with lime curd.

John Torode said: ‘’What Shelina has done throughout this competition is outstanding. She is a very special cook with an exceptional talent, who always wears a smile and cooks with care to assault the senses and bring sunshine to a plate.’’

Shaver thief jailed tasty.’’

She fought off competition from more than 20 other contestants during the show. Along the way she cooked for royalty in Thailand, served a threecourse meal for Michelinstarred chefs and finally cooked for presenters John and Gregg.

Her winning menu was an Octopus starter, mutton curry and a dessert of mango cannelloni filled

Suresh Patel of Coventry has been jailed for 12 weeks after he admitted to failing to attend a follow-up assessment. In addition, Patel, 24, of Middlebrough Road, Radford, admitted failing to surrender to custody, and stealing a Braun shaver worth £299.99 from Boots. Patel was sentenced at Coventry Magistrates last Tuesday.

12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Scrutatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Among the interesting background pieces to appear on the recent Uttar Pradesh state elections was the one that appeared in the Financial Times (March 1) by James Fontenella-Khan and James Lamont. Having made an extensive tour of the staters rural hinterland they saw evidence of consumption patterns that were transforming the lives of a once poverty stricken society.For instance, the small village of Pokhra, which they had visited several years ago, was clogged with traffic, not of bullock carts and hand-drawn carts, but tractors, motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles. Farmers haggled over the price of Levi jeans, Nokia phones and farming equipment in addition to those of vegetables and other food stuffs.

Mohammed Reza, Abolghhasemi and Houshang Afsar Irani, each of whom visited the Indian capital and stayed in well known hotels gathering intelligence for their operation.

Warrants have been issued by the Delhi police against the three, whose names have now been forwarded to the Iranian government in Tehran. (The Times of India March 15).

Tribal girls join CRPF

India's Chandrayan space mission to accompany item on Mars

Uttar Pradesh during recent polls

The soaring price of food in their cities had clearly benefited farmers, one of whom said: "My grandchildren have things we dreamt of back in my days.....they can go to school where they get a hot meal; they have better roads, modern water pump and TV." Our reporters wrote: "The biggest drivers of growth in rural areas are government schemes, such as subsidies for energy, fertilisers and food as well a programme to cancel farmers' outstanding loans and providing non-farming jobs.....Bajaj Electricals and TTK Prestige, two large producers of household goods, say they have enjoyed higher growth in semi-urban and rural areas than in cities." Such subsidies, free market economist opine, do little for the country's rising fiscal deficit - which needs urgent pruning - but in the longer term this inclusive growth will help the economy expand on the basis of increased purchasing power.

The market place requires intelligent leavening to harmonise economic growth with social progress, without which GDP figures, however impressive in the short run are unlikely to make for a stable polity. India is a country in transition, where backwardness and sophistication exist cheek by jowl.

This finds reflection in the frequent absurdities of Ithe country's politics and political culture.

Wipro offer to UK A notable example of Indian sophistication is the nation's IT sector.

Wipro is an Indian software company with a global footprint.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph's Louise Armistead from Davos, "Azim Premji, the chairman of Wipro and India's third richest man, has offered to take thirdyear students from British universities to the company's headquarters in Bangalore fo three months' intensive study and nine months on-the-job training with as view to returning them fit for work in the UK." He told Ms Armistead; "We have sophisticated courses - a mixture of classroom and practical training - will make them employable anywhere in the world.":Under his proposal, the UK government would pay about 30 per cent of the training

Azim Premji

costs and the rest would be borne by Wipro. The company employs around 3,500 people in the UK, of which a quarter are British. He put his idea to Prime Minister David Cameron during his visit to India in July 2010.

I-Mission to Mars The Indian government has sanctioned the country's space agency's projected scientific mission to Mars in 2013. The Mars

Orbiter mission is to be launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in November-December 2013.

The spacecraft which is capable of carrying 25 kilogrammes of of scientific instruments will be placed in an orbit 500 by 80.000 kilometres around the Red planet.

Mars being farther from the Sun than Earth, it takes two years to complete a single orbit.Since Mars and Earth are in movement relative to each other, the best opportunity to launch a probe comes up every two years or so. If the November-December 2013 dateline is missed the next opportunity would be sometime in 2016.

With this in view, scientists and engineers at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have a challenging task ahead of them. In less than two years from now they must be ready to launch their Mars mission (The Hindu March 17).

Scientists at the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) are developing advanced seekers for India's tactical missiles.to equip mother missiles with smaller missiles. "Imagine a war scenario," writes the Correspondent of The Hindu, "in which miniaturised missiles equipped with Precision-Guided Munitions are unleashed from a mother missile to take out select enemy targets like ammunition depots while avoiding collateral damage."

Seekers, which are of two types - radio-frequency and infra-red, enable a missile to acquire, track and home in on to the target. They are required for all tactical missiles (those with a range of 300 kilometres).

Meanwhile, another Hindu report (March 2) told of the delivery of an advanced, indigenously produced light torpedo to the Indian Navy and surface -toair Akash missile to the Indian Air Force.

Learning from India The standard Chinese view of India is one of disdain. It was so in Chairman Mao's day, and judging by general reporting on India in the mainstream Chinese media little appears to have changed. However, China isn't quite the smooth monolith of received wisdom. It has its social

and economic problems - some pretty serious - as outgoing Premier Wen told the country's in Beijing recently.

Nevertheless, it came something of a surprise that the website of a former People's Liberation.(PLO) officer Song Zhongping advised that China had something to learn from India, stirring debate within the country. Respect for religious beliefs and democratic values were two such areas, he said. He also cited India's more balanced economy and its way of handling relations with foreign countries.

India's rise had not given rise to the international anxieties thad accompanied China's emergence as a great power. Restraint yields better results than threats.

China should heed the lessons of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, the comment being those of this columnist and not Mr Song's.

Tribal girls are joining the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), writes a Times of India reporter (March 18). The CRPF is engaged in counterinsurgency operations against Maoist forces, who are not merely engaged in an armed struggle against the Indian state but also use terror tactics to intimidate the local population and force them to collaborate in a variety of ways.

Garia, a 14 year-old tribal girl, tells of a group of armed men coming to her house in a forest area of the West Singbhum district of Jharkand.

"They wanted me to join them," she said. Her father asked for time to think this over and the Maoists told him they would return soon for the answer. Then one dat about three months ago,something happened that was to changed Garia's life. The CRPF had just begun a training camp for tribal girls; it equipped them to be guards at schools and security personnel at private institutions, and women from a local NGO had come calling and encouraged teenage women to join the CRPF. Garia was among the first to do so.

Iranians named

Pakistan to re-calibrate India ties

Three Iranians have been named by the Indian authorities for their role in the bombing of an Israeli diplomat's car in New Delhi, the explosion causing serious injury to his wife. This act of terrorism, linked also to similar developments in the Thai capital Bangkok, led to the

The Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said Pakistan would re-calibrate ties with India on the basis of increased trade and opportunities for mutual investment for entrepreneurs in each other's country.

She said Pakistan had reaped

Terrorist bombing in Delhi tasrgeting Israeli diplomat's wife

arrest of Mohammed Ahmad Kazmi, an Indian national and Delhi resident. On the basis of information gleaned from the interrogation of the suspects, the names of the Iranians wanted by the Delhi police have been released. These are as follows: Seyed Ali Mahdianasadr,

no benefits in the three wars with India since the partition of the subcontinent in August 1947 and it was time relations between the two countries were put on a different and more productive platform. More power to her elbow.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

13

us for fun and frolic at Political Sketchbook Join the ‘Anand Mela’ Alpesh Patel’s

Making Britain Open For Business If you wanted an Indian entrepreneur in the UK, you would not say, we will send the message of anti-immigration, and when you overcome the hurdles of getting here, real and perceived, then in three years we will make it easier? A shop struggling to attract customers in a high street of shops doesn’t increase its prices to attract customers. It doesn’t put up barriers outside for those with the money wanting to shop, and say to its best repeat buyers, we’ll keep on increasing prices for you – it’s not as if you will go elsewhere? It doesn’t have a CEO saying one thing and two MDs saying the opposite to different sections of the customers in the shop.

SP’s right. SP Hinduja that is. Most people won’t say that. They’ll whisper behind SP’s back about some scandals involving Mandelson and Keith Vaz and the like from years ago . But most people will not show the Hindujas the respect they deserve. Remember in the 80s how proud we all felt that an Indian was in the top 10 rich list. How soon we forget what drove us on. Showed us what we could do. I find we are quick to be critical of others who are successful as a way of ourselves deflecting our own failures and inadequacies.

I had tea with SP about a year ago. I was once advised by the son of an Indian member of the British House of Lords and ‘friends’ of SP, ‘don’t get too close to SP, you’ll be tainted’. He gave me a copper bottomed guarantee this would happen. Ironically it turned out the person telling me had a lot to hide himself. Which proves my point.

But, to my main point, SP is right.

Britain is not sending out a clear coherent message that it is open for business.

I would as PM get on a platform with my Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Business Secretary and say, immigration controls will not be permitted to undermine talent and capital coming to the UK. It would be easy for me to say cut taxes. But what then about the budget deficit? Who will pay for the poorest members of society?

The balance has to be that the most

economically productive are sufficiently incentivised to maximise their taxable returns, but not over incentivised (ie allowed to keep too much) or under incentivised.

Do you think our domicile rules, our 50% tax rate, our payroll tax rates, our visa rules, our annual Chancellor’s budget (as opposed to a 3-year budget) make overseas investors want to put money here? Or people rush out and hire workers? Of course you can rely on the fact most people won’t leave the UK. But what about encouraging foreigners to come here? No airport capacity and no clear 3 year budget plan about what the tax rates will look like in 2015 would certainly put Indian investors off How do you get Indian SMEs to the UK without the poor in UK subsidising it through their higher taxes, so the Indian SME in the UK and its CEO can pay less tax? By spreading the burden over a broader tax base is how. And the way to get a broader tax base is to get more businesses here, and once here exporting and the talent that knows how to do it here. The more persons paying tax, the less we all need to pay.

So you can either keep tax where it is and say you’ll cut it later once the jobs are created and the inward investment comes in. Or you can cut it first, to where you anticipate it will be when you hit your tax base targets. The latter approach is what Government never does. It’s what business would do. It sends a message. It allows planning by everyone. The sooner you paint the picture of the future, the sooner you get to it.

If I want a Britain with 35% top rate of personal tax, 5% employers NI, 15% VAT, 25% corporation tax and a nondomicile rule without penalties – I should do state that is my objective and each year over 3 years will get to it in a stepped process.

It is always easier in politics and in life to do sooner what you will be forced to do later anyway.

Alpesh B Patel www.PoliticalAnimal.me

Newsagent jailed for stealing lottery ticket A newsagent stole a winning lottery ticket taken to her shop by a loyal customer - and her husband tried to claim the 156,000 prize. Shopkeeper Anne Jeevarajah, 38, kept the lucky ticket when winner Gwyn Badham-Davies, 73, took it to her store to see if he had won.

She checked it on her machine at the family’s shop in Hingham, near Watton, Norfolk, but did not tell the pensioner he had won a small fortune.

Her husband, Alfred Jeevarajah, 45 (pictured),

then brazenly rang up lottery organisers Camelot and told them he had won.

But Camelot became suspicious because there was a delay between the

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date the ticket was bought and the claim being made.

Mr Youell said alarm bells also started ringing when Camelot discovered Mr Jeevarajah was a shopkeeper.

Mrs Jeevarajah last Monday admitted theft and fraud while her husband admitted fraud. The couple have a 10-year-old daughter The couple were jailed for 14 months each at Norwich Crown Court on Monday. Villagers spoke of their shock as the shop displayed a ‘closed until further notice’ sign on its door.

Asian Business Publications Ltd have a proud history of publishing the popular Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice news weeklies - the largest sold Asian news weeklies in the UK. The publications are in its 40th year and to commemorate this special occasion we are organising a special Summer mela in London.

The mela promises to display diverse colours of South Asian Culture especially Gujarat by bringing people together in a festive ambience where everyone can enjoy food, music, dance.

The mela will be mainly divided into seven stall zones viz. food & drink,

education and entertainment, Health & Medical, Travel & Tourism, Property & Investment, Banking & Finance, Fashion & Wedding and many more. Visitors will

have opportunity to have endless fun, do some shopping, enjoy the days entertainment, eat some tasty food, meet near and dear ones or dance to their

favourite folk songs.

The event will attract more than 5000 visitors over 2 days period.

For exhibitors it will also be a great opportunity to engage with the focused and carefully targeted audience.

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar do not have any kind of affiliations with any other event or mela organisers.

Date & Time: 9th and 10th June 2012, 10am to 8pm Venue: Harrow Leisure Centre, Christchurch Avenue, Harrow HA3 5BD

For more information call 020 7749 4085 avsales@abplgroup.com

14

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Shriya wants to act in a full-length comedy film

Clash between Anushka & Trisha

Actress Shriya Saran has said that she has the desire to play the lead role in a full-length comedy film. The curvaceous Shriya paired up with superstar Rajinikanth in “Sivaji: The Boss” a few years ago. As it happens with heroines pairing up opposite Rajini, Shriya got many film offers opposite top heroes but spoilt the party by doing an ‘item number’ in a Vadivelu-starrer. Ever since she did so, offers started dwindling. After a great struggle, Shriya has managed to recover and is quite busy with the shooting schedules of her Telugu, Hindi and English films.

She, however, doesn’t have a single film in Tamil and was last spotted in Vikram’s “Rajapattai.”

Pawan Kalyan's 'Gabbar Singh' ready for release There's more to Pawan Kalyan's forthcoming film 'Gabbar Singh' other than the hero himself, his powerful punch liners, Devi Sri Prasad's foot-tapping tunes, charmingly beautiful Shruti Haasan and director Harish Shankar. The Bandla Ganesh Babu's production has a couple of adrenaline-charged car chases in the end that are now being canned. Stunt masters Ram-Laxman duo is supervising the high-octane climax sequence. Planned for release in more than 1,800 theatres worldwide in May, the film has Pawan Kalyan playing the role of a cop. The first-look posters and the teaser have caught the fancy of his fans.

It is natural to see rivalry between top heroines in the terms of bagging offers or making their presence felt in front of media. With easy money and not much strain on the cards, many starlets are showing interest in grabbing maximum offers for brand endorsements. One such thing has happened between Trisha and Anushka. And the product is Colgate toothpaste. So far, it was Trisha who was the brand ambassador for this. But now, sources say her place has been given to Anushka. Not only that, Anushka has been roped in to promote the toothpaste in both Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Hot Garam masala Mallika Sherawat faces heat from Malaika, Katrina!

Mallika Sherawat is now on the edge of her seat as Katrina Kaif and Malaika Arora Khan's item numbers become the talk of the town.

Mallika Sherawat is known for her oomph and item numbers. With Katrina's Chikni Chameli act in “Agneepath,” and now Mallika's Anarkali Disco Chali in “Housefull 2,” Mallika Sherawat is hoping that her 'Tezz' item song is promoted well by the producers., Mallika doesn't want to get lost in the crowd.

Salman to do an item number in ‘Dabangg 2’ “Dabangg” star Salman Khan is all geared up to do an item number in its sequel. According to the latest reports, Salman will be dancing on a peppy item number titled 'Pandeyji Maare Seeti'. And if rumours are to be believed, then Malaika Arora Khan will also join Pandeyji's jig as a treat to her fans! It will be quite interesting to see, once again, how Salman entices the entire country with his quirky yet electrifying dance moves in 'Pandeyji Maare Seeti'.

Besides, the film will also have an item number featuring actress Kareena Kapoor. The directorial debut of Arbaaz Khan will star Sonakshi Sinha opposite Salman.

Sunidhi Chauhan to tie the knot again next month?

Singer Sunidhi Chauhan, who had been married to choreographer Bobby Khan before it failed, is now reportedly keen to tie the knot again with beau Hitesh Sonik, who she had met some time back. For all those who are unaware of this, Sonik is a budding music composer and has composed music for films like “Pyaar Ka Punchnama,” “Stanley Ka Dabba” and “My Friend Pinto.” She met Hitesh professionally a couple of years back, and the two have been dating since over a year.

Anushka Sharma named brand icon of the year Anushka Sharma’s rising popularity in Bollywood is there for all to see, but the actress is also making waves in the brand endorsement arena.

The “Band Baaja Baaraat” girl was named the brand icon of the year at an award function.

Anushka, who forayed into Bollywood with “Rabb Ne Bana Di Jodi”, was honoured as the celebrity endorser by Reliance Communications Limited at the NDTV Good Times Gadget Guru Awards.

Anushka was appointed ambassador for the brand in 2011. As part of the association, she featured in four fun-loving television commercials.

But she wasn’t present to collect her award at the event, held at the Kingdom Of Dreams in Gurgaon.

Finally, Beti B gets a name Being a Bachchan entails not just fan worship but also a lot of media coverage. Right from the announcement of the Abhi-Ash wedding to the birth of their daughter, to rumours about daughter's possible names, the couple has been in news for months.

With rumours of Beti B being named various names, the real name of the newborn member of the Bachchan family is finally out. The baby girl has been named Aaradhya. The name was registered a couple of days back and is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning worship.

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Shahid Kapoor finds love in Nargis Fakhri

Actor Priyanka Chopra is a self-confessed gadget freak and more so an internet addict.

The actor has in the past admitted to being hooked on to the internet, especially to her account on micro-blogging site Twitter. Priyanka would keep in touch with her fans and update her account several times a day, to keep them posted about what is going on in her life. But then, about 10 days back, Priyanka announced that she is going off Twitter for sometime.

"Got some news!! Im off on a Twitter vacation. Just for a bit..so for all bdays exams n Annivs..lotsa love..and remember ur truth makes u who u r.. Love n hugs guys..will miss y'all!c u

Priyanka fighting to survive the ‘Twitter vacation’

soon.. Xoxo," she had declared on her account.

Though she didn't give any reason for doing so, sources say that Priyanka is caught up with her film projects and wants to spend some quality time with her family as well and that’s what sparked the decision. But sources now insist that Priyanka is having a tough time keeping her mind off the site.

"Twitter was the one way for Priyanka to keep in direct touch with her fans. She is being followed by about 4,000 new people on a daily basis. She is looking forward to chatting with all of them but right now, she wants to give herself a break. Priyanka is juggling between the shoots of the “Krissh” sequel and “Barfee.” Both movies require a lot of her time.

But more importantly, she is missing her family. Her dad is not keeping too well so spending quality time with family is also on her priority list.

Just last month, Shahid Kapoor celebrated his birthday in great style over a four-day weekend at Goa's sun-kissed Morjim beach. Most of his guests flew down for the big party much later, he left earlier, accompanied by Nargis Fakhri. Ever since, there has been widespread speculation as to whether they are the newest love birds in Bollywood.

Rumours apart, it's official - Shahid and Nargis is indeed a couple; the latest to hit tinsel town. "Nargis is Shahid's latest love. Since the past few days, the two are spending a lot of quality time with each other. So far, they have avoided being seen together. Perhaps they wanted to keep the whole thing under wraps for some more time," revealed a source close to the twosome. When did the 'good friends' become more than just that? A source said, "Nargis spent a lot of time with Shahid in Goa. They were attracted to each other then and their friendship grew after returning to Mumbai. However, they started dating only recently." How serious is their relationship, considering Shahid has been linked to a bevy of B-town beauties including Anushka Sharma and Bipasha Basu ever since his break up with Priyanka Chopra last year? "Well, he is quite serious about Nargis and likes her company," the source said. Meanwhile, Nargis too has been earlier linked to the likes of Ranbir Kapoor and Shayan Munshi although according to the source, she is hardly in contact with either of them now.

Kailash Kher to write a song in honour of Sachin Tendulkar Indian singer, lyricist and composer Kailash Kher is highly inspired by Sachin Tendulkar’s amazing sporting achievement. So, he is now penning and composing an exclusive tribute to Sachin in the form of a song.

“I want to compose a number that best describes his personality. It will be an emotional song. When I sang in front of Sachin, it was a new high for me. I've often been told that in the last nine years, I have become the real 'kailash' (meaning mountain) in the world of music. I would say,

‘Housefull 2’ is family entertainer

John Abraham, Akshay Kumar, Ranjeet

“Housefull 2: The Dirty Dozen,”which will be released in UK and worldwide on 5th April, is a family entertainer with versatile and talented Akshay Kumar as he reprises the role of ‘Arush Jolly’, a comedic, and at times completely hopeless figure, whose clumsy antics create hysterical and unpredictable results. He is joined by a medley of stars, including his leading lady in the film Asin, Jacqueline Fernandez, comedy king-pin Riteish Deshmukh, and John Abraham in a role as you’ve never seen him before! Bollywood item queen Malaika Arora Khan brings the house down with a smoldering song performance – ‘Anarkali Disco Chali which is set to be the ‘item song’ of 2012. The all-star film also

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features a bevy of famous names of yesteryear, including legendary brothers Rishi and Randhir Kapoor, Boman Irani, Johnny Lever and the dancing genius Mithun Chakraborty.

When it comes to action films with a quirky, entertaining and ribtickling comedy twist, Akshay Kumar is the perfect strongman with a soft comic centre. The highkicking, all action hero of mega cinematic is set to entertain audiences once more in “Housefull 2: The Dirty Dozen,” a comedy of errors.

Director Sajid Khan to make it a hat trick of film success with Housefull 2. Always the crowd pleaser, Sajid Khan’s latest film promises a cinema-going action adventure experience.

Sachin is the real kailash in the world of cricket,” says Kailash.

On March 18th, 2012 Kailash travelled to Dhaka, Bangladesh with his band Kailasa where they performed the rousing anthem ‘Hausla Buland’ live at the match between Pakistan and India in the Asia Cup. There he met Sachin after he scored his historic 100th international century against Bangladesh.

Since releasing his new album, Rangeele, in January 2012, Kailash has been on a whirlwind tour around South Asia, performing across several cities in India, Indonesia and Bali. His first ever world tour starting in UK when the Easter music fans will get the chance to witness Kailash’s magic live. Put together by London-based Saregama Events, the UK Tour will see Kailash visiting prestigious venues in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Leicester from April 4th to the 9th.

Shoojit Sircar to release documentary on Big B Director Shoojit Sircar is putting together a documentary on A m i t a b h Bachchan, which he says reveals the megastar in moods never seen before. The film is based on the extensive tours of Gujarat that the director undertook with Big B, the brand ambassador of the state while shooting 14 films promoting the state tourism. He says “I realised I was travelling across Gujarat with the coolest co-traveller in the world. Mr. Bachchan's energy level, his poise in front of 60,000 fans and most important of all, his inner tranquility in those rare moments left me drop-dead.”

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Virgin to resume Mumbai-London services in October Dear Financial Voice Reader, I am often told my political columns are better than my financial ones! This is worrying as one likes to be a straight-A student in all things. So how can I make sure every reader is over the moon? How about I answer everyone’s questions: I am retired? If I want to buy stocks what should I do?

Many retired people used to stay away from stocks because of the risk. Heck they wouldn’t even buy green bananas. But now since we’re all living longer, and so a dip in a portfolio could recover, safety nevertheless is the key and that usually means a FTSE 100 company, or all of them via an index tracker. Even for many this would be too risky. So you should definitely have financial advice for your own circumstances.

I am young and foolish – about 20 – why should I both with shares?

Okay genius – this is why. $10,000 (borrow it from your parents) seven years ago is now $250,000. I am not saying every investment you make will be like Apple, but I bet you know enough about what is hip and cool to guess what may be the next big thing. Don’t try to get rich quick. You’re young, so research, read rather than partying all the time. It pays dividends (!). Well 7 years is a long time when you are 20, young and foolish. So what about 6 months? Ashtead Group has doubled in that time. Barclays is up 65%. ITV is up 60%. Not bad. So stop spending all the time and start earning. Don’t know which stocks to pick – hey you know the world wide interweb thingy don’t you – look on Investopedia and learn.

I want to buy for my grandchildren who are under five – how do I know what?

Well I could say let’s try to predict what will be around when they are 18. I could say Apple, Tata Motors, Sensex and Dow indices. Some indices and some individual stocks. The danger with individual stocks is that companies often just don’t survive. Look at Woolworths. Bank accounts pay nothing! Gold is expensive. So in looking forwards 13 years you may look back 13 years. What was around then and how has it done since 2000? Barclays is actually down over that period. BT, Dixons, Lloyds, Glaxo, HSBC, Sainsbury all down. Hmmm. So what is up? Dominos Pizza! British American Tobacco. BG Group. Oil companies. Do you really want to bet that oil and tobacco and pizza will be around in 13 years. Rolls Royce is up 300%. Okay, I’ll stick my neck out. Rolls Royce for the next 13 years…and Apple and Tata Motors. See you in 2025.

For free market webinars by me on the monthly global outlook, trading strategies, why people lose money in the markets, trading Forex: www.alpeshpatel.com

India allows airlines access to foreign funds India has allowed its cashstrapped airlines to borrow external loans up to $ 1 billion for a period of one year to meet its immediate financial needs. This announcement was made by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee while presenting the annual budget on Friday.

External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) is a mode used by the government to facilitate the access to foreign funds by Indian corporations and public sector undertakings. Mukherjee further proposed to exempt

the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector from basic customs duty on aircraft parts, tyres and testing equipment.

"As a measure of support to the airline industry, it is also proposed to fully exempt both new and rethreaded aircraft tyres from basic customs duty and excise duty." According to Mukherjee, the proposal for allowing foreign carriers to invest up to 49 per cent in the domestic carriers is under active consideration of the cabinet.

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Premier British carrier Virgin Atlantic, which had stopped its MumbaiLondon services in 2009, would re-launch these daily flights from October, saying India's "phenomenal growth" in air traffic had led to this resumption.

The first Virgin flight would depart from London's Heathrow airport on October 28 and the return flight the next day, a Virgin spokesperson said.

The daily flights would serve the UK and open up easy connections from London to several US cities including New York,

Boston, Chicago and Washington, she said, adding that the flights have been timed to offer US connections with less than a two-hour-wait in Heathrow. While the air traffic between Mumbai and London has grown by nine per cent since 2009, the Delhi-London and New York service of Virgin was enjoying a 20 per cent growth last year. "Virgin Atlantic is proud to be flying to Mumbai again, linking this wonderful city to

our key destinations of London, New York, Boston and Washington.

India's phenomenal growth continues to drive travel to the UK and the USA," airline President Richard Branson said in a statement. The Mumbai

Tax break for the middle classes families likely Middle class families are likely to benefit from tax breaks worth £758 a year from the budget which is going to be presented this week. As part of a deal between the Tories and the Liberal Democrats, Chancellor George Osborne will dramatically accelerate moves to raise the personal income allowance to £10,000. He will also signal the beginning of the end of the 50p top rate of tax.

Mr Osborne is expected to announce that income of over £150,000 will be taxed at 45p per £1 from April 2013, and indicate his intention to bring

Seminar on new tax rules for UK nondomiciliaries John Cumming Ross Limited, a leading firm of chartered certified accountants, is hosting a seminar in London to discuss the new tax laws for UK non-domiciliaries from 7 to 8.30 pm on Thursday, 19th April.

The seminar will cover - new tax rules for UK non-domiciliaries investing in the UK, keeping your assets outside UK Inheritance Tax., planning for UK residence and the impact of the Foreign Exchange Management Act on UK resident NRIs. Speakers are wellknown experts, Andrew Gotch, Chartered Tax Adviser and leading light in UK taxation matters, Rashmin Sanghavi, Chartered Accountant and tax adviser and partner in Rashmin Sanghvi & Associates, Mumbai and India’s leading commentator on international Taxation and the FEMA and Naresh Ajwani, chartered accountant and tax adviser for past 23 years and partner in Rashmin Sanghavi & Associates, Mumbai.

To attend the seminar, please register your details by email to seminar @jcp.uk.com.

the top rate back to 40p the following year.

Government sources said Mr Osborne would also signal that he aims to lift the amount that can be earned tax-free to the £10,000 target by April 2014, far earlier than planned.

The £10,000 allowance will apply to all 23 million basic rate taxpayers and many higher rate taxpayers.

Economists say households with incomes of around £40,000 will be the biggest winners since they tend to have two earners.

Mr Osborne has pledged to ‘come down

like a ton of bricks’ on wealthy property buyers who avoid paying stamp duty on their huge houses.

Ban on drink discounts to hit wine clubs Multiple discount deals on wine and beer could be banned as part of a Coalition bid to stamp out binge drinking. It means retailers will no longer be able to offer three-for-two deals on wine or sell large multi packs of beer for less than the individual cost of the cans. The plans will be announced next week as part of an Alcohol Strategy to be unveiled by Home Secretary Theresa May.

flights to be operated by "our new Airbus 330-300 will feature our brand new Upper Class Dreamsuite.

We'll continue to offer Indian entertainment and delicacies on board served by local Indian crew.

Importantly the plane is also our most fuel efficient aircraft", Branson said.

The flights from Mumbai would depart daily at 0310 hours and arrive into London Heathrow for 0755 (GMT), while those from London would operate at 1015 GMT arriving Mumbai at 0055 hours the next day.

Tesco's UK boss to step down

The chief executive of Tesco's UK business, Richard Brasher, is to step down over poor sales.

Brasher took on the role around a year ago but is expected to leave the company in 2012. Philip Clarke, who is currently Tesco's group chief executive, will then assume responsibility for the UK business. Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer, announced plans to open new stores and create 20,000 new jobs in the UK over the next two years as it battles back from its first profit warning in living memory made in January. Tesco, which has been the dominant force is tackling a drop in its UK market share.

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FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

19

The Real Deal

Suresh Vagjiani Managing Director Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

This week we have just rented two properties. The first is a two bedroom property for £380pw. It’s an ex council ground floor, formally a one bedroom flat close to Edgware Rd station in W2. It has a long lease of over 100 years and a low service charge of £800 per annum which includes the building insurance, considering this, it is a very reasonable charge. The service charge is something to be conscious of as it can reduce the income produced. The property was purchased for £233,000 and a further £10,000 was spent on the conversion.

Th is is the se cond propert y th is clien t has pu rchase d throu gh Sow & Reap. He respo nde d to o ne of our email campaign s, c ame to our office and promptly paid over all the fun ds, in clud in g the exchan ge amou nt and re furbishment fu nds in advance, f or us t o d isperse, as he is very busy traveling.

He doesn’t like to see the property or the works. It’s a question of number work for him. If we say it will cost £10k to do up the property and it will be rented for £375pw, this is what he wants to happen. So on this property he only needed £68,250 including £10k for refurbishment.

This will give him an income of £8250 net per annum after excluding management and service charges. On his deposit of £68,250 he’s getting a return of 12% net. In addition the property was purchased at a very good price and so he is coming into it with equity. If the property rises say 5% per annum, this equates to an increase in the property by over £11,000 pa.

The second property was purchased for £275,000, it was refurbished throughout to a high standard. This one is in the student belt of Camden. It is a two bedroom property ex council but very cheap given the location and property. The work on this one is being carried out by our recommended builders, the refurbishment is due to be completed at the end of the month. We try to ensure the property is rented on the day it becomes available or as close to this day as possible.

Du e t o t he d eman d o f th e lo catio n we have ju st taken a d epo sit for the pro perty (way be fore completio n o f the pro jec t) and ag re ed £440 pw. This is a co rporate let , and what’s more is the c ompany who have taken the pro pe rty want it for a straight two o r thre e years.

This is also a long lease property. The refurbishment cost was roughly £20k, this means the return on the deposit of £90k is £9180pa, giving a net yield of over 10%. The property again was purchased cheaply and the investor is walking into a deal where there is equity already

built in.

Both of these properties have been rented prior to being completed this week and were sourced through Sow & Reap. This shows the incredible demand in these locations. It’s not just the time period within which these properties have been rented but the amount these properties command which is surprising.

Both of these properties are income generators. Even if they never went up in price, the running yield gives an excellent return on investment. Of course they will go up in price due to the locations, but taking an extremely pessimistic view these are still great properties.

I recently read a book about the Ponzi scheme run by Berni Madoff, which ran on a steady return of 12%. The scheme had ‘credible’ people fronting it and pushing it out on the market, this gave the illusion this must be a bona fide scheme.

H o we v e r n o o n e a c t u a l l y u n d e r st o o d t h e sc h e m e .

Explanations were given of so me vag ue st rategy, and because e noug h clever people backed it - because it was in the ir int ere st t o do so - £65billion was d riven in to the scheme.

It works because more money continually flows into the scheme and so the returns are based on new entrants perpetually coming in to the scheme, however no actual investment goes on.

The title of the book was The Believers, because belief is all its based on. People believe this is a genuine scheme, because everyone else believes it is.

If it was based on rationale this scheme would have evaporated because there’s nothing behind the scheme. It managed to survive for over 44 years. It only fell apart when a large chunk of investors started asking for all their money back at one time. The whole pyramid collapsed.

I wonder what would happen if we all went to the Bank of England and asked what is behind the money which is printed and currently in circulation? What if we, the general public, are involved in one of the largest Ponzi schemes known to man?

Property offers a steady and viable place to invest your funds, without having to worry that they’ll disappear overnight. The property is in your own name, the income and outgo is easy to understand and is transparent.

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

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Tips of the Week ! Always leave a buffer of 3 months rental payment in your mortgage account for any non payment of rent or maintenance issues ! Look to take rental insurance for a hassle free tenancy

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FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

UK NRI’s Interested to Invest in Indian Real Estate Dharmesh Doshi Managing Director There was always the emotional connect, now there is an economic investment side to the decision.

NRI’s/PIO’s have never been this keen on an Indian residential property investment Recently an acquaintance – a fund manager by profession – relocated to India to set-up a domestic PE fund here. He had invested in Ahmedabad residential property strategically located close to the primary business district and an international school for his kid. This investment, done a few years back, helped him crystallize his plans for relocation to India and start his venture without spending time in finding the right location, house and school.

What I found most interesting was that he had not

even considered eventually relocating to India when he bought this apartment. He had simply done it for investment five years previously.

There are similar examples in just about any metro and tier two city in India. To date, I have not met a single NRI who is not keen to buy real estate in India. Very often, such investments in their country of origin help them to maintain their relationships back home while they make their fortunes abroad.

A few weeks back, I met another NRI professional – earlier based out in London and now relocating to India on the heels of the Euro crisis. Achieving this while resettling family on all fronts has not been an easy task for him. He is on the lookout for the ‘best’ location for a residential property in India and naturally finds the cost of properties in the prime areas staggering and beyond belief. He had not considered investing in a property earlier. He was ill prepared

for the astronomical ticket sizes that now prevail.

THE WAY OF THE NRI/PIO’s Over the past few years, we have noted that NRIs/PIOs are investing into residential real estate specifically in large Indian cities to build a back-up base in the country. This particularly applies to NRIs with professional/ entrepreneurial ambitions who intend to set up businesses in these cities in the future.

Post the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, India has stood out as a showcase example of financial stability, specifically in terms of its conservative banking sector. More than anything else in the past, the GDP caused NRIs to seriously contemplate owning homes in India.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT • NRIs have no restrictions limiting them with regards to how many commercial or residential properties they can own in India.

• NRIs can invest into real estate by remitting funds to India through normal bank-

ing channels, or by invest through funds in NRE/FCNR/NRO accounts maintained in India.

• NRIs can avail home loan from Indian Institution, provided specific terms and conditions listed by RBI are met.

• NRIs can rent out their residential property without the approval of the RBI in India. Rent received can be credited to NRO/NRE account or remitted abroad.

AHMEDABAD DHOLERA The city has seen an overall 46.01 per cent rise in realty prices between JanuaryMarch 2010 and the same period in 2011, according to figures released by National Housing Bank (NHB), a wing of the Reserve Bank of India.

The Gujarat government has put the work for introducing six town planning (TP) schemes across 902 sq km area of the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) in Ahmedabad district on the fast track. “The two TP schemes are proposed for 15,000 hectares (ha) of

land next to the Dholera township. It is here that Sabir Bhatia’s Nano City has been planned”, sources the Gujarat in I n f r a s t r u c t u r e Development Board (GIDB), which handles the Dholera SIR for the state government, said, adding, “As soon as the draft is out, infrastructure development in the two townships will begin .The schemes will be finalized by April 2012 and we expect, the work to be over by December 2012.

This will make the entire Dholera SIR ready to take off as a new-age city”.

DHOLERA – FAST FACTS: • Rs. 40,000 crore Mega Industrial Park • Rs. 30,000 crore investment by Hindustan Construction company • Rs. 30,000 crore Nano city by Sabir Bhatia group.

• Central Spine Road - A 10 lane expresseway linking Ahmedabad with Dholera • Metro connectivity There will be also a 10 lane expresseway linking • Ahmedabad with Dholera • International Airport –

spread over 7500 hectares of land - off Fedra village, 20 kms outside the proposed boundary of Dholera SIR. ABOUT ASSET INDIA Asset India is a global company specializing in the real estate investment sector in India with customers, who are Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), in UK, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Spain, USA, Canada, Australia, Gibraltar and Kuwait and shortly spreading its reach in Dubai, Singapore & Hongkong. We have a team of specialized real estate portfolio managers and finance professionals – all of whom are real estate experts who together have decades of experience in the real estate industry in India and the UK. We are purely an investor-driven company who provide a one stop shop for all your India property investment requirements including facilitating Re-sales, Rentals, Property management, Finance and Foreign exchange facilities.

For more information call 020 7100 2201

Free Indian Property Advice service Wednesday 5-7 pm at ASSET India.

Board Line: 020 7100 2201 | Mobile: +44 7795954142 Email: nmehta@assetindia.co.uk | Website: www.assetindia.co.uk

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

21

Foreign Exchange Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

European crisis a concern in global markets Last week was a crucial week for the European markets as the ongoing Greek saga came to an end for now. Greece managed to secure its second bailout funds from the Troika after passing through parliament the austerity measures demanded by the IMF, ECB and EC. In return for the 130Bn bailout money Greece had to implement measure to reduce their debt to GDP ratio from the current 160% to 120.5% by 2020. The Greek parliament managed to convince enough private investors to absorb haircuts of up to 53% on privately held government bonds.

Regardless of the bailout the general consensus is still fragile as the tasks ahead for Greece seem almost impossible. The almost bankrupt country needs to reduce their debt levels during the most fragile times with record high unemployment and consistent decline in growth.

Greece has been in a recession for 5 consecutive years and the economy continues to contract.

European GDP as a whole was also a worry as the final quarter

of 2011 resulted in a contraction of 0.3%. It may be fair to assume that we will once again see Greece on the forefront of negative news.

The recent move has done nothing aside from buy time for the inevitable to happen.

European crisis is still the main reason for concern in global markets. The extent of the European crisis is weighing on global growth.

Concerns of the Euro model is still questionable as the major economies are struggling to bring down their cost of borrowing. UK was under the firing line last week when Fitch became the second rating agency to put our AAA rating under negative watch, increasing the chances of the UK losing its golden rating. The main reason for the move was blamed on the excessive trade links we have with the Eurozone. This came as a major blow for the UK government as the Tories have always promised

to keep the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cost of borrowing low for the long term.

The week ahead will serve all eyes on the UK as George Osborne, UK chancellor, prepares to present the year budget.

The aim is to continue with the public sector cuts alongside a plan to encourage domestic growth. The chancellor is expected introduce policies such as the reduction of, if not eliminate the 50p tax on high earners and reduce the amount of red tape in order to make it easier

for companies to operate in the UK. Plans to offer government bonds longer than 30-40 years were also hinted to try and keep the long term cost of borrowing low. The budget is also seen as an opportunity for the chancellor to regain the confidence of rating agencies around the world.

US has been had a good start to the year. Even though unemployment remains high the US is expected to grow albeit at a modest pace. A stable footing from the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest economy has spurred confidence in the markets and encouraged riskier behaviour. Stock markets across the globe rallied with the Nasdaq reaching a decade high.

Prise of oil seems to be the major driver of inflation. Due to trade sanctions on Iran and the lack of supply the cost of oil peaked at $128 per barrel. If this continues the Federal Reserve may have no choice but to flood the markets with further liquidity also known as QE3. A move of this nature could weaken the US dollar from its current levels of 1.57 against the great British Pound.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 20th March 2012 @ 2.30pm GBP - INR = 80.11 USD - INR = 50.47 EUR - INR = 66.79 GBP - USD = 1.59 GBP - EUR = 1.20 EUR - USD = 1.32 GBP - AED = 5.83 GBP - CAD = 1.58 GBP - NZD = 1.94 GBP - AUD = 1.51 GBP - ZAR = 12.10 GBP - HUF = 347.29

www.rationalfx.com Information provided by RationalFX. None of the information on this page constitutes, nor should be construed as financial advice. The exchange rates used are the commercial foreign exchange rates provided by RationalFX. For a live quote or to find out more about how RationalFX can help you, call us on 0207 220 8181.

22

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Leadership and Human Resource Management

Maria Fernandes

maria@abplgroup.com

Changes to Students and work related categories

The latest changes to the Immigration Rules have now been laid before Parliament and will come into force on the 6th April unless stated otherwise. To summarise the main changes: Students There will be a limit of 5 years or 6 years , with exception, with a total limit of 8 years where students are studying for a PHD. Exceptions have been made for law , medicine and dentistry, veterinary sciences, music and architecture. The limit will not include the period of study below degree level and any time spent under Tier 4( Child).

They will be able to switch to full time employment without the need for an employer to undergo a labour market search under Tier 2 once they complete obtain a UK degree or complete 12 months towards a PHD. Post Study Workers This category will close on the 6th April but they will be able to switch to Tier 2 without a labour market test and will also be able to remain as a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) by investing £50000 and cre-

ating 2 jobs. They will no longer be required to be employed by the same employer for 6 months but will be required to prove that they have sufficient funds to meet the maintenance requirements.

Graduate Entrepreneurs This new category of Graduate Entrepreneur is selected by their Higher Education Institute to develop ideas or entrepreneurial skill and limited to 1000 places each year.

This category will permit up to 2 years following which the Applicant will be expected to either invest £50000 or leave.

The time spent up to that point will not count towards settlement.

Tier 2 There will be a maximum period of 6 years within which applicants either have to qualify for indefinite leave or leave the country. If they do not qualify there is a 12 month cooling off period during which they will not be able to qualify in this category.

To qualify applicants need to earn a minimum of £35000 per annum in basic salary excluding overtime or the amount

that is stated in the Codes of Practice relating to their occupation whichever is the higher. There is an exception for those who are or were at any time on the shortage list.

These changes will come into effect in April 2016 and will accordingly affect those who came in April 2011.

Domestic workers New applicants applying for entry in private households after the 6th April will only be allowed to enter for 6 months, will not be able to switch employment and will not qualify for settlement.

There are corresponding restrictions for those in diplomatic households.

Fee rises for PBS applicants Finally from 14th June 2012 there will be a rise in the maintenance figures for all points based categories.

Maria Fernandes has been in practice exclusively in immigration for the past 25 years.

Fernandes Vaz is based at 87 Wembley Hill Road Wembley in Wembley and can be contacted by telephone on 02087330123, by email on info@fernandesvaz.com.

Kingfisher to stop international flights

Budget worsens India’s rating prospects: Moody’s

Kingfisher Airlines is expected scale down operations with only 15-16 planes to be kept operational. Kingfisher Airlines chief Vijay Mallya will be meeting the Directorate General of Civil Aviation chairman and is reportedly, in a detailed presentation has planned to stop all international flights by April 10.

Earlier in the day, Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had said the government might cancel Kingfisher Airlines' license if safety norms and financial viability conditions were not met.

Singh added the government's main concern was to ensure passenger safety on the limited number of flights that Kingfisher was still running.

Kingfisher Airlines, which has a debt of 1.3 billion dollars, is facing collapse as banks have refused to lend more for day-to-day operations.

Adding to its woes, a massive cutback in flights has reduced revenues, leaving the carrier with little cash to pay its employees, airports and tax authorities.

Moody’s has said that the Union Budget will worsen India’s credit worthiness.

The rating agency has also expressed scepticism over the proposal to have a holding company to fund bank capitalisation stating that if the holding company raises funds through bank borrowing the capital infusion would be ‘fictional’.

According to the international rating agency the government’s increased dependence on corporate taxes and vulnerability to commodity prices has weakened the government’s credit profile.

“The fiscal 2012-13 Budget’s lack of specific policies to address these weaknesses is credit negative. Absent new policy initiatives during the year, it will take a combination of improved GDP growth and corporate profitability, lower global commodity prices as well as exchange rate stability to improve fiscal performance and meet the fiscal 2012-13 deficit target of 5.1% of GDP” said Moody’s in a statement released on Monday.

Along with its observation on the country’s rating, Moody’s has also downgraded Union Bank

of India one notch on all its instruments. This comes less than a fortnight after it downgraded another public sector lender Bank of India on the grounds of borrowers coming under pressure and stressed core capital. “It is unclear how this vehicle would be funded and we therefore remain skeptical about the ultimate implication of this initiative.

There is a risk that this vehicle could be levered, possibly via bank loans, effectively resulting in round trip, fictional capital injections” Moody’s said.

Moody’s presently rates the Indian government Baa3 with a stable outlook. Baa3 is the lowest level of investment grade rating and a downgrade from this level will put the investment in `junk’ category. Issuers whose bonds come under `junk’ have to pay a higher interest than what is paid by bond issuers who are rated investment grade. India’s sovereign rating acts as a constraint for some large Indian issuers who have to raise funds overseas as no foreign issuer gets a rating higher than that of the sovereign.

Asking for Help and Asking to Do Alpesh Patel is widely recognised as being a very wise investor who has an uncanny ability to forecast what the markets are going to do. Anyone who has read his biography will know that his predictions have been more accurate than many large and reputable investment companies. During a conversation with Alpesh he said that the most frequently asked question people ask him is, ‘Do you have any tips about which shares I can buy?’ To be honest I would think that is the obvious question to ask him. If I wanted to play cricket and I got the opportunity to speak to Sachin Tendulkar I am not going to ask him what car I should drive, but rather how can I play the perfect straight drive.

However, most of the people who ask this question of Alpesh are not actually seeking to learn anything. They simply want a simple way to make some money. Or in other words, they want something for nothing.

And all of us know (or should know) that you don’t get anything for nothing. This then makes me wonder how many times I have actually asked someone for help when actually all I was asking was for them to do it for me. It’s a bit like a child who asks for help doing their homework.

How often does the parent end up doing it themselves? So did the parent actually help or did they just do? I am not suggesting that children are calculated or manipulative, but they do know how to get what they want.

This is a very subtle point and you maybe asking yourself does it really matter? It is actually very important to know what we are asking for. Why? Because when you are a leader, everyone will be asking you for help. And its essential for your own survival, and your sanity, that you are able to identify what people are actually asking of you. The first step to understanding other peoples motives

By Amit Patel

is to understand our own.

Alpesh said that he does not give personal tips to anyone because in his experience, while people say that just want some help, giving them tips is not actually helping them at all. Now this is not to say that as a leader you should doubt all and help none. But it is important that you ensure that you are actually helping them, even though they may think that you are not helping them at all.

Alpesh gives regular seminars on trading strategies in which he shares his knowledge and experience, but he stresses that people need to trade on their own. This is helping.

Doing a child’s homework for them is not.

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Leadership Development. He has delivered speeches on People Management and Development throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. To contact Amit, email amitpatelmail@gmail.com

Jet Airways discontinues JetLite, merges with Konnect As part of a strategic rebranding and restructuring exercise announced last July, India’s largest airline Jet Airways said, effective from March 25, its low-cost arm JetLite will cease to operate, after being merged with the other no-frills brand JetKonnect.

"Effective March 25, JetLite will cease to operate separately, but will come under the JetKonnect brand, enabling guests to avail a single superior inflight product in the full service (Jet Airways) and low-fare categories," group chief commercial officer Sudheer Raghavan said in a statement.

JetLite was created in 2007, following the takeover of Air Sahara in April 2007, and used to contribute nearly three-quarters of the

group's domestic revenue, with the rest coming in from JetKonnect. It used to operate with 19 Boeing 737s, connecting 31 domestic destinations, apart from Kathmandu, with 123 flights a day.

JetKonnect was launched in May 2009 as competition increased in the no-frills category.

Jet had revealed the merger plan last July.

Announcing the first quarter earnings, group vicepresident, commercial strategy and investor relations, K G Vishwanath had said, "The management is very clear that there will be only one brand in the low-fare arena and that is something, which will emerge very clearly in the next one or two months."

Jet Airways and JetLite will continue as distinct business entities operating under their own airline operating permits, Raghavan said, adding "to achieve brand consistency, JetKonnect will be the dedicated low-fare service with a mixed fleet of Boeings and ATRs to operate on the metro, tier II and III routes."

Explaining the rationale behind the merger, Raghavan said, "The launch of JetKonnect is the culmination of a wellcoordinated effort and arises from the fact that since its inception in May 2009, JetKonnect has proved to be a successful model. We thought it best to consolidate our product in the low-fare segment with a single brand JetKonnect, for enhanced brand recall."

Tata Steel, Wipro in most ethical firms list After a wave of scandals including wrongful foreclosures on US home mortgages, worker suicides at a major Apple Inc supplier in China and the $1.7 billion accounting fraud at Japan's Olympus Corp, a New York think tank is calling out companies that take the high road.

The Ethisphere Institute's annual World's Most Ethical companies list, released last week, found that 145 companies in countries including

United States, Great Britain, Japan, Portugal and India stood out as setting a high standard for their employees' behavior.

American Express Co , General Electric Co and Starbucks Corp - all of which have made the list six years running - are among the companies that stand out as encouraging employees to voice their concerns, said Alex Brigham, executive director of Ethisphere.

On this year's list are

two Indian companies, Tata Steel Ltd and software services exporter Wipro Ltd. No Chinese or Russian companies have yet made the ranking, Brigham said.

Having a reputation for operating in an ethical manner helps a company survive over time, said Jeremy Wilson, senior manager of ethics and corporate policy at network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc, which has made the list for five of the past six years.

WORLD

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Britain to scrap aid for India

In Focus Indian pupil found guilty in US gay suicide case Washington: India-born former Rutgers student Dharun Ravi was found guilty by a US court of hate crime and invasion of privacy for spying on his roommate's gay sexual encounter with another man in 2010.

The sentencing of 20-year old Ravi, who was convicted of hate crime, invasion of privacy for spying on Tyler Clementi, has been set for May 21 Ravi faces 10 years in prison or possible deportation to India for invading the privacy of Clementi when he used a webcam to watch him kiss another man on September 19, 2010. Ravi had then sent text messages to some of his other friends inviting them to watch the sexual encounter.

Clementi committed suicide days after the footage became public. The case threw light on issues of cyber-bullying and treatment of young gays and lesbians.

India world's largest recipient of arms, says study Stockholm: India is the world's largest recipient of arms while South Korea is second and Pakistan and China are third in the list, reveals data on international arms transfers published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The volume of worldwide arms transfers in 2007-11 was 24 per cent higher than in 2002-06 and the five largest arms importers in 2007-11 were all Asian states, said a press communique. The data revealed that Asia and Oceania accounted for a whopping 44 per cent of global arms imports, followed by Europe 19 per cent, the Middle East 17 per cent, Americas 11 per cent.

NRI mother charged with drowning toddler Houston: A 30-year-old Indian-American pharmacist, suffering from postpartum depression, allegedly killed her one - yearold son she hated by drowning him in a bathtub. Neha Patel, of Florida allegedly drowned her infant son Ishan on February 16, then wrapped him in a blanket and went on a 13-hour drive through Florida, including the Tampa International Airport, where she intended to jump from the parking structure. Neha said she hated her son and the hatred reached a fatal level on that day, when she first slapped him and then purposefully left him alone to drown in a bathtub half full of water.

39 killed in Iraq blasts

Baghdad: Explosions rocked two more towns in Iraq on Tuesday, raising the toll in a string of bomb attacks across the country to 39 dead and 188 wounded, police and hospital sources said. A car bomb targeting a police patrol in Mahmudiya in the south killed three people and wounded 12, while a car bomb blast near a convoy carrying the governor of Anbar province killed one of his security men and wounded eight other people. At least 14 other explosions hit various Iraqi cities and towns earlier on Tuesday.

London: Britain is preparing to end its £ 1.6 aid programme to India after mounting evidence that the country no longer needs the money.

Andrew Mitchell, the international development secretary, has made it clear that his department’s £1.6 billion programme for the former colony is in its final phases and will be wound up as the Indian economy booms and its own efforts to alleviate poverty become increasingly effective. The government has publicly committed to funding aid programmes in India until 2015. More than £1 billion of British taxpayers’ money has been sent to the country over the past five years, and a further £ 600m is committed.

However, in an interview Mitchell conspicuously failed to commit to renewing aid to India beyond that date.

However, there is growing political pressure to end aid to a country that boasts its own space programme and spends £70 billion a year on poverty alleviation, dwarfing the Britain’s contribution.

Last month it emerged that the Indian finance minister had dismissed British aid to his country as a “peanut” and argued that it was no longer needed.

Unlike other Whitehall departments, which have faced cuts, the Department for International Development’s budget is rising 35% in real terms by 2015.

It follows a high-profile

Indian call centres selling Britons’ personal data London: Indian call centres are selling Britons’ confidential personal data, including credit card information, medical and financial records to criminals and marketing firms for as little as two pence, an undercover investigation has discovered.

Two ‘consultants’, claiming to be IT workers at several call centres in Delhi boasted of possessing 45 different sets of personal information on nearly 500,000 Britons.

IT consultant Naresh Singh met the undercover reporters in a hotel room in Gurgaon, carrying a laptop containing confidential data.

Clicking on the keyboard, “UK bank card data” appeared containing the personal details of hundreds of British customers who hold accounts with leading high street banks.

“This is the information that would be in there: first name, last name, address, account, city, postcode, alternate number - that can be a mobile number, office number, any number he has shared with us - email ID, date of birth, bank name, name on the card, card type, card number, start date, sort

code and CCV (card code verification) number as well.

These would be bank cards, Mastercards, Visa cards.”

Singh is just one of an army of data traders selling swathes of personal information -. The Indian authorities and British firms who take advantage of the low wages paid to call centre staff have sought to play down the threat of security breaches. When details of 1,000 British customers were sold to a newspaper by an IT worker last year, the Indian government - anxious to preserve the reputation of an industry worth an estimated £3.7 billion a year - described it as a “freak incident.”

A police source in Delhi said that despite the threat of a three-year prison sentence and a fine of 100,000 rupees (£1,261) for leaking and selling confidential data, prosecutions are difficult to mount.

pledge by David Cameron, backed by the Liberal Democrats, to spend 0.7% of Britain’s national income on good causes overseas - an amount seen as excessively generous by many grassroots Tories and some MPs. The coalition has promised to enshrine it in law, but there has been no sign of the bill in the Commons, prompting Labour MPs to suggest the government may be trying to wriggle out of it.

Mitchell was indignant: “The bill is ready and we will legislate as soon as parliamentary time allows.”

Though his budget is increasing, control over how the money is spent is tighter than ever, he said. In opposition, Mitchell travelled to 38

English and Gujarati.

Param Pujya Bhaishree Nalinbhai Kothari will be delivering the lectures.

Bhaishree, head of the Raj Saubhag Ashram in Sayla currently guides thousands of seekers on the path to Moksha. His gentle compassionate way combines with his wisdom to transform the lives of aspirants. Sayla, is a centre for spiritual striving, and a base for a vast variety of humanitarian work.

Correlating the experiences of our everyday life, Bhaishree shall cast light on the practical application of these transformative ideas and inspire our spiritual development. Immediately after these lectures, you will be able to join workshops led by experienced seekers Vikrambhai Shah and

Minalben Shah. In 2011, in the UK, Bhaishree created a lasting impact on the lives of many souls, when he explored a text by the name of “Dharmabeej” in a shibir which was both profound and understandable to the UK audience. In a similar way “Vichar Shakti,” an equally powerful text, shall encompass modern concerns with ancient truths.

Public swadhyays (1st to 3rd April, 8-10 pm) will be in simple Gujarati.

Taking reference to the sacred Jain scripture, Uttaradhyayana Sutra, Bhaishree will draw our attention to key insights, relevant for all seekers on the path to moksha, from this scripture in a unique and unprecedented exploration of the dialogue between

countries that received British development aid, and concluded that many projects were a waste of money. When he became secretary of state in 2010, he lost no time in pulling the plug on 16 out of 43 programmes.

“The first thing I did when I walked into the office was tell them, no more cheques to China and Russia unless they are legally due.

You know, we don’t pussyfoot around. We get stuck in. The China programme was wound down. You have to do these things in an orderly way. The last payment was made this year. We were astonished at the extent of Labour largesse with taxpayers’ money in areas we didn’t think were the right areas.”

I will make London a beacon of Islam: Ken Livingstone London: Mr Ken Livingstone, Labour’s candidate for mayor of London, has promised to turn London into a “beacon” for the words of the Prophet Mohammed in a sermon at one of the capital’s most controversial mosques.

He pledged to “educate the mass of Londoners” in Islam, saying: “That will help to cement our city as a beacon that demonstrates the meaning of the words of the Prophet.” Mr Livingstone described Mohammed’s words in his last sermon as “an agenda for all humanity.”

He praised the Prophet’s last sermon, telling his audience: “I want to spend the next four years making sure that every non-Muslim in London knows and understands his words and message.” He also promised to “make your life a bit easier financially.”

Mr Livingstone was speaking at last Friday’s Jummah prayer at the North London Central Mosque, also known as Finsbury Park Mosque, formerly controlled by the terrorist recruiter Abu Hamza.

Mr Livingstone has been dogged by allegations of links to Islamic fundamentalism.

In 2010, in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, he campaigned against his own party’s candidate to back a

Harnessing the Power of your Thoughts The power of thought can bring success into the palm of our hand or the pain of failure in our heart. A four day, non residential shibir (retreat) is to be held where you will be able to explore in a very real, practical sense the functioning of your mind, the nature of your thoughts and how to harness them for maximum benefit.

“Thought Power,” (1st to 4th April 10.30 am-5 pm) is based on a book by Swami Shivanand Saraswati. The Gujarati translation of this book, called “Vichar Shakti,” is the subject of a shibir delivered in 2 uplifting lectures and 2 inspiring workshops daily. Lectures will be in simple Gujarati and workshops will be in both

23

Lord Parshvanatha’s disciple Keshi Swami and Lord Mahavira’s disciple Gautam Swami in its 23rd Chapter.

Beginning with uplifting bhakti, the sessions, also drawing on the writings of Shrimad Rajchandra, will gently awaken and inspire us with practically applicable as well profoundly thoughtprovoking insights.

A special Ladies Only event (29th March 8-10 pm) will explore solutions to balancing the spiritual and worldly aspects of life.

All events will be held at Kingsbury High School, Kingsbury NW9. Pre-registration required for the Shibir and Ladies Only event. Full information available at http://www.rajsaubhag.org/20 12-uk-dharma-yatra/ or phone Jaysukh Mehta 07830 294060

controversial independent politician, Lutfur Rahman, sacked by Labour for his links to a Muslim extremist group, the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE).

During his mayoralty, Mr Livingstone’s London Development Agency channelled hundreds of thousands of pounds to the East London Mosque in Tower Hamlets, controlled by the IFE, even though senior LDA managers strongly opposed the grant.

In return, IFE activists campaigned strongly for him at the 2008 mayoral elections, boasting that they "got out the vote" for Mr Livingstone and achieving dramatic swings to him in their east London heartland.

Mr Livingstone also gave thousands of pounds of public money to the Muslim Welfare House, a charity closely associated with the Finsbury Park Mosque, which signed an open letter backing his re-election campaign in 2008.

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24

7(8$# 5*((246 Q & A: Visa to India What is Renunciation/ Surrender of Indian Passports Under the Indian law, people of Indian origin, who have acquired foreign nationality, are required to surrender their Indian passport (nationality) to the High Commission of India in London or at the respective Indian consulates at Birmingham and !"#$%&'()*+&',-&./01)/ Edinburgh before submitting their visa applications.

What documents do I need to surrender my Indian Passport Documents Required for Surrender of Indian Passports Duly filled application form Original Indian Passport (Last/Valid Indian passport at the time of Naturalization) Self attested photocopy of Indian passport (Used Visa Pages) Self attested photocopy of British / Foreign Passport Self attested photocopy of British / Foreign Naturalisation certificate Processing time would be a minimum of 13-14 working days; it may take longer in certain cases. All decisions are at sole discretion of the High Commission of India, London and its Consulates in the United Kingdom.

Please note that this list is not exhaustive and does not guarantee a Surrender Certificate. The High Commission of India or its Consulates reserve the right to ask for additional documents if required.

What is the fee for Surrendering my Indian Passport?

Mode of payment could be Cash, Debit or Credit Card (except American Express Card), Postal Order or Bank Draft payable to “VF Services UK Ltd” The Government of India has fixed a fee for renouncing the Indian Citizenship / Surrender Of Indian Passport based on the date, the Person of Indian Origin, has acquired British/Foreign Citizenship. The fee has been fixed w.e.f. 01.06.2010 as under:-

*The fee in the table is inclusive of the £2 Consular Surcharge.

Can I post my Indian Passport Surrender Application?

Applications can also be sent by post to our centralised postal processing centre at the address listed below. Postal applications require a minimum of 10-14 working days to be processed. This does not include the period when applications are in transit to and from the High Commission of India or its Consulate General of India in United Kingdom.

India Visa Application Centre 1-3, Canalside, Uxbridge Road Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 0JN For further information please visit our website in.vfsglobal.co.uk !"#$%"#&$'()"#%*+'"($#&,*#-'(,$*(.$/0'#&1$*2"0+ 3(-'*($4'1*$56&*1&$7"(+*7+$2.$&%*'6$"#$5"1+8 !"#$%&'$()*+$(,-./)012%3%$(2+4*"' 901+"%&#$:&6*+'"(1$;&5*#+%&(+< 3(-'*$4'1*$=556'7*+'"($9&(+&#>$ ?@A?B$C'6+"($:"*->$D"(-"($ECF4$F;G

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

End forced conversion of Hindus in Pak, US Congressman urges Zardari Washington: Pakistan's state-endorsed discrimination, and in some cases extermination, of its minorities has finally caught the eye of Washington lawmakers.

Coming on the heels of support in Congress for a Baloch homeland in the face of Islamabad's depredations in the region, a US Congressman has zeroed in on the abduction and forced religious conversion of Hindus in the country highlighted by the case of Rinkel Kumari.

In a sharply-worded letter to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Congressman Brad Sherman urged him to take action to ensure the return of Rinkel Kumari to her family, pursuant to reports that she had been abducted with the help of a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) lawmaker. In a case that has been widely reported in the liberal

Brad Sherman

Pakistani media, Rinkel, who was abducted on February 24, was forced to marry one Naveed Shah and convert to Islam.

She was subsequently produced before a civil judge twice, but she was reportedly coerced into claiming that she had converted on her own will, even as her family was denied access to her in kangaroo court proceedings that revealed in video clips to be led by a frenzied mob of zealots, including armed followers of the Pakistani lawmaker. According to Pakistani civil liberties

I prefer jail term to death sentence: Gilani

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said he would rather go to jail for committing contempt of court than violate the constitution by acting on the Supreme Court's ultimatum to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Gilani's remarks at two public events in Bahawalpur region of Punjab province marked an escalation in the standoff between the PPPled government and the Supreme Court, which has been pushing the premier to revive cases of alleged money laundering against the President in Switzerland.

"If I write (to the Swiss authorities), then I violate

India to reopen consulate in Karachi

Islamabad: India plans to reopen its consulate in the port city of Karachi, said Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal.

Sabharwal said that talks were underway for the reopening of the Indian Consulate in Karachi to facilitate Pakistani nationals applying for visas. The envoy was interacting with the media during his visit to the Bhutto family mausoleum at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh. Sabharwal said the Bhutto family had sacrificed their lives for the sake of democracy. With some 70 per cent of Pakistanis seeking Indian visas being from Sindh, the two countries had agreed to reopen consulates in Karachi and Mumbai.

the constitution because parliament has given the President immunity in Pakistan and abroad. The punishment for violating the constitution is mentioned in Article 6, which is the death sentence," Gilani told a gathering at Malsi in Bahawalpur district.

On the other hand, Gilani said, he had been charged with contempt for failing to act on the apex court's order and could face a six-month prison term.

"Tell me, should I violate the constitution and write (to the Swiss authorities) and face the death sentence? "Which is better? A six- month jail term or the death sentence?" he asked.

Gilani raised the same issue while addressing students during a convocation at Bahawalpur Islamia University, and at both places the audience said he should face a sixmonth prison term.

activists in Washington DC, Rinkel was allegedly threatened while in police custody that if she did not change her statement, she and her family would be killed. ''Rinkel Kumari's case is just one case of abduction and forced religious conversion in Pakistan,'' Congressman Sherman said in the letter to Zardari, citing the Asian Human Rights commission figure of 20-25 kidnappings and forced conversions of Hindu girls in Sindh every month. ''I urge you to take all necessary steps to bring an end to this practice and other harassment of Hindus in Pakistan.''

The Rinkel Kumari case was brought to the attention of US lawmakers not

by Hindu activists but by the Sindhi American Political Action Committee (SAPAC), a lobby group that, like the Baloch groups, is increasingly asserting the secular and

syncretic identity of Pakistan's Sindhi community in the face of growing Islamization in the country.

Sapac activists are telling US lawmakers that state sponsored discrimination against minority groups in Pakistan is rampant and is causing Hindus to migrate out of Pakistan in droves.

Hindus, who constituted more than 15 per cent of Pakistan's population soon after Partition, have now dwindled to less than two per cent, mostly in some districts of Sindh.

There have been several reports in recent months of Hindu families seeking to migrate to India in the face of growing radical Islamization of Pakistan, including abduction and forcible conversions, but it is the first time that Washington, which literally slept over Pakistan's genocide of Bengalis in 1970-71, is paying attention to the issue.

Quit Afghanistan villages: Hamid Karzai tells US

Kabul: The American campaign in Afghanistan suffered a double blow.

President Hamid Karzai demanded that Nato troops immediately pull out of rural areas in the wake of the killing of 16 civilians, and the Taliban broke off talks with US. The setbacks effectively paralyze the two main tracks for ending the 10year-old war.

Part of that exit strategy is to gradually transfer authority to Afghan forces while another tack is to pull the Taliban into some

sort of political discussions with the Afghan government. Karzai also said he now wants Afghan forces take the lead for countrywide security in 2013, a year ahead of schedule.

"Afghan security forces have the ability to keep the security in rural areas and in villages on their own," Karzai said in a statement after meeting visiting US defense secretary Leon Panetta. He said he had conveyed his demand to Panetta during their meeting. Foreign ministry spokesman Janan Mosazai confirmed that Karzai was asking for Nato to immediately pull back from villages and rural areas to main bases. Karzai is confident that Afghan security forces know "a thousand times better than any foreign troops the culturally sensitive ways of dealing with their own people.

I am ready to hold talks with Taliban: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Islamabad: Indian spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar offered to hold talks with the Taliban to usher in peace in the region, saying it would help foster understanding among people with divergent views. "I am ready to go and talk to the Taliban.

I want to talk to them, understand them and give them my opinion. So we can definitely make a difference. We should try it again and again even if we have to try it 100 times," Ravi Shankar said during an interaction with the public and media in the Pakistani capital recently.

Responding to a question on what leaders could do to usher in peace in the

region, the spiritual guru said "most of the trouble is created by rhetoric" and people should instead work for a future filled with hope. "People find importance in creating such dangerous situations.

They should stop and give more hope to people," he said. Ravi Shankar, who visited Pakistan recently, inaugurated a centre for his Art of Living movement at Bani Gala on the outskirts of Islamabad. He also met with a group of Muslim clerics and some

political leaders.

Answering questions from the media and the public, Ravi Shankar said decision-makers should be "calm and collective" while tackling serious issues.

Life becomes worth living, he said, when people are able to be of help to others. "When decision-makers are in high tension or angry, they will project the same thing in their decisions. They should do some meditation and relax, especially when they have to make a serious decision that will impact a lot of people," he said. He said he was happy to see the enthusiasm with which the Pakistani people had welcomed him.

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Modi makes it to Time magazine cover

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi figures on the cover of the forthcoming issue of Time magazine which praises him in an article for the development of the state he has been ruling for over a decade.

But the magazine wonders if he can become the Prime Minister. The cover of the Time magazine’s March 26 issue features Modi, with the caption: “Modi means business but can he lead India?”

In an article titled “Boy from the backyard”, the US magazines

describes Modi as a “controversial, ambitious and shrewd politician”. It also mentions his series of day-

long Sadbhavana fasts to reach out to the people of the state.

“It’s Modi in makeover mode: an act of self-purification, humility and bridge building in a state that is still traumatized by the Hindu-led anti-Muslim massacres of 10 years ago and the flawed investigations in their wake...,” the article says.

The Time magazine article says Modi is a firm, “no-nonsense leader” who can steer India out of a “mire of chronic corruption and inefficiency”.

Akhilesh Yadav formally took over the reins of UP when he was sworn in as chief minister along with a team of 47 ministers, most of them old Mulayam Singh Yadav loyalists, among them the controversial Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya who has been booked under POTA and has several cases pending against him. As the team didn't quite inspire confidence in his promise of providing clean politics in UP, many wondered whether Akhilesh has had a free hand in picking his ministry. Only one member of the socalled 'Team Akhilesh' IIM-Ahmedabad's former professor Abhishek Mishra - has been picked as a minister of state.

The size of the ministry is small compared to Mulayam's jumbo-sized 98member cabinet, but it is still much larger than initial estimates as Akhilesh himself had talked about a small team. Doubts were being raised on the Samajwadi Party's intentions to check crime and

criminals as 28 out of 47 ministers have criminal cases against them, even though a number of these cases could be political in nature. At a ceremony at the La Martiniere school grounds, 19 cabinet ministers were inducted and 28 ministers of state. The ceremony was attended by several political bigwigs, among them Union cabinet minister Pawan Bansal and veteran Congress leader Motilal Vora. There were also Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury of CPM and A B Bardhan of CPI which made political pundits wonder whether Mulayam was cosying up to the Left for the possible formation of a non-Congress, non-BJP political front.

While the SP was successful in shedding its anti-English, anti-computer image under Akhilesh during the election campaign, he will still have to explain the inclusion of the likes of Raja Bhaiya and Mahmoob Ali, who faces 15 criminal cases.

Akhilesh later defended Raja Bhaiya's inclusion

saying he had been a minister before. Also, glimpses of the old SP were on display at the ceremony as hundreds of SP workers climbed on to the stage as soon as the ceremony ended to trigger a free-forall. After the swearing-in ceremony, Akhilesh Yadav went to the CM office at the secretariat annexe to take charge and later addressed a news conference at 5, Kalidas Marg official residence of the UP CM - where he promised to implement all the promises made in the party manifesto. At his first cabinet meeting it was decided that all girl students passing Class X would be given laptops. This done, the Mulayam Singh family, including Akhilesh and his wife Dimple and Shivpal Yadav, headed for Sahara Sheher for a lunch hosted

by Sahara chief Subrata Roy. The lunch was also attended by the visiting Left leaders and other political and business notables, including Anil Ambani. Jaya Bachchan and Zayed Khan.

Lanka war crimes: India likely to vote in favour of UNHCR resolution

Asian Voice - Gujarat Samachar launches coffee Table Book on Sayajirao Gaekwad III

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said India was intending to vote in favour of the resolution on UNHCR on Sri Lanka.

The resolution should cover India's objectives to achieve a future for Lankan Tamils based on equality, dignity, justice and self respect.

The move will likely pacify the DMK who in an informal meeting of top leaders at party chief M Karunanidhi's residence here on Sunday decided, in principle, to pull out ministers from the UPA government if the Centre did not accede to their demand.

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar news weeklies launch a Coffee Table Book- “Life & Legacy Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III” at Navlakhi Ground in Vadodara recently.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the book on 11th March during the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Maharaja Sayajirao.

This book, an initiative of Mr C B Patel, the Editor a n d Publisher of Gujarat SamacharAsian Voice, explores some of the unexplored facts about the life and legacy of the great ruler and a salute to the great ruler for its remarkable contribution to Baroda. The Coffee

Akhilesh's cabinet packed with Mulayam's men

Karunanidhi calls off fast Meanwhile, Karunanidhi Monday called off his scheduled hunger strike after the Indian government said it intended to vote against Sri Lanka on a "war crimes" resolution.

Table book is one of its kinds, to document some of the aspects of the ruler’s life which are not even mentioned in our history books and have remain untold. Hard-covered 100 pages book has some rare pictures and articles written by esteemed writers.

Foreword is written by Prof Lord Bhikhu Parekh, House of Lords and Universities o f Westminster and Hull.

This book is precious piece of collection. The book is available at price of £5 from Asian voice / Gujarat Samachar office. If you want to receive the book by post or courier, additional charges will be applicable.

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

Yavakrit resurrected Last week we saw how Paravasu, Arvavasu’s elder brother, had killed Rishi Raibya, his father, and asked his younger brother to do penance for him, allowing him to finish the yagna of the king.

Thus, Arvavasu went into the jungle to perform the penance and after completing the same returned to the yagna. As Arvavasu entered the yagna hall, Paravasu told the king, “My younger brother has killed a Brahmin, my father. You will lose all the benefits if he as much as even lays an eye on this yagna, so please stop him from entering.”

The king believed his words and asked the guards to throw Arvavasu out of the hall. As they were pushing him out they kept taunting him that he was a murderer of a Brahmin. Arvavasu pleaded that he was innocent and his brother had killed the Brahmin, but no one listened to him. He then left the yagna quietly and went into the deep forest.

In the jungle he started practicing tapas of the Sun God. He went very deep into the mysteries of the Sun and even wrote a new Veda on what he had experienced. The Sun God

was very pleased with him and appeared before the meditating Arvavasu and granted him a boon.

Arvavasu said, “Bring my father to life again and he should have no memory of being killed, free my brother from the sin of having killed a Brahmin, also give life to Rishi Bharadwaj and Yavakrit, my father’s friend and his misdirected son respectively. This Veda that I have written should become the accepted path to worship you.” The Sun god said yes and all of them came back to life.

Yavakrit asked the Sun God, “Even though I had knowledge of the Vedas how was it that the Rishi Raibya was able to kill me?” The Sun God replied that Raibya was able to acquire the knowledge through great suffering and surrender to his guru, while Yavakrit had gained the knowledge through a shortcut. Saying these words, the Sun god left.

The word Yavakrit comes from ‘yava’ meaning new and ‘krit’ meaning done, that which is newly done; in today’s language,

remixed. The shortcut being we take an old song with old music and add some additional beats and it is remixed. We do not have to go through the struggle to create the music or writing the lyrics.

A song is ok, but what about higher knowledge?

Yavakrit gained this knowledge the easy way without working under a guru.

When we work with a guru, every step is a journey in dissolving the ego.

In life we can react, get irritated or upset in small matters, but under a teacher we are not even allowed to show displeasure in our gestures and the teacher keeps on creating conditions that take us to the limits of our patience. The disciple also works on purifying his emotions and thoughts.

Only then is higher knowledge attained.

Knowledge only increased Yavakrit’s vanity and as he had not worked on inner purity, it led him to commit a rape. Thus, in higher knowledge, shortcuts lead to disaster.

All past articles on the Mahabharata can be accessed from http://epaper.asianvoice.com or from http://www.3stepbreath.com/mahabharata.html

India to spend `500 mn on overseas Indians

The Indian government will spend close to Rs 500 million on welfare schemes targeted at overseas Indians in 2012-13, according to budgetary estimates proposed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) has been allocated a total of Rs.1.148 billion for the next fiscal, a 41 per cent increase from the 2011-12 budget outlay of Rs 810 million.

The ministry will also spend Rs 60 million on celebrating the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas.

The rest of the Rs.1.148 billion will go towards establishment and infrastructure expenses.

India has the world's second largest overseas community, next only to China. It is estimated that there are about 25 million Indian diaspora spread over more than 110 countries around the world.

The MOIA was established as a separate ministry in 2004 to look after the welfare of the Indian diaspora and to provide them assistance across economic, social and cultural spheres.

Budget has taken reality of India's situation:

Swraj Paul Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has said that the Budget has taken the reality of India's situation.

Reacting to the Budget, Caparo Group chairman Swraj Paul said: "The budget has taken the reality of India's situation.

There are too many problems that exist which need to be dealt with to make the economy better.

"I hope the government gets the grip on the problem and start paying attention to it. India has a great future if we can get our house in order."

He described the Budget as "a very good budget". Finance minister in the Budget hiked excise duty and service tax by 2 per cent acrossthe-board to raise Rs 459.40 billion and offered marginal relief to individuals in income tax.

Budget gets mixed reactions from NRIs in Gulf: The NRI community in the Gulf region had mixed feelings for the Budget, as some of them welcomed the hike in duty on gold while some others were disappointed by increase in service tax and excise duty.

ITL Cosmos Group President Ram Buxani said increase in the customs duty on gold will help Dubai's business.

On the hike in service tax and excise duty in the Budget, Indian Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) President Sudesh K Aggarwal said, "The common man will get adversely affected due to the increase in the indirect taxation - such as increase in the excise duty and service tax."

"The government should have focused more on widening the tax base and bringing more people on the tax net through effective management than increasing the tax at this juncture," he added.

However, he termed the delay in implementation of the Direct Tax Code (DTC) as a positive step and appealed to the government that the demands of the NRIs should be kept in mind as and when DTC is implemented and 'status quo' should be maintained as regards to their number of days of stay in India.

Adil Rasheed, an Abu Dhabi- based academician and researcher said this budget merely confirms fears of most Indians.

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Dinesh Trivedi forced to quits as railway minister In Focus After testing the nerves of Trinamool Congress boss Mamata Banerjee for four days, India’s Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi resigned from the Union Cabinet to bring down the curtain on the controversy that his rail budget kicked off. Trivedi called Banerjee just as she was about to leave for Delhi and conveyed his decision to quit. It marked a sudden change of heart for the minister who only a day back had insisted that Banerjee give him his sack order in writing.

On Tuesday Mukul Roy, a trusted lieutenant of Mamta, was sworn in as new railway minister amid signs that the government would bow to the wishes of a petulant coalition partner and initiate a partial fare rollback. While it is certain that the hike for sleeper classes will be rolled back, the Centre would prefer only a partial rollback of the rail budget. It would also prefer that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee reply to the rail budget debate.

TMC had announced that it would oppose the reference to NCTC and Congressmen feared it could throw its weight behind the amendments moved by BJP. Congress had assured TMC that the Prime Minister would clarify that the Centre would not move on the counter-terror body till it had heard the chief ministers in an April meeting.

I will not indulge in petty politics: Trivedi Trivedi said he would not indulge in petty politics, a day after his resignation.

"I have done my work, and I am very happy. I have

Maoist rebels abduct two Italian tourists

Maoist guerrillas have abducted two Italian tourists from a remote district of Orissa, marking a potential escalation of a decades-long rebel war considered India's most serious internal security threat.

"We have imprisoned two Italian tourists," Sabyasachi Panda, organising secretary of the state committee of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist, said in an audio message sent to media.

He said the tourists were seized after they were spotted taking photos of women from one of India's indigenous tribes who were bathing in a river in Orissa.

The Italian Foreign Ministry identified the abducted men as Paolo Bosusco and Claudio Colangelo. It said it was in contact with Indian police through its embassy. Bosusco

runs a travel agency called Orissa Adventurous Trekking and has been a regular visitor to India for the last 15 years, Italian media reported.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has declared the longstanding rebellion the biggest single threat to internal security.

Hundreds die each year in violence linked to the insurgency but the guerrillas are not known for targeting foreigners. At a news conference on Sunday, Orissa's home secretary U. N. Behera said the kidnapping took place on Saturday. Police say the tourists had been warned not to enter the area.

The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landless and stage ambushes in the swathe of eastern and central India in which they have a strong presence.

given the railway budget to the parliament. Everybody has to play his or her part and I played my part but I will not get into petty politics," Trivedi told media outside parliament.

Trivedi further thanked Mamata Banerjee, Manmohan Singh and his cabinet colleagues for giving him the opportunity and support to work as railway minister. Praising Banerjee, Trivedi said: "I have a high regard for her. She is a great leader, and is very much in her right to have her opinion, and, I respect her opinion. I have a deep regard for her."

He further said that confusion over the issue could have been averted had (TMC MP) Sudip Bandopadhyay not spoken in parliament.

"The confusion was because Sudip Bandopadhyay had made one announcement, and there was another announcement. So, I thought the best thing for me was to ring up Mamata Banerjee and find out what is the real truth," he added. Admiring

the role of Indian railways as an organisation, Trivedi said it was one of the best in the world.

He said that he tried his level best to do whatever little he could do in the interest of the railways and in interest of the country. Meanwhile, lauding Trivedi's decision, Banerjee said: ""Yes, he (Minister Dinesh Trivedi) called me and he said: I will abide by the party's directions and I will send my resignation and whatever the party will tell me, that I will do."

The row over Trivedi exposed emerging differences and perceived erosion of ties between the Congress and its ally TMC. For the past few months, the TMC has kept the Congress on tenterhooks on various issues of national and state concern, such as the price rise, allowing foreign direct investment in multibrand retail, the issue of establishing the NCTC, and Mamata Banerjee's decision to skip the Prime Minister's visit to Bangladesh last year.

Bollywood actress denies hand in match-fixing

An undercover investigation by one print media revealed last week how corrupt Indian bookmakers were trying to rig matches, using glamorous women to target players.

A Bollywood actress who claims to be the woman at the centre of a media investigation into cricket match fixing has admitted to socialising with international players in England. Although she was not named in the article, the actress, Nupur Mehta, called a press conference in Mumbai where she said she believed she had been identified. She denied being involved in rigging matches.

Mehta said she met international cricketers by chance during a visit to the Cromwell Mint casino in central London on June 22, 2009. “I went to the casino on my own and these cricketers happened to be there,” she said. “They

were all in London because of the T20 World Cup.” Mehta said during her visit she shared a room at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington with a man she believed to be a businessman working in the building industry. He was, in fact, an Indian bookmaker.

Asked about her relationship with the bookmaker, Mehta, 31, who has modelled on catwalks in Paris and Milan, said: “I no longer have any kind of relation with this kind of person. When I knew him, I knew he was in the construction business, that’s about it. I don’t know what connection he has with the bookie world or anything.”

Mehta confirmed that she had met several Indian cricketers. “I was in Bollywood so all cricketers were there so I didn’t think that meeting them was any kind of harm,” she said.

Sachin Tendulkar : 100 not out Continued from page 1 "I can't think of anything at this stage, it has been a tough phase for me," Tendulkar said after his innings. "I started off the season well but was luckless.

It does not matter how many hundreds you score, you still have to grind it out."

"When I got the 99th century, no one spoke about it. I guess it was the media which started it. Everywhere I went people were talking about my 100th hundred," he said.

He was finally out for 114, caught behind off Mashrafe bin Mortaza, who then ran over to shake his hand. The master blaster's 99th century had come against South Africa on March 12, 2011, at Nagpur during the World Cup. Friday's century was

Tendulkar's 49th in one-dayers; he has 51 Test centuries.

Tendulkar, who was left stranded on 99 international hundreds for a year and four days, played Test series against England, the West Indies and Australia. He also featured in the recently concluded tri-series in Australia but his bid to become the first batsman to score 100 international hundreds remained unfulfilled, although he came close on a few occasions. Tendulkar has set a benchmark unlikely to be surpassed in his lifetime, with his closest rival, Ricky Ponting, on 68 international centuries and approaching the twilight of his career at the age of 37. Since his international debut at 16 against archrival Pakistan in 1989, Tendulkar has been compared to not only top batsmen of his era like Brian

Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq, but also to Australian great Donald Bradman as the best batsman ever. Bradman, who retired in 1948 with an average of 99.94 runs, said Tendulkar reminded him of his own playing style.

Tendulkar has defied age and injury at every stage of his career. Whenever injuries threatened to stall his career, he pushed his body to the limit, and sometimes even beyond. Even the most threatening of all his injuries - the painful tennis elbow (in 2004) - couldn't break him.

He cried out in agony, waited with hope for almost a year, tackled it with determination and ultimately conquered it like only he can.

In February 2010, Tendulkar became the first in world cricket to score a double hundred in one-day internationals, while in

December 2010 he became the first to score 50 Test tons, both landmarks achieved against the best pace attack in world cricket - South Africa. Wisden, regarded as the bible of cricket, named Tendulkar as the leading cricketer in the world for the year 2010. In 2007, Wisden had identified Tendulkar as the player to have won such an award for 1998 - had it been instituted then.

Tendulkar, who realised his long-cherished dream when India won the World Cup in April 2011, was also named in Wisden's 2009 Test XI, at his accustomed number four position.

His passion for the game not only keeps him going, but also gives him the opportunity to reinvent himself.

Each time he goes out on to the field he seems to be raising the bar for himself.

15 dead as train rams into van in UP

At least 15 people were killed on Tuesday when a passenger train rammed into a van at an unmanned crossing in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, police said. The accident took place in the early hours of Tuesday when a vehicle packed with more than 25 persons was crossing the tracks. The driver could not see the approaching train and by the time he reacted, it had rammed into the vehicle, killing 15 people on the spot and injuring about half a dozen, police said. Rail traffic on the route was disrupted for more than an hour and was restored after the tracks were cleared of the mangled vehicle with the help of cranes.

Badal spends `30 mn on swearing-in

Buoyed by the historic success of breaking a 46-year-old jinx, the SAD-BJP alliance indicated it was in no mood to take immediate austere steps for the debt-ridden state, blowing up roughly `30 million on its first official day. Standing taller than Delhi's Qutub Minar, the Fateh Burj (Victory Tower) at Chhapar Chiri village in Mohali, witnessed a grand 45minute swearing-in ceremony of the Punjab CM and 16 cabinet ministers - one of the costliest in the country - as giant money was spend in celebration.” The rough estimate we had arrived at was around `15 million," a reluctant state chief secretary said.

Sri Lanka envoy apologises to MPs

India’s External affairs ministry has summoned Sri Lankan High Commissioner and sought some clarifications on his remarks on alleged connection between Tamil MPs and LTTE. The envoy later apologised to Indian MPs for his comments that sought to link those questioning Colombo's human rights record with the Tamil Tigers. The diplomat was earlier quoted by an Indian newspaper as saying that New Delhi should investigate Indian MPs sympathetic to the Tamil cause.

"That is not what I meant," Kariyawasam clarified. "What I meant was the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) lobby groups abroad and in this region carrying on a campaign of disinformation (against Sri Lanka) was aimed at disrupting the process of reconciliation in Sri Lanka following the end of the long-drawn war in 2009, he said.

Battered baby Falak dies

Brutally beaten, bitten and her skull broken and limbs fractured, little Falak fought a bitter battle with life for nearly 60 days. But the two-year-old's heart gave way finally, after five critical surgeries and two earlier heart attacks, despite valiant efforts by doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

"The atmosphere is very grim in the hospital because all the staff was emotionally attached to her," he added. The police had arrested 10 people in the case.

Govt to relax Sunday trading laws during Olympics 2012 Continued from page 1 which legislation still reflects. “We believe that for family stability and community life, as many people as possible should have the possibility of a common day off every week. The potential detrimental impact on the health of employees, and on small retailers, outweigh any potential benefits of further deregulation.”

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, added that existing Sunday trading restrictions were already "fairly modest" and urged the Government to ensure that the Olympic changes were only temporary.”

Under the Sunday Trading Act 1994, shops bigger than 3,000 square feet in England and Wales can only trade for six continuous hours between 10 am and 6 pm on Sundays. But it was belatedly realised that the restrictions would affect the Olympic Games, with five large merchandise shops in the east London park having to shut before a closing ceremony attended by 80,000 people on Sunday, August 12th.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

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The Thuggery of Squatters and Misguided Lib Dem Peers Yogesh Patel

mentary level, if someone owns jewellery, and does not use it for a while - however long - doesn’t mean it transfer the right of ownershipor use to someone else, even in the case of a property. If the state arrogantly steps in to impose restrictions creating a law about giving some rights to the criminals, then it effectively indulges in to decriminalising the crime committed. In the case of despotic state rationale may not exist, but is it right in the democratic state to snatch away individual’s proven right to ownership of any lawfully owned property?

There are alternatives that politicians and law makers could explore. Instead of indulging in removing property owner’s rights, the less damaging acts can concen-

With reference to the Lib Dem peers opposing an amendment to a squatting clause in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offence Bill, it brings one to the question of how far state and politicians should go to award a crime. Social justice cannot be moral if it hinges on endorsing thuggery by the squatters as lawful, or by creating a new law to protect them, or by ignoring the flaws in the existing law. Quite often in political debates blindness due to the grandiose ethics and morals gets carried away by the self-righteousness giving in to ignoring the criminal act itself. However lofty the political correctness may be, the squatters cannot have the rights. Their right regarding the property they occupy can exist only by the state indulging in making the unlawful acts lawful at the expense of law abiding people who happen to have an empty property at some stage.

Fundamentally, such acts morally remain wrong, arrogant and dictatorial because they terminate the rights of someone or an entity who lawfully owns a property.

Moral philosophy will have something to say about the ownership of anything in general. At a very rudi-

Homeopathy is worthless, says an expert in the subject London: Edzard Ernst, a professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University, has accused homeopaths of lying to their patients. Homeopathic potions do not work and it is unethical to give them on the NHS, he has claimed.

The NHS spends around £4 million a year on homeopathy, despite calls from the British Medical Association for the funding to end. The discipline – which has won the backing of Prince Charles – claims to prevent and treat diseases by using dilute forms of materials that in higher concentrations could produce the symptoms of the condition.

Homeopaths also believe that the greater the dilution of the medicine, the more potent the potion, and so ingredients are mixed in tiny amounts with water or alcohol.

A typical remedy could have one part of an ingredient to one trillion, trillion parts of water. Although scientists argue the potions are so dilute they are unlikely to contain any of the original substance, homeopaths claim the water retains a ‘memory’ of the active ingredient, which it passes to the body to help fight the illness.

But Professor Ernst said that even if an ultra-dilute homeopathic solution was somehow different from pure water, this would not make it an effective drug.

Writing in the Society of Biology’s magazine, The Biologist, he said: ‘How would this difference explain positive health benefits? The water in my kitchen sink also differs from pure water after the washing up but this does not mean it is good for my health.’

Professor Ernst, a former homeopath who now researches complementary medicine at Exeter University, said the treatments could be dangerous if people chose them over conventional medicines with proven benefits.

He accused homeopaths who cite studies showing the treatments work of ‘cherry-picking’ results.

“It follows that the Government’s decision to continue offering homeopathy on the NHS is not ethical.”

However, the professor saved his most scathing criticism for the Government.

He said if a homeopath doesn’t tell a patient that the treatment is worthless, he is not telling the truth. Modern medical ethics state that patients must be fully informed and telling lies to patients is not acceptable.

trate on the empty properties themselves, or addressing its emptiness. One simple example that one can give is that the property owners can be heavily taxed for leaving the property empty after an agreed very long period. That amount directly can transfer to supporting the homeless.

This could release the empty accommodations without creating the morally corrupt laws snatching away individual’s right to ownership, and its use. ‘Maintained state of the property’ and fines are other areas that may be debated. It could also create conditions for the direct contributions to the social justice ideals and funds. This is just one example as to how differing political agendas can come to common ground and protect the lawfulness rather then

indulging in to decriminalising the crime committed.

Most people accept the concept that living together in the society means balancing everyone’s right, in most cases to the tolerance norms. It certainly doesn’t mean legalising criminal behaviour of some group so that it sounds good as a social justice!

In the case of squatters, if the law makers have indulged in legalizing the law breaking at the expense of law abiding property owners, and tried to be the high priests of morality and social justice, to make amendments to decriminalise that law itself must be treated as an opportunity to be grabbed wholeheartedly. The Lib Dems are failing the society by not grasping it.

Presents

12th Asian Achievers Awards !"#!

14th September 2012 NOMINATION FORM

!"#!

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Please tick the appropriate category Sports Personality of the Year............................................

Woman of the Year ................................................................

Awarded for excellence in sports.

The award will recognise and honour a woman who has made a significant mark in any chosen field.

Business Person of the Year ..............................................

Awarded to a business person who is a success in every sense of the word and can demonstrate a genuine passion for social issues.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year ......................................

Professional of the Year ......................................................

Uniformed and Civil Services ............................................

Awarded to an young entrepreneur (less than 35 years) with a proven track record of operating a successful business enterprise.

Professionals in the field of medicine, law, education, banking, finance and others, who have scaled the heights of their chosen profession.

For outstanding achievements in uniformed and civil services or contribution to the community through any of the above services.

Achievement in Community Service................................

Awarded to those who have acclaimed popularity internationally for his/her contribution in any particular sector and is recognised for their timeless philanthropic activities.

In recognition for an individuals service to community.

Achievement in Media, Arts and Culture ....................

Someone who has made a mark in media including print and broadcast media; cinema, art and culture.

Award for Entertainment ....................................................

For outstanding performance by Asians in the field of Dance and Music.

International Personality of the Year ............................

Lifetime Achievement Award ............................................

To honour those individuals, who during their lifetime, have made immense contributions in any given field. This remarkable individual can be marked as an example for the younger generation.

Application Form

!

Name of the Nominee: ___________________________________________________________________________________

!

Contact Details of the Nominee (Tel & email): _______________________________________________________________

!

Present Occupation of the Nominee: _______________________________________________________________________

Please attach your CV which includes the following information (1) Personal background !

(2) (3) (4) (5)

(Please do not exceed a limit of 1000 words)

Most important career achievements till date Your contribution to the community and nation Any notable obstacles in you career that has helped you to reach where you are today Future plans, ambitions and visions

!

Summary- (Please include a summary in not more the 150 words

!

Nominators name and contact details: _____________________________________________________________________

!

Nominators current Occupation/Company: __________________________________________________________________

!

Tel/Mobile: _________________________________

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why the nominee is worthy of winning the particular award in a separate sheet)

Email: __________________________________________________

NOMINATION AND SELECTION PROCESS " This is a unique event where readers nominate and an independent panel of judges comprising of eminent personalities selects the winner. "# Judges’ decision is final. ABPL Group will not entertain any dialogue with members of the public regarding the judging process. "#In order to ensure a high degree of transparency and fairness, the management and members of the staff of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar will play no role in the nomination or judging process. " You may use an additional sheet if the space provided is insufficient. "#The winners will be announced at the AAA Awards ceremony in 14th September, 2012. "#Asian Voice, Gujarat Samachar will publish the names of the short listed candidates and winners after the event. The winners names will also appear in our e-edition www.abplgroup.com "#You can nominate yourself if you wish to. "##Nominations and entries must follow the prescribed format. "#All nomination forms must reach our offices on or before 12th July, 2012

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28

TRAVEL & WOMEN

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

WOMEN ACHIEVERS

TRAVEL TONIC

Kumudini Lakhia

an innovator of Kathak dance

Amazing Malaysia

I'm Kyra and I review holidays to inspire your next escape. The cultural melting pot Malaysia was my latest adventure. My first stop was the capital Kuala Lumpur. From the moment I stepped out of the airport I fell in love with the organised hustle and bustle. A must-see is the Petronas Towers. To capture the breathtaking views, I took photos of the city with the new camera I bought from the Low Yat shopping mall, famed for state of the art gadgets, for half price!

Or if you want to shop for clothes, toys and try out the local gastronomy, opposite Low Yat mall is Berjaya Times Square with over 1,000 retail stores and 65 food outlets. A must visit is the food court - Taste of Asia - offering a smorgasbord of restaurants from local to international cuisines. I enjoyed a slap-up, inexpensive Malay curry there

and then went to relax at the Dorset Regency Hotel. Situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle, a few minutes walk from the Pavilion, Convention Centre, Sungei Wang shopping centre and the Berjaya Times Square. I was delighted with my accommodation with free wi-fi access, a 32 inch plasma TV screen, 24 hour room service and a seriously comfortable bed.

After a few days of city sightseeing, I headed off to the lush island of Langkawi, to unwind.

Langkawi is a bit of a hidden gem. I stayed in the beautiful Mutiara Burau Bay Resort, nestled in the splendour of a tropical

rainforest, located on the sun-drenched coast of Burau Bay. The resort features 150 traditional Malay cabins specifically designed to create harmony with the stunning natural surroundings. A highlight was the amazing views of the Andaman sea, which you can enjoy

over a sunset dinner at the resort. Families might choose the Seashell Beach and Café. Offering a tranquil ambiance, with swaying palm trees, there is an adjoining children's play area, giving parents a

chance to relax.

There is a plethora of activities to choose from such as a Mangrove safari, watersports, jungle

trekking, scuba diving or just enjoy chilling out at the resort's beautiful pool. To satisfy your taste for the exotic, Malaysia is a holiday destination that should be top of your list.

My holiday was arranged by Brightsun Travel who offer a helpful and friendly service, answering all my questions such as offering the most convenient flights times and providing details on facilities in hotels.

For flights, 3

nights in Bangkok and 4 nights in Langkawi, Brightsun have a special April offer on this package for only £999 pp.

Brightsun Travel offers a price match promise on worldwide flights and holidays so you will get the best deals. To book your dream holiday, call Brightsun Travel on 0208 819 0486 or visit w w w. b r i g h t s u n . c o. u k <http://www.brightsun.c o.uk/>

By AV Correspondent Kumudini Lakhia, Kathak dancer and choreographer based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is the founder of Kadamb School of Dance and Music in 1967, an institute of Indian dance and music.

A pioneer in contemporary Kathak dance, she is credited for moving away from the solo form of Kathak by turning it into a group spectacle, and also innovations like taking away traditional stories and adding contemporary storylines into Kathak repertoire.

Kumudini, who was born in 1930, began to tour the West with Ram Gopal and popularised Kathak there for the first time, and then became a dancer and choreographer in her own right. She learned first from various gurus of Jaipur gharana and then from Shambhu Maharaj.

She is particularly known for her multi-per-

son choreographies. Some of her most famous choreographies include Dhabkar (Pulse), Yugal (The Duet), and Atah Kim (Where Now?), which she performed at the annual Kathak Mahotsav in Delhi in 1980. Dance critic Sunil Kothari later noted, "Those who witnessed the performance were taken aback by the sheer power of Kathak cast in an unusual mould. There was no Krishna, no Radha, no river banks of Jamuna, no bowers of Brindavan, no stealing of butter and no females looking seductively through the ghoonghat.

And yet, for the purists, the classicists, there was no room for complaint." In each of these, she presented the Kathak dance form in a way that had never been seen before, and which at the time had some purists up in arms.

However, these choreographies are now considered classic, and many of the innovations she premiered in them have

become so ingrained in Kathak performance that people are unaware that they were once just that: innovations. She was also a choreographer of the Hindi film, ‘Umrao Jaan’ along with Gopi Krishna.

She is also guru to many disciples, perhaps most notably Kathak dancers Aditi Mangaldas, Vaishali Trivedi, Daksha Sheth, Prashant Shah, Sanjukta Sinha, Anjali Patil and Parul Shah who have achieved international fame.

She is also the mother of Apoorva Lakhia - the famous Bollywood director. Kumudini was awarded the civilian honour of the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1987 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy Music, Dance and Drama in 1982, and Kalidas Samman for the year 2002-03.

Ghandhian philosophy inspires Mexicans to learn Gujarati

By Purvi Apurva Shah Mahatma Gandhi is loved by millions, not just in India but across the world, and Gandhian philosophy has attracted hundreds of foreigners to India.

Many foreigners visit Gujarat Vidyapith in Ahmedabad to learn Gujarati language to understand Bapu’s philosophy. Three Mexicans have come all the way from Mexico to Ahmedabad to learn Gujarati. They want to translate Gandhiji’s Gujarati books into Spanish.

Since Spanish is the dominant language in Mexico and the English books available on Gandhi are of not much use to them. It is a big surprise that why these Mexicans did not try to learn English language and translate the books into Spanish than learning an alien language. The reason may be that the o r i g i n a l Gujarati flavour and verve may be missing in the English translation.

“Maru naam A n t o n i a Esparza chea,” is what professor of economics, University of Guadalajara says. Two other professors of History in the same university- Alberto Lopez and Zarina Aguirre- were others learning Gujarati. They find Gujarati very difficult to follow but are keen to learn it and master it.

“The Gujarati language coaching is for three months only, but we have extended it for a year, especially for these learners.

Not only are they learning Gujarati language but are also adopting Gujarati way of life. They say that they want to get the original flavour and aura of the local language. In their spare time they are also doing research on Gandhiji at Vidyapith.

They are also greatly influenced by the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence and truth and want to spread this message in their own country,” says Prof Kamlesh Dave, who is fluent in both Gujarati and

Spanish and is coaching them. “They want to deeply understand Gandhiji and want to read as many Gandhi books as possible, and are eager to translate them in their national language.” Zarina has an eight year old son who also accompanies her in the coaching, so along with the mother he can also learn Gujarati.

Kaori Kurihara, 26, from Japan who learned Gujarati in the past, says “"Gandhi's words in Gujarati are much more emphatic than in any other language. I red him in English but could not connect.”

Along with Gujarati, there are many who have come to learn Hindi. Prof Dr Anjana Sandhir who is an expert in Hindi says, “I make them learn Hindi in easy ways, with the help of Hindi songs and they pick up words faster.” They can sing Indian national anthem and the Bollywood hit s o n g “Senorita,” which is mix of Spanish and Hindi. At times, we translate the song in English and then translate it in the respective language of the learner and then put it in Hindi. But the fun-play-way method makes them learn the language very fast.

Prof Sandhir has also published a book on leaning Hindi and was teaching Hindi in America for a decade. Right now there are quite a few overseas students learning Hindi under her guidance at Bhartiya Bhasha Sanskriti Sansthan, Gujarat Vidyapith. Some of the students are Camilla Christensen from Denmark, Simon Bolz from Germany, Pichet Neerapatk from Thailand, Bram Delombaerde from Beligium, Anna Sidot from Italy, Dorothy Durling and David Durling (Husband and wife) from USA, Soma Niket and Ajai Markose, Knitra Yeshuamofer Puanysuwan (Kerala), Alfonso Hernandz from Miexico and Nicole Pechoux-France.

ART &CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

Junior Bachchan wants to work in `British’ crossover film Shweta Desai While the rest of his ‘actor’ family including wife Aishwarya Rai and parents Amitabh and Jaya have made their mark in international ‘crossover’ films, Abhishek Bachchan rues the fact that he has not been presented with an opportunity to be part of films apart from the mainstream Bollywood films.

The actor, who was in London as a patron of the London Asian Film Festival on 16th March, said that he would love to be a part of a British film project sometime soon.

“Go ahead and narrate your story,” Bachchan said in a reply to a young filmmakers question, if he would work with a completely new director/actor on a British film.

Bachchan was in his suave best when he interacted with film-makers, students and fans at the press conference for the Opening night of the 14th London Asian Film Festival (16th – 24th March) at the British Film Institute, Southbank.

Dressed in a suit and designer glasses, the actor said he felt ‘very under qualified’ to be discussing films sitting alongside Meera Syal and other filmmakers.

“I’m the only non Brit who hasn’t worked in any British Cinema but only in mainstream Bollywood. I do hope that one of the director’s give me a chance to work with them because it’ll be an honour to work with them. There’s some great talent here.’’ He added that he wasn’t reluctant to work with a complete debutant director or a film maker if they had a story to narrate to him.

The Bacchan family has been supporting

29

Leading Lights

by Rani Singh

Special Assignment Editor

Sumantro Ghose, 47 Sumantro Ghose is the acting Chief Executive Officer of Asia House, London. Asia House is the leading pan-Asian organisation in the UK and it covers over 40 countries from the Persian Gulf to the Pacific. It aims to shape the understanding of Asia through programmes across business, culture and policy. Sumi has over 15 years of experience in third sector administration and management, public engagement and creative programming, audience development, cultural strategy and international relations. He has consulted for a range of cultural bodies including Sotheby’s Institute and the American Institute for Foreign Study. Sumi was the winner of the Guardian/Modern Painters Art Writers’ Prize in 2004.

Tongues on Fire a nonprofit organisation which initiated the LAFF. Bachchan said, “It has been a great honour to be part of a movement that really highlights and gives a platform to a lot of young, new talent coming out of Britain.”

While Bachchan himself will be taking a Master Class on acting, ace filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali known for his sensitive films like Khamoshi, Black and Guzaarish, highlighting the struggles of disabled people in society will be presenting the Nargis Dutt lecture on Indian films. In the year of Olympic and Paralympic Games in London, Bhansali will also be awarded with Beacon of Excellence at the closing night award ceremony at BAFTA for his portrayal of various disabilities in commercial cinema.

The 14th LAFF included the psychological drama Michael, starring Naseeruddin Shah for its opening night, along with Michael Winterbottom’s Trishna, a three country – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh cross cultural film Meherjaan and the controversial hit Bol from

Forthcoming Special Events in 2012 British Punjabi Date: April 2012 Devdaya Gala Charity Night Venue: City Pavillion, London Date: 21st April, 2012 Gujarat Samachar & Asian Voice 40th Anniversary special issue & Gala launch Venue: TBC Date: May, 2012 Finance Banking Insurance Venue: House of Commons, London Date: 24 May 2012 British Tamils Date: May 31st Anand Mela - A Gala celebration of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar's 40th year anniversary Venue: Harrow Leisure Centre, London Date: 9 & 10 June, 2012 12th Asian Achievers Awards Venue: Grosvenor House, Park Lane London Date: 14 September, 2012 CB Live on MATV every thursday from 7pm to 8pm For more information Contact Alka Shah, Producer Tel: 020 7749 4002 Mobile: 07944 151 893 Email: alka.shah@abplgroup.com

Pakistan among others.

The LAFF showcases independent cinema, documentaries, and short films from South Asia, particularly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Conceived in 1999 by Dr Pushpinder Chowdhry and Mrs Harvinder Nath, the LAFF goes beyond ‘Bollywood’ films which most of the Asian film industry is widely misconceived as. While the festival tries to provide a unique international platform for the small scale, independent cinema tackling social challenges and popular paradigms thus exposing the grim realities of life, it is the Indian films with some projects from Pakistan and Bangladesh which hog the limelight.

“We do try to showcase films which are particularly produced in South Asia, but because a large number of films are produced in India and it is the hub of film industry that you see many films from this part in the festival,” said Dr Chowdhry.

She added that the LAFF would like to expand its content and reach to include more Asian films and film-makers that are doing ground-breaking cinema. “Unfortunately we are struggling with funding and resources.

The festival is run by volunteers and by personal funding. It took us £ 100,000 to organise the 14th LAFF but there has been no private sponsorship or funding.”

The LAFF is widely supported by the British and the Indian film fraternity but Dr Chowdhry is sceptical on the future of the festival in its 15th year in 2013, in the face of increasingly tough financial situations.

Q: Tell me about your parental origins and how that is influencing your work at Asia House.

A: My father is from Calcutta, my mother is from England. I grew up in Sussex. There were no other Asian faces and no Indian community there.

I first went to India at the age of 17. It was quite a culture shock, but the beginning of my discovery of India. I still have a taste for Gulab Jamun!

My Uncle had a house in Shantiniketan - that’s where I discovered Tagore and first had a sense of how rich Bengali culture is.

Q: How does having South Asian blood in you help you in your work?

A: Having a dual identity definitely helps. My work is about cultural understanding, so knowing what racism really is, having experienced it first hand at an early age, provides a perspective.

Q: What training and experience have you had to head up what some consider to be the most important Asian institution in the UK? A: My experience is in education and arts programming and my work at Asia House has been focused on public engagement. I previously worked at the Tate and the National Portrait Galleries and this gave me good experience in working across different art forms from film to performance, visual art and history. A key to running any non-profit organisation is understanding your audience.

My work in the cashstrapped arts sector has also given me a very good grounding in financial management.

Q: I understand Asia House has sister institutions in the USA. A: Asia House is inspired by the Asia Society in New York but we don’t

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have any formal ties, and we are smaller in size but equally ambitious.

Both institutions cover business, policy and culture from a truly panAsian perspective. It is interesting that the term ‘Asian’ refers to East Asians in America but South Asians over here.

Q: How has Asia House been shifting in focus recently?

A: Asia House is 16 years old. I believe that the idea that Asian culture is traditional but Western culture is contemporary is gradually being eroded.

Knowledge now flows in both directions and thought leadership and innovation will come from Asia. I recently met the microfinance pioneer Mohammad Yunus. He founded Grameen bank to solve a particular social issue in Bangladesh yet now the model is being introduced in Glasgow - an example of how Asian thinking can lead the

“I aim to make Asia House a beacon for inter-cultural understanding and global citizenship.” way. We often hear about the environmental problems caused by Asian economic and population growth - I remember Calcutta banning plastic bags as long ago as 2002, way before British supermarkets. The UK needs to stop seeing Asia as a threat and see the great opportunities that strong and enduring partnerships can bring. Asia House hosted a dinner for Ratan Tata last year at which the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg praised Tata for his inspiring business leadership. Tata Group is now

Sumantro Ghose

the biggest single employer in the Manufacturing sector in the UK. Q: What one cultural event embodies your personal ethos and vision for Asia House?

A: I loved an exhibition of South Asian contemporary art that we organised with Grosvenor Gallery last year, entitled ‘Step Across this Line’.

The line referred to national borders on the Indian Subcontinent and also to the cricket boundary. The exhibition featured work by contemporary artists from Bangladesh India, and Pakistan and explored how there is a new ‘postnational’ generation growing up that is united by sport, pop music and Bollywood, leaving the old political and religious divisions behind.

Q: Which artists have grabbed your attention recently?

A: I love the music of Susheela Raman - a British Asian singer with Indian Tamil roots who has recently been performing with Sufi musicians in Pakistan.

Q: What is your vision for the institution you currently run?

A: I aim to make Asia House a sustainable, influential organisation, a platform for the understanding of Asian cultures and economies, a beacon for inter-cultural understanding and global citizenship.

30

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

CB Live is only a Gujarati programme in UK on MATV SKY 793 In this week CB Live, Dipti Desai, singer and well known Tushar Joshi will be interviewed by CB Patel about the music and entertainment industry. Anil Bagi from Skylink Tour and Traveller will be interviewed by Alka Shah, Advertising Manager, Gujarat Samachar in the second half of the programme.

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500 The Sun transits your first house and this affects your personal identity, appearance, outward behaviour, and selfexpression. This marks the peak of your physical solar cycle, and you are in the position to make an impression on others, and to assert your personal influence. Increased energy and a renewed feeling of confidence is with you now, so take advantage of your charisma to achieve your goals.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

If you do not have a SKY, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

7pm to 8pm Every Thursday

CB LIVE Every Thursday on MATV (SKY 793) 7pm to 8pm For more information email: cblive_matv@yahoo.co.uk or call Alka Shah on 07944 151 893

Lords, MPs and experts debate on efforts to boost Indo-British trade relation Continued from page 7 3. A target to reduce the highest level of personal income tax to 35% by 2015 – so you know not to move today, only to want to come back later.

Because those who manage to get such pay are the ones who contribute the

most economically and we’ll just have to incentivise and reward them else they will move abroad.

4. A target to reduce employer payroll taxes by half by 2015 – so you can start now making long term plans – because our employers make jobs, not

government taxes.

5. VAT to 15% by 2015.

6. How will we pay for this? The inward investment and export boost resulting from companies being given a 3 year Govt tax plan (not 12 month budget which chops and changes). And if we need

to issue national bonds to pay for this to increase entrepreneurs and business exports and inward investment, then we will.

But we will put the country on a war footing. This is national building and we will not be found wanting.”

Coming Events

Competition

! Charity dine and dance: A fundraising dinner and disco event by Kishorbhai Vadhia and his son Chetan in aid of Midlands Air Ambulance. Venue: Unity Club in Newtown (B19 3 RD) Birmingham on 31 March from 6.30pm onwards. Contact: Kishorbhai on 07941 373 822. ! Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, London W1K 1HF. Contact: 020 7491 356 - 27 Mar 2012 Exhibition of Gemstone Paintings: Mountainscapes Fareen Butt - 27 Mar 2012 Illustrated Talk: India’s Best Kept Secret? The Sarasvati Mahal Library Pradeep Chakravarthy - 30 Mar 2012 Book Launch/Music: Param Pratapi Pratimavli Charanjeev Singh Chana and Haminder Singh Chana ! Shri Sanatan Hindu Mandir, Wembley - Ramnavmi - 1st April 2012 Sunday - Hanuman Jayanti- 6th April 2012 Friday ! Shrinathji Sanatan Hindu Mandir, Leytonstone - Ramnavmi- 1st April 2012 Sunday.

- Hanuman Jayanti- 6th April 2012 Friday ! Sunday 25th March 2012 - Bhajans from 3.00pm to 5.15 by Shree Budhdevbhai, Shree Manubhai Kotak and Various Artists followed by Arti and Maha Prasad. Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple, 55 High Street, Cowley, Middlesex UB8 2DX. Tel: 07882 253 540 ! International Women’s Day at Bochasanvasi Akshar Purshotam Sanstha (BAPS), Swaminarayan Mandir, Ashton, Manchester. 29 Russell Street, OL6 9QS. Contact (0161) 330 5196. Sunday, 25th March 2012, 10.00 to 15.00

If you want to win a pair of tickets to the Bollywood Spectacular Dhamaka starring Sonu Nigam and Atif Aslam, answer this simple question.

Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Financial Officer: Surendra Patel Tel: 020 7749 4093 - Mobile: 07875 229 220 Email: surendra.patel@abplgroup.com Accounts Executive: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Advertising Managers: Alka Shah Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Mobile: 07944 151 893 Email: alka.shah@abplgroup.com Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Media Consultant: Nihir Shah - Email: nihir.shah@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4089 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Design and Layout: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com

Where is Dhamaka 2012 with Sonu Nigam & Atif Aslam taking place? a. NEC Birmingham b. O2 Arena c. Wembley Stadium The correct answer should be emailed to aveditorial@abplgroup.com by 9th April 6pm along with name, full address and phone number.

Please note: the two winners will be chosen on first cum first basis from the right answers received.

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(BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad Tel/Fax: +91 79 2646 6061 Chief Executive Director: Kamlesh Amin Tel: +91 922 710 4308 Email: kamleshamin123@yahoo.co.in Editorial Co-Ordinator (BPO): Nilesh Parmar (M) +919426636912 Consulting Editor (BPO): Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Tel: +91 79 2630 4142 Mumbai: Kanti Bhatt, Hemraj Shah (Jumbo Advertiser) Horizon Advertising & Marketing: 205 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad Tel / Fax: +91 79 2646 5960 (M) +91 9913346487 Email: horizonadvt2009@yahoo.in Neeta Patel, (Advertising Manager) (M) +91 98255 11702 International Advertisement Representative: Jain Group(South India) Tel: +91 44 42041122/3/4 Fax: +91 44 25362973 Mumbai: +91 222471 4122 Email: jainmedia@eth.net

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Asian Voice switchboard: 020 7749 4000 Gujarat Samachar switchboard: 020 7749 4080 Sales: 020 7749 4085

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 The Sun travels through your twelfth house now, marking a time of retreat and regeneration. This also heralds a time for research and unfinished behind-the-scene activities. Matters which have dragged on for a while should now be re-assessed and put to rest.

Some of you will be looking to spiritual enlightenment and take up yoga and meditation.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 The Sun illuminates your sector of friends, social gatherings and group activities. You will be in constant demand and will be in a position to network with new-found friends who will promote your cause. Personal relationships are also to the fore and some of you might even find true love. This is a time to follow your dreams and ideals.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 More than any other time of the year, your focus is drawn to your career and standing in the society. This is the time when you are more interested in, and focused on, accomplishing something important. Contact with authority figures is more likely during this period. Recognition will come your way whether you ask for it or not, and the responsibility that goes with it.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 You are feeling most adventurous and willing to achieve higher knowledge and spiritual growth. This is a good time to broaden your horizons through travel and higher learning. This may take you to far off lands in pursuit of your new-found goals. You must distance yourself from the mundane grind of life and take on something which is more meaningful for your inner growth.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

The Sun energizes your sector of change, transformation and regeneration. On a more practical level, you may be dealing with joint finances and shared resources now more than usual. You should also make sure that your tax affairs are in order. You are more willing than usual to explore and delve deeper into life's secrets and arrive at meaningful conclusions.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 As the Sun transits your seventh house, you have a greater need than usual to be in a relationship. The emphasis is on "us" rather than "me".

Social interactions of a personal nature are highlighted. This is likely to be an extremely busy time for most of you. Use tact and diplomacy in your dealing, otherwise you are likely to come across as over confident and egotistical.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 The Sun transits your solar sixth house and highlights your health and also makes you take pride in your day to day work. Hence, you should enhance your skills, get organized and take up a health regime for your wellbeing. This transit highlights the need for efficiency and as such you should bring in the new and get rid of the old ideas that do not work.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 After a period of relative inactivity, you are coming out of your shell, ready to perform and to express yourself creatively. This is a very progressive period of the year, when you are inspired emotionally. You take more pride in your your love affairs, your children, and your hobbies and are generally very sociable and make friends easily.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 With the Sun transiting your solar fourth house of family and home, these areas are highlighted during this period. Buying or selling of property or even renovating it will be uppermost in your mind as you will be trying to put your roots down permanently. It is also a time when family life will be charged with emotions so be diplomatic and respect other people's views.

You are exploring and searching now, making connections, and paying attention to your immediate environment. Socially you are very popular and your communications strengthen your connections. You will be busy with errands, paperwork, phone calls, and light socializing.

Siblings, close relatives and friends may play an important role in your life during this period.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

The Sun highlights your second house of finance, and your focus is on material affairs and comfort issues. This is a good time to plan your future investments carefully to maximise your profits. If travelling make sure you keep your documents safe as there is a possibility of misplacing them. Some of you might change your travel itinerary.

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th March 2012

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Young people from London to run in Olympic torch relay The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has confirmed that 7,300 people will be carrying the Olympic Flame as Torchbearers in the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. The Torchbearers include those that were successful through the public nomination processes run by LOCOG and the Presenting Partners, Coca Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung. Each Torchbearer has also had confirmed the details of what day and in which community they will be carrying the Flame. LOCOG has endeavoured to slot Torchbearers within an hour of their nomination address so family and friends can cheer them on. The Torchbearers are listed by the community they are carrying the Olympic Flame together with a selection of their inspiring stories. The remaining Torchbearers will be confirmed over the coming months.

An average of 115 Torchbearers a day will carry the Olympic Flame during its 8,000 mile journey around the UK before it arrives at the Olympic Stadium on 27 July 2012 for the lighting of the cauldron at the opening ceremony, signifying the official start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The streets along which the Torchbearers will carry the Olympic Flame were also revealed to help communities plan for lining the route and business continuity. Plans for the last two days in London will be confirmed in the next month. The online map gives street-by-street details and the approximate start times for how and when the Flame will travel through over 1,000 villages, towns and cities in the UK that were announced at the end of last year.

Communities can view the journey of the Olympic Flame in detail now and can find out when it will be travelling along their nearest high street, through their town square or past their local village shop.

Saina's year-long title drought comes to an end

Saina Nehwal ended her title drought by winning the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold title in Basel at the expense of former world No. 1 Shixian Wang. The Hyderabad girl's last international title was at the same event (March 20, 2011) and by making a successful title defence, Saina has reasons to feel happy in the run-up to the London Olympics, especially for the way she got the better of two Chinese stars - Xin (F) Liu (quarters) and Wang - here. "I am really thrilled to win a title again. I feel good now and am a lot more confident. I was desperate for this victory. I needed one major title to get back my rhythm and beating a player who was world No. 1 just two months back is very satisfying. It will put me back on track and this major victory ahead of Olympics will help me a lot," Saina.

The Indian star, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on Saturday, trounced Wang 21-19, 21-16 in 48 minutes to complement her 21-16, 21-18 semifinal win over Minatsu Mitani of Japan. In the final, Saina faced stiff resistance from Shixian in the first game. But by sticking to basics and playing an all-round game, Saina looked in ominous touch all through the match.

Bangladesh spoil India's hope, beat Sri Lanka to reach final

India received a major setback as they failed to qualify for the Asia Cup final after Bangladesh registered a sensational 5-wicket win over Sri Lanka in their last league match of the Asia Cup. Nasir Hossain (36*), Mahmudullah (32*) shared unbeaten 77 runs partnership for the sixth wicket to guide Bangladesh reach their first ever Asia Cup final.

India's stunning victory over archrivals Pakistan went in vain as Bangladesh set up the summit clash with Pakistan which will be played on Thursday.

As per the rules of the tournament, if two teams are tied on points, head-tohead record will be considered, so Bangladesh made it to the final as they had beaten India in their league match.

Chasing a revised target of 212 (40 overs), Bangladesh were reduced to 40/3 in seven overs. However, birthday boy Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan scripted a terrific comeback and powered the side with their fiery shows.

Both batsmen struck half-centuries each to rescue their side from a poor start.

Spinner Sachithra Senanayake removed Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal in quick succession to help Sri Lanka fight back in match.

Both batsmen slammed half-century each, to lift their side from a poor start, before falling to Senanayake.

Iqbal scored 59 off 57 deliveries and shared a solid 76-run stand with Shakib Al Hasan for the fourth wicket after pacers dented Bangaldesh's run-chase with quick wickets. Hasan on the other hand made 56 off 46 balls.

The duo destroyed Sri Lankan attack with their fiery shows before Senanayake struck with his magical spin. The spinner got Iqbal caught by Thirimanne and then trapped Hasan leg before wickets to give the hosts fifth blow.

Earlier, chasing a revised target of 212, Bangladesh were reduced to 40/3 in seven overs by the Lankan pacers.

Nuwan Kulasekara removed Nizamuddin to give Bangladesh first blow before Suranga Lakmal ended Jahurul Islam's challenge.

Kulasekara bowled out Nazimuddin (6) in the second over after game resumed. Lakmal then got Islam caught

by Chamara Kapugedera in the seventh over.

In the next over skipper Mushfiqur Rahim then became second victim of Kulasekara to give Sri Lanka control.

Bangladesh need to chase 212 in 40 overs to set final date with Pakistan.

The target was revised as rainfall delayed hosts' run-chase after Sri Lanka were bundled out for 232 in 49.5 overs.

For Sri Lanka Chamara Kapugedera (62), Lahiru Thirimanne (48) and Upul Tharanga (48) made significant contributions in the middle-order after a toporder collapse saw the islanders reeling at 32 for three in 10 overs.

Comeback man Nazmul Hossain was the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 32 while left-arm spinners Shakib-al Hasan (2/56) and Abdur Razzaq (2/44) also got important breakthroughs.

Medium pacer Hossain, who was drafted into the playing XI in place of Shafiul Islam, struck triple blow to reduce Sri Lanka to 32 for three within the first 10 overs after Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim opted to field.

Nazmul, who played his last ODI back in October last year, bowled with lot of control as he rocked the Lankan toporder removing the seasoned trio of Mahela Jayawardene (5), Tillekaratne Dilshan (19) and Kumar Sangakkara (6).

Virat Kohli helps India crush Pakistan by 6 wickets Earlier on Sunday Virat Kohli (183 off 148 balls) helped India to a stupendous run chase to master a powerful Pakistani bowling machine trying to defend a more-than-impressive 329 under lights at the Sher-E-Bangla Stadium. Kohli is completely in a different zone since Hobart and there's nothing that can stop him at the moment. And if there are two such brilliant assists in the form of Sachin Tendulkar (52 off 48 balls) and Rohit Sharma (68 off 83 balls) playing at their best, life really becomes easy.

When Tendulkar and Kohli came together at 0-1, things looked really tough. The Pakistan bowlers were breathing fire, the field was in, and the crowd was strongly behind the Men in Green.

But the master craftsman and the young aggressor were judicious. There were no undue risks taken, it seemed they knew that it was just a matter of staying at the wicket and the runs would come.

After the exit of Tendulkar Kohli took up the charge as if like a man possessed and the Pakistan bowlers ran out of answers. Against Ajmal, he used the inside out shot over extra-cover's head to perfection and Rohit, too, followed cue.

True, there were a couple of edges here and there, but that takes nothing away from the authority with which Kohli and Rohit batted during their 172run third-wicket stand that took the game away from Pakistan.

Tempers flare up in England – Sri Lanka match

The otherwise flawless display was marred when England players reacted angrily to Dilruwan Perera being given not out, after he'd edged a low slip catch off James Anderson to Andrew Strauss, a catch the England captain indicated had carried.

The incident happened when the home side were 637 in their second innings and well on their way to an innings defeat. Strauss, sensing the ball might fall short of him at first slip, dived forward but looked to have made a clean catch, something suggested by his teammates’ immediate celebration.

Perera, a stocky allrounder, saw things differently and held his ground. The umpires conferred before Ravindra Wimalasiri, the umpire at square leg, indicat-

ed that he had not seen whether the ball had carried or not so couldn’t confirm the catch.

His decision saw Perera immediately surrounded by half a dozen England players making their obvious displeasure known. Strauss is not in the business of claiming catches that don’t carry

and his players obviously felt their skipper’s good reputation had been impugned.

“It was just frustrating, and Strauss being the honest upstanding citizen that he is wouldn’t lie about something like that,” said Anderson afterwards. “Add the heat into the equation and situations like that are going to be key

for us during the Test series.

Anderson added: “It’s one of those catches that, because of the scooping motion, created doubt. You can’t tell without a replay and you needed to take Strauss’s word for it. The other slip fielder and the wicket-keeper thought he’d caught it.”

In a cooler clime the animosity might have continued for the rest of the match but in this sapping heat it is better to save your energy and emotions for more important tasks. There was a quip or two over the next few balls, and another dig from Anderson the over after, but this was a remarkably short spat and one that the Decision Review System, used in the Tests but not today, would probably have sorted out.