AV 08th May 2021

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE Disasters Emergency Committee’s Covid Appeal for India SEE PAGE - 8

US to restrict travel from India over Covid SEE PAGE - 22

‘A day in the life of a key worker’ during Ramadan SEE PAGE - 14

IPL postponed indefinitely due to Covid-19 cases SEE PAGE - 32

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

8 - 14 MAY 2021 - VOL 50 ISSUE 1

BRITISH ASIANS STILL VULNERABLE

Beyond Telemedicine: UK doctors ‘train the trainer’ in India to fight Covid-19 Over 60,000 doctors of Indian origin working in the NHS are going online to provide remote consultations in local languages support overand whelmed colleagues, many of whom are falling ill themselves. While Dr Ashish Dhawan telemedicine has come across as a boon to India from the UK, many doctors in Britain are helping India fight the second wave of coronavirus.

Continued on page 4

UK-India’s £1bn handshake After a cancelled trip to India, Boris Johnson met Narendra Modi in a virtual meeting during the ‘Leaders Summit On Climate’ to sign PM Modi and PM Johnson the Free Trade Agreement. India’s Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar is in the UK to attend the G7 Summit between May 3 - 6.

Full story on Page 17

Asian woman in a car has a coronavirus swab test with a nurse in PPE gear

Shefali Saxena A recent report published in the Lancet medical journal, that explores ‘Ethnic differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection and Covid-19’ has revealed that in UK’s second wave of coronavirus (from September to December 2020), the South Asian communities were more likely to test positive for Covid, become severely ill and die than any other minority ethnic groups.

Though other minority ethnic groups

did better, all minority ethnic groups had a higher risk than the white community of testing positive for Covid, ending up in hospital, being admitted to intensive care, and dying, after accounting for any underlying health conditions.

One must never forget that the first ten doctors who died with coronavirus in Britain were from ethnic minorities, including Jitendra Rathod, Mohamed Sami Shousha, Alfa Sa’adu and Syed Haider.

Continued on page 4

TMC retains Bengal, LDF makes comeback, DMK wins TN The official results for the high-stakes assembly elections held in four states and one Union Territory are almost out now for the Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan, M K Stalin, Sarbananda Sonowal majority of the constituencies and barring West Bengal, the predictions of exit polls remained more or less close to the actual results and trends in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

Continued on page 26

2 UK

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

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8 - 14 May 2021

with Keith Vaz

Is Boris Johnson falling ‘flat’?

Avina Shah Avina Shah, British Indian singer & songwriter Avina Shah a British Indian singer & songwriter, performing artist, influencer, and entrepreneur who rose to fame with her charity debut song 'Tere Bina' which supported victims of domestic violence and raised proceeds for the Southall Black Sisters Charity.

She is best known for her hit singles such as ‘Husan Di Rani’, ‘Playboy’ and her latest release ‘Groove’ which featured the West Indian cricket legend Chris Gayle. Avina is also a huge supporter of Women's Empowerment and other charitable organizations, particularly as many of her songs focus on spreading a social message.

Aside from the music, Avina also owns an entertainment and management company called Eastern Illusion and also the founder of a beauty brand called “Faces by Avina”. From sharing a stage with Shahrukh Khan, singing for the Middle Eastern Royal families, and performing to thousands live in Las Vegas, Avina Shah prepares to share her forthcoming song releases for her fastgrowing worldwide audience.

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Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?

I’m born and brought up in London but love to travel and explore new cities. I travel fairly frequently both for work and leisure. But my home away from home would definitely be Mumbai, India – I just love it there!

What are your proudest achievements?

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If I look back, I feel happy that I followed my dreams from a very young age (my first stage performance when I was 3 and setting up my beauty brand at the age of 12). My work has taken me around the world and introduced me to so many wonderful people in my life.

What inspires you?

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People inspire me. I’m a true people person and I feel everyone I meet inspires me in some way. Everyone is truly unique and special in their own way and it’s always amazing to meet positive and uplifting people.

What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

There was a point in my career where I lost confidence and stopped believing in myself. I wish I could turn back time so I could tell my younger self the lessons I know now. I guess it’s all a learning experience and it’s made me a stronger and resilient person to believe in myself, being different and making a difference.

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

My family always encouraged me, so I feel they have been my biggest influence – especially my sister who also sings and my dad in his passion for both business and music. In terms of musical artists, I have been influenced greatly by the classic Bollywood greats in the golden

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era (such as Lata, Asha, Kishore and Mohammed Rafi) as well as Western artists such as Rihanna, Beyonce and Britney Spears.

What is the best aspect about your current role?

Freedom to do what I love. I love being my own boss and being able to express my creativity.

And the worst?

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Expectations to constantly share your life online. I’m still a fairly private person and try to take a social media break every once in a while.

What are your long term goals?

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My aim is to live life to the fullest. I want to keep growing, challenging myself and get better at my craft as well as explore new hobbies and interests. I’d also like to help others discover and grow their talents.

If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?

I would change the schooling system and curriculum that students learn at school. Kids should be taught real-life skills that are more relevant to the world we live in today and be encouraged to dream big and realise their natural talents early on. I’d lose the algebra, Pythagoras’ theorem, and the other irrelevant compulsory topics. I remember studying so hard to get straight A’s and graduate with a degree, but never used it! I think entrepreneurship should be supported more from a young age because I truly believe that with hard work and passion, anyone can achieve their dreams.

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

It would have to be somebody that I could have interesting conversations with and sing or write songs to keep us entertained all day! I think someone like John Lennon would tick those boxes, especially since I grew up listening to the Beatles because of my Dad!

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s financial expenses are under solid scrutiny as the Electoral Commission investigates the circumstances surrounding who originally paid for the refurbishments on the prime minister's flat above 11 Downing Street.

While Johnson says that he paid for it from his own pocket, newspaper reports said he initially told aides that he couldn't afford it.

PM’s salary decoded In an online report about the PM’s earning, it was reported that in 2020-21, Boris Johnson was entitled to a salary of £79,936 as prime minister. He claimed £75,440 of it. That is on top of his entitlement to his salary as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, which is £81,932. So that's a total salary of £157,372.

The report further added that Boris also gets to use the Downing Street flat rent-free as well as the country house Chequers in Buckinghamshire.

He does pay some bills for heating, lighting and repairs, but that is capped at 10% of his ministerial salary, so can't be more than £8,000 a year. And he gets an allowance of up to £30,000 a year for refurbishing the Downing Street flat.

Johnson owns 50% of a home in London and 20% of a home in Somerset, which together generate a rental income of at least £10,000 a year.

He also receives payments for his books, including one about Winston Churchill, and a political novel.

“In the most recent register of interests, he declared payments from publishers of £23,500 between April 2020 and March 2021,” the BBC reported.

Cash Crunch?

Records show that as a public speaker, Boris earned quite a big sum, including earning £122,899.74 for a speech to India Today on 2 March 2019.

The Daily Telegraph paid him £22,916.66 a month between July 2018 and July 2019 where he put in 10 hours a month. Boris’ average taxable income of just under half a million pounds a

year. As the Mayor of Londo, he earned about £250,000 a year salary.

In October 2017, when he was foreign secretary, the Sunday Times reported that he had told a friend he was running out of money and could not afford to live on £141,505 because of his "extensive family responsibilities".

Warning from Election Commission Meanwhile, as EC continues to investigate this matter, Boris Johnson’s aides have allegedly been warned that they will face imprisonment if they delete texts or emails about his Downing St flat renovation.

A stark email sent to Conservative Party staff states: "You are put on notice that this is a criminal investigation.”

The warning shot to staff reads: "If you knowingly falsify, conceal, destroy or otherwise dispose of information… you could be committing a criminal offence of Perverting the Course of Justice."

An legal warning email sent to employees at Conservative Campaign Headquarters said: “By Friday 7 May, you are required to produce un-redacted copies of all communications… which concern any arrangements and/or agreements made for the settlement of costs arising from the refurbishment works at the 11 Downing Street flat beyond those met by the Cabinet office from public funds”. The ultimatum issued by legal officer Alan Mabbutt added: “You are put on notice that this is a criminal investigation.”

Help India breathe

The heartbreaking Covid crisis in India has led to a decrease in hospital beds, desperate need for medical supplies e.g. oxygen ventilators, oxygen concentrators, as crematoriums and graveyards continue to be overwhelmed.

Vaidehi Bathia in association with charity Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC), is raising money to help with the distribution of oxygen tanks. “We are working closely with Viable Hospital, Bhuj, a hospital in Kutch, Gujarat. Viable Hospital is in contact with other hospitals who are also in desperate need for donations of oxygen tanks and will be sharing the tanks that we can get FINANCIAL A SERVICES over to them,” her PROTECTION fundraiser reads.

MORTGAGES “I’m proud to Life Insurance Residential be working with Critical Illness Buy to Let the Post Office as Income Protection Remortgages the UK’s largest retail network Please conta act: and the DEC with their internationDinesh Shonchhatra S al reach in this Mortgage Ad dviser important appeal.

Call: 020 8424 C 4 8686 / 07956 810647 Please give what you can,” she writes.

77 High Street, Wealdston ne, Harrow, HA3 5DQ Since its

mortgage@majorestate.co om ~ majorestate.com

launch in July 2020, the DEC Coronavirus Appeal has raised £41 million and this funding is being spent by DEC charities across the seven fragile places the appeal was launched for, including Yemen, Syria and South Sudan. Given the devastating coronavirus surge in India at the moment, the DEC extended its appeal to include India on 28 April 2021 and, as of this date, all donations received will be used to respond to the crisis in India.

DEC charities will be supporting India’s health system by providing essential equipment like PPE, disinfection kits, medical supplies and ambulances, ventilators and oxygen concentrators and all kinds of logistical support for Covid-19.

For more information you can visit https://justgiving.com/fundraising/hel p-india-breathe-sos

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8 - 14 May 2021

World fights for India’s Covid victims Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually met on Tuesday, discussing future trade agreements post Brexit and a roadmap to build UK-India relationship across health, climate, trade, education, science, technology and defence. Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar is in the UK, participating in the G7 ministers’ meeting from 3-6 April 2021.

More than 6,500 new jobs will be created around the UK thanks to £1bn of new UK-India trade and investment announced by the Prime Minister. The package contains over £533m of new Indian investment into the UK, which is expected to create more than 6,000 jobs in vital and growing sectors such as health and technology.

Trade between the UK and India is already worth around £23bn a year, supporting more than half a million jobs. Last week the Prime Minister spoke to Indian business leaders from companies Infosys and HCL to discuss the growing importance of the economic relationship between the UK and India. The breadth and depth of India’s relationship with the UK is underpinned by the living bridge between our people. 1.6 million Brits have Indian ancestry, there are more Indian companies in the UK than in the rest of Europe combined, and our people share history, culture and values.

While India grapples with Covid-19, PM Johnson has also ensured to extend a helping hand for India to cope. He has sent 1000 more ventilators to India this week and nearly 35 tonnes of equipment, including 450 empty oxygen cylinders, was airlifted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) from the UK arriving in India on Tuesday.

Over 60,000 doctors of Indian origin working in the NHS are going online to provide remote consultations in local languages and support overwhelmed colleagues, many of whom are

falling ill themselves. While telemedicine has come across as a boon to India from the UK, many doctors in Britain are helping India fight the second wave of coronavirus (see story on page 1).

The UK-India business community has also demonstrated its strength over the last week in response to India’s coronavirus surge. The British Asian Trust has raised over £1.6 million in the last week through their emergency appeal and UK business leaders have mobilised in response to the Indian High Commission’s request for vital equipment.

In a Hindu temple in Wembley, north-west London, congregations were seen chanting a special prayer of Hanuman Chalisa, for people thousands of miles away. The is a devotional hymn believed to have immense power for helping those in need.

The British Indian Jewish Association (BIJA)’s has raised over £110,000 from 130 donors over 3 days, to support the response to Covid in India. All money raised is going to the British Asian Trust’s (BAT) Emergency Appeal. The amount raised is equivalent to helping 220,000 patients with breathing difficulties through low-flow oxygen concentrators.

Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai, Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur based in Gujarat has been helped by volunteers who were able to secure over £150,000 in donations from UK’s Indian diaspora to set up a new Covid Health Centre within 10 days. BAPS Swaminarayan temple has also raised thousands- and these are a few examples. Social media has been filled with kindness- people sending oxygen concentrators to friends, families and charities- to help those struggling to breathe.

Covid-19 has often exposed the stark differences in societies- especially with job losses and untimely deaths. But it has also shown a sea of compassion and empathy - the goodness that we humans are capable of, even in the worst of worst situations.

Post-dated justice in Post Office Scandal In 2020, the United Kingdom ranked 11 among the list of corrupt countries in the world. Sharing this rank with four other countries : Canada, Australia and Hong Kong, the UK is one of the least corrupt countries.

Almost a decade ago, the UK ranked at position 16. It was the year when events such as the phone hacking scandal showed that there were still too many areas of corruption vulnerability in the UK public sector.

Back then, there was no individual or institution with the remit to coordinate a robust response to corruption in the UK. Cases of Geoff Hoon and Andy Coulson – highlighted the corruption vulnerabilities left open by the then system. The Kelly report (annual report of investor relations) had highlighted that political party funding also needed reforms.

A decade later, amid the worst time in the history of history, news sites and print media are making space and time for reporting the alleged wastage of the taxpayers money used in refurbishment of the prime minister’s home.

While Boris Johnson has denied this claim, his aides have been instructed by the investigative authorities to not delete their private conversations with the PM. Doing so will result in strict action and accountability, which means it’s a can of worms, and it's too late to close the lid. His former chief advisor is allegedly documenting a file of his failings which further substantiate the case against Johnson.

The only respite here could be that this entire series of allegations does not rest on actual skeletons and lost years of humans, but their hard earned money, if at all the allegations are proved to be true.

What’s unfathomable is the the “biggest miscarriage of justice” that has permanently ruined the lives of the subpostmasters in the Post Office Scandal where 39 people have been vindicated after facing several years of tortutre, imprisonment and unjust societal humiliation.

While one of the post office workers commited suicide after being buried under the yoke of repaying thousands of grands for a crime he didnt’ commit, another innocent woman went to jail while she was pregnant and was challenged to pay back £75,000 to the Post Office, a sum of money that a brown woman in the UK sometimes doesn’t make in even half a decade.

Imagine the gravity of injustice that author Nick Wallis has written an entire book titled ‘The Great Post Office Scandal’ - The fight to expose a multimillion pound IT disaster which put innocent people in jail.

A crime that was never committed in the first place, and was misjudged because of a “technical glitch” that decided the destiny of many innocent people, destroying their lives forever.

Guilty or not guilty, one must give due credit to the authorities for stepping up to investigate the PM’s flat refurbishment.

But who will investigate the IT company that destroyed careers, brought unwarranted shame to families, sexist attacks (Seema Misra was touted as “the pregnant thief” by a media house) when the resignation of a top authority after so many years doesn’t move a needle for the innocent. There have been no arrests or strict investigation against the IT glitch.

Is human life inferior to the data collated by a faulty computer? We don’t know. But one can certainly not press delete and start over.

Regional stalwarts reign supreme May 2 was a triumphant day for regional stalwarts as Mamata Banerjee, M K Stalin and Pinarayi Vijayan reigned supreme in their respective states despite strong opposition challenge. The Mamata Banergee's Trinamool Congress proved all exit polls wrong and won 213 seats in West Bengal, two more than its 2016 tally. In Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin-led DMK won 156 seats, denying the ruling AIADMK a third term. The Left Democratic Front created history in Kerala after retaining power with over 90 seats.

The NDA led by BJP has retained its grip in Assam after winning 75 seats and will make a comeback in Puducherry. Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders made frequent visit to Bengal to address election meetings, they were not able match Mamata's hold over the electorate. Even PM Modi and Amit Shah who campaigned in Kerala and Tamil Nadu could not garner much support. In Kerala, the BJP has failed to win even a single seat there. In Tamil Nadu, in alliance with the ruling AIADMK, they failed to retain power there. There were criticism that PM Modi spent more time in election campaign than in Covid control. His opponents taken advantage of this charge by alleging that PM Modi has given more importance to capturing seats than in saving the lives of the Covid-hit people.

The position of the Congress is more pathetic. In Bengal, the Congress- Left alliance could not win even a single seat. In Kerala, the Congress was hoping to win the election as the electorate there alternate with the LDF and UDF after every five years. Infighting and lack of leadership robed the party of its chance this time. BJP rode into Bengal high on showmanship and the aura of commanding a central leadership. But in failing to replicate its 2019 Lok Sabha performance, the Bengal results are

a reality check for BJP. Consider Pinarayi Vijayan who upturned Kerala’s history of alternately swinging between LDF and UDF. His inspired handling of multiple crises that befell Kerala has reassured the large floating voter base to stick with LDF again.

Coupled with Kerala’s success in negotiating the pandemic, Vijayan’s daily Covid press briefings have also been a novelty in a country where the political leadership only intermittently takes people into confidence or attempts to assuage the growing panic.

TN is the other state showcasing a robust governance and public health model in this crisis. Given that – compared to the despair and chaos that have gripped the north, with the national capital literally gasping for oxygen – Kerala and TN have performed reasonably well in tackling the Covid crisis which may also have reflected in AIADMK, led by the low profile EK Palaniswami, acquitting itself decently in TN. The state has a tradition of wiping the floor with the incumbent party, but Palaniswami headed off that fate even as MK Stalin came up trumps – strengthening opposition forces along with Mamata and Vijayan.

This may be overall a good outcome for national politics as the record today shows that a single party dominating politics isn’t good for governance. So hopefully BJP with its phenomenal 2019 national mandate can correct course and handle the pandemic much better, even as TMC improves its governance record in Bengal given BJP’s emergence as a strong opposition in the state. After the setback suffered by the TMC in the last Lok Sabha election, the party announced a number of welfare schemes for the people, especially in the rural areas. The BJP lacked grass-root workers in Bengal. The assembly results show a finger towards parliament election. BJP can regain lost ground but they have to work hard.

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.

Wishing is not enough; we must do.

– Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Alpesh Patel

The West Rallies to India's Side Whilst the Chinese Communist Party mocked online the deaths in India, Western Governments came to India’s assistance. As India has helped the world, so now the world must help India were the sentiments from both HRH Prince Charles and President Biden.

This is why a diaspora is needed, and a powerful one at that. We have been humbled, we have been embarrassed. We have even been mocked. We must not be found wanting. It's our watch, our turn to step up.

The task at hand is to get the money to the organisations getting Oxygen, PPE to those in need in India.

With cases poised to reach over 400,000 per day, a COVID-19 crisis has engulfed India. Death tolls are rising, and hospitals are overwhelmed. This is a humanitarian disaster that the global community must avert. Thankfully, India's friends in the West are taking notice during the countries great time of need.

The British Foreign Secretary, Dominic Rabb, has announced that the UK is shipping hundreds of ventilators and oxygen equipment to India. This is a good start. But, the harrowing scenes in Indian hospitals and cities mean that the stricken Republic will need further aid.

The UK's Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) will receive help from 14 UK aid charities to provide equipment and assistance. Medical supplies, logistics, treatment facilities and more will compromise the response to help India's most vulnerable citizens.

UK-based Indians have also come out in force to help. The British Asian Trust and a separate GoFundMe campaign have seen a massive outpouring of generosity from UK citizens. Both appeals are targetting funds for badly needed oxygen and supplies.

Prince Charles — who founded the British Asian Trust in 2007 — has joined the chorus of appeals. He highlighted how India's past aid and ingenuity had helped others. With the country currently on its knees, the Prince of Wales has emplored others to return the favour.

Adnan Naseemullah, writing in the Telegraph, makes the compelling point that while much of the talk about aid has centred around providing vaccines, India needs oxygen. He suggests The Royal Air Force's Hercules transport fleet could deliver these items far quicker than the charity sector.

Calls for the US to remove export controls on raw materials required for vaccines have been heard, with the National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne confirming American help. At the same time, Antony Fauci has reversed course on the US's pledge to restrict vaccine's as foreign aid in light of the Indian crisis.

The US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) is working with India to explore the idea of sending some of its AstraZeneca stockpiles. The US Food and Drug Administration has yet to allow emergency use for these vaccines in the US. However, with tens of millions on hand, these vaccines could prove crucial in India's battle against the pandemic.

In response to the crisis, the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated. Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen is coordinating oxygen and medicine from member states. Additionally, Germany is airlifting ventilators and also mobile stations to make much-needed oxygen.

As India battles the coronavirus, allies in the West have reached out. The country has suffered more than 200,000 deaths, and with cases still rising, so to will that number. Continued urgent aid and cooperation is needed to avert a disaster that threatens to shake the Republic to its core.

Having a diaspora in positions of influence is critical, in Government, in Parliament, with money. Now we know why in quieter times we must always be building our capacity.

Asian Voice is published by

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BRITISH ASIANS STILL VULNERABLE Continued from page 1 a lot of morbidity happens amongst those who have associated conditions like obesiIn the UK, new ethical guidance from the ty, diabetes, and heart disease. So, it is very British Medical Association also suggested important to ensure that people take propthat if the situation is grave enough, it er precautions to control these health conmight be necessary to prioritise essential ditions,” Dr Mehta added. workers over saving commoners fighting He further said, “Vaccination is one of the virus in hospitals. the most important things. We believe it is However, that guidance was also very going in the right direction. We know that clear that if such a step were necessary, it there are some pockets of resistance should not be for doctors to decide: the against vaccination amongst the South government would need to indicate clearly Asian population. We have translated the what categories of workers were essential and should be favoured. No such decision has been made to date.

It was utterly disappointing to see that Dr Ramesh Dr Rakesh Dr Chaand even after the exodus of Nagpaul Dr Irtiza Qureshi Mehta Sharma South Asian doctors from the NHS citing institutional racism advice for vaccination in different lanand poor work culture the situation guages to ensure that people understand remained the same. According to a letter the importance of the vaccine.” written by Doctors, nurses and NHS bosses Yet, many South Asians live in a multion behalf of 1.4m workers to Boris Johnson, generational setting which may not be the there are almost 90,000 vacancies at NHS best way in the time of social distancing.

England, while sickness and stress may “The socio-economic status of the family is prompt more to leave. a problem. For it to improve it’s going to Last year, a report by the Royal College take a long time,” said Dr Mehta. “We are of Physicians (RCP), which represents aware of government efforts to improve 30,000 of the UK’s hospital doctors, found the employment of people from the ethnic that ingrained “bias” in the NHS made it communities. We do believe that joint fammuch harder for BAME doctors to become ily is important and there should be oppora consultant compared with their white tunities for people to live in the joint famicounterparts. ly. Having said that we cannot be careless, ‘One-size fits all’ approach does not work and life cannot be the same as it was before The Lancet medical journal has cateCovid. If people want to move back to the gorically reported the “Ethnic differences joint family, the most important thing is in SARS-CoV-2 infection and Covid-19” the second dose of vaccine. And at least and it further mentions that, to improve three weeks after the second dose of vacCovid-19 outcomes, we urgently need to cine. Even when that’s done, please follow tackle the wider disadvantage and struca safe distance at home and wash hands, tural racism faced by these communities, as wear a mask.” well as improving access to care and reducEncouraging leadership positions to foring transmission. mulate policies Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA chair of Speaking to Asian Voice about this council, in an exclusive interview told report, Dr Rakesh Sharma, Clinical Asian Voice, “This study shows that even Advisor/ Lead MH NHS East Lancashire though disparities for many ethnic minorisaid, “Ethnic minority doctors and staff ty groups have improved, worryingly infecshould be encouraged to take up leadership tion rates, ICU admissions and deaths from positions so that the administration which Covid remain much higher among South formulates policies, is inclusive. Recently Asian communities. commissioned report to look at discrimina“This paper also demands that we need tion has rightly received lot of criticism and to take a much more granular approach to this should be addressed as well. The addressing race disparities with culturally biggest protective factor against catching competent policies that factor in specific Covid is increasing vaccination by reducing ethnic minority groups. We know there are vaccine hesitancy, setting up vaccination structural and socio-economic factors centres in places of faith and religious which impact adversely on the South Asian activity, community centres etc and letting community including exposure to the virus role models and leaders of the community through working in key and public facing to dispel myths using national TV and jobs, language barriers, overcrowding in other media channels.” homes and living in multigenerational Dr Irtiza Qureshi, Visiting Academic households, as well as variations on vaccine Institute for Health Research, University of uptake.

Bedfordshire, said, “We don't need to cut “There must be no ‘one-size fits all’ off from our loved ones. However, we do approach to tackling race inequalities. The need to continue with sensible behaviour government must develop solutions that around hand hygiene, use of masks, social consider the specific circumstances, sociospace, especially as restrictions lift from 17 economic factors and experiences of those May and even more so from 21 June. from south Asian communities and form “Local Government should be supportpublic health policies and messaging that is ed to work with local communities in cotailored to their needs, and which comcreating culturally tailored interventions. mands their trust and confidence.”

By this, I mean Public Health teams in Dr Ramesh Mehta, Founder and Local Authorities should be supported to President BAPIO agrees that structural engage with trusted members of local comracism exists. “That’s very unfortunate and munities (not just the usual suspects) to we know the extra impact of Covid on the help develop key messages around CovidSouth Asian population because of dis19 and they should be supported to deliver crimination and racist practices. The secthose messages to the community via comond wave is not going to go away quickly, munity spaces and community media. but fortunately Covid has revealed this “Unfortunately, structural racism and problem. I believe that the government is inequality is deeply embedded within many keen to take steps to tackle this problem,” institutions, and to tackle some of the spehe told Asian Voice. cific consequences such as health out“It is imperative to follow the basic comes, further national changes are requirement of avoiding the jab. It is wearrequired across education, criminal justice, ing the mask, washing hands, and keeping health and care sectors. This requires long a safe distance. Of course, if there are term political courage and commitment.” symptoms, we need to get immediate help,

Beyond Telemedicine: UK doctors ‘train the trainer’ in India to fight Covid-19 Continued from page 1

good results at all when we’ve put people on Ventilator. In the UK, the healthcare Dr Ashish Dhawan, Consultant system is nationalised, but in India, a Cardiologist and General Secretary - British patient will walk in and say I’ve got money, International Doctors Association and his I can pay for an ICU,” he said as he disteam have gone beyond just telemedicine cussed that India needs national guidelines to help India fight the second wave of that should be applied to every hospital.

Covid-19.

“Otherwise India will lose a lot of people,” In our primary research, we found that he added. many doctors in India are territorial about Dr Dhawan also told Asian Voice that treating patients within a particular state he and his organisation are raising money and refuse to give consultation to someone through British doctors and the public. residing in another state because they feel “We’ve got follow up calls with the Indian that the strain of the virus is different in medical volunteers organisation,” he said different regions and hence affects people while he reasoned out one ongoing practice differently. in India of massively using plasma therapy, Commenting on this, Dr Dhawan told “British experts also say that there is no role Asian Voice, “I’m in Manchester which is of plasma in Covid treatment. You can’t put 400 or 500 Km away from London, and 20 million people on ventilators. We’re Glasgow is about 1000 kms away from focusing on smaller cities and towns. As London. No doctor in Glasgow will say that and when people approach us how to drive I can’t treat a patient in London. If you tell patients, we’ll help them in doing that.” a British doctor this concept, they will not Dr Chandra Kanneganti (Principal GP, buy it. I’m not criticising Indian doctors, Goldenhill & Middleport, Director, GMS Ltd and LMC secretary, North Staffs LMC) told Asian Voice, “Other measures we are currently delivering are healthcare through telemedicine and home support for Covid Dr Chandra Kanneganti Dr Preeti Shukla Sai Pillarisetti positive with mild symptoms. Rather than inventing our own platbut it is a virus. Because our microbiology form, we have requested our BIDA memskills are so advanced, we are able to study bers to be volunteers to provide the virus strains down to the minutest telemedicine and gave info of all the curlevel. Because it is a virus, treatment rent links for that. We have a number of options are very limited.”

BIDA members working as volunteers It is also widely known that India has already. Some of us are also providing developed a black market for Covid advice to our friends and relatives in India medicines like Remdesivir and basic by online video platforms. The huge experiOxygen cylinders in the last one month due ence of UK GP’s working through remote to panic buying and self medication. An ways of working since last year is helping.” injection worth £20 is being sold for £250Speaking to Asian Voice, Dr Preeti £500 to desperate patients.

Shukla, GP Partner and GP chair, BIDA Dr Dhawan said, “We know Indian docsaid, “We are using the approach of ‘train tors are doing everything they can do in the trainer’. We are sharing our knowledge their capacity, but there’s not much eviand experience gained during Covid second dence that Remdesivir helps in treating wave in England with doctors and allied Covid. If you speak to ten doctors in the health professionals in India such as home UK, five will give it, five won’t.” management and home pulse oximetry “Everyone should get basic treatment, model and strong public health messaging . everyone should get steroids which is very Recently BIDA organised our first meeting very cheap (inexpensive) and after that you with colleagues in Pune and we plan to just have to wait for your immune system expand on it.” to kick in and give it support. We don’t use Sai Pillarisetti, President BIDA Student Flubijab which is being used in India; we Wing told Asian Voice that, “I feel proud to use Remdesivir, antibiotics and steroids,” be a part of BIDA where we are effectively he added. utilising our platform to provide Covid A medical volunteers organisation related medical advice to Indian medical from Pune (Puna Feed The Need) volunteers via video conference as well as approached BIDA. Some of these people are shortly commencing tele-medicine serpharmacists, some are non-medicos, some vices. The BIDA Student Wing is actively are biochemists, some are medical students supporting this cause by promoting the and volunteers. Dr Dhawan said that they BIDA fundraiser on JustGiving.com which can easily handle the call and tell patients is collecting money to support India with what to do. He said, “We organised a webioxygen supplies. We have raised over nar with them. They had good questions £40,000 in less than a week and we hope to for us. We explained the role of certain keep this momentum going so we can help medicines to them and we are training the as many people as possible.” medical workforce of India. If we train BAPIO has three prompt strategies to these people who are partially trained help India. Speaking to Asian Voice, RMPs, homeopaths, they can handle even Dr Ramesh Mehta said that BAPIO is probasic treatment.” viding support for oxygenation. “We have Dr Dhawan thinks that sharing British set up an e-medicine platform for supportexpertise with Indian medical fraternity ing our colleagues in India who are doing an will help them in reading the situation for excellent job but are tired and exhausted. So patients and giving them basic medical we will be extending clinical decision makassistance. ing advice to doctors in small towns in He further added, “We’re happy to train remote areas of India. We are collaborating people. For example they want to know with a charity called Akshaya patra to prowhen they should be worried about SPO2 vide ration and meals to daily wage earners levels, we can help them in understanding who are out of jobs. The bags from England when to put a patient on oxygen. You could will contain ration for a family of four for a probably call it a modified form of month. For all these activities we are raising telemedicine.”

“In Britain, we can observe and tell funds and we are getting excellent responswhen a Covid patient walks in whether es from colleagues and the rest of the poputhey would make it or not. We’ve not had lation.”

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Sadiq Khan: “ I am the first Mayor of London to declare a climate emergency in our city” Shefali Saxena The PM has been told that he risks jeopardising Britain’s leadership at the G7 and the Cop26 climate summit this year if he goes ahead with plans to cut UK aid by a third over two years.

Sharing his take on this since Khan is being touted as the only candidate who can root for climate change in London, Sadiq told Asian Voice, “As we rebuild our economy after Covid-19, we need to make clear that a strong recovery and a ‘green recovery’ are not mutually exclusive. They are one and the same.

“This Government has shown that there is a huge gulf between its climate rhetoric and delivery. It makes no sense that the Prime Minister would strip away vital aid funding and continue to fund fossil fuel projects overseas despite his government’s new policies and his candidate for Mayor has consistently refused to back many of my green initiatives. “Let me be clear, I am the first Mayor of London to declare a climate emergency in our city and take bold steps to tackle it. It is why I introduced the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone which has helped reduce air pollution in parts of London by almost half and in central London by a third, if re-elected I will expand this to the North and South Circular so more Londoners can benefit from cleaner air. It is why I have invested heavily in walking and cycling infrastructure increasing the number of protected cycle lanes five-fold. It is also why I have put supporting more than 170,000 green jobs at the centre of my priorities for a second term.

“Londoners need support to access well-

paid, futureproof jobs in the low carbon sector which is why ignoring the climate crisis is a false economy. Taking meaningful climate action now will ultimately mean greater health, prosperity and security for all, right here in the UK and around the world. “ After George Floyd finally got justice, London Mayor Sadiq Khan went on record to say that, "The guilty verdict must be the beginning of real change – not the end."

While the latest Race Commission report downplays the plight of the ethnic minorities, in an exclusive chat with Asian Voice, Sadiq Khan comments on how he would like to resolve this and what would be his immediate response, especially for frontline workers at the NHS who have shared vivid accounts of facing institutional racism. Sadiq said, “Like many, I was incredulous at the socalled findings of the Government’s race report. The idea that our society does not have serious issues with structural racism is insulting to all who have been confronted by it and whose lives have been blighted by it.

“It’s clear to me that there is still a great amount of work to do to unpick the conscious and unconscious bias and systemic racism that exists in our public institutions and society as a whole – the government’s inability to take action or even acknowledge that is an unacceptable failure. We must listen and respond to the frustrations voiced by London’s Black and Asian communities about the racial and social injustice they face when they interact with our public institu-

tions be that the police service, the education system, the courts, the media and beyond.

“We know that Black and Minority Ethnic communities have been disproportionately impacted by this virus, partly because they are more likely to be employed in frontline roles – whether it’s in the NHS, as care workers, shelf-stackers or bus drivers.

I am pleased that the government acted on my calls and announced their intention to make the recording of ethnicity on death certificates mandatory, this must now be implemented without delay. It is also vital that ethnicity data collection is embedded as an integral part of the testing and delivery of vaccinations. “I have declared City Hall an anti-racist organisation and have always been clear that education has an important role to play in providing a more complete picture of our history and a more nuanced understanding of the historic and institutional reasons for racial inequality in Britain.

“That is why I have campaigned for Black history to be part of the National Curriculum and partnered with the Black Curriculum to help refresh elements of the London Curriculum which serves hundreds of primary and secondary schools across the capital.

“I have also established the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm – to help us move past the limited perspective on history represented in our public spaces and to help us better convey the fullness and diversity of London’s history and values in our public realm. It is only by asking the difficult questions and facing up to uncomfortable truths that we can move towards fundamental and lasting change.

“If re-elected I’ll continue to do all I can to support and fight for London’s diverse communities in order to bring about a brighter future for all Londoners.

Shaun Bailey – London’s Ideal Choice G7 tech leaders agree Lord Dolar Popat I am endorsing Shaun Bailey for London Mayor as he is the only candidate who can improve the quality of life for Londoners.

Shaun has shown a tremendous amount of passion and drive to serve all Londoners as their mayor. Shaun has been working closely with all communities in London to understand the issues they face on a day to day basis.

The key issues that have repeatedly been raised are Crime, Congestion Charge and the extension of ULEZ. To tackle the increasing crime in London, Shaun has pledged an extra 8000 police officers for safer streets along with the re-opening of 38 police stations which Sadiq Khan had closed.

The Congestion Charge has directly impacted families in London. Sadiq Khan has cost private hire vehicle drivers an additional £5000 a year in daily Congestion Charges. The 24 hour bus lanes have also impacted the driver’s income, if they are unable to use bus lanes the passenger journeys are much longer which means the drivers are doing less jobs with these time constraints. Another burden announced by Sadiq Khan for PHV drivers and anyone entering London to visit family and friends is the extension of ULEZ on the North and South Circular roads. Sadiq Khan is transforming London into an unfriendly zone for Londoners, visitors and businesses with his draconian measures as Mayor of London.

I am truly relieved, delighted and excited that Shaun Bailey has a plan to make things better for not only PHV drivers and Londoners but also our visitors. Shaun has pledged that on day one as Mayor of London he will reverse the Congestion Charge hike and will scrap the daily £12.50 ULEZ charge to outer London. This will be a sigh of relief to the many many thou-

sands of drivers who work extremely hard to build a better future for themselves and their families. Shaun Bailey will be the Mayor who does not plan to dip his hands into Londoners pockets. He has a clear plan on how to raise funds and stand up for the people of London.

Shaun has shown compassion and love to the Indian community, he has met with the Indian community on zoom, Pharmacy led vaccine centres and our temples in London. Over the past week he has also attended prayers on Zoom to pray for the victims of Covid 19 in India. Shaun was concerned by the current situation India and the devastating number of people losing the battle to covid. During these testing times we can not take a risk and I would urge every Londoner to vote for the person who will bring the much needed change for their families.

On the 6th of May, we have a choice to improve London, to make things better, to feel safe, to pay less for car travel on the weekends. We deserve to enjoy our beautiful City! For that reason I am backing Shaun Bailey, the only candidate who will bring the change we all want.

bold new proposals to boost online safety worldwide

A declaration has been signed in a digital and tech ministerial meeting ahead of June G7 Leaders Summit which included principles to improve online safety including commitments on human rights and Oliver Dowden protecting young people. It’ll serve as a roadmap to digitise outdated paper-based systems for global trade among other agreements.

Leaders from the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and EU signed a declaration containing a series of shared principles on how to tackle the global challenge of online safety, including that online firms should have systems and processes in place to reduce illegal and harmful activity and prioritise the protection of children.

The joint ministerial declaration was signed at a virtual meeting hosted by UK Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden to fire the starting gun at this year’s G7 Summit. The agreements are part of the first of seven ministerial declarations due to be signed this year.

Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “As a coalition of the world’s leading democracies and technological powers, we want to forge a compelling vision of how tech should support and enhance open and democratic societies in the digital age. Together we have agreed a number of priorities in areas ranging from internet safety to digital competition to make sure the digital revolution is a democratic one that enhances global prosperity for all.”

‘London is a global city with the heart of a village’

Shaun Bailey Over the last week, as a city and country we have watched in horror as India battles with a horrific surge of Covid-19 cases. I have been proud to see the global leadership shown by our Government in sending ventilators, oxygen concentrators and other medical supplies to help India in its fight against this awful virus. It re-emphasises the unbreakable bond that our nations share.

Here in London, the British Indian community have been at the forefront of the UK’s own fight against coronavirus, making an immeasurable contribution to not only the NHS but also on a community level by supplying millions of meals to some of the most vulnerable in our capital city.

During the course of the campaign I have had the privilege to visit and volunteer at mandirs, gurdwaras and mosques, and this has been an immense learning experience for me personally. Last Sunday I was fortunate enough to pay my respects at the magnificent BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. It was amazing to see the work that the Temple is doing, opening up their space to encourage people of all faiths and backgrounds to get the vaccine.

This kind of work shows London at its best. It has been an absolute pleasure to get to know the community over the course of my campaign. I have always said that London is a global city with the heart of a village; London’s Indian diaspora helps to give meaning to that statement. If I’m elected as London’s next Mayor on 6 May, I will ensure that the contributions of this great community don’t go unrecognised and I will work hard to get the best deal for all Londoners.

I’ll start by dealing with Sadiq Khan’s Congestion Charge hike and his plans to extend ULEZ to the North and South Circular. Taken together, these amount to a worship tax — punishing families who drive to mandirs, gurdwaras, synagogues, mosques and churches. And it’s not just families who suffer. At a time when London needs an economic recovery, the last thing businesses should face are higher charges.

So I’ll reverse the Congestion Charge hike on day one, abolishing it on evenings and weekends, and I’ll scrap plans to extend ULEZ. As well as easing burdens, I want to use the resources of City Hall to celebrate London in all its diversity. So as Mayor, I’ll hold a yearly Festival of London — a perfect opportunity to highlight the contributions of our diverse communities, including British Indians. And I’m looking forward to celebrating Diwali and Vaisakhi in the Square with my whole family next year.

Another issue was brought to my attention during the course of my campaign: the lack of appropriate crematoria for Hindus and Sikhs in our city. That’s why I’ll back plans for a new crematorium in London, one with the right facilities to cater to the Hindu and Sikh communities, including iconography and the ability to handle demand.

Finally, I will strengthen ties between London and India. I’ll appoint a Deputy Mayor for International Trade to bang the drum for British businesses and help create new trade opportunities between Britain and India.

The policies I’ve outlined are all part of my plan to give London a fresh start. So I’m asking you to vote for me on 6 May. I know that together we can build a safer, fairer, more affordable city for every resident.

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in brief CYCLE CHALLENGE RAISES OVER £600,000 IN SIX DAYS FOR INDIA’S COVID-19 RELIEF WORK

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London, launched an emergency campaign to support the BAPS relief efforts in India on 24 April 2021. As a part of this initiative, BAPS began a ‘Cycle to Save Lives in India’ campaign on 28 April 2021 – a 48-hour, non-stop static relay cycle challenge. It aimed to cover 7,600 kilometres – the distance between London and Delhi – but ended up almost tripling that by cycling 20,127 kilometres! 787 participants, as part of a relay, cycled during the day and throughout the night from Saturday 1 May to Monday 3 May at BAPS Swaminarayan mandirs in London, Chigwell and Leicester.

Their collective efforts, sponsored by more than 14,000 donors, raised over £600,000 – every penny of which will be directed towards the life-saving relief efforts in India.

The cycles were arranged outside the respective mandirs, following strict social distancing guidelines. They were also thoroughly sanitised after every use.

If you would like to support this campaign, please visit London Mandir’s donation page.

4 in 5 British Indians want government to prioritise tackling racism says new report 4 in 5 British Indians want the Government to prioritise tackling racism and colonialism, a research has found ahead of local elections on Thursday 6 May 2021. A new report from the 1928 Institute, a University of Oxford backed think-tank focused on researching and representing the British Indian community, has analysed the political alignment and priorities of British Indians from across the United Kingdom.

Analysis of over 2,300 British Indians across a broad spectrum of migration paths, religious identities, and geographical locations in the United Kingdom found that despite the majority (36%) voting Labour in the 2019 General Elections, the 2021 local elections will see a shift, with British Indians now showing support for Conservative party (33%) and Labour falling behind at 31%.

Demographic split The report (with fieldwork conducted in August 2020 and December 2020), which investigates and compares the relationship between the political party inclined to support and key demographics: age and location - found that the most sizeable change in voting preference is from those aged between 21 to

50, with 45.9% respondents moving away from Labour resulting in the Conservative party picking up most of these voters (48.8%). However, the analysis found the narrowest gap by age group is 26-30, with just a 2% margin in the Conservative party's favour.

However, further analysis between August and December found a significant increase in those unlikely to vote in this week's election.

Analysis by location found that in August 2020, British Indian's were more likely to vote Labour across most regions, except Scotland, where the Conservative Party took the lead, highlighting that the manifesto of the SNP did not align with the political needs and wants of British Indians. The regions with the narrowest difference in support between the Labour and Conservative Party are the East of England (4%), followed by Greater London (6%) and the South East (8%).

In December 2020, the majority of British Indians were inclined to vote for the Conservative Party. Although Labour retained support in the North West, South East, West Midlands, British Indians across Yorkshire and Humber are inclined to the Conservative

and Labour Parties equally (35% respectively). In addition, in the South West, the Liberal Democrats emerged as the strongest party.

Political disconnect and priorities When asked if British Indians feel accurately represented by policymakers, only 8% agreed. Many went on to state that historically, the British Indian Diaspora were not vocal about their needs and instead focused on settling into their communities. As a result, feel that current and future generations will continue to be overlooked.

The report highlights five key policy areas British Indians would like to see prioritised by the Government: education (54%), health (52%), environment and climate change (44%), domestic poverty (36%), and equalities and human rights (33%). When asked why British Indians felt these five areas were important, respondents explained that these areas align with their cultural values of giving back to society, or “seva", along with the importance of taking care of the vulnerable.

In addition, it found that 4 in 5 British Indians (84%) want the Government to prioritise tackling racism and colonialism.

British Indians stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement calling for resources and capital to promote equality and human rights across all ethnic minorities. Respondents described that they do not find "BAME" a useful concept as the generalisation incorrectly informs the distribution of resources and identity.

Kiran Kaur Manku, CoFounder of the 1928 Institute and Researcher Fellow at the University of Oxford, said, "This report provides empirical evidence on has found clear patterns between the needs and wants of British Indians. Given that almost three in four British Indians do not feel accurately represented by policymakers at and the 1928 Institute, we would like to see the policy priorities and recommendations urgently be implemented.

"British Indians contribute significantly outlined move from conversation to action.

The recently issued 'race report' whilst finding no institutional racism in the UK and are calling for rational actions to support society: the national curriculum to include Britain's colonial legacy and impact, and ethnic minorities task-force the United Kingdom has synergies with embedded ethics our research."

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Disasters Emergency Committee’s Covid Appeal for India The UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has extended its Coronavirus Appeal to India as the most vulnerable communities face the devastating consequences of spiralling cases.

The DEC had originally launched the appeal for fragile states in Africa, the Middle East and Asia last July. But with coronavirus infections surging out of control and the health system struggling to cope, it has been extended to help the most marginalised and poorest people in India.

One of the DEC’s 14 member char-

ities delivering vital aid is Oxfam. The Chief Executive of Oxfam India, Amitabh Behar says prices of medicines and oxygen have sky-rocketed, and hospitals and health centres are begging for equipment and treatment. He said:“The country is united in fearful expectation.”

Behar added: "People are literally dying on the streets or in car parks or in their homes. There is no one in India who doesn’t know of friends or family or colleagues who have not had Covid. This is a situation so bad; in my memory it is almost beyond my

conception.

"We are living inside a humanitarian disaster now that is everywhere, in our cities and in our villages. India needs the world’s help now.”

DEC charities are working in a number of ways to alleviate the health crisis, providing urgently needed medical equipment, PPE and hospital beds.

To donate to the Appeal, go online: dec.org.uk, phone: 0370 60 60 900 or text GIFT to 70150 to donate £10* *For full terms and conditions, visit www.dec.org.uk. Reg. Charity No. 1062638.

Global South economies bear the brunt of global climate change Shefali Saxena Daisy Narayanan is the Director of Urbanism for Sustrans, where her role involves interweaving policy, public realm design and a broad integration of key place principles to help create liveable towns and cities.

Daisy is on the Board of Architecture & Design Scotland and Transport for Edinburgh. She is a member of the Edinburgh Climate Commission and the Evidence Group of Scotland’s Climate Assembly. In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, she spoke at length about climate change.

What according to you are the most pressing concerns about Climate Change for India and the UK specifically?

There is a real tragedy unfolding in India right now, as a second wave of the pandemic takes its toll. Covid has highlighted inequalities not just in the UK but across the globe, and, just like Covid, we know the effects of climate change are also unequal, and tend to largely impact the most vulnerable.

While I am not an expert on climate policy in India, we know that the Global South economies bear the brunt of global climate change, with warming temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns driving economic hardship and food insecurity.

It is therefore important for policy makers across India and the UK to put sustainable, low carbon measures at the heart of our cities, towns and places, to make them safer, more inclusive and more resilient.

What do we need to learn as a community with regard to climate change from the Covid-19 pandemic?

As a member of Scotland’s Climate Assembly, I have seen first-hand that ordinary members of the public are quick and engaged learners about the climate crisis. We need bold and urgent action and we need it now – there’s a clear con-

Mr Shatish Dasani appointed Chair of UNICEF UK Mr Shatish Dasani, the youngest son of Late Mr Damodar Ramji Dasani & Mrs Godaveriben Dasani has recently been appointed Chair of UNICEF UK. Born in Bugiri, Uganda he is the youngest of ten children. He currently resides in Harrow.

UK. He attended Oxford University & he has made many great accomplishments in his career.

Shatish brings a broad skill set to the charity from over 20 years’ experience in Board and senior leadership roles. He is currently a member of the Board as a Non-Executive Director at three leading public companies, SIG plc, Renew Holdings plc and Speedy Hire plc, and was previously a Non-Executive at Camelot, the national lottery operator, and a Public Member at Network Rail. In his executive career, he was Chief Financial Officer at Forterra plc and TT Electronics plc.

sensus on that.

The pandemic has shone a light on the resilience within our communities. In many cities across the world, lockdown gave people a taste of what it is like to live locally. Many realised distances in their towns and cities are much shorter than they first thought. They noticed birds signing and discovered hidden places in their neighbourhood, and people also tried to shop locally. It is therefore important that we take some of what we have learned from our experiences of living locally during this time to shape the future.

However, currently, too many neighbourhoods are planned around car travel at the expense of local jobs and services that a community needs to thrive. The 20-minute neighbourhood concept, where everyone has access to their everyday needs in a 20-minute return walk is one way we can take the lessons we have learned from Covid to create more sustainable towns and cities. Reducing the need for people to travel in a private vehicle will go a long way to reducing the emissions which the UK are producing, whilst also making the country’s air cleaner, people healthier and supporting cohesive communities.

In your perspective, what is the future of the UK-India partnership with respect to opportunities in collaboration for initiating mindful policies towards a better future?

Climate change doesn’t recognise borders, so global leaders have to collaborate and ensure that we take collective action to ensure a better future for all. To me there is an opportunity to strengthen our cultural, academic and economic ties by putting climate action, climate justice, wellbeing and innovation at the heart of all collaborative work.

Greta Thunberg says that she doesn't plan to attend the Cop26 conference in November this year. What kind of impact would it have if voices like her were missing from the event?

Just by saying she doesn’t plan to attend the Cop26 conference, Greta has shone a bright light on the inequality and climate injustice which is at the heart of the climate crisis! I think I am most inspired by what she said: ‘A delay, however, should not put off urgent action on climate. We don’t have to wait for conferences nor anyone or anything else to dramatically start reducing our (greenhouse gas) emissions.

Solidarity and action can start today.”

The secret of learning Rohit Vadhwana There is no master who was born as a master. Every professional was once an apprentice. Those who do their learning well, became better masters while others remained mediocre always.

There is no shortcut to mastering an art, skill, or area of expertise. One can succeed by accident, but cannot master anything by a chance. Therefore, success does not depend upon learning and knowledge, but expertise does.

Hundreds of examples who we consider the greatest success in their fields provide evidence of hard-earned proficiency. A sportsman, an actor, a singer, a politician, a writer, or a poet - take any of them, they are masters of their craft by a lot of introspection, hard work, and selfanalysis. When others are sleeping, they work. When others accept average, they strive for excellence. This is in their nature to not be satisfied with average work.

Therefore, they keep putting up efforts to achieve better and better. Finally, it results in the best.

Some people say they are born, but actually they are burned, burned out day and night, to become the glittering gold that they are. Without attempts and efforts, their skills do not shine. Without dedication, their inherent ambitions do not flourish. Their constantly burning desire to achieve a level of excellence makes them master of their pursuit. Their attention to detail and ability to devote time in achieving perfection is one of the main reasons they are so polished. They are busy refining their artistry when others have already finished the job and shelved it. The aptitude to accept only finesse is the fuel for their persistent productivity.

The following three steps can help in achieving mastery in any field: 1. Seeking apprenticeship: When you want to learn something new, seek the guidance of a person who has already achieved expertise in it. One does not have to keep making mistakes and correcting them if there is someone to direct. Investing time and money in learning is the most beneficial investment on the path to achieving mastery.

2. Put up extra efforts: The only difference between an amateur and an expert is their willingness to put an extra hour of effort into the same task. Who searches for an easy way, can never be a monarch of his field. That requires an ant-like dedication to keep walking and keep working relentlessly to stock for bad weather.

3. Unlearn and re-invent: If you keep doing what others are engaged in, there is no chance to do anything special. To be different from others, it is important to unlearn what apprenticeship has taught you and be open to re-invent your skills for a new outcome. However, the skills gained through hard work and learning will always become the base of your new and creative skills.

And, I am not including it in the list, but the desire to achieve mastery is the most important requirement. If one does not wish to progress towards perfection, there is no point in working on any of the three points.

(Expressed opinions are personal)

Marriage certificate to finally include mothers' names Mothers of brides and grooms in England and

New bridalwear range sparks negative comments for ASOS Internet fashion giant ASOS received massive criticism after launching a brand new bridalwear range last week.

The range included Lehengas - outfits that are traditionally worn at special South Asian events and weddings. "We've just expanded our bridal range,” the brand announced on its social media handles. ASOS told The Manchester Evening News : "This product is part of our new South Asian wedding collection. However, the South Asian community didn’t relate to these designs and found them rather under-

stated for bridalwear. "‘Bridal wear’ from where pls. this is a basic af outfit. the kind you wear to an event not a wedding. plus stealing from our culture? no thanks. try again asos," slammed one critic.

Another internet user said: "There’s no way these

are bridal. Stay in your lane ASOS." Others were worried it could lead to cultural appropriation, and mean less support for local Asian businesses. Later, ASOS clarified that, “We messed up... We shouldn't have used the word 'bridal' in our recent post.

This special collection is part of our *wedding range and designed with wedding guests in mind. We can't wait to see how you style it.”

Wales will now be added to marriage certificates for the first time. Until now, the document only included the names of the fathers of the couple, but a change to the Marriage Act means both parents will be included.

The Home Office said the move would "correct a historic anomaly".

Marriages will also be recorded electronically, rather than written in a registry book, as part of the biggest changes to the system since 1837. The move brings England and Wales into line with the rest of the UK. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, couples are already asked to give the names of both parents on marriage documentation.

The same applies for those entering a civil partnership.

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READERS' VOICE

Guru Tegh Bahadur

Ruchi Ghanashyam Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam is former High the Commissioner of India to the UK. With a career in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has been posted in many countries including South Africa, Ghana, before arriving in the UK. She was only the second woman High Commissioner to the UK since India’s independence and during her tenure, she witnessed a number of significant developments in the UK-India relations.

During the course of the coronavirus pandemic, the world has witnessed the bravery and commitment of many groups and individuals. The medical profession has been at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic. Other frontline workers, especially service providers have kept the world running at much risk to their own health and safety.

One community that has stood out in this regard, is the Sikh community. Around the world, the community has come forward to serve people in their communities, irrespective of race or religion.

Not only have followers of the Sikh faith served langars to the hungry, they have set up hospitals, testing facilities and pharmacies for free or at highly subsidised rates to support strained healthcare services, especially benefiting the poor and helpless. Nowhere is this more visible than in India, the home of the Sikhs, the land of the Sikh Gurus and the holy sites of the faith.

The selfless langar service is exemplary in itself. The fearlessness of the Sikhs in coming forward to help others, when fear of the virus has driven many people indoors, is even more amazing. These days news reports are filled with stories of oxygen shortages in Delhi and elsewhere.

At the same time, social media is filled with reports of various individuals and businesses, offering to fill up empty oxygen cylinders for free in and around Delhi. Gurudwaras or Sikh temples have also taken a lead. A video circulating these days shows the use of the steel railings of a Gurudwara for supplying piped oxygen to those in need. Overnight, holes were made in the railings and fitted with the necessary attachments to supply oxygen to people who can sit in comfort and take oxygen.

Members of the Gurudwara management committee were fearlessly moving around COVID patients wearing

masks and their courage.

Sometime back, last year, there was news of members of the Sikh community coming forward to undertake the cremation of COVID patients whose families were in need of such assistance.

It is not the intention here to undermine the courage and contribution of other communities. During this pandemic, heroic and selfless service has been witnessed in every part of society. Everyone devoted to serving humanity in these hard times deserves our humble respect. This column is an acknowledgment of the contribution of the Sikh community.

The 400th Prakash Parb of Guru Tegh Bahadur, celebrated last week, reminds us of the reasons that inspire the selfless and fearless service of the Sikhs. Born in April 1621, in Amritsar city of Punjab state in India, Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth of ten Gurus who founded the Sikh religion and the Guru of the Sikhs from 1665 until his martyrdom through beheading in November 1675. He was executed (by beheading) on the orders of Emperor Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor.

Sikh holy premises Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi mark the places of execution and cremation of Guru Tegh Bahadur. His martyrdom is remembered every year as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was against the persecution of Kashmiri Hindus by Emperor Aurangzeb. He promised to protect them. He and his associates were arrested while in Delhi. Guru Tegh Bahadur stood by his convictions and refused to convert to Islam despite being tortured, until he was executed. The associates of the Guru, who were with him, were also tortured and killed for refusing to convert.

Guru Tegh Bahadur is remembered for giving up his life for freedom of religion. He and his devotees were martyred for protecting those who did not believe in their own faith. The Guru’s martyrdom made a lasting impression on his nineyear-old son, Gobind, who became the tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs. Guru Gobind Singh reacted by organizing the Sikhs into a distinct, formal, community, with its own symbols of identity, giving birth to the Brotherhood of Khalsa that continued to fight the Mughals for religious freedom in India. The violent and fundamentalist ideology of some misguided anti-India elements of this community is disrespectful of the teachings and sacrifices of the Gurus.

The Sikh faith teaches the importance of fearlessness and selfless service. The coronavirus pandemic has once again brought these valuable qualities to the forefront.

To understand the commitment of the Sikhs to service of humanity and protection of the weak, one only has to remember the teachings of the Gurus and the sacrifices made by them.

Loneliness It was very Interesting to read about Britain and loneliness in AV issue dated17 April. Tellingly lonely people just not fall into expected categories of elderly, ill, disabled, or rural population but also young, healthy, successful people. This is a complex issue like any other concerns which communities face from all sectors of life. Loneliness impacts our mental health and physical health and can be for short or long periods. This is a common human emotion many go through and not just physically alone.

We all feel lonely at some stage when impacted by many of life key points such as divorce, parenthood, relocation, job loss.Bereavement is the saddest blow which leaves echoing void in life. Some people talk about this solitude for short periods which gives them time and personal space to get over it. But It is the prolong loneliness that becomes damaging to personal wellbeingwhen not been connected or no one to talk to, been left out and unable to discuss.

Let us face it, being lonely is a symptom of modern life and it is more to do with the way we strive to live.It is a pity that this coverage did not give a breakdown of ethnic groups and how these groups are coping. In true Indian religion, culture spirit we suffer to a lesser degree because our family unit is more supportive, and with strong values ingrained. But in western world of today even our communities have not escaped this jolting pain. It is sweeping.

Perhaps Asian Voice could highlight more specifically the isolation, loneliness issues facing our people.

Jatish S Shah Northampton

Does IT let elderly people down?

IT revolution is moving so fast that most elderly people, especially those who do not have their children living in the vicinity find it difficult to cope, struggling to stay in touch with IT revolution. One problem, confusion is about passwords.

So many people have more than 20 passwords, (PW) difficult to remember without writing them down. Now IT is so advanced that it may not allow the same PW to be used more than once, thus forcing us to choose different PW every time we go online, dealing with all kinds of services and shopping! Then there is online conference, free calls and much more.

Yet it would not be difficult to make our lives easy if advance in IT is used cleverly with OAPs in mind. If we could fly a helicopter 173 million miles away on the planet Mars, then why could we not replace PW with fingerprints, on the computer as well as mobile phones, perhaps one from each hand to make it more secure. After all no one can steal one’s fingerprint. Even eyes could be used as a tool of identification.

I understand some advanced nations are experimenting with eye recognition passports which will stop the use of stolen passports, stolen identity crimes which are on the increase at an alarming rate, causing unimaginable heartache to innocent victims with their lives and reputation compromised beyond repair! Some are even limbered with loans taken in their names!

Perhaps our highly educated younger readers could comment on this subject and enlighten us on the pros and cons of my suggestions, how to stay safe!

Bhupendra M. Gandhi London

Mother's Day in India In India, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year. But in other countries of the world, Mother’s Day is celebrated in an entirely different time of the year. But whatever may be the date of Mother’s Day, the spirit is the same everywhere. Everywhere in the world mothers are respected for their extreme devotion towards their children. And on Mother’s Day, children pay their humblest tribute to their mothers and thank them for giving them birth and providing them with the best of care and upbringing.

A mother is always with her child during the worst and best times. She is a great gift for us from God and no one can take the place of a mother. So, without a mother, our life is meaningless as a mother is everything for a child to survive in this world.

A mother is the only person in the world whose love is very much pure and unlimited for her children. She is a personality who needs just love and a smile from her children to make her life a pleasure. Don’t mothers deserve a smile?

Absolutely, they do deserve more than a smile because they only demand happiness from their children. Finally, never ever hurt your mother and always give due regard and respect to her. Mother’s Day is a happiest and highly memorable day of the year for every child.

JubelD'Cruz Mumbai, India

With your love, we successfully embark on the 50th year of our journey together Dear Readers, By the grace of God and blessings from all our wellwishers, readers, advertisers and supporters, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar enter their 50th year on 5 May 2021.

On 5 May 1972, Indian High Commissioner Shri Appa Sahib Pant inaugurated the weeklies in a simple yet splendid manner in the UK. Kusumben Shah, Pranlal Seth, Nalinkant Pandya, Balwant Singh Kapoor were present too.

Apart from being a high-level diplomat, Shri Appa Saheb, who was born in the princely state of Aundh in Maharashtra, is remembered as a spiritual person by many people.

During the launch in London, Shri Appa Saheb Pant laid special emphasis on the need of good reading materials and servitude to the society.

We are very fortunate that we have a dedicated and passionate team and I remember the contribution of all my former and present colleagues.

We strive to share our thoughts and strength through these weekly publications. We have campaigned for the betterment of our Indian society in the UK. Some noteworthy ones included Immigration, Nationality Laws, Questions related to Indians staying in Hongkong and Fiji, Racial equality, Hare-Krishna temple and direct flights from Ahmedabad to London.

It has been a long, yet successful journey of 'gyan and seva yagna’ and more to come. Thank you all for the trust, love and support.

Yours, CB Patel Publisher/Editor

Virus of lies It was interesting to read the analytical aspects of Virus of Lies in Kapil’s Khichadi (AV dated 1-7 May 2021).

Kapil is right in saying that there is a systematic attack by the “anti-India” mob on social media platforms.

Covid is equally bad everywhere. India was one of the countries in 2020 to impose strict down and was on a good recovery path till March 2021.

Due to the sudden demand for hospital beds and oxygen for patients, the system could not cope up but that does not mean the system is not there. Kapil has made a very valid point by showing it graphically as well that anti-India brigade is out to malign the nation and its people. Most of the times print, electronic and social media presented stories about the shortage of oxygen, beds and other essentials things by magnifying the same while giving bare minimum coverage to the health professionals working round the clock to provide the best possible services with available resources. Charitable organisations, temples, mosques and even some people have converted their big homes into hospitals to support the community which is not given adequate coverage.

The media is also deliberately presenting figures in a confusing way eg while reporting the total number of death, they will give absolute figures, but the population of the country is 1.35 billion so it is very negligible.

But it comes to the vaccination of the people, the figures will be presented in % of the total population so the figure would look very small as compared to other advanced countries vaccination programme. Those readers who read either only headline or figures will feel that the situation in India is extremely bad.

Kapil has proved beyond doubt with facts & figures and presented graphically as well that people are safer in India than anywhere in the whole of Europe. I think it is time to reflect on the learnings from this unprecedented situation and how to avoid repetition of the same instead of blaming each other. India has capabilities to bounce back quickly but passing on the bucks need to stop. The blame game will delay recovery and poor people will suffer more. They need real support – financial as well as emotional, they need work not just words.

Hitesh Hingu London We are grateful to all letter writers for more and more versatile letters well within word limit. Please keep contributing as always. If you are new, then write to Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com - AV

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SCRUTATOR’S Israeli Python missile test-fired from Tejas The indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft is now ready to carry the Israeli Python-5 air-to-air missile, said the DRDO, after the short-range weapon was test-fired from the indigenous jet. The fifth-generation infrared guided Python-5 missiles, which have a range of around 20 km, will add to the airto-air combat capability of Tejas. The Israeli Derby beyond visual range missiles, with a 50-km range, had earlier been integrated with the fighter.

“The test-firing of the two missiles at Goa completed a series of trials to validate their performance under extremely challenging scenarios. The Derby missile achieved a direct hit on a high-speed manoeuvering aerial target. The Python missiles also achieved 100% hits, thereby validating their complete capability,” said a DRDO official. Prior to the actual testfirings, extensive missile carriage flight tests were conducted at Bengaluru to assess the integration of the Python-5 with aircraft systems on board the Tejas, ranging from avionics and fire-control radars to missile weapon delivery.

Meanwhile, the defence ministry in February awarded a £4.8 billion contract to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for 83 LCA Mk-1A jets for the IAF. The deal took the total number of Tejas variants ordered to 123. (Agency) ‘Oxygen nurses’ in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra government has decided to appoint 'oxygen nurses’ to monitor the use of oxygen among the patients and to ensure minimal wastage. The government took the decision following the successful use of the scheme in the tribaldominated Nandurbar district of the state. Government medical college and hospitals (GMCHs) in the state will soon have dedicated oxygen nurses, said state health director Archana Patil. He said instructions have been issued to all GMCHs to set up a dedicated team of such nurses. “These nurses have to monitor the requirement of oxygen every 2-4 hours, round the clock. They will have the discretion to increase or decrease the flow depending on the patient’s need,” said Patil. The department has asked the GMCHs to have one oxygen nurse for about 50 patients.

Nandurbar began the scheme last year and found it to be successful. Public health minister Rajesh Tope said as the state has been stressing on judicious use of oxygen, the concept of an oxygen nurse will ensure its effective use and reduce wastage. (Agency) In a first for Kerala, father-in-law CM and son-in-law MLA

In a first, a father-in-law and son-in-law duo will make their presence felt together in the Kerala Assembly soon and thus script a new chapter in its decades-long history. The 77-

year old father-in-law is no one other than Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan while the lucky son-in-law is P A Mohammed Riyas, national president of the Democratic Youth Federation. Riyas is the husband of Vijayan’s daughter Veena, an IT entrepreneur based in Bengaluru. While Vijayan won by a whopping margin of over 50,000 votes from his home turf Dharmadam in Kannur district, the 44-year-old Riyas got elected from Beypore, a Left bastion in Kozhikode. Though the state Assembly had a legacy of accommodating sons and daughters of various politicians in these years, it is for the first time that a father-in-law and son-in-law are together becoming part of the House. A vibrant youth leader, Riyas had earlier unsuccessfully contested in 2009 Lok Sabha polls from Kozhikode. Veena and Riyas got married on June 15, 2020. There were also some other kith and kins of politicians who tried their luck in the April 6 polls but many of them failed. (Agency) Agra man begs cops for oxygen cylinder A man dropping to his knees on the road and pleading with the police for an oxygen cylinder in Uttar Pradesh's Agra has gone viral in the deluge of tragic videos highlighting India's Covid emergency. Some reports say he was begging the police not to take away an oxygen cylinder he had arranged for his mother. But the police claim he was only requesting an oxygen cylinder while an empty one was being taken away. In the viral video, the man, dressed in PPE suit, wails and falls at the feet of policemen, his hands folded.

"Aapke charanon mein vinti karta hoon...Bhaiya meri ma ko bacha lo (I am at your feet, requesting you.

Please save my mother)," the man weeps until he is dragged away by people who could be from his family. Policemen watch as a cylinder is carried away, apparently from the hospital, by two men. The video was taken outside the private Upadhyay

Hospital in Agra. (Agency) Shooter Dadi dies of Covid

Just in March this year, Chandro Tomar, 89, had thrown a New York Times reporter off balance when she said the secret of her good health was all the household chores she did every day. One of the oldest professional female shooters in the world and winner of numerous national competitions, Tomar, popular as ‘Shooter Dadi’, broke targets, ceiling and stereotypes with equal ease. She died last week, battling Covid complications. Both Bollywood – which dedicated a film to her, ‘Saand Ki Aankh’, starring Tapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar – and the sports world grieved her passing. Pednekar, who played Tomar in the 2019 movie, tweeted, “She made her own rules & paved the path for many girls to find their dream. Her legacy will live on.” Pannu wrote: “ You will live on forever in all the girls you gave hope to live.

My cutest rockstar.” Tomar had tested Covid positive and was admitted to a private hospital in Meerut after she complained of difficulty in breathing. She was later taken to the Lala Lajpat Rai Medical College where she breathed her last. Her son Vinod Singh said, “ Doctors told us that she had suffered brain haemorrhage too.” Tomar was well into her 60s when she first picked up the gun. Tomar had mentored and coached dozens of young women in her village in UP’s Baghpat, and beyond, for more than 20 years. (Agency) Manmohan Singh discharged Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was hospitalised after testing positive for Covid-19, was discharged from Delhi's AIIMS. The 88-yearold veteran Congress leader was

admitted to the Trauma Centre of the hospital on April 19. Dr Singh has received his two vaccine doses of Covaxin - the first on March 4 and the second on April 3. He was moved to the hospital as "a matter of precaution". Before his hospitalisation, Dr Singh wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to offer some advice on handling a pandemic that has gained in intensity and scope. Leaders cutting across party lines had wished the former Prime Minister a speedy recovery.

(Agency) Father, son and son-in-law beat Covid within days!

It was a month ago that they had to admit 96-year-old Keshav Thakkar, the oldest member of their family, to the hospital for Covid-19 treatment in Vadodara.

And within the next 24 hours, Keshav’s son and son-in-law too were hospitalised as they got infected with the virus. For the next fortnight, the entire Thakkar family was on the edge.

But the trio didn’t just beat the virus, they are now hale and hearty. “It was in the last week of March that we were detected with Covid-19. First my grandfather-in-law Keshav Thakkar was tested positive and within the next three days I and my father-in-law Janak Thakkar contracted Coronavirus,” said 41year-old Sameer Thakkar. Keshav was admitted on April 1, while Janak, 64 and Sameer were admitted in the next day. “It was a tough time for us as my wife Janki and 11-year-old son Nandish too were tested positive for Covid. Fortunately, they were under home quarantine. Of the three, Keshav’s condition was

serious so he had to be kept on oxygen in the ICU. Sameer’s oxygen too dipped for a few days.

“But by god’s grace and the medical treatment we got, I and my father-in-law managed to recover within a week. Keshav too got discharged on April 12 and we all rested at home for 10 days,” Sameer added. (The Times of India) Bokaro man drives 1,400 km to Noida with O2 for friend Answering an SOS from the family of a Covid-afflicted friend in Noida who wasn't getting oxygen support, a 38-year-old schoolteacher from Jharkhand's Bokaro drove 1,400 km through three states in 24 hours with a filled cylinder to save the man's life. Devendra, a resident of Bokaro set out for Noida in his car after coming to know that the parents of his friend Ranjan Aggarwal had been turned away by everyone they had approached for oxygen. Getting an oxygen cylinder in Bokara wasn't easy either. Devendra visited several oxygen plants and suppliers in the steel city, but they all said he would have to provide an empty cylinder for them to refill. In a last-ditch attempt, he used a contact to reach out to the operator of Jharkhand Steel Oxygen Plant in the Balidih industrial area. The technician agreed to give him a full cylinder against a security deposit. (Agency) Absconding rapist arrested after 33 years The Jammu & Kashmir police arrested an absconding criminal from Srinagar who was on the run for the last 33 years. Ghulam Mohd of Kherkote in Banihal had disappeared after a rape and abduction case was registered against him at Mohore police station in 1988. The Reasi Police got information about the presence of the absconding criminal in Safakadal area of Srinagar and the accused was arrested with the help of the Srinagar Police. A warrant was issued by the principal district and sessions judge, Udhampur on June 22, 1989, and that was executed after his arrest from Srinagar, the police said. Thirtythree years ago, at the time of the commission of this crime neither was Reasi was a district nor was there was a sessions court in Reasi. (Agency)

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Taste of Plain Poppadoms

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While stocks last. Subject to availability. Selected stores. Excludes ROI & NI. Packaging, sizes & measurements may vary. Decorative items not included. Prices correct at time of going to print & valid for a limited period only.

Taste of Plain Poppadoms, 64g, £1.23/100g. Batt’s Mixed Spice, 40g, £1.73/100g. Batt’s Chilli Powder, 50g, £1.38/100g. Meadow Fresh Couscous, 240g, 41.3p/100g, chilled. Batt’s Easy Ingredients, 170g/190g, 58.2p/52.1p/100g.

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Oaklands Red Onions, 3 pack, 13p/onion.

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in brief

‘A day in the life of a key worker’ during Ramadan Shefali Saxena Ruqayah secured her role at her local hospital following completion of The Prince’s Trust Get Started in Health and Social Care online mentoring programme last year. She is currently working as a Healthcare Assistant at her local hospital after completing one of our Health and Social Care programmes.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Ruqayah shared her thoughts on what it is like to be a healthcare worker during Ramadan. She said, “It is a very interesting time. You see the real struggle that people are going through every day, while making a conscious effort to be more empathetic, patient and caring. The long hours can make it difficult when fasting, as well as the lack of family time during this holy month.”

Our front-line workers have helped the community throughout with selfless contributions but we often wonder what they do to manage their mental health and physical health (while fasting) and helping people.

“You have to put your patients first. If you're not feel-

ing your best, but your patient needs help, you help them and worry about yourself later. This means you have to put yourself first outside of work at times. I make sure I go home, and sleep as much as I need to. If I don't do anything on my day off but rest, that's fine. Also, talking to people is very important. I'm constantly talking to my family about what my day was like, good or bad. Having people you can even just complain to is very important. Sometimes it's important to just let yourself have these feelings. You should let yourself cry or be angry, instead of holding in your feelings constantly which can make things much worse. The job is stressful and hard on your body and you have to take that into account,” Ruqayah told the newsweekly.

Being a healthcare worker, we asked what she has learnt and how she has evolved as a human during the pandemic.

Ruqayah said, “Since I only

Ruqayah

became a healthcare worker during the pandemic, I got to see very different things before and during covid. You begin to pick up on the smallest things that others may not. The biggest thing I've learnt since becoming a healthcare worker is how much this pandemic is affecting people's mental health. So many people come into A&E struggling mentally because of the strains of the pandemic. Some people do not have the support they need, and being isolated is affecting a lot of people. This pandemic has also given me perspective too. It's helped me to realise that everyone else is going through the same things I'm going through too, and it

How to align health and spirituality during the pandemic

l

Having the vaccine does not invalidate your fast - so if you are offered a date during this period - please take the jab. l In place of the shared Iftar meals we may have had, try to donate to a food

bank - your Zakat will be even more important and appreciated this year. l Remember although we will so desperately want to hug, touch and kiss our loved ones when celebrating Eid, the more restraint we can show the safer we can all be. l After all Ramadan teaches us the importance of self-restraint and appreciating what we have - including the invaluable relationships in our life.

May we all have a blessed, healthy Ramadan and peaceful Eid. - Dr Irtiza Qureshi, Visiting Academic Institute for Health Research, University of Bedfordshire.

makes me realise how lucky and privileged I am to have my support system and I've become closer to my family for it.”

But how does one juggle between their own home/family life during Ramadan, making sure everyone is safe and yet gets to enjoy the spirit of the holy month? Ruqayah said, “It can definitely be difficult for sure.

On a night shift, you don't really see your family at all. Sleeping most of the day, and spending the night at work means you don't get much family time.

When you're working day shifts, it's a little better. You still get to break your fast and have iftar with your family, which is always a special time, and you have sehri with everyone so at least you get some time together before you're gone for the day. I spend as much of my days off with my family, trying to make sure we can do something together, even if it is just sitting together while we all do our own things, or having late night chats between iftar and sehri.”

To find out more about working in the NHS visit The Prince’s Trust website at www.princes-trust.org.uk or call 0800 842 842.

Ramadan is a month of togetherness “Ramadan is a month of spirituality; a time for reflection, prayer, and spending time with loved ones.

We all have a role to play in actively reaching out to the most isolated in our communities, from connecting through virtual iftars to exchanging gifts for Eid. Whether it's elderly relatives or neighbours living alone, to international students, refugees or anyone else feeling isolated, we can all do something simple to share in the Ramadan spirit this year. The MCB provide more advice for a #SafeRamadan in 2021 at www.mcb.org.uk/ramadan."

- Zara Mohammed, Muslim Council of Britain Secretary General

NOW FOREIGNERS CAN GIFT OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS

Faced with an acute oxygen shortage, the government has allowed those living abroad to send oxygen concentrators as gifts to their relatives in India. “The government had eased the rules to allow import for commercial purposes. Now we have done this for individuals too,” explained an officer in the directorate general of foreign trade, which notified the change in rule. Under Indian guidelines, gifts over Rs 1,000 face customs duty and integrated GST. While the government has suspended basic customs duty on several oxygen-related equipment till July, IGST is required to be paid. The DGFT’s move is expected to ease the burden although shipments may take a few days before they can reach India and will need to be cleared. Customs authorities too have been seeking to expedite consignments meant for use by Covid-19 patients.

EAST LONDON PEOPLE URGED TO GET TESTED AFTER NEW VARIANTS FOUND The Department of Health has said all the confirmed cases of the South African and Brazilian variant are isolating and anyone within the E1 postcode has been urged to take a Covid test. All the confirmed cases are self-isolating. A statement on the Department of Health's (DoH) website reads: “If you are over 11 years of age and you live, work or are educated in an E1 postcode, you’re strongly encouraged to take a Covid19 PCR test when invited, even if you’re not showing symptoms.” The tests will be made available from May 2. The DoH also advised people in the area to use twice-weekly rapid testing alongside the PCR test as part of surge testing. Surge testing has already been deployed in the IG1 and IG6 postcode areas of Redbridge in east London.

SOCIAL DISTANCING COULD BE SCRAPPED NEXT MONTH

Post Office scandal: Justice delayed is justice denied Samuel Caveen, former postmaster Martin Griffiths’ nephew has said that “it is time for a proper inquiry into the scandal and the cover-up.” Martin Griffiths was a father of two, who was driven to financial and emotional ruin by erroneous shortfalls in the Post Office’s Horizon IT system. He took his own life, aged 59.

Speaking to The Times, Caveen said, “With no explanation forthcoming, he sought answers from the Post Office.

He was told in no uncertain terms: this is your problem and your problem alone. At no point did it mention that other sub-

postmasters were seeing similar problems. We now know more than 2,000 were.”

He further told the publication that the Post Office had demanded to return the money.

Martin and his family paid more than £100,000 to the Post Office. Describing him as a “spirited and gregarious” Caveen said that he was “reduced to despondent solitude”.

The Court of Appeal has quashed the convictions of 39 sub- postmasters, but that doesn’t change the fact that about 700-plus were successfully prosecuted for theft, fraud and false

accounting. Sub-postmasters and their families deserve justice, which is already too late, but hopefully not denied. The list of subpostmasters includes many South Asian names like Seema Misra and Vijay Parekh who suffered the “biggest miscarriage of justice”.

Financial Times reported, “The main response to this scandal must be to see justice done and fully compensate those subpostmasters who have had their lives wrecked. But we should also learn some lessons from it.

The government has launched an inquiry into what went wrong. But the testimony, the

experiences of sub-postmasters recorded by investigative reporter Nick Wallis, and interviews with technologists and lawyers familiar with the case provide strong clues.”

Boris Johnson, who spoke to three sub-post masters on Friday, said: “We will stand with them to find the answers to what went wrong.”

Sir Ed Davey, the Lib eral Democrat leader supports a full public inquiry. Davey also said that, “Going back over 20 years, no government handled this well and I am sure every minister during that time will wonder if they could have done more.”

Boris Johnson said on Monday afternoon that there is a "good chance of being able to dispense with the 1m+ rule from 21 June".

The prime minister also said that the next stage of England's roadmap out of lockdown on 17 May 'looks good' and 'can go ahead'.

During a campaign visit in Hartlepool, the prime minister told reporters: "I think we've got a good chance, a good chance, of being able to dispense with one-metre plus."He stressed the move would be "dependent on the data" and "we can't say it categorically yet", but added: "That's what it feels like to me right now."

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Make your voice heard says Lord Bilimoria Lord Bilimoria, CBI President, founder and Chairman of Cobra Beer, has issued a statement on the need for the support of the business community to assist in the growing Covid19 crisis within India.

In his statement Lord Bilimoria, said, “Business stands in solidarity with India in light of the devastating health crisis which is unfolding.

“At this crucial moment we are urging UK firms to donate critical resources and supplies where they can.

This includes: ventilators and breathing apparatus, lateral flow tests, empty

refillable oxygen cylinders with 10 litres and 45 litres LMO capacity, ISO containers to facilitate transport of liquid oxygen to deficient areas, oxygen concentrators, in situ oxygen manufacturing plants for hospitals, oxygen generator plants, bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) machines, PPE,

warehousing, transport & logistics. There is also an urgent need for Remidisvir and Favipiravir to help treat those with the virus.

“We are working very closely with the Indian High Commissioner, Gaitri Issar Kumar, and her team in London and the British High Commissioner, Alex Ellis, and his team in Delhi.

Our CBI office in Delhi is involved throughout and we are in constant touch with the CII, our sister organisation in India. I say to any business out there - If your business can help, make your voice heard,” Lord Bilimoria said.

Boris seeks tougher treason laws to prosecute Islamic state jihadists Boris Johnson is planning to overhaul Britain’s treason laws to make it easier to prosecute jihadists returning from Syria and Iraq.

With a proposal to reverse the burden of proof needed to prosecute a British citizen who has travelled overseas to join a terrorist group such as Islamic State. Individuals need to give a legitimate reason to justify their trip to a legally designated “hotspot” to

which travel is banned or face prosecution under treason laws.

It is understood the security services fear that even those who are prosecuted get away with lenient sentences.

Prosecuting under treason laws would increase the maximum sentence for membership or support of a terrorist group to life in prison.

The Home Office confirmed that the government

was considering the case for reforming treason laws but said that the review was still in progress and no conclusion had been reached.

The plans include prosecuting foreign spies who operate in Britain in a move designed to protect the nation from hostile states such as China and Russia.

Everyone working on behalf of foreign governments in Britain would have to register their presence.

UK Government to set out post-Covid strategy Boris Johnson has approved a legislative programme of more than 25 bills that will implement planning reform and a new state aid regime, as he seeks to flesh out his strategy for post-pandemic economic recovery.

He wants the programme, to be outlined in the Queen’s Speech on May 11 at Westminster, to deliver meat of the the Conservatives’ 2019 election manifesto and signal the start of a return to “normality” after Covid-19, according to people briefed on the plans.

Rishi Sunak, whose March Budget included plans to raise Britain’s tax burden to the highest level since the 1960s to help pay for the coronavirus crisis, is reluctant to commit to yet

more public spending as he tries to control government borrowing.

Among the measures will be legislation to boost economic growth and narrow regional inequalities — Johnson’s “levelling up” agenda — including a planning bill to clear obstacles to house building and broader development.All councils in England would have to designate land either for development or preservation, as the government aims to hit a target of building more than 300,000 homes a year.

The post-Brexit state aid regime is intended to enable the government to be more “nimble” in supporting jobs. The business department has been seeking views on how the arrangements could allow

the government to make strategic interventions in industry.

There will also be bills to create free-ports: low-tax zones featuring simpler planning rules that ministers have said will serve as hubs for high-value manufacturing and innovation.

Sceptics cite research suggesting they tend to shift jobs and investment around the country, rather than generate new business.

A health and care bill will carry out NHS reforms to strengthen the health service after the pandemic.

The bill will reverse key aspects of a 2012 shake-up of the NHS that gave it greater operational independence and sharply increased the role of competition.

Care home residents allowed to visit public places Care home residents will now be allowed to visit friends and families in parks and gardens without having to isolate when they get back.

Residents will have to be accompanied by staff or a nominated visitor and should not go indoors except to the lavatory or to vote in Thursday’s local elections. Public transport should be avoided if possible, they will be told.

So far 71 per cent of care home residents have had two vaccinations and Jonathan Van-

Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, said this week that it would be “incredibly safe” for fully vaccinated people to meet indoors.

Until now residents who left care homes would have to be isolated for 14 days on their return. They will now be able to go to relatives’ back gardens, parks and other outdoor spaces without restrictions when they return home.

Landmark Domestic Abuse Bill receives Royal Assent The Domestic Abuse Bill passed both Houses of Parliament and was signed into law on April 29. The Domestic Abuse Act will provide further protections to the millions of people who experience domestic abuse and strengthen measures to tackle perpetrators.

For the first time in history there will be a wideranging legal definition of domestic abuse which incorporates a range of abuses beyond physical violence including emotional, coer cive or controlling behaviour, and economic

abuse.

The measures include important new protections and support for victims ensuring that abusers will no longer be allowed to directly cross-examine their victims in the family and civil courts, and giving victims better access to special measures in the courtroom to help prevent intimidation – such as protective screens and giving evidence via video link.

Police will also be given new powers including Domestic Abuse Protection Notices providing victims with immediate protection

from abusers, while courts will be able to hand out new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to help prevent offending by forcing perpetrators to take steps to change their behaviour, including seeking mental health support or drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

Speaking on the new law, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Domestic abuse and violence against women and girls are utterly shameful. As Home Secretary, I am determined to work tirelessly to keep vulnerable people safe and bring crime down.”

Cummings wants Sunak in No 10 Dominic Cummings is eager for Rishi Sunak to become prime minister so that his gang of Vote Leave campaigners have a “new host” for their ambitions.

Senior figures in government are understood to be alarmed by reports reaching Conservative whips that Cummings, who has turned on the prime minister, “will not rest until Boris has left the building”.

The former aide, who has accused Johnson of falling “below the standards of competence and integrity the country deserves”, helped Sunak’s promotion

to chancellor. “Cummings wants to create the third coming of Vote Leave, and sees Sunak as the host who can carry them back to power,” said one Tory.

However, political allies

of Sunak say he would not entertain the idea of a return to government for C u m m i n g s .

Johnson’s aides are concerned that Cummings has stockpiled further damaging material to engineer the prime minister’s political demise.

An ally of Sunak said: “Rishi and Dom enjoyed a good working relationship, but they have not spoken since Dom left Downing Street last November.”

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16 WOMEN'S VOICE

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8 - 14 May 2021

How Asian communities are embracing the opportunity to become their own bosses Shefali Saxena Subha Ganesh is the founder of a new home-cooked food cooks platform and community delivery service. NoshyCircle isn't like other 'takeaway' based food apps etc, because it's not fast food.

NoshyCircle cooks are rated home cooks that are running their own kitchens like a business. The NoshyCircle platform allows and supports them in becoming their own boss. For many, this is a massive plus while they're normally at home (either due to family life or the current pandemic) they're in the kitchen cooking delicious home meals. It lets you order the same meals that can be ordered by the local community and gives the cooks an income. NoshyCircle is safe and secure for all cooks, no personal address details are shared with customers. NoshyCircle takes care of all the eco-friendly packaging and the deliveries.

Subha spoke to Asian Voice about how Asian communities are embracing the opportunity to become their own bosses and how people are enjoying the delicacies that are being cooked.

Please tell us briefly about the

advent of NoshyCircle.

NoshyCircle is a revolution in the takeaway world – it’s a marketplace for home cooks.

Current convenient takeaways are detrimental to our health.

There’s a steep increase in obesity in both adults and children due to unhealthy eating habits.

NoshyCircle brings takeaway convenience but with wholesome home-cooked meals.

How many home cooks (especially Asians) are a part of it?

There are around 30+ active home cooks on the platform.

90% have an Asian background.

Please share some data about the platform.

We launched the business in Nov’20 in Harrow. In six months, we have expanded from Harrow to Wembley, Watford and Aylesbury.

We have processed 1000+ orders with revenue of around £8k+. We have 100+ dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Thai, Italian, Caribbean cuisines. One of the unique features is that you can buy from multiple kitchens in one single transaction, so if you want an Indian while the kids want Italian, you can order both for just £1 additional delivery.

You select the delivery time slot you want and we deliver your food fresh and hot to your doorstep.

How has it helped the South Asian community during the pandemic?

Subha Ganesh Most of our cooks were economically inactive until they started on our platform. Now they are actively making money and have registered as selfemployed. The platform has helped many women to turn their passion into an income making business. During the pandemic and working from home, our cooks were able to provide healthy wholesome food to our customers. Customers are able to relax and focus on their job as we deliver freshly cooked lunch and dinner.

What kind of responsibility comes with starting something related to food?

Unlike other business categories, though we are a tech platform, there is a responsibility from our side. Our due-diligence process ensures that all the cooks

are registered with their local council and hold Level 2 food safety certification.

We also do a home visit to check their kitchen and general hygiene before they join the platform and every quarter from there.

We have food tasting sessions before we activate any kitchen and also have regular secret shoppers and bloggers who taste the food and give us their feedback.

What's the future of the platform in the post- Covid world?

We are currently building a website to enable older people to order through the platform. We are also exploring the opportunity of real time ordering, where customers will get some basic food even if they forget to order by the pre-order time. We have nutrition labels on the platform currently, we are expanding the health aspect by providing the opportunity to filter using nutritional requirements and also customers can set their health goal and our AI system will recommend the right meal for their goal.

‘Learning to Love: Arranged Marriages and the British Indian Diaspora’ In a new book, ‘Learning to Love: Arranged Marriages and the British Indian Diaspora’, Dr Raksha Pande, Senior Lecturer in Newcastle University's School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, discusses how instead of being wedded to traditions, many British Indians have adapted many of the cultural norms surrounding arranged marriage.

The book moves beyond stereotypes that often confuse arranged marriages with forced marriages. Using real life stories of marriages among British Indians, it shows the diversity of arrangements and the ways in which arranged marriages have changed between generations.

The research highlights two styles of arranged marriage that lie between these two extremes and that appear to be more common in practice.

The first of these can be understood as ‘semi-arranged’, where parents who wish to help

Dr Raksha Pande

their child find a potential partner will introduce them to several candidates that they think may be a suitable match. The relationship then follows an established Westernised pattern of the couple going on dates to get to know each other better and if they fall in love, then getting married.

The other is what she calls ‘love-cum-arranged marriage’ where the person wanting to get married finds someone themselves that they like and will go on dates with them to get to know them before asking their

parents to approach the parents of that person in order to arrange a formal introduction. This is then followed by family approved courtship, then marriage.

Through discussions with different generations of British Indians, Dr Pande found that attitudes towards arranged marriages began to noticeably shift for the British-born generations.

“Among the first generation of British Indians, transnational arranged marriages were the norm - where they would go back to India to find a partner and there was still an expectation that their children would follow this traditional style of arranged marriage,” she said. “But there was a marked shift in the atti-

tude of the British-born second generation, this group began to want something different for their own children. And we are moving towards a situation where now, some British Indian parents are actually surprised when their child asks them to introduce them to someone, so a lot has changed in three generations.”

In both semi-arranged and love-cum-arranged marriages, Dr Pande’s research highlighted that the person getting married is actively involved in the arranged marriage decisions.

The fact that both these forms still involve marriage within the same religion and class is what makes them arranged marriages.

More women urged to come forward to shape women’s health strategy Women from Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those living in the Midlands and East of England and women over-50 are being urged to respond to the government’s call for evidence to help inform the first ever women’s health strategy.

There has already been an incredible response to the call for evidence, with over 50,000 women, organisations, clinicians and carers responding so far.

However early analysis shows women from the Midlands and East of England, those from Asian and other

minority ethnic backgrounds, and over-50s are underrepresented in sharing their experiences. This representation is necessary to ensure the strategy works for all women.

To enable as many women as possible to have their say and capture a variety of views on access to services, experiences and health outcomes, the call for evidence will now be extended by two weeks, to close on 13 June.

Dr Geeta Nargund, Senior NHS consultant and fertility pioneer, said: “It is fantastic to hear that over 50,000 people have now contributed to the government consultation, but if we are to achieve equality in healthcare

then respondents must be representative of the wider population. “For example, there are specific conditions that are more prevalent in women from BAME backgrounds and if their experiences are not captured by the consultation then there is a risk that their experiences will not be reflected in future policy decisions or strategies.

“Ultimately, this consultation will be used to help support our NHS and healthcare system to deliver the best service it possibly can for all women in the UK, and we must do all we can to ensure it’s a success.”

in brief ALL WOMEN SHOULD LEARN SELF-DEFENCE

Zee Jogi, who belongs to Blackburn thinks that all women should learn self defence irrespective of their religion or culture. Jogi is a qualified self-defence and restraint instructor, Muay Thai Kickboxing instructor and fitness trainer. With over 15 yearsexperience, the 32-year-old qualified last year and started working as part of the ZS Defence Academy, a community organisation teaching girls as young as 10 and targeting women in the South Asian community as well as vulnerable women involved in domestic abuse. She said: “As part of our many projects, we support female domestic abuse victims, and my main aim is to help girls learn how to stay safe. It’s just breaking the stigma as well in the South-Asian community because it is quite a male dominated sport. I think all women should learn how to fight, especially south Asian women because it is not the norm for them.”

WOMEN LOST NEARLY $800 BILLION IN INCOME DUE TO COVID-19 As per Oxfam, the pandemic has had a harsher impact on women who have suffered a 5 per cent loss of jobs, which is more than men who have suffered a 3.9 percent loss.

Women, globally, have lost more than 64 million jobs this year and have suffered at least $800 billion in lost income last year — which is equivalent to a combined GDP of 98 countries.However, the real number is assumed to be much higher than this as this study does not include numbers of the women who worked in non-registered sectors and in South Asian countries. The report has not been able to register women who are overrepresented in low-paid and precarious sectors such as tourism, retail, and hospitality, which have been the worsthit sectors globally.

SOUTH ASIAN THERAPISTS CONNECT WITH SOUTH ASIAN CLIENTS VIA NEW TOOL South Asian Therapists launched a new platform in June 2020 last year which can connect them to South Asians who seek therapy. Launched by Raj Khaira, a lawyer and anti-oppression activist, who worked alongside Poonam Saini, Creative Director at KISS Branding, the platform has rapidly helped thousands of people from around the world find a South Asian therapist near them. The directory gets over 160,000 views per month. 95% of these views come from the US, U.K. and Canada. It is the number one directory for South Asian therapists & the largest South Asian mental health community in the world. South Asian Therapists dot org also has an approved monthly self care package which includes a mental health workbook that explores therapy concepts from a South Asian perspective.

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8 - 14 May 2021

UK-India’s £1bn handshake In a virtual meeting on May 4, during the ‘Leaders Summit On Climate’ UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Indian PM Narendra Modi agreed upon a deeper

announcement of new trade and investment deals with India, IEA Academic Fellow and Competere CEO Shanker Singham said: “It is important that Prime Minister Modi

Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi greet each other; Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar with Priti Patel; Picture

by Tim Hammond / No 10 Downing Street

cooperation between the UK and India, including a new Enhanced Trade Partnership paving the way for a future UKIndia Free Trade Agreement.

This followed after Johnson cancelled his trip to India amid its soaring Coronavirus cases in April 2021. India’s Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar is also on a four day visit to the UK to attend the G7 Summit between May 3 - 6.

According to the agreement, with the whopping £1bn of new UK-India trade and investment announced by the prime minister, over £533m of new Indian investment into the UK, which is expected to create more than 6,000 jobs in vital and growing sectors such as health and technology. £200m of these deals will support low carbon growth.

It was also reported that this includes a £240 million investment by the Serum Institute of India in the UK into their vaccine business and a new sales office which will create a large number of jobs. The sales office is expected to generate new business worth over $1 billion, £200 million of which will be invested into the UK. Prime Minister Modi pressed Boris Johnson over the status of two fugitive tycoons, Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. Mr Johnson cited "legal hurdles" but promised to extradite them back to India as soon as possible. In a strategic move, India will take back illegal migrants from UK For 3,000 Worker Visas.

Tech and digital partnership In addition to that, British businesses have also secured new export deals with India worth more than £446 million, which will drive UK growth and create more than 400 British jobs. This includes CMR Surgical exporting its next-generation ‘Versius’ surgical robotic system which helps surgeons perform minimal access surgery being rolled out to hospitals in India. This export deal is worth £200 million and will result in the creation of 100 new jobs in the UK. UK finally manifests its whiskey dream Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “In the decade ahead, with the help of the new Partnership signed today and a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, we will double the value of our trading partnership with India and take the relationship between our two countries to new highs.

“The Enhanced Trade Partnership agreed today creates immediate opportunities for British businesses in India across industries including food and drink, life sciences and the service sector. Nontariff barriers on fruit and medical devices will be lowered – allowing British businesses to export more of their products to India and boosting UK growth and jobs.

A future UK-India trade deal will support hundreds of thousands of jobs and boost the economies of both the UK and India by potentially lowering or removing current tariffs such as those of up to 150% on whisky and up to 125% on automotives as well as on other British products. It would also create huge benefits for British services – 4 out of 5 of India’s fastest-growing imports are for services like IP and telecommunications.

IEA fellow comments on UK-India trade and investment deals Responding to the Prime Minister’s

acknowledges the challenges I outlined, especially in the area of property rights protection, and the cases I highlighted where property rights were being violated.”

FICCI Welcomes the announcement of £1 billion invest boost by UK and India Welcoming the announcement by Britain and India of a private sector led investment of £1 billion, Baroness Prashar, Chairperson, FICCI UK Council said, “It is heartening to see the announcement of more than £533m by Indian Private sector that will create over 6,000 jobs and investments in sectors like healthcare, technology will help build better economic links between the two countries.”

Commenting on the announcement, Uday Shankar, President, FICCI said, “We are happy to see the ‘Roadmap 2030’ being adopted to elevate bilateral ties to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”

Mission £23 billion by 2030 Responding to the UK-India deal, Lord Karan Bilimoria, CBI president, said: “The enhanced trade partnership will usher in a new era of UK-India relations and shows the world the strength of our relationship.

Paving the way for a future UK-India Free Trade Agreement and setting the ambition of more than doubling bilateral trade from the current level of £23 billion by 2030. As leaders in tech and innovation this enhanced partnership will unlock opportunities for businesses, boost job creation and growth across the country.

“Through joint efforts and collaborations we’ve seen the best from our two nations in the fight against Covid. As India battles with a devastating outbreak we’ll need that same spirit and solidarity to overcome this wave. I urge any businesses that can help supply vital medical equipment and support to get in touch with the CBI.” Dr S Jaishankar signs the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement On May 4, Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Dr S Jaishankar met Home Secretary Priti Patel while participating in the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meet. Patel and Jaishankar signed the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement to facilitate legal travel and encourage talent flows.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “A fruitful meeting this morning with Home Secretary @pritipatel. Signed the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement that would facilitate legal travel and encourage talent flows. The living bridge between India and the UK will get stronger as a result.” This pact will provide enhanced employment opportunities for 3,000 young Indian professionals annually, in return for India agreeing to take back any of its citizens who are living illegally in the UK. He is also set to interact with his UK counterpart Dominic Raab over geopolitical issues that threaten to undermine democracy, freedoms and human rights. They will also discuss relations with Russia, China and Iran as well as the crisis in Myanmar, the violence in Ethiopia and the ongoing war in Syria.

Jaishankar will join foreign ministers from G7 nations - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, US, UK and the European Union - and guest countries, including Australia, the Republic of Korea and South Africa and the Chair of ASEAN, in a bid to agree on decisive action on the most critical global issues such as threats to democracy.

Grand opening of Bright Little Stars Nursery in Stratford On Saturday 24th April 2021, Bright Little Stars Nursery officially opened the doors to their newest, purpose-built nursery in Stratford during a small ribbon-cutting ceremony in line with the current guidelines in the presence of Councillors Joshua Garfield and Terry Paul from the Stratford & New Town Ward of Newham Council.

CEO Amol Devani said, “Despite the challenging year, I am extremely proud of the BLS team who have persevered to bring our high-quality care and education offering to Stratford, Newham.’’

Nursery Manager, Karma Khosla, said, “We at Bright Little Stars are incredibly excited to be joining the community of Newham. We look forward to bringing our unique educational learning programme for both parents and children and to providing outstanding care, setting the foundation for a life-time of learning.”

Bright Little Stars Nursery will be

creating 35 jobs for people in the local community and is open 8:00am to 6:00pm for babies and young children aged between 6 months to 5 years old, 50 weeks a year, providing a valuable option for working parents.

Participating in both 15 and 30 hours free entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds and accepting Tax-Free Childcare payments for any age this opening will provide high quality nursery places. For more information about Bright Little Stars Stratford, or to register for a viewing please visit: www.BrightLittleStars.com/Stratford

Two fully vaccinated people meet is safe, but it’s not allowed Two fully vaccinated people would be “incredibly safe” meeting indoors but ministers are not allowing it as they want to ease restrictions for everyone at once.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said: “The decision we’ve taken is widely supported across the country which is to move together. And that’s what the road map out of lock-Down does.” The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has issued specific advice to people who have received both vaccine doses, allowing them to mix indoors with no masks and no social distancing. Van- Tam said: “I would be

highly confident, scientifically, that if those were reputable vaccines, then indeed it would be incredibly safe for those two people to meet.”

18 UK - FINANCE

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8 - 14 May 2021

Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel UK pension holders have a big problem.

And no, it's not the collapse of another investment fund like Woodford Equity.

The problem is one of financial ignorance when it comes to their pensions.

The State of UK Pensions Last year, a survey by MoneyMagpie and PensionBee laid bare the issue. Its findings were astounding. 75% of UK adults don't know what they'll get from their pension fund upon retirement.

Additionally, 50% of UK citizens don't know how many pension pots they have. Finally, 45% say they will be relying on a state pension once they retire.

Frankly, this is irresponsible. But, should we be surprised? An article in the Financial Times recently declared that "we are living in the Golden Age of Ignorance." Sadly, they might have a point.

Despite education levels and the flow and access of information being at their highest, something is going wrong. But, while believing in COVID19 conspiracy theories might only cost you credibility among peers, ignorance about your pension could leave you living in poverty in retirement. Similarly, a survey of over 18m adults by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) found that 56% of respondents said they weren't confident they were saving enough for retirement. Indeed, the PLSA feels that many people are sleepwalking into their 60s before waking up in horror when it's too late.

The Bleak Future for UK Retirees Life expectancy in the United Kingdom is approximately 82 years. By the time this generation of workers gets around to retiring, it will be more like 86 or 87. Even when retirement is raised to 67, that means the best part of 20 years reliant on an insufficient pension.

A government pensions research study from 2020 outlined how many citizens are woefully unprepared for retirement. Many respondents interviewed for the report had no plan for when they stopped working. Indeed, some suggested they'll keep working into their 80s.

Studies like this just keep on coming. A 2019 survey by Aviva UK suggests 64% of workers over 45, i.e. 9 million people, have no idea what they'll need for a comfortable retirement. While over half that amount doesn't even know how much they've currently saved. Yet, one bright spot is the government's pension auto-enrolment scheme. While many are still just contributing the bare minimum, more than 60% of UK 25-54 years olds currently have a private pension. However, the coronavirus crisis may have reduced that number. Research from

Royal London suggests 40% of Millennials have stopped or reduced their pension contributions during lockdown.

High rents, unaffordable housing, and the spectre of a pandemic related recession mean that things look bleak for this generation of workers. And that is before figuring out how the government plans to pay back the pandemic rescue packages. Additionally, as people begin to live longer, the ratio of taxpayers to retirees may spiral into a pensions crisis.

What Can Workers Do To Save for Retirement?

So, what is to be done?

UK workers need to understand that it's never too late to start investing.

Additionally, it's never too early.

Workers need to aim for a level of personal responsibility about their retirement funds.

Financial literacy is a must.

People need to have a greater understanding of what they need for retirement. By understanding the actual costs of life post-work, they can better understand what they need to invest.

Investing in stocks and shares is an excellent way to save for a pension.

Market returns and compounding can turn even modest regular savings into a pot of a reasonable size. Too much money is being wasted in low-yield ISAs and SIPPs. The longer the average British worker ignores this, the further likelihood they will be plunged into poverty by retirement age.

How Can People Take Control?

So, how can workers make the most of the money they can invest for retirement? It's simple: Learn the basics of investing. We have a free campaign and resources available at www.campaignforamillion.com. Here, people can demystify the investment process and see through all the bluster.

From here, should they choose, they can learn to pick their own stocks.

Leaving their pensions in the hands of investment fund managers is not an adequate strategy. These managers consistently deliver below-market results and charge exorbitant fees for the privilege.

By accessing video, webinars, and books, UK citizens can close the information gap between them and the privileged minority. A lack of financial literacy creates a huge opportunity cost and reinforces the poverty gap.

Investing in stocks carries risk.

Understandably not every citizen will want or be able to do it. But at least they should understand the right questions they need to ask of their IFAs (Independent Financial Advisors) and about their pension funds.

LOCCA celebrates MSME month with its first ever UK-India Living Bridge webinar London Overseas Centre of Cost Accountants (LOCCA) celebrated organised its first international webinar UK–India Living Bridge on 23rd April jointly with the BFSI Committee, International Affairs Committee and Directorate of Studies of The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) in association with the British Deputy High Commission Kolkata, UK India Business Council and Indian Business Group. The event marked April as the MSME month and was also supported

by Federation of Small and Medium Industries (FOSMI) West Bengal, SME Chamber of India Maharashtra, Pointers Business Group, Kolkata.

CMA Anirban LOCCA Chairman, Mukhopadhyay in his opening remark said, the primary objective of the seminar was to extend business and higher education opportunities for Indian students and facilitate interactions from UK stakeholders to enable new businesses connecting both countries. The International Affairs Committee Chairman, CMA Vijender Sharma highlighted the Institute’s legacy and talked about its 500,000 members and the presence of over 85,000 students across the globe.

Bengal and post-Brexit opportunities The FOSMI Bengal President Biswanath Bhattacharya set the event on the roll with comprehensive insights on the opportunities in Bengal for UK trade. He spoke about areas of supply chain manufacturing, joint venture, technology transfer and buy back, highlighting specific industry sectors in Bengal viz. railway equipment, foundry products, speciality chemicals, food processing, packaging, electrical and electronics, solar and renewable energy, defence, and light engineering which may be explored to focus for trade and investment opportunities from and to U.K. The founder president of the SME Chamber of India and Federation of Indian SME Associations, Chandrakant Salunkhe spoke about how the chamber is helping in developing entrepreneurship in western India particularly with highlights of the UK SME Business Council and its positive role in empowering SME growth in India. He also spoke about setting up of MSME stock exchange and facilitating bank loans to micro and small entrepreneurs through the council.

The ICMAI president CMA Biswarup Basu praised the good work being done by LOCCA and focussed on the detail of recent developments of the MSME sector in India particularly in terms of contribution to India’s GDP and employment generation. He made a special mention of Debashis Ghosh for publishing the inaugural edition of the newsletter.

In his keynote speech, guest of honour Nick Low, the British Deputy High Commissioner of Kolkata touched upon how the impending UK India enhanced trade partnership would help to make up the contraction in trade deficit in UK economy post Brexit. He praised the ‘living bridge’ initiative of LOCCA in helping to develop finance courses for British professionals in association with the academic institutes. In his concluding remark Mr. Low spoke about the new opportunities opening for Indian business diaspora in the UK with new investments and incentives offered by the UK government to push for the signing of the free trade agreement.

Kevin McCole, MD of the UK India Business Council touched upon how his organisation is helping the trade and investment growth between UK and India particularly connecting the UK SMEs with Indian counterparts along with contributing to India’s ‘Make in India’ mission in number of ways. He talked about the ‘Access India’ programme that UKIBC is working on, along with government of India and the Indian High Commission in London. Mr. McCole also mentioned about the growing market for SME startups in the UK Scottish Development International Director Dr Farzana Lakdawala in her presentation showcased why Scotland is now a preferred destination for investments the UK and highlighted how the government of Scotland is supporting Indian companies to set up operations and facilitate inward investments.

Indian students and skill-based education The Education segment of the webinar saw equal gathering of eminent speakers from academic fraternities of the UK. The first speech was delivered by Prof. Dr. Sanjib Basu, Dean of Department of Commerce at St. Xavier’s College Kolkata who enumerated the growing aspiration of Indian students to pursue higher studies overseas and the common factors influencing their decisions.

Lord John Bird, MBE and Baron of Notting Hill spoke in detail about the ‘Future Generation Bill’ which is likely to affect the youths and talked about the relevance of the skill-based education for the newer generations.

Professor Jane Falkingham, Director of the Centre for Population Change at University of Southampton showcased the beautiful campus and the different courses on offer for international students by the University in her presentation. Special mentions were made on the specific connections Southampton has to Indian diaspora and India’s colonial history.

Daniele Petriello from the Home Office gave a crisp narrative on the new points-based immigration system for the aspiring students, skilled workers and the trade and investor community to invest in UK businesses. Associate Director of global engagement at University of Nottingham, Prof.

David Ouchterlonie talked about the internationalisation strategy and priorities to co-develop new and expand existing partnerships in support of India’s national and regional priorities and the UN sustainable development goals 2030. He also mentioned how the University is building meaningful civic and cultural exchanges to connect with the Indian staff members and student diaspora.

Avoid the elephant stampede!

Libor will be phased out by the end of this year and borrowers must act now to agree the transition process with Rhona Macpherson their lenders. But what is the best approach when lenders and borrowers’ transition processes are moving at different speeds? Although some progress has been made, discussions on Libor transition to an alternative ‘Risk Free Rate’ (currently SONIA for the UK) remain fragmented. Indeed, even within individual banks, we have seen inconsistent messaging to customers.

One common concern is the progress made in the debt market which lags that

of the derivatives market. With this in mind, how can borrowers ensure there is no mismatch between their interest rate hedge and the underlying debt? This can have wider implications for those who apply hedge accounting in the form of added scrutiny from external auditors and the potential for hedge accounting ineffectiveness. ISDA recently published its protocol which governs derivative products but nothing similar has yet been published to govern the loan markets.

This has prompted discussion around the use of Term SONIA instead, which is designed to be a forward looking RFR alternative to Libor.On the surface it appears to address this issue. But it’s not that straightforward. One problem is that Term SONIA relies on SONIA

being a liquid and transparent market and the danger is a wider use of Term SONIA would rob the SONIA market of that liquidity.

At the same time, banks are at different levels of SONIA preparedness. Some can offer loans / hedge products referencing a replacement RFR. We have noticed that some lenders offer floating rate loans linked to Base Rate or fixed rate loans, although this is not an option offered to all borrowers. Worryingly, we have seen some banks offer a wider selection of options to some borrowers but not to others, which could lead to adverse outcomes for those with a limited choice.

Our advice amid this confusion? Be on the front foot. Every bank and borrower will need to do something with

existing LIBOR loans/hedges before 31 December 21. The first step is to identify where you have Libor exposure and decide your best case outcome. Be part of the conversation and shape your Libor transition otherwise it is in danger of being shaped by others. There could easily be a stampede for the exit as the deadline approaches which may impact the transition process. Importantly, there will be a spread adjustment made to any replacement RFR so be sure to avoid any unintended transfer of value.

Engage with your lenders now, and seek commercial (not just legal) advice on the implications of this for you.

Tel: 020 7183 2277 www.vedantahedging.com

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India Inc looking to curb non-essential economic activity Even as the government has gone against the idea of announcing a full-scale nationwide lockdown in a bid to ensure livelihood, India Inc is voluntarily looking to curb nonessential economic activity over the next two weeks.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) president Uday Kotak urged the industry to “curtail all non-essential economic activity requiring physical presence of employees at the workplace, for the next weeks.

This is two necessary to break the chain of transmission. Industry should review operations and minimise the use of inperson manpower, limiting it to only critical operations or activities required by law.

All responsible corporates should strive to protect their employees and ensure that their employee balance sheet remains healthy.”

While many auto majors have already suspended production (or annual advanced maintenance) in their plants till May 9 or even more in certain cases, industry insiders feel that more companies are expected to go for suspension of production at their plants in the coming On Monday, days.

Mahindra & Mahindra announced to advance its annual maintenance plant shutdown in May. It said that the four-day shutdown would be in a staggered manner across its

automotive division manufacturing plants.

Earlier, Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, Toyota Kirloskar Motors, MG Motors, Suzuki Motorcycle and JCB India among others had already announced temporary suspension at their production facilities in the wake of rising Covid cases.

Coming out with a fresh prescription for the industry, Kotak suggested voluntary measures that include minimising all economic activity that requires in person presence at the work premises for the next two weeks; reviewing all critical operations and re-design the workflow to the extent possible to

minimise the requirement of physical presence of employees; making testing available for employees whose presence at the workplace is necessary for critical operations; and making quarantine facilities for infected available employees.

He said that despite all efforts, the overall numbers continue to rise and the healthcare system and medical personnel are stretched to the limit and exhausted. “Measures to the chain of break transmission are of paramount importance to mitigate human tragedy and loss of lives, alongside augmenting health infrastructure and medical supplies,” said Kotak.

Food delivery platform Zomato files for £820 mn IPO Food delivery platform Zomato filed a draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with markets regulator Sebi for an initial public offering (IPO) to raise £820 million.

This would be one of the first major IPOs from the new generation of Indian internet startups. Of the total, nearly $1 billion will be through the issue of fresh shares. Zomato’s early investor Info Edge will sell shares worth $100 million (around £75 million) through an offer for sale (OFS). Zomato, according to the filings, may also consider raising $200 million (about £150 million) more in a pre-IPO round.

This would be on top of over $900 million it raised in the last 12-18 months.

Info Edge, parent firm of online portal Naukri, first invested in Zomato in 2010 and still holds about 19%.

The Gurgaon-based firm was valued at $5.4 billion after the last financing round. Sources said Zomato could go public at a valuation range of $7-9 billion.

If successful, Zomato’s IPO would also set the stage for other local startups aiming to go public this year and the next. Zomato’s rival Swiggy, which is valued at $5 billion, is in the final stages of talks to raise around $450 million from SoftBank.

Zomato says its competitors include Swiggy, Domino’s,

McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and cloud major kitchen Rebel Foods.

Among its risk factors, it has said there is “intense competition in food delivery and other businesses”.

“We expect our costs to increase over time and our losses will continue given significant investments expected towards growing our business,” Zomato, founded

by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah in 2008, said in its filing. Zomato said it saw revenue of nearly $184 million in the first nine months of the last fiscal (between April and December, 2020), while its losses were close to $92 million.

It has identified advertisement and sales &

promotional expenses as key to acquiring new users and building its brand among consumers. It spent around 49% of its total income for advertising and promotions in the financial year ended March 2020, while the same in the April to December 2020 period was under 23%.

Zomato plans to use 75% of its IPO proceeds for organic and inorganic expansion in five years. “We expect to utilise at least 40% of the proposed deployment towards funding organic growth initiatives,” the company said. This would be largely in the areas of customer and user acquisition, delivery and technology infrastructure.

“We have made these investments in the past, and we expect these to continue to be critical for the growth of our business in the future,” it added.

Tatas get CCI nod for $1.2bn Bigbasket buy The Competition Commission of India (CCI) cleared Tata Digital’s acquisition of a majority stake in Bigbasket without conditions. Tata Digital’s interest in Bigbasket first became public last October.

The acquisition of a 64.3% stake in Bigbasket will make Tata Digital the leading player in e-grocery, setting the scene for a big battle with Amazon, Flipkart, JioMart and Soft-Bank-backed Grofers.

Tata Digital is a 100% arm of Tata Sons, the promoter of the $106-billion airline to automotive conglomerate. It will acquire 64.3% in Bigbasket’s online business-to-business arm Supermarket Grocery Supplies (SGS), the CCI said.

Later, SGS will acquire ‘sole control’ over Innovative Retail Concepts (IRC), which is engaged in business-toconsumer sales through the Bigbasket website.

The acquisition,

estimated to be worth $1.2 billion, bolsters the Tata conglomerate’s digital play as coronavirus-induced lockdowns and curfews propel India’s online shopping market. “When you look at trends for the future, there are clear signs.

Anything that is digital, we are making a big bet on,” Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran had said at an event early this year. “The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of technology, changing the way people live, work and consume as well as how companies operate.”

Tata Digital is in the final stage to acquire a majority stake in e-pharma platform 1MG which is expected to be

concluded soon. It has already infused £10 million in 1MG via a convertible instrument.

The d e b e n t u r e instrument, when converted into equity shares, will give Tata Digital a 5.7% stake in 1MG. Prior to this, Tata Digital had invested in CSC Grameen eStore, a rural e-commerce venture promoted by the government. Founded by five dotcom bust survivors in 2011, Bigbasket today operates in more than twodozen Indian cities. Existing Bigbasket investors Alibaba and Actis, which holds around 30% and 17% in the egrocer, will be selling their shares to Tata Digital, according to people briefed on the matter.

Tata Digital’s acquisition in Bigbasket comes after India tightened regulations for investments from Chinese entities. This has

restricted Alibaba from upping its stake in the Indian e-grocer.

Baking the deal

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

Predictably, the property I mentioned last week was snapped up, it went to the first investor who agreed the deal there and then.

We will be working with the lawyer closely this week for a swift exchange, as the deal is not secured until you have exchanged on it; and there’s many a slip between a lip and a cup.We have been on the other side of the fence with many deals, where initiallywe were the under bidders, and the front runner was taking too long on doing the exchange; typically the lawyers could not take a commercial decision on certain unknown factors.The agent then approached us to see if we would be comfortable with being issued another contract whilst another party was still in the game.

I actually prefer this situation, as the lawyers are then forced to move fast and take decisions.They could take months to exchange a deal or do it within a few days.

It’s one thing to close a deal, it’s another to structure it correctly.Both aspects are necessary, as you do not enjoy the gross income the property produces but the net income which actually goes into your pocket.

Ensuring this is maximised is often overlooked by developers, who tend to focus purely on the development, and not necessarily on the net profit.There are tools you can learn but these are honed and sharpened through experience, as there is no one size which fits all situations and personal circumstances.

As the shape of the property is a clean rectangle, the conversion should be relatively simple and straight forward.

The first phase permission will be applied for on exchange of contracts,with the aim of having the permission in place at the point of completion.What this means is the deal we will have exchanged on will not be the same in terms of value as the one which we will complete on; meaning the value will have been enhanced.

If you consider this point from a return on cash deployed perspective, the return is extremely high,as you only use 10% as exchange monies; in this case £100K.If you add £200K of planning gain you have trebled your return in a couple of months. I’m not talking pie in the sky planning; I’m talking about a particular planning permission, applicable to this particular property, that is certain to be granted as long as the criteria is met.

This is all academic, however, as the aim is to keep this asset on a long term basis. It’s vicinity to the station will ensure it attracts a continual stream of renters; and if and when it comes to selling it will attract a premium to the incoming investor who will appreciate the location of the asset.

We have a few more deals baking in the oven, but not quite readyto be taken out; these should be ready in the coming weeks or months.

ADB raises India's FY22 GDP forecast to 11% The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said that India’s GDP will rebound strongly by 11% in 2021-22 due to continued economic recovery boosted by increased public investment, vaccine rollout, and a surge in domestic demand. But it also cautioned that the surge in cases could hurt the recovery.

The ADB forecast assumes that vaccines are deployed extensively across the country and the second wave of Covid is contained.

The multilateral agency has upgraded India’s GDP growth projections from its earlier estimate of 8% expansion.

The devastation caused by the second wave has triggered worries about the

health of the economy and economists say the localised lockdowns across the country could hurt growth.

Ratings agency ICRA said it expects the country’s GDP to grow by 10-10.5% in FY22 as against 10-11% expected earlier. The key downside

risks to its forecasts are a continuation of the new wave of infections, an extension of the restrictions and severe restrictions being imposed in additional states and the existing vaccines not being effective enough against the new variants.

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Nepal runs out of hospital beds as India’s outbreak spills across the border Kathmandu: The coronavirus outbreak in India has spilled across the border into Nepal, where health officials have warned that hospital beds are unavailable, vaccines are running short and the number of new infections is rising faster than what clinics can record them. The situation is so dire in Nepal that the Health Ministry in the Himalayan nation issued a statement in which, in effect, it threw up its hands.

“Since coronavirus cases have spiked beyond the capacity of the health system and hospitals have run out of beds, the situation is unmanageable,” the ministry said after the government recorded 5,657 new infections on Friday, the highest daily total since October.

And with more than onethird of tests returning a posi-

tive result, officials worry that the actual number of cases is much higher. Nepalis who are infected but have only minor symptoms have been told to stay home to keep hospitalizations down.

Experts believe the outbreak is being fueled by Nepali migrant workers who returned home in recent weeks from

India as lockdowns were imposed there. The 1,100-mile border between the countries is porous, and hardly any of the returnees were tested for the coronavirus or placed into quarantine.

“Just a few days after returning from India, one of my relatives died in an ambulance,” said Narendra Singh, a local

leader from Bajhang, a western district near the Indian border.

“More and more people returning from India are getting sick.

And the virus is spreading here.

We don’t have any quarantine or isolation facilities in the villages.” Nepal has since closed its border crossings with India, but the virus is already spreading. In early March, Nepal was recording fewer than 100 cases a day. Now, the daily average exceeds 4,000 reported cases, according to reports. At the same time, Nepal’s vaccination drive has slowed. India donated one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and Nepal signed an agreement to purchase two million more from an Indian manufacturer. But India curtailed vaccine exports last month after its spike in cases in India.

Pak army ‘biggest land grabber’: Lahore HC LAHORE: In a rare rebuke of Pakistan’s army, the Lahore high court has called it the country’s “biggest land grabber” and said its uniform is for the service to the nation and “not to rule as a king”.

Lahore high court’s Chief Justice Mohammad Qasim Khan, during the hearing of a land grabbing case, said that he does not want to say anything wrong about the army, but the way it occupies the properties of people is nothing but land grabbing. “The army seems to have become the biggest land grabber in the country,” he said. “The uniform of the army is for service and not to rule as a king,” he

said while hearing petitions of three citizens seeking an order against the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), which is under the army, to not disturb their lawful possession of the land they had obtained on lease from the Evacuee Trust Property Board.

Regretting that the army had also grabbed a piece of land owned by the HC, Justice Khan said that he would instruct the LHC registrar to write a letter to the chief of the army staff (Gen Qamar Bajwa) on the issue. The bar also remained indifferent to the issue, he lamented. The chief justice said the corps commander of Lahore could be sum-

moned to verify the land grabbing facts.

He observed that the army had an attractive post-retirement welfare plan for its officers, which other institutions lacked. “Is it only the army that makes sacrifices? Do other institutions like the police, lawyers and judges not make sacrifices?” he asked. To a question, the counsel for the housing authority said that retired army officers work in the DHA. However, its administrator was a serving officer. The chief justice directed the DHA administrator and Lahore police chief Ghulam Mahmood Dogar to appear before the court. Justice Khan

Mohammad Qasim Khan

asked Dogar to better leave the job if he could not take any action against the illegal occupations by the DHA. As he ordered the police officer to lodge an FIR if he received any application against the DHA.

Lanka cabinet Bangladesh imposes 7 day approves proposed nationwide lockdown ban on burqas in public amid coronavirus surge

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s cabinet approved a proposed ban on wearing full-face veils, including Muslim burqas in public, citing national security grounds, despite a UN expert’s comment that it would violate international law. The cabinet approved the proposal by public security minister Sarath Weerasekera at its weekly meeting, Weerasekara said on his Facebook page.

The proposal will now be sent to the attorney general and must be approved by parliament to become law. The government holds a majority in parliament and the proposal could easily be passed. Weerasekara has called burqas, a garment that covers the body and face worn by some Muslim women, a sign of religious extremism and said a ban would improve national security.

Wearing of burqas was temporarily banned in 2019 after Easter Sunday bomb attacks killed more than 260 people. Two local Muslim groups that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group were blamed for the attacks at six locations - two Roman Catholic churches, one Protestant church and three top hotels.

Last month, Pakistani envoy Saad Khattak tweeted that a ban would hurt the feelings of Muslims. The UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed, tweeted that a ban would be incompatible with international law and the right to free religious expression. Muslims make up about 9% of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people, with Buddhists accounting for over 70%.

Dhaka: Amid surging coronavirus cases, Bangladesh has decided to impose a seven-day nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the deadly virus. The announcement was made by the Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader during a media briefing. Lockdown was initiated from Monday.

“Every office and court will be closed during this lockdown but industries and mills will continue their operation on rotation,” state minister for public administration, Farhad Hossain was quoted by Dhaka Tribune. When asked why will the mills be operational, Hossain said, "If we close the

mills then the workers may have to leave their workstations and head for home."

Bangladesh recorded the highest single-day increase in coronavirus cases by recording 5,358 infections recently. The situation has not gotten better since then. Considering the same, the government had also issued a directive imposing restrictions on public gatherings in areas with high infections.

These restrictions have also been imposed on political and religious gatherings. In addition to this, the buses are only allowed to accommodate 50 per cent of the seating capacity with required safety measures.

in brief CAR BOMB KILLS AT LEAST 30 IN AFGHANISTAN A huge car bomb blast killed at least 30 people and injured dozens more in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar province last week, officials said. The car detonated in Logar’s capital of Pul-e Alam near the home of the former head of the provincial council and not far from a hospital, Didar Lawang, the spokesman for Logar’s governor, said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast. Interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said that the death toll could rise.

Around 60 people were wounded, according to the head of Logar's provincial council, Hasibullah Stanekzai. A ministry of health spokesman said around 40 people had been taken to hospital, some in a critical condition.

MICHAEL COLLINS, ‘FORGOTTEN ASTRONAUT’ OF APOLLO 11, DIES American astronaut Michael Collins, who stayed behind in the command module of Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin travelled to the lunar surface to become the first humans to walk on the moon, died at the age of 90, his family said. He died of cancer. Often described as the “forgotten” third astronaut on the historic mission, Collins remained alone for more than 21hours until his two colleagues returned in the lunar module. He lost contact with mission control in Houston each time the spacecraft circled the dark side of the moon.”Not since Adam has any human known such solitude as Mike Collins,” the mission log said, referring to the biblical figure. Collins wrote an account of his experiences in his 1974 autobiography, “Carrying the Fire,” but largely shunned publicity. “I know that I would be a liar or a fool if I said that I have the best of the three Apollo 11seats, but I can say with truth and equanimity that I am perfectly satisfied with the one I have,” Collins said in comments released by Nasa in 2009.

US EMBASSY LIMITS SERVICES IN MOSCOW The US embassy in Moscow said it will sharply curtail its consular activities due to a Russian ban on hiring local residents to work there. The embassy said that starting May12, it will only provide emergency US citizen services and a very limited number of immigrant visas for such as life-or-death emergencies. It noted that non-immigrant visa processing for non-diplomatic travel will cease and it will stop offering routine notarial services, consular reports of birth abroad or passport renewal services for the foreseeable future. Moscow has moved to ban the US embassy and consular offices from hiring Russian and third-country nationals as part of its retaliation to a set of new US sanctions.

WASHINGTON DC POLICE DEPT’S DATA LEAKED Hacked data from the Washington, DC, police department started leaking onto the internet, making it the third police department in the US to be hit by cybercriminals in six weeks. A group called Babuk claimed responsibility for the leak. Babuk is known for ransomware attacks, which hold victims’ data hostage until they pay a ransom, often in Bitcoin. In their post to the dark web, Babuk’s cybercriminals claimed they had downloaded 250GB of data and threatened to leak it if their ransom demands were not met. They also threatened to release information about police informants to criminal gangs, and to continue attacking “the state sector,” including the FBI and the department of homeland security’s cybersecurity. The information already released appeared to include chief ’s reports, lists of arrests and lists of persons of interest.

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in brief NAVALNY’S OFFICES ON EXTREMISM LIST Russia’s financial monitoring agency said it had added jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s network of regional campaign offices to a list of organisations involved in “terrorism and extremism”. Navalny allies said they were disbanding the network as the authorities sought to ban them. A Moscow court is also considering whether to declare Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation “extremist”, a ruling that would give Russian authorities the power to jail activists and freeze bank accounts.

Navalny is serving a 2-1/2 year jail sentence for parole violations on an earlier embezzlement conviction that he says was politically motivated.

CONTROVERSIAL UGANDA JOURNALIST ARRESTED Former NBS/NTV journalist Dean Lubowa Saava of Uganda has been arrested over offensive communication and cyber stalking, police CID spokesperson Charles Twiine said. Saava has been airing series of stories on his YouTube channel implicating several prominent people in crimes. In some of the stories, Saava accused one Capt Kasami and singer Eddy Kenzo of recruiting young people into homosexuality. He also blackmailed city businessman Balaam Barugahara of grabbing Namasagali school’s land. After Saava’s arrest, Balaam said the journalist will have to prove his blackmail against him and other people.

WORLD BANK GRANTS $100 MN AID TO N MOZAMBIQUE The World Bank has granted $100 million for an emergency recovery project in northern Mozambique, where hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by a jihadist insurgency. An agreement for the funding - part of a three-year $700million project - was signed by the government and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) which oversees the project. Gas-rich Cabo Delgado province has been battered by a bloody jihadist insurgency since 2017 by a group known locally as al-Shabab. In a major intensification of the violence, Islamic State-linked militants raided the coastal town of Palma on March 24, killing dozens and driving more than 25,000 out of the town. Three years of violence has killed at least 2,800 people according to Acled, an NGO.

ZIMBABWE JOURNALIST WHO EXPOSES CORRUPTION WINS CASE A Zimbabwean court dropped a charge against award-winning journalist and government critic Hopewell Chin'ono, who had been accused in January of tweeting falsehoods about alleged police violence.

Chin'ono, 50, has been detained three times since he backed banned anti-government protests on social media in July, when he was first arrested and charged with inciting public violence. Two tweets landed him back in jail for allegedly obstructing justice in November and then publishing false information in January. The High Court of Zimbabwe dismissed the latter charge, declaring it had no legal basis. Chin'ono's lawyers had argued their client had been charged under a section of the criminal code that had been struck down by the Supreme Court in 2014. "The argument is upheld," high court judge Jesta Charehwa ruled.

DR Congo declares state of siege in violence -hit eastern provinces KINSHASA: The Democratic Republic of Congo has declared a ‘state of siege’ in violence-hit eastern provinces. Hundreds of people have been killed and many displaced in mineral-rich Ituri and North Kivu provinces due to a surge in attacks in recent months. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi visited French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris last week and warned him about the armed group issue in his homeland.

Nevertheless, he reiterated his call for reinforcements.

"In my country, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a group with Islamist tendencies has been created, one with Islamist discourse and methods and which is wreaking havoc among our population. Now, I am more determined than ever to eradicate it, and I am counting on France's support."

Announcing Tshisekedi’s

regions, where government troops and United Nations peacekeepers have struggled to contain the violence.

“This is a prelude to what I believe will be military operations in the area,” Musavali told Al Jazeera. “It’s worrisome because we’ve had military operations in the DRC,” he said.

Félix Tshisekedi “Hearing this state of siege taking place, it may decision, government bring confidence to the populaspokesman Patrick Muyaya said: tion as this is a path in the right “The objective is to swiftly end direction, but the question that the insecurity which is killing must be asked is how is this milour fellow citizens in that part of itary action different from previthe country on a daily basis.” He ous military actions.” Tshisekedi did not say what steps would be said he was preparing “radical taken next under the state of measures” to deal with the secusiege. rity situation in the east of the Kambale Musavali, an anacountry. lyst at Centre for Research on That followed the prime the Congo-Kinshasa, said it minister suggesting that a state looked increasingly likely the of emergency might be declared government would send in more in the east, “replacing the civil troops to the two affected

administration with a military administration”. An estimated 122 armed groups of varying sizes operate in eastern DRC, many a legacy of catastrophic regional wars in the 1990s. The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group formed in neighbouring Uganda more than two decades ago, is believed to be responsible for much of the recent bloodshed.

It has committed a spate of brutal reprisal attacks on civilians since the army began operations against it in late 2019, killing around 850 people last year, according to UN figures.

The violence has fuelled a humanitarian crisis with more than 1.6 million people displaced in Ituri out of a total population of 5.7 million people, UNICEF said in April. Some 2.8 million people there are in need of some form of emergency assistance, it said.

Top Uganda Airlines bosses told to go on leave over alleged corruption KAMPALA: The government of Uganda has dispelled allegations that it has suspended Uganda Airlines top bosses. Earlier reports have been making rounds that the airline's top hierarchy, including the CEO, Cornwell Muleya, have been sent packing after a dramatic intervention by transport minister General Edward Katumba Wamala, on orders from the state house.

Some media outlets have reported that up to 10 of Uganda

Airlines top management, including the CEO, financial director, head of safety and human resource director have gone on 3 months leave. “But the move, according to a source, is due to allegations of corruption, mismanagement and poor performance within the stateowned entity and will allow for a full investigation into the matter,” one local media house noted.

However, according to Minister Katumba, the officials

have not been suspended but asked to step aside to allow training of junior staff. “Because of the low tempo operations caused by Covid-19 and the fact that we have not yet started the long haul operations, top management at Uganda Airlines, asked to take leave,” Katumba said in a media brief. He added that this was done to “train and test deputies for quality assurance,

Zimbabwe sells rights to hunt endangered elephants HARARE: Zimbabwe is selling rights to shoot up to 500 elephants this year to generate public revenue, the country's wildlife agency said, weeks after the animals were listed as endangered. Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo said elephant hunting was allowed during the country's April to October rainy season. He said revenues from the controversial activity would be particularly important this year due to the economic setbacks of coronavirus.

"We got the authority to hunt a maximum of 500 elephants and that's how we make money," Farawo explained, noting that a single elephant hunt could cost up to $10,000. Hunters "require more assisting personnel like trackers, protective hunters and chefs," he added. "All this will be paid for and means more for revenue."

But conservation groups have voiced concern over hunting animals increasingly threatened with extinction. The Swissbased International Union for Conservation of Nature last month listed the African savanna elephant as "endangered" and the African forest elephant as "critically endangered", citing population declines due to poaching and loss of habitat.

Both species had previously been treated as a single category and listed as "vulnerable". "Poaching has continued unabated despite trophy hunting under

the guise of funding conservation," said Simiso Mlevu, spokeswoman for the Zimbabwe-based Centre for Natural Resource Governance. Mlevu also argued that hunters usually targeted large and healthy animals, leaving smaller, less aesthetically pleasing specimens that were less attractive to tourists.

Despite dwindling population numbers, Zimbabwe is faced with a surplus of elephants - estimated at around 84,000 for a carrying capacity of 50,000. Recurrent droughts have added to the strain of overburdened national parks, forcing the pachyderms to seek food and water further afield. Some encroach upon populated areas in the process, destroying crops and occasionally killing people who cross their path.

Farawo defended the decision to continue issuing hunting permits, noting that the practice has been going on since 1991 and there was "no need to make noise about it".

Edward Katumba Wamala

and let top management rest as we prepare for the long haul operations.”

Kenyan TV station suspended for airing explicit contents NAIROBI: The Communication Authority of Kenya has ordered the closure of a local television channel for a period of four weeks after the station aired explicit content on children's programmes. The authority alleges that the Mount Kenya TV channel aired inappropriate content during the watershed period during which it aired sexually explicit content and scenes containing drug abuse as well as robbery and violence.

“The Licensee acknowledged that the content aired was indeed inappropriate for the watershed period. The licensee attributed the violation to a content mix-up in the control room but failed to explain how the offensive content had found its way into the content server,” read a statement from the authority boss Mercy Wanjau.

‘The Authority has established that the airing of the animated movie, ‘Free Jimmy’, was in blatant breach of the Broadcasting Regulations, the Programme Code, and the terms and conditions of the station’s broadcasting license,” said the acting CA Director-General Mrs. Wanjau. A fine of $4,600 was imposed on the channel’s and told that its journalists should to undergo special training before they resume operations. The station issued a statement apologizing on both on-air and social media pages.

It further assured that it will review its editorial policy to align it with requirements of the law on the protection of children and to file a copy with the authority.

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Australia's India ban criticised as 'racist' rights breach CANBERRA: Australia's threat to jail citizens returning home from India has sparked condemnation, with critics labelling the Covid measure as "racist" and a breach of human rights. From Monday, any Australian arriving in the country from India faces fines and up to five years in prison. It comes after Canberra banned all flights from the virus hotspot until 15 May. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has dismissed accusations of racism.

"The same accusations were made against the government over a year ago when we closed the borders to mainland China," he said. "There's no politics or ideology in a pandemic... It's got nothing to do with politics, this is a virus." The policy marks the first time Australians have been criminalised for returning to their country, local media reported.

There are an estimated 9,000 Australians in India, 600 of whom are classed as

vulnerable. The government said the measures are based on medical advice aimed at protecting the community. The virus is surging in India, with daily cases in the country topping 300,000 for 10 consecutive days.

Officials said an increase in infection rates seen in Indian arrivals over the past fortnight has raised concerns. Australia has pursued a Covid elimination strategy - partly through strict border controls and mandatory quarantine - which has seen it record 910 deaths, far fewer than many other countries.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said India arrivals accounted for 57% of positive cases in quarantine, up from 10% in March. She said this placed a "very, very significant burden on health and medical services".

However critics - among them medical experts and legal groups - argue the government's move to criminalise Indian arrivals was extreme and disproportionate to

the health risks.

Federal Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi wrote on Twitter that the measures were "absolutely horrific and racist".

Prominent conservative media commentator Andrew Bolt said the policy was "so mean and irrational that I must also blame racism". "I can't believe we would impose such a travel ban on white Australians fleeing, from, say England."

Australia's former Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane pointed out the "inconsistency" in the government's policy, noting bans and criminal penalties weren't imposed on Australians returning from other nations at the height of their Covid waves.

"We didn't see differential treatment being extended to... the United States, the UK, and any European country even though the rates of infection were very high and the danger of arrivals from those countries was very high," he told the Sydney

Morning Herald newspaper.

"There are different standards at play here depending on which part of the world you're coming from."

Members of the IndianAustralian community, which makes up about 2.6% of the population, have expressed anger over the sudden ban. Some said they feel they are being treated like criminals and "second-class citizens" for wishing to flee danger. Legal experts have also raised concerns that the temporary ban violates international law. That includes the right for citizens to not be arbitrarily deprived entry to their country - recognised in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Australia is signatory.

The Australian Human Rights Commission said in a statement: "The Government must show that these measures are not discriminatory and are the only suitable way of dealing with the threat to public health."

Indiana prosecutor facing criticism after FedEx shooting that killed 4 Sikh Americans INDIANAPOLIS: An Indiana prosecutor is facing mounting criticism for declining to pursue court hearings that could have prevented a man from accessing the guns used to shoot and kill eight people at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. The leader of the Indianapolis police union said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears “failed to do his part” when he chose not to bring Brandon Scott Hole before a judge for a hearing under Indiana’s “red flag” law, even after his mother called police last year to say her son might pursue “suicide by cop.”

“Unfortunately, the lack of action by the Marion County prosecutor prevented a court hearing, which could have … prohibited the suspect from owning … any other firearms,” Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police president Rick Snyder said. “Why didn’t the prosecutor seek the hearing that the statute requires? Why

didn’t the prosecutor use all the legal tools available? Why didn’t the prosecutor try?”

The law allows police to confiscate guns from a person deemed dangerous to themselves or others.

Prosecutors can then decide whether to ask a court to ban that person from buying any other firearms. The law came under scrutiny following the assault after Mears criticized it for having too many “loopholes.” Despite calls from Democratic lawmakers to review and strengthen the red flag provisions, those actions

were put on hold. The 2021 legislative session ended April 22.

Police seized a pump-action shotgun from Hole, then 18, in March 2020 after they received the call from his mother. Mears said on April 19 that prosecutors did not seek a “red flag” hearing to try to prevent Hole from possessing a gun because they did not have enough time under the law to definitively demonstrate his propensity for suicidal thoughts.

Mears specifically pointed to a 2019 change in the law that requires courts to make a “good-faith effort” to hold a hearing within 14 days. An additional amendment requires authorities to file an affidavit with the court within 48 hours.

“This individual was taken and treated by medical professionals and he was cut

loose,” and was not even prescribed any medication, Mears said. “The risk is, if we move forward with that (red flag) process and lose, we have to give that firearm back to that person. That’s not something we were willing to do.”

Indianapolis police previously said that they never returned that shotgun to Hole.

Authorities have said he used two “assault-style” rifles to gun down eight people, four of them from the city’s Sikh American community, at the FedEx facility on April 15 before he killed himself. Members and leaders of the Sikh community have demanded that law enforcement conduct a “thorough” and “transparent” investigation, including a probe into the possibility of bias as Hole’s motivation, said Satjeet Kaur, executive director of the Sikh Coalition. Those calls have so far avoided direct criticism of Mears, however.

US to restrict travel from India over Covid WASHINGTON: The US will restrict travel from India starting May 4, the White House said, citing a devastating rise in Covid-19 cases in the country and the emergence of potentially dangerous variants of the coronavirus. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden’s administration made the determination on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high Covid-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in India,” she said. With over 400,000 new cases, India now has reported more than 18.7 million since the pandemic began, second only to the United States. The Health Ministry on Friday also reported 3,498 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 208,330. Experts believe both figures are an undercount, but it’s unclear by how much.

The US action comes days after Biden spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the growing health crisis and

pledged to immediately send assistance. The US has already moved to send therapeutics, rapid virus tests and oxygen to India, along with some materials needed for that country to boost its domestic production of Covid-19 vaccines. Additionally, a CDC team of public health experts was expected to soon be on the ground in India to help health officials there move to slow the spread of the virus.

The White House waited on the CDC recommendation before moving to restrict travel, noting that the US already requires negative tests and quarantines for all international travelers. Other restrictions are

in place on travel from China, Iran, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Brazil and South Africa, which are or have been hotspots for the coronavirus. There was no immediate comment on the new limits from the State Department, which on April 29 reissued a warning to Americans against traveling to India and said those already in the country should consider leaving by commercial means. That warning was accompanied by a notice that the department was telling the families of all US government employees at its embassy in New Delhi and four consulates in India that they could leave the country at government expense. US diplomatic facilities in India have not been immune from the pandemic and a handful of local staff have perished from the virus. Several dozen other local and US staffers have been sickened by Covid, according to the officials. The State Department has declined to comment on the number of staff affected, citing security and privacy concerns.

in brief FINALLY, PM CHANGES HIS CONTACT NUMBER Boris Johnson appears to have finally changed his phone number after it emerged that it had been freely available online for 15 years. The prime minister’s contact details were found at the bottom of a press release from 2006. Last night calls to the number were met with an automated answer phone message saying: “This person’s phone is currently unavailable.

Please try later or send a text.” It was revealed last week that Simon Case, head of the civil service, had advised Johnson to update his contact details amid concerns about the frequency with which MPs, lobbyists and business people were messaging him.

INDIA COULD SEND MORE STUDENTS IN SWAP FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANTS Britain will allow thousands more Indian students to enrol in universities in exchange for India agreeing to take back migrants living here illegally, it was said last night. London and Delhi are close to signing a “migration and mobility” deal to allow the plans to move towards securing a UK-India trade deal later this year. Government sources indicated that the deal could be agreed within days as the Indian foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will be in London for talks with the G7 later this week. India has pushed Britain to liberalise its visa regime, particularly for professionals and students. Officials estimate that there are up to 100,000 Indian migrants living in the UK illegally.

UK OFFICIALS CLOSE TO DEAL TO BUY MORE DOSES OF PFIZER According to a report, UK officials are close to finalising a deal to purchase tens of millions more doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in time for a third booster dose to be given to the elderly this autumn. Government sources said that they hope to roughly double the UK's original order of 40 million jabs. If talks succeed, the extra stock may also be used for those in their 20s, who are to be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca jab, the report added. Britain's NHS will start inviting those in their 30s for vaccines by the end of this week.

UK HITS BIG MILESTONE IN VACCINATION The milestone was announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday as the country looks forward to the next phase in the easing of restrictions to curb the spread of the disease on May 17. Mr Hancock hailed what he described as a “massive achievement”. “We’ve just delivered the 50 millionth jab across the UK!” he wrote on Twitter. Mr Johnson also gave a clear signal that international travel will begin on May 17 and backed the scrapping of social distancing rules in late-June. NHS England data released on Monday afternoon showed a total of 5,163,040 jabs were given to people in the capital up until Sunday, including 3,622,076 first doses and 1,540,964 second doses.

2020 CALIFORNIA FIRE WAS STARTED TO COVER UP MURDER A California fire that killed two people last year was set to cover up a murder, investigators said. The Markley Fire was started in Solano County on August 18, 2020 near where police found the burned body of 32-year-old Priscilla Castro. Police had previously said Castro was reported missing after she went on a date with Victor Serriteno two days before the fire.

“Based on an eight-month probe, we believe Serriteno deliberately set the fire in bid to conceal his crime,” the sheriff said. Serriteno, who was arrested for killing Castro, now faces charges of arson and the murders of both men who died in the fire. The Markley Fire later merged with other fires to form LNU Lightning Complex, one of the state’s largest wildfires.

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Drenched in sweat, hustling endlessly for the good of humankind

Dr. Prashant Kalavadiya

Kunjal Zala India is in dire need of help, as patients suffering from Covid-19 can't even find oxygen cylinders, beds and medicines. People across the world are trying their best to help, no matter how big the sacrifices are. One such brave-heart, who has put the needs of others above his, is Shahnawaz Sheikh from Mumbai.

Last year, he sold his Ford Endeavour (SUV) of Rs 22,00,000, to start an oxygen supply scheme in Mumbai.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Shahnawaz said, last year his friend’s wife died due to lack of oxygen and after which he decided to work as an oxygen supply agent for patients in Mumbai. In the second Covid-19 wave that is sweeping India now, Sheikh says his team has helped more than 600 people with oxygen cylinders. “On a daily basis, we get hundreds of calls for help.

Sometimes we are able to help and sometimes we fail”.

And now his initiative, the 'Unity & Dignity Foundation' has grown to help thousands of people.

He has set up a 24X7 control room, where a team is working day and night in order to coordinate and communicate over phone, with those in need of oxygen cylinders.

Spreading humanity A group of doctors has set an example of spreading humanity across the city. With the latest technological skills, the group runs two kitchens to provide free meals to around 500 people every day. The fellow doctors started the Covid food tiffin service by creating a system where they don’t need to come in touch with the patients and manage the entire process. They prepared a database that can be updated as and when required, communicate through Whatsapp, determine locations from Google Maps, and deliver food while saving their time.

Dentist Brijesh Anil Patel from Ahmedabad said,” I and my friend, Dr Viral Shah, campus director of LJ College, initiated to serve tiffin to all the needy people during the previ-

Shahnawaz distributing oxygen cylinders

Food packets ready to dispatch for Covid Patients

ous lockdown. This time we provide only evening meals, wherein the people have to register before noon daily. As soon as the registration process gets over, our cooks start preparing the food. As we are having a night curfew from 8 pm, the meal is delivered to the patient before 8 pm with a positive message written on it to motivate the patient.

Talking about the team, Dr Patel said, “we are a team of almost 25 people which includes my wife Dr Mili, Dr Ketul Patel, Dr Ashish Patwa, Vishal Sheth, Kunal Shah, Natasha, Shilpa, Manthan Sheth and many other doctors from the US are helping and motivating us in this noble cause. A lot of people are eager to help that some have even offered to lend their cars and other vehicles so that families get food on time.

This is a challenging job, but working in a smart and contact-less manner helps us to spread a huge smile on many faces”.

When Asian Voice correspondent asked Dr Prashant Kalavadiya, “How deadly is the second wave of Covid-19? What changes you are seeing while treating patients at the front line”? He says, “there is a massive increase in number of cases in last few days. In comparison to the previous year, the spread has increased which was not at all expected by neither government nor doctors. However, this time, people

does not have enough money as they have exceeded their savings. On the other side, the basic rules of social distancing are also not followed.

This panicking situation is also because people do not take enough precautions after 1st dose of vaccine.

There are number of cases where people have taken both the doses but are still tested positive. This is due to failure of them to follow the protocols as the antibodies develop after 20 days of taking the 2nd dose.”

We have seen a lot of rush at hospitals over the past few weeks. In such a scenario, how do you choose whom to admit?

“Spo2 below 90 requires admission. If patients come with below 90 oxygen we will try arrange bed, Bipep oxygen. So we mostly prioritize on the basis of oxygen level. The patients with 90 or above 90 Spo2 level need no hospitalization. They can be treated with medicines only.”

What’s your response to the violence against all healthcare employees?

“Doctors have never witnessed worse scenario than this. Many a times we feel helpless sometimes as we are unable to provide help to the patients. We are giving our best by working day and night. However, the situation is so much out of control that we also have limitations.

Every health care worker is a soldier right now.”

£150,000 raised to support emergency health centre in Gujarat Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai, Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur based in Gujarat is helping the community by setting up a new Covid Health Centre in just 10 days, as cases increase in India.

The Health Centre is equipped with 50 beds, ICU and BiPAP machinery, and high-quality imaging centre with CT scan machinery, ventilators, high-flow oxygen support and an experienced team of doctors.

A ‘Covid-19 Suspect Ward’ has also been set up. The Phase 2 of the project involves adding a separate 150-bed facility and is already underway.

Within 48 hours, passionate volunteers raised over £150,000 in donations from UK’s Indian Diaspora. With the increasing demand, the team has subsequently

increased the fundraising target to at least £500,000 to further expand the project.

For more information, email at uk@loveandcare.srmd.org

Introduction: As we begin our journey to discover HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj we will discover that from childhood to the very last breath, it is the same person – BORN TO SERVE Pramukh Swami Maharaj – Childhood He was born around 8.20am on 7 December 1921 in Chansad, a smallvillage 12km southwest of Vadodara. As was the tradition a birth chart was prepared by Naranji Maharaj of Dadma. an astrologer: “This child will become very great; he will worship God and inspire countless to do the same.

Crowds will throng for his darshan, for which they would have to watch from a mile away.”

Chansad: The village was very blessed. Bhagatji Maharaj visited the village at least 32 times and also performed the pratishtha of the Hanumanji Mandir.

Shastriji Maharajstayed a month and a half for his medical treatment while Yogiji Maharaj stayed a whole year also for medical treatment.

The family: He was named Shantilal by his parents Motibhai Prabhudas Patel and Diwaliba Motibhai Patel. He had 3 brothers and 6 sisters.

His father was a farmer. Both the parents were truly devoted to Shastriji Maharaj. Their faith and commitment in Shastriji Maharajcan be seen in the following example.

Their grandson had become seriously ill.

Grandfather, Motibhai took his grandson in his lap and chanted the ‘Swaminarayan’ mantra for many hours. After a while, the grandson started blinking his eyes and soon become fully conscious and recovered.

Capacity to tolerate: Shantilal once had intense diarrhoea.

He had to visit the toilet 15 to 20 times. He ended up staying by the shores of the nearby lake so that he could adhere to the rule of bathing and so as not to disturb anyone else!

No desire for food: Shantilal had no interest in eating or drinking. He hardly expressed wish for any likes or dislikes.

Sometimes he even forgot to eat until mum reminded him.

His spiritual nature: Shantilal got his first puja when he was 4 years old. He would visit theHanumanji Mandir and the Swaminarayan Mandir daily. His mother was also very strict and always enquired every day if he had been for the darshan.

Education: Shantilal studied in Chansad initially. During his gap year, he travelled with the sadhus for one year on their normal spiritual programme. He went through a lot of hardship, waking up early, helping to cook and clean and he got introduced to begging for alms. Sadhus are required to do this as part of their daily practice.

Meetings with Shastriji Maharaj Shantilal once had darshan of Shastriji Maharaj at a train station. Yogiji Maharaj recounted this years later “He

Nitin and Kamu Palan

was wearing black coat and I said to Shastriji Maharaj that a great mumuksh has come for darshan” A short while later he joined Shastriji Maharaj on his tour of local villages. Shastriji Maharaj asked him to go and visit Vartal to do darshan. The second direction he received from Shastriji Maharaj was to fast with no liquid. Shastriji Maharaj wanted Shantilal to complete his education first, so he returned to Chansad and enrolled for senior school at a village Padra.

About a year later, Shastriji Maharaj visited Chansad and told his father that he would like to make him a sadhu and that he can complete his education in Ahmedabad. Unfortunately, before all this could be formalised, Shastriji Maharajhad to leave urgently, and this could not be implemented.

Another year now passed.

Shantilal learnt to play cricket and became an expert swimmer. One day as they were playing cricket, Ravjibhai, a devotee of Shastriji Maharaj came on bicycle with a letter from Shastriji Maharajrequesting that Shantilal join him.

He immediately left the game; both the parents gave him their loving blessings and instructions that he should follow all the instructions of Shastriji Maharajand earn his grace. Off he went, riding on the back of the bicycle, leaving behind his friends and family, knowing fully well that this part of his life had come to an end.

For various reasons, it took over two weeks for Shantilal to reach BAPS Mandir in Ambli Pol, Ahmedabad. By this time, he was totally exhausted and had a fever. Shastriji Maharajcame to the mandir and put his hand on his head and blessed him and said, your fever would now go and not return.

Journey as a Sadhu: Three days later he was initiated as a parshad, the first stage before getting full ordination, on the 22 November 1939 when he was 18 years old.

Shastriji Maharajblessed him: “You will gain much strength. Now you are to live as a renunciant. Follow the vow of celibacy and do not keep money. You will earn the pleasure of God.” And true to his name and nature, Shanti Bhagat quietly entered the path of a renunciant. No fuss, no commotion, no announcement – much like a river silently merging into the ocean.

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SOUTH INDIA

No let up in Karnataka Covid cases Karnataka’s Covid -19 tally crossed the 16,00,000 mark following 44,438 fresh infections while 239 more deaths took the toll to 16,011, the health department said.

According to a health bulletin, the state’s Covid tally stood at 16,01,865 whereas there are 4,21,436 active cases. As many as 11,64,398 people were discharged cumulatively including 21,149 on Sunday in the state. Bengaluru Urban district accounted for 21,199 fresh cases and 64 deaths. The city has so far reported 7,97,292 infections and 6,601 deaths.

There were 2,81,767 active cases.

In some respite, the second wave of Covid-19 infections will begin to recede in Bengaluru - a hotspot in the country - from next week, projections made by experts advising the state government suggest. They say the capital city will see a 10% to 20% decline in fresh cases by May 8. April, which has been the

worst month of the pandemic so far in Karnataka with the number of infections crossing 500,000, had a silver lining: For the first time since the outbreak, the state conducted more than 40,00,000 tests in just one month. Kodagu, which virtually escaped unscathed during the first wave of the pandemic, is now facing a monumental problem as one in every four people tested in the district is returning positive.

Strict restrictions in Kerala The Kerala government is considering imposing a complete lockdown in districts

where the Covid-19 positivity rate is very high. The Pinarayi Vijayan government said that strict restrictions will be imposed in districts where the positivity rate is above 50 per cent from May 4. "The surge in the Covid-19 cases shows that the situation in the state is going worse. In this context, the interventions have been strengthened at all levels.

Apart from the restrictions announced earlier, a full lockdown may have to be imposed in some districts where the Test Positivity Rate is exceeding 50 per cent. We will be going for more stringent restrictions from May 4," Vijayan said.

Meanwhile, Kerala reported 31,959 new Covid -19 cases, when 1,12,635 samples were tested. The average test positivity rate, which had

stabilised around 25%, rose to 28.37% . The active case pool of the State now has 3,39,441 patients. Hospital and ICU admissions are rising steadily.

The number of Covid patients currently being treated in hospitals in the State has risen to 26,169, with 3,371 patients getting newly admitted to hospitals. The State added 49 new deaths which had occurred over the past few days to its official Covid toll, taking the cumulative toll of fatalities in the State to 5,405.

20,952 fresh cases in TN Tamil Nadu recorded 20,952 positive cases, bringing the state tally to 12,28,064. Among these, Chennai reported 6150 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 3,52,260. The state recorded 122 deaths, putting the state toll at 14,468. A total of 18,016 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 10,90,338.

PUNJAB

Covid negative report or jab certificate must to enter Punjab CHANDIGARH: Imposing stricter restrictions to check the spread of Covid-19, the Punjab Government banned the entry of persons from outside the state by air, rail or road without negative Covid report not more than 72 hours old or vaccination certificate of at least one dose over two weeks old.

Within the state, all government offices as well as banks would work with 50 per cent staff and not more than two persons would be allowed to travel in cars and taxis and restrictions have been imposed on pillion riding on scooters and motorcycles. The public transport would run at 50 per cent of the capacity.

Restrictions on gatherings at weddings and funerals have been brought to 10 and villages have been asked to organise vigil during night and weekend curfew. There is no change in the

lockdown restrictions from 6 pm to 6 am on weekdays and a weekend lockdown from 6 pm on Friday until 5 am on Monday.

All shops selling non-essential items would remain closed till May 15. The shops dealing with essential goods like milk, bread, vegetables, fruits, dairy and poultry and mobile repair would continue to remain open. RTPCR testing of the street vendors will be done. The government has already ordered closing of bars, cinema halls, gyms, swimming pools, coaching centres and educational institutions. Dine in at restaurants has been banned and take away has been allowed till 9 pm. The restrictions will be effective till May 15.

Punjab recorded 7,041 fresh cases of the infection along with 138 deaths. With this, the total number of Covid-19 cases in the state reached 3,77,990, while the total number of active cases are

58,229. The maximum number of cases were recorded in Ludhiana (1,600), followed by SAS Nagar (936), Bathinda (653), Jalandhar (566) and Patiala (562).

More oxygen cylinders sought Meanwhile, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh appealed to the Centre for more oxygen tankers to be made available to the state, which did not have enough tankers to transport the critical commodity for saving lives of seriously ill Covid patients. The Chief Minister, at the Covid review meeting, said the state urgently need more tankers, as it currently had only 15 at its disposal, with two more likely to come. These, he said, were not enough to handle the requirement for transporting the oxygen supplies coming in from other states.

Punjab has a 195 MT

allocation from various plants in other states, but the actual supply received over the past 7 days has been around 110-120 MT daily, which has also been erratic, the Chief Minister noted. In this period, the number of patients on oxygen support has gone up from 4,000 to around 9,000, and though the state government’s steps to monitor and streamline supplies through its controls rooms has helped in keeping things stable, the situation remains fluid and a matter of concern, he added.

The current consumption of oxygen in the state is more than 225 MT daily, while the average increase in demand every day is around 15-20%.

WEST BENGAL

11 killed in Bengal post-poll violence KOLKATA: Days after Trinamool Congress' extraordinary win in the recently concluded assembly elections in West Bengal, violence erupted in several parts of the state, leading to the death of 11 people while several others were left wounded. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won 77 seats in the West Bengal polls, has claimed that six of its workers, including a woman, have lost their lives in various parts of the state in an alleged attack by TMC supporters.

Several videos have also gone viral on social media where people could be seen attacking, vandalising and looting BJP offices in Burdwan, Odishapara and Nandigram. The BJP, which had hoped to form its government in the state, has

blamed TMC chief Mamata Banerjee of "sponsoring" the attacks. It has also decided to hold a nationwide dharna on May 5 against the post-poll violence in the state.

Party chief JP Nadda has also decided to visit Bengal in view of the "widespread post results retributive violence unleashed on BJP workers and supporters by criminal elements in the

TMC cadre".

However, Banerjee, who is set to become the chief minister of Bengal for third straight term, has blamed the BJP over the violence in the state, saying saffron party workers are vandalising the homes of TMC leaders. "Even after the results were announced, BJP attacked our supporters in certain areas but we ask our men not to get provoked and instead report to the police," she said.

Meanwhile, the Left alliance, which banked a zero in the polls, also accused the TMC workers of post-poll violence in the state, calling the attacks "condemnable".

Home Ministry seeks report The Union Home Ministry

sought a report from the state government on incidents of attack on opposition workers.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar summoned state Home Secretary, DGP and Kolkata Commissioner of Police and directed them to restore peace.

He discussed with them the situation following the incidents that took place a day after the ruling TMC returned to power with an overwhelming majority crushing the BJP. "DGP West Bengal Police and Commissioner of Kolkata Police summoned by me in the wake of continually rising post poll incidents of arson, looting and violence as also killings in the state were indicated of alarming scenario. Called upon them to take all steps to restore law and order," he added.

in brief CONG SWEEPS KARNATAKA URBAN LOCAL BODY POLLS As the counting for Karnataka Urban Local Body polls concluded, Congress State President DK Shivakumar expressed happiness as his party won by gaining seven out of ten Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). In a tweet, he said, "Congress has won 7 out of the 10 Urban Local Bodies that went to polls. BJP has won only 1. I thank the people of Karnataka for placing their confidence in the Congress Party and punishing the BJP for its misrule. Overall, Congress won 119 seats, while BJP won just 56 and JD(S) 67."

Shivakumar further urged Karnataka Congress party workers and leaders not to celebrate in any way and continue assisting people the best they can in this national health emergency.

TELANGANA TOLD TO DISCLOSE REAL COVID DEATH NOS The Telangana high court found fault with the state government for apparently hiding the real number of Covid-19 deaths and directed it to disclose all such details. “Let there be display boards at the crematoriums and burial grounds that depict the true picture,” the judges said. The bench refused to believe the death figures being furnished by the state and sought to know the number of electric crematoriums in Hyderabad and in the state. It said that it was hearing a disturbing trend of dead bodies piling up in hospitals and burial grounds. Perturbed over distressing accounts emanating from hospitals and burial grounds along with the high positivity rate in Telangana’s districts, the court reviewed the supply situation of essentials like oxygen and drugs. It also directed the state to conduct an oxygen audit.

GOLDEN TEMPLE SEES DIP IN OFFERINGS Amid the second wave of Covid-19, the SGPC has witnessed a massive dip in the “offerings” from devotees at the Golden Temple. The SGPC had proposed an expected budget of £91.2 million for 2021-22, which is £4 million more than the revenue that the Sikh body expects to make. Prior to Covid in 2019-2020, the average collection of ‘offerings’ at the Golden Temple was Rs 23,00,000 a day. Now, the weekend collection has dipped to between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000. The Covid crisis has impacted the online donations, too, that come mainly from NRIs. SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur has appealed to the sangat to contribute generously as there is a sharp decline in income due to Covid restrictions this year too. With the weekend curfew, the footfall of devotees at the Golden Temple was for ‘namesake’, said Golden Temple’s manager Gurinder Singh Mathrewal.

RESULT INFURIATES BABUL SUPRIYO After the TMC emerged victorious with a massive lead over the BJP, a seemingly infuriated Babul Supriyo posted a rant on Twitter saying he cannot respect the people's verdict. Calling Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee a cruel lady, the union minister said that the people of Bengal made a historic mistake by choosing TMC over the BJP. Supriyo, who lost from Tollyganj seat against TMC’s Aroop Biswas, later deleted the post.

“Neither will I congratulate Mamata Banerjee for her win in Bengal nor do I wish to say that I 'respect' the people's verdict because I sincerely think that people of Bengal made a historic mistake by not giving BJP a chance and by electing this corrupt, incapable, dishonest government and the cruel lady back to power!! Later he deleted the post.

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INDIA

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4 - 14 May 2021

Shortage hits Phase 3 of Covid-19 vaccination drive The third phase of India's vaccination drive witnessed a slow start on May 1 as several states complained of an acute shortage of vaccines for the people in the 18 to 44 age group, with many of them still to procure stocks directly from manufacturers to widen the country’s immunisation drive amid a raging second wave of infections. Only a few states including Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat began the drive in the districts with high caseloads. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said large-scale inoculation of people in the 18-44 age group will begin soon in the national capital soon.

In order to ramp up the vaccination drive, the government on April 19 announced a “liberalised and accelerated” phase 3 of vaccinations for people in the 18-44 age group to begin from May 1. As part of its guidelines for the third phase, the Centre allowed states to directly procure vaccines from manufacturers, including the

two domestic producers - Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech.

While SII is manufacturing the Covishield vaccine, Bharat Biotech is producing Covaxin. Both are double-dose vaccines. While most states have placed orders for the vaccines, officials in several states have complained of delays in supply. Officials in Maharashtra said that the state government plans to administer nearly 350,000 doses over the next week. The state has set up only five vaccination centres in each district so that government gets time to arrange for more vaccines.

State health minister Rajesh Tope said: “We have received around 350,000 doses and are expecting another stock of 1.3 million to 1.4 million stock for this month based on which we have started our vaccination for all adults up to 44 years of age.” In Mumbai, the vaccination drive started at five centres, with the limit of beneficiaries at one centre

at 200.

In Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Yogi Adityanath launched the vaccination drive at the Avantibai hospital in Lucknow. Officials said that a state plane was sent to Hyderabad to procure Covaxin doses from Bharat Biotech International Limited.

Other states such as Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, did not begin the vaccination drive owing to nonavailability of vaccines. The Madhya Pradesh government hopes to begin vaccinating the people over 18 years of age soon, state health minister Prabhuram Chaudhary said. “MP requires 34 million vaccines for the people of 18 to 44 years of age group.

Initially, we have placed an order of 45,00,000 vaccines, which is likely to be received soon” Chaudhary said.

Haryana additional chief

secretary (health) Rajeev Arora said that the state government has placed an order of 6.6 million vaccine doses which they plan to allot in a phased manner.

Meanwhile in Bihar, the state health society’s executive director Manoj Kumar said that Punebased SII has refused to provide a bulk supply of 10 million doses.

“Instead, the institute wanted the state government to place [an

order of] its monthly requirement.

We are sorting out the issues,” he said.

In Tamil Nadu, officials said an order for 15 million doses was placed on April 28 but they were unsure when the stock would arrive. Citing a shortage of vaccines, the Kerala government has decided to prioritise the second doses of beneficiaries until it receives a fresh supply.

Adar Poonawalla fears threats Former Attorney General Soli in India before leaving for UK Sorabjee passes away at 91 after contracting Covid

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonwalla spoke out about the pressures he was under over the production of Covid-19 vaccines to meet the everincreasing demand in India as the country battles through a devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. In his first comments since he was provided with ‘Y’ category security by the Indian government earlier this week, Poonawalla said in an interview about receiving aggressive calls from some of the most powerful people in India, demanding supplies of Covishield the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid19 vaccine that the Serum Institute is producing in India.

That pressure is largely behind his decision to fly into London to be with his wife and children, the 40year-old entrepreneur said.

“I’m staying here (London) an extended time because I don't want to go back to that

Adar Poonwalla

situation. Everything falls on my shoulders but I can't do it alone...I don’t want to be in a situation where you are just trying to do your job, and just because you can’t supply the needs of X, Y or Z you really don’t want to guess what they are going to do,” Poonawalla said.

“The level of expectation and aggression is really unprecedented.

It’s overwhelming. Everyone feels they should get the vaccine.

They can’t understand why anyone else should get it before them,” he said. The businessman indicated that his move to London is also linked to business plans to expand

vaccine manufacturing to countries outside India, which may include the likes of the UK. “There’s going to be an announcement in the next few days,” he said, when asked about Britain as one of the production bases outside India.

According to the newspaper, by the time the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was approved in January this year, the Serum Institute of India had increased its annual production capacity from 1.5 to 2.5 billion doses at a cost of $800 million, and stockpiled 50 million doses of Covishield.

The company began exporting to 68 countries, including Britain, as India seemed to have been over the worse, until the situation worsened in recent weeks. “We’re really gasping for all the help we can get,” Poonawalla said. “I don’t think even God could have forecast it was going to get this bad,” he said.

Former Attorney General of India and renowned jurist Soli Sorabjee died of Covid-19 at a private hospital in New Delhi last week. He was 91.

Serving as a legal professional for nearly seven decades, Sorabjee occupied the highest office of the attorney general of India twice - first from 1989-90 and then from 19982004.

Tributes poured in from across the country, including President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “In passing of Soli Sorabjee, we lost an icon of India’s legal system. He was among select few who deeply influenced the evolution of the constitutional law and justice system. Awarded with Padma Vibhushan, he was among most eminent jurists.

Condolences to his family and associates,” President Kovind said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to write: “Shri Soli Sorabjee was

Soli Sorabjee

an outstanding lawyer and intellectual. Through law, he was at the forefront of helping the poor and downtrodden. He will be remembered for his noteworthy tenures of India’s Attorney General. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers.”

The Supreme Court paid homage to the former attorney general. A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and AS Bopanna, just before the start of the day’s court proceedings via video conference, said, “It a very sad news that human rights fighter Soli has passed away this morning. We pray for the

gentle soul.”

Soli started his career in 1953 at the Bombay High Court. He was famously assisting Nani Palkhivala, another Parsi courtroom genius in the landmark Keshavananda Bharati case who argued against the government. In 1971, Soli was designated a senior advocate.

In 2002, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honour in the country.

In his long innings at the Bar, Soli was renowned for his work on human rights. In 1997, he was appointed by the UN as a Special Rapporteur for Nigeria to report on the human rights conditions in the country. From 1998-2004, he was also the Chairman of the UN sub-committee on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights.

In the court, Soli was known for his quick wit and perceptive style of argument.

He was also a jazz enthusiast.

Eight Asiatic lions test positive Poll duty blamed for death of 577 teachers in UP for Covid-19, first in India Eight Asiatic lions at Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park have tested positive for the deadly Coronavirus, perhaps the first known case of the human infecting the feline and making them sick in India. Highly placed sources said that the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) informed the forest authorities over the phone that the RT-PCR tests of these big cats were positive.

However, CCMB samples were collected from the animals concerned but it will take a few days to confirm.

The CCMB will carry out detailed investigation of the samples for genome sequencing to find out if the strain came from human beings or not. The scientist cautioned the officials to take precautions and start the medication at the earliest. The zoo authorities are likely to conduct a CT Scan of the lions to know the impact of the

infection on their lungs.

The Zoo Director and Curator Dr Siddhanand Kukrety and VVL Subhadra Devi did not respond to deny or confirm the news officially. “Yes, the lions were tested after displaying mild symptoms. As of now they are active and are doing well,” an official said, adding that four male and four female big cats were housed in the 40-acre Safari area.

He said that on April 24, caretakers noticed that these big cats developed symptoms like dry cough, nasal discharge, and loss of appetite and soon alerted the veterinary team. Soon, the vets took oropharyngeal swab samples of the feline and sent them to CCMB, where the scientists are likely to do genome sequencing to find out if the strain came from human beings.

Various teachers’ unions in UP came together to give a list of “577 teachers and support staff who died while doing panchayat poll duty in the state” to the Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission (UPSEC). The unions have now asked teachers to stay away on counting day, May 2. Dinesh Chandra Sharma, president of UP Shikshak Mahasangh (UPSM), has prepared a list of names and addresses of the 577 teachers and shiksha mitras who died following the election duty.

Earlier, the Allahabad HC had sent a notice to the SEC seeking explanation on Covid preparedness and the alleged deaths.

A senior teacher’s union leader said, “The court’s issuance of the notice has not benefited teachers because the next date of hearing in this case is May 3, which is a day

after counting day. What was needed was postponement of counting, if not the fourth phase of elections on April 29.” Special work officer, SEC, S K Singh has issued a letter to all the DMs, SPs and district electoral officers to check the truth about the deaths of the teachers being reported in their district and provide a report within 24 hours.

Sharma said they are yet to receive information on the health of teachers on election duties from several districts like Fatehpur, Balrampur, Shamli, Aligarh and Hamirpur. “I am afraid about the numbers.

Their families are also affected. The situation is extremely critical,” he said.

“We had requested the SEC, after there was a surge in cases on April 12, to postpone the polls but our request was ignored.

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8 - 14 May 2021

Covid’s deadliest week in India: 26,00,000 cases, 23,800 deaths In the deadliest week yet of the Covid-19 pandemic, India recorded more than 26,00,000 new cases and nearly 23,800 deaths in the past seven days, although daily infection numbers registered a slight drop after hitting a peak of over 400,000 on Friday. India reported 3,70,188 fresh cases on Sunday, the second consecutive day of falling numbers following a tally of 392,000 on Saturday. There was a slight drop in the death toll from the virus as well, with 3,375 fatalities reported on Sunday, a day after casualties had climbed to an all-time high of close to 3,700.

Overall, however, the daily numbers remain very high. The April 26-May 2 week ended with India posting the highest number of new cases recorded in any country over a seven-day period for the second week running. Last week, the country had logged nearly 22,50,000 cases. During its worst week of the pandemic (January 4-10), the US had

reported 17,70,000 new cases, as per worldometers.info.

While weekly numbers were still on the rise, there was a discernible slowdown in the growth. The current week’s numbers were16% higher than the April 19-25 case tally, down from a growth rate of 47% in that week.

Deaths rose at a high rate of 47% although lower than the previous week’s growth of 89%. In that week (April 19-25), India had recorded 16,257 deaths.

Worryingly, the positivity rate during the current week was 21.4%, higher than the rate of 19.8% in the previous week. This could be an indication that the current surge was not over yet.

Positivity rate is the percentage of people reporting positive for the virus out of the total number tested. On Sunday, fresh cases dipped in several key states.

Maharashtra reported 56,647 new cases, the first drop below the 60,000 mark in the state in six days. At 669, fatalities too dropped

below 700 after being more than 800 in the past two days. Fresh cases in Karnataka dipped below 40,000 after two days to 37,733.

The state had recorded a high of 48,296 on Friday.

On the other hand, six states and UTs reported their highest daily cases, led by Andhra Pradesh, where 23,920 fresh infections were reported.

India's Covid tally had crossed the 20,00,000 mark on August 7; 30,00,000 on August 23; 40,00,000 on September 5; and 50,00,000 on September 16. It went past 60,00,000 on September 28; 70,00,000 on October 11; crossed 80,00,000 on October 29; 90,00,000 on November 20; and surpassed the 10 million mark on December 19.

The new fatalities include 828 from Maharashtra, 375 from Delhi, 332 from Uttar Pradesh, 269 from Chhattisgarh, 217 from Karnataka, 173 from Gujarat, 155 from Rajasthan, 122 from Uttarakhand and 120 from Jharkhand, 113 each

from Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

A total of 2,11,853 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 68,813 from Maharashtra, 16,147 from Delhi ,15,523 from Karnataka, 14,046 from Tamil Nadu, 12,570 from Uttar Pradesh, 11,344 from West Bengal, 9,022 from Punjab and 8,581 from Chhattisgarh. The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that statewise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

Maharashtra, Delhi among 10 states that account for 74% of cases states including Ten Maharashtra, Delhi and Karnataka accounted for 73.71 per cent of the new cases reported in a day, the Union health ministry said on Saturday. With a record daily rise of 4,01,003 cases, India's total tally climbed to 1,91,64,969 on Saturday, according to ministry data. Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar are also among the10 states that reported 73.71 per cent of the new cases. Maharashtra reported the highest number of new cases at 62,919, followed by 48,296 in Karnataka and 37,199 in Kerala.

Oxygen shortage, fire claim 95 Covid-19 patients Oxygen shortage and fire at different hospitals claimed at least 95 Covid-19 patients in different states of India. Twenty four patients died at a government hospital in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar on Sunday after the oxygen supply dropped, officials said. “The deaths were reported after there was a fall in oxygen supply between 12 am to 2 am on Sunday night," a senior official at the hospital said. At least 144 patients are being treated at the hospital, he added.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has spoken to the district collector about the incident and called an emergency Cabinet meeting. State Home Minister Basavaraja Bommai, meanwhile, has asked the DGP-IGP Praveen Sood to investigate the matter and submit a comprehensive report for further action.

16 die in Andhra In two separate incidents, 16 Covid-19 patients died for want of oxygen supply in Anantapur and Kurnool cities in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday. While 11patients died at the Covid-19 ward of Anantapur

government general hospital reportedly due to low pressure in oxygen pipeline, five others died at a private hospital in Kurnool.

According to Anantapur joint collector Nishanth Kumar, 21 Covid-19 patients died at the Anantapur GGH since Friday due to “various reasons”. He, however, did not elaborate what the “various reasons” are. But, the relatives of the deceased said that doctors themselves confirmed that there was a low pressure in the oxygen supply system, which resulted in the high mortality. GGH doctors maintained during interaction with local mediapersons that there were some technical glitches in the oxygen supply system which are being rectified by a technical team from Chennai.

Six die in Gurgaon hospital Tragedy struck a Gurgaon hospital for the second time in less than a week as six Covid-19 patients who were on oxygen support died on Friday night. The patients’ families alleged the hospital had run out of oxygen and the patients had simply been “abandoned”. There is no official

report yet into the cause of the deaths. Deputy commissioner Yash Garg has ordered a probe, which is under way.

Kriti Hospital in Sector 56, where the six patients were admitted, is a 40-bed facility but not among the 43 hospitals designated for treatment of Covid19 patients by the state government. Family members of the patients alleged doctors left the hospitals as soon as they came to know the situation “was out of their hands”.

12 die in Delhi hospital Just a week after 20 critically ill Covid-19 patients died at Jaipur Golden Hospital in the New Delhi because of lack of oxygen, at least 12 Covid patients, including a senior doctor, died due to the same reason at Batra Hospital in Delhi on Saturday. Confirming this, Dr S C L Gupta, medical director of the hospital, said: “They could have been saved.” The city has been gasping for oxygen for a week now and the crisis seems to have only deepened.

The 500-bed hospital had around 326 Covid-19 patients. Of

these, according to the medical director, 220 were on high-flow nasal oxygen while 48 were in the ICU requiring bipap and ventilator support when the supply was disrupted. “Six patients in the ICU, including one of our own doctors died while we were struggling to get the oxygen supply restored. Two other patients admitted in the wards also died,” said Dr Gupta. There were at least four others whom we managed to resuscitate but they died of the complications caused by oxygen shortage minutes later,” said Dr Gupta.

15 die in Moradabad Families of at least 15 Covid-19 patients who died within 24 hours at a private hospital in UP’s Moradabad said it was because the facility ran out of oxygen. The hospital denied the charge and said the patients were critical and died due to “health complications”. Kin of the patients sent a signed letter to the district magistrate (DM) demanding a probe and action.

They alleged that they were told in the morning by a staff nurse that

oxygen supply was interrupted, which then led to the deaths. They also alleged that doctors had “run away from the hospital”. Dr CP Singh, director of Bright Star Hospital, New Moradabad, said, “11 patients have died in the last 24 hours at the hospital. Those who died were critical patients of Covid19 and passed away during treatment.”

Fire at Bharuch hospital: 18 die Eighteen people- 16 coronavirus patients and two intern nurses perished in a massive fire that broke out in the ICU of a Covid-19 hospital run by a private trust in the industrial town of Bharuch in Gujarat. While some of them got charred to death, others died of asphyxiation when the fire broke out in Welfare Hospital on Bharuch-Jambusar Road.

TMC retains Bengal, LDF makes comeback, DMK wins TN Continued from page 1

As per the Election Commission of India's website on Monday (May 3, 2021) morning, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) has retained power in West Bengal for the third consecutive time, whereas, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) headed by Pinarayi Vijayan has made the first re-election in 44 years. In Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has dethroned incumbent Edappadi K Palaniswami's All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), while the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliances (BJP) have won in Assam and Puducherry.

TMC retains West Bengal again The battleground of West

Bengal was considered to be the most important one and as the exit polls suggested, people were expecting a close fight between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

However, Mamata Banerjee showed why she is one of the indomitable fighters. According to the results, the Trinamool Congress won 213, two seats more than that it won in 2016 in the 292 member assembly. The Bharatiya Janata Party which did intense campaigning considering its overwhelming result in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, was restricted to 77 seats.

Mamata defeated in Nandigram Nandigram produced an epic poll confrontation as Mamata Banerjee and former aide Suvendu Adhikari engaged in an

attritional contest that went down to the wire, with both candidates alternatively leading and trailing through each round of counting. Finally Adhikari tweeted from his official handle that he had won by a margin of 1,736 votes after the17th and final round of counting. The TMC agent immediately demanded a recount, which the returning officer turned down. Later Mamata hinted said she may challenge the result.

LDF makes remarkable comeback Pinarayi Vijayan's Left Democratic Front has scripted history by winning the Kerala Assembly election 2021. The LDF broke Kerala's record of voting out every incumbent government for the past four decades and made the first re-election in over

44 years. In the 140-member Assembly, the LDF's final tally was the Communist Party of IndiaMarxist 62, the Communist Party of India 17, the Kerala CongressMani five, the Janata Dal-Secular and the Nationalist Congress Party two each and the Loktantrik Janta Dal, the Indian National League, Congress-Secular, the Revolutionary Socialist Party-L and Kerala Congress-B one each.

DMK wins Tamil Nadu MK Stalin's DMK alliance has won 156 seats in the 234-member assembly. AIADMK alliance took 78 seats. BJP is part of the alliance.

Congress, CPI and CPI (M) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) were part of DMK alliance.

Lotus blooms in Assam and Puducherry In Assam, the ruling Bharatiya

Janata Party-led alliance won 75 seats of the total 126 assembly constituencies. As per the official result, the saffron party bagged 60 seats, while allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party, Liberal (UPPL) bagged nine and six seats respectively. Congress could get only 25 seats and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) won 16 seats.

On the other hand, in Puducherry, the NR Congress, BJP and AIADMK alliance emerged victorious in the 30-seat assembly. The All India NR Congress secured 10 seats, while the BJP won six. Congress managed to get two seats, while DMK secured six seats and the independent candidates bagged six seats.

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HEALTH

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8 - 14 May 2021

5 best vitamins/supplements to fight stress The current pandemic has added a lot of stressors to an already stressful life. Work, money, health, all these factors already account for the most common reasons for stress. Add the extra Covid19 attributed stress and it won't be uncommon to feel symptoms like fatigue, headaches, upset stomach, nervousness, and irritability or anger.

Usually stress can be fought off with regular exercise, adequate sleep, and good nutrition.

However, there are several vitamins and supplements that can help just as much.

1) Melatonin Stress is strongly linked to insomnia. That said, adequate quality sleep may not

really be the easiest to achieve if you are under stress, further worsening its severity. Melatonin is a natural hormone that regulates your body's circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle. Levels of the hormone increase in the evening when it's dark to

promote sleep and decrease in the morning. A natural hormone, supplementing melatonin does not affect your body's production.

Melatonin is also nonhabit-forming.

2) Ashwagandha An adaptogenic herb native to India, it has forev-

er been used in Ayurveda. It is thought to enhance your body's resilience to physical and mental stress. The properties of ashwagandha have been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as lower morning cortisol levels. A study investigating the safety and efficacy of supplementing with ashwagandha in people with chronic stress noted that taking 600 mg of ashwagandha for 60 days was safe and well tolerated.

3) Rhodiola rosea Rhodiola is an herb that grows in the cold, mountainous regions of Russia and Asia. It has always been known as an adaptogen, a natural, non-toxic herb that stimulates your body's

stress response system to increase stress resistance.

Its properties are linked to two of the herb's potent active ingredients – rosavin and salidroside. It has been shown to improve symptoms associated with chronic fatigue and stressrelated burnout.

4) Glycine Glycine is an amino acid that your body uses to create proteins. Studies suggest that it may increase your body's resistance to stress by encouraging a good night's rest through its calming effect on the brain and ability to lower your core body temperature. A lower body temperature promotes sleep and helps you stay asleep during the

night.

5) B Complex vitamins These vitamins usually contain all eight B vitamins.

They play an important role in metabolism by transforming the food you eat into usable energy. Food sources B vitamins include grains, meats, legumes, eggs, dairy products, and leafy greens. High doses of B vitamins have been suggested to improve symptoms of stress, such as mood and energy levels by lowering blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine.

The eight B vitamins may improve mood and reduce stress by either lowering homocysteine levels or maintaining healthy levels of this amino acid.

2021's top 3 food and nutrition trends How often should you be changing underwear? Get the expert's opinion

As the world moves on in its own painstakingly slow pace, the everyday habits and behaviors have changed dramatically. Priorities have changed, with many resorting to healthier foods, drastically shifting the food culture paradigm. An article by Healthline has underlined the nutrition trends that has swept across the world.

Immunity Boosters The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is reminiscent that health can change at any time, and immunity is king. For several, it has led to a list of products and supplements that could help support a healthy immune system to better prepare for illness.

A report by Market Research revealed over 50 per cent consumers admitted to taking more supplements to support their immune health in 2020.

This growing interest in the immune system has very well attracted the food industry, which has advertised added nutrients like zinc, selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin D. Alternative remedies are flying off the shelves too.

Some of the top selling herbal supplements include turmeric and ginger, especially since the Kardashians began promoting them online.

Food with a purpose A lot of consumers are actually looking to support local companies, especially ones with a backstory and purpose. The Support Local campaign has gained much speed since 2020's lockdown protocols. It gave many people a renewed appreciation for their local community, grocery stores, farmers markets, and restaurants. There is a growing interest in purchasing and consuming locally grown food. Not only does one consume fresh food, the move also supports

the local economy.

Sustainability Along with the localism sentiment, diets are expected to shift to include more environmentally friendly, sustainable food practices. A lot of people have begun to focus on foods that have the lowest climate impact. Diets involving a lower intake of animal products, but not eliminating them altogether is one such example.

Consumers may also choose to buy locally grown produce and animal-based products to lower carbon emissions caused by longdistance food delivery. The goal of this diet is not an allor-nothing approach, but rather to make small collective changes.

Women's hygiene and health is an ongoing discussion and opinions come from all over the place. The most commonly asked question is how often should one be changing their underwear to maintain a healthy vagina? An article by FEMAIL brought in British cosmetic doctor Dr Shirin Lakhani's opinion, who believes it is vital to change undergarments every 12 months.

The Elite Aesthetics specialist says there is some research suggesting a washing machine won't always clean all of the bacteria such as E.Coli off of the underwear. She says, “It is both the healthy naturallyoccurring bacteria that we all have, as well as more sinister bacteria that can be a result of infections such as thrush and STIs.” So how does underwear impact your health and how can women ensure a clean vagina? The key is to wash bras every four wears, and replace after a year, says Dr Lakhani. She says they should be washed at 30

degrees in order “to avoid the bra from shrinking or damaging the delicate fabric. Your bra is in close contact with your skin, your nipples and very close to your armpits for prolonged periods of time. As a result it comes into contact with a lot of dead skin from these areas, as well as sweat.”

Dr Lakhani says, “Similarly, nipples can leak fluid (especially after childbirth), and so in order to avoid a build-up of bacteria which can result in body acne and breakouts, I would advise washing bras after every three-four wears (more than this for breastfeeding mothers).” She adds, “The bra is designed

Spurious and substandard medicines amid Covid-19 In the wake of the pandemic, health awareness has received a boost, which in turn has accelerated the rise of the Indian healthcare industry, which is expected to reach $5 billion by 2023. India has been increasingly focusing on adopting digital health technologies to increase access to healthcare in the last decade. At the center-stage of this is a growing focus on hyperlocal pharmacies. Providing the convenience of an e-pharmacy and the services of the local medicine store, these hyperlocal pharmacies are reinventing their proposition as the preferred healthcare destination.

The second wave of coronavirus, has jolted the nation with millions of cases being registered on a daily basis, the situation is extremely grim and India is bleeding. At this time, apart from Covid beds, shortage of oxygen cylinders and Remdesivir Injection, an antivi-

ral medicine is in demand.

Although, the production capacity of Remdesivir has almost doubled, this medicine is missing from the market. Due to this, people have rushed to the black market to buy drugs for treatment.

Various WhatsApp groups and phone calls buzz with urgent pleas for sellers of everything from oxygen to Remdesivir, used in India to treat Covid- 19.

In Pune, a city in the hard-hit state of Maharashtra, four people were arrested this month for selling fake vials of Remdesivir for Rs 35,000 ($464), far above the official Rs 2,000 ($27) price cap for the genuine product. Further, an employee of a private hospital was arrested for selling Remdesivir vials that had

been refilled with antibiotics and saline solution.

“In times like these, where you see high numbers for tocilizumab an arthritis drug – and Remdesivir, this is a ripe area for people to make up this stuff and slap labels on,” says, a former pharma executive.

An estimated one in 10 medical products in low- and middle-income countries is substandard or falsified, according to the World Health Organization.

Unregulated websites, which allow people to buy drugs without a prescription, make these products available worldwide. Countries that have weak governance or are affected by war bear the brunt of the consequences.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that

India is playing the role of “pharmacy to the world” because of its extensive production of drugs and vaccines to combat coronavirus. But India is also the world’s leading producer of fake drugs, according to research by the OECD and the EU Intellectual Property Office.

With such evil activities being conducted, we need to fight back.

Be aware while buying the Remdesivir injection, you can differentiate between fake and real Remdesivir medicine. In fake medicine, Rx is not written in front of Remdesivir. The first letter of the word vial in fake Remdesivir medicine isn’t capitalised. Apart from this, there will be many mistakes in spelling. Covid-19 has presented a unique opportunity for the trade to flourish. In the first week of March 2020, Interpol reported an 18 per cent increase in seizures of unauthorised antiviral medication.

to be worn to support the delicate tissues and muscles of the breast and so over time and frequent washing the fabric sags and reduces in effectiveness. For both of these reasons I would advise replacing bras every year.”

Now, the style of underwear does not really matter, she says. “The crucial thing is that whatever style of underwear it is still a breeding ground for bacteria which even washing in a washing machine won't always rid it completely from.” Meanwhile, another expert, Stephanie Taylor of pelvic healthcare company Kegel8 says choosing specific materials could help maintain a healthy vagina.

She says, “When making your next purchase of pants, look beyond the cut, fashion and colour and consider how the material will affect your skin. Rough and scratchy materials can cause rubbing and discomfort, so softer materials are a better choice. Lacy or mesh pants are cute for a special occasion, but you shouldn't be wearing these on the daily.”

Finding the right fit for underwear is important too. Stephanie says, “If you are wearing the wrong pant size and they fit just a little too snug, it can not only interfere with your daily comfort and confidence, but can also harm your vaginal health. Fabric that is too tight on your skin can trap in heat and moisture and cause an imbalance in your vagina's PH levels.”

Going commando is another great option.

Stephanie says, “Generally, if you have a healthy vagina, going commando will neither positively nor negatively affect vaginal health, so it's entirely down to personal preference.”

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seemed, emotionally, creatively and ethically right as the world around us was collapsing. An artist in some way is a witness to his or her time.

The kind of work I do is not activist. I’m not a journalist. I’m not the military, I’m not the police.” She quoted Charles Dickens and said ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’

They discussed that there is a growing movement to stop artistic expression and intent, also keeping in mind that previously books and paintings were burnt, banned.

We all have a point of view, a cultural sensibility, we sing and dance our way and we have too many different cultural experiences. Where does the sense of being insulted begin and end? How can an artist, performer and practitioner understand the intent behind it amid growing phenomenon of artistic work being sabotaged from expression.

Veteran actor Saurabh Shukla said, “I think we are living in a very confusing time.

In India everybody's an artist. We know what to do. We know everything. And this new rise of social media for artists is primarily quite confusing. There was always a code of conduct. You have the freedom of speech, but you have to know your limit.

And those limits were not laid down by a Censor Board or anybody. It was there.

Everybody knew it. Today, we don’t know where to draw a line. So I think the art is not saying anything these days, anything objectionable. What people are in real life, what they’re saying and projecting is more objectionable.”

He spoke about UNESCO and how we

in brief

THE SHOW MUST GO ON Shefali Saxena The arts are seen to be an eternal and easy target to be brought under coercion with books being banned, films and series being challenged in court, theatre being targeted and visual arts being mutilated if it doesn’t support a particular narrative.

In an in-depth conversation on a virtual platform, Met Awards Channel discussed the role of the arts in reflecting on contemporary issues and bringing to the fore, key questions that impact society.

“Last year much of theatre has suffered huge loss, not just because money and patronage has disappeared, venues have shut down. But primarily the very essence of theatre professionals coming together to rehearse, recreate - that in itself has stopped.

There has been some compensation via groups coming online and working together but that really has been far and in between because of pandemic issues there has been no mindspace,” Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts said.

Moderating the session he spoke to Abhishek Majumdar, Junhi Han, Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry and Saurabh Shukla about the future of theatre and recent bans on creative expression on streaming platforms.

Chandigarh-based theatre artist Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry said, “A lot of us who work for theatres, define our lives through the rehearsal space - reading, responding, connecting, sharing. Nothing

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR: LOVE LETTERS all have a right. A policeman may not know what UNESCO is. They might arrest you, take you to the police station, and stop your production.

“It’s a habit. You have to say it. If I’m not speaking, then I’ll die. Everybody is telling you, just shut up. It’s my voice. Art for me besides my profession is also my voice. I’m not romantically saying it.

When I tell stories, then I reflect myself. I think it’s a pretty bad thing for a human being if they can’t communicate,” he said.

Attacks on art and theatre have been happening for years. Should artists continue to practice but steer away from the politics of the time?

Shukla said, “I’m not a political person. I’m politically quite illiterate. You can never be free from the politics of the land, whether you participate in it or not.

So even if I don’t practice it consciously, in my work, what I feel about it, that politics reflects. Because I am witnessing that. Artists should refrain from politics?

Refrain? I think it's a wrong word. You can have your point of view, but that is not a finality. You can point towards what’s going on. They say art is a mirror of society. The mirror should not make you more beautiful than you are, nor it should distort you.”

Parminder Nagra was turned down by a TV show for “being of Indian descent” British-Asian actress Parminder Nagra has revealed that she was once turned down by a renowned US TV show because they "already had an Indian person" and that it had "too many brown people", therefore it would not sell.

Known for her 2002 UK film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’, Nagra told a podcast, "We're having the conversations happening more and more and things have moved on. My fear is that which I think was happening a few years ago - it became about, 'Oh well let's get this box ticked'.

I remember asking to go for a

job because an actress basically left - it was a wellknown TV show here. I remember phoning my agent and I went, 'Do you think maybe you could just suggest me? The character is very non-specific in terms of family and between 35 and 40 [years of age].

"And the word that came back was that they've already got an Indian person on the cast.

I went, 'Yeah but I'm completely different to that person'. Is that

ever gonna happen when you say that, 'No we've already got a white person on the show'?I don't think that conversation is happening - so it's just very hard,” she said.

Previously Nagra had also told the press that during the promotion of Bend it Like Beckham, a magazine refused to put her on its cover alongside co-star Keira Knightly because of the colour of her skin.

She went on to speak at this

podcast and said, "I've been in rooms where people have gone, 'Oh that's not going to sell because there's just too many brown people in it', and you go, 'Oh. OK'. Do you keep pounding? There's moments where you get tired and then there's people that do keep doing that and then they break another glass ceiling. You've got Riz Ahmed and Priyanka Chopra - they've got deals with networks and stuff like that, and so things have moved on.

But, yeah, that was a story for the books and there were lots of little stories like that."

Meet the Rifco Theatre Company’s special 21st anniversary year associates Rifco Associates was launched in 2015 to address the lack of opportunity for British Asian artists in the theatre sector.

Since then 25 artists have been supported through the programme from a range of artistic practice including writers, lyricists, composers, designers, aerial artists and spoken word performers.

The programme is led by Rifco Theatre Company’s Associate Director, Ameet Chana, who himself, came through the Associate programme. As a new writing company, Rifco decided, for their anniversary year, to identify new monologue ideas from new and mid-career writers & writers/performers. A call-out for new scripts and treatments led to their largest ever number of applications.

Rifco Theatre Company has got the following new people on

Naomi Joseph is a theatre-maker, actor and writer.

Across her artistic practice she playfully explores how big feelings manifest in our everyday lives.

Rupi Lal trained at Rose L-R: Naomi Joseph, Radhika, Mahesh Parkar, Sarah, Bruford College.

Guinder, Apinder Sahni, Nafeesa, Rupi Lal As an actor his credits include two board. Among them, are many Rifco productions: Meri South Asians.

Christmas and The Deranged Nafeesa Hamid is a writer, Marriage. Other credits include workshop facilitator, Tamasha Arts’ Strictly Dandia performer, and creative and BBC Asian Network’s radio producer active since 2012. She drama Silver Street. was born in Pakistan, bred in Guinder Maini recently Birmingham. returned to her interest in Radhika Jani is a Britishwriting and acting having Indian writer-performer from originally studied drama at North London and works as the college.

Digital and Creative Learning Mahesh Parkar is a Assistant at Jacksons Lane. musician whose interest in

writing has developed over the last 18 months. He was also part of a theatre company which performed a modern rendition of Macbeth at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Apinder Sahni’s writing journey started at school while studying A-Level English Literature. In December 2010, he created a blog and wrote his first piece for public consumption called Letting Go – The Father of the Bride.

All candidates receive a £500 bursary alongside mentoring support, writer-inresidence days and masterclasses with industry leaders to develop their monologue over the next year.

Each of the new Associate pieces will be filmed and made available online as well as be performed in a live showcase event as part of the Rifco 21 celebrations.

Anoushka Shankar, the sitarist returns for a live performance in our Royal Festival Hall with Love Letters, a collection of songs about love, heartbreak and healing. It's a return for Love Letters, too, as the EP was first performed in the Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall in 2019.

Anoushka Shankar is a singular figure within the classical and contemporary, acoustic and electronic music scenes. She brings tempests of sounds that present ancient instruments in a modern light, not as exotic set pieces, but as living, breathing and wildly expressive gifts. Shankar became a Southbank Centre Associate Artist in 2019, and she performs here in a series of concerts to mark the centenary of the birth of her father, the seminal musician Ravi Shankar. The event will take place on Sunday, May 30.

NEW PHD STUDENTSHIP OPPORTUNITY IN UK A new PhD studentship in the UK titled ‘Sounds and Silences in the Archives of Empire’ will embed a composer at The National Archives to explore the records of Empire through the creation and public dissemination of a portfolio of new music and multimedia works, aiming to recontextualise collections. Working with Colonial Office (CO) material, the student will reinterpret and challenge the official records of the British Empire in three principal ways.

This fully-funded studentship offers a unique and exciting opportunity to focus on diverse histories and records while completing a flexible project which can be shaped by the student's own interests and experiences.

The scholarship particularly welcomes applications from people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds as they are currently underrepresented at this level in this area.

20 WOMEN ACCUSE ACTOR NOEL CLARKE ACCUSED OF GROPING, HARASSMENT AND BULLYING Noel Clarke (actor-producer) has been accused of groping, harassment and bullying by 20 women. Clarke has categorically denied allegations from all 20 women.

Meanwhile, BAFTa has suspended his outstanding contribution award and membership. It has been alleged that his misconduct included claims that he secretly filmed naked audition. Apparently, the Doctor Who and Kidulthood star allegedly showed colleagues sexually explicit photos and videos of women.

PARTNERS ANNOUNCED FOR BRITISH MUSEUM YOUTH ENGAGEMENT PROJECTS In Scotland, Museum & Galleries Edinburgh (MGE) and Edinburgh Young Carers will be working together, focusing on young carers in Edinburgh. Through this project, young carers in the community who may face adversity and challenges as a result of these caring responsibilities, will have the opportunity to have fun and forge networks and bring their experience and skills to the project, developing these further. MGE cares for thirteen venues and over 200,000 objects related to Edinburgh life, childhood, archaeology, fine art and decorative art.

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Priyanka, Nick set up fundraiser to help India fight pandemic Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas and husband Nick Jonas have set up a fundraiser to help India fight the debilitating second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a video shared on Instagram, Pri said, “Why do we need to care? Why is it so urgent right now? I am sitting in London and hearing from my friends and family in India about how hospitals are at capacity, there are no rooms in ICUs, ambulances are too busy, oxygen supply is less, crematoriums having mass cremations because the volume of death is so much. India is my home and India is bleeding.”

She added, “We, as a global community, need to care. And I'll tell you why we need to care – because unless everyone is safe, no one is safe. So, please use your resources and focus your energy on helping stop this pandemic.

Please donate. I understand a lot of people must be angry and

Aamir speaks of his 'privilege', what drives him In a video that has appeared on Aamir Khan Fan Club, the actor is seen talking about life and his privilege for making him what he is today. Speaking about how both love and fear drive him in different ways, Khan says, “For me, it is a journey, I am not sure if I'll be successful, I am not sure I'll reach my desti-

“There have been times when I have been down in the dumps, I’ve had my back against the wall and haven’t been sure how to get out of it, at such times, what is important for me is to not lose hope, because when you lose hope, you lose all. I hesitate to say this as it is very easy for me because I happen to be

thinking about, 'Why are we in this place in the first place? Why is this happening?' We will address that but after we stop the urgency.

Please donate and please use your resources as much as you can.

India needs you.”

She urged her followers to contribute towards the fundraiser, sharing that she and her husband Nick Jonas have already contributed and will continue to do so. Pri wrote, “Please, please donate. Nick and I already have and will continue to contribute. We have all seen how far and wide this virus can spread, an ocean between us makes no difference. No one is safe unless everyone is safe. It's so heartening to see so many people stepping up to help in so many ways. We need to beat this virus, and to do that requires ALL of us.

From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU.”

Bikramjeet Kanwarpal passes away from Covid-19 complications Actor Bikramjeet Kanwarpal passed away last week from Covid-19 complications at the age of 52.

Bollywood, and his fans took to social media to mourn his demise. The actor made his acting debut in 2003 after retiring from the Indian Army. He starred in films like 'Page 3', 'Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year', 'Aarakshan', 'Murder 2', '2 States' and 'The Ghazi Attack' among others.

He also played prominent roles in television shows like 'Diya Aur Baati Hum', 'Yeh Hai Chahatein', 'Dil Hi Toh Hai' and Anil Kapoor’s '24'. He was last seen in Disney Plus Hotstar's popular

web series 'Special Ops'.

Singer-composer Vishal Dadlani paid tribute to the late actor with a tweet, “A man who lent dignity to everything he did, #BikramjeetKanwarpal carried the Fauji stamp. Jai Hind, Sir. ”. Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh posted on Instagram, “Extremely sad news . I’ve known Major Bikramjeet for so many years. He and I have worked on so many films together. The last being Bypass Road. Such a fantastic, encouraging and energetic human being he was and will always be remembered as. #RIP My dear friend will miss you ”.

Prateik Babbar inks mother Smita Patil's name on chest

nation, sometimes I am not even sure what my destination is. I am always figuring out where to go, but the important thing is that I do it out of love. There are some primary emotions that all of us have, love and fear are two such primary emotions that we have when we enter this world. You're born out of love. I'd like to tap into love as my primary emotion and use fear to propel me.”

Aamir said there have been moments when he had his back against the wall, but was able to move on to his place in life.

in a privileged position. It is not that easy for someone who is not in a privileged position and has got their back against the wall,” he said.

When asked how he manages to stay grounded, he said, “The credit should go to my mother, she has brought me up really well. Whatever I am today, whatever good that you see in me is because of the big influence that my mother has been on me.

She is someone who is a big force in my life and continues to be so.”

Actor Prateik Babbar took to Instagram recently to reveal his brand new tattoo – an ode to his mother.

Sharing a picture of a bare-chested self, the brand new ink reads 'Smita 1955' with an infinity sign next to it. He wrote on the post, “Inked my mother's name on my heart.. smita #4ever 1955”.

The post received a lot of positive feedback, with fans and fellow celebs commenting multiple heart emojis.

The National Award-winning actor Smita Patil had soon died after giving birth to Prateik. Last year, on her death anniversary Prateik had paid a heartwarming tribute. A part of the caption read, “34 years ago today my mother left us.. over the years.. iv tried to imagine & create the perfect image

of her.. in my mind & heart.. we’ve arrived at a very special place.. a very precious place.. now.. she’s the perfect mother.. the perfect woman.. the perfect role model.. the apple of every little boys eye.. that perfect mother every little boy idolises.. & wants to grow up to be like.. the one that will never leave your side.. & stay with you.. #4ever.. till the end of time..” On the work front, the actor was last seen in the mafia movie 'Mumbai Saga'.

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Anushka, Virat announce movement against Covid-19

Kangana's Twitter account permanently suspended

Actor Anushka Sharma dropped a brand new video thanking her fans for their birthday wishes. She mentioned the ongoing Covid-19 crisis in India, saying that she did not “feel right” to celebrate her birthday. Anushka said in the video, “Hi guys, I hope you are safe. I just want to say a big thank you to you all for the lovely birthday wishes. It truly made my day special. But in midst of all this pain and suffering, it just did not feel right to celebrate my birthday.”

Anushka also shared an important news with her followers. “I have seen your special messages to me and now, I have an important message for you. I would like to appeal to everyone to unite and support our country in this hour of crisis. Virat and I are coming together to do our bit. We will share the details soon so that you can also become a part of this movement. Remember, we are in this together. Guys, please stay safe and take care of yourself.”

On the work front, Anushka's production banner Clean Slate Films is producing 'Qala', late actor Irrfan Khan's son Babil's debut project which is set to release on Netflix.

Actor Kangana Ranaut's Twitter account has been permanently suspended after a controversial tweet related to the post-election result violence in Bengal. The account repeatedly violated Twitter policy on "hateful conduct and abusive behavior", the social media site said. The 34-yearold actor, unfazed, accused Twitter of race bias. "I have many platforms I can use to raise my voice, including my own art in the form of cinema," she said.

Twinkle Khanna urges fans to donate oxygen concentrators Author and former actor Twinkle Khanna shared a message urging fans to donate towards procuring oxygen supplies. She and her husband, actor Akshay Kumar, recently procured and donated oxygen concentrators as well. She asked people to work collectively to procure more oxygen concentrators.

Taking to Instagram, she posted a video saying, "My day began at 6.30 am, with a school friend messaging me looking for an oxygen cylinder for her grandmother.

This is the story across the country, with friends, relatives, and strangers begging for air. This is what we have come to. It's not like these pleas go unanswered. There are people from all walks of life who organise medicines, and oxygen, and hospital beds for people they don't know and are likely to never meet...This is not about you, it's not about me, it's about what we can do collectively.

And yeah, I know, these are difficult times, but every little action, every contribution adds up..."

She captioned her post, "Help them breathe When India is gasping for air, every little action matters, every contribution counts. Our first shipment of oxygen concentrators has landed in Delhi this morning and now we need your help to procure more oxygen concentrators largely for hospitals that are still desperately in need. Please go to the link in my bio for more information and to contribute. A big thank you to @annada_outreach for joining hands with @daivikfoundation toward this life-saving cause. #helpthembreathe."

Kareena shares how she explained the ongoing pandemic to son Taimur Bollywood's favourite Kareena Kapoor Khan has a simple yet effective technique of explaining the ongoing Covid-19 crisis to your children. In a recent post on Instagram, she shared her way of informing the current situation to her son Taimur through cartoons.

Posting a clip from iconic Tom and Jerry cartoons, she wrote, “We don't realise that our kids are also absorbing what's going on and they are scared too.

We were talking to Tim to try and explain why all the adults need to be vaccinated and I think this sums it up pretty well. It's really that simple. But like we explain to our kids, we too need to be patient and help everyone who is trying to help us – medics, pharma, authorities and the millions of volunteers – please register and wait for your turn. #BreakTheChain.”

This is not the first time the actress posted about Covid awareness. Last week, she had shared a post asking people to spare a thought for the doctors and medical staff, and showed dis-

pleasure at those who are still not abiding by the safety protocols. Several Bollywood celebrities like Dia Mirza, Kangana Ranaut, Kartik Aaryan have urged Indians to get vaccinated.

In the tweet that appears to have spurred this action, the actor seems to urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "tame" Mamata Banerjee using his "Virat Roop" from "early 2000s" in Bengal. She was reacting to a tweet by journalist-BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta on the violence in Bengal since election results were announced on Sunday; Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress - which won a landslide victory - and the BJP have blamed each other for the clashes and arson.

Kangana's tweet sparked outrage and calls for action against the strident actor, whose timeline is filled with vitriolic posts. "We've been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm. The referenced account has been permanently suspended for repeated violations of Twitter Rules specifically our Hateful Conduct policy and Abusive Behaviour policy," a Twitter spokesperson said, adding that the rules were applied judiciously and impartially to all.

"As explained in our abusive behaviour policy, you may not engage in the targeted harassment of someone, or incite other people to do so. We consider abusive behavior an attempt to harass, intimidate, or silence someone else's voice." Kangana is notorious for her outrageous, no-filter posts on social media, many of which are provocative calls to action.

The actor also posted a rant on her Instagram account earlier on Tuesday. In the teary-eyed harangue, she talks about "disturbing news, videos and photos from Bengal of people being murdered, gang-raped and their houses being burnt". She also calls for President's Rule in the state, criticising a "government that I support" for not doing more than dharnas in response to the clashes.

Last year, Kangana Ranaut's sister Rangoli Chandel had provoked fury with a tweet blaming the Tablighi Jamaat for Covid spread.

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Allu Arjun tests positive for Covid-19 Actor Allu Arjun has revealed that he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He said he has gone into self-isolation and urged all those who came in close contact with him recently to get tested. He wrote on social media, “Hello everyone! I have tested positive for Covid. I have isolated myself. I request those who have come in contact with me to get tested. I request all my well wishers and fans not to worry as I am doing fine. Stay home, stay safe.”

On the work front, the actor currently awaits the release of his upcoming Telugu film 'Pushpa', which will be simultaneously released in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam. The forest-based thriller will mark his maiden panIndian project. The movie is touted to be based on red sandalwood smuggling and marks the third-time collaboration of Arjun and filmmaker Sukumar. The movie is set to release worldwide on August 13.

Parvathy pens emotional note as 'Uyare' turns 2

Cinema fraternity wishes Thala Ajith on his 50th birthday!

From K'Town to Bollywood, Thala Ajith received birthday wishes from all over!

Actor Sivakarthikeyan shared a collage of his pictures with Ajith. From a young Sivakarthikeyan sharing screenspace with Ajith, to him standing shoulder to shoulder with him. He also penned a note, which says how he has been inspired by AK. Famous Music Composer Anirudh Ravichander, who has also composed music for Ajith's hit films, also took to Twitter to wish the star on his 50th birthday. He tweeted, "Wishing dear Thala Ajith sir a happy birthday #HBDThalaAjith."

The rivalry between fans of Ajith and another Tamil star Vijay is just surreal. But today, they seem to forget all the rivalry and came together to wish Thala Ajith, as he hit the milestone age. Many fan clubs of Vijay took to social media to wish for his good health and greater success as well.

Other celebrities like, Imman, Rahul Dev, Sam C.S., Jiiva, Hansika Motwani, Editor Ruben, Aadhi and many more took

Parvathy pens emotional note as 'Uyare' turns 2'. Expressing gratitude for having had the opportunity to play Pallavi in the film, she said, “Two years since 'Uyare' released. I remember the day of release like yesterday. I was not prepared for the kind of love and acceptance this movie received from the audience. For each and every review, each and every experience you all shared with me, for your stories of rising from the ashes! I am so grateful!”

Parvathy added, “To all the survivors of acid attack who so generously shared their worlds with me so I could do justice to Pallavi. To the entire team of 'Uyare'! What an incredible journey this has been!”

The movie marked the directorial debut of Manu Ashokan. Parvathy plays the character of an acid-attack survivor with dreams of becoming a commercial flight

pilot. The movie opened in cinemas in 2019 to glowing reviews from fans and critics alike. 'Uyare' also stars Asif Ali and Tovino Thomas in supporting roles. The film is streaming on Netflix.

Tamil filmmaker KV Anand dies at 54

to social media to share their wishes for the legendary actor. On the work front, Ajith is waiting to resume the shooting for his upcoming flick, 'Valimai', produced by Boney Kapoor and directed by H Vinoth.

TV Listing * Schedule is subject to change

MON 10 MAY FRI 14 MAY 2021 14.30 KASAM 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18.30 BEST OF COOKERY SHOW THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 19.00 UDAARIYAAN 19.30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20.00 SHAKTI 20.30 MOLKKI

Well-known Tamil cinematographer-turnedfilmmaker KV Anand, 54, passed away from a cardiac arrest last week. He leaves behind a rich legacy of movies across the Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi film industry.

Anand began his career as a photojournalist. His first stint in the film industry began as an assistant to cinematographer PC Sreeram. Anand made his debut as a cinematographer with Malayalam film 'Thenmavin Kombath' starring Mohanlal. He also worked in Hindi films such as 'Doli Saja Ke Rakhna', 'Josh', 'Nayak', and 'Khakee'.

His death sent shock waves across the industry and celebrities took to Twitter to

21.00 PINJARA KHUBSOORTI KA 21.30 BAWARA DIL 22.00 NAMAK ISSK KA SATURDAY 8 MAY 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18.30 BEST OF COOKERY SHOW DESI BEAT RESET 19.00 UDAARIYAAN 19.30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20.00 SHAKTI 20.30 BEST OF DESI BEAT 21.30 DANCE DEEWANE 3 SUNDAY 9 MAY 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18.00 CHOTI SARDARNI 20.30 BEST OF DESI BEAT 21.30 DANCE DEEWANE 3

* Schedule is subject to change

share their condolences. Music composer Harris Jayaraj, a constant collaborator with Anand, wrote, “unfortunate and extremely shocked to hear this devastating News. RIP my friend KV Anand (sic).”

Actor Allu Arjun wrote, “Just woke up to this sad news that Dir KV Anand garu is no more.

Wonderful cameraman , brilliant director and very nice gentleman.

Sir you will always be remembered & missed.

Condolences to the near, dear & family. Rest in Peace Sir.” Anand made his directorial debut with 2005 Tamil film 'Kana Kandaen', and went on to direct six more movies. His last work was Tamil movie 'Kaapaan'.

MON 10 MAY FRI 14 MAY 2021 8.30 BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN 16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18.00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18.30 DIL KA RISHTA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20.30 BARRISTER BABU 21.00 BALIKA VADHU LAMHE PYAAR KE

21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2 22.00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 3 SATURDAY 8 MAY 11.00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20.30 BARRISTER BABU 21.00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE 21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2 SUNDAY 9 MAY 11.00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30 DESI BEAT SEASON 3 18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 FILMFARE AWARDS 2021

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IPL postponed indefinitely due to Covid-19 cases The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has indefinitely postponed the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 after several players and support staff tested positive for Covid-19.

“We have suspended the IPL for now. The new window will be worked out later on. A statement will follow soon,” IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel said. In an advisory, the BCCI stated: "The Indian Premier League Governing Council (IPL GC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in an emergency meeting has unanimously decided to postpone IPL 2021 season, with immediate effect. The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other involved in participants organising the IPL. This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and well being of all the stakeholders in mind."

"These are difficult times, especially in India and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times," the statement read.

The decision comes close on the heels of Monday's IPL 2021 match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Ahmedabad being rescheduled after the Knight Riders' spinner Varun Chakravarthy and seam bowler Sandeep Warrier tested positive for Covid-19.

According to IPL Governing Council members, the decision was taken after

Amit Mishra and Wriddhiman Saha too tested positive on Multiple BCCI Tuesday. officials and the franchises too confirmed the development.

"After much deliberation, it was decided that the tournament had to be suspended for now," a BCCI official said.

On Monday, two members of the Chennai Super Kings' IPL contingent too - bowling coach L Balaji, and a bus cleaner - had tested positive for Covid-19.

CEO Kasi Viswanathan's second report came negative in the evening. However, Balaji and the team driver continued to be positive.

Many Australian players left the IPL early as the coronavirus crisis worsened, with Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson choosing to follow AJ Tye home.

Rajasthan Royals batsman Liam Livingstone opted to return to England citing "bubble fatigue" after spending much of the last 10 months moving in and out of biosecure environments.

Meanwhile, India and Delhi Capitals spin spearhead R. Ashwin cut short his IPL season on April 25 to be with family.

The BCCI now is in conversation with the

authorities to ensure the safe travel for the overseas players.

"The BCCI will do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021.

The BCCI would like to thank all the healthcare workers, state associations, players, support staff, franchises, sponsors, partners and all the service providers who have tried to their best to organise IPL 2021 even in these extremely difficult times," the statement read.

Four players pull out early As the brutal second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic continues unabated, four players pulled out of the ongoing IPL earlier. While Ravichandran Ashwin is the first Indian cricketer to do so this season, Andrew Tye (Rajasthan Royals), Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson (Royal Challengers Bangalore) flew back to Australia.

Ashwin, who turned up for Delhi Capitals against Sunrisers Hyderabad in his hometown Chennai on Sunday night, announced his decision on Twitter. “I would be taking a break from this year’s IPL from tomorrow. My family and extended family are putting up

a fight against #Covid-19 and I want to support them during these tough times. I expect to return to play if things go in the right direction. Thank you Delhi Capitals,” read Ashwin’s tweet.

It is learnt that Ashwin had been distracted from the beginning of the IPL due to the Covid-19 situation at his home.

His wife and his children were not with him in the bubble in Mumbai. Sources said that he tried to put up a brave front for two weeks. It was wise of him to travel with the team to Chennai in a bubble so that he didn’t risk contracting the virus.

Tye stated that he feared being locked out of Australia as India is being marked in the ‘red list’ by most countries.

“There were a number of reasons, but the main one was with the situation that has started to happen back home in Perth with a lot of cases in hotel quarantine coming out of India,” Tye said. He also cited bubble fatigue as a contributing factor and added that his fellow Australians in the IPL were enquiring about his travel arrangements.

Indian umpire pulls out India's top umpire Nitin Menon earlier pulled out after his family was struck by a couple of Covid-19 cases. It is learnt that Menon, a resident of Indore, has left the IPL biobubble after his wife and mother tested positive. Menon is the only Indian in the ICC elite panel of umpires and was recently praised for his work during India's home series against England. Menon is the second Indian to pull out of the tournament after off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

in brief INDIAN ORIGIN TWIN BROTHERS FROM PUNJAB FACE OFF AT WEMBLEY Thirty one year old twins - Amar Singh Purewal and Arjun Singh Purewal- are all set to become the first British South Asian brothers to play against each other in a Wembley Cup final by Football Association (FA) of England.

The brothers, whose parents immigrated from Punjab to England in the 1970s, will be keenly watched by their mother Kulwinder Purewal.

With the twins representing two different clubs in the final–while Arjun is captaining Consett FC, Amar plays for Hebburn Town– it will be an emotional moment for the family.

“It’s a privilege for me to lead Consett FC at Wembley Stadium and to play against my brother Amar. This final is the biggest game of our football careers, and we have told each other to enjoy it. The whole family is both excited and nervous for us and wish that we could both win. Our late father would have been delighted with our feat,” shares Arjun.

The siblings’ parents moved to England from their ancestral villages from Punjab in the 1970s with their father Gurdawar Singh Purewal working as a bus driver initially in Coventry before the family moved to Sunderland and started a convenience store at Ryhope in 1985. The twins, youngest of five children, started playing football in the neighborhood before joining junior clubs in Sunderland. When their father passed away in 2001, Kulwinder, who also works as a part-time interpreter, supported their football dreams.

Amar was in the junior team of Newcastle United, but was released after an injury in 2004. The following years saw Amar, a striker, play in the Northern League with clubs like Ryhope Collliery Welfare FC, Newcastle Benfield, Bishop Auckland, Durham City, Darlington, Shildon, and West Auckland FC before joining Hebburn Town.

Arjun, a centre-back, would ply his trade for Bishop Auckland, Durham City and Darlington along with Amar apart from playing for Whitby Town and Blyth Spartans. “As youngsters, both of us supported Coventry FC as they won the FA Cup in 1987, two years before our birth.

After our father passed away, our mother supported our football training virtually on her own managing the store and working as a part-time interpreter. Our elder sisters Baljinder Kaur, Daljit Kaur and brother Harminder Singh Purewal too supported us,” shares Amar.

Haseeb Hameed regains form and love of game Indian athletes forced out of World Relays When Haseeb Hameed registered his second century of the match for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship game against Worcestershire last week, the dressing room and the country was bursting with pleasure for a young man who was treated unkindly by the cricketing gods. Plucked for the 2016 tour of India as a 19-year-old after an impressive season with Lancashire, Hameed impressed everyone. But a succession of injuries and a baffling lack of form meant he was first dropped, then sacked, by Lancashire, a move that precipitated a new start at Trent Bridge.

In the truncated summer of 2020 he held steady and was appointed vice-captain at the start of this season, and his first-innings 111 was his first century for Nottinghamshire and only his second since 2016. He talked about the tough moments- breaking a second finger in nine months and the third surgery all requiring six weeks of rehab, and then the following season he could average only nine runs. “Being let go by my home club was tough. But in those tough moments

I have been lucky to find something deep inside me that doesn’t let me give up and urges me to try one more time.” How would he advise that young man who was thrust into the spotlight in India? “I’d say part of it is not to rush too much, just enjoy the journey. You have your ambitions and aspirations, but just let everything happen in good time. Once you’ve had that exposure to the international scene as a young boy you also have lots of different people giving you different advice, so I’d say just hold firm to what got you there.”

He still has affection for Lancashire, a club he joined as a nine-year-old. “I had mostly absolutely wonderful years. I was very lucky to be part of a very strong age group side with Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson, Callum Parkinson. And going on to achieve what I was able to achieve as a 19-year-old was extremely special, so my overriding emotion is it will always have a special place for me in my heart, and I guess home is home, but it is time for a new journey and a new chapter in my life and I’m lucky enough to have found that here in Nottinghamshire.”

The Indian athletics team, including sprinters Hima Das and Dutee Chand, was forced out of next month's Olympic qualifying World Athletics Relays in Poland after the suspension of a connecting flight to Amsterdam owing to a record-shattering spike in Covid-19 cases in India.

The women's 4x100m and the men's 4x400m relay teams were to board a KLM flight to Amsterdam but the Dutch government suspended flights from India. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) tried to book an alternate flight available to any European city en route to Silesia in Poland where the event will be held on May 1 and 2 as there is no direct flight to Poland from India.

Adille J Sumariwalla, AFI President said, “We are disappointed. There are no direct flights between Indian airports and Warsaw, Poland. This meant the squad could not be rerouted on another airline.”

“For the last 24-hours we have been consistently trying to find alternatives...

We have been constantly speaking to the organisers, the World Athletics, various consulates and airlines to reroute them.

Under the present scenario nobody has obliged,” he added.

S Dhanalakshmi, who had beaten Dutee in the final of women's 100m sprint in the Federation Cup last month, was also named in the team, along with Archana Suseendran, Himashree Roy and AT Daneshwari.

India were also set to field teams in the men's 4x400m event to be held in Chorzow, Silesia, in Poland .

The top eight teams from the World Athletics Relays will automatically qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. The women's 4x400m relay team had earlier pulled out as more than two members were unfit.

The Indian mixed 4x400m relay team has already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after reaching the final during the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

The AFI was hopeful of the women's 4x100m relay team qualifying from the Poland event.