Asian Voice

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VOICE

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 40. ISSUE 31

Indian homes hold gold worth $950 bn

10th December to 16th December 2011

India wants Dow out of London Olympics sponsorship The government of India has asked its Olympic association to raise the issue of the London Olympic Games' sponsorship deal with Dow Chemical, the latest sign of pressure on organisers to reconsider involvement of a company linked to the Bhopal gas disaster.

Many victims and activists hold Dow responsible for failing to give enough compensation to victims of a 1984 gas leak which killed thousands and injured hundreds of thousands more in Bhopal. "We have written a letter to the IOA (Indian Olympic Association), asking them to take up the matter with the organisers of the London Olympics," a spokesman for the sports ministry said.

The pesticide plant was owned by Union Carbide, which settled its liabilities with the Indian government in 1989 by paying $470 million for Bhopal victims.

Children with congenital disorders linked to the Bhopal gas leak at a candle-light vigil.

Dow bought Union Carbide a decade after the company had settled with the Indian government and now finds itself in the firing line for its sponsorship of a temporary decorative wrap over London's Olympic Stadium.

The sponsorship has caused anger across India, but nowhere more so than in Madhya Pradesh, where chief minister Shivraj Singh

Chauhan is urging the Indian government to boycott the sporting extravaganza. Chauhan says that instead of sponsoring the games, the company should spend that money on Bhopal survivors.

The Indian government last year demanded more than $1 billion additional compensation for the victims of the gas leak.

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Gold buying in India remains strong but the amount of hoarding of the precious metal that is evident, even in times of crisis, worries some economists. A new report indicates that the gold close to every Indian's heart and in most homes could be well over $950 billion, which in turn is around 50% of the country's GDP in dollar terms.

Gold consumption is part of India's culture and tradition. At $950 billion, the hoarding represents 11% of the global stock, the report has said, making India one of the largest private gold holders in the world. Indian households hold 18,000 tonnes of gold, says global research firm Macquarie.

In a report, the firm has noted that bars, coins and other modes of retail investment during 2011 have also reported a 90% increase, which are all testimony to the untamed demand for the yellow metal in India.

Continued on page 27

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US Sikh group calls for probe into race profiling Amid charges of racial profiling by a group of 38 civil rights organizations led by the Sikh Coalition, the US Transportation Security Administration is investigating allegations that Mexican travellers were being targeted for extra screening.

The allegations of such targeting at Honolulu International Airport "resulted in launching an immediate and thorough investigation of the behaviour detection programme at HNL," the TSA said.

"Pending the completion of the investigation, TSA also provided HNL Behaviour Detection Officers refresher training to ensure the programme is focused solely on identifying suspicious behaviours."

"TSA's behaviour detection programme in no way encourages or tolerates profiling," the agency said. "Profiling is not an effective form of security and our security officers are trained to treat every passenger with dignity and respect."

The statement came as 38 civil rights organizations led by Sikh Coalition called for an

independent audit of the TSA to determine whether the agency engages in racial profiling.

In a letter to Department of Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano, the groups expressed concern about reports that TSA officers targeted Mexican and Dominican travellers for extra scrutiny at airports in Hawaii and New Jersey.

TSA officers at the Honolulu International Airport targeted Mexicans so often that their colleagues called them the "Mexicutioners," it said.

Sikh travellers are routinely selected for secondary screening at some American airports, even after clearing advanced imaging technology machines without incident, the letter said.

The Sikh Coalition said it believes that "these troubling reports are the tip of the iceberg" for TSA profiling. "Based on Sikh experience, we've long suspected that TSA officers are engaged in a pattern of profiling minorities instead of focusing on criminal behaviour."

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

Bill Duffy FIMI, Chief Executive, Halfords Autocentres Scottish born, grammar school-educated Bill has served thirty years in the motor trade aftersales business and has a huge breadth of knowledge of the automotive market and garage-servicing sector. Prior to his chief operating officer role at Halfords Autocentres, Bill was Managing Director of RAC Auto Windscreens and has also held Managing Director roles at Lex Commercials and TDG Vehicle Rental.

He has been chief operating officer at Halfords Autocentres since February 2006 when it operated as Nationwide Autocentres and now has the remit to expand the network from its current 246 outlets to 400. Whereas before, as operations director, Bill was responsible for customer satisfaction, operations delivery and business to business, his current role is wider, more strategic, and is focused primarily on growing the business with new outlet openings and, where appropriate, bolt-on acquisitions.

What inspired you to begin your career in the car industry?

I have always loved cars and everything related to transport. You could say I was a petrolhead I suppose. When I started working it made sense to me to follow my passion.

I consider myself lucky that I’ve been able to continue along this road throughout my career.

2)What is your proudest achievement?

I’ve been fortunate enough to have experienced some considerable highs during my career so far and hope to have many more but my proudest achievement by some margin is to have been a member of the team who acquired Nationwide Autocentres in 2006. In the following four years, we built the business before selling it to Halfords in 2010, securing the jobs of 1,500 talented people and building an even stronger future for them.

3) Please tell us about your current position?

I am Chief Executive of Halfords Autocentres, a 247-strong national garage network. I am also the Chairman of Pro-MOTe, a crossindustry coalition established to lobby against proposed changes to the frequency of the MOT test. The Government has announced that it wants to look at reducing the frequency of MOT tests citing its desire to “reduce the burden on motorists”.

But overwhelming evidence shows that reducing MOT frequency is dangerous, expensive and unwanted – and bad for jobs too. Pro-MOTe has been formed to provide a united voice in calling on Minsters to rule out a reduction in MOT frequency.

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

The biggest frustration

7) And the worst?

Without doubt it is being at the mercy of red tape and ill-advised policy that removes the focus on customers and distracts the attention of businesses. It is exactly this that had led us to establish the Pro-MOTe campaign which gives people all the facts about the governments proposals to introduce dangerous, expensive and unwanted changes to MOT frequency. These proposals will not help any motorists and will make our roads less safe.

and obstacle has to be unnecessary red tape and legislation – this takes up time and money and does not add value to either the businesses or the customer. A prime example of this government interference is the whole MOT debate which has seen the industry spend almost five years off and on consulting to prove the case against change, and three years after the last Review of the MOT by the previous Government all of that expertise and investment is overruled by the need to introduce a tactic to divert attention away from the fuel duty debate which is where the real burden on the motorist lies.

5) Who has been the biggest influence on your

TiE UK Gala Awards celebrates entrepreneurship as engine of global economic growth TiE UK Annual Gala Awards 2011 on 6th December has set a precedent as the most coveted awards among the entrepreneurial community in the UK, with prominent personalities from the global business world coming together to celebrate the accomplishments of TiE UK and its members, announcing deserving winners across the following categories: Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year; Most Innovative Social Enterprise; Most Impactful Contribution to Early Stage Business; Extraordinary Contribution to TiE UK; and Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.

The event welcomed more than 350 delegates with prominent management figures and charter

members of TiE UK, encompassing both a burgeoning and highly influential group of enterprising individuals, global business stalwarts and laureates primarily from the Indian Subcontinent or Indus region, such as Tom Singh (New Look), Vikrant Bhargava (Party Gaming), Asif Rangoonwala (P1 Power Boat Racing), Rashmi Chandaria (Catisa, Manetti), and Dr Diwan Rahul Nanda (Global Chairman, TopsGrup). In speaking about the underlying principles of TiE, Hon. Apurv Bagri, MD Metdist Group and TiE Global Board of Trustees, adds “Mentoring is the bedrock around which our activities are organised. It is the value differentiator that sets us apart from others.”

them and really change perceptions of the trade that we are in.

We are very lucky to be in a business that people are really at the heart of, whether that be understanding our customers and driving value for money on their behalf, or nurturing our Halfords Autocentres teams and empowering them to create great businesses that are the best in every town in which we operate.

The UK chapter of TiE, TiE UK, was established 11 years ago and it has grown to more than 100 charter members and 450 members.

As the UK’s need for dynamic entrepreneurs has increased, over the past three years, charter members of TiE UK have mentored over 200 entrepreneurs at different stages of development across industry sectors.

These business figures along with a new generation of entrepreneurs today represent the lynchpins of global and national entrepreneurialism, valued as key contributors to driving the country forward through the current economic climate and continuing to pave the way in industry and commerce.

career to date?

Without doubt the biggest influence is my dealings and interactions with customers, whether that be our everyday and very valued retail motorists or our major fleet clients. It is hugely valuable to take time to listen to the challenges they face and in turn that they set for us, and respond to those by providing the quality and value for money that they need. Empathising with these challenges has inspired me to keep driving the business forward and adding value.

8) What are your long term goals?

I want Halfords Autocentres to have the widespread respect of consumers as the ‘go to’ player in the market for great service and value for money – I believe we already have this reputation amongst existing customers and we need to continue to help that word to spread. A practi-

cal spin off of this will be that we will look to grow the company network up to between 350 and 600 centres across the UK. 9) If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change?

I would want to make things as interesting and motivational for people as possible – that is how you get the best out of them and encourage them to produce great work. Bureaucracy and red tape do exactly the opposite of this so I would also do away with the daft schemes that simply frustrate people!

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

David Livingstone would be a great person to spend time with. He led a fascinating life, was a genuine pioneer and also appeared to be a very good man – as well as a fellow Scot which rounds off the appeal!

I would also select Winston Churchill. His life experiences would make him very good company – whether it be in the capacity of a leader, a painter or a general bon viveur. The added bonus would be that no matter how long we were stranded, he would never run out of great tales and experiences to share!

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

Following on from the influences in my career, the best thing about those influences and challenges is the ability to answer

Croydon restaurant prosecuted for “disgusting” hygiene standards An Indian restaurant which stored food in a dustbin has been prosecuted for its "disgusting" hygiene standards.

Faruk Ahmed, who runs Indiya Indiya in Sutton High Street, admitted a string of offences that put the health of diners at risk.

Environmental health officers from Sutton Council carried out a routine inspection of the restaurant's kitchen in January. They found flour in a dustbin in a shed, cooked food stored on the floor, onion bhajis wrapped in newspaper in a bucket, and a lack of basic hygiene. They also reported a dirty and stained chopping board

being used for food preparation, and no soap in either the kitchen or toilet.

A toilet opened directly into the kitchen and there was a gap under the rear kitchen door large enough for rodents to enter.

Councillor Simon Wales, the council's execu-

tive member for communities, transport and voluntary sector, said: "The lack of basic hygiene demonstrated by Mr Ahmed was frankly disgusting. It's regrettable that it took this course of action to make him change his behaviour and take responsibility..."

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

COMMENT

Bhupal-tainted Dow London Olympiad sponsor The Indian city of Bhopal is (and will continue to be) associated with the world's greatest industrial disaster. On the night of December 2-3 1984, there occurred a leak of methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals from Union Carbide India's pesticide plant in the city, which led directly to the deaths of 2,259 men, women and children. Besides the immediate death toll, 3,787 people died in the next few weeks and months after having inhaled the toxic fumes. Another 8,000 perished over the years from gas-related diseases. A government affidavit in 2006 stated the leak caused 558,125 injures including 38, 478 temporary partial and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries. As many as 25,000 deaths have been attributed to the disaster in recent estimates. These statistics are a reminder of the horrific fallout from the accident. Union Carbide was an American multinational company. Its safety record and practices were placed under close critical scrutiny when compensation claims were lodged in courts of law in India and the US. To cut short the arduous legal process, the Indian government accepted a lump sum of around $500 million, which many have felt was inadequate. In the world as was and still is, the conduct of multinational companies is frequently based on the principle that might is right, that beggars cannot be choosers.

The US company Dow Chemical bought out Union Carbide and thus was not responsible for the Bhopal tragedy, but its takeover of Union Carbide binds it in a way to an event that destroyed thousands of lives 27 years ago. The fact that the Indian government has made a substantial claim against Dow for environmental degredations is a reminder of the responsibility it bears as successor to Union Carbide. That Dow was chosen.by the London Olympic Committee to be a sponsor of the greatest sporting extravaganza in the world beggars belief. Members of the Committee seem to suffer memory loss or else have not a scintilla of moral sensibility, no awareness of the hurt and suffering caused to an entire community burdened by grief and scarred forever by the experience.

Understandably, the decision to associate Dow with the 2012 Olympiad has provoked outrage in India and a call has gone out for an Indian boycott of the Games. Hopefully it may not come to that, but the episode does give rise to the suspicion that the suffering of the poor in the Third World is limited to the moment, before being consigned to the archives and cobwebs of the past. Noble talk of human rights comes usually with specific political agendas, underlying the debilitating hypocrisies of our age. Let not London be disfigured by a shaming Dow symbol fluttering in the breeze on the Olympic site.

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Thought for the Week In spite of illness, in spite of the arch enemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable of intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways - Edith Wharton (1862-1937)

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

“SAY NO TO DOW” Campaign Seeking Justice For Bhopal’s Victims

Anti-Indian diatribes on resistance to retail opening The Government of India's decision to open up India's $450 billion retail sector to foreign companies has given rise to nationwide protests throughout the country. Small India businesses, family stores and corner shops, which constitute the core of retailing, are fearful of losing out to foreign giants and their domestic partners.These bread-and-butter concerns (like those of the early 19th century English Luddites) deserve respect even when they do not command assent. International trade and investment are the mantras of present-day economics and their permutations are set to define our age. But progress on such matters is rarely smooth, rather the road is bumpy, strewn with obstacles. The mayhem in India's paliament is much to be regretted and wise voices in the India';s business community led by Ratan Tata, Sunil Mittal, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Anand Mahindra have called for an end to the fractious squabbling for which political parties in India are congenitally prone. As respected captains of industry they keep India dynamically afloat, facing the future with self-belief and confidence.

How this will pan out is yet to be seen, but a consensus will surely emerge in the fullness of time. This is what the feisty Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee (whose regional Trinamool party is a coalition partner at the centre) has told reporters. This is part (at times untidy) of India's democratic process, part of its coaltion politics. The rival political discourse made itself known in Beijing's Tienanmen Square massacre of June 4 1989.

Those in the toxic British media who favour Oriental despotism as the best available partner for Western geo-strategic interests resent and despise the incessant babble of the Indian

street and corridors of power, whatever their pretensions to the contrary. Such an understanding of base realities will come with a cursory reading of the reports of James Lamont in the Financial Times, who has damned India as “xenophobic” and going nowhere. In his eagerness to defame, he has lost sight of the deepening travails of the Eurozone and the UK's economic crawl at 0.7 per cent annual growth.

Transformational change is complex. How to make it enduring is the responsibility of political managers. Consultation, argument, persuasive presentation and well crafted dialogue are what democratic politics is about. It is vital that the bulk of the population are taken on board the ship of state. The means to this end may appear taxing but the end product is worth the effort.

The liberalisation of the Indian economy began on an uncertain note in July 1991. There was opposition, but the man at the helm Narasimha Rao, a master tactician weathered the political storms and storms and cross-currents with great skill, eventually bringing the country over to his government's view that economic reforms were vital to India's future development and well-being. What began as something of a heresy became an article of faith. India's economic reforms are here to stay, however arduous their further progress.

We return to the vexed retail question.

Indian interests will be protected from the predatory instincts and habits of multinational capital but deals will be struck on win-win imperatives. If foreign investors believe, with James Lamont, that the Indian market is not worth the candle they can pack their bags for greener pastures. End of story.

Barbarism in Kabul A bomb placed outside a Shia mosque in Kabul killed 58 worshippers, even as delegates to an international conference on Afghanistan in the German city of Bonn were preparing to depart after days of deliberation on a possible Afghan peace settlement. Another bomb exploded near a Shia mosque in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharief, with fewer killed and injured.

Pakistan kept away from Bonn, preferring instead to sulk in its tent at America's real and imagined transgressions. The former head of the country's notorious Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Hamid Gul (once a close and trusted US factotum) treated audiences on an international television

network to an entertaining rant against India and Israel as the true villains in Afghanistan.

In Egypt (another US ally), meanwhile, the recent elections have brought the Muslim Brotherhood and the more hardline Salafi group to the fore, thereby raising doubts on the durability of the Middle East peace process.The situation in Syrian worsens by the day. A quick fix there entailing the replacement of the Assad regime may repeat the Iraqi and Egyptian experiences with religious minorities. The West is caught in a cleft stick. Having the sown the wind, the West is reaping the whirlwind.

The future of this troubled region would have defied the wisdom of Solomon.

It was a moving experience to be in Bhopal on 2nd December and pay tribute, outside the disused ‘Union Carbide' Factory, to the victims of Bhopal disaster in 1984.

Standing alongside hundreds of people from Bhopal many of whom had suffered one way or the other from the calamitous events 27 years ago on this very day and still continue to suffer gave me just a tiny ounce of idea of the scale and the impact on the masses of people and the environment.

I stood outside the compound wall of the factory stunned with mixed emotions of sadness, shame and anger.

Sadness for the fact that up to 25,000 people were killed from the disaster and approximately100, 000 still suffer from ailment as a result of the disaster. Shame that the tragedy occurred at the factory owned then by Union Carbide which was bought by Dow chemicals in 2001 and anger because Union Carbide/Dow Chemicals to date are refusing to fully admit their liabilities and have treated victims like dirt. Furthermore ashamed also that the ‘London Olympics Organising Committee for Olympic and Paralympics Games’ (LOCOG) chaired by Lord Coe has

decided to award a ‘Wrap’ sponsorship contract for the Olympic Stadium to Dow Chemicals- the very company at the centre of ongoing and inhuman conduct leading to ongoing injustice to the victims of Bhopal.

A few weeks ago I joined a campaign in London launched by Barry Gardiner MP, for the immediate withdrawal of the Dow Chemical’s sponsorship by LOCOG followed by launching a petition in the Sattavis Gam Centre in Brent opposing Dow Chemical’s sponsorship. I’m grateful to the Brent Indian Association for leading the support as local organisation and other organisations for their presence at the launch of the petition. The campaign is cross party (nonpolitical) initiative with joint letter to Lord Coe signed by individuals and organisations. I urge you to sign our petition or become joint signatory as an organization. For copies of the petition, joint-letter and further information visit my website www.navinshah.com/ news or should you wish to discuss this humanitarian cause you can contact me by email: navinarchitects@yahoo.com or by telephone on 07889 795 777.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

Email: majithia.meera@gmail.com

Leicester Voice City set to fly high with India’s national astronomy mission

By Meera Majithia

A special event was held at the University of Leicester to mark the handing over of some highly specialised equipment constructed on site, for India’s first national astronomy satellite (Astrosat), to the Indian delegation.

Held on 5th December, the event celebrated the final visit by a team from the Tata institute for Fundamental Research, (TIFR), Mumbai, as they test one of the final pieces for Astrosat – scheduled to launch in 2012.

The Indian Space Research Organisation approached the University of Leicester Space Research Centre to undertake the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) camera development, due to its acclaimed track record in specialised X-ray camera design with other successful missions.

The University of Leicester has invested a significant amount of

Guy Peters and Chris Bicknell preparing the Astrosat SXT Flight camera for handover to the delegation from India Credit: University of Leicester

expertise into this AngloIndian collaboration.

Astrosat Project MangerUK, Guy Peters said: “Leicester’s involvement with Astrosat is hugely significant, not just for the University, but for Leicester as a whole.

It speaks volumes for the scientific and technological expertise housed at the University of Leicester that we have

been sought out to develop this equipment. It is something the whole city can be proud of.”

The event was attended by the Indian and UK Astrosat teams, but also

by Professor Sir Robert Burgess, Vice Chancellor of the University of Leicester, Deputy Mayor Councillor Ted Cassidy and members of the Indo British Trade Council

along with other local councillors.

Professor K.P Singh, Principal Investigator for the SXT from Mumbai, spoke at the event about how important this mission is for India and discussed how ‘on the ground’ Astrosat can better enable us to understand space and its many phenomena.

Following the event, members from the University of Leicester will fly over to India for the final test of the CCD camera for the SXT before the expected launch in 2012.

Mr Peters added: “Here in Leicester we are a young team gaining experience on a major project. Astrosat has provided a really exciting opportunity for the team and we hope the success of this mission will provide opportunities for further collaborations in the future.”

Further appeal for leukaemia-suffering police offer Colleagues of a police inspector who needs a bone marrow transplant to save his life are supporting an event to encourage more people to join the donor register.

Leicestershire officer, Inspector Rik Basra is currently undergoing extensive treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and requires a blood stem cell (bone marrow) transplant to save his life, but this must come from a matching donor.

The best match donor for Rik is likely to be an Asian person, but on both the national and international donor register, there is a substantial shortage of Asian people.

An event held during the Diwali celebrations attracted more than 140 people who provided a saliva sample and regis-

Rik Basra

tered with the charity Anthony Nolan.

Now a further donor event is being organised by the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara on East Park Road between 11am and 5pm on Sunday, 11th

December in a bid to help Rik and other sufferers of blood cancer.

Trained volunteers will be on hand to assist in registration. They will ask for some medical information and a small saliva sample, which will be sent away for tissue typing to see if they match Rik. Anyone found to be a match for Rik, or one of the 1,600 people in the UK who need a transplant, would at a later date then be asked to donate their blood stem cells.

Surinderpal Singh Rai of the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurudwara (GTB), said: ‘’The Sikh community in Leicester and Leicestershire are working in collaboration with the Leicestershire police and Anthony Nolan on the Rik Basra campaign. We are raising awareness of the

need for the Asian community to come forward as blood stem cell donors.

This will hopefully help Rik and others throughout the UK to have a fighting chance to get a match.”

Rik’s wife, Kas Basra, said: “There is a real shortage of donors particularly from the Asian community. There are a lot of myths regarding the process but I can assure you it is quick and painless and will not take very long. Please take a little time out of your day to register.

“It is an uncomfortable truth but this dreadful disease can strike anyone.

Anyone registering as a donor is very much making an investment in our collective futures” You can also register at www.anthonynolan.org/re gister

Boy admits crime shown on national TV A 16-year-old boy has admitted smashing a window in crime, which was shown on national television.

The boy attacked a house on the Saffron Road Estate in Leicester, while the ITV Tonight programme was working with the occupant.

She had been the victim of a number of racially motivated crimes. She filmed the incident, which happened on 2nd June on a video camera lent to her by the programme makers.

On Monday 28th

November the 16-year-old admitted racially aggravated criminal damage.

He was referred to a youth offending panel for nine weeks and was ordered to pay the victim £100 in compensation.

Police investigations have led to a number of other prosecutions involving the same victim or her property.

A 21-year-old man was ordered to carry out 120 hours of community payback, and pay £100 compensation, after admitting racially aggra-

vated damage to the victim’s car.

He was also given a six month suspended jail sentence and placed on supervision for 12 months for breaching a restraining order, which forbade him from going near the victim’s address. He denied two offences, but was found guilty after a trial.

A 54-year-old woman was fined £167 with £25 compensation for racially aggravated threatening behaviour, which she admitted.

A further case of criminal damage to a car owned by the same victim is due to be heard by magistrates in January. A 15year-old has been charged with the offence.

Inspector Rich Toone, commander of Welford Road local policing unit, said: “The investigations into some of these offences have been protracted, but we have been rigorous in our enquiries.

The results show we have been rewarded with positive outcomes for the victim.”

In brief

School catchment areas are reviewed

Proposed changes to city school catchment areas have been announced by the city council.

Council officers are proposing to re-draw some boundary areas so that every address in the city is in the priority area for one primary school and one secondary school.

They also aim to make the links between primary and Cllr Vi Dempster secondary schools much clearer, so that parents have a better understanding of the paths open to them.

The existing priority areas were drawn up in 1997, since when six secondary schools have closed in the city.

Officers have based their proposals on where parents currently choose to send their children, existing boundaries, and how many children are likely to come into the system in the next few years.

Cllr Vi Dempster, Assistant City Mayor and cabinet member for responsible for schools said: “It is over 10 years since the catchment areas were reviewed and clearly there have been a number of building developments in that time across the city.

“The aim of these proposals is to make sure that everyone has fair access to our schools, and that our boundaries and catchment areas are clear and sensible.”

People are being given the chance to comment on the proposals which will be published on the council’s website at www.leicester.gov.uk/catchmentreview The consultation will run from 5th December for 10 weeks, alongside the council’s annual review of school admission arrangements.

The council will be seeking the views of parents, schools, the county council and other stakeholders.

Hard copies of the proposals will be available for inspection Leicester City Council’s customer service centres, in children’s centres and libraries.

Once agreed, changes to catchment areas will be published in April 2012, and come into effect for admissions in September 2013.

Text service for bin collections

A new text messaging service is being launched to give residents’ instant updates on bin collections and other waste services.

Charnwood Borough Council and its waste management partner Serco is rolling out the free service to send out alerts when bin collections are disrupted due to bad weather.

The service will send out a free text update to subscribers if bin collections are affected in any way.

In the past, the information has been available on the Charnwood Borough Council website, but this new method will be even quicker and it gives people the opportunity to sign up for updates via their mobile phone for free.

Councillor Hilary Fryer, Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Cleansing and Open Spaces, said: “Disruption to bin collections, especially around Christmas time, can wreak havoc on households.

“Even though there are no changes to bin collection days this year due to the Christmas holidays, our teams will strive to battle against the elements to collect refuse and recycling on time, but there may be occasions when collections can be delayed.

“Recent winters have demonstrated a need for us to instantly alert residents if bin collections face disruption and this brilliant new service with Serco allows us to achieve that.”

To subscribe to the updates, residents only need to text their postcode to 07860 019100. Residents will then get a confirmation text. The next time they receive a text message from the service, it will be an update to alert the subscriber to a service-related announcement.

Residents not signing up to the scheme can still get up to date information from the Charnwood Borough Council website. If there are disruptions to bin collections due to bad weather, please put your bin out on collection day, and the teams will catch up as soon as the weather allows.

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

Neesha Radia’s Kathak Rangmanch Pravesh

By Subhash Thakrar “Thank you for continuing to nourish my soul, for teaching, helping and guiding me forth in my development. With God’s grace, I am but only a reflection of the people gathered around me.”

These are the words that Neesha Radia used at her Kathak Rangmanch Pravesh, which happened on the evening of 4th December at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

Such thoughts only come to those who have reached an advanced level of understanding Hindu philosophy and in Neesha’s case the experience of Kathak has brought such values. The words “Rangmanch Pravesh” only mean taking the steps on the stage and Neesha took her important steps in her journey of becoming an accomplished Kathak performer.

For many of us, Kathak performances can be quite demanding to understand and follow and one readily admits that there are many people who don’t quite find the experience entertaining. The excitement of course is when it is someone that you have known for many years and from her childhood, who has gone through over six years of intensive training and learning, who decides to do a public performance in this field of high level Indian art. That is what Neesha Radia is about.

She was born and brought up like any other Hindu child in the UK and yet it is amazing to see that she has developed an interest in Kathak which goes back to the second century.

Kathak is derived from the word Katha which means story and Kathak is literally a physical performance with expression of face and steps to present a story.

Neesha’s performance repertoire included part 1 with invocations to Lord Ganesh, Lord Krishna and Goddess Durga, followed by Nritta, which was pure dance with rhythm and movement, Nayikas and Shringar which were expressive dances in a situation of love and then finally, Tarana, which was a composition of Hindustani classical vocal music based on Persian and Arabic phonemes.

What is particularly amazing about Kathak dancing is that it

Family distraught at inquest delay The family of a model who plunged to her death from the 12th floor of a luxury apartment block have been left "distraught" after the inquest into her death was adjourned.

Sahar Daftary, 23, from Brentford, London, a former Face of Asia model winner, died in the fall from the balcony of her former boyfriend's £800,000 apartment at the NV Buildings in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester, around 9pm on Saturday, December 20th, 2008.

She had travelled to Manchester earlier that day to take part in a fashion show and gone to the flat of property developer Rashid Jamil, to collect belongings after they split

up earlier that year.

The Manchester businessman and father-oftwo was allegedly married to another woman when his friendship began with Miss Daftary, a finance and accounting student at Thames Valley University.

Mr Rashid was initially questioned by police, bailed and released without charge following a police investigation into Miss Daftary's death, which left him "devastated" his solicitor said at the time.

Police inquiries suggested the incident was either a tragic accident - or Miss Daftary simply committed suicide by jumping from the 12th-floor balcony.

Miss Daftary's mother,

Sahar Daftary

Anisa, 57, and sister Mariam, 32, were due to give evidence during the five-day inquest scheduled to begin at Bolton Coroner's Court on Monday, but the hearing was postponed on Friday afternoon.

Shocking figures reveal 3000 honour attacks a year in the UK

Neesha Radia

involves a process of learning at considerable depths of your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual status. It was clear that Neesha Radia had mastered all these different layers in her life whilst learning and performing the Kathak. The particular coordination that is required between the striking of the feet on the floor, projecting a range of intonations, speed of the movement of limbs and hands through the space, subtle movement of finer muscles in the body, use of breath, eyebrows, neck, right to the edge of the fingertips and beyond, together with the consistent beats of the tabla and the taals produces an outstanding performance. As I learnt it, the taals are a particular time cycle, with 7, 6, 10, 14 or 16 beats per cycle and the Kathak performer performs according to these taals. This exercise has to involve considerable concentration and closer attention to detail. Neesha Radia performed remarkably in these endeavours.

Neesha’s guru is none other than Padmashri Pratap Pawar who is the most senior Kathak exponent in the UK. The event was also supported and guided by Pandit Vishwa Prakash who has achieved celebrated status within the world of Indian classical composition and live performance. Pandit Kalinath Mishra performed wonderfully with the tablas.

He came especially from Mumbai for the event.

He has a unique style of playing wherein he

infuses tremendous energy with his nimble fingers. His presence added considerable weight to the event.

Sitarist and vocalist, Debiprya Sircar provided the sitar and vocal support, whilst Jonathan Laurence performed the flute. The whole combination of the musicians along with the taals from Guru Pratap Pawar, made the event exceptionally successfully and it was clear that the teacher and disciple relationship between Guru Pratap Pawar and Neesha Radia had reached a level of climax as the performance was enjoyed immensely by all those who were there.

I cannot help but notice that Neesha Radia has evolved as an interesting person who has adopted a very old culture of the Indian art and philosophy and not only has she performed physically with the Kathak dances, it is clear that this skill has given her a truly respectable, caring and loving character that no doubt only such experiences can bring to an individual.

Neesha’s parents, Prakash and Bhadra Radia will have also made huge sacrifices to support Neesha to reach such a level and they must be very proud of her achievement.

Let us hope that Neesha inspires other young persons to become involved in our old traditions whether it be Kathak or any other Indian philosophy so that this generation is able to leave something for the prosperity of later periods.

Almost 3000 people were victims of so-called Muslim honour attacks in the United Kingdom last year.

Statistics obtained by a charity revealed that there were at least 2823 violent honour-related incidents investigated by police in England and Wales. It is

believed that offences in Scotland and Northern Ireland would take the total through 3000.

The data was obtained from 39 of Britain’s 52 police forces by the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) under the Freedom of Information

Act. Eight forces recorded more than 100 attacks in 2010. The Metropolitan Police had the highest number of recorded incidents with 495. Only 12 forces were able to provide figures from 2009 ,which revealed there was a 47 per cent rise in honour attacks.

Labour Lord Nazir Ahmed attacked A member of the House of Lords was attacked as he made his way to a TV interview in Manchester.

Labour peer Lord Nazir Ahmed (pictured) was targeted by three men as he accompanied a senior Pakistani politician to an event in Cheetham Hill.

Lord Ahmed – who was Britain’s first Muslim life peer – was taking part in a TV interview with Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, who is affiliated to the Pakistani People’s Party.

Although Lord Ahmed escaped injury, his driver was knocked out and Dr Mirza received facial

politician said he believed they were targeted for political reasons.

Dr Mirza spoke out against the Pakistani government at the Cheetham Hill event. Dr Mirza has previously criticised the government and was involved with Benazir Bhutto’s party.

A police spokesman said the offenders were three Asian men.

injuries.

Speaking exclusively to the M.E.N, the Labour

Anyone with information can call police on 0161 856 3914 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111

“SAY NO TO DOW” Campaign Seeking Justice For Bhopal’s Victims Continued from page 3 During my private visit to Bhopal on the anniversary of the disaster, I launched a local petition together with a joint letter (for Bhopal/Indian organizations) thus extending the campaign to the very heart of the cause and adding the voice of the very victims and people of Bhopal/India. The visit proved to be an eye opener and gave me the first hand account of the tragedy as well as impressive work being done by the local organisations like Sambhavna Trust and Chingari Trust.

Sambhavna Trust, with donations/contributions from Greenpeace (Nederland) etc.: was

opened in 2005 and Chingari Trust has operated sine 2006.

My visit to these two centres demonstrated the great medical & educational support and awareness they provide on a day to day basis to the victims and families. For full details of the organisations and how you can contribute please visit my website. The highlight of my visit was also participating in the annual procession (demonstration against Dow Chemicals) attended by hundreds of victims/sufferers including second / third generation children with deformities and individuals and organizations. The procession lasting over two hours, passing through the busy areas of Bhopal’s

town centre ended outside the former disused Union Carbide factory reminding people of the tragedy and the continuing injustice dished out by Dow Chemicals. The town during the procession was echoing with the shouts and slogans like: ‘27 years are enough’; ‘Enough is enough’; ‘We’ll fight – We’ll win’ and ‘Give voice to victims’.

LOCOG’s decision to award sponsorship to Dow Chemicals is inconsistent with their code of sustainability and ethical standards. The victims deserve justice and fairness, it is also important to protect London’s reputation and Olympic legacy.

For this I urge Lord Coe to withdraw Dow Chemical’s sponsorship.

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

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Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

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Tributes paid to riot victims’ mothers for courage and tolerance Brothers Shahzad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, and friend Haroon Jahan, 21, died after being hit by a car. It was later revealed that Shahzad’s wife, Khansa, was four months pregnant. Last Saturday, the brothers’ mother Rukaya Begum and Haroon’s mum, Tahira Yasmin won a standing ovation as they collected their community awards at the British Asian Hafta Awards, held at the ICC. Mrs Begum, 55, said: “I lost two sons in one night. My heart and mind feel empty, but life goes on. We’re all busy, but when death knocks on our door, we won’t have a single second to spare. The Almighty Allah, has given me and my family strength and courage to tolerate our deep loss. We shall live on, but our lives will never be the same again, ever.”

Mrs Yasmin said: “I am truly touched by this award which I attribute to Haroon. He was a son in a million and I deeply miss him, will do always.

My heart will always remain broken, but the

wounds are healed by the enormous goodwill and generosity of wellwishers from everyone, regardless of religion or race.”

Awards founder Dr Gurjeet Kaur Bains said: “We have unsung heroes in our community who are often overlooked. This event is for them for their exemplary contributions to the British Asian way of life.”

Also receiving community awards on the night, for services to the community, were Shindo Barquer, West Midlands’ highest-ranking, ultra-modest Sikh policewoman, Monica Coke, ethnic businesses tsar at AWM, the regional development agency, and Genelle Aldred, a local BBC reporter, daughter of Bishop Joe Aldred.

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Anita Ward, said she was “pleased to support the event.” Speaking with the aid of notes, she fumbled, apologised, and ended her brief speech abruptly, prompting some laugh-

Charity Calendar Labour councillors have stripped off to raise money for the mayor’s charity in Sandwell, West Midlands.

The 11 women have produced a calendar that shows them posing naked in the council headquarters.

“One of the male members of the council dared us to do it,” said Councillor Linda Horton, pictured.

The idea had a mixed response from voters. One voter said: ‘Fair play to them for having the guts to strip off, but I think there’s more pressing things they could be doing.’

Debate: Elected Mayor for Birmingham Three MPs, one ex-MP, three councillors, and three independent campaigners appeared in front of an 80plus audience at the Hyatt Hotel in Broad Street, Birmingham, last Thursday to debate whether or not Birmingham should have an elected Mayor. There were opposing views.

Two campaigns, one for, one against, the move have been launched. At the end of the two-hour interactive debate, Rizwan Waris, of Birmingham-based Pak Travels, stood up and pointed at John Hemming, pictured, the controversial Lib Dem MP for Yardley, and said: “If I had someone like him running my business, it would probably go down the drain.”

News in Brief Cancer pain A new website which allows cancer patients to recognise different states of pain and tips on how to communicate with health professionals has been launched. Visit www.pain-speak.com

The grieving mothers of the three men killed in the Birmingham riots were honoured at an awards event in the city last Saturday, attended by around 400 guests.

MP shortlisted for award North Warwickshire MP Dan Byles, pictured, has been praised for his use of social media and the internet to communicate with constituents. The Tory MP, who is married to Prashanthi, a GP from Hyderabad, India, has been shortlisted for the annual MP Web Awards.

Photo: Jas Sansi

8

From left – Shindo Barquer, Rukaya Begum and guest, Monica Coke, Genelle Aldred, Tahira Yasmin.

ter. Sir Albert Bore, Labour leader at Birmingham City Council, praised British Asians for their tenacity, ambition and talents. He also gave some startling statistics: By 2020, a third of Birmingham’s population will be British Asian; 75% of British Asian women in Birmingham are unemployed. Followon speakers vehemently defended this, describing the statistic as misleading, explaining that economically inactive women were in fact busy raising families and contributing to the community.

Councillor Alan Rudge, Equalities tsar at the Council, paid tribute to the award recipients.

Cllr Rudge, a connector of people and communities, and who last week launched a Faith Map ( w w w. b i r m i n g h a m faithmaps.org.uk) has supported the British Asian Hafta Awards event since its inception five years ago.

Two Pioneer Awards were presented to Resham Singh Sandhu, Leicestershire’s High Sheriff, and entrepreneur father-of-three Dr Rami Ranger, whose business, Sun Mark Limited, is the only UK firm, ever, to receive three consecutive Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.

Other award categories, and winners included: Young Achiever, Pritpal Singh Chana; Best Food Entrepreneur,

Imran’s; Best Male Employer, Lapworth Architects Ltd; Best Female Employer, Geeta Sidhu-Robb of Nosh Detox; Best Male Employee, Daljit Jagait of Jaguar; Best Female Employee, Manjeet Kumari-Lal, Walsall College; and CEO’s Award, Captain Makand Singh of the British Army and Najma Hafeez, the first Asian female elected to Birmingham City Council in the Eighties.

The round-table event was superbly hosted by double-act Tina Virdee and Vidya Sunil, a law student from High Wycombe. Entertainers included Karan and the KSpark dancers and Cloud 9 DJ. Over £2,000 was raised on the night for Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity, through an auction, led by Mike Hammond, the charity’s chief executive.

The charity also received a cheque for £2,500 from Dr Sohal, whose wife Parkash Kaur, a Sikh chaplain, was diagnosed with cancer a year ago.

Young entrepreneur Kashif Latif of Midlandbased Latif’s Cash & Carry, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, encouraged guests to support the charity.

The British Asian Hafta awards recognise and reward ordinary citizens for their extraordinary life experiences and services to the community.

Tackling Climate Change A new branch of the Stop Climate Chaos, an environmental group which campaigns on tackling climate change, has been launched. Its Midlands ambassador is Rachna Shah, pictured, who has been actively involved with holding debates and film screenings to raise awareness of its mission.

Mental Health Exhibition A new arts exhibition themed Diversity has been launched in Nottingham. The exhibition showcases work by artists and individuals who have experienced mental health issues. Diversity runs until May 2012 and entrance is free. To find out more visit www.city-arts.org.uk

Improving others’ vision Staff at Coventry-based Taylor Opticians donated their wages for the day to provide eyecare equipment to children in Jinja, Uganda. Funds raised will help buy an automatic eye testing machine for the Vision Centre, set up by Alan Taylor, who runs the opticians.

New role for ex-Editor Andrew Gowers, pictured, the 54year-old former Financial Times editor, has joined the investment banking trade body, Association for Financial Markets in Europe, as a strategic communications consultant.

3-in-1 pill for blood pressure Britain’s first three-in-one pill for high blood pressure has been launched. The new treatment, Sevikar HCT, contains three treatments in one pill. High blood pressure has no obvious symptoms and affects more than eight million people in the UK. Left untreated, it is the biggest cause of strokes.

£2k raised for Lions Ticket sales and donations from a popular Indian dance drama, Meera, showcased in Walsall last month has helped raised £2,200 for Handsworth Lions Club, a charity. Its chairman, Kanubhai Patel, and committee members presented certificates to volunteers on Tuesday this week, as a mark of thanks.

Sikhs raise £6k for charity Fundraising efforts by volunteers from the Sikh Federation and the Sikh Youth Group of Walsall have raised £6,000 for Children in Need. The cash was collected through charity car washes at temples in Pleck and Willenhall, a sponsored walk and a musical event.

Dogs attack woman Taro Kaur, pictured, a grandmother-of-two from Wolverhampton, is recovering in hospital after being attacked by two dogs. The rottweiler and bull mastiff broke “traumatised” Mrs Kaur’s wrist and teared chunks of flesh from her arms. The dogs have now been seized by police.

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

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YOUR VOICE

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Foreign Aid Package There have been outrages over details of an overseas aid package after it emerged that Britain is to cough up 1billion to help African countries combat the issues arising from environment changes.

Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne, spearheaded the mega deal that will see taxpayers shelling out for projects to help South African farmers insure their crops against flooding and drought. The move, however, has attracted intense criticism at a time when the UK economy is struggling to recover from recession.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am all for the protection of the environment and saving the resources for the posterity. I have vehemently campaigned for the introduction of compulsory environment education in schools and colleges. But why do we willy nilly spend billions of pounds in grant aid to other countries when our own civil and public servants had to take strike action on 30 November to protect their pensions? The amount of grant paid to Europe, and in foreign aid, could easily swell the country’s pension pot. I also find it unbelievable that people over the age of sixty who arrive from abroad and have not done a stroke of work in this country start drawing pension credit and other benefits while people who have worked all their lives and made contributions towards their pension see their pensions being unfairly and drastically reduced.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Life Style The flame of happiness is eternal and pure in ones mind. But it appears to be tainted by layers of lust, anger, pride, miserliness and desire to hoard and amass trivia - the factors comparable to to soot or colour of lamp-shade.

Abundant happiness is present in ones mind and life - a concept condensed by Hindu scriptures as “sat-chitta-ananda”, or “sad-chid-ananda”: truth, mind is happiness; true happiness is in ones mind. In nut shell, happiness is basic instinct of person. New born baby, smiles easily by instinct.

Satisfying bare minimum needs makes baby happy, indicating that trigger to be happy is in baby’s mind. As person grows, happiness can be enhanced by reducing dispensable needs.

As baby grows, this trigger gets weakened by “chittavrutti”, the trait of mind to be distracted by constant impingement of impulses from five senses, which distract one from free flow of happiness. These can be blocked by yoga technique known as “chitta vrutty nirodha” to allow output of happiness.

Ultimate happiness can be achieved by either reaching deepest or highest point of knowledge-The Sat Keval-truth only, or by baby-type- ignorance which is bliss.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

Do Something for the Less Fortunate

Yoga and Father Gabriel Amorth

I refer to Baroness Flather’s letter which was published in Asian Voice (Vol. 40, Issue 28, dated 19th November to 25th November 2011), entitled “Do Something for the Less Fortunate”. What can I say, accept, ‘listen, listen’, to that.

My letter that published in Asian Voice, under “Charity begins at home” (Vol.40, Issue 19, dated 17th September to 23rd September 2011) on Indian Multinational Companies and Indian Billionaires, made a similar point to Baroness Flather’s letter. That letter also stated that they were a embarrassment as they were seem to be doing nothing for the poor.

In my letter I also mentioned a specific western charity advert, re: poor little Anita from Bangalore, looking for a sponsor. Since publication of my letter, and to date I have not seen that advert being aired. I therefore wonder, either, little Anita was fortunate and lucky to find a sponsor or the Billionaires have requested that advert not to be aired to save their further embarrassment.

Yoga exercise and Ayurvedic medicines have helped me maintain my health for many years.

Father Gabriel Amorth’s views will do no harm to Hinduism (Sanatan Dharm).

Galileo found “vehemently suspect of heresy”, in 1633, by the Vatican. All Galileo had said was that the Sun lies motionless at the centre of the universe, that the Earth is not at its centre and moves.

Four meetings of The Council of Constantinople (384 to 870 AD) have messed up the original contents of the Bible. This was when the idea of reincarnation was removed from it. Father Amorth probably also believes that the Earth is flat!

Mohindra Master Via Email

Politician with a Conscious When we need a politician to fight for a good cause, to champion the rights of the oppressed, we can depend on the support of Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North and Chairperson, Labour Friends of India. So it does not come as a surprise to see Barry carrying the “Olympic Torch” to launch a new campaign to stop tainted chemical company taking part, being invited to build decorative wrappings at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, East London. Dow Chemical Company, owner of Union Carbide Corporation in India has an unenviable record of negligence in India where more than 25,000 people died due to exposure to poisonous gas leak in Bhopal.

People are still dying decades after the accident. Yet officials responsible have escaped serious punishment because they were Americans and Indian authority, Indian politicians do not value human lives as seriously as we do in the West.

This is in sharp contrast to what happened to BP, the oil company that was involved in the Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion, although the oil rig was managed and operated by an American company on behalf of BP. Any negligence on part of a British company or British citizens in US attracts draconian punishment. Yet our governments of all political persuasion bend backward to please Uncle Sam at every turn.

The relations between US and UK are not special in any way but are that of a master and their obedient servant. No wonder so often our MPs are stopped, searched and detained; treated with scant respect while visiting US, even on official business, adding insult to injured pride. It is time for Britain to come out of US spear of influence and stamp our own authority on the world stage.

Narotam Lathia Via Email

Why accuse Hinduism as false?

I can’t find any logic in the statement

by Father Gabriel Amorth, an exorcist, that yoga is the Devil’s work and Hinduism is false.

The practice of yoga is essentially to work towards relaxation of mind and body. It has nothing to do with the socalled demonic possession which exorcism deals with. Yoga is not a religion and it is not connected in anyway to the belief in reincarnation. Yoga is a real and practical concept whereas the practice of evicting the so-called demons from the mind and body is abstract and unreal.

Exorcism is hence no more than a belief based on the arbitrary existence of a Satan. One could well say it is itself a false belief system. Why, therefore, accuse Hinduism of being false?

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

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

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

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

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A gift of Hinduism

Nagin Khajuria Via Email

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

‘Smile Pinky’ too gets the Oscar Boyle says Mumbai dwarfed the statuette

Bhavesh Pancholi Via Email

Christians who believe that Yoga is evil have not gone deep into the very essence of Yoga. Many Christians still behave like barbarians. Historically the “Europeans” have divided and looted wealth from Muslims Hindus and Buddhists.

Yoga teaches good daily behaviour; moral values; postures; breathing techniques; self control; concentration; meditation and harmony between the spine, muscles, nerves and ligaments; the activities of the mind and the inner self. Yoga encourages vegetarianism.

Yoga nurtures a sense of non-violence; truth; half-truths; celibacy; nonpossession; purity; contentment; study; spirituality; mobility; resilience; suppleness; physical and inner strength.

No.

Does practice of Yoga lead to Hinduism?

Page -19-21

Health Watch

Maybe Father Gabriel Amorth should aim to first experience yoga so as to back his statement with evidence. He should realise that Yoga means ‘union with god’ and as a Father, should he not be relaying that literal message to everyone?

Magic is a name given to an occurrence that of its origin is not understood.

Maybe the performance of an exorcism is also ‘magic’.

Jesus performed magical scenes throughout his life and does not being Christian mean following in the footsteps of the Lord Christ?

One cannot prove the existence / non existence of reincarnation until they can prove that they have been to a heaven and back and have the answer!

Is the Father sure he has not become a vessel for the evil that he tries to dispel through performing exorcisms?

The father has done enough exorcising, maybe now it is time for some exercising.

Does the father feel he is correct to pass judgement on others beliefs when he knows fully that he is not the creator.

Or is this just another stunt like hiding important books like ‘Gospel of Thomas’ to save the houses of churches because people are actually beginning to find their real church within (their secret place).

If everything is created by God, then surely so is magic and so is evil!

Man has searched through forests and oceans, seas and caves, for God and the Devil. If only he new to look into his own heart!

Many Christians and their leaders have done wonderful job to give education to millions of people and helped them to become capable of looking after themselves. In Britain there are many churches housing associations who have thousands of houses to provide accommodation to the needy people but mostly to white people or Blacks people of African origin.They need to extend this activity to people of Asian origin as well.

I had good Christian friends of both Catholic and Protestant origin. But What I found the institutions of Church of England are more accommodating than the institutions of Catholics.

Father Gabriel Amorth is ignorant.

Yoga exercises have been accepted by all world wide medical institutions to improve physical and mental problems to achieve very healthy and happy life.

It is a shame that he said it is a Devil`s work. However it is good that he has realised that Yoga Yoga is a work of Hinduism. It will make all sensible people to understand what thousands of years ago Hinduism has given to the world to make them fit and happy.

Uttambhai D Mistry Bolton

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EDUCATION / COUNCIL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

Calculators in schools: Pupils face limits

Serving the community Former Asian Voice columnist Seema Malhotra is Labour’s choice in the Feltham and Heston by election on Thursday, 15 December. Seema has successfully combined a career as a business consultant with her long standing work as a political activist. She’s the only woman in a field of nine candidates – and the only British Asian. But as she explains here, it’s about much more than that.

The chance to serve the community where I grew up and where I’ve lived for almost all my life is an enormous privilege for me.

Sitting under Heathrow’s flight-path, Feltham and Heston has long been a gateway to UK – and a symbol of our nation’s diversity.

I’ve always been passionate for change and committed to increasing diversity in decision making – and the need for politicians who are able to stand up for all those they are elected to represent.

It is also important that we see the bigger picture and the contribution we can all make to Britain as a whole.

I believe that only with increased representation, will we improve political discussion in Britian, raise trust in our political process – and reach better decisions that affect those we seek to serve.

But we will only achieve real diversity when opportunities for participation increases, enabling those from minority communities to become leaders at all levels in our society.

I’ve been fortunate to be raised in a family that has always believed in being part of the community.

I grew up with my brother and sisters and extended family in the local shop my parents ran in Hounslow.

Values of fairness and opportunity for all were instilled into us from our earliest years.

I remember standing as the Labour candidate in a mock election at Heston Junior School at the age of ten, arguing for better pensions for the elderly.

Much of my teenage years were spent organising anti-apartheid and Amnesty International events, volunteering to work with disabled chil-

dren, campaigning to improve our local parks, and working as a home help for elderly.

These were experiences from which I learned a great deal about public service.

Since University, a passion of mine has been to improve diversity in public life – I ran a crossGovernment programme devoted to achieving more women, more people from ethnic minorities and more disabled people in public appointments.

Representation in political life is vital too. If elected on 15 December, I stand ready to play my part reaching across all communities to help build a better Britain.

Time to nominate your outstanding citizen Residents are being invited to nominate a person or group that they feel has made an outstanding contribution to borough life for Barnet Council’s annual Civic Awards.

The awards, now in their twelfth year, are an opportunity for the borough to officially recognise the commitment and hard work of those who strive to make a positive difference to the lives of others. It could be someone who deserves some recognition, works tirelessly for little or no reward or perhaps somebody who gives up their free time to volunteer for a good cause.

Barnet Council is now asking residents to submit their nominations for the 2012 awards.

The deadline for applications is 31 December 2011. To be eligible nominees should live or work in Barnet.

Councillors of the London Borough of Barnet and previous winners are not eligible for nomination.

All nominees receive a certificate, with those deemed to have made the greatest contribution presented with a framed vellum by the Worshipful the Mayor of Barnet Councillor Lisa Rutter at an awards ceremony due to take place in March.

Nomination forms are available from Hendon Town Hall, in The Burroughs, any of the borough’s libraries, North London Business Park reception or by download-

Prem Patel and Dr Mahesh Varsani who won a Civic Award in 2011 for voluntary work at Shree Swaminarayan Temple

ing a copy from www.barnet.gov.uk/civic-awards Prem Patel, who received a Civic Award in 2011 with colleague Dr Mahesh Varsani for their voluntary work with the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Golders Green, said: “Year after year these awards bring a moment of happiness not only to the

!(

recipients and their colleagues and friends, but I hope also to the wider community.

When Mahesh and I received a civic award earlier this year it certainly brought a proud smile to the members of the Shree Swaminarayan Temple who were the real recipients.”

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Ministers are planning to limit the use of calculators in primary schools to stop children becoming dependent on them.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb announced a review of their use, saying children should not "reach for a gadget every time they need to do a simple sum".

Instead, he said, children should master arithmetic using written methods.

Mr Gibb said: "You can't expect children to cope with complicated quadratic equations if they don't know their times tables by heart. Without a solid grounding in arithmetic and early maths in

primary school, children go on to struggle with basic maths skills throughout their school careers. It also means they leave school without the knowledge they need to complete everyday tasks in

their adult lives. The use of calculators in primary schools must be appropriate."

The Department for Education points to the fact that one in five 11year-olds failed to reach the level expected of them in maths this year. It added that there was a growing demand for people with high-level maths skills in the British economy.

Mr Gibb said his department had been looking at how arithmetic was taught in schools. He said there was a consensus that pupils needed to be able to have quick recall of number facts - such as their multiplication tables.

Nursery places plan for two-year-olds More free places in nursery or childcare are being made available to twoyear-olds in England, under plans set out by Chancellor George Osborne.

Mr Osborne says there will be 260,000 places for children from the most deprived homes - up from the 140,000 places proposed earlier last month.

In his Autumn Statement, the chancellor also announced an extra £600m to create a further 100 free schools. And £600m will be given to areas with greatest pressure on school places.

The childcare plan, which is intended to make

it easier for parents to return to work, will see a pilot scheme being rolled out across England from 2013.

At present, three- and four-year-olds are currently entitled to 15 hours per week of "early education" for 38 weeks a year. This will now be extended to about 40% of two-yearolds - at a cost of £380m per year by 2014-15 - with an emphasis on supporting disadvantaged families.

The places can be in nursery schools, children's centres, day care nurseries, playgroups, pre-schools and with accredited child minders.

Mr Osborne said that

260,000 children from the "most disadvantaged families" would receive free nursery care from the government.

"Education, early years learning, this is how you change the life chances of our least well-off and genuinely lift children out of poverty. And that is how you build an economy ready to compete in the world," Mr Osborne told the Commons.

The 100 new free schools - schools which are funded by the government but are free from local authority control will include up to 12 specialist maths schools for 16- to 18-year-olds.

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MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

Scrutator’s The Dalai Lama is a rare combination of goodness and wisdom. He has a shrewd understanding of present-day political realities exemplified by his jocular remark on China's inner demons that lead its leaders to behave with such childish petulance. Speaking to students at IIM Calcutta, His Holiness explained: “I look at people, including the Chinese, at a fundamental level in which everyone is human.There are no differences, from the way we are born to the way we die. But at times, the Chinese government calls me a demon. I may be a demon but not that bad a demon,” he said amid laughter.

Describing himself as a son of India, the Dalai Lama said he owed his existence to the country in which he had sought exile in 1959. All particles in my mind contain thoughts from Nalanda. And it is Indian dal and chapati that have built this body. I am mentally and physically a son of India,” he said.

Criticizing the Chinese government for its paranoia over people who speak a different language, like Tibetans do, he pointed to India's existence despite its diversity. “I often tell Chinese friends to look at India to get rid of the fear that plurality will lead to secession.

India has so many languages and dialects, yet remains strongly united because there is freedom of speech and the rule of law”, he said (The Times of Dalai Lama India December 2).

However well meant, such unthreatening words are likely to provoke a brain storm in Beijing. The new 'superpower” is especially sensitive to being addressed colloquially rather than the stilted form appropriate to the occupant of an imperial throne. Charlie Chaplin's cinematic masterpiece “The Great Dictator” was a hilarious take on Adolf Hitler and his Italian sidekick Benito Mussolini. They were outraged at the comic portrayal which punctured their egos and made them figures of fun. The same is true of China's mandarins, who are much concerned with 'face'. Aspects of National Socialism with Chinese characteristics should be enjoyed before it disappears into limbo, as it assuredly will some day. Maybe sooner than people think.

Shelley's lines say it all. A traveller in a desert saw “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone....Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown and wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command/Tell that its sculptor well those passions read....And on the pedestal these words appear:/ 'My name is Ozymandias, /King of Kings.:/Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!' Nothing beside remains. Round the decay/ Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,/The lone and level sands stretch far away.” The lessons of pride and the fall transcend time.

Indian military build-up India's spat with China over New Delhi's refusal to ban an international Buddhist conference in the capital has led to a suspension of border talks between the countries. The Sino-Pakistan axis and its targeting of India coupled with the minatory tone of Chinese publications close to nation's seat of power, such as Global Times. However, its latest attack on the Indian position on the Buddhist conference and the Dalai Lama's presence there - was somewhat less harsh than usual. Its conclusion that knee-jerk reactions on both sides were best avoided is a welcome affirmation of sanity; nevertheless, cannot be held hostage to the variations of mood music emanating from the corridors of power in China. A more reliable guarantee of peace is surely the strength of India's conventional and nuclear deterrence.

Which brings us to the influential US journal “Foreign Policy” which, in its list of 10 major events of the year it contrived to overlook, gave India's military build-up

top billing. Released on November 28, the magazine starts off with a reference to China's acquisition of a former refitted Gorbachev-era Soviet aircraft carrier for $20 million to signal its growing military ambitions in East Asia.

“But it isn't the only Asian giant investing in new military hardware. India has kept pace with its neighbour to the north and, in some areas, is actually exceeding it – a development that, though much less noted, is a sign of the growing militarization of the region as a new generation of new powers with global ambitions jockeys for regional supremacy,” writes Foreign Policy in a feature entitled “The Stories You Missed in 2011” The magazine said India was the “largest weapons importer, accounting for 9 per cent of the world's international armed transfers – most from Russia – between 200610. India will spend an estimated $80 billion on military modernization programs by 2015, according to an estimate from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. In particular, India is focusing on

sea power, a crucial new area of competition. The country is planning to spend almost $45 billion over the next 20 years on 103 warships, including destroyers, and nuclear submarines.

By comparison, China's investment over the same period is projected to be around $25 billion for 135 vessel, according to data from maritime analysis firm AMI International.”

The Pentagon's 2010 Quadrennial Review welcomed “a more influential role in global affairs for India, including in the Indian Ocean region. But there are troubling signs that the area might not be big enough for two rising superpowers.”

Hypersonic BrahMos missile test-fired

Lasers for war According to an Indian Express report (November 30), quoting the Director General of the Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) S.K Saraswat, India's scientists are working on laser weapon technology. The process is an osmosis of physics and engineering, he said.

Earlier, the government's Principal Scientific Adviser R. Chidambaram said strategic electronics in all its dimensions was extremely important and the time had come to synergise electronic enterprises in the country. Dr Chidambaram said: “We must go beyond information technology. There is a need to synergise electronics activity in industry with those of academia.”

India-Russia exercise near China-Mongol border The Indian Express (November 25) reported a planned Indo-Russian wargame next year at the Cheetah training range near Russia's border with China and Mongolia. This will be the fourth round of the INDRA series of joint army exercises between the countries, which henceforth will become an annual event alternating between India and Russia.

There have been three rounds of INDRA exercises so far, the first being in 2006 in Rajasthan, followed by Prshkov in Russia. The third exercise was held in India's Kumaon hills a year ago.

These exercises are designed to increase interoperability, with both sides claiming that each has learned much from the experiences of its partner. The precise formations that are to participate in the forthcoming exercise will be decided later.

Promising missile test The hypersonic BrahMos missile test has yielded promising results, according to the project director A. Sivathanu Pillai. Speaking to reporters, he said the test-flight in Hyderabad had achieved Mach 6.5 or six-and-a-half

BrahMos Aerospace's CEO and MD A. Sivathanu Pillai (left) and Union Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju (second from left), handing over the BrahMos model to General of Artillery, Vinod Nayanar

times the speed of sound. The target, he said, was Mach 7 – which means that it is well within reach.

Inaugurating the Internal Research Centre developed by Sathyabama University and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Chennai, Dr Pillai referred to nanotechnology as one of the foremost challenges for the country's future development.

Worldwide “Over $70 billion US dollars are being spent in this field . Once the technology is commercialized, it will generate over USD $3 trillion per year,” Dr Pillai said. He went on to say that nanotechnology would be a boon for the health sector, especially for diseases such as Alzheimer's. The government had formed a nanotechnology mission and a centre in Bangalore was being upgraded with a view to meet national requirements (Press Trust of India CNN IBN November 28)

Plant genome sequenced For the first time in India, scientists have sequenced the genome – the genetic make-up – of the pigeon pea plant .

This will help breed higher yielding varieties and increasee productivity of the popular arhar-dal, which India imports in large quantities to meet domestic demand.

A team of 31 scientists, led

by Professor Nagendra Kumar Singh. from the National Research Centre on Plant Biology in New Delhi has decoded the second-most important Indian pulse crop.

It took the team six years to bring the work to fruition.

“This is the first plant genome sequenced entirely through a network of Indian institutions and it will provide a highly valuable resource for the improvement of pigeon pea varieties.,” explained Professor Singh. The large demand-supply gap in lentils has led to an alarming rise in food inflation in India. A breakthrough in production could reduce this inflationary cycle, proof of the impact science and technology can make on industry and agriculture.

Attractive destination Business Line (November 28) quoted an Ernst & Young report entitled “Doing business in India”. The reputed accountancy firm explored the country's investment climate, funding scenario, laws and regulations - a tour d'horizon of the business scene. Its findings highlighted India's popularity as an investment destination – secondly only to China among large countries – with aerospace and defence as emerging as new growth markets on the back of military spending of around $80 billion expected in the next four to five years.

The Indian automative sector was also full of promise, said the Ernst & Young report. By 2020, the production of vehicles is expected to treble 2009 levels, while the size of the components' sector is expected to grow from the present $30 billion to $110 billion in the same period.

Banks are another attractive investment sector.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

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Political Sketchbook IJA celebrates another successful Alpesh Patel’s

annual dinner at Central London

The Politics of United Nations and False Will In two weeks it will be the 70th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter.

This past week, we at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, whose Patron is the Queen and of which I was a trustee, awarded Ang San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democracy leader the Chatham House Prize for outstanding contribution to Foreign Affairs.

More on this later, but first, let me take you to something beautiful. The Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane is a beautiful hotel. The Annual Indian Journalist Association Dinner is a beautiful dinner. The people attending dressed in black tie and sarees are beautiful people. But when guest of Honour Jo Johnson MP, brother of the Mayor of London, unwraps the annual journal, to find the package empty, it is a metaphor for something not beautiful – something hollow.

And that which was hollow was one line in an otherwise excellent speech by former Chairman of the Conservative Party, Eric Pickles MP. He said in his speech that ‘Britain was a vocal proponent of a permanent seat on the UN Security Council for India’.

I like Eric. He’s a Yorkshireman. And I don’t think he means to be hollow. But please for God’s sake can Indian audience stop applauding British politicians talking about how they support a permanent seat on the UN security council for India.

Why? Because it will not happen and should not happen.

It will not happen because of lack of will from all countries other than India. And it should not happen because of a lack of will from India.

It will not happen because a change of the security council structure requires not a simple vote by the existing five members, or a majority of all the UN members – but a vote in pretty much all the Parliaments of all the individual member States. It aint gonna happen. So if Eric did not want to be hollow, but wanted to be genuine, he would have said, ‘Britain is proactive in seeking votes in the Parliaments of the hundred member States to vote for India to be a permanent member’. See. Wont happen.

But why shouldn’t it?

Because Ang San Suu Kyi’s freedom did not come from any pressure from India. Burma is in India’s back yard. But India does not project political influence. Only now, is it seeking to do so with Afghanistan. But when something has nothing to do with China or Pakistan, then Indian will to project political influence is mute. And when a country’s politicians are not willing to project political global influence then they are not ready to assume a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. And Burma was the proof.

Instead we should celebrate India was an original signatory to the UN Charter, at a time when she sent her sons around the world to rid it of tyranny. But that was a different India, to the India today.

Could faulty sign have caused triple death crash?

Three family members killed in a car crash could have made an illegal right turn because a sign banning the move was faulty, an inquest heard.

Rajendra Patel, 56, was being driven to Heathrow so that he could fly to India and finalise plans for his oldest son’s wedding. After missing their exit, his sister Vasumati Patel, 62, tried to make a U-turn and a white van ploughed into their Honda Civic, killing her, Rajendra and their b ro t h e r - i n - l a w Niranjanbhai Patel, 57, on January 17.

The inquest at West London coroners’ court

Vasumati Patel

heard that the no-right turn sign at a junction near Hatton Cross Tube station might not have been illuminated as it should have been. TFL chief engineer Brendon Sleight said when the sign was checked later on the

Ashis Ray, President IJA

Baroness Royall

HE Rajesh N Prasad

The Indian Journalist Association (IJA) celebrated its second annual dinner in Grosvenor House Hotel, which was attended by almost 450 people.

The Chief guests were Rt Hon Lord McNally, Baroness Royall, Eric Pickles MP and HE Rajesh N Prasad, the Acting High Commissioner of India.

IJA President Ashis Ray delivered a witty speech, followed by the Editor of the IJA magazine Amit Roy, while other executive committee members worked tirelessly to make this evening a success.

The Lifetime achievement awards was given to S Nihal Singh, a veteran journalist.

(A more detailed report will be printed next week)

Priti Patel MP handing over the Lifetime Achievement Awards to S Nihal Singh

Rt Hon Lord McNally

Eric Pickles, MP

The invited guests at the IJA gathering

HE rajesh N Prasad handing over the Lifetime Achievement Awards to S Nihal Singh

Did student lure TV exec to his death?

Mundill Mahil, a medical student, lured a television executive to his death after he tried to rape her, the Old Bailey heard on Tuesday. The 20-year-old invited Gagandip Singh, 21, back to her home in Brighton six months after the attack.

And within hours, Mr Singh lay dying in the boot of a Mercedes car which had been set alight, said Aftab Jafferjee, QC, prosecuting.

He told the jury that two ‘’gangster’’ friends of Mahil lay in wait for him, beat him unconscious, dumped him in the boot and drove to London where the fire was started. day of the accident it was found to be faulty - but added that the crash could have damaged the cable.

Before the crash it was last checked in December.

It will be modernised early next year. Fiona Canby, counsel for TfL, said: “It is TfL’s case that it cannot be said that the lack of illumination was a causative or contributing factor to the death.”

One of the “potential

Mundil Mahil

Mr Jafferjee said Mr Singh and one of the accused, Harvinder Shoker, known as Ravi, were both ‘’besotted’’ with Mahil who was described by all ‘’as an intelligent and attractive young woman’’. causes” for the cable fault leading to a blown fuse was “the impact itself”.

The court heard van driver Peter Brown, who was travelling at about 40mph, had “no chance” to avoid the collision and it was unclear if Mrs Patel made the illegal turn because she had not seen the sign. Coroner Sarah Ormond-Walsh reserved her verdict until December 19.

Gagandeep Singh

Mr Singh was discovered after police came across the blue Mercedes on fire in Blackheath, south east London, in February. He was the owner of a new broad-

casting service called Sikh TV, and also helped in his family’s successful packing business.

His father was murdered whilst visiting India in September 2009, the court heard.

Shoker, 20, of Greenwich, and Darren Peters, 20, of Blackheath, both south east London, and Mahil, of Chatham, Kent, deny murder.

Mr Jafferjee said Mahil and Mr Singh had been friends when in 2009 she began a medical degree at Brighton and Sussex University. Mr Jafferjee said the jury would find that the defendants blamed each other for the death.

The case continues.

Murdered student groomed for sexual exploitation A teenage student stabbed to death and dumped in a canal was groomed for sexual exploitation by adults from the age of 12, it has been revealed.

Laura Wilson, 17, had been tracked by social services since 2005 after she was identified as being ‘at risk’ of sexual exploitation by British Pakistani men. Laura Wilson had a

brief fling with near neighbour Ishaq Hussain, 22, and gave birth to their daughter in June last year The white teenager was the victim of a cycle of sexual abuse and little was done to help her, Laura’s family, have been claimed.

The student was allegedly murdered in October last year after bringing ‘shame’ on two Asian families.

ART & CULTURE

India Connect Q & A: Visa to India Where can I submit a postal application? If I submit it from outside London – where does it go?

Postal applications must be sent to our centralised processing centre located at 1-3, Canalside, Uxbridge Road, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 0JN. Jiten Vyas, VFS Global Even if you address your postal application from outside London – your envelope will still be delivered to this address only.

What is the process followed for postal applications once they are received?

The minimum processing time for a postal application is 10-15 working days. Once such applications are received, they are opened and scrutinised by our agents. If your application is lacking in required information, photo specifications are incorrect or there is any reason that prevents us from processing the application – your documents and passports will be returned back to you with a sheet stating the reason. You would then be required to rectify the error and re-post your documents back to the visa centre. Upon receipt of a complete application and required documents, the application is forwarded to the respective Mission for processing.

Can I send my application directly to the High Commission? Where does it go if I have done so?

All applications should be submitted at the specified visa application centres. If you have already dispatched your application to the High Commission of India (London) – your application will be redelivered to our India Visa Application Centre 1-3, Canalside, Uxbridge Road, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 0JN. But please keep in mind that there will be a delay in the processing of your documents until they reach the Visa Centre from the High Commission.

I get a message of ‘No Record Found’ on my postal application. What is the processing timelines?

Postal applications must be scrutinised before we can begin to process them. In case there are further details required to have been submitted by you or for example, the photographs given were not up to the specification – your application will be posted back to you. In this case, since we are unable to enter your details through our system, there will not be a record to track. In such cases, you can address your concern to info.inuk@vfshelpline.com. It is always strongly advised to ensure that you have read all requirements for an application before it is dispatched through the post.

Where can I get the correct specifications of photographs?

Each Visa Application Centre (except for Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester) have in-house photo booths that will provide you with the required 50x50 size photographs for your application. The cost is £4 for a set of 2.

For more information regarding any quires about Indian Visa please contact by email or post: Email: info.inuk@vfshelpline.com Customer Relations Department.

India Visa Application Center, 60-62 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1DE

India Connect - your questions answered on India visas” a service offered by

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

Anoushka mesmerises audience at Noor Inayat Khan Memorial concert Anoushka Shankar mesmerised the audience at an exclusive tribute concert in the House of Commons to raise funds for a memorial for WWII heroine Noor Inayat Khan, hosted

by Rt Hon Keith Vaz. Anoushka who was in London for a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 5th Dec, as a part of her traveller tour, captivated the selected audience with her Indian classical music. She performed recitals Puriya Dhanashree Raag, followed by Charukeshi and Khamaaj. She was accompanied by Aniruddha Mukherjee on Tabla and Pirashanna Thevarajah on Mridangam.

Being compared to Noor Inayat Khan, who also played the Veena and the harp, Anoushka said that she felt humbled to be compared to Noor Inayat Khan, though she believed she was achieved ‘nothing’ in compared to the late spy Princess. The evening was coordinated by Valerie Vaz MP, Shrabani basu and her Noor Inayat team.

Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan was a secret agent in the Second World War. She was killed in Dachau Concentration Camp in 1944 and posthumously awarded the George Cross for her bravery. She was only 30.

Daughter of the Sufi preacher and musician, Hazrat Inayat Khan, Noor was brought up in a musi-

Anoushka Shankar photo credit: Seamus Murphy

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cal tradition herself and played the veena and the harp. She would have been a writer and a musician if the outbreak of war in Europe had not changed the course of her life forever.

Anoushka’s life has been devoted to learning Indian classical music, carrying on the tradition

of her father and keeping it alive for the next generation. Though born and brought up in the west, she learnt to play the sitar from her father and gave her first public performance with him in India at the age of thirteen.

“It is a privilege to play for Noor at this concert.

She was a brave Indian

woman who did not hesitate to sacrifice her life for freedom. The fact that she was a musician as well makes it even more special,” said Anoushka Shankar The concert was organised by the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust in association with Culturepot Global.

Rt Hon John Bercow, the Speaker of the House, at the fundraising dinner for Noor Inayat Khan at the House of Commons

Praise for Temple Volunteers Aspiring British Indian youngsters, some as young as three, showcased their talents on stage as part of a Volunteer Day celebration.

The event, organised each year by the Balaji Temple, bestows plaudits on temple well-wishers of all ages who have over the year provided unpaid services across various sections. Guests were welcomed by temple Chairman Dr Narayan Rao, who paid a glowing tribute to “four pillars of the temple”, the volunteers. Among participants were budding celebrity Purvaja Rajesh, aged 8, who performed a Bharatnatyam dance; Krishna Srinivasan, 11, who sang a Carnataka song; a lullaby by sevenyear-old Rohita Muthvelu, a hymn by four-and-a-half year old Shri Hari Rannappan; a violin musical by ten-year old Sumedh Sridhar.

Aspiring vet, 15-yearold Kevin Raja mesmerised the audience with his X-Factor-style

English song. An excellent power-point presentation on Hinduism was delivered by father-of-two Dr Madhusudan Srinivasan, a professor of Medical Oncology at Nottingham University.

The evening programme, which was fantastically compered by volunteer Sundarajalu Sudhakar, also included a buffet meal and dancing to bhangra, and old and new Hindi songs.

Temple trustees Dr Ram Aithal, a man of many talents, and Dr Ramana, from London, said the volunteers were the “heart” of the temple, “without them the temple would collapse”.

Thank you to the temple committee for inviting our senior news editor Dhiren Katwa as chief guest. “Credit to all the volunteers for an absolutely amazing evening,” said Dhiren.

Photograph by (Kunwar Gaurav, aka Raghava) – The Balaji Family of Volunteers

Woman wanted by Police for racial abuse Police are hunting a woman who was secretly filmed appearing to hurl racist abuse at passengers on a train just days after another woman allegedly ranted at travellers.

In the latest YouTube clip filmed on a train between London and Manchester, the woman is seen yelling at a group of passengers: ‘You’re in my country now, talk my language. Don’t f****** talk

your ****, talk my language.

You ****, ****’ The video has been viewed thousands of times and follows outrage over the alleged racist rant by a woman on a tram in Croydon, South London earlier this week.

Emma West, 34, of New Addington, London, was remanded in custody on a racial harassment charge after a video showing her

allegedly abusing passengers aboard a tram while balancing a toddler on her knee appeared on the internet.

British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed they were aware of the video and were appealing for information about the woman. Anyone with information about the latest incident should call BTP on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 373 of 29/11/2011.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

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f ashionista

by Debasree Ghosh For more stories visit www.scribbledesk.com

Short Story by Neha Garg

The Fisherman and the Genie Once upon a time, in a land far away, A fisherman set out with his net on a sleigh.

He had a wife and 3 children to feed, Some big, fat fish was his only greed.

You would agree then with his distress, When the first 3 lots were stones, shells and a general mess.

He cast his net a fourth time, filled with dread, His heart felt as heavy to him as a box of lead.

This time though, fortune struck, The fisherman could not believe his luck.

He pulled the net in to find, A golden vessel, round as a pig’s behind.

‘Ah!’ thought the fisherman. ‘Think of the fortune I shall make,’ ‘No more fish tonight, ‘tis the night for steak.’

Happily, he unscrewed the lid, And instantly black smoke from the vessel slid.

It rolled over the seas, it covered the sands.

Causing the fisherman to cower behind his hands.

Shivering, he looked up in time to see, A Giant Genie, shaking himself free.

‘Who set me free?’ demanded the Genie, The fisherman opposite him looking really teeny.

‘It was I, oh mighty one,’ ‘I apologise if I was not supposed to do what I have done.’

‘Oh, no, no, no!’ said the giant being.

‘I am quite glad of all the freeing,’ ‘I shall, however, have to put you to

death,’ ‘I am sworn to do so, upon my very breath.’

If the fisherman shivered before, it was nothing to what he did now, Scared as he was, he thought to escape the Genie’s vow.

‘This is utterly crazy,’ thought he.

‘I should get wishes, I did after all set the idiot free.’

‘Instead, here he stands, wanting my life,’ ‘How do I ensure, I go home tonight to my wife?’

An idea slowly formed in his mind, He would repay this Genie in kind.

Aloud he said, ‘I do not believe you, O Sire,’ ‘In this tiny little vessel, you could never retire,’ ‘Your bulk is huge, the vessel itty-bitty,’ ‘Forget you, it wouldn’t hold my kitty.’

‘How dare you? You call me a liar?’

‘I assure you, the consequences will be dire.’

‘I am telling the truth,’ ‘I have been in there since my youth.’

‘How can I believe you unless I see for myself,’ ‘Go back into the vessel, make yourself as tiny as an elf.’

‘I shall prove it to you, puny human’ The Genie’s pride at stake, he showed his acumen.

He turned himself back into black smoke, So thick, you would have choked.

He filled the vessel to the brim, Soon as he did, the fisherman put the lid on, trapping him.

‘You might be a man of bulk,’ ‘But without brains, there is no use for you hulk.’

‘Back into the ocean you shall go,’ ‘Never to again bother us anymore.’

Good as his word, the fisherman tossed the vessel into the sea, And spent his life warning people not to set the Genie free.

He built a hut on that very beach, To this day, the value of quick thinking does he teach.

Abseiling Brokers take on Battersea Power Station for Charity On Saturday 19th November, members of staff from Coversure Insurance Services in Kennington tackled the 100 foot wall at the much loved iconic landmark on the south bank of the River Thames to raise money for charity.

Abseiled down Battersea Power Station in London, Rajan Amin and his team raised a whopping 2,016 for the Stroke Association.

A stroke is a common and debilitating disease that touches many people in one way or another.

The efforts of Coversure Kennington team really touched the imagination of their fellow branches, customers and friends. The original target was 1,000, and they are already over 2,000 and counting.

150 can help provide a life changing Life After Stroke Grant to a person affected by stroke. It can help them

Rajan Amin, Stuart Read, Thomas Roe and Anish Patel

buy a ramp so they can access their home more easily and be able to live a more independent life.

Delighted with the result, Mr. Amin said “What an amazing total.

When we first thought of doing this, I never for a moment expected we would raise such a fantastic amount of money for charity. I’d like to thank our customers, friends and the generous Coversure offices for their contributions. We are deeply touched by the reaction.”

Be a Fashionista, Be You! If you have any questions or a story or a new style to share with us, please write to Shree at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

SHINE ON

The invitations are in.

The parties, dinners, brunches and even a couple of formal balls. ‘Tis the season to feel loved.

And to shop. For presents, undoubtedly; but also for yourself so that those who are kind enough to invite you to break bread or chug champagne with them don’t have to put up with a depressingly dressed you. Depressing dressing, while has it’s own time and place, this is not it.

And what can be more cheery than being dunked in sequins? Our designers and shops know this and as a result the HighStreets all around Britain have been awash with dazzle. One can’t take a step without being blinded by sparkle.

And I am not complaining. I am a magpie!

A diamond is a girl’s best friend for two main reasons: they sparkle and shine. It is almost as if women are born to naturally be attracted to bright and shiny things like glitter and jewelry.

Luckily, there is always that one period of the year where we can dress up and sparkle without anyone telling us we can’t. Year after year we always see clothing and accessories that sparkle and shine during the fall/winter seasons.

Luxury brands including Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang and many more all included metallics into their collections whether it be in accents or main pieces. Sequined and

embellished designs were into incorporated Balmain and Jonathan Saunder’s runway collections. Stella McCartney strayed from the sequin and used plain metallics instead. This look is minimalistic with a futuristic twist that looks stunning with a pair of sky-high platforms or booties.

I am an inch away from buying a Dark blue one –shouldered sequin dress for my work party. It’s coming all the way from Macy’s and I am fully aware that for all the postage and taxes I will probably wear it once. But I am a fool in love. A fresh new way to shine is with sequin trousers. They might seem a bit intimidating at first and for good reason, for only the lithe can pull off this look; but they're the perfect foil for a cozy knit sweater and pair well with blazer and heels. Mix in matte textures to let your sequin pants take center stage -and have fun! For the

prudent ones amongst you not sure of a dress or top with too much shine, opt for the shine with metallic heels or loafers or an oversized clutch.

Next to shoes, the easiest way to work sequins into

your wardrobe is through a handbag. There is something so feminine about grabbing ahold of a sparkly clutch or bag.

Afraid of commitment?

For a simple touch of sparkle, cinch up with J.Crew’s skinny glitter belt in gold, silver or black.

Sequins and metallics are no longer reserved for after-hours cocktails and swanky soirees; they’re out and about in broad daylight, fancying up feet and popping collars.

Working shine into your daytime wardrobe can be challenging, walking a fine line between subtle glamour and shine overload with an overdone or tacky outcome. The best way to sparkle while the sun is shining is to focus on a key piece and keep the rest of your outfit muted or toned down. I have a ivory t-shirt with a metallic threads running through it that I regularly wear to office without wanting the earth to swallow me up. Then again, I work in advertising. Different is good in my neck of the woods.

Sparkle is huge for the holidays and always will be. It will be fun no matter which way you choose to wear it. You are never too old or too shy to dip your toes in stardust. This season, all that glitters is gold.

Teen singer releases her charity single Teen Singer, Shakila, Releases her first Charity Single to Raise Money for Help for Heroes Fourteen year old Shakila Karim, who has already released two songs earlier this year, releases her first charity song ‘Heroes’ on the 28th of November 2011.

Her song is to show gratitude to all the people in the armed forces who have served and continue to serve in Afghanistan

and Iraq.

Shakila goes to school in Newport, Essex, which is very close to Carver Barracks and has quite a few friends who have a parent serving in Afghanistan. She is well aware of the dangers being faced there, as well as the sacrifices being made by some of the bravest people in the world.

Shakila told Asian Voice: “I am so proud of

Shakila Karim

my new song ‘Heroes’, because it’s dedicated to all those wonderful people in the armed forces

who are true heroes. I appreciate the terrible things they have to do and I also know some of these people are coming back with horrific injuries.

“I want to help raise as much money as possible for these amazing people who really need a lot of care and support.

Help for Heroes does an outstanding job and I want to do whatever I can to help.”

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BollywooD

Asian Voice Saturday 10th December 2011

‘Kolaveri Di’ celebrates 15 million views in just 2 weeks!

Dhanush

Shruti

Sony Music’s “Why this Kolaveri Di” has created a viral phenomenon, the likes of which have never before been seen in India for the Tanglish musical hit. In just two weeks the song has become an anthem in India and has crossed over the international markets. Having reached: +15MN You Tube Streams, +3.6MN Facebook shares, the #kolaveri hash tag on twitter trending with tweets from media watchers, journalists, fans, industry barons, celebrities, and pretty much everyone. The music is composed by an 18- year -old prodigal talent Anirudh. Sung by the actor and lyricist of the song Dhanush, ‘Why This Kolaveri Di’ is genre bending with comical lyrics that adds to its popularity.

It is the first regional language (Tamil) song ever to see a high rotation on mainstream music channels, and get play listed on 43 radio stations in India.

The official soundtrack release is in the first week of December 2011 while the film '3' will release in mid-January 2012.

Here’s all the talking around it: “We believed in our creativity and when we sat with the Sony Music team they saw the true potential in it. Our creativity and their vision has led to the song exploding globally. We are proud to be associated with a team and an international brand like them as we see the true value they bring to music”, says Anirudh, the 21- year -old music director.

The simplicity and originality of the melody, lyrics and real to life video

Anirudh

has attracted people world over to the song. It’s no longer just a song, it’s a catchphrase and has entered the national lexicon…association with this song has become a status symbol of belonging’. It’s almost like if you have not heard the song, you are just not with it. Dhanush the actor, singer and the lyricist of the song adds, “I am not a singer but Sony Music’s perseverance to ride on this same fact and give it a real feel is what I think has made it work.”

S h r i d h a r Subramaniam, president India and Middle East Sony Music Entertainment and the mind behind creating the viral rage adds, “There is a change in the music landscape that we all are witnessing today.

Regional music has huge acceptability- growing at the rate of 20% per annum and regional advertisements are becoming national and today the success of our song ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’ is an endorsement to this phenomena.

We have been a part of the change since 2008 when we entered the Tamil music market and today enjoy a 60% market share. Our outlook and strategy has been to expand in this market and our recent foray in the Punjabi music market is another such step.”

“Now, it has been our conscious effort to long tail ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’ concept by creating official dance mixes of the song, exploiting publishing and distributing the same. We want to keep it fresh, buzzing and alive till each person world over has seen/heard it.

Rajinikanth to act in India’s first 3D film

Rajinikanth will now act in India's first 3D film directed by his younger daughter, Soundarya. Work on his under-production “Rana,” on whose sets he fell ill early this year, has been postponed in favour of the 3D film “Kochadaiyaan.” The film will be released in August 2012, after which Rajinikanth will resume shooting for “Rana.” This is the first time that a 3D film with "performance

capturing technology" is being produced in India.

The Hollywood blockbuster “Avatar,” directed

by James Cameron and the recent movie “The Adventures of Tintin” directed by Steven Spielberg, have been produced with the same technology. KS Ravikumar, director of “Rana,” has written the story, screenplay and dialogue besides supervising the direction of “Kochadaiyaan.”

Sunny Leone says yes to Mahesh Bhatt

When filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt entered the Bigg Boss House to meet Sunny Leone, the Indian origin porn star, to discuss Pooja Bhatt’s ‘Jism 2’ with her, there was lot of speculation about her reaction to the movie offer. However, the meeting has gone off well. In fact, Sunny has given ‘Jism 2’ a nod and the discussions have progressed to the next level. Given that this is the first time that a movie offer is being discussed inside the Bigg Boss House, Mahesh Bhatt was extremely cautious about discussing the details of the script in front of the cameras.

He, instead, gave Sunny Leone a brief about the role that she would be portraying on screen, which is of a woman who transcends from the ‘body’ to the ‘soul.’ Talking about his interaction with Sunny Leone, Mahesh Bhatt said, “Sunny has technically said yes to work in Jism 2.

The next steps will be taken by Pooja Bhatt and her production house – Fish Eye Network who will discuss the offer and its legalities with Sunny’s agent to make it final. When I first met Sunny, I did not see any flicker of recognition in her eyes and I was glad about that because it allowed me to see different shades of her character and personality. During my interaction with her, I have gotten a glimpse of her uninhibited self and I am very impressed by what I have seen.”

Anushka to star in ‘Veer-Zaara’ sequel with SRK, Kat From ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ to ‘Band Bajaa Baraat’ and now ‘Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl’, Anushka Sharma has proved time and again that she has what it needs to be a hot favourite among directors in Bollywood. Lately, there’s a buzz going on in tinsel town that the 23-year- old actress has been signed for the “Veer-Zaara” sequel, which is expected to be released near Diwali in 2012. The movie, apart from Shah Rukh Khan, who was the main lead in the first part also, features Katrina Kaif as well.

Anushka, will be playing character of Rani Mukherjee as a Pakistani lawyer, Saamiya Siddiqui. The first part of the movie which hit the silver screens in 2004 was set against the backdrop of conflict between India and Pakistan. Starring Shah Rukh, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee, the movie told an unfortunate love story of an Indian Air Force. Interestingly, Shah Rukh and Katrina will be paired for the first time.

Even the renowned director Yash Chopra will return to business after a break of seven long years and that too with a sequel of his last movie.

Shiney Ahuja’s back in business 'Past never dies, it kills'... ironically, this is the tagline of Shiney Ahuja's latest film, “Ghost.” He's trying hard to put the ghost of his past behind him and face the limelight, all over again Shiney admitted that after the alleged rape case and his subsequent arrest, he has stopped planning his life and career, because he feels that the remote control is in the hands of the almighty.

In fact, Shiney also confessed to being 'extremely nervous' about his comeback. He revealed that so far, he hasn't been offered any other film except “Ghost” and the long-pending “Harr Pall” with Preity Zinta. When asked if his forced hiatus from the industry has made him compromise his asking price, Shiney said, "Bharat Shah, the financer of my film, was gracious enough to offer me my regular acting fee."

Aamir refuses to be India's favourite 'milkman' Aamir Khan has rejected a film that is to be based on Verghese Kurien, India's favourite milkman, reports say.

Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia along with Ekta Kapoor is collaborating for a biopic on Verghese Kurien.

Interestingly, they both felt that Aamir would not only deliver but also take the idea to a different level. However, it seems as if Mr Perfectionist wasn't too sure about it.

"Besides, he's also preoccupied with his television show. On being contacted, Tigmanshu confirmed that he's working on the film. "It's not my next film, but it will be made. I am doing research on Verghese Kurien and working on the script,” is all he was willing to comment.

However, with Aamir rejecting the film, it remains to be seen which actor will step into the shoes of a US-trained metallurgical engineer who pioneered Operation Flood, the largest dairy development program in the world.

Evergreen star Dev Anand passes away in London Evergreen romantic star Dev Anand, who has given classic films like 'Guide' and 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' and epitomised the suave, urban gentleman on screen, died after a cardiac arrest in London. He was 88.

Mohan Churiwala, Dev Anand's manager, said that the actor passed away in a London hotel where he was staying with his son, Sunil, a onetime actor. According to Churiwala, Sunil saw Dev Anand not responding and called the doctor. 'The doctor said that he had a heart attack. He died at 10 in the night in London,' he said. The iconic star is survived by his wife, former actress Kalpana Karthik, Sunil and a daughter.

According to Churiwala, the cremation will be held next week in London. 'He will be cremated in London only after Tuesday. Cremation cannot take place till his daughter reaches there. His body is kept in a hospital right now,' adding that his wife may also accompany her daughter.

Dev Anand, who started his career in the black Prem Pujari and white era with 1946 film 'Hum Ek Hain', spent 65 years under the arc lights as an actor and filmmaker. ● Born on Sep 26, 1923 as Dharam The actor worked tirelessly, coming up with new films Dev Pishorimal Anand in Gurdaspur after short intervals. He never hung his boots or sat on district of then undivided Punjab. his laurels. In fact, before his death, he was planning ● Graduated in English literature from another movie.

Govt College, Lahore.

His latest film 'Chargesheet', which he acted and ● Acting debut in 1946 in ‘Hum Ek directed and was released this year, became his swan Hain.’ song. His amazing zest for life and dynamism became a ● Offered first big break by Ashok source of inspiration for many.

Kumar in 1948 hit ‘Ziddi’ His nephew and acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar ● Married Kalpana Kartik in 1954 Kapur summed up his 65-year-long journey in show● Won the Filmfare best actor award biz aptly by saying, 'Dev Anand lived and died at his for ‘Kala Pani’ in 1958 own terms. He was working one minute. Sat down ● His first colour film, ‘Guide’ (1965), and smiled. And was gone the next. So much 2 learn,' directed by brother Vijay Anand, is remembered as one of his best works tweeted Kapur. who reconnected with his indefatigable ● Made his directorial debut with ‘Prem uncle Dev Anand after eight years.

From colleagues to fans - everyone woke up to a Pujari’ in 1970- 71 directorial effort, ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ became a rude Sunday morning shock as the news of the legendary actor's passing away in London unfolded here. cult hit Dev Anand seemed to have adopted the philosophy ● Protested against the Emergency and launched National Party of India of the song 'Main Zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya' from 'Hum Dono', in real life too. His body of work in 1977, which he later disbanded ● Introduced actors like Zeenat Aman, speaks volumes about the man who was not only a great actor, but multi-tasker and a trendsetter.

Tina Munim, Jackie Shroff and Tabu If as an actor he proved his versatility Following the ● Got Padma Bhushan in 2001 and with hits like 'Tere Ghar Ke Samne', 'Jewel of passing Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 2002 away of Dev ● Was often said to resemble Hollywood Thief' and Guide', as a director he made a Anand, 'zara hatke' movie 'Hare Rama Hare Shailesh Vara star Gregory Peck and modelled his t Krishna' that also gave Bollywood its first MP go screen personality on him. Both actors nostalgic, he anglicised glamour icon in Zeenat Aman. says: "The died at the age of 88.

Overseas BJP mourns the loss of Shri world of ment tertain al Dev Anandji: Shri Dev Anandji’s passing away in London has left a big void in the en has lost a re Indian film industry which shall be very hard to fill. His association with BJP is some- star who will ed rn mou thing which we will always treasure and remember with affection. His career started be by millions from 1946 and he even released a movie in 2011 which made him the longest serving throughout rld. d always artist in the Indian film industry. Dev Anandji’s movies were famous for their social the wo me, Dev Anan of Despite his far people from all walks messages and good music. He was also the first Hindi movie actor who campaigned made time fo when he nd ha st fir at saw be greatly against the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by launching a political party called The life, as ILo ndon. He will r Anand on sited met M d ha National Party of India, which he later disbanded. Our thoughts and prayers are with vi He " d. uding when misse casions, incl mmons.

Shri Devji’s family and we hope that India is blessed with more people of the calibre and couple of oc Co of e us Ho e he visited th talent like the evergreen Shri Dev Anand.

Kareena to announce marriage after 'Agent Vinod' Amid constant rumours of her marriage with beau Saif Ali Khan, actress Kareena Kapoor says that they will make an announcement in this regard only after the release of their upcoming film 'Agent Vinod'. The marriage is likely to take place between FebruaryMarch next year. However, when quizzed over the issue, Kareena said, "Both Saif and me are waiting for 'Agent Vinod' to release.

Karan Johar mocked the constant marriage buzz, saying, "I am tying the knot with Kareena for the entire month of February. She would be there for pre and post promotions of 'Ek Main Aur Ek Tu'."

Pakistani actress Veena Malik bares it all Pakistani actress Veena Malik, known for enraging conservative sections of the Pakistani society following her participation in the Indian reality TV show Bigg Boss 4, has bared it all for the men's international lifestyle magazine, FHM (For Him Magazine). Malik has done a strip photo shoot for FHM India and even tattooed her arms with 'ISI'Pakistan's notorious intelligence agency known for its close ties with terror organizations. The issue also has Malik talking about controversial topics like veil i n Muslim societies.

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

17

Aishwarya keen to get back in shape!

Aishwarya Rai, who recently delivered a beautiful baby girl seems to have already taken a step forward to get back in shape post-delivery.Ash recently made her first public appearance after the delivery, dressed in a light pink Anarkali suit, wearing flipflop footwear. Stylists termed her dressing sense as absurd and not stylish. Well, if you are wondering why these flipflops were there, then hold on, Ash is all set to get back in shape and flipflops are just the best for this purpose.

Dino Morea still admires Bipasha They dated just for two years, but Dino Morea admits he had a great time with Bipasha Basu and she is still his good friend. "Bipasha is a fab friend! She is still a child at heart and she's done some of the whackiest things one could ever imagine," the actor-filmmaker has said on a show. The two had started dating during modelling days and also featured together in Vikram Bhatt's "Raaz" in 2002. In the same year, they mutually decided to part ways but have kept in touch as friends.

like me, Censor doesn't have sex life: Karan After the Censor board raised objection to the use of the word 'sex' in the forthcoming Kareena-Imran starrer “Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu,” necessary change has been made. The board had asked producer Karan Johar to remove the 's' word from 'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu' trailer, so as to qualify for U-certificate. But Karan got his own back. Talking about the issue, he said, “Censor and I have the same problem...we both don't have sex life. Censor was not okay with the use of the word 'sex'.

We have changed that,” film crew told reporters after the launch of the first look of the film.

Not selling Beti B's pictures: Big B Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has denied reports that he is planning to sell pictures of his son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya's first child. “Media trying to build up story of sale of baby picture...ha ha ha ... good try media, it will never happen...,” Amitabh posted on micro-blogging site Twitter, following reports that the family will follow Hollywood's trend of selling baby pictures. Aishwarya gave birth to a baby girl on Nov 16, and the Bachchan's brought the daughter home on Nov 22. The family is yet to decide on a name for its bundle of joy.

Karisma, Jaya hug and make up Way back in 2003, Karisma Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan were the hottest couples in Bollywood.

However, just couple of months after announcing their engagement, the duo decided to break-up. No one came up with reasons for the split, but there was much of bad blood. The Kapoors and the Bachchans stopped talking. Kareena refused to sign up movies opposite Abhishek. So, when Karisma met Jaya at an event, they were not expected to talk to each other. Surprisingly, Karisma is reported to have walked up to Jaya and hugged her. She even sat next to Jaya and was congratulating her on the new addition to the Bachchan family.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

Protect your property this winter Dear Financial Voice Reader, I’ve been asked to write in very simple terms what investment advice I would give someone, say a shopkeeper, in this environment. With investments the issue is where you should put money and how much. Simple.

The choice of where to put money are called ‘asset classes’ such as property, gold, stocks, bonds, currencies. Why do people not put money in one thing, such as Tata Motors shares? Because they fear if they put their money in just one thing, they are more likely to suffer a loss, than if they spread that by putting money into several assets.

So which of these assets should you consider? Let’s start with UK stocks. I think these are cheap and although you may only get a 5-10% return next year, the risk is not too bad because the stocks are cheap.

But by UK stocks I mean the FTSE 100, which is a collection of the largest 100 UK companies. Ask you broker or bank about FTSE 100 ‘index trackers’.

What about Gold? Although the Gold could go to $2000 an ounce, and I don’t think there is much chance of it falling, I do not think gold is a good investment at the moment given risk of falls and the limited price rises.

Next, bonds. These you would have to buy using a stock broker or a bank. They tend to be issued by the Government and pay a yield or return as annual income.

But because they are safe your return could be as low as 2%. But it will be positive and the risk of losing your capital is very small.

Companies also issue bonds. These are slightly less safe and could give you 5% to 7% return for fairly safe companies where you are not likely to lose your initial capital investment. Ask your bank or stockbroker.

Some people buy currencies. For Indians, you may want to buy Rupees because they are so cheap. Euro will fall and the dollar while rising now is quite risky, so either keep Sterling or buy rupees.

But how much of each asset class should you own.

Of course the older you are the more safety you want because the less time you have in your life to make up the losses. So you may only own Government bonds.

But for a typical individual, you may have gold (5% of your money), stocks (20%), property 20%, government bonds (20%), corporate bonds (20%) and the rest in cash.

This is not ideal for everyone and some may want to invest in alternative assets like paintings or wine. And it is the job of your stockbroker to understand what kind of risk suites you and returns you are looking for.

Amul sues Nestle for copying A+ brand Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets the Amul brand of milk, butter, cheese and ice cream, has shot off a legal notice to Nestle over trademark infringement of its dairy brand A+, four days after the multinational rolled out a new brand of milk and yogurt called Nestle a+.

The notice, sent by the cooperative's lawyers on Monday alleges that Nestle is 'guilty of passing off its identical products' as those of GCMMF's.

The Gujarat-based dairy firm has been selling fortified cheese under the brand Amul A+ for over a year, and high-calcium

milk under the label Amul Calci + for almost four years. A Nestle India spokesman said: "We own the rights to use a+ as a trademark and therefore do not see why anyone should object to our using it. We have not received any legal notice on our use of a+, and if received, shall respond appropriately."

In the notice, Amul demands Nestle discontinue the use of the sign 'a+' on its trademark label, and also give an undertaking on a stamp paper that it will not manufacture, sell or advertise products using the symbol 'A+' or 'a+'.

The notice also demands Rs 100 million as damages.

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$ !

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drop, pipes can freeze As shops start and burst. Your boiler playing Christmas and heating systems songs and the mince should have annual pies come out, it’s checks to ensure they time to ensure your property is ready for are in working order. the cold and wet • If tenants are weather of the visiting family over winter months. Rajan Amin Christmas, they We’ve put together a guide shouldn’t completely to some of the most switch off the heating. common causes of claims Leaving it on a low on insurance over the temperature (e.g. 10°C) winter months below and will substantially minimise hope you find this helpful: the potential damage to Roofs: High winds can your property. cause a lot of damage to • If the property is your property. being left for a long period, • Ensure that roof tiles get a plumber to drain the are secure. water in the pipes and • Clear the gutters and central heating system.

Contents: Some drains regularly of leaves insurers exclude risks such and dirt.

This will as theft and malicious minimise the chance of experiencing water damage after a property has damage in the loft/roof been left unoccupied for a space and a blocked gutter certain number of days, or can result in flooding on if security checks aren't the roof and may cause followed. Well secured problems in the future. entry points will discourage Pipes: Burst pipes and opportunistic burglars over water damage are a the Christmas period. common problem during It is common for winter. As the temperatures exclusions and restrictions

Kingfisher, Jet share India’s 'best' airline honour In spite of the mounting troubles and the recent flight cancellations, Kingfisher continues to remain the favourite airline in India, an honour which it shares with Jet Airways this year, according to an annual airline and air travel survey released last week.

While Vijay Mallyapromoted Kingfisher is the best airline for in-flight entertainment, food/beverages, in-flight service, inflight maintenance (cabin lighting, cleanliness, seat comfort, leg room), Naresh Goyal-headed Jet leads in ground handling and landing/take-off quality, it said.

India's largest low-cost carrier IndiGo comes next at No 2, said the survey by travel advisory portal TripAdvisor.

Kingfisher had topped the 2010 edition of the survey.

However, TripAdvisor did not specify when the survey was conducted, and hence it is not clear if it was done before October when the troubles escalated for Kingfisher, leading to massive flight cancellations.

"The survey rings in some good news for the woe-ridden Kingfisher Airlines. Despite recent turbulent times, consumers have given a clear thumbs up to the airline as a favourite carrier which is topping most service and experience parameters" TripAdvisor India Country Manager Nikhil Ganju told reporters. National carrier Air India, which is also facing tough time, is the least favoured airline for the second year in a row, the survey said.

to apply to property insurance. Ensure you understand your policy fully and your obligations regarding any security, heating and occupancy.

For more information and/or advice on your Property Insurance policy contact your insurance broker or insurer.

Contact: Rajan Amin Cert CII Tel: 0800 093 9009 Email: kennington@coversure.co.uk Note to editors: Coversure Insurance Services is an insurance broker with 90 branches nationwide.

Coversure Kennington offer all general insurances including Motor, Home and Business cover. They also have a number of specialist schemes for Property, Shop, Care Home, Public & Employers Liability and Professional Indemnity.

Coversure Insurance Services Kennington Branch, 220 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4DA. www.coversure.co.uk/kennington

Anshu Jain is 'best European i-banker'

India-born Anshu Jain, who is tipped to become the co-chief executive of Deutsche Bank next year, has been named European investment banker of the year. Jain, the head of corporate and investment banking at the German lender, was named the European investment banker of the year by peers at the annual awards of Financial News, a Dow Jones publication, for excellence in i-banking, a statement said. JP Morgan retained its title as the top investment bank at the awards, which were held in London.

Quality for Community Mayank S. Rawal, FCQI CQP

Approved Suppliers The selection and control of suppliers is vital for ensuring that materials and services for a Community Organization are procured from approved/proven sources.

These materials and services could be caterers, priests, musicians, building services, legal advisors, financial providers, printers, domestic material items etc.

The Community Organization expects that all of its suppliers follow good working practices, and comply with respective industry standards.

They should be capable of delivering the required quality and quantity. A carefully selected supplier will in the long term prove to be a great asset for the organization.

In order to formally register a supplier, a number of steps would help the registration processes to be carefully managed.

These steps could include; 1. Information Sourcing: Technical/co mmercial information should be gathered on potential suppliers, from whom the desired product / service is to be procured.

2. Evaluation: Initial supplier evaluation could be based on factors such as financial stability, complaint history, reputation, recommendations from other organizations, historic performance, sample inspection of product/service, verification

of supplier’s facility, a w a rd s / c e r t i f i c a t i o n s held by the supplier, competency/experience. This would be followed by short listing those suppliers considered as highly prospective.

Ongoing re-evaluation could be based on various factors such as cost, safety, reliability and functionality of product/service, delivery times, responsiveness to queries, and post delivery after care service.

Upon evaluation, the supplier’s products/services should be categorized as critical, major, and minor, in terms of usage and risk. The supplier could be given an overall rating or score,say between 1 and 5 for each of the `factors’ stated above. The rating levels are used to indicate the relevant strengths, and weaknesses of the supplier.

Evaluation and regular monitoring of your suppliers can help to motivate their performance and forge mutually beneficial working relationships. In essence, your Community Organization decides thecontrols needed to select, approve, and maintain a supplier.

3. Registration: Providing the supplier meets all prerequisite requirements of the Community Organization, they should then be placed onto an Approved

Suppliers List, which should serve as a central repository of all suppliers being used by the C o m m u n i t y Organization, and be strictly followed. The Approved Suppliers List should contain information such as suppliers name, contact information, product/service being supplied, date of approval, category of classification, validity time duration of approval, overall rating.

Once complete, the overall list should be marked by version number and endorsed for use by the Management Committee.

As well as having an Approved Suppliers List, it is just as beneficial to have a `Denied parties’ list in place (register of those Suppliers not to be used), to prevent the inadvertent re-use of previous unsatisfactory performing suppliers.

Continued failure of a supplier to meet the organization’s expectations should result in removal from the `Approved Suppliers List’ and entry onto a Denied parties list.

A regular review and update of your Approved Suppliers List will allow tighter control of the products and services being procured, ensuring the suppliers provide, good value for money, and greater confidence in your Community Organization’s supply chain.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

19

Price is not the only concern

Suresh Vagjiani Managing Director Sow & Reap A Property Investment & Financing company.

We have just agreed a deal worth £1.8m for £1.25m. So I should be pleased? Nope, I would still like to squeeze the deal.

How? Not on price, the seller with good reason is unlikely to go down in price. There are a number of other ways to still squeeze water from this stone.

Let me describe the situation. There are two buildings valued at £1.05m and £750,000, producing a below market rent of £75,000. The first is a detached block in Harlesden consisting of four flats with one regulated tenant and the others on AST’s. The second is a block of three flats in Shepards Bush. Both strong locations and very easy to sell on or rent.

The rise in Harlesden comes from Notting Hill, or so I have been informed by a local agent. This is the ripple effect, as the market in this location heats up the surrounding areas namely Kilburn, Queens Park and Harlesden all benefit.

The sellers require a quick exchange and want commitment of sale.

They are not so concerned with the other variables i.e time and structure. The blocks are freehold and were bought decades ago. The owners were at that time business partners, they have now moved on individually, and want their monies out. The properties have gone up substantially, originally bought for a small fraction of their current value.

Here are some of the variables we have to play with: l l l l l l

Time Structure of deal The property titles Tax efficient methods of sale for the seller Stamp duty saving scheme Doing the deal based on the actual valuation rather than purchase price

Let’s consider some of these and see how they can be used to sweeten the deal further.

If we d elay completion we play with time. H ow do es t his bene fit us? Pe opl e do no t recog nise t he time value of money.

If we delay completion we have the potential to sell on the deal without ever having to pay the expense of having to complete. This means with only 10% deposit one can make a manifold return on one’s investment.

It would be dangerous to rely upon this alone, if you cannot sell you will lose the 10% and potentially more.

What if the market turns and the properties are worth less than what was paid? Pretty unlikely but let’s assume the worst.

To enter this deal we would recommend you would need to have the means to complete the purchase of the deal. Better to face the worst scenario head on and be happy, the rest will be a bonus. The best case is we sell on for the full £1.8m and enjoy a return of £650k from an investment of £120k. The worst case will be you purchase the property for £1.25m, pay all the fees and you have an income of £75,000.

The likely scenario will be somewhere in between.

If we make the contracts reassignable we can sell the properties on before completion and use this money to complete.

W e can also cut the lease s, this would mean we will be sellin g ind ivid ual flats on t he mark et rather t han the original f ree holds.

Getting freehold flats funded would be difficult. Not many lenders like this, the way forward would be to split the building into leases.

The exchange will be subject to the seller having use of the money rather than sitting in the solicitor’s client account. Ordinarily the exchange amount stays in the solicitor’s account. Due to the dire need for money the seller has insisted on having the funds released to him, hence the reason for the lowered purchase price.

The other way to sweeten the deal for the seller might be to offer a tax efficient manner to dispose of the asset, as the potential liability between the original purchase price and resell will be extortionate.

Another aspect we can play with is to increase the purchase price to the valuation price of £1.8m, then any funding from the lender will be based on this amount. If we consider 75% lending against £1.8m this comes to £1.35m. This means we put nothing in the deal.

This is the trick: give the seller a 'loan' for £650k, a second charge is put against the property. £1.35m is passed from the lender and £650,000 from the buyers, this can be obtained from a bridging company for one day. As soon as the seller’s solicitor gets the funds they have to satisfy the second charge of £650,000 before releasing the funds to the seller. Therefore any money in excesses of the £1.25 is transferred back out of the deal.

So something which lo oks plain vanilla wit h closer inspection is not. The issue to bear in mind is not to get too cle ve r for yo ur boot s.

There is a danger here with the deal, if you try to get too clever you may scare the seller into going with another offer to avoid the perceived hassle.

The other point of note is the seller is likely to be guided by his solicitor. The solicitor normally has two objectives. In order of priority, the first is to cover themselves from all liability, the second is to choose the path of least hassle to themselves. In all fairness this I guess comes down to just human nature.

There would be little point in having clever ideas for us to fall down at the time of execution.

The solicitor on the seller’s side must be singing from the same hymn sheet. Therefore given that the deal is well outside of the box it is essential the seller’s solicitor is on board. Practically it would be better if we suggest the solicitor for the seller to use.

This is by no means a thorough analysis on the different approaches to this one deal. It shows how very quickly there are many things to consider when trying to work out the best way to execute something.

Again the danger is if it’s presented to the seller in the wrong way it may destroy the deal completely. So the overriding factor is the comfort level of the seller. This is perhaps in one way harder to define as it’s emotional. If he is not comfortable with the scenario the whole deal will collapse and there will be nothing to structure.

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20

financial voice

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

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

Backing Down

maria@abplgroup.com

Maria Fernandes

Are the migrant population taking our jobs?

Recently the Daily Mail, ran a headline indicating that there has been a rise of foreign workers and the decline in the number of local workers employed. A number of employers were interviewed and it was surprising, for a paper with generally such extreme views to report its findings by in a balanced manner.

Employers interviewed indicated that foreign workers have a strong work ethic which is sadly lacking in the local population. They are prepared to go the extra mile, they regard their work as being of the utmost importance and they take on tasks that others are not prepared to do.

The Immigration Minister Damien Green recently indicated when justifying the reasons for maintaining the restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians that this would “reduce employers' dependence on migrant workers, particularly for lower skilled jobs.” What tosh. Mr Green must be

family, as tourists, to meet business partners or to receive medical treatment. The changes to the visitor regulations and the creation of numerous categories of visitors have made the whole business of being a visitor very complex. Imagine the scenario of a visitor wanting to enter the UK to visit family and whilst here conduct some business. He could not under the regulations in place do this. There are specific criteria for each type of visitor and a breach could have serious consequences for breach of conditions.

The rules have moved from the very general to the too specific. There should be some flexibility in operating them.

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

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

living in a different planet if he thinks that if he stops the entry of lower skilled jobs that these jobs will magically be replaced by local workers.

The fact that unemployment is rife has not made an iota of difference to the type of jobs local staff are prepared to do. Libby Purves in a recent article in The Times suggested that British ciitzens should take the Life in the UK test as well as migrants. It is an extrmely good idea for such a test to be introduced. Can I suggest that the test also includes some lessons on work ethic and the importance of a job other than the salary it brings? And until such time as the message gets through can employers be allowed to judge for themselves who to award jobs to. There is no right to a job. The sooner this message gets through the better.

The complex matter of being a visitor Visitors in the past were just that. They could come to the UK to visit

S&P assigns highest credit profile to HDFC Bank Standard and Poor’s (S&P) has assigned stable outlook to 10 Indian banks and kept their long term and short-term issuer credit rating (ICR) at ‘BBB-’ and ‘A-3’.

As per S&P’s ratings definition, ‘BBB-’ denotes a long-term issue rating that exhibits adequate protection parameters but shows a weakened capacity to meet obligations under adverse economic conditions. ‘A-3’ is a short-term issue rating with the same definition.

Out of the top four Indian Banks in the list, S&P rated HDFC Bank highest on standalone credit profile (SACP) and offered it ‘BBB+’ while giving a ‘BBB-’ to Axis Bank. State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank

position to be ‘above average and strong’.

“Customer deposits represent more than 90 per cent of its funding base. Its savings and current deposits, which are inherently low cost and stable, have been stable at about 50 per cent of the bank’s deposit base,” said the report

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as being the cause of many success stories and the making of many great leaders.

While many leaders listen to such stories and believe that leadership is about sticking to the plan and refusing to surrender even an inch, they should also be mindful of the saying ‘take one step back to take two steps forward’.

One should be careful not to make the mistake of thinking that perseverance translates into continuing down the path even when it is painfully clear that the path only leads to a dead end. This is when courage becomes arrogance.

When George Osborne presented his ‘autumn statement’ last week made statements which in effect suggested that many of the predictions and pledges he made at the time of the general election were not likely to be realised. In plain English, he was saying that he had got it wrong and that things were not going to plan. While the opposition immediately demanded that the Government admit that they had got it

By Amit Patel

wrong and abandon their policies, Osborne predictably put ignored such claims and suggested that they had to persevere down this difficult path.

As Mark Twain said, “You are a coward when you even seem to have backed down from a thing you openly set out to do”.

He is doing what any leader would do, standing by what he believes to be the right path while being cautious not to reveal any hint of self doubt.

Textbook stuff. However, no one gets it right all of the time and only a few have the vision to back down before it is too late and charter a new course.

Not many are given a chance to.

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Personal Development and Human Resource Management.

He has delivered speeches on People Management and Development throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. To contact Amit, email amitpatelmail@gmail.com

Tata Steel partly shuts Wales mill, cuts 115 jobs

adding, “Its liquidity ratios are noticeably stronger than peers.”

Axis Bank lagged SBI on two counts. While its capital and earnings stood ‘moderate’, its liquidity situation was only ‘adequate’.

While ICICI Bank lagged HDFC Bank on its funding and liquidity position which stood at ‘average’ and ‘adequate’ respectively, SBI lagged HDFC Bank on capital and earnings position which stood at ‘moderate’.

Regarding a ‘moderate’ assessment of capital and earnings for SBI, S&P said that it reflects their projection that pre-diversification risk-adjusted capital (RAC) ratio of the bank will stay within 5-7 per cent over the next 12-18 months despite a downward trend.

have been assigned ‘BBB’.

The agency rated HDFC Bank’s business position ‘strong’, its capital and earnings and risk position ‘adequate’, and its funding and liquidity

A key turning point of World War 2 was when the Nazi forces were on the brink of conquering Russia and establishing an a stranglehold on continental Europe. On the brink of a crushing defeat, Stalin issued orders to his generals that his armies should not hold the front line no matter how heavy the losses and if any soldier even took one step back he should be shot.

The only direction was forward – ‘no retreat, no surrender’. History tells us that Stalin was no mastermind general and there is no conclusive evidence on how stringently this order was followed.

However, despite suffering huge casualties, the Russians managed to hold off the Nazi offensive and then push back in a surge which would only end in Berlin.

In the same way Churchill’s willpower and refusal to back down inspired the nation to fight onto victory too. For any leader, the attributes of determination, courage and perseverance are valuable and essential.

And they are celebrated

Tata Steel last week said it has temporarily shut down its hot strip mill partly in South Wales and has cut 115 jobs at the plant due to poor demand from within Britain.

"Tata Steel is temporarily to mothball the hot strip mill at its Llanwern site in Newport, South Wales, with immediate effect," the company said in a statement.

The facility is expected to remain mothballed until the UK economy and steel demand justify a restart, it said. "The Llanwern cold rolling mill and Zodiac galvanising line will continue in operation. However, the site will see a reduction of some 115 roles carried out by fixed-term contract employees, agency workers and contractors," Tata Steel said.

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India’s home ministry approves Cairn-Vedanta deal

The home ministry of government of India has given its approval to London-listed miner Vedanta Resources' buying majority stake in Cairn India for $8.7 billion.

The home ministry, while giving the security no-objection certificate (NOC), highlighted eight areas of concern, including 64 legal proceedings against Vedanta and its subsidiaries in various courts, sources privy to the development said.

The security clearance was one of the conditions that the government had set for Vedanta group buying 40% stake in Cairn India from UK's Cairn Energy Plc. Cairn Energy and Vedanta have already agreed to the other condition of Cairn India paying cess and royalty on crude oil produced from its mainstay Rajasthan oilfields.

In the meantime the market will be supplied with material from the company's other hot strip mill in South Wales at Port Talbot, whose costs are lower, it added.

Jon Ferriman, director for the Strip Products UK. hub said, "It is with great

regret that we have had to make this decision...The Llanwern hot rolling mill is an important operation for us, and our intention is to bring it back into operation as soon as market conditions permit."

In 2009, the Llanwern hot strip mill was mothballed between Jan-Sept due to poor market conditions.

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FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

21

Foreign Exchange Rajesh Agrawal is the Chairman & CEO of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

For any further information call 020 7220 8181 or e-mail info@rationalfx.com

Important Week for the Eurozone It is a very important week for the Eurozone with plenty of volatility expected in the markets as Eurozone come together to help save the Euro.

The week has already started off by the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Monti announcing the new austerity measures and economic reforms to help recover their economy. He not only promised to make many sacrifices to help with the recovery of the country but also said that this would help with economic growth as cost of labour would be reduced. He introduced austerity measure in place with tax increases and major cuts, which are expected to generate €30billion over three years, with €10 billion put back into the market to help economic growth.

Friday is going to be a very important day for the Eurozone.

Germany’s Chancellor Merkel

and French president Sarkozy are going to announce budget discipline for the 17 European members, which could see Euro strengthen throughout the week. This is expected to boost confidence in the Eurozone and help stabilise the ever growing debt with avenues to combat their sovereign debt crisis.

Germany has constantly been adamant to change the European treaty by giving Brussels the power to sanction and scrutinise governments if budgets aren’t met. The French however have a different stance in helping sovereign debt by limiting treaty changes for the Eurozone members. It is going to be a key factor in their meeting at the end of the week to see what compromise the two power houses come to.

The ECB cut their interest rates last month and are expected to reduce their interest rates by another 25 basis points to help reduce the threat of another recession. Although it is predicted that once reduced a small recession by the end of the year is inevitable, by reducing the interest rates, the inflationary pressures should

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 6th December 2011 @ 11am GBP - INR = 80.27 USD - INR = 51.26 EUR - INR = 68.70 GBP - USD = 1.57 GBP - EUR = 1.17 EUR - USD = 1.33 GBP - AED = 5.75 GBP - CAD = 1.59

EU Leaders at the summit

ease off in 2012 and 2013. Their economy’s growth is well below past expectations so this week is going to be a vital crossroad for the ECB to avoid the risks of further downside.

In addition, the ECB President Draghi has given indication that they would be very happy to spread the credit risks through the IMF. The IMF has to date not had any problems with bailouts as their strict and calculated regime are welcomed by many. With the ECB going under their umbrella, the market will see this as a positive way in

moving forward to improve their debt along with more stringent policies in place.

As many have said, the market is stating that this could be the last week to save the Eurozone. Sarkozy and Merkel have to find a resolution through their differences and make sure that in this week’s showdown, are more stable and most of all a credible plan is in place. If the Eurozone doesn’t come up with anything secure, then other markets around the world are expected to follow suit, with UK being one of them.

GBP - NZD = 2.01 GBP - AUD = 1.53 GBP - ZAR = 12.64 GBP - HUF = 349.60

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

22

BUDGET 2011

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

The message is clear- ‘no gain without pain’ The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, in his Autumn Statement announced on 29 November 2011, gave out a clear message to all of Britain and in doing so, outlined his intention to inflict pain on public sector workers, families and banks as he admitted that the growing economic storm meant that he could not meet his target of balancing the books before the next General Election.

Admittedly, it is not all doom and gloom as there is some good news for a small minority, amongst the vast numbers of people who will feel the financial squeeze following the Autumn Statement, there were a few winners.

A brief review of the facts at a glance are as follows:Families • The number of free nursery places available for families with children at the age of two will be doubled to 260,000.

• Those living in the South West of England will see a £50,000 cut in water bills.

• Tax Credits have been frozen for those working families on low pay.

• The child element of the child Tax Credit and the disability element of Tax Credits will be increased in line with consumer prices in net.

• £110 above inflation increase to the child Tax Credit will be axed.

Public sector • Public sector pay rises will be capped at 1% until the year 2014, rather than the 2% that was widely expected.

• The Chancellor has forecast that the total public sector job losses are likely to be 700,000, an increase from the originally predicted 400,000.

Pensions • The full basic pension will rise by £5.30 to £107.45 per week in April 2012. Married couples will get £171.85 per week.

• Pension credits will be uprated by 3.9% in April 2012. This will mean that single pensioners will receive £142.70 and couples will receive £217.90 per week.

• The state pension age will rise to 67 from 2026, eight years earlier than planned.

Benefits • The Chancellor has announced that the unemployment and disability benefits will be increased from April at a rate of 5.2%. This is in line with the record rate of inflation recorded in September 2011.

Housing • Stamp duty tax relief for first time buyers has not been extended and will end on 24 March 2012.

• Up to 100,000 people will benefit from a mortgage indemnity scheme set up in order to help them to get onto the property ladder.

• Council housing tenants wanting to buy their own homes, will be given increased discounts.

Business • The Chancellor has announced that a number of measures will be introduced to make it easier to hire and dismiss employees.

• The small business

rate relief has been ex t e n d e d until October 2012.

• The corporation tax rate is to fall from April 2012 to 25%.

• A £21bn credit easing programme has been introduced in order to encourage the banks to lend to smaller and medium sized businesses.

• 100% capital allowances have been available for investment in enterprise zones.

• A seed enterprise investment scheme has been set up and will be available from April 2012 which will allow investors to benefit from 50% income tax relief if they invest in a qualifying company.

Taxes • The capital gains tax allowance will be frozen at £10,600 for 2012/13.

• Hotels will qualify for enterprise investment scheme.

• VAT relief which is currently available for all low value goods that are sent to the UK from the Channel Islands to be removed from April 2012.

• Consultation will begin on ideas in order to merge the Income Tax and National Insurance Contribution schemes.

I have outlined a few of the measures introduced in the Autumn Statement.

However, it is important to appreciate that next year and beyond on the run up to the election, will be tough for most households.

The measures introduced will mean that a family of four with a single income earner on a salary of between £35,000 and £100,000 is likely to be at least £300 worse off next year due to the fact that they will lose child benefit payments.

Child benefit payments are being withdrawn from January 2013 for all households where at least one person is a higher rate tax payer paying tax at 40%.

Although the personal allowance is to rise by £630 from April 2012, the loss in child benefit payments is likely to more than offset this gain.

There are families who may be better off as a result of the Chancellor’s announcements, and these would typically be those whose household incomes are approximately £30,000 or less. This mainly arises from the increase in personal allowances from

George Osborne

£7,475 to £8,105.

However, this is dampened by the fact that the planned increase in the child element of the Tax Credit will not be going ahead. This was to be £110 above inflation.

It is imperative that all households consider ways in which to survive the tough times ahead and in doing so, the following may be worth considering in order to assist in trimming down the cost of outgoings and assisting in ensuring that your finances are in the best possible shape for the rocky times ahead.

Taxation • For families with a single earner on higher rate tax, it is wise to transfer any investments into the name of the spouse with the lowest rate of tax as this will go towards ensuring that the investment income is not taxed at higher rates. This includes bank balances as well as stocks and shares.

• Each individual is provided with an annual capital gains tax exemption amount. This currently amounts to £10,600 for each individual.

The Chancellor has announced that this amount will remain unchanged for the year 2012/13. If you are achieving capital gains, then it is imperative that the investments are spread across each individual in the family so that the gain can be exempt from tax up to £10,600.

• Whenever donations are made, ensure that they are made through gift aid.

This allows the charity to claim back basic rate tax from the Government on the donation. Higher rate tax payers can also claim back the higher rate tax through their self-assessment form. Gift Aiding charitable donations through the spouse who is paying higher rate tax is an easy and efficient way of reducing the overall tax liability.

• In order to ensure that the potential inheritance tax liability is reduced, making regular gifts out of income or simply giving away up to £3,000 annually will go a long way towards avoiding an inheritance tax rate of 40% on an element of one’s assets.

Savings • With effect from April

2012, the ceiling on the cash element of the ISA allowance increases from £4,340 to £5,640.

This will be an opportunity to shelter more of your savings from being taxed.

• There are many savings accounts on the market that provide rates of up to 4%, subject to certain conditions, and as a result, by seeking out the better deals, you can certainly increase the returns on savings substantially above the 0.1% currently being paid by many of the standard savings accounts.

• It is imperative to ensure that you are continuously keeping an eye on the savings market as it is very competitive and the most attractive rates tend to disappear very quickly.

By continuously managing and switching savings from one form to another, substantial savings in tax and better returns can be easily achieved. It is very important to understand that just because the rates of interest are substantially low, one must not give up on the savings habit and continue to add an element of your income to a savings account as this will mount up very quickly.

Pensions • If you have not contracted out of the state earnings related pension scheme then it is worth considering doing so as a rebate is available and this too can be put into a personal pension plan.

• The current provisions enable a higher rate tax payer to put up to £3,600 annually (including tax relief) into a personal pension for a non-earning spouse and children. Taking advantage of this ability will reduce the overall tax liability and also provide a platform from which future pension provisions can be better secured.

• If you are not already in a company pension scheme and are offered the chance to enroll into one, then it is advisable to take up the offer and also if your employer is matching your level of contributions, put as much as possible into the scheme. However, please do note that this should not be done at the detriment of compromising current standards of living or creating undue pressure as far as cash flow is concerned.

Mortgages • Currently, first time buyers can acquire properties up to a value of £250,000 and claim exemption from stamp duty land tax. This concession is due to come to an end in March 2012. As a first time buyer, if you are considering acquiring a property, you should bear in mind that if completion takes place after 24 March 2012, there will be an extra cost to consider when assessing the

cost of the property.

• It is important to ensure that you keep your mortgage under review and that mortgage rates are reviewed regularly and changes made if a better deal has been found.

• Where the mortgage allows you to, it is better to overpay the mortgage and not save any excess income as this is likely to reduce the overall cost of borrowing which generally tends to be far greater than the returns on savings.

• If you have a combination of savings and a mortgage, serious consideration should be taken to switching these to an “offset mortgage”. An offset mortgage enables you to net off your savings against the size of your mortgage which in turn offers the option of reducing the interest charged on your overall borrowing and provides you with the ability to repay the mortgage over a shorter period of time without sacrificing access to your cash. In the current climate this is probably one of the easiest ways to ensure that you are not facing the loss in the value of your savings, as the interest calculations on your mortgage take into account the savings you have.

The new Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme In his speech Chancellor Osborne announced a new Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme that would offer investors Income Tax relief of 50% and a Capital Gains Tax relief of up to 28% (for one year). This will result in a total potential benefit of 78%, irrespective of the investors marginal rate of tax both for income tax purposes and for capital gains tax purposes.

There are conditions that were briefly outlined in the Chancellor’s speech that will enable the investor to obtain a total potential benefit of 78% in relief and generally, these are that the investment should only be in small firms at the early stages of their development with gross assets of below £200,000. Full details in relation to the conditions of the scheme will be announced shortly.

The scheme will be available from April 2012 and will allow investors to benefit from 50% income tax relief if they put their money into a qualifying company. There is also the potential for a permanent exemption to capital gains made in 2012/13 if the gain is invested in the seed enterprise investment scheme.

For individual investors this will mean that the net cost of your investment will be 50% lower once the income tax relief has been obtained. If other capital gains were achieved in the same year, then this will

Kiran D. Patel FCA

only reduce further.

Furthermore, if the investment fails and you lose your money, 50% of the loss can be offset against gains in future years, resulting in a 28% saving in capital gains tax.

Fuel and travel • The Chancellor has announced that he will be postponing the proposed 3p rise in fuel duty that was due to take effect in January 2012. This will now take effect from August 2012 and, moreover, the additional 2p rise proposed for August 2012 has now been scrapped.

• The average train, tube and bus fare rises have been amended so that these will now be 1% above the annual increase in the Retail Price Index in July.

Originally, the average rail fares were intended to increase by 3% above RPI. • In April 2012 the air passenger duty was announced to increase by 10% and will only result in an increase in airfares for the future.

National Loan Guarantee Scheme The Chancellor announced the introduction of a new £40bn national loan guarantee scheme that will bring the cost of lending down by 1% for small businesses.

The brief details of the scheme comprise of the Government agreeing to underwrite £40bn of bank loans to businesses with a turnover of up to £50m. A total of £20bn will be available initially, with a further £20bn being released in the next two years and the Chancellor indicated his intentions to ensure that the scheme will be up and running within the next few months.

In conclusion, a substantial amount of pain is going to be inflicted on the average household in the United Kingdom over the next few years. However, a wisely and timely review of all aspects of your financial planning is likely to cushion the blow of the storm and aide recovery.

The information above should not be relied upon on its own for detailed tax planning for individuals or businesses. There are many factors that need careful consideration and research by you and your professional advisors which should pay handsome dividends, prior to taking any action. The proposals mentioned in this article may be subject to amendment.

Kiran D. Patel FCA is a partner at Weston Kay Chartered Accountants.

For specific advice, please contact Kiran D. Patel on 020 7636 7493 or email him at k.patel@westonkay.com.

23

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

Bhakti Shyama Care Centre 1 Balham New Road, Balham, SW12 9PH - Tel: 020 8772 1499 • Email: enquiry@bhaktishyamacarecentre.co.uk Children do not want to send away their parents and elderly family members to the Care homes. But life in Britain and its demands often puts children in a tough spot, where they have to choose better facilities and comfort for their old parents over few hours of company.

Parents, elderly in the family suffering from terrible ailments or dementia cannot be taken care by untrained children/relations. It is often then the difficult decision of moving them to the care homes.

The Abbey Total Care Group operates 10 other care homes in greater London area and has over 20 years experience of providing care to older people and people living with dementia. The Group also provides other specialist services including re-ablement and end of life care.

Kartik Patel (27 Years) was congratulated by all for having completed the project which was quite challenging. We plan to increase our capacity by at least 250 beds within the next three years. The sites are acquired and this would create over 250 new jobs. tion to long-term care services the centre can provide short-term care, such as day care or respite care (to provide breaks for carers) and reablement services.

The reablement services are designed to assist people recovering from illness or injury (e.g. after a period in hospital) and help them regain their strength and independence. Following a short stay at the centre, the centre can also provide follow on support to people in their own home for a short period. The aim of this service is to enable people to continue living as independently as possible in their own home for as long as possible.

The Centre accepts private full fee payers and referrals from NHS or social services funded service users.

From right: Mohanbhai V Patel, CB Patel, Publisher/Editor and Naginbhai S Desai Service users who might require help with funding for their care are The Centre provides comfortable, safe advised to seek an initial assessment from and secure care in a 24 hour nursing care social services. Everyone is entitled to environment. The services are delivered this assessment but funding from social by well-trained staff whose second lanservices is dependent on meeting the guage is either Gujarati or Hindi. In addi-

The new care home Bhakti Shyama Care Centre offers a range of flexible specialised person centred care service designed to cater for elders from the Hindu community. The centre is fully registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide services both in the person’s own home or at the Care Centre.

Funding for care If you need care at home or in a care home, the Local Authority or NHS may be able to help with the cost. Financial help from the Local Authority is dependent on meeting certain eligibility criteria and depends on your personal finances and may also depend on your health needs.

To find out if you are eligible for help towards the cost of your care you should request an assessment from your Local Authority Social Services Department.

Everyone is entitled to receive an assessment.

FACS (Fair Access to Care Services) The local authority will determine whether you are eligible for funding to help with your care using the national FACS (Fair Access to Care Services) eligibility criteria. There are four bands of eligibility based on need: Critical, Substantial, Moderate or Low – most Local Authorities will only fund care within the Critical or Substantial bands.

Financial Assessment If you are eligible for funding under FACS criteria the Local Authority may pay for all or some of the costs of your

care – depending on how much money you have: If your financial assets – including property – have a total value of less than £14,250, you will qualify for Local Authority funding for long-term care.

If you have more than £23,250, you will normally be expected to pay for your own care in full.

Personal Budget If (after your needs assessment and financial assessment) you are eligible for Local Authority funding you will be allocated a personal budget which gives you the choice and control of how the money is spent to meet your care needs.

You can ask your social worker to arrange services on your behalf using the money allocated to you from your personal budget. This means that the council will manage the budget for you.

You can have the cash to arrange your own services (this will then be known as a 'direct payment') and will be paid into a nominated bank account every four weeks.

You can ask your social worker to arrange some of your services and have a direct payment to arrange some of your own services. For example, you may enjoy going to a day centre but want to

FACS eligibility criteria and subject to a financial assessment. NHS funding is also subject to meeting the eligibility for this funding based on assessment of health needs.

The process of assessment and getting funding agreed can be frustrating to the family and the care home but due to the high costs involved we can only accept

health or social care funded service users once the funding has been agreed.

Our fee for 24 Hrs care within the care home will range from £ 650.00 to £ 950.00 per week. The fees include food, laundry service & all medical needs upto what can be provided within a nursing care home environment. Higher the need, the cost increase towards the higher end.

From right: Mohanbhai V Patel, Naginbhai S Desai, Cllr. Ravi Govindia (Leader of Wandsworth Council), Kartik Patel, Ms. Jane Ellison MP, Aniket Patel, J M Patel, Devyani J Patel, Naliniben B Patel, Meenaben M Patel, Madhuben Desai and Rashikaben Patel.

employ a personal assistant to help you to get up later in the morning, or go to be later at night.

NHS continuing, or long term care funding

The contributions and rules around it varies between England, Wales and Scotland, to find out more visit: local.direct.gov.uk

Attendance allowance

Continuing Care is fully funded NHS care for those who are severely ill. If your health needs are great, then you may receive NHS continuing, or long term care funding. In this case, all care costs are met by the NHS. You may also be reassessed for NHS continuing care if your health gets worse.

Your need for this type of long term care funding is assessed by a two or more nurses in your primary care trust, using a decision support tool to make assessments.

Attendance Allowance is a state benefit for over 65s who need help with basic daily tasks. If you are over 65 and need help with personal care for example dressing, bathing or eating whether you are at home or in a care home – you may be entitled to attendance allowance.

You get a higher rate for 24 hour care and a lower rate for part-time help.

If you move into care that is fully funded by the local authority or NHS, the attendance allowance will normally stop after 28 days.

Nursing care contribution

Personal expense allowance

Some of the costs of your nursing care can be contributed by the Local Authority and/or the NHS and may be paid directly to your care home or your home care provider. The level of this contribution varies across the country.

You will need to ask your local Primary Care Trust to assess you or alternatively your care home with nursing can arrange this for you.

Personal Expense Allowance is a weekly amount that people whose care is being fully funded are allowed to retain from their pension for their personal use. If you have your care fees paid by the Local Authority you can keep a small allowance from your pension for your own personal use. This allowance amounts to £22.60 (£23.00 in Wales).

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PAkiSTAN-BANGlAdeSh-Sri lANkA

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

Sri Lanka’s former child soldiers yet to be reunited with families

Colombo: Many of Sri Lanka’s child soldiers who fought the battle for LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) in 2009 are yet to be reunited with their families. When Shanthakumar Kamala fled the inferno of fighting in northern Sri Lanka in 2009, she was clutching a number of glossy photographs to her son Thanuraj. Like hundreds of other children, he went missing in the harrowing final months of fighting between Sri Lanka’s military and the LTTE in 2009. Inspired by a few children who have been found by their families, his mother continues her desperate search.

In February 2009 the depleted LTTE pulled a sleeping Thanuraj, then 16, out of a roadside bunker and conscripted him. Crammed into a strip of scorched beach - the last bastion of the rebels Mrs Shanthakumar endured weeks of intense

fighting in the hope that her son would reappear.

But on May 17th 2009, as government troops closed in for the final assault, she joined a surge of frightened civilians who escaped into government territory.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared victory over the LTTE just two days later.

The authorities struggled for months afterwards to find and match separated family members. It was a monumental task.

Hospitals brimmed over

with the wounded, camps overflowed with the displaced and the battlefield was littered with bodies.

There was initially little record-keeping.

Later, Sinhalese-speaking government officials hurriedly took down unfamiliar Tamil names phonetically something that continues to complicate the tracing of missing persons.

Children proved most susceptible to separation.

Some, like seven-year-old Rajeswaran Vidushan, were injured and moved from hospital to hospital before ending up in an orphanage. Vidushan’s sister and grandparents died in the shell attack that left him with a mangled leg.

Others, like 16-year-old Subramaniam Lilymalar, lost track of their parents after they were rushed away for treatment.

Lilymalar’s wounded mother and sister were admitted to one hospital. A second sister and her

father were taken to another. She herself recovered from leg injuries at a third hospital before being taken to a children’s home.

Still more were torn from their parents as they fled the fighting, over narrow bridges, across treacherous waters and through cratered roadways. Some were enlisted by the rebels, some were put on different buses to various camps.

Some lost sight of their families at checkpoints or were taken into state custody.

Around 2,000 children were reunified with their families in the early postwar period. But as parents continued to search, the government and UNICEF jointly set up the Family Tracing Unit (FTU) in December 2009. It had received 690 applications

by September 2011 from families looking for missing children. Of these, 490 were LTTE conscripts.

Only 29 children have rejoined their families.

Afghanistan's allies pledge to stay for long haul

Bonn: Foreign governments pledged on Monday to support Afghanistan long after allied troops go home, with or without a political settlement with insurgents once seen as the best way to prevent a new civil war.

At a conference of more than 80 countries but boycotted by Pakistan, they said even after most foreign combat troops leave in 2014, the Afghan government will not be allowed to meet the fate of its Soviet-era predecessor, which collapsed in 1992.

"The United States intends to stay the course with our friends in Afghanistan," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

said. "We will be there with you as you make the hard decisions that are necessary for your future."

Hosts Germany sought to signal Western staying power in the country, where al Qaeda sheltered under Taliban protection before the September 11 attacks, at the gathering in Bonn.

"We send a clear message to the people of Afghanistan: We will not leave you on your own. We will not leave you in the lurch," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.

Ten years after a similar conference held to rebuild Afghanistan, the Afghan war is becoming increas-

ingly unpopular in Western public opinion -- especially since U.S. forces found and killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan on May 2 in a raid that removed a central pretext of the 2001 invasion.

Western countries are under pressure to spend money reviving flagging economies at home rather than propping up a government in Kabul widely criticised for being corrupt and ineffective.

And as expected, delegates at the Bonn conference steered clear of making specific pledges to make up a shortfall in funding for Afghanistan estimated by the World Bank at some $7 billion a

year from the end of 2014.

For now, nobody wants to show their hand too clearly in the hope that someone else -- from the United States to Europe, the Gulf to Asia -- will come forward to foot a share of the bill.

Brewing confrontations pitting Washington against Pakistan and Iran, two of Afghanistan's most influential neighbours, have also added to despondency over the outlook for the war. Pakistan boycotted the meeting after NATO aircraft killed 24 of its soldiers on the border with Afghanistan in a November 26 attack the alliance called a "tragic" accident.

Pak to review all accords with US, NATO: Gilani

Islamabad: Pakistan will review all its agreements with the US and NATO in the aftermath of the November 26 air strike that left two dozen Pakistan Army soldiers dead, prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.

Gilani said in Lahore on Sunday that the government had decided to review the agreements made by then president Pervez Musharraf's government with the US, NATO, UN and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), reported Dawn.

The NATO air strike on two checkposts in Mohmad Agency late last month left 24 Pakistan Army soldiers dead, sparking outrage in the country.

Islamabad promptly stopped NATO supply through the country.

Gilani said: “Soon after the NATO attack... we took up this issue very seriously by involving all stakeholders, including military

and political leadership."

He said the political and military leadership, along with the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC), see the Nov 26 incident as a reason to revise the entire terms of business (ToBs) on all national and international issues such as war on terror and security of the region, made by the Musharraf government with the US, NATO, ISAF and the UN. Troops given full liberty to retaliate: Pakistan army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has given his troops "full liberty" to respond to any further cross-border attacks by NATO forces in Afghanistan in the wake of an air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, according to official sources.

The powerful army chief told commanders of units deployed along the western border with Afghanistan that they had "full liberty of action to respond (by)

Yousuf Raza Gilani

employing all capabilities" available at their disposal, the sources said.

Kayani was quoted by the sources as saying that there should be "no ambiguity in the rules of engagement for everyone down the chain of command" if they faced an attack by NATO forces.

Such an action would "require no clearance at any level" and the army would "provide resources as required on ground", he was quoted as saying.

Obama firm, won’t say sorry to Pak: The White

House has ruled out president Barack Obama offering "formal condolences" to Pakistan over the killing of its 24 soldiers in a Nato strike, as suggested by his top diplomat in Islamabad in a desperate bid to salvage deteriorating ties, a media report said.

"The White House has decided that president Obama will not offer formal condolences - at least for now - to Pakistan for the deaths of soldiers, overruling state department officials who argued for such a show of remorse to help salvage America's relationship with Pakistan," the New York Times said.

The request for this came on Monday, two days after the attack, from US envoy to Pakistan Cameron Munter, who said that a formal video message from Obama was needed to help prevent the rapidly deteriorating relations between the two countries from cratering.

In focuS

Afghanistan shrine blasts leave 34 dead

Kabul: Twin shrine bombings in Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif kills 34 people. A massive blast at a shrine in central Kabul where Shiite Muslims had gathered to mark the holy day of Ashura left at least 30 people dead including children. Separately, four people were killed in Mazar-i-Sharif when another blast struck a shrine in the northern city.

Monkey 'arrested' in Pak for crossing India border Islamabad: Believe it or not but authorities in Pakistan's Punjab province have "arrested" a monkey after it crossed the border with India, according to a media report. The monkey was captured by wildlife officials in Bahawalpur, Express News channel reported.

Local residents initially tried to capture the monkey after it entered Cholistan area of Bahawalpur district.

After the monkey evaded them, the people informed wildlife officials, who captured the animal after a struggle. The monkey was taken to Bahawalpur Zoo, where officials named him Bobby.

Afghan woman, jailed for being raped, wins pardon

Kabul: Afghanistan president has pardoned a woman who was raped by a family member but then jailed for adultery, a statement from the presidential palace has said, in a case that highlights deep concerns about women’s rights in the country. It remained unclear whether the 21-year-old-woman, known as Gulnaz, would still have to marry the man who attacked her, her cousin’s husband, after an earlier release offer which stipulated they must marry. Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s palace issued the statement pardoning Gulnaz, a rare pardon in such a case in staunchly conservative Muslim Afghanistan.

Pakistan violates ceasefire, fires at Indian posts in Jammu Srinagar: Violating the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistani troops fired at Indian posts in Karnah area of Kupwara district. The Pakistani troops opened fire towards Indian posts located close to civilian areas in Karnah area, official sources said. They said the Indian Army retaliated the firing with small weapons and the exchange lasted several minutes. This is the first ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Kashmir Valley in the past three months. A roof top of a mosque was damaged on the Indian side of the LoC in the firing, the sources said. Pakistani troops had violated ceasefire several times during August and September, resulting in the death of an Indian Junior Commissioned Officer and three Pakistani soldiers.

7 Pakistani workers kidnapped in Kabul Islamabad: The Pakistanis engineers and workers assigned to a hospital construction project in Logar province of Afghanistan were kidnapped at gunpoint.

"They were going home from work. Along the road, their minivan was stopped by unknown gunmen, their driver was forced out of the car and all were taken away to an unknown location," Logar police chief said. "We've launched a search operation. We hope to find them and free them very soon," the police chief said. There was no claim of responsibility for the abduction but police said the kidnapping might have been carried out by "criminal gangs" seeking a ransom.

Pakistan SC orders ‘memogate’ probe Islamabad: Ordering a "time-bound" probe into the 'memogate' scandal, Pakistan’s Supreme Court sought responses within 15 days from president Asif Ali Zardari, army and ISI chiefs besides others in connection with petitions before it seeking an investigation in to the controversy. The apex court, ordering the constitution of a probe commission that must finish its work within three weeks, said that former envoy to US Husain Haqqani, forced to resign over the scandal, should not leave the country till its decision is announced. Responses have also been sought from Haqqani and Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, who made the memo public.

Zardari, army chief general Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI head Lt general Ahmed Shuja Pasha and others were named as respondents in a petition filed by former premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, who had sought a speedy investigation into the matter.

Developments in Pakistan very serious: US senator John Kerry Washington: Senator John Kerry, who is known as the Obama administration's trouble shooter on Pakistan, believes that the situation in the country is very serious and the US-Pak relationship is now facing a major challenge. "It's very serious. It's very complicated," Kerry told Indian reporters on the sidelines of a reception for the new Indian Ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao, when asked about the developments in Pakistan in the wake of the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers by NATO forces in a cross-border fire over the weekend.

INDIA-worlD

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

Morari Bapu asks people to support Akshaya Patra Foundation Shri Morari Bapuji, the famous Ram Katha exponent, urged people to support The Akshaya Patra Foundation, the world’s largest NGO – run mid-day meal school feeding programme. Bapu’s address in aid of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, at Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata from 21-29 November had attracted a large number of people.

Bapu articulates about the world being One – “Vasudev Kutumbh” where a hungry child anywhere in the world is a slur on civilized society as every citizen should make it his/her responsibility to eliminate the scourges of inhumanity – hunger, poverty and illiteracy. He attributes the vision of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, “No child shall be deprived of education because of hunger “as the core content of all religions who sees the face of the Creator in innocent children. Bapu praised the work efficiencies of Akshaya Patra and requested all to support as he had also done the same.

Bapu's extraordinary command and oratory style quickly gathered crowds. Bapu’s first Ram Katha outside India was

Queen shares the economic pain with pay freeze London: As the eurozone flounders, the royal family too has to manage with less finances. The Queen is facing a pay freeze until 2015 as part of austerity measures imposed in a shake-up of royal finances.

New figures show that the Queen, whose income has been dropping in real terms since 2009, is on course for six successive years of cuts to funding for the royal household. The squeeze on the monarch’s income is likely to scotch hopes of tackling a backlog of repairs on royal palaces. In a separate move, there will be no extra money from the taxpayer to pay for the court of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

held in Nairobi, Kenya in 1976 when he was merely 30 years old. To date, Bapu has recited Ram Katha in countless places all over India and the rest of the world.

His entire living is to bring different branches and sects of religion (even of other faiths) and the different levels of society to a common ground of undivided understanding, love and unity. He shows a way of uniting not just one nation, but the entire human race.

Bapu believes in flowing traditions (pravahi parampara) that evolve with the times. The Akshaya Patra Foundation has evolved a free lunch program in 9,157 government, government -aided schools and anganwadis (day care centers) in 18 locations, in the eight states of Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Assam. Akshaya Patra currently reaches out daily to over 13,00,000 children through intelligently engineered, centralized automated kitchens. Besides nutritious meals, the program offers education and medical interventions to ensure the holistic development of children.

Truth alone triumphs

Purvi Shah

Last week has been a very crucial one in the history of Asian Voice (formerly called New Life) and Gujarat Samachar. 25 years ago on 28th November, the Publisher/Editor, who have remained an inspiration and a community man till today, was detained for 9.5hrs at the Bombay airport, CB was proven innocent after the then Indian High Commissioner P C Alexander came to his aid.

Though an Indian High Commissioner does not ever get involved in matters concerning a British citizen, it was CB's popularity, service to Indian causes and community commitment that played a pivotal role.

The detention of CB Patel at the Bombay airport in 1986 made him a hero in India with coverage in major newspapers including a front page in The Times of India, especially in an article by an extremely talented and well respected correspondent Mr K N Malik.

On being detained, CB's utmost concern was that no one else should go through the “nine hours of hell” he endured without any valid reasons. He has always been a law abiding citizen, a public servant, and an editor of the two most popular and successful news weeklies in Britain.

People in the communi-

The £60,000 shirt for the 'modern day royal man'

London: An Indian designer has created a £60,000 shirt for a "modern day royal man." According to designer Amitabh Chandel, a descendant of one of India's most prominent royal families, the modern prince wants a shirt made in silk, embroidered by hand and buttoned with 25 solitaire diamonds.

The forward-looking Nawab or Maharaja is no longer content bestriding his estates in a traditional full-length Achkan Nehru coat or the baggy cotton Kurta pyjama. He wants something more practical but encrusted with precious jewels for everyday wear.

"I wanted to create a wearable dress for contemporary royals, a dress which can be used practically. Many designers have

25

created royal Achkans, Bandgalas and Kurtas but they are not wearable.

This is an attire for contemporary royal," he said. "It is the silk, solitaire diamonds and gold buttons that make them costly," he explained. "These shirts have around 28 carats of diamonds. The price range starts from 50,000 Rupees (£620) to any imaginable figure but so far I have created an attire for 5 million Rupees (£62,000). The price depends on use of diamonds and gems."

Although the collection is designed with the modern royal man in mind, Mr Chandel is prepared to sell his creation to commoners who can afford to spend more than the price of a Jaguar convertible on a shirt.

P C Alexander

ty believed that he was a victim of conspiration. His popularity and success must have turned people jealous, who secretly planned the mentioned harassment.

Many concerned people phoned the authorities from India too. Several telegrams were sent from the UK demanding “an urgent investigation into the matter” Bhadran Bandhu Samaj, Friends of India International, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Indian Muslim Federation, Karamsad Samaj, National Association of Patidar Samaj, National Congress of Gujarat Organisations, Tarapur Brotherhood Samaj, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad sent several telegrams to the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with copies to the Home Minister. Several individuals including Shantoo Ruparell, Himat Radia and Narendra Patel and his family, also telegramed the Indian Prime Minister and the Indian High

Commission in the UK. The Punjabi Unity Forum wrote to President Zail Singh regarding the same.

A dignified mention about the incident has also been made in Dr P C Alexander's well known book "My Days with Indira Gandhi."

There have been rumours regarding CB's detention. Garvi Gujarat on 6th December 1986 reported that CB's articles and supplements on Pakistan on Mr Jagjit Singh Chohan, his protest at the GLC’s function to unveil Sardar Patel plague’s and the David Burgman connection might be some of the causes for his detention.

It also said, "This whole episode shows that he (CB) is under surveillance of the Indian intelligence. It can be assumed, then, that people accompanying or supporting him may also be under intelligence surveillance."

On 13th December 1986 edition the same newsweekly reported, "Indians in the UK are protesting the intervention by the Indian High Commissioner Dr P C Alexander in the case of Mr CB Patel, Editor of New Life who was detained at Bombay Airport..."

It further said, the community leaders were showing concern regarding the 'special attention' CB received from the Indian

High Commissioner, especially since he was not an Indian himself.

Despite of false allegations, the Indian community in the UK registered their “strongest protest” at the unwarranted detention of such a “prominent community leader” whose detention “was prompted by some totally baseless and malicious allegations”.

The UK community earnestly requested an urgent investigation into the circumstances of his detention especially since he was traveling with appropriate visa that was granted to him by the Indian High Commission in London.

It was obvious that there were no proper reason for his detention. So CB was released soon.Though it left the conspirators unsuccessful and unhappy, CB emerged as a hero and obviously gained immense respect and fame in due course. Two London based Gujarati individuals were ultimately found to be behind the nefarious activities ultimately in CB Patel's detention.

This incident is indeed a live example of the fact that 'satyameva jayate'- truth alone triumphs! Following CB's return he had lodged a defamatory suit against Garvi Gujarat, which he won against them. The cost collected was then donated to a Charity.

Clinton pledges improved ties with Myanmar if reforms continue Rangoon: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged to improve ties with Myanmar if current reforms continue. After meeting Myanmar president Thein Sein in the remote capital of Nay Pyi Taw, Mrs Clinton said the US would reward Myanmar’s leaders if they kept "moving in the right direction".

After talks with Mr Thein Sein, Mrs Clinton met pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the main city, Rangoon.

The US maintains tight sanctions on senior leaders in Myanmar’s hierarchy. But a series of reforms this year has led to speculation that decades of isolation could be about to end.

"The United States is prepared to walk the path of reform with you if you keep moving in the right direction," Mrs Clinton said.

China appears nervous that its previously solid relationship with Myanmar could be under threat from the United States.

Beijing has publicly welcomed improved ties between its south-east Asian neighbour and the US - but it might not be as happy in private.

China has traditionally had strong ties with Myanmar, revealed in ever-bigger trade deals and greater military co-operation.

But Clinton's current visit to Myanmar comes

amid some signs of tension between Beijing and Nay Pyi Taw. China troubled by warming relations "These are incremental steps and we are prepared to go further if reforms maintain momentum. In that spirit, we are discussing what it will take to upgrade diplomatic relations and exchange ambassadors," Mrs Clinton told reporters.

Mrs Clinton and Ms Suu Kyi had a private dinner in Rangoon before holding a more formal meeting at Ms Suu Kyi's residence.

It is the first time the pair have met in person. Mrs Clinton has often referred to Aung Sang Suu Kyi as a personal inspiration.

Muslims cabbies illegally park their vehicles at Manhattan Manhattan: With a sea of yellow stretching into the distance, it looks like the taxi queue at a busy airport. But this picture was actually taken outside a Mosque during a prayer service - with 200 Muslim cabbies illegally parked their vehicles. Residents of the wealthy Upper West Side of Manhattan are outraged that their streets are being taken over each day for the 45-minute service.

Officials at apartment buildings say illegally parked cabbies are creating a safety hazard.

When police cars arrived, the taxi drivers were handcuffed and led away. Muslims have been parking illegally at the Islamic Cultural Centre for four years but the row has blown up because a road that connects to it has been closed for the whole time has now reopened.

Dozens of taxis sit outside the Islamic Cultural Center on Riverside and 72nd Street every day dur-

ing prayer time. Prayers take place five times a day but the busiest is on Fridays at lunchtime when

up to 300 worshippers and 200 taxi drivers - are in attendance.

Cabbie Abdoulaye Diallo said he was booked and fined several times for parking illegally but he did not care. He said: “For me, my prayer is more important, because that's what I'm going to take with me the day I die.”

A Trump apartment building has put up barricades in front to curb the

taxi pileups Residents, however, are increasingly anxious that they cannot cross the road safely.

Abdur Rahman, an assistant imam at the mosque, said that he had told worshippers to respect the parking rules but they had failed to do so. But he also claimed that the parking rules should be more flexible to accommodate worshippers' needs.

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INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

No delay on Lokpal bill: Singhvi There would be no delay, except for a 'couple of days' of procedural extension, in submitting the anti-graft Lokpal bill in parliament, according to Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who heads the parliamentary panel studying the draft legislation.'This is nothing but a short procedural extension. We have a formal adoption meeting Dec 7,' Singhvi, also a senior Congress leader said. .

He added that the report could be tabled in parliament after a 'couple of days' of extension. He refused to give a definite date when the report would be tabled but said the extension was for translation, printing and binding of the draft report.'If this report is submitted in the next few days, where is the delay and what is the delay you are talking about,' Singhvi

asked.He said the original date for submitting the report was Dec 7 and a two-day procedural extension could not be called a delay.

'I want to also remind you that if and when this report is given in the near future, it would have been done in less than two and a half months. I would like you to tell me which issue as vast and complicated as this has resulted in a parliamentary committee report in less than two and a half months,' he said.Singhvi's comments come in the wake of social activist Anna Hazare's threats to hold a daylong protest Dec 11 to press his demand for a strong Lokpal bill and an extended agitation Dec 27-Jan 5, 2012 if the legislation was not passed in the winter session ending Dec 22.

Hazare and his sup-

porters have expressed their dissatisfaction with the recommendations of the standing committee and said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was to be blamed for flip flops of the parliamentary committee.But Singhvi denied this.'What has given you the impression that we are writing this report to please anyone or everyone? What has given you the idea that we are writing this report to please any individual, organisation or all organisations and individuals,' he asked.He said the panel prepared the report to 'only to satisfy our conscience and the national interest'.'If this committee was set up to rubber stamp your (Hazare's) version or X version or Y version, then why was this committee set up in first place,' he asked.

Modi challenges Manmohan to emulate Gujarat’s agri growth In a renewed offensive against the Congress-led UPA government, chief minister Narendra Modi challenged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to compete with Gujarat in agriculture growth. “The central government has tried to derail Gujarat’s development. But, I challenge them to achieve even half of what we have achieved in the state during the last 10 years. Gujarat has achieved 10 per cent growth in agriculture in the last decade.

If Congress wants to take lessons from it, they must achieve at least five per cent growth. But they will not be able to do it as they are only interested in votebank politics and steeped

in corruption,’’ Modi said addressing people in Bhavnagar during his oneday Sadbhavna fast.

Stating that Gujarat has become synonymous with development, Modi said that whatever progress the state has achieved is due to the prevailing peaceful atmosphere. “Earlier there was no tourism development in the state as there was no peace. But now there is 40 per cent growth in tourist inflow in the state. This is all because of the peace and harmony,’’ he said.

“Gujarat has achieved a phenomenal growth during the last 10 years. The state is going to become an auto hub and within the next five years 50 lakh

cars will be manufactured here every year,” he said.

Countering Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil’s allegations, the CM said that the Kalpasar project would be a reality during his tenure.

Gohil, who observed a parallel ‘Satkarma’ fast in Bhavnagar, alleged that despite big announcements of development schemes for Bhavnagar, most including Kalpasar have not taken off. As part of his Sadbhavna Mission, Modi is holding fast in each of district in the state. Earlier, similar fasts were organized in Dwarka, Navsari, Patan, Bodeli, Bhachau, Porbandar and Dangs among others.

India's Anglo-Indian community fights for survival India's Anglo-Indian community – a legacy of British rule on the subcontinent – is fighting for its survival as increasing numbers of their young men and women marry Indian partners.

There are an estimated 500,000 Anglo-Indians throughout the world including in Britain, Canada, Australia and Pakistan – but in India itself their population has dipped to an estimated 150,000.

Its leaders have announced plans for an India-wide marriage bureau to encourage more marriages within the community amid fears that their distinctive culture could die out.

At the time of India's independence in 1947 there were half a million Anglo-Indians in the country.

The community developed from mixed marriages between Britishers and local Indian women in the 19th century.

Since then they have developed a unique hybrid

culture which carefully preserves a pre-war sense of English identity.

The largely Christian community has traditionally centred on some of India's largest cities, including Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore, New Delhi and the Kolar Gold Fields of Karnataka.

Last week it staged a food festival to celebrate its unique cuisine which blends Indian spices with classic English recipes in dishes like Indian Railway Mutton, Dak Bungalow Chicken and Colonel Standhurst's Beef Curry.

Many of its leading figures have thrived in India's armed forces, where the current Air Chief Marshal N. A. K Browne is an Anglo-Indian, and in the country's extensive railways, which they once dominated.

Dr Charles Dias, the community's sole member of the Lok Sabha has launched a new campaign to win greater government support to help preserve its culture and to encour-

age more Anglo-Indians to marry within their own community.

"We're setting up a marriage bureau because otherwise our Anglo-Indian girls and boys will marry outside and dilute our population and culture.

Rudy Otter, an AngloIndian, writes: AngloIndians marrying Indians in India cannot be interpreted as a depletion of our community, since originally we were 50 per cent Indian, so it's merely going back to one part of our roots, just as AngloIndians marrying white Britishers are gravitating towards the other 50 per cent of our roots.

But Anglo-Indians, like Indians and every other nationality, are not clinging to their own communities these days. They are marrying Germans, Dutch, French, Americans, Australians, Canadians and everyone else. In a sense all communities are feeling the effects of dilution - and surely this is a good thing?

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

Chyavana and Sukanya (Part 5) Healing and Regeneration We have gone over the story of Chyavana and Sukanya; now, let us try to find some hidden meanings in it. The word Chyavana comes from ‘chyut’ meaning to slip or fall. Chyavana is depicted as being very old, symbolic of a state of no energy or one who has lost all his energy in brooding and day dreaming.

Even though he was meditating in the ant hill, his attention was not on his divine self but in the world outside. This is a fragmented state of attention. He had, thus, slipped or fallen from his meditative height.

Also, when Chyavana was blinded, he reacted and put the curse of stomach cramps upon the king’s army. The basis of spirituality is to be free of reactions; all students of spirituality devote years of hard work to reach such a state.

Sukanya means a beautiful girl. This is young fresh feminine energy, virgin, receptive, and totally innocent.

When the rishi demands her hand in marriage, she does not even flinch a little at the thought of marrying such an old man.

The fact that she was free of reaction shows that her spiritual height was greater than that of the rishi’s. Seeing her beautiful body, Ashwinikumars, the twin gods, started praising her. These twin gods were the most handsome looking of all gods and men. Even though Sukanya was young, beautiful, and married to an old man, she was not in the least attracted to these most handsome of beings. Clearly, even

though the rishi’s attention was fragmented hers was one-pointed.

The Ashwinikumars are physicians; they are twins and are always together. They represent the twin energies of healing and regeneration.

They promise Sukanya that they would restore her husband’s youth. This is possible only because of Sukanya’s height in spirituality. When one-pointed attention marries leakages of energy, the leakages stop, meaning the process of aging stops. All three of them dive into the water and on surfacing the rishi is young again. Water represents our emotional psychic nature, which is full of hurts and scars. The diving in the water is symbolic of going into the psychic nature and healing the scars. This frees all our locked energies and so the rishi is shown as becoming young.

The rishi holds a yagna where he offers the

Ashwinikumars ‘Soma’ ras - ‘ras’ meaning to extract enjoyment. We get enjoyment only from pleasures of the senses; there is currently no inner source where we enjoy despite of life’s events. This inner enjoyment is called Somaras. Indra represents our senses and he is the controller of enjoyment. Here, the rishi offers enjoyment to the twins and Indra (senses) feels he is losing control so he challenges the rishi.

The rishi creates the demon called Mada, meaning intoxication, to kill Indra. Intoxication slowly destroys the energy of the five senses or sensitivity. Indra apologizes to the rishi and allows the twins to take Somaras. The rishi then distributes the demon of intoxication into gambling, womanising, wine, and hunting. These are lower forms of enjoyment where the energy of the senses is not really needed.

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

The Indus river changing its direction towards Gujarat

AV Correspondent

The Indus or the Sindhu river which has always been associated with the Indus Valley Civilisation, according to recent satellite images, have shifted its course and has re-entered India and feeding a lake near Ahmedabad, known as Nal Sarovar.

Rohan Thakkar, a postgraduate student of climate change in Gujarat University working on the water bodies of Gujarat, has been able to come to the conclusion with the help of satellite images.

This development will benefit the water-starved Kutch region as well as the Bhal region adjoining Ahmedabad district.

Thakkar’s guide and

coordinator of the programme, Dr Y T Jasrai said, “more research is needed, but the satellite images are definitely a reason to believe that the ancient river is changing its direction toward India and more specifically Gujarat.’’

Jasrai said that Thakkar has been working on this research project from the last three years and it had been showing that the river was dying because of tiltation. “The quality of the water in the

Nal Sarovar lake will definitely give a reason to conclude about the shifting of the river’s direction toward India, which generally coincides with the monsoons,’’ said Jasrai.

"We do have evidence that there were habitations in the Rann of Kutch and the Indus flowed in this area but shifted its course westwards after the great earthquake in 1819," Thakkar said.

"While these are signs that the river is steadily shifting its course, siltation in the Indus river basin too could be responsible for the change in course," Rohan said.

Jasrai said that the river changing its course would mean more water, especially in the dry areas of Kutch.

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

IN FOCUS 4 die in Delhi building collapse Four people – three of them from a family – were killed and two injured when a 15-year-old three-storey building in Uttam Nagar, west Delhi, collapsed. A local restaurant owner in the adjoining plot had dug to a depth that’s not allowed to construct a basement and in the process damaged the foundation. The spot is just 250 metres from the Uttam Nagar East Metro station.

The Uttam Nagar police have registered a case of negligence against five men – owners of the Metro restaurant, their partners and a local contractor.

Asked for bribe, man dumps snakes in office Frustrated over alleged delay in allotment of land and demands for bribe, a snake charmer let loose over a dozen snakes inside a revenue department office in Basti, Uttar Pradesh, triggering panic among staff.Hakkul, who alleged that revenue department staff were demanding bribe for allotment of land for snake conservation, dumped nearly 20 snakes inside the office of revenue inspector in Haraiyan, officials said.No one was injured in the incident.Hakkul later said that he used to catch snakes to save them. He said that for conservation work, he wrote a letter to the President to allot additional land on which the government last year directed the local administration to complete formalities.Hakkul, however, alleged that revenue department officials were demanding bribe and the matter was still pending.

BJP accuses Mayawati, her brother of running 26 corrupt companies The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) accused UP chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati and her brother Anand Kumar of corruption.

The BJP has been levelling allegations of corruption in various departments of the state government for a long time now. The party for the first time pointed its finger directly at Mayawati and her family. BJP national general secretary Kirit Somaiya released a list of 26 companies at a press conference alleging that they were being run by Kumar. He also alleged that the money invested in the companies had been earned through corrupt means.Rahul Gandhi has been attacking Mayawati for corruption in the state. If Rahul is really serious about corruption under Mayawati's rule, he will take up the case with his government at the centre," said BJP leader Uma Bharti.

Death for killer hooch brewers in dry Gujarat It will be death for those who brew killer hooch in dry Gujarat. Two years after it was cleared by the Gujarat assembly, governor Dr Kamala gave her stamp of approval to the Bombay Prohibition (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2009. With this all those found guilty of making and supplying spurious hooch will face the death penalty. Last year, the governor had asked the state government to consider dropping the death penalty. The government, however, asserted that the provision "must stay in order to instil a feeling of fear in the minds of the criminals responsible for the outrageous act". Struck by the worst-ever hooch tragedy, which killed over 150 people in July 2009, the Narendra Modi government had effected an amendment to the Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949. With the governor's assent, anyone involved in even transporting and stocking poisonous 'lattha' (methanol-based country liquor) would face action under this law.

Gujarat govt offers free opium to addicts Ironical as it may sound, 600 drug addicts in Surat will be offered supplements of cocaine and heroin free by the state government. This is part of a unique experiment being initiated in the diamond city where opium content will be provided in tablet form to keep the addicts on a high and prevent them from exposing them to sustained high risk of contracting HIV virus through use of unsafe needles and syringes! The project, first of its kind in Gujarat, will be launched on World AIDS day. Registered drug addicts will be given tablets of methadone and buprenorphine, which has opium content and considered substitutes for heroin and cocaine addiction at the Drug addicts De-addiction and Oral Substitution Theory (DOST) centre, which will begin operations at psychiatry department of Government Medical College (GMC).

India-China defence talks on schedule Foreign minister S M Krishna said that defence dialogue between India and China will go ahead as scheduled in December despite the postponement of boundary talks in the wake of Beijing’s opposition to the Dalai Lama’s speech at a Buddhist congregation here.

"I think, we expect whatever is in the pipeline will continue," external affairs minister S M Krishna said. He was responding to a question on whether the defence dialogue between India and China, scheduled to be held here on December 8 and 9, would take place and it would help resume military exchanges between the two countries.

27

FDI on hold, Pranab tells Opposition India’s finance minister Pranab Mukherjee confirmed to a section of the Opposition that the government had decided to put on hold the move to allow foreign equity in the multi-brand retail sector, pending further consultations.

The issue has stalled Parliament since November 25. However, it is not immediately clear whether this is enough to break the deadlock.

Mr. Mukherjee called up BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Sushma Swaraj and CPI (M) Rajya Sabha leader Sitaram Yechury and sounded them out on the government's latest thinking.

They reportedly suggested that he hold an all-party meeting to make a formal announcement.

The Opposition is yet to take a view; some of them feel that such an announcement should be good enough to let

Pranab Mukherjee, Sushma Swaraj and Sitaram Yechury

Parliament function.

Another view is that the Opposition should stick to its demand for rollback of the decision.

“If the government agrees to keep the decision in abeyance pending wider consultations, there is no reason for the Opposition to hold up Parliament.

There are so many urgent and important subjects that need to be debated, and Parliament cannot be

held to ransom over one issue,” a senior Opposition leader said.

According to informed sources, Mr. Mukherjee would chair a meeting of floor leaders on December 7 and seek their views.

At the last meeting he had with them, the floor leaders demanded that the government either roll back the decision or face an adjournment motion with voting in the Lok Sabha.

Manmohan's stand Within hours of the meeting, prime minister Manmohan Singh, speaking at a Youth Congress rally, made it clear that the decision was a considered one.

But, at the same time, the government was not in a position to face an adjournment motion, given the strong opposition of the Trinamool Congress and the DMK, key allies of the ruling United Progressive Alliance.

The government's efforts at persuading these allies proved futile; in particular, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was in no mood to relent.

After talking to Mr. Mukherjee, she made a surprise announcement that her party had secured a commitment from the government that it would not go ahead with the decision.

Indian homes hold gold worth $950 bn Continued from page 1 "Gold is very important to every Indian woman. It is the wealth of the women.

In most Indian households, gold is transferred from woman to woman, from generation to generation.

Indian custom of buying gold to tide over an unforseen crisis and how Indians never sell the gold in their homes. In the world's largest consumer of the precious metal, the demand continues to be unparalleled. Despite soaring prices, the buying of gold has jumped nearly 40% in three months between July, August and

September, 2011. Imports are also expected to cross the psychological 1,000 tonne mark this year, up from the 950 tonnes brought into the country last year. According to Macquarie, 78% of India's $329 billion in household savings was held in gold in 2009-10. With gold evolving as a store of value more than an adornment, rising prices have also contributed towards increasing Indian households' `perceived wealth'.

Though gold demand in volume terms has shown a marked decline of 23% over 2010, India still remains the world's largest

consumer of gold as of September 2011, in tonnage terms, the report has added.

Worried economists: However, the Indian mentality to hold on to their precious tonnage has got many economists worried.

Gold imports are the third largest of India's merchandise imports after crude oil and capital goods. In 2010, about 92% of the supply of gold in India was met through net imports and the rest through recycled gold and other sources.

"The 18,000 tonnes of metal in Indian households is almost double the gold reserves maintained

by the US Federal Reserve.

And it just sits idle in family vaults across India as ornaments, bars and coins,'' said an analyst with a brokerage firm.

Venugopal Reddy, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, has said that it has created an incurable `drain on savings', threatening to hobble economic progress. As gold fever grips most households in India, the country's household savings rate has plummeted in the financial year that ended on March 31 to 9.7% of GDP, compared with 12.1% in the previous fiscal year.

India wants Dow out of London Olympics sponsorship Continued from page 1 Activists say 25,000 people died in the immediate aftermath of the accident and in ensuing years, and about 100,000 people who were exposed to the gas continue to suffer today from ailments that range from cancer, blindness to birth defects.

"There is no question of boycotting the games of course," a spokesman added.

Meanwhile, the gas victims’ relatives, survivors and the organisations working for their welfare got a shot in their arm through support from an unexpected ally, a member of the Greater London Assembly Navin Shah.

Shah who is in India for a family function and have visited Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar on Friday while talking over the issue told Asian Voice, “It is ethically wrong to get sponsorship from a company which is responsible for homicide of hundreds of Indian fellows and is not responding to Indian apex court orders.”

Shah who represents Brent and Harrow constituency in North West London further said, “I represent a constituency of London that has a sizeable population of Indians. Londoners have principles that are based on ethics and moral code and if we are serious about London and its reputation then we should oppose the wrong and unethical sponsors of the games that are going to be held in our city.”

In Bhopal a fiery protest was carried out by about 200 angry people upset about Dow's ownership of the Union Carbide company responsible for the Bhopal chemical disaster and that Dow has sponsored the £7 million wrap that will envelope the main Olympic Stadium.

Their protests, which also included the burning of a second effigy representing the president of the Indian Olympic Association Vijay Kumar Malhotra and chants of "Down with London Olympics" was staged outside of the abandoned Union Carbide factory.

The protesters also burned a wrap around a replica of the London Olympics stadium unveiling what they say is the real face of Dow; a fiveheaded snake encircling the globe and holding the Olympic rings by its tongues.

The London organising committee board rejected a call from a fellow board member and mayor of the Borough of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, to cancel Dow Chemical's sponsorship of the Olympic wrap.

Following their meeting, the LOCOG board said in a statement that it had awarded Dow the sponsorship after a "rigorous procurement process with due consideration of its financial and reputational standing and its ability to deliver the best sustainable solution for the wrap".

But that view was not unanimous, with Wales disappointed by the decision. "I believe the decision to accept sponsorship from Dow Chemical and in particular the decision to have that company so promi-

nently connected to the iconic Olympic Stadium is worthy of a further review.

I am disappointed by the decision not to look again at the deal."

Earlier Indian Olympic Association chief Malhotra declared that a boycott of the London Olympics, demanded by some Indian Olympians and local politicians would not be considered by his association.

Barry Gardiner MP told the Asian Voice, “The Indian Government and the Indian Olympic Association have done the right thing by standing up against Dow’s involvement with the London 2012 Olympics, and standing up for the people of Bhopal.

The deep anger shown by the protests across India this weekend is a foretaste of the protests that will be a toxic cloud over the London 2012 games if LOCOG do not act immediately.

LOCOG must realise that this issue will not go away, and the longer they leave the decision to kick out Dow, the larger the protests will grow...”

28

tRAvel & Community

Asian voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

PurvI’s trAvel BAg

Indian Wedding

By Purvi Apurva Shah

A Jain wedding

Kutch Rann Utsav a unique holiday destination "Kutch Nahi Dekha To Kuch Nahi Dekha" are words of Bollywood Superstar Amitabh Bachchan with regard to Kutch Rann Utsav during Gujarat tourism promotion. Truly, if there is one place for NRIs to enjoy in this December it is Rann Utsav at Kutch. It is desert recreation. It is like if you visit once, you will be surely captured tight in Kutch’s clutches.

The Little Rann of Kutch is one of the most amazing places on earth.

When you‘re in the desert, you feel as though you‘re standing in the middle of an empty plate.

There is stark emptiness all around, nothing at view, just plain blank.

You can hear the silence, nothing at all, just the horizon, stretching for 360 degrees. Such vastness, wideness and whiteness has a distinct appeal. It is white salt desert.

People in millions come here to enjoy the white salt desert and its festivity. One of such visit is lot of fun, with winter in December, so staying in Kalo Dungar (Black Hill)

desert is pleasant. The Great Rann of Kutch is a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar Desert in the Kutch district of Gujarat, India and the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is desert, where there is tent city consisting of 400 tents.

The timeless appeal of a desert combined with comfort, style and adventure makes this a unique NRI holiday destination.

Each of the tents is decorated to resemble the colonial-period camps of royalty with carved furniture. Living in tent in

sand dunes.

For sight-seeing, you can see Indo-Pak border, the highest point in Kutch at 462 metres that allows

Cultual Programme

the visitors to experience the edge of the earth. And this is the only place in India where flamingoes come to breed. There are 13 species of lark, the Indo-Pak border marshes are also a resting site for migratory birds and are home to over 200 species of birds, including the threatened Lesser Florican and Houbara Bustard. It is also famous for the Indian Wild Ass sanctuary, home captures you in the most of the world's last populahappy form. tion of Indian Wild Ass. Night life on this Other places to visit desert is worth experiencare the ruins of Harappan ing, lanterns sparkling in civilization at Dhola Vira, the Great Rann, birds sanctuary, traditional rustic huts made of locallyavailable materials called ‘Bhungas’, places of religious interest at Koteshwar, Narayan Sarovar, Mata-no-Madh, Dattarerya temple atop Kalo Dungar (Black Hill), Prag Mahal, Than Monastery, Juno Mahal darkness with cup of hot and Aina Mahal in and coffee and lot many around Bhuj, Lakhpat friends to chit-chat. One Fort, Beach at Mandvi, can dance with colourfulhandloom, handicraft, ly attired tribal dancers, carpentry and embroidery music concerts, desert work at Kutch. music and shops selling Reaching there is easy, embroideries and jewBhuj, the main town of ellery is lot of fun. It’s big Kutch has daily flights craze to pick original from Mumbai, or you can Kutch embroidered patchtravel in train- ‘Kutch es which later people use Express’ will take you from it for Navratri dresses.

Mumbai via Ahmedabad And one of the exciting up to Gandhidham. sport, is camel ride on the desert area, far away from hustle-bustle of urban life, makes one feel at peace.

The vastness of the desert and a blue sky on the top

Like all other religions, Jains also celebrate their marriages with great enthusiasm. They also have a number of rituals before and after marriage, which are performed with utmost simplicity and sanctity. Though in Jain religion, marriage is considered a worldly affair, it is still highly advocated.

In Jain wedding ceremony, a grand public proclamation is made with the intention of bride and groom to live together for their entire life.

Pre Wedding Rituals Lagana Lekhan is a small puja, held at the bride's house. Here, an auspicious date and time for the wedding is decided by the priest. It is then sent to the groom's house.

The reading out of this letter by the priest, at the groom's house is known as Lagna Patrika Vachan.

This takes place after the Vinayakyantra puja is done by the groom. The Sagai takes place at the groom's place, wherein a puja is conducted. The bride's brother applies tika on the groom's forehead and presents him with gifts like gold chain, clothes, sweets, token money etc.

The Lagan Patrika Vachan usually takes place after the Sagai ceremony.

Next is the Mada Mandap ritual, which takes place at the bride's as well as groom's residence. All the rituals are performed by the priest. After this the Barati and Aarti ritual is held. On the arrival of the barat, the bride's brother applies tika on the groom's forehead and offers him gifts. The groom also

applies tika on his brother-in-law's forehead and gives him a coconut.

Married women from the bride's side perform traditional aarti and sing mangal geet.

Wedding Rituals Phere are the most important ritual in the Jain wedding. The bride and the groom are seated in the mandap. The father of the bride performs Kanyadaan or Kanyavaran ritual. He places one rupee and twenty five paise and rice in her right hand and hands her to the bridegroom. While chanting mantras, the priest pours holy water on the hands of the couple thrice. This is followed by Granthi Bandhan, in which a married woman ties the knot between the bride's sari and groom's shawl.

After this the mangal pheras take place around the sacred fire. During the pheras mahaveer ashtak strot is recited in the background while the ladies sing mangal geet.

The couple also takes the seven vows after the pheras. After this, the bride is regarded as Vamangi, as she becomes

Historians and the legacy of the Raj Mainstream Indian historians now widely acknowledge that the British Empire was not just destructive and bad’ Sir, To most Indians, the spat between Pankaj Mishra and Niall Ferguson over the benign influence of the British Raj (“What’s black and white and red on maps?”, Ben Macintyre, Opinion, Nov 29) would seem merely an exercise in futility. Mainstream Indian historians now widely acknowledge that the British Empire was not just destructive and bad, and that it was, in many ways, a blessing in disguise, for it exposed India to the idea of parliamentary democracy, the rule of law and a modern socioeconomic system.

To see what India

would have been like had the British not arrived here in the 18th century, one only needs to look at the current state of Afghanistan, a country that was never ruled by any European power, including the British.

Would Afghanistan still be in such a pitiable state had the British managed to control it after the first Anglo-Afghan War in 1839? Moreover, repressive empires do not last for more than 250 years.

Simren Kaur Jallandhar, Punjab Sir, The reason academic disputes are so bitter — exemplified by the entertainingly vicious exchanges between Mishra and Ferguson — is, as Henry Kissinger pointed out, because the stakes are so low.

the better half of her husband. Next is the exchange of garlands between the couple. The havan finally concludes with Shantipath and Visarjan.

The food served in the wedding in very much a vegetarian variety and the very conservative Jain families do not even cook food with onion and garlic.

Post Wedding Rituals After the wedding rituals are over the elders come forward to bless the newly wed couple for the forthcoming marital life.

This is known as Ashirvad ceremony which is a common tradition of all Indian cultures cutting across religious beliefs. On the arrival of the couple to the groom's house, the bride is given a warm welcome by her marital family. This ritual is called Sva Graha Aagaman. As an expression of gratitude, alms are given in the Jain temple.

This is known as Jina Grahe Dhan Arpan tradition. Subsequently, a reception party is hosted by the groom's family, in order to formally introduce the bride to family and friends.

World's first sex school opens in Austria A Swedish schoolmistress has opened the world's first international sex school in Austria to teach students how to be better lovers.

The Austrian International Sex School in Vienna offers "hands on" lessons in seduction for 1,400 pounds a term.

Headmistress Ylva-Maria Thompson says that anyone over the age of 16 can enroll at the world's first college of applied sexuality'. Students live in a mixed sex dormitory block where they're expected to practice their homework.

And at the end of the course, they are awarded a qualification.

"Our core education is not theoretical, but very practical," the headmistress was quoted as saying. "Sexual positions, caressing techniques, anatomical features," the headmistress said

HealtH WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

29

Cholesterol, a silent assassin

Cholesterol is a silent assassin that creeps up on you. Know why and when it becomes a problem.

Unlike diabetes and hypertension, there are no apparent symptoms to an imbalance in cholesterol, which kills millions worldwide. You would only detect it when advised a blood test. If it measures more than 200 mg/dl in your blood serum, press the panic button now.

Ignoring high cholesterol for long can silently eat into the number of years of your life.

It's got a bad name: Cholesterol is, basically, the fat (lipid), which exists in the outer layer of every cell in your body. Without it, we would die. It performs many important functions. It builds and maintains the outer layer of cell membranes. It is also involved in the production of sex hormones (androgens and estrogens) and is essential for the production of hormones released by the adrenal glands. It helps in the production of bile and is important for the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K. When it gets ugly: It turns from friend to enemy when the blood level of cholesterol goes up.

Cardiologist Dr Vijay Bang says, "A person suffering from high cholesterol may be prone to grievous health risks such as nar-

rowing of the arteries, stroke, heart attacks, angina and other cardiovascular diseases."

According to public health nutritionist Neha Gehi, the liver produces about 1,000 milligrams of cholesterol a day, equivalent to a dozen eggs with yolk. We consume about 150 to 200 milligrams through the foods we eat.

"The problem begins only when the blood serum has more than 200 milligrams dl," she says.

The good and the bad: As cholesterol can't travel by itself through the bloodstream, it has to combine with certain proteins. These proteins pick up the cholesterol and transport it to different parts of the body.

"The cholesterol and protein form a lipoprotein together. The two most important types of lipoproteins are high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL), also known as good cholesterol and bad cholesterol respectively," says Bang. HDL takes the cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver.

In the liver, it is either broken down or expelled from the body as waste. On the other hand, LDL does the opposite, by taking cholesterol from the liver to the cells. If it goes above 130 mg/dl it adds fat to the cells and tends to clog the blood vessels by keeping blood from flowing

through the body the way it should. Over time, the condition may block blood flow to other vital organs, including the kidneys and intestines.

Excess weight leads to high cholesterol levels.

The problem can also be genetic. If heart diseases run in your family, you are at a higher risk. And this risk increases as you get older.

Keep a tab: The level of cholesterol can be controlled by adopting these simple steps in our lifestyle. Here is how: • To start with, avoid butter, cheese, egg yolk, and meat organs (kidney, liver etc) • Drink only low-tone milk • Stay away from products that contain hydrogenated vegetable oils.

These include commercially-prepared baked goods • If you eat meat, consume lean meats and skinless poultry. In sea food, avoid lobster, shrimp and crab • Make sure you trim off all noticeable fat before cooking.

• Switch to vegetarian high-fibre and high protein rich diet including legumes, beans, peas, nuts, or other soy products • If you eat eggs, avoid the yolk. Stick to egg whites only • Avoid deep fried items when you feel the urge to snack. Instead, have raw veggies, wholegrains, plain unsalted popcorn or yogurt.

• Indulge in some or the other form of physical activity as exercising strengthens the heart, lowers cholesterol, and helps to lose excess weight • Quitting alcohol and smoke can help decrease the risk of heart disease.

• If your cholesterol is really high, then you need to consult a doctor and take medication as prescribed.

Low-calorie diet for 4 months can cure diabetes

Here’s some good news for people suffering from Type 2 diabetes - eating a lowcalorie diet everyday for just four months could cure the disease, a new study has revealed.

A team at Leiden University in the Netherlands says its findings may revolutionize the treatment of the lifelong condition with no cure, and caused by pancreas not producing enough

insulin to break down glucose in blood.

In their s t u d y , researchers found that diabetics who slashed the calories they ate each day actually had a far more significant improvement in the condition and in their general health than medication offered.

They no longer needed life-saving insulin, the level of dangerous fat built up around their hearts was significantly reduced and their cardiac function improved.

“It is striking to see how a relatively simple intervention of a very lowcalorie diet effectively

cures Type 2 diabetes.

Moreover, the effects are long term, illustrating the potential of this method.

“Lifestyle interventions may have more powerful beneficial cardiac effects than medication in these patients,” Sebastiaan Hammer, the lead author, was quoted as saying.

Any quest ions writ e to m amta @thinkspalon

By Mamta Saha don.com

Psychologist

How to be your own best friend

This week we are focusing on how you can continue to feel great about yourself by being your own best friend.

Firstly, you must stop relying on the approval of others to justify who you are, what you are and how you choose to live your life. When you use other peoples judgements of you as a barometer of your own self worth you are at their mercy.

Humans have millions of opinions, which mean they are prone to being fickle. No one knows you better then you. Know that it is impossible to make everyone happy and in your authentic pursuits to do this ultimately you become tired as energy is given to others rather then yourself.

Revise your strengths and stand up tall. We all have faults, no one is perfect, and we know this. Build on sharpening you strengths and feel god about them.

List 50 reasons why you are excellent, read this morning, day and night.

See it and believe it, be your own best friend, not your own worst enemy.

Read the truth about you and have the courage to believe, draw and trust that it is true. If you struggle to do this, ask people you trust to help you. Ask them to tell you 5 things you are good at, and then

negativity and progress positively into a place of calm? Think about what is in your gift now, try to keep your thoughts and energy focused on the present. Looking far too forward or too far back will loose the structure needed to be confident.

Develop your resilience and notice what you say to yourself and what you choose to take in from others, ensure you have the right energy around you.

Watch the company you keep and be selective about whom you take advice from.

Surround yourself with triggers of inspiration and strength.

Draw from these sources to add to your pot of confidence and esteem.

If you know of anyone who may benefit from reading this article please do share it with him or her.

Additionally, if you like my articles and want to be inspired on a regular basis remember to ‘like’ the Thinkspalondon page on Facebook and register on the website for free articles. Early next year I plan to run another Impact Boot Camp Personal Development Day. To qualify for an early bird discount register your interest by emailing me directly on mamta@thinkspalondon.co m. May you live always with peace, harmony and happiness.

Laughter good medicine for dementia patients

A new study has found that humour therapy is as effective as widely used antipsychotic drugs in managing agitation in patients with dementia, and avoids serious drug side effects.

The first major study of the impact of humour therapy on mood, agitation, behavioural disturbances and social engagement in dementia patients found both short term and persisting decrease in agitation, said lead researcher, Dr Lee-Fay

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Be clear on what and who you are. One creative way of defining you is by writing a commercial about yourself as if you were a brand. Make the choice to have confidence to discover your strengths. This helps you identify and capture your plus points in a fun way. Email us your commercial; the strongest most positive wins a prize!

Make a note to yourself that when you change or try a new way of thinking about you, the vacuum created by your consciousness as it separates from the old to adapt to the new can be disorientating. The chaos that ensues cannot be prevented or ignored; it simply has to be lived through if you want to see and feel a positive change.

It is up to you to analyse whether you are 100% happy with the way you are, or not.

However, it is so important to trust, really trust that any upheavals we encounter happen for a good reason and come to us to make us stronger. Crises are opportunities in disguise, don’t let them dent you confidence and erode your sense of self because you are all you have.

The best way to deal with self-doubt is through activity. What actions can you take to manoeuvre yourself out of this state of

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Low, a Research Fellow at UNSW`s School of Psychiatry.

The smile study across 36 Australian residential aged care facilities involved the recruitment and training of a staff

member to act as a "Laughter Boss" who worked with a humour practitioner with comedic and improvisation skills.

The smile study found a 20 per cent reduction in agitation using humour therapy, an improvement comparable to the common use of anti-psychotic drugs.

"This shows humour therapy should be considered before medication for agitation, particularly taking into account its side effects," said Dr Low.

30

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

CB Live is only a Gujarati programme in UK on MATV SKY 793 Dr Kusoom Vadgama, an optometrist by profession, has done yeoman's service to the memory of Cornelia Sorabji- going over her huge correspondence in the archives of the British library and written a monumental book "An Indian Portia". She will discuss with CB about the life and work of Cornelia- a unique woman indeed.

Mr Dinesh Sharma- who has written a book on Barack Obama viz. "Barack Obama in Hawaii and Indonesia: The Making of a Global President" will be interviewed in Hindi on his latest publication.

If you do not have a SKY, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Lord Dholakia raises concerns on young offenders Lord Dholakia voiced his concerns over the transportation arrangements for young offenders. Noting that young offenders are treated differently from their adult counterparts Lord Dholakia queried the practice of transporting young offenders alongside adult prisoners.

Lord Dholakia stated that there had been just over 2,800 cases where this practice had occurred. With new contracts being awarded Lord Dholakia sought reassurances that it would stop, and suggested that prohibition of the

Lord Dholakia

practice should form part of the new contractual obligations to ensure this.

Krupa – A woman who cares Brent Labour introduced Krupa Sheth as Wembley Central candidate.

A Brent girl through and through, Krupa grew up in Wembley and attended the Swaminarayan school. A member of the Borough’s Jain community, Krupa, pictured, speaks fluent Gujurati and Hindi, and volunteers at Jain temple helping to raise money for various charities across the world.

Krupa is deeply committed to social justice, and is training as a barrister to devote her career to fighting for

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500 The Sun continues to transit your solar ninth house now. In this period you seek to expand your experiences and awareness, whether through philosophical thinking, travel, or simply activities that take you away from your mundane routines. It's an excellent period for looking at your life from a different perspective.

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For more information e-mail:

cblive_matv@yahoo.co.uk

Coming Events l Sardar Patel Memorial Society (UK) and National Association of Patidar Samaj to pay Nirvan Day Tribute to Bharat Ratna Sardar Patel, 7pm, veg dinner will be served, Thursday 15th December 2011, NAPS Samaj Hall, London SW17 0RG. Contact: Piyushbhai Patel 020 8977 8223 l Chinmay Misson UK, Acharya Vivek, a young, inspirational and dynamic acharya from Canada is in London and will be staying at Chinmaya Kirti from Friday 9 to Wed 14 Dec, 2011.

Sat 10 Dec 2011CHYK (age 18-35) workshop from 2 - 6pm at Chinmaya Kirti, Sun 11 Dec 2011 Junior CHYK (age 12-17) workshop from 11am 1pm at Chinmaya Kirti, Talk for public from 5:30 7pm at Chinmaya Kirti on 'Living Vedanta as a Householder', Tues 13 Dec 2011 Moorgate CHYK class from 7:30 - 9pm, All Hallows on the Wall, 83 London Wall, London, EC2M 5ND. l New Years Eve Bhajan Programme, Saturday 31st December 2011 from 8pm followed by Maha Aarti at Midnight. For more details contact Shree Jalaram Mandir Greenford on 0208 578 8088 / 9285 l Dec 7, 6:30pm Book reading of Sudha Menon followed by an informal discussion on Women and the Leadership Challenge Dec 9: Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Series of Lectures: 9th Lecture: Women in Hinduism Nehru Centre, London, 8 South Audley Street London W1K 1HF. Contact: 0207 491 3567

The Sun continues to transit your solar seventh house--your partnership sector. This can be a time of much learning in your close relationships. It's not the time to push your personal plans forward; rather, it's a cycle in which you give back to a special someone, and compromise in order to find some balance in your life.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 The Sun puts a spotlight on your solar sixth house. This is a period that finds you tending to many different details of your daily existence--your work, daily routines, and health matters.

You may be in the position to take charge in your work, or to take charge of your health and diet. Do not be hypercritical of yourself.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 The Sun continues to put a spotlight on your solar fifth house. This is a time when pleasure-seeking and creative activities come into focus and grab much of your attention. You are particularly personally charming and ready to perform and to express yourself creatively. It is also a good time for romance and connecting with children.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 The Sun continues to transit your solar fourth house. This is a period for getting in touch with your innermost feelings and spending more time and energy on home and family. Use this energy to find ways to improve your family relations and your home environment. A good time to explore your inner needs so that you can nurture yourself and others.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 The Sun continues to highlight your solar third house. A time in which you are most likely to be busy communicating. Used well, this could be a period in which you come up with solutions to a number of problems. You will be proud of your intellectual accomplishments, ability to socialize and make connections.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 The Sun continues to transit your solar second house. This is the most "financial" period of the year for you. You have an increased interest in your own possessions, during this period. You are more attracted to objects and possessions that give you a sense of comfort, status, or luxury now. Careful with your extravagant spending habits.

vulnerable people in society.

The by-election will take place on 22nd December.

Wembley Central residents can register to vote by post, which is more convenient if they are busy on the day.

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TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 The Sun continues to transit your solar eighth house. Personal transformations and intimate matters fulfill you most during this period. There may be a strong focus on other's money, such as the resources of a partner, inheritance, banking and loans, or taxes. You are more in touch with the deeper and even primal elements of your own personality.

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 The Sun continues to move through your solar first house. You experience a renewal of energy and vitality now, and it's a strong time for increased personal confidence. The emphasis is on self-expression. You are more decisive and forward-looking now, and you put more faith in your own abilities.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

The Sun continues to transit your solar twelfth house. This is the time to listen to your intuition, to take a break from the hectic pace of your life, and to reflect. You might naturally retreat a little and take more private time for yourself now. Time to take stock of your projects now and not start anything new for a while.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

The Sun continues to put a spotlight on your solar eleventh house. You will benefit from networking in this period and you might find some great ideas through others now. Working in a team will also benefit you. You are more attracted to that which is progressive or unconventional during this cycle.

The Sun continues to put a spotlight on your solar tenth house. Satisfaction and fulfilment during this cycle comes from being professionally responsible and contributing to the world in practical ways. You will get a lot of support from authority figures during this transit.

Avoid the pitfalls by being confident and positive.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

SpoRt worlD

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

David Beckham yet to decide on future

Dravid named captain of Rajasthan Royals

Indian batting great Rahul Dravid was on Saturday named the captain of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals. He replaces Australia's Shane Warne, who led the team for four seasons before announcing his retirement from the cash-rich event earlier this year.

The 38-year-old former India captain has had a great 2011. He has piled on 1,067 runs in 11 Tests that includes five centuries. 'The Wall' was bought by the Rajasthan franchise for $500,000 in the IPL auctions held in Bangalore in January. Dravid was with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the first three editions.

'I am honoured to lead the Rajasthan Royals. I hope to live up to the confidence shown in me by the

franchise and give our fans an exciting season of cricket,' said Dravid in a statement released by Rajasthan Royals.

'I look forward to the valuable inputs from my teammates who are

already leading their national sides and clubs. My aim will be to get the best out of a very talented squad and invoke the same team spirit that won the franchise the first IPL and has been a hallmark of the Rajasthan Royals ever since.'

Warne had no hesitation in saying that his successor will take the team to more success.

'He is not only one of the world's best batsmen, but a leader par excellence. The Royals squad is a bunch of extremely energetic and talented players who know their roles perfectly well and I am sure they will thrive under Dravid's inspiring leadership. I will be keenly following the Royals and Dravid and would like to wish them the best,' said Warne, who led the team to victory in the inaugural season.

India concede last minute goal to Inspired Rafa Nadal ends quiet year on a high lose Champions Challenge final

A last minute goal saw India lose 3-4 to Belgium in an exhilarating final of the Champions Challenge hockey tournament on Sunday.

India were comfortably sitting on a 3-1 cushion in the second half but a resiliant Belgium bounced back in the match.

Tom Boon scored the winner and in the process became the joint top scorer of the tournament along with Justin Reid Ross of South Africa with eight goals.

For India, VR Raghunath (23rd minute), Sandeep Singh (41th) and Shivender Singh (54) scored. Belgium, who defeated Argentina in a tense shoot-out for a place in the final, responded

through Jerome Dekeyser's brace (44th, 57th) and Gauthier Boccard's strike (55th)before Boon (70th) separated the two teams.

Sandeep finished with seven goals, all through penalty corners, and won the Player of the Tournament award.

But it was hardly a consolation for India as their propensity to concede last minute goals came back to haunt them.

Belgium, who have already made it to the London Olympics, also qualified for next December's champions Trophy in Australia.

"It is a cherry on the cake," said ecstatic Belgian player Xavier Reckinger.

India wasted an opportunity to play in the elite Champions Trophy after 2005.

The eight-time Olympic Champion looked in fine touch at the start. India had their chances as SV Sunil, with his explosive speed and fine dribbling skills, troubled the Belgian defenders.

Rafa Nadal ended a relatively barren year on a thrilling high when he battled back from a set down to beat Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro and secure Spain's fifth Davis Cup tennis triumph on Sunday.

After demolishing Juan Monaco in Friday's singles, the 10-times grand slam champion, overshadowed by world number one Novak Djokovic in 2011, had a tougher time on his beloved clay against an inspired Del Potro but rallied to snuff out the South American nation's bid for a first title in their

fourth final.

The lanky Del Potro had fully recovered from his fiveset defeat by David Ferrer in Friday's singles and delighted the raucous away fans with a fearsome display of hitting to take the first set.

However, he ran out of steam at the crucial moment and lost the fourth-set tiebreak 7-0 in a 1-6 6-4 6-1 7-6 defeat that sparked wild celebrations among the home support at the purpose-built indoor court at Seville's Olympic Stadium.

Nadal's victory, his 16th in 16 Davis Cup singles matches on his favoured surface, gave Spain an unassailable 3-1 lead in the best-offive tie as the favourites secured their third title in four years.

It was their second Davis Cup final victory over Argentina following their success in Mar del Plata in 2008 and they also claimed the enormous trophy, known in Spanish as the 'salad bowl', by beating Czech Republic in Barcelona in 2009.

31

Footballer David Beckham says he's yet to decide where he'll play when his current contract with US Major League Soccer side the LA Galaxy comes to an end.

The 36-yearold's contract ended after a friendly between the Galaxy and Australia's Melbourne Victory, and the former England captain says he hasn't started thinking about his future.

Beckham is believed to be weighing a substantial offer to play for the French club Paris St. Germain or to remain in the United States.

He said that he wanted to spend some time with family before making any decision.

"I wanted to end this season with a championship and we did that, then I wanted some time on this tour to be able to celebrate it," Beckham said.

"I haven't actually started thinking about it yet. Once I get some down time, then I'll start thinking what's going to be best. I'm going to spend some time with the family, have a good Christmas."

Former Brazil football captain Socrates dies at 57 Brazil's 1982 World Cup captain Socrates, the "Golden Heel" renowned as one of the great playmakers of his generation, died in a hospital on Sunday of septic shock at the age of 57.

Socrates Brasileiro de Souza Viera de Oliveira, a lifelong smoker and drinker, had been on a life support system in a Sao Paulo hospital since Thursday when he was admitted suffering from food poisoning.

The captain of one of the greatest international sides to never win the World Cup, Socrates was a medical doctor, an intellectual, a cultural icon and a political activist who used his celebrity to fight for the end of Brazil's 19641984 military government.

"Socrates was a buddy, a great friend, one of those figures football's going to miss for everything he represented," his former Brazil team mate Junior said.

"Whoever shared life with him enjoyed the special person he was, intelligent, cultured, fun, a ball ace. He's the kind of figure hard to find in football," added the left-back from the 1982 and 1986 Brazil teams.

I'm never scared, it's in the blood: Amir Khan Since winning Olympic silver at 17, boxer Amir Khan has become a world champion and an ambassador for his sport. Now the boxer from Bolton is preparing his next title defence. He is honing his skills at Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, where he spends six months of the year. He says that the two-hour sessions are designed to build strength and stamina in his legs.

Then, after a high-protein breakfast and a few rounds on the Xbox (fighting games), he has a 90-minute siesta before heading to the Wild Card for a further two hours of stretching, sparring and gym work. The routine runs like clockwork, six days a week, so that Khan is in peak condition for his world-title encounter soon with Lamont Peterson. The fight, in his opponent's hometown of Washington, DC, is Khan's fourth in the US and the sixth defence of his WBA world light welterweight title. It is also the first defence of the IBF world title he won in July in a unification fight with Zab Judah.

Khan exudes a relaxed air. “You have to be confident when you've got someone in front of you who wants to beat you and take the title from you. But I think people mistake my confidence for arrogance or cockiness,” he says. “I know what physical tools I have, I know what I can do. So I don't have to prove anything. The thing is, I'm never scared. It's just in the blood, really. My family came from a warrior clan background, the Rajput tribe from the Punjab, and that

could be one of the reasons. Going into fights just seems normal to me.”

Khan's grandfather, Lall, came to Britain in the late 1960s, like many Pakistanis. The family was landowners from Rawalpindi; grandfather Khan saw the opportunity of a better future for his family in Britain and set up home in Halliwell, Greater Manchester, later bringing his wife, Iqbal Begum, and two sons over. Amir's father, Shah, was seven years old at the time. Lall got a job in a cotton factory, working his way up to manager.

Shah trained as a mechanic, set up his own garage, and then had a scrap yard. He now oversees Amir's career full-time.

“We are all hard workers,” Khan says.

“It's in the genes. We're not ones to just sit there and chill. Once I've had a rest in between fights, I have to go back into the gym. I've got to be doing something with my life. My coach has to get me to slow

down sometimes.”

The young Amir was a hyperactive child. “I was never scared of anything, even then. I was always misbehaving, testing myself.” In other words, he was constantly getting into fights, not because he was a troublemaker but because he had no qualms about taking anyone on, no matter how big they were. He was eight when his father took him to an amateur boxing club in Halliwell and placed him under the tutelage of a local coach, Tommy Battle.

“It was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me,” Khan says. “I loved it straight away.” He had found his niche.

Three English schoolboy titles and three junior national amateur titles followed. In 2003, aged 16, he won a gold medal at the Junior Olympics in Detroit, followed by another gold at the Junior World Championships in Korea the year after.

He joined the squad for Athens, the youngest man to represent Great Britain at boxing for 30 years. He won Britain's only boxing medal of the Games. Khan's performances, which included beating the European champion and stopping two of his opponents within the distance, made him a star both in Greece (where a crowd of British supporters, including medal winners such as Matthew Pinsent, cheered him on) and back home.

“Everyone in Britain suddenly knew me.”

Two more amateur fights followed in 2005 – in the second of which he took his

revenge on Kindelan, beating him in Bolton. Although he had said after his Olympic success that “I want to stay amateur until I'm 22,” the lure of the professional sport proved irresistible. He signed with the promoter Frank Warren in July 2005, aged 18, to great fanfare in the sporting media. Warren added to the hype, declaring Khan to be the most talented boxer he had ever worked with.

Manny Pacquiao, currently regarded as the world's number-one boxer, the only man ever to win world titles in eight weight divisions, become Khan's friend and mentor. Amir could go on to become the best boxer in the world. What he has is speed, and speed kills. ''Amir has an amazing resistance to pain, and his mind is so strong in that respect. He's also ultra-competitive and is constantly testing himself against what Manny Pacquiao can do. Though he spends half the year in America these days, he is proud of his Lancashire roots. When in Britain, he still lives in Bolton.

So far Khan has hardly put a foot wrong inside or outside the ring. Still only 24, he has amassed career earnings of some £20 million, and as long as he keeps winning he is two fights away from mega-paydays. He has won 26 pro fights, 18 by knockout. As his profile grows in the US, the next 12 months could see him step up a weight division to fight Floyd Mayweather, for which he could earn £10 million.

32

Asian Voice - Saturday 10th December 2011

Pathan replaces Yadav in India squad for ODIs

Possibility of India's Australian tour becoming a repeat of England

By Premen Addy

All-rounder Irfan Pathan has been drafted into the India squad for their two remaining one-day internationals against West Indies in place of paceman Umesh Yadav, who will leave for Australia early to get acclimatised for an upcoming tour.

Yadav will be among seven Indian cricketers leaving on Thursday for Australia for the four-test series, starting in Melbourne on December 26. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha and Wriddhiman Saha are the rest of the players who will travel to Australia early, the Indian cricket board said in a statement late on Monday.

Selectors also named 22-year-old paceman Abhimanyu Mithun as the replacement for Praveen Kumar, who was ruled out with a fractured rib, in the test squad for Australia. Kumar missed the ODI series at home against West Indies and is expected to recover in five to six weeks, ruling him out of the Australia tests too. In Australia, India will also play two Twenty20 internationals and a ODI triseries, with Sri Lanka being the third team.

The Indian cricket team is weighed down by enough junk for India's forthcoming tour of Australia becoming a repeat of the experience in England last summer.

Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir have done little against the touring West Indies to warrant their inclusion in the party to Australia.

Loyalty to players is commendable in correct doses but it is nothing short of perverse when it is applied come hell or high water. Shikher Dhawan and Yusuf Pathan could have been on a Caribbean cruise, for example, their contribution to the cricket barely noticeable. In the wings stand promising cricketers who do nothing but wait for the junk to be thrown overboard.

The best selectors read the signs in time and dispense with the services of players who are no longer fit for purpose. This is rarely the case in India, where it needs a disaster followed by a public outcry to get things moving.

Harbhajan Singh was persisted with, even when it was clear he was a busted flush. Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandra Ashwin performed brilliantly against West Indies, but were given their head only after the debacle in England.

In Australia they take pride in being

ahead of the game. By introducing a number of inspirational young guns, Cricket Australia has given the country new hope, with Pat Cummins in South Africa and James Pattinson (pace and swing) and Nathan Lyon (spin) at home against New Zealand contributing superbly to their side's consecutive triumphs. Australia are up and running and will be a force to reckon with when India arrive Down Under in a fortnight's time.

Meanwhile, India have taken a 2-1 nil lead in the ODIs, the second victory at Visakhpatnam crafted by a swashbuckling 117 by Virat Kohli and an unbeaten 90 from the elegant Rohit Sharma. The third match at Ahmedabad ended in a 16-run West Indian victory, Sharma being the pick of the Indian batsmen with a cultured 95 (West Indies 260 for 5; India 244 all out).

There are matters of moment beyond the boundary. The former England cricket coach Bob Woolmer died in mysterious circumstances in Kingston, Jamaica, during the World Cup of 2007; now we have the tragic death in Johannesburg, South Africa, of distinguished cricket writer and former Somerset batsman and captain, Peter Roebuck. The story put about by the South African police was that Mr Roebuck had taken his life by

jumping from the sixth floor window of his hotel – he was covering the Test match between South Africa and Australia – when he was investigated for a possible sexual offence. There were obituaries galore in the broadsheets, a feeling that a man of many gifts, plagued by his inner demons, had chosen to end his life rather than face up to its myriad problems.

But now comes a twist to the tale. Mr Roebuck's family in England – five siblings and their matriarch Beatrice Roebuck – have engaged a top British criminal lawyer to journey to South Africa and inquire into the possibility of foul play. As family, they believe the dead man was not of a suicidal disposition. He had written a cheery letter to his mother a mere four days prior to his demise wishing her for Christmas and promising to spend more time in England from his Australian base. The Roebucks have made no charges but they must have strong suspicions, otherwise why would they go to this enormous expense to satisfy themselves of Peter Roebuck's suicide?

South Africa's police do not enjoy an exalted reputation for probity. Peter Roebuck's untimely end may open a can of worms. On the other hand it may not.

We shall have to wait and see.

Windies beat India by 16 runs to keep series alive West Indies ended India's 11-game winning streak at home with a 16-run victory in the third one-day international on Monday to keep the series alive after fast bowler Ravi Rampaul's four-wicket haul.

Rampaul took 4-57 to help bowl out India for 244 in 46.5 overs in reply to West Indies' total of 260-5 at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad. It was the hosts' first ODI loss at home since going down to South Africa in the group stage of the World Cup in March.

India, which won the opening two matches, was led by Rohit Sharma's fluent knock of 95 as he resurrected the innings from 105-6 in the 21st over.

He smashed 10 fours and a six in 100 balls to keep the match in the balance until he was the sec-

ond last man out in the 44th over.

Sharma, who struck 72 and 90 not out in the previous two games, put on a 91run stand with Ravichandran Ashwin (31) before being run out by a direct throw from West Indies captain Darren Sammy.

"It was a good fight back from the boys especially the spell from Rampaul and debutant (Sunil) Narine," said Sammy, who had earlier dropped Sharma and Ashwin. "Sharma tried to take the game away but we stuck at it."

India was on the back foot early in the chase when Rampaul dismissed captain Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir for ducks with the first two balls of the second over of the innings.

Sehwag was caught

Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma

behind dangling his bat outside off stump while Gautam Gambhir was trapped lbw shouldering arms to a ball that moved in sharply for India to slip to 8-2.

After spinners Marlon Samuels and Narine had taken a wicket each, Rampaul dismissed Suresh Raina (2) caught behind down the leg side in a doubtful decision with replays suggesting the ball

had touched the thigh pad.

Rampaul also dismissed Abhimanyu Mithun in another spell to seal victory.

Earlier, Sammy and allrounder Andre Russell put together a rollicking 79run unbroken stand to propel the visitors after a slow start. Sammy clobbered 41 off 17 balls and Russell smashed 40 off 18 to boost the total after Samuels had made 58.

Sammy and Russell were helped by some wayward bowling as Mithun went for 23 runs in the 49th over and Umesh Yadav for 20 in the 50th.

"When the two big-hitters, Russell and Sammy, were batting it was difficult for us as they were connecting well," Sehwag said.

"I told my boys to bowl as many yorkers as they could, but they not do it."

Sammy finished with

two sixes and five fours while Russell struck two sixes and four fours during a fruitful partnership that also included some smart running by the pair.

The two built on the good work of Samuels, who steadied the innings with a 93-ball knock of 58 that included five fours and a six.

Kohli and Rohit give India a 2-0 series lead Virat Kohli (117, 123b, 14x4) and Rohit Sharma (90 n.o., 98b, 7x4, 2x6) helped India survive an unbelievable assault by tailender Ravi Rampaul, and early setbacks in its chase to register a five-wicket win over the West Indies, in the second ODI at Visakhapatnam, last week.

After Rampaul's 86 (66b, 6x4, 6x6) took the West Indies to 269, India overhauled the target

through the combined excellence of the young duo, who added 163 runs in 28.3 overs for the fourth-wicket. India won with 11 balls to spare.

Beginning its chase, the host lost opener Parthiv Patel and number three Gautam Gambhir cheaply and would have been in further distress had Virender Sehwag not been dropped twice when he was on one (by Darren Sammy) and 15 (by Darren Bravo). The teams trooped off for a rain delay after Bravo fluffed the chance and Sehwag was eventually taken at the long-off boundary for 26 (35b, 3x4) by Andre Russell off Marlon Samuels when play resumed after 45 minutes.

Kohli and Sharma motored along and India reached 100 in the 21st over.