Asian Voice

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BAFTA Interview Tongues on Fire welcomes Abhishek as a Patron See Page - 11

BollyCat Preity to return to acting after IPL 3 See Page -21

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 38. ISSUE 44

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Women bill pass first test, leaves bitter taste

London-Ahmedabad direct flight campaign gets all round support in Gujarat State Congress chief Siddharth Patel requests Praful Patel for early resumption of the Air India flight

India’s upper house approves the constitution amendment bill for 33% reservation in Parliament, Assemblies

Reservation for women in Indian parliament and state assemblies got off the mark on Tuesday, as Rajya Sabha or the upper house of the parliament passed the historic bill. The timing of the passage went haywire, as originally, it was planned to be passed on Monday, the centenary of World Women’s day, but a handful of SP and RJD MPs disrupted the proceedings of the house, while the ruling party failed to anticipate the plans of the opponents and could not get through the bill on March 08.

Women MPs - Brinda Karat of CPI (M) Sushma Swaraj of BJP all smiles with the victory sign on Tuesday

It must now be passed by Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament

and later, by atleast 15 state assemblies to become a law.

Finally, with a committed support from the principal opposition BJP and the erstwhile supporters – the Left parties, 7 errant MPs of the RJD and SP were suspended from the house on Tuesday. The lack of a clear strategy on Monday from the ruling Congress party led to acrimonious exchanges, as the BJP and the Left parties said the government and the Congress should have plans in place to deal with the situation. Continued on page 24

Siddharth Patel

Praful Patel

The campaign for restoring the direct flight for London-Ahmedabad by Air India, initiated by the National Congress of Gujarati Organisations (NCGO – UK) has also received all round support in Gujarat. Ministers, MLAs and leaders of all political parties in Gujarat have pledged their support for the demand. They

have also written letters to Praful Patel, the civil aviation minister of India and made a strong representation to start the direct flight between Ahmedabad and London by Air India at the earliest. Gujarat pradesh Congress president and MLA, Siddharth Patel Continued on page 24

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Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

John Williams MBA FCMI FInstCM MIoD, Chief Executive, Gateway to London John Williams is the Chief Executive for Gateway to London, the inward investment agency for London Thames Gateway, and has with a long history of trade development, inward investment and business development experience. He was UKTI’s first Director of Trade & Investment in the North East of England, building a unique structure for business support in the region, and working closely with the Regional Development Agency the coordination of trade & investment support and investor development. He has been a consultant to the UN on trade & investment, and has worked with national and regional governments on business development and trade & investment projects in the Far East, Middle East and Eastern Europe. John’s main business interests lie in promoting business performance and growth by attracting high-quality investors, and developing regional capabilities for international business. 1) What inspired you to begin your career in your chosen field? As a child, I was held back, belittled and discouraged by everyone except my parents and one teacher. Ever since then, I have wanted to jam the door of opportunity open as long as I can, so as many people as possible can surge

through it. 2) What are your proudest achievements? Setting up a charity for victims of sex-offenders, coaching a friend to her best marathon performance, finally getting my MBA, and setting up a successful international trade office despite massive resistance from busi-

advantage. 5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date? Two people: George Bernard Shaw, who said “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable man tries to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man”, and Ted Turner, who had a sign on his desk reading “Lead, follow or get out of the way”. 6) What is the best thing about your current role? I live in two worlds. I deal with some Important People, and I get the chance to meet lots of Really Important People – business owners, students, taxi drivers, shop workers, teachers, tourists – who make east London the most vibrant, lively and culturally-diverse part of the world’s capital city.

ness support agencies. Oh, and getting my current job! 3) What do you think is the biggest issue facing the industry today? Ignorance. There are too many people with too little understanding of how business works trying to tell business how to work. And getting paid a lot of

tax payers’ money for it.

7) And the worst?

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

Media portrayal of outdated and insulting images of east London, despite our hosting London’s International Convention Centre (Excel), the world’s most popular music venue (O2), Europe’s only citycentre international airport (LCY), the world’s fastest-growing business

Prejudice. Not just racial, although that has been there. I mean prejudice against change, against improvement, against equality. Most people prefer an unlevel playing field, if it gives them

district (Canary Wharf), Europe’s largest retail development (Stratford City) and the biggest sporting event on the planet (the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games). 8) What are your long term goals? My long term goal is to see London’s east side emerge as an exemplar of economic growth, environmental sustainability, social improvement and technological advance. My short term goal is to get others to see that vision, too. 9) If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change? I would scrap annual “output” targets, and focus on the outcomes we want to achieve. East London’s economy has only just begun to get the attention it deserves, and it will take five years of sustained effort to embed broad-based growth. Some things just take time. 10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figures would you like to spend your time with and why? Alexander Selkirk (the real Robinson Crusoe). Anyone else would be as clueless as me about desert islands.

Mother’s Day: celebrating a Mother’s love The story of Mothers Day is a long one. It is neither a recent phenomenon as many people believe it to be. Nor it is the creation of card and gift marketers syndicate as assumed by cynics of Mothers Day festival. To the surprise of lot many people Mothers Day celebrations are first said to have taken place in the time of ancient Greeks and Romans hundreds of years ago. Even Mothers Day celebrations in UK began much before the tradition saw the light of the day in US. In US the efforts of Ms Julia Ward Howe and Ms Anna Jarvis are greatly recognised for starting the tradition of Mothers Day but several other women too made remarkable contribution to further the cause of Mothers Day holiday. Today Mothers Day is celebrated in more than 46 countries around the world though at different times in the month of May and in some countries it is celebrated in entirely different times of the year. Today, Mothers Day has come to be internationally recognized as the

day to honor all mothers and thank them for the services they impart for the benefit of their individual child and consequently to the development of mankind.

Celebrations in ancient Greece and Rome

Greek Goddess Rhea

The tradition of Mothers Day started with the ancient Greeks who celebrated their annual spring festival in honor of Rhea, the mother of many Gods and Goddesses in the Greek mythology. Ancient Romans too celebrated a spring festival by the name of Hilaria in honor of Cybele, a mother goddess, some 250 years before Christ was born.

Genesis of the Festival in US The story of Mothers Day in US began with the efforts of a dynamic writer and poetess, Julia Ward Howe in 1872. An activist to the core Julia utilized her potentials to further the cause of Mothers Day. She wrote a powerful Mothers Day Proclamation in Boston in 1870 and demanded declaration of official holiday and celebrations on

Mothers Day. Her idea gained popularity but she could not get the idea implemented. Julia is also credited for penning words for Civil War song, "Battle Hymn of the Republic".

Struggle of Anna Jarvis A loving daughter from West Virginia, Anna Jarvis is recognised as a 'Founder of Mothers Day' and 'Mother of Mothers Day'.

Anna kept the word of her activist mother, Mrs Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis who once expressed a wish that someone should strive to provide mothers their due recognition. After her mothers death in 1905, Anna's determination became strong and she along with several supporters started lobbying for the official holiday on Mothers Day by writing letters to the people in power. To celebrate Mothers Day, Anna began to send her mothers favorite flowers, carnations in her local church requesting people to wear them in honor of their mothers. The idea gained immense popularity over the years and in 1910, West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mothers Day holiday. On May 8, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

Celebrations in UK In UK, Mothers Day celebrations started by the name of Mothering

Sunday, several years before the tradition found its roots in UK. Mothering Sunday came to be celebrated following the practice in UK of 17th century wherein children of poor families were send to work as apprentice and domestic servants with the rich. These children were allowed to visit their 'Mother Church' or the Cathedral of their home town annually in the middle of the fasting month of Lent. Children met their mothers after visiting the church and presented them with flowers and special 'Mothering Cakes'. The custom received a set back with the advent of Industrial Revolution when the lifestyles changes. American soldiers contributed in the revival of the tradition after the World War II. So as Mother’s Day in the UK will be celebrated on Sunday 14th March lets show our beloved Mothers just how important they are to us all and how much we love them for always being there for us.


Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

COMMENT

Gendercide: Shame that disfigures societies The Economist is to be congratulated for its exposure of a dark and shaming practice it labels “Gendercide,” a more graphic term for female infanticide. It sets a context to the tragedy. “Imagine you are one half of a young couple expecting your first child in a fast-growing, poor country. You are part of the new middle class; your income is rising; you want a small family. But traditional mores hold sway around you, most important in the preference for sons over daughters. Perhaps hard physical labour is still needed for the family to make a living....Perhaps a daughter is deemed to join another family on marriage and you want someone to care for you when you are old. Perhaps she needs a dowry.” Then, say, an ultrasound scan reveals that your unborn child is a girl. You would prefer a boy, the rest of your family clamours for a male. In the rural heartland there are fewer compunctions about killing an infant girl, but the urban middle class aspirant will recoil at such methods, preferring instead an abortion as a way out of the dilemma. And so millions of daughters are aborted in China and northern India, where today more than 150 males are being born for every 100 females. This unbalanced ratio brings with it a harvest of debilitating social problems. Yet the problem is one that is not confined to the poorer sections of society. Taiwan and Singapore, both with successful rich economies, are bedevilled by this scourge. The Economist

remarks: “Gendercide exists in every continent. It affects rich and poor; educated and illiterate; Hindu, Muslim, Confucian and Christian alike.” So what do we do? There is clearly no quick fix to a primordial instinct that transcends the centuries. Progress to eradicate this scourge will be slow, but there must be no let-up in the endeavour to consign it to the dustbin of the past. A good start would be to place a higher value on women and their place in society. It will be a long haul, but an enduring solution will surely lie in a wider education net, improved facilities in schools and colleges, greater opportunities in the marketplace for women and their deeper empowerment, with larger numbers of women taking their rightful place in parliament and the judiciary and all other branches of the administration. How has India done in this field? Pretty well considering the low base from which it began its journey as a sovereign polity. Indian women are well represented in all walks of life in their country. The change since August 1947 on the whole has been little short of staggering; however, dowry deaths and female infanticide (more prevalent in the north than elsewhere) are an indication of much much further India has to go before she achieves a just gender balance. Only the first steps have been taken a in a long and arduous march. Meanwhile, it is India's loss that its vast pool of female talent still remains to be fully tapped.

Asian presence in the general election As the general election looms ever larger, so too will the mainstream political parties intensify their efforts to get their message across to a diverse electorate. Therefore, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar in association with the National Congress of Gujarat organisations (UK) will hold their own 'Question Time' with the Labour, Conservative and LibDem parties. This interaction will surely deepen the awareness of the workings of British democracy for many Asians who presence in previous elections has been at best marginal. Questioning the representatives of parties that seek power is a worthwhile experience. It gives the voiceless a measure of self-confidence, a willingness to speak out in public on issues dear to them. They may well be speaking for a silent majority (or minority) who are equally sensitive to the issues without being able to air their views for lack of opportunity.

Hearing others speak, reading the script of all shades of political opinion helps crystallize one's own. This is all part of the national debate which keeps democracy and democratic values in rude health. The question-and-answer exercise that we will be hoping for brings a multitude of issues to the fore. The collapse of the banking sector and the downturn in the British economy, the high rate of unemployment, health care, education, youth culture, crime, and much else should make for a lively evening. We may agree or disagree without any loss of mutual respect. It will be an example of how a civilised society conducts itself. The experience hopefully may encourage more young Asians to participate in public life. We can all make a contribution to a better and more prosperous Britain, a country to whom newcomers especially owe a great deal. Now is the time to start repaying the debt.

Clean energy improves public health A few years ago the Delhi administration bit the bullet and banned buses and scooter rickshaws from using polluting diesel oil. They were forced to opt for LMGs. All hell broke loose. Strikes and agitation threatened public order, but with the authorities holding firm the storm duly passed. More recently the scenario was repeated in Communist-ruled Kolkata. Demagogues in West Bengal and its capital city are two-a-paisa so the uproar was even greater. Here, however, the heroes were public-spirited citizens, the muscle and bone of a civil society, and the judiciary to whom they appealed for justice. High Court rulings, accepting the primacy of public health, insisted that the state government force the city's scooter rickshaws and buses to move from polluting petrol; to safer LMGs. The changeover was duly completed and the air in both Delhi and Kolkata no longer burns the eyes and irritates the lungs. Two pieces of enlightened legislation have, by common consent, done much to improve the quality of life. Across the globe earthquake stricken Haiti would do well to look to solar power, argues Washington-based Jigar Shah, the chief executive of the Carbon War Room, who has great experience in the field. There are enough hours of sunshine for Mr Shah's proposal to work. Returning to India, what has happened is that these victories have awoken the public at large to

the imperatives of heath and safety in the country. Alternate sources of energy such as solar and wind power are now making headway. Suzlon, a Gujarat-based company owned by Tulsi Tanti, is making waves internationally with solar power and its technological underpinnings. Apart from months of monsoon rain India sizzles in heat and sunshine for the rest of the year. It is tailor-made for solar power and the industry is thus taking off. Much the same is happening in Germany, Spain and the US and elsewhere, resulting in industrial and technological bonding across continents. Tata is experimenting with an electric car run on batteries, while in India's rural hinterland visionary entrepreneurs are busy persuading poorer households to jettison their kerosene lamps and toxic fumes for solar-power lamps that can also be for used charging mobile phones and FM radios. 'Egg Lamp,' as it is called by its Bangalorebased maker Kotak Urja Pvt Ltd, is catching on in the state of Karnataka. Kotak Urja's CEO Srinivas Kumar says: “It is portable and lightweight and has NIMH batteries for multiple recharge and weighs 2.2 kilogrammes only. Brightness is as good as that of a 25w bulb. Batteries are designed to last 3-4 years. These lamps will also go down well with campers in Europe and the US. Ir promises to be a winner.

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Thought for the Week Discovery consists of seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1893-1986)

Steve Pound, MP Ealing North (Labour)

A kaleidoscope of colours at SKLPC I usually enter the Shree Kutch Leva Patel centre in Northolt with a spring in my step and a light heart as I cross the border from Ealing North to Kutch. On the rare occasion I feel the need to leave my European inhibitions at the entrance and to plunge into the other world that has been magically created in North West London. One such occasion is the glorious Festival of Colours – Holi – and last week saw me clad in trepidation and a set of overalls in anticipation of that wondrous celebration that is Holi. As with so many Hindu festivals Holi celebrates the triumph of good over evil but – as ever – this is only a small part of the wonder. In Ahmedebad the festival is seen as its most exciting and there I’ve seen clay pots of buttermilk hung high in the trees while young men dressed as cowherds strive to reach them and gopis do their best to frustrate this ambition.Coloured water and vegetable dyes are hurled at the young men and, apparently, the lad who reaches the buttermilk pot is crowned Holi King for the year. Now I’m not sure the Holi King of the SKLPC was this year but the contenders are known to all. Arjan Vekaria and Haribai Halal were early favourites as they hurled themselves into the billowing clouds of vermillion, chrome yellow, pavonated periwinkle blue and viridian. I have to say that Arjanbai seemed toi me to be doing more hurling than receiving but it was hard to tell as the clouds swirled about us. The usually trim and smartly suited figure of Barry Gardiner emerged through the airborne palette and he had wisely eschewed his usual three piece suit or well cut Nehru jacket in favour of a pair of blue jeans – admittedly cut in Savile Row – and he too became intoxicated by the spirit of the prankster Lord

Krishna and hurled the dyestuffs about with a liberalism that astonished all. An unfamiliar figure then materialised through a gap in the colours. Green hair, yellow eyebrows, magenta cheeks and a coat of so many colours that the original shade could not be discerned – yes, it was Tony McNulty fresh from a week in Gujarat and the most enthusiastic hurler of Holi paints and powders outside Ahmedebad. The Mayor of Ealing, Cllr.Barbara Yerolomeu stood wisely aside from the frenzy and her immaculate civic suitings were thus unsullied – but she missed out on the fun! The Labour candidate for Finchley and Golders Green, Alison Moore, had no such qualms and soon she was indistinguishable from the delighted crowd as she entered into the spirit of the occasion with such enthusiasm that she almost entered the bonfire as well! My colleague Niraj Dattani was trying to take a few photographs but the lens soon surrendered to the projectile powders and the pictures will be interesting – if a little impressionistic – should they ever emerge. I leave it to me readers to imagine the scene when I returned home that evening, and the upholstery of my car may never recover, but I took away with me a portfolio of glorious memories and yet another example of how a festival can also have a profoundly serious religious significance. As the children whirled and danced they did so in the knowledge that this was not just about a full moon or the spring harvest but a tribute to the spiritual forces that shape and inspire us. Another lesson learned by me and another page in that awesome encyclopaedia of Hinduism learned and turned. I never did decide who the Holi King was but Krishna was – and is – surely the Holi Lord.

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YOUR VOICE

4

Council's efficiency has protected services When I was first elected in Sudbury, and Ann John was Leader of Brent Council, Labour Councillors used to spend £20,000 a year attending Budget awaydays at a posh hotel in Buckinghamshire, enjoying expensive food and wine at Brent residents’ expense. This Labour waste of money was stopped by the Liberal Democrats as soon as Labour were thrown out of office in 2006. Since 2006, Liberal Democrats have saved £80,000 that Labour would have continued to waste on this extravagant perk, and invested it into local services. The Council has also used expertise from outside to help to modernise and improve services. For example, the meals on wheels service now costs £200,000 a year less than it did under Labour and offers more choices to our elderly and disabled residents. We also used transport experts to help redesign the Council’s transport services, and are on course to save £1 million a year from the previous £6 million budget. Meanwhile, the satisfaction of users of the service has notably improved. All these savings were opposed by Labour, whose only solution is to tax local people more. Meanwhile, by achieving improvements in services and more efficiency, the Liberal Democrats have been able to invest in other services (such as more Police Community Safety Officers), and help local people by freezing the Council Tax. The choice for local people is clear – better services and value for money under the Liberal Democrats, or waste and incompetence under Labour. Cllr Chandubhai Patel Sudbury Liberal Democrat Councillor

Can of Worms As the date for General election draws closer, more and more shenanigans of the people in position of power are coming to light. The can of worm has been split open- first the sorry saga of the MPs and their expenses and now the lords and their tax avoidance through the non-dom status – a tale of two cities indeed. At the expense of the little man who foots the bill by paying his taxes honestly, the greedy people are filling their own coffers. While the “ordinary” person has to suffer pay cuts or pay freezes in these hard times, they vote on their own pay increases, recently awarding themselves an inflation busting £1,000 pay rise. The situation is becoming so intolerable that even the worm will turn. Who should we vote for in the next election? Certainly not who have been caught red handed. Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

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Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

World Cup 2010 in South Africa

Direct flight to Ahmedabad from London

African population grew from 200 million in 1960 to 600 million in 2000. African footballers playing in professional European football teams increased from fewer than a hundred to over 1,000 by year 2000. Why none from the Indian sub-continent with 1.8 billion population? My father had taken me to see the great footballer Ferenc Puskás’ Hungarian team play a match in Sudan in the mid fifties. Puskás’ life size photograph today sits in Real Madrid Stadium in Barcelona describing him as “Footballer of the Century”. 3 billion and people round the world will watch together for 90 minutes World Cup Final. There is no other single human activity that brings so many people together. British Asians can help set up hundreds of youth football clubs in the Indian sub-continent perhaps with the help of organisations such as MYSA (Mathare Youth Sports Association) founded in 1987 in Kenya, Africa’s largest youth organisation, running around 100 leagues for 1000 teams, including 200 girls’ teams.

I think the campaign to start direct flight to Ahmedabad from London by ‘Asian Voice’ may not succeed. Air India is financially bankrupt with a debt of more than 600 cores rupees. Last year Air India suspended its operation due to lack of cash flow and it has cut the staff by 25 percent and salaries of the employees were cut. The employees were not paid in time and the morale of the workers is very low. Under the UPA government Air India is mismanaged and it is used only by the government employees, politicians and Ministers who make frequent visits to London. I have not travelled by Air India for more than 30 years since it provided poor quality service. It is not a question of ignoring Gujarat or Gujaratis and the cocoordinator should come with facts and figures whether the direct flight is sustainable without getting any subsidy from Indian Taxpayers’. Chandigarh, Cochin and Chennai enjoy direct flights, since the flights are provided by private and foreign airlines. For example, Air Srilanka, Singapore and Malaysian Airlines provide very good service to Chennai.

Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

Gujarat personifies progress

Arun Vaidyanathan Via Email

Do as the Romans do

Recently Gujarat held fifty direct action Melas throughout the State with the aim of helping those who are have the skill and are willing to work hard but lacked the tools. The generosity of well establish businesses as well as individual, private as well as corporate who contributed Rs. 1500 crores was overwhelming and heart rendering. This generosity enabled the Melas to distribute sewing machines, auto rickshaws, cycle repair kits, musical instruments, gas cookers, a few among many items distributed to the poor Gujaratis who are eager to come out of poverty trap and climb the economic, financial ladder to help Gujarat attain the industrial height and compete with progressive and prosperous nations like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, the work-horse of South East Asia. The aid came to Rs. 6000 per average beneficiary that will raise the living standard of some one crores Gujaratis, that is one in six people, indeed a staggering project that may change the industrial base of Gujarat. Besides financial assistance, the deserving and the needy budding entrepreneurs were given plots and space to set up an industrial base on a cooperative type enterprise. One can not help but wonder where India would be today if every state has a Chief Minister like Modi who personifies peace, progress, education and employment.

Mr Pira (AV 27th Feb, pg 4) should know that we are in 21st century. France or any western countries have their reasons to despise the Burkha system. Burkha is appreciated in India, pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Arab countries but Europe would rather reiterate the proverb, “Do as the Romans do”! Muslim philosophy is not meant for all. We have to respect and regard the feelings of other communities, if we want to be peaceful. Ramesh V Moradabadi Southall

I would just like to take some time out and say your team is doing a great job within the Asian Voice newspaper and it is very much useful for my children to read as it is in English, that they way they can keep up with the latest on going around the world. I very much like the article regarding Future Generation, Festive mood and also BollyCats. Keep it up guys! Pandit Kaushik Joshi Ram Mandir Peterborough

An avalanche of catastrophe Dinesh Sheth is rightly concerned about catastrophes and remedy for them. All religions acknowledge inevitable and indispensable interaction of positive and negative forces. Disasters, are nature’s remedies to maintain harmony among its elements and forces, with pragmatic realignment of spatial life in the process. Nature and God are not ruthless but pragmatic even in catastrophe. Nature ensures survival of species involved by encrypting safety code in their genes to survive similar conditions in next catastrophe. Animals have innate psychosomatic faculties to sense danger. Humans, having lost many survival faculties, perish in catastrophe-vide the law, only the strong must survive; weaklings perish. Nature has remedies to combat ravages. It has experienced many warming and cooling, restoring balance by measures lasting millions of years, which means few seconds in nature’s clock. Nature vented heat caused by magma at its core via volcanoes, and spread rowan in the sky against solar heat, suffered ice ages, tsunamis, earthquakes, forest fires etc as remedy. Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Are you the JOURNALIST we are looking for? Asian Voice, UK’s prestigious newsweekly for British Asians with a stable of several highly acclaimed theme based magazines covering healthcare, pharmacy, accountancy and finance, is looking for an enthusiastic journalist to join its editorial team. The successful candidate mast have excellent communication skills, good spoken and written English and at least one year’s reporting and writing experience along with the ability to work to tight deadlines. Besides English, the candidate must know how to speak, read and write in atleast two Indian Vernacular languages. You will be offered the opportunity to cover a range of interesting topics and events and you will bring all your skills to bear in a professional and friendly environment. Closing Date: 29th March 2010

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

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

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(Off Coronet Street)

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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Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY- EXCLUSIVE

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Successful seminar enlightens about social crimes against women By Rupanjana Dutta Diversity has its best manifestation in Britain's culture. Over the years, multiculturalism has blossomed enabling people to have their freedom of existence and identity. However the other side of this coin is an ugly truth that surfaces into reality, even after almost 91 years of Women's Liberation Movement in Britain. Forced Marriage, Domestic Violence, Honour Killing are still existing in a society that has fought inequality for decades. To celebrate the 8th International Women's Day, AP Law, Garden Courts Chamber and Oxfam GB presented a seminar on the 'Women's Day about Honouring the Victims of Forced Marriage and Honour Killings: Moving from Awareness to Action'. It was aimed to provide a wide range of information and debates from practitioners working in the different areas of forced marriage and honour based violence. The event had distinguished panel of experts including Suzelle Dickson, DS Sharon Stratton, Hully Wolderufael, Vicky Marsh, Diana Nammi, Hannana Siddiqui. The discussion was opened with a keynote speech by Baroness Uddin and chaired by Birinder Kang of Garden Court Chambers. Baroness Uddin said that it was 10 years following a huge amount of work by the Southall Black Sisters and Jack Straw, government took the issue of forced marriage under its wing..But we still do not have enough funding. Lot of people who face forced marriage cannot come back to the UK from their port of captivation, since they don't have money. She added that we cannot talk about forced marriage without referring to the contribution of Jasvinder Sanghera and paying a tribute to her. It is true unless we empower children and vulnerable communities against forced marriage and domestic violence, 80% of which is economically inactive, we can bring about no difference at all... Suzelle Dickson, Joint Head from the Forced Migration Unit, from Foreign and Commonwealth office explained the nook and details about the statutory guidance and the practice guidance to safeguard someone in frontline. (For more details check www.fco.gov.uk/forcedmarriage). Hannana Sidiqqui, from Southall Black Sisters gave a very different angle to the whole problem of Forced Marriage. She acknowledged the barriers faced from within the conservative community. But she also appreciated the changes brought about by the change of government in 1997. But she raised her concern about matured multiculturalism. She explained how 9/11 brought the minority commu-

nity in focus, tightening immigration, ultimately bringing forth disparity of law. Though Hannana accepted that race protectionism has come into force, but she repeatedly raised her concern regarding absence of matured multiculturalism in Britain, which compelled a victim to adopt British values to protect themselves against the perpetrators.

At the end of the seminar the following changes were suggested to bring justice to the vic-

tims. A few of such changes are: abolishing the Sharia Court, public fund to help victims seek-

ing asylum, asylum help, repatriation of forced marriage victims, Foreign and Commonwealth office to unconditionally fund cost of repatriation to help victims. It was a successful event, though personally speaking I would have liked if someone focussed on the role of media in enlightening about the torture on women and children through forced marriage,

honour killing or domestic violence. Bollywood has glorified forced marriage in films like 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', 'Namaste London', to name a few. Hopefully the wide network of connection that has been established through this wonderful event would lead to many such seminars, helping the victims and the general audience including media to learn more and bring about some prevention, that could definitely prove to be better than cure!

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Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

Harshad Patel selected as Tory Prospective Parliamentary candidate Harshadbhai Patel last week was selected as the Conservative Party’s Prospective Parliamentary candidate by an overwhelming majority at a packed meeting. Harshadbhai has lived in Wembley for more than 27 years. He is married with three daughters, all educated locally and have all gone on to professional careers. He has been a Brent Councillor since 1996, and served as a very popular Mayor for the borough in 2007/8, when he managed to raise a large donation for St Luke’s Hospice and made 570 visits to organisations across the borough in a very busy year. He also became the deputy leader of the Conservative Group on Brent Council. Harshadbhai has

received many awards for his community work in the UK and India. He is a qualified barrister, but in recent years has worked as a financial advisor. He was instrumental in raising the funds for the Shree Sattavis Gam Patidar Cetre in the constituency which has become an architectural landmark and a focus for the community. He works tirelessly for many other local organizations in Brent.

Bhavan celebrates India’s Republic Day

L to R: Asif Ibrahim, Minister Co-ordination Indian High Commission, Lord Bagri, Lord Dholakia, Alex Karmel, Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham, His Excellency Sri Nalin Surie, Maneck Dalal OBE, Hon. Mota Singh QC

One of the biggest days in the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan calendar is the celebration of India’s Republic Day. This year was even more significant in that it is sixty years since the establishment of the Indian constitution. Chief Guest on the day was the High Commissioner of India, His Excellency Mr Nalin Surie as well as other distinguished guests including Lord and Lady Dholakia, Lord and Lady Bagri, Sir Peter Wakefield and the Mayor of Hammersmith and

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Fulham, Mr Alex Karmel. The audience also included many distinguished guests from the diplomatic corps as well as from the fields of business and the arts. In his speech of welcome, the Bhavan’s Chairman, Mr Maneck Dalal OBE, said that he was very proud of India which had risen to be such a great economic power and paid tribute to the help the Bhavan had received from major sponsors including the Arts Council of England. His Excellency, Mr Nalin Surie, spoke of the successful and sound economy which India had now become despite the recent global recession which had made people adopt new mindsets. India’s success was partly due to its grasp of democracy and also the religious tolerance of its people. In the coming year, there would be a series of cultural events to mark the 60th anniversary of the constitution. His Excellency concluded by thanking the Bhavan for its untiring efforts in the field of Indian art and culture.

Kapil’s

KHICHADI

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com NCGO fights for Gujarati Rights The National Congress of Gujarati Organisations unanimously agreed in setting up a task force to fight for the rights of Gujarati’s to have the option to fly directly to Ahmedabad. Smt Rupanjana Dutta and Shri Kamal Rao (of AS/GS) will spearhead the campaign in the UK whilst Shri Yogendraji Makwana (Ex-Union Minister for India and Senior Congress Party Leader) will be our champion on the ground in Gujarat and India. So the team is ready, willing and able – all it needs is you the public to give them your full support.

Air India Breaks NRI/PIO Covenant Every country has an unwritten covenant with its people that originate from its land. One part of the covenant is to ensure that the needs of its own people remain at the top of the agenda, and that the country does everything necessary to ensure it fulfils its obligations. It is a two way process and similarly people that have emigrated from their country of origin must also oblige by using their skills, knowledge and understanding to support the country of their fore fathers. I believe the NRI/PIO community has more than met their obligation to India and the people of India. However, it is a shame that a country like India that wants to be known as the super giant, cannot even look after the needs of its very own. I hope Air India, its managements and the Government ministers linked to aviation consider their positions. It is a well known fact that a good proportion of travellers to India are in fact of Gujarati origin. The greater proportion also tend to visit some part of Gujarat when they visit India, yet there are no direct flights from the UK to Gujarat. Air India cancelled flights from London to Ahmedabad. This unilateral action was without any consultation or giving any valid rea-

sons substantiated by evidence, to prove that their decision was rational and correct. The result of their decision has meant countless thousands of our elders, young mothers with children, and those with disabilities who have had to endure and suffer the harassment of travelling through Mumbai. How can it be right or proper that you fly over Ahmedabad and land in Mumbai, only then to catch another plane to fly back to Gujarat? Surely this is absurd on so many fronts. It is more expensive, it wastes a huge amount of fuel, it adds to green house gases unnecessarily and ultimately, it adds to the misery that the fee paying traveller has to put up with. The question is why? So far, Air India has failed to provide any evidence that supports their case in cancelling these direct flights. The Direct Flights to Gujarat (DFG) Task Force has written to: Shri Praful Patel (Civil Aviation Minister), Shri Narendra Modi (CM of Gujarat), Mr Arvind Jadhav (Chairman and Managing Director, Air India) and Mr. Sam Pitroda (Chairman, National Knowledge Commission). The aim being to make sure that every entity and organisation that is remotely connected with aviation and Air India has the opportunity to give their side of the story. Let us see how they react – AV/GS will publicise these interactions, and if that means naming and shaming, then my friends that is exactly what we will do.

Calling on YOUR Support In any such campaign it is necessary that you the public, the people most affected by AI’s decision to cancel the direct flights, make a stand. In this publication you will find the full details of a petition that has been launched to garner support and to show those who make such decisions, that the public voice needs to be heard now. Please gather as many signatures as possible

from the people you know and send (or fax) the form back to the address given. In addition to this, the task force has emailed many leading umbrella bodies, regional organisations, Temples and community centres of all faiths to harness the support of their membership. We want every organisation to complete as many petition forms as possible and to ensure that they are sent back to the address provided as soon as possible. Early feedback from the community and organisations is very encouraging. The campaign has galvanised the masses who have been contacting the Task Force with their messages of support. We thank each and everyone one of you for this tremendous response.

Message for AI The message for AI is rather simple – please restart the direct flights between London and Gujarat urgently. The demand is tremendous, and this would increase substantially if the quality of services that you provide, and the efficiency and effectiveness of the International airport in Ahmedabad is improved (Why is it that Hyderabad can boast the best airport in India prize whilst Gujarat lives in the 20th Century?). A national airline that cannot make such a service viable must question itself, its administration and the quality of its own senior management.

Message for Praful Patel Shri Prafulbhai Patel being the Civil Aviation Minister surely should understand that the integrity and reputation of India is at stake. How can India claim on one hand that it is and will become one of the major commercial and industrial giants of the 21st Century, when it is unable to even ensure that a powerful state such as Gujarat has access to regular direct flights with international airports around the world? So I say to Prafulbhai, there must come a time when

Bhavan's Bharatanatyam dancers at the Republic Day celebration

In his vote of thanks, The Hon. Sir Mota Singh

QC, a member of the Bhavan’s Executive

Committee, drew attention to the fact that only a

enough is enough. Constant rhetoric and a string of platitudes may fool the masses – but here in the UK we know the facts, and they don’t look good for his Government.

Message for other airlines I ask Shri Vijay Mallya of Kingfisher – you have shown tremendous courage in taking on the western world and beating them at their own game. You are from South India – how about taking this opportunity and making a massive point to the northerners, it will go down in history for evermore? I say to Shri Naresh Goyal, the Chairman of Jet Airways – you were one of the first commercial airlines in India to give quality, and value for money to the masses. Surely you cannot let this opportunity pass you by! Can you imagine what it would mean if airlines such as Virgin or British Airways suddenly took this seriously and stole a march on all our domestic airlines? An initial service of say twice a week would work tremendously and get the ball rolling. The public are ready to side with any airline that has the courage to take this issue on and provide a high quality service. In the absence of India’s national carrier, the first commercial entity that grabs this opportunity will surely clean up quickly.

Message for you, the Public Time to stand up and be counted. Don’t just complain, it is now time for each and every one of you to sign up to the petition, to go out and get as many signatures as possible, to ensure that you shout loud and make yourself heard all the way to Delhi. It is now time that we become a people united in our determination to ask for our rights. If you have any information or wish to share your experience with Air India you can write to: Rupanjana Dutta: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.co m or Kamal Rao: kamal.rao@abplgroup.com few years ago, India was regarded as a third world country. Now it was well on the way to being a super power. Political and religious pluralism had led to social cohesion. Sir Mota Singh ended by thanking the High Commissioner and other distinguished guests for attending. The evening concluded with a short cultural programme including patriotic songs and dance.


UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

Phil Woolas: ‘Managed immigration’ facilitates an equal society EXCLUSIVE By Rupanjana Dutta Off late there have been some speculations about the comments by Phil Woolas, Minister responsible for protecting Britain's border, on immigrants. Daily Mail and Sunday Mail have quoted him on 25th February and 7th March 2010 respectively where the Minister has allegedly admitted that his children have suffered for immigrants including his own son's education. However, when Asian Voice interviewed the Minister last week, he appeared pretty supportive of the legal migrants and extremely frank on the current UKBA policies. He said, “I think having a proper managed migrant system that people have confidence in, is fair to the tax payers and the strongest support I get for our policies are from legal migrants. Legal migrants are the ones who mostly resent the illegal migrants. If we can't show that we have a properly managed migration system, then we cannot long last the debates on immigration separately from the issues of race and ethnicity and in this country we haven't been able to do that. That's partly because people haven't had confidence in the immigration system, but if you have a properly managed immigration system, then you have a more equal society.” Raising issues on bogus colleges the Minister said, “If a college has been suspended than it can put its house in order. It can have its license reinstated. But if the college has been revoked then it would not and then the students will have to find some other place to study. The reason to introduce the tier scheme is not to just control immigration but it is to protect the genuine students who have given the full money to colleges, yet have fallen victim to the bogus colleges So we have closed down actually 2000 organisations that provided overseas students courses, since the introduction of tier 4. A part of the reason for doing that is to protect them from being exploited. But if the students have paid the money and the colleges are revoked, then they are victim and they have to take legal actions.” While Mr Woolas continued to speak to Asian Voice on pressing issues like new bogus colleges, student working hours, increasing visa fees, Tory immigration policies; it was indeed moving to see his concern for Sahil Saheed from Oldham, Manchester (the Minister's constituency) kidnapped from Pakistan against a ransom claim of £100,000. As he carried on with the following Q and A session, his eyes glistened with sympathy for a child, his family and a helpless mother, originally immigrants, now residents of the UK.

AV: There are so many people who leave the port and there is no immigration check. So how do you keep a tab on how many people overstayed? Phil: When you book your ticket, the airlines tells us that you are intending to travel. When you go through the airport and show the documents, then we record that and we Phil Woolas reading about the Asian Voice check that against your Political and Public Life Awards in AV visa. So if you haven't left the country by the end of AV: If a college is suspendyour visa then it tells us that the ed, they tend to go and open person is an overstayer. We do another bogus college. When that with British nationals as that's suspended, they open a well. So that we know who are third one. How can the governactually in the classes. The ment give permission to open Electronic border system which them? counts people in and counts people out is doing that and the We would not knowingly do main purpose of it is to make that. We would not grant a visa control actually meaninglicense. ful. In the past we have issued a visa and there was no record AV: What about the stuwhen you left the country. But dents working hours? Phil: The hours for students to work have been reduced to 10hrs from 20 hours from 3rd March for below degree levels, since we believe that it is at the below degree level where the attempt to abuses take place. AV: Who is the checking authority to find out if the students are working more than they should?

in a few years time they will be so. Then there is NI and sponsor check. But if they still abscond as overstayer, we will find them. People do report overstayer sall the time not just because they are overstayers, but probably because there is some crime etc, so there is a UKBA helpline they can contact or they can call crime stopper. AV: Why are the visa fees going up? Phil: Well, not all visa fees have gone up. We are trying to improve our service. It is recognised from decades that the immigration service is not funded adequately. Our policy is that we should recoup around one third of the cost of the visa fees, but the tax payers subsidises it to two third. We have improved. The turnaround time is much less than what it used to be and most of the prices are subsidised. So we looked at the the visas that are internationally competitive and the value of pound compared to other foreign currencies has gone down. So in real terms, if you look at the currency you paying in, and if you look at it now, it may not be that big an amount.

AV: If at all Tory government comes on to power, Rupanjana while interviewing the Minister so how would you justify that Labour the electronic border system government has done much betPhil: Well the obligation is which has been going on for ter for immigration? upon the employer. Obviously past 4 years now works well, now we have the national idenPhil: Tories don't have a polthough is not comprehensive tity card, the enforcement lies in icy as a meaningful application. yet, and we don't tell people the hand of UKBA. They are saying to the British where it is working and where people that they will cut imminot, for obvious reasons. AV: Is there anybody doing gration but they have no poliHowever it will be comprehena double check if the organisacies to do that, over that the sive from summer next year. tions that appoint immigrants That will be a big change. In ones we already have in place. It are actually complying with the addition to that, your visa is is not true that the Labour have law? your biometrics. an open door policy at all, but in The people who come in and 1997 and 2001 we were heavily Phil: We have found 3800 don't leave, on the point based criticised for introducing immipeople who have appointed system, the sponsor will be held gration controls. Having said about illegal immigrants and accountable for it. Example the that the number of people who 9300 arrests in 2008. employers could be fined even migrate in the modern world has gone up in every country. £10,000 and we could even stop AV: There are a lot of people Global migration is growing as them to become sponsors in the who have been caught as illegal the world gets better off, people future like the bogus colleges. immigrants, but they have still work overseas, study overseas, To hold an individual and a escaped and managed to stay meet husbands and wives, we sponsor accountable is a huge on. Why is that? step forward. see more and more people who Most people come and go are migrants and I think we are Phil: No not many, but from the United Kingdom perincreasingly seeing global some. We have deported 64000 fectly happily and legitimately migration. In the Indian last year. Sometimes they get and the United Kingdom beneembassy at Manchester people bail. Sometimes they got police fits from that, whether they are go to obtain their visa on their or tribunal bail. That's law. We students or tourists or visiBritish passport for visiting do not like that. The part where tors.We must not want to exagIndia, they are immigrants to we strongly agree with you is gerate the problem of over stayIndia or are they rather that probably confidence tourists? Indian visa is becomer but we must recognise that requires that if someone is ing tough as well. That's global they exist. As UKBA took in the caught as illegal, they should be migration. overseas visa issues, there has detained or moved. But people What we are trying to do been much more objectivity who are arrested and let go, are here is to introduce a system to including checks on individuals of course the minority, 'cause manage immigration and I don't and funds. Identification they make it to the television. through biometrics and identity see that being authoritarian at Not that the media ever exagcard will help. Not everywhere all. gerates! the passports are biometrics but

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Met Police gets students to Act Now against terrorism Students at South Thames College took on the role of counter-terrorism officers in a community-based police exercise last week. Act Now organised by the Metropolitan Police, encouraged students to think of the implications that terrorism and violent extremism has for the community. This was the first event of its kind to be delivered in Wandsworth. Act Now aims to promote awareness of counter-terrorism policing and identify how we can all work together to prevent terrorism and isolate violent extremism. Two officers delivered the session to students aged between 16 –21 on the Public Services course at the college. Students had to imagine that they live in a fictional town called ‘Sandford’. After watching short film clips, they were given information about people acting suspiciously and had to decide how they would respond to the information. What did the students think of it? Yasin Gouten said “This is a useful task as you understand the role you would be taking on in the police, and what you would be doing. It also helps you to sympathise with the police and understand how they work with the community”.

Vegans and teetotallers now enjoy protection Vegans and teetotallers are to be given the same protection against discrimination as religious groups, under legislation championed by Harriet Harman, the equalities minister. Members of cults and “new religions” such as Scientology, whose supporters include the film stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta, would also be offered protection, as would atheists. A code of practice explaining the legal implications of the equality bill states that religions need not be mainstream or well known for their adherents to gain protection. The legislation also covers “any religious belief or philosophical belief” and even “a lack of belief”. Philosophical beliefs to be protected could include humanism and pacifism, but a spokesman for Harman said scientific or political beliefs such as Marxism and fascism would not be covered. The watchdog also warns that advertisements giving preferential treatment to men or women could be illegal. This could mean the end of “ladies’ nights” at clubs, when women receive cut-price drinks or free entrance but men pay full price. People for whom abstention from alcohol was a way of life would also be protected. Conversely, the bill would make it unlawful for a shopkeeper to refuse to sell cigarettes to a woman because she was pregnant.


8

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

Midland Voice Dee Katwa

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

Council bosses refuse to resign over Khyra’s untimely death In recent days, the case of tragic Khyra Ishaq, the seven-year-old starved to death by her parents in Birmingham three years ago, has once again ignited headlines in the local press. Here, the highlights. Damning new findings from family court proceedings have revealed that a catalogue of errors and missed opportunities contributed to the tragedy, which is now subject of a serious case review. There are calls for Tony Howell and Councillor Les Lawrence, the men in charge of the shambolic Children, Young People and Families department at Birmingham City Council, to resign. But council leader Mike Whitby is shielding them, “I have confidence in them,” he says. Furthermore, instead of coming clean, the department tried to cover up the failings by hiring a spin surgeon, Terry Brownbill, who has sent the council an invoice for £113,000 for 141 days’ work. Mr Brownbill, a former Sun journalist, was asked to draw up a media plan to deal with the criticism of

the department. Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood, himself no stranger to sparking off controversy, has written to Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, urging him to order a full public inquiry. “The way this department has tried to cover these failings up is utterly disgraceful,” he said. He added: “We deserve to hear the full truth and the lessons have to be learned so that no more children have to suffer like Khyra and her siblings did. A serious case review is just not good enough.” Mr Howells, who earns £138,000-a-year, is currently on holiday. He has refused to resign in the wake of the case as has his political crony Tory councillor Lawrence. Ishaq Abuzaire, Khyra’s natural father, is now planning to take legal action to force Mr Howell and his team of bungling staff

Visit your park, new film released This week a new film which addresses the fact that many of the UK's beautiful green places and spaces are not being enjoyed by diverse communities has been launched. In the film, siblings Khadija and Ahmed, originally from Gujarat, now living in Preston, talk about the unique work of Mosaic, a specialist scheme, which trains people “community champions” from diverse backgrounds to educate and inform their local community about the green places on their doorstep. Just one per cent of the 100 million people that visit the parks annually are from an ethnic minority background. To view the film online log on to www.communitychannel.org

Tots raise cash for Haiti victims

Toddlers from diverse backgrounds were given a fla vour of Bollywood as part of a fundraising event in aid of Haiti. The event, organised by Funky Monkeys, a nursery based at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, raised £120 for the earthquake-ravaged Caribbean country. Parents dressed the tots in traditional costumes, enjoyed mouth-watering Indian dishes and fun activities included face painting, nail art and hair styling. The children clapped and sang as dhol players Harj and Rav, pictured, energised all through their mesmerising drumming. A down-to-earth nursery owner, Nicola Corby, said: "The children really enjoyed it. It's great to expose them to new cultures."

On holiday: Tony Howell

Dead: Khyra Ishaq

to stand in the docks. Let’s hope these wriggly social services chiefs, who have tried to hide behind a web of legal excuses, are now brought before a court to answer for their failings. Brief background: Khyra and her siblings were forced to go hungry. They were reduced to stealing food and scavenging in bins at school for apple cores. The list of

Under Fire: Councillor Les Lawrence

abuse, highlighted in the 43-page Family Court Judgement, include: forced to sit in cold water, to take cold showers and drenched with buckets of cold water; left in the garden in their underwear; hit with flip-flops and slippers; forced to wash their own clothes in a bath; all forced to sleep in one bed without bedding.

The future is green Eco-friendly pupils at Bishop Challoner Catholic College in Kings Heath, Birmingham, have been shortlisted for the Future Friendly Community national environmental award. They have been recognised for growing their own food for the school canteen and working with local businesses to build a greenhouse out of recycled plastic bottles. To find out more visit www.futurefriendly.co.uk

Worshipper donates horse to Gurdwara A worshipper from Coventry was so impressed with a tale about Sikhs donating horses to their place of worship in India, he purchased one himself and took it to his local Gurdwara. Stunned worshippers watched as Kulvinder Singh, 30, a pharmacist, arrived with the gift worth £700 at the Guru Hargobind Sahib Gurdwara in Stoke last Sunday. The Hanovarian horse, named Bismaad – meaning beautiful and wondrous – will act as the Gurdwara’s fundraising mascot.

Dave re-visits family Tory leader David Cameron is engaging with diverse communities, more actively than ever before. This can only be a good thing, something one can hope he will sustain regardless of whether or not he gets the keys to Number 10. Last week he visited a Muslim family in Birmingham whom he had stayed a night with three years ago. Mr Cameron, pictured, dropped in to see 40-year-old Abdullah Rehman, his wife Shahida, 36, and their three children, ages 13, 10 and eight. In May 2007, Mr Cameron had stayed overnight at the family’s six-bedroomed house in the culde-sac in Raglan Road, Balsall Heath.

Consultants’ pay under spotlight Hospitals spent more than £5 million asking for advice from consultancy firms in the Black Country last year. New figures show that Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust spent £2,179, 659 in 2008/09 compared with £2,133,952 in the previous year. Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust spent £1,789,853 in 2008/09 and £1,358,079 in the previous year. West Midlands Taxpayers Alliance spokeswoman Fiona McEvoy said: “It’s essential that the NHS attempts to source the skills internally before spending money like this. The public want funds spent on medicine and operations, not on lining the pocket of expensive advisors.”

News in Brief Curse festival Nepal’s 10-day “cursing festival” ended peacefully last weekend. Youths in the neighbouring villages of Parsawa and Laxmipur gathered in parks to exchange insults with their neighbours and passersby. Traditional curses include: “I hope your buffaloes die of diarrhoea.” Raju Raut, 16, explained: “We don’t get to curse at any other time. But during the festival we’re allowed, even in front of our parents, and we all have a jolly good time.”

New role for Heena Congratulations to Heena Patel from Sparkhill, Birmingham, on a successful launch to her career. Heena, 23, is about to embark on a three year training course as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Heena has a first-class masters degree in engineering from St Anne's College, Oxford University.

‘Ganesh’ causes chaos An elephant in Delhi, India, caused £200,000 of damage at a Hindu wedding as he tried to reach an in-heat female. He crushed 20 limos trying to get to the female in a nearby sugar cane field and even mated with a truck, before being shot with tranquilliser darts.

Miss Bollywood UK contest Beauties from all backgrounds are being urged to enter this year’s Miss Bollywood UK. The pageant promises to launch the career of the winner in Bollywood, with the prize including a part in a Blockbuster yet to be named. The event will take place in Birmingham in October. The competition is open to people of all races. To find out more or to enter log on to www.missbollywooduk.co.uk

Sushila seeking carers Sushila Patel, director of Sutton Coldfield-based Care Companions Limited, is looking to employ three carers to help her work with elderly people. Sutton Coldfield has nearly 22,000 people who are 65 or over, more than three times the national average in terms of population density. For more information telephone 0121 355 2232.

Law and diversity A workshop seeking to address the imbalance of diversity in the workforce in Birmingham’s law firms was held in the city last Friday. The event, attended by leading legal and university law faculty representatives, was chaired by photo-philic Mohammad Nazir, pictured, chairman of the West Midlands Minority Ethnic Business Forum.

Newborn dumped outside mosque Detectives in Stoke-on-Trent are continuing to appeal for information about the discovery of a baby boy outside a mosque. The baby was found by a passer-by in a carrier bag, wrapped in a white sheet, outside the Makki Masjid last Saturday morning. A note found in the bag read: “Please bury him’. There were also two £10 notes. Police are unable to confirm the ethnicity of the baby at this stage. Detective Chief Inspector Phil Bladen, who is leading the inquiry, is urging the mother to come forward. “It is likely she is in a distressed state,” he added. Anyone with information should call Staffordshire Police on 0300 123 4455.


UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

Lord Paul to give up Non-Dom Tax Status Labour donor Lord Swaraj Paul this week agreed to give up his "non-domicile" status and become a full UK taxpayer. The Indian-born businessman told the New Statesman he would "fully comply" with changes to the rules which will stop peers in the House of Lords from being "nondom". Lord Paul said: "On the issue of taxation position of peers, of course it goes without saying that I'll be fully complying with the change of law which the Government is bringing forward. I strongly support the Government proposals in relation to the taxation status of peers and MPs and the membership of the House of Lords and the House of Commons." This news comes after Conservative donor and chairman Lord vice Michael Ashcroft admitted that he had remained as a "non-dom" despite agreeing to become a permanent resident of the UK when he accepted his peerage in 2000. David Cameron, who has repeatedly tried to draw a line under the row, insisted on Monday he had made the Tories "less reliant on a few wealthy people". The Conservative leader also said a loan from Lord Ashcroft had

been repaid to ensure the party was not in debt to him. Lord Paul, who said he intended to give up the money-saving status from the next tax year, said his circumstances were very different to Lord Ashcroft's and criticised the Tories for repeatedly drawing him into the row. He said: "I think they have been caught with their pants down and what better than try to reflect on others." Asked about Lord Ashcroft he said: "He was the only one who was asked to pay full taxes. Nobody asked me. I have always been open about my non-domiciled status. There are lots of non-doms in the House of Lords but I don't know of any case where they were asked to pay full tax, apart from Lord Ashcroft. I am not buying MPs, seats or the party. I have no interest in being a minister. I'm too old for it anyway. The Tories seem to be confused. And don't forget I was appointed a peer by John Major, not by the Labour government of Tony Blair or Gordon Brown." Lord Paul, who was made a privy councillor by Mr Brown, also revealed he would not face charges over expenses claims worth £38,000. He stepped down as deputy

Lord Swaraj Paul

Lord Michael Ashcroft

speaker in the Lords after being accused of never sleeping in the property he designated his main home. "I very much welcome the police decision," he said. However, the SubCommittee on Lords' Interests will still investigate his expenses. It is believed that Sarah Brown played a key role in wooing Lord Paul in the months before her husband became Prime Minister. Carole and David Barkes, who were employed as butler and by the housekeeper Indian-born magnate at his 250-acre country estate, have described how Mrs Brown would pay frequent visits, bearing flowers and even taking a dip with her two sons in his pool. Over the same period,

Lord Paul, who is worth an estimated £500million, donated £45,000 to Gordon Brown’s leadership campaign. Three months after she moved into No10, Mrs Brown was given an honorary degree at the University of Wolverhampton, where Lord Paul is chancellor. Mr and Mrs Barkes also recount how Lord Paul boasted about advising Mr Brown against calling a snap Election in November 2007 and recall Mr Brown blasting Tony Blair for delaying stepping down as Prime Minister. They also said that their lives at The Grange, Lord Paul’s country home in Beaconsfield,Buckingham shire, became intolerable after he visited the Browns at Chequers and decided to run his home along similar Upstairs, Downstairs lines.

9

Sadiq Khan urges MPs to forgo pay rise Labour minister Sadiq Khan this week urged fellow MPs to forgo a £1,000 pay rise to help rebuild public trust and called on MPs to follow the example of party leaders and give up pay rises saying that it was "inappropriate" for MPs to accept more money when many people in the country were seeing their pay frozen and losing jobs. He called on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority not to soften its proposals for reforming MPs expenses, despite claims that people with families, and women in particular, would be put off running for Parliament if expenses were less generous. In a letter to his constituents Mr Khan wrote: “Like last year, I won't be accepting this pay rise, or an increase in my ministerial salary. At a time when many people in Tooting and throughout the country are having to accept pay freezes I don't think it's appropriate for MPs to accept a pay rise. As a collective, MPs need to rebuild trust in the political system, and cut the cost of doing politics'. I don't think accepting a pay-rise at this moment in time

would aid these causes at all" Last week, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg all said they would reject the 1.5 per cent salary rise. MPs drew condemnation from unions when they accepted the rise at the same time as Alastair Chancellor Darling announced a one-year pay freeze for senior civil servants, NHS managers and GPs. The Conservatives have said they will go further if they win the next election, freezing the pay of all public sector workers who earn more than £18,000. Mr Khan’s stance will anger MPs. Some have caled for their pay to rise to £100,000 making up for allowance cuts caused by the recent expenses scandal.

Future Generations

by Ranu Mehta-Radhia Founder Member

Sai School Harrow

An Exhibition on the Messiah of Non Violence Whenever Non Violence crops up in conversations or debates, only one man comes to mind, Mahatma Gandhi. The most influential political and spiritual leader the world has produced. For me personally, my deepest regret is that I was born 1 generation late as Bapu was closely linked to our family, especially with my great uncle, Sri Nanji Kalidas Mehta of Porbander. Whenever my father spoke about meeting Bapu in Panchgani, where Bapu resided for 6 months at the family home, I have a deep sense of regret that I was not of the previous generation, having missed the privilege of meeting the Man of the Millennium. What makes me smile is my great uncle’s autobiography which describes how everyone in the Mehta household got busy every morning looking around for goats’ milk whilst Bapu stayed at our fami-

ly home. Gandhi is also significant to Sai School as when our School was launched on 15th April 1995, we had the presence of a Gandhi disciple who had worked alongside the Mahatma and was running the Sabarmati Ashram as our Chief Guest. When Sobhag Haria’s private collection of Gandhi was offered to Sai School, we grabbed the opportunity with both hands as we want our pupils and all communities to have an insight into one of the

most important people who walked the planet. Non Violence is a value instilled in our pupils through Sai Baba’s Human Values Programme, and we are celebrating Non Violence Day at Sai School on Saturday 27th March combined with the exhibition on Gandhi. The exhibition will be open from 10am to 4pm at Stanburn School, Abercorn Rd, Stanmore HA7 2PJ. For the launch at 11am, our pupils will present Gandhi’s favourite songs. A cinema area will be created where a Gandhi film will be running on the hour. All are welcome to see this unique exhibition and celebrate Non Violence Day with us and the event is kindly sponsored by Metropolitan Police Authority and Harrow Police & Community Consultative Group. Log onto www.saischool.com and click on Newsflash for more details.

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10

ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

Spriha’s

Corner

By Spriha Srivastava

Little fighter wins new life Do you have any clue why every year on 11th of March, World Kidney Day is marked internationally? Well, it is a global health awareness campaign focusing on the importance of our kidneys and reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. The real problem as many in the medical world say is the lack of awareness. Sometimes we just don’t know what is harmful for our body. And this is where a day like this helps. It is weird to think why a day would be dedicated especially to kidneys, but believe it or not, they are one of the most important organs of our body. Only those who have gone through a tough time in this regard can understand how important kidneys are to one’s life. And thus here’s the story of Aparajita Adhikari & Raman Subramaniam, a young couple from India currently based in West Sussex, UK who through this column wish to take this opportunity to introduce you to a little fighter and his battle for a new life - Abhinav. Tell us what exactly had happened? We are the proud parents of Abhinav –a little fighter who was born on 21st January, 2008 in Princess Royal Hospital, West Sussex, UK. Soon we realised he was unable to put on weight even after two weeks and started becoming poorly from the 3rd week. Within sometime we knew something was wrong, he had several blood tests, we were questioned if our marriage was within relatives, had any history of diabetes or kidney problem absolutely having no clue why we were asked all these questions. After some time the doctor came and told that they are suspecting some problems with the kidneys. His condition was deteriorating and then he had several seizures, rushed to the ICU, he was put on a ventilator. Abhinav was transferred to the ICU at

Evelina on 19th February 08. What did the doctors say the problem was? Abhinav was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure at 3 weeks and doctors at ICU tried level best if he could have picked up a bit of kidney functioning, but it failed. Whist his stay in ICU,

Aparajita with Abhinav

Abhinav had several fits for which doctors suspected his brain could have been damaged and we were told that he would need a MRI of the brain to check for any damage. I was totally shattered to hear this, without realising much more difficult time is ahead of us. Thankfully he didn’t have a brain damage. As difficult as it sounds, how was it coping with the problem? Initial days Abhinav used to be attached to the machine for hours together until he stabilised. First month following his admission we had very little hopes but our little abhi and the doctors never gave up, so did we. We were in the hospital for 6 months. After about 5 months we were trained by the competent nurses how to do dialysis at home, his PD site dressing, injecting him, his medicines and of course the most horrible bit –putting his NG tube for feeding him. After 6 months stay in hospital, we were finally back home with Abhinav with the dialysis. We were just fortunate to stay home for 2 nights and then back to Beach

ward as he ended up having a nasty infection and his dialysis was not working properly. Tell us about the time it took for Abhinav to get back to normal? Whilst Abhinav was on dialysis, the only aim was to wait till he weighed 10 Kgs, which was needed for the transplant. Abhinav reached the magic 10 Kgs when he was 14 months old. I decided to go ahead with donating my kidney to abhi and tests took about 4 months and finally on 2nd February 10, finally the long awaited day came through, I had my surgery at Guys hospital in the morning and my little Abhinav was at Evelina and had his surgery in the afternoon. It was extremely painful; as I couldn’t see him for three days then I got discharged. I was in terrible pain but the excitement of seeing him made me forget everything. When I finally saw him I felt I saw a different child, he looked so well, glowing and the first thought that came was what I lost from my body is nothing when I saw I could give my child a new life. How do you feel now that you are both well? It is extremely satisfying. I believe a woman is complete after entering the journey of motherhood but I feel I am extremely blessed as I could give my child a life twice. I am extremely grateful to have very supportive parents who have been with us to extend their support to me, my husband and of course abhinav during this crisis period and to all our friends and other family members for their prayers. We are also grateful to Sheila, Helen who has been our mentor whilst our stay in Evelina and Dr. Chris Reid and Laura who have supported us all the time when Abhinav use to visit the dialysis clinic, and all other doctors and beautiful nurses who have looked after abhinav so well.

Let us know what you think. Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com

Let them know what you think Britain is renowned for its unique diversity. Diversity in turn stands for existence of the multifaceted communities, their own peculiarities and cultural heritage. It is but obvious that they also have their own needs and requirements, which are often unknown to our leaders and the government. Pre election time is perhaps the most vulnerable time in a country's political history. The campaigns, the deliveries, the promises, the conversations, the debates- are a significant part of the election fever. As the community newsweeklies, our questions to the present and future leaders and government are primarily two. You have promised us a Britain fairer and equal for all, but does your party, your representatives, your leaders and your ppcs know who we are and what we really need? More importantly, can you represent us and Britain the way we

desire? Therefore, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar in association with National Congress of Gujarati Organisations (UK) are organising a 'Question Time' with the three main political parties viz. Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative on Sunday 28th March 2010 at Kadwa Patidar Centre, 10:30am for 11am. Each party leader or their senior representatives will have 15mins to put forward their party's manifesto for this General Election, to the invited. Following one hour wil be allocated for

the audience participation in the form of questions. NCGO was established in 1985 and it has remained the active voice of British Gujarati Organisations. The British Gujarati community is well known as a peace loving and for its success in education, professions, business and commerce. The 105 affiliated organisations and their leaders perform a very important role to educate, inform and encourage its members to have their rightful role in the British public life especially political sphere at this critical juncture.

You as a member organisation of the NCGO (UK) or a reader of our esteemed newsweeklies, are welcome to send your questions to Ms Anita Ruparelia and Mr CB Patel at anitaruparelia@aol.com and cb.patel@abplgroup.com respectively. Please mention whom you would like to ask the question to, along with yours and your organisation's name. Last date of entryWednesday 24th march 2010 5pm. If you are a member of the affiliated organisation of NCGO (UK) or an office bearer, write to Anitaben Ruparelia for entry passes at the above mentioned email address.

Asian bridal haute couture takes to the catwalk at Canary Wharf The glamour and mystique of Asian haute couture came to London’s Canary Wharf last month as the chicest ever Asian bridal event launched itself on the capital. Shaadi Chic, a stunning bridal fashion catwalk show and dinner event took place in Canary Wharf under the magnificent glass atrium of the East Wintergarden on Saturday 20 February. The night was a celebration of some of the UK’s finest Asian bridal

designers including RCKC, Kyle’s Collection, Amara, SF Collection and Arinder Bhullar.

The event also featured a mehndi catwalk by Pavan, currently the world’s fastest henna artist as certified by the Guinness world of records. Research shows that most Asian weddings in the UK cost over £30,000 – £10,000 more than the average British wedding – and feature 56 separate celebrations with over 350 guests. The Shaadi Chic event is the brainchild of Rahul Katrak, the entrepreneur behind Your Dream Shaadi, the UK’s leading online Asian Wedding Magazine & Directory. Mr Katrak said: “This is the first haute couture event of is kind to take place in Canary Wharf and we’re tremendously excited to be hosting it. We’re delighted with how well the evening went, exceeding our expectations and those of our sponsors and guests. I

truly believe that this event was unsurpassed in glamour and splendour and has set a new benchmark for Asian Fashion Shows Whether people were looking for full-on Bollywood glamour designs or something more demure and IndoWestern, we had a range of designs for all tastes and the dance routines to match!” The Asian wedding market in the UK is a substantial one but fairly unknown outside the Asian community. However, with Shilpa Shetty’s recent glamorous wedding and House of Lords reception, not to mention the much talked about Asian wedding in EastEnders there’s a growing awareness of just how spectacular – and expensive – these marriages can be.


UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

11

Junior Bachchan joins London to celebrate Asian cinema By Rupanjana Dutta ‘A BAFTA Interview’ with Abhishekh launched the Tongues on Fire festival, London's only Asian Film Festival (5 – 14 March 2010), celebrating the very best in Asian cinema - Bollywood and beyond - with films from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and even Afghanistan. The Marketing Partner for this event was Telnet Productions. In a one to one interview during this launch, Abhishek expressed his happiness for his mother, Jaya's achievement. He said “Thank you BAFTA for acknowledging Ma's contribution. She is a rare actor who became the corner stone of Hindi films and brought in revolutions. It is wonderful choose and recognise her contribution after so many years. You really put a smile on her face.” Asking about Twitter he added, “I enjoy interacting with fans. It is not a substitute of the media. It is good to have media around us as it helps our conscious on, but yes Twitter is nice and I enjoy it.” The success of Pa, obviously brought in questions regarding more productions opportunities. Abhishek said, “ My journey started as a production boy. I would like to produce more but I definitely do not want to go beyond that. As a source of inspiration, when I was small I found my mother's films depressing but thoroughly enjoyed dad's films that glorified

Goes On). The Gala Dinner also saw Jaya Bachchan – the original first lady of Bollywood presented with “A Lifetime Achievement Award” in celebration of her outstanding contribution to cinema spanning four decades. The premieres and star-studded opening and closing gala events, the jam-packed festival programme includes screenings of 30 films and numerous feature shorts at six London venues Dr Pushpinder Chowdhry with Junior Bachchan, Lady Kishori Desai (Apollo Piccadilly Circus, and Naman Ramchandran BAFTA, Richmix, the Nehru Centre, University of escapism. But now I get a lot to why perhaps he brings out the Westminster and Watermans learn from mom's films. best in one.” Cinema), supported by a host of Abhiman is one of my To ask what is his opinion industry workshops and masterfavourites. about being the Patron of classes with world-renowned I have worked with my famiTongues of Fire, he said gleefully professionals, VIP guest lecturly and I enjoy working with it is an honour to be the Patron. ers and appearances. An them all as an actor. Though I First I thought they have got the undoubted highlight will be An find acting with my father the wrong Bachchan. But choosing Acting Masterclass with most challenging as he defeats an actor from the young generaAbhishek Bachchan, providing a you with his modesty as an tion to be the Patron is very unique opportunity for cinema actor. exciting and honourable.” fans and actors alike to learn Our cinema has come a long The event was followed by an from India’s leading superstar. way but we definitely need to Opening Gala Dinner at Networking events will take improve on the infrastructure. Sheraton Park Lane Hotel preplace throughout the Festival, sented by actor Rizwan Ahmed On Bingo, Abhishek added, I and a short film competition, and newcomer Neerja Naik (Life was approached for Junior KBC presented by stand-up, but then I was hardly confident. Paul Chowdry, will give Now I have more scope to play the next generation of myself. I always like to interact talented filmmakers an with the audience. opportunity to showAbout the most challenging case their achievements. movie of his career, Abhishek “This year’s Tongues said, every actor feels his current on Fire couldn’t come at movie is the most difficult. So a better time. With My for him it would be Ravan. Name Is Khan smashing Abhishek added, “I think as a records at cinemas Director, Mani is the best. He is around the country to never satisfied with a shot or a become the most sucrole and is always improvising. Abhishekh Bachchan with Francine Stock cessful Bollywood film He is always in a quest and that's

Abhishek with wife Aishwarya

Jaya Bachchan with son Abhishek

in British box office history, it’s the perfect time to celebrate the achievements of Asian cinema,” said Pushpinder Chowdhry, Festival Director. “Asian film has the feel-good factor and the appeal to speak to Asian and non-Asian audiences alike. The Festival encompasses films from up-and-coming home-grown talent as well as established Asian Filmmakers – from urban Glasgow to rural Afghanistan,” she added.

ARE YOU PUTTING WORKERS AT RISK FROM ASBESTOS? UK Health and Safety Law protects you even if you are not working here legally

Rhaynukaa Soni Outreach Executive

Asbestos is a hidden killer. Although the use of asbestos has been banned for years it is still found in many buildings. Now the people most at risk from inhaling asbestos fibres are electricians, carpenters, plumbers and other tradesmen and maintenance workers. An estimated 4,000 people die every year in the UK from asbestos-related diseases due to exposure to the fibres in the past. The fam-

ilies and children of people who were exposed to asbestos have also been affected after the fibres have been carried home on workers’ clothes. Are you in control of a building? The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 require any person in control of a non-domestic building to manage any asbestos which exists within that building. They must take reasonable steps to find out if there are materials containing asbestos and if so, its amount, where it is and what condition it is in. If there is any doubt they should presume that materials contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not. Since 2006 there has been a legal duty to keep up-todate records of the location and condition of materials which contain

asbestos - or materials which are presumed to contain asbestos. They should also assess the risk of anyone being exposed to fibres from the materials identified and prepare a plan that sets out in detail how the risks from these materials will be managed. All refurbishment and maintenance workers should be aware that there is a legal duty on the controller of a non-domestic building to provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb them.

What premises are affected? The duty to manage asbestos covers all nondomestic premises. Such premises include all industrial, commercial or public buildings such as factories, warehouses, offices, shops, hospitals and schools. Non-domestic premises also include those 'common’ areas of certain domestic premises: purpose-built flats or houses converted into flats. The common areas of such domestic premises might include foyers, corridors, lifts and lift-shafts, staircases, roof spaces, gardens, yards, outhouses and garages - but would not include the flat itself, or common rooms like shared bathrooms or kitchens. Basic principles to remember asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed. If it is safely man-

aged and contained, it doesn’t present a health hazard; don’t remove asbestos unnecessarily removing it can be more dangerous than leaving it in place and managing it; not all asbestos materials present the same risk. The measures that need to be taken for controlling the risks from materials such as pipe insulation are different from those needed in relation to asbestos cement; don’t assume you need to bring in a specialist in every case (for example, you can inspect your own building rather than employ a surveyor). But, if you do, you must make

Helpline: 0207 556 2181 e-mail: desi@hse.gsi.gov.uk Website: www.hse.gov.uk/construction/gujarati

sure they are competent; if you are unsure about whether certain materials contain asbestos, you can presume they do and treat them as such; remember that the duty to manage is all about putting in place the practical steps necessary to protect maintenance workers and others from the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres. It is not about removing all asbestos. Remember Don’t start work if you are not sure there is asbestos where you are working – stop and ask! Do not work on or with asbestos materials if they are sprayed coatings, board or insulation and lagging on pipes and boilers. Only HSE-licensed contractors should work on these. Further information HSE’s asbestos web pages are at www.hse.gov.uk/hiddenkiller


12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

Scrutator’s Financial Times guru, Martin Wolf, once a 'moderate' admirer of the Indian economy, but having subjected the evidence to fresh critical scrutiny, during a week's visit to the country, where he met industrialists, senior civil servants, bankers and the like, appears to have joined the swelling ranks of enthusiasts. Mr Wolf's latest India think piece (FT, March 3) is well worth a read. There was an unmistakable bounce in his opening words: “Crisis? What crisis? Indian policymakers are not asking such a complacent question. But India has had a 'good crisis'. Now its task is to unwind the exceptional support given to the economy and push through reforms needed to sustain fast and inclusive growth.”

Montek Singh Ahuwalia

Mr Wolf quoted Indian finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, apropos of the economic downturn and its impact on India and its subsequent recovery: “Now I can say with confidence that we have weathered these crises well.” The stimulus packages put in place almost a year ago had worked and India was returning to the buoyant years preceding 2008. True, the fiscal deficit had increased but this could be reduced to less toxic levels with the appropriate remedies. With its high savings rate and long-term capital inflows from abroad, India's growth could reach 10 percent if not more. “The extent of the optimism became evident” at one of the highlights of Mr Wolf's visit: a conference on a “book of essays in honour of Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of India's planning commission and, after prime minister Manmohan Singh, India's most influential economic policymaker....”

Confident elite The book, to which Mr Wolf alludes, “gives a strong sense of the confidence of the technocratic elite in India's performance and prospects.” He mentions particularly the upbeat tone of the government's former economic adviser, Dr Shankar Acharya - “the most sober of competent analysts of the Indian economy,” whose contribution “macro-economic performance and policies 2003-08”- was especially noteworthy. His list of reforms rightly included “infrastructure, agriculture, labour laws, banking, energy, education and retail trade.” Mr Wolf again: “I have little difficulty in imagining that India can sustain

growth close to 10 per cent a year for a long time....I argue in a chapter on 'India in the World' that India is following China as a 'premature superpower', by which I mean a country with low living standards, but a huge economy. “Exhausted by the burden of its pretensions, the UK should soon offer its seat on the security council of the United Nations to its former colony. Its condition would be that France does the same in favour of the European Union. Whether or not such enlightened statesmanship is forthcoming (presumably not), we are moving into the age of continental superpowers. Asia will be home to not one but, two, of them.”

Fire power display The Indian Air Force (IAF) put on a virtuoso display of its capabilities over Pokhran in Rajasthan. The Hindu newspaper in a front-page report said(February 28): “Showcasing its precision strike capabilities during day and night, the Indian Air Force ....carried out a massive fire power blitzkrieg using its frontline aircraft.....The high voltage exercise “Vayu Shakti” included massive bombing, aerial dog fights and day-night air drop of commandos in the Thar desert. For the first time the AWACS was used to monitor the mammoth exercise. The idea of the exercise was to project the IAF's objectives, which were spelled out by Air Chief Marshal P.V.Naik: “To see first and farthest, to reach first and furtherst, and to hit hard and accurately.” According to the Financial Times Reuters report (March1), “The exercise was watched by military attaches from about 30 countries but not Pakistan and China.” Commented Uday Bhaskar, a strategic affairs analyst in New Delhi: “It is a message to the neighbours.”

Battle of TV stations

IAF aircraft in action during the Vayu Shakti-2010 demonstration in Pokhran, Rajasthan

where it stood next to an Aston Martin and a Lamboghini. But Tata's immediate target was to capture the African market before moving to Europe and North America. “We're expanding in our 16 markets outside India,” said Abhay Deshpande, Tata's deputy general manager, in charge of vehicle integration with the Nano. “The Middle East, Africa and southern Asia are all very strong.” When every other car manufacturer is drooling over the Chinese market, Mr Deshpande said Tata was expanding in Africa. “We're the number one brand in Ghana and have a strong presence in South Africa and Senegal.” Tata had just launched its product in Nigeria and Tanzania. The company seeks to build brand allegiance in these parts before they become mainstream,” he said.

Reliance university

The FT's Joe Leahy in Mumbai (March 1) reported that “The Indian ventures of Vacom and News Corp, the US-based media houses, are set to use the country's passions – cricket and Bollywood – as weapons in their battle for supremacy in the secondlargest cable television market.” Their local subsidiaries Colors and Star Plus respectively were in fierce competition. Rajesh Kamat, the Colors chief said: “Cricket is a national passion. Bollywood is a religion. If you bring both of them together, it can't get any better than that.” Colors has secured a licence from the six-week IPL cricket tournament, whose third season starts shortly. to use its brand for television shows. Star Plus has launched three soap operas and plans to follow these with the Cinta Awards, which will feature many of Indian film's biggest stars, during the IPL tournament.

Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance of Industries Ltd (RIL), has said he plans to build a world-class university in India. The university is to be set up under Reliance Foundation and will be modelled on the lines of a top US university, he said. RIL planned to invest Rs 5 billion initially and scale this up to Rs 10 billion. “The university will promote education and research in ll disciplines of knowledge – from science and technology to the liberal arts. It will also forge partnerships with reputed universities around the world and will be international in scale and based on best practices,” Mr Ambani said. He was speaking at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science, where he was awarded the Dean's Medal for his visionary business leadership.

Nano in Geneva

Nanotech, cancer cure

The Wall Street Journal (March 1) told of the presence of the Tata- manufactured Nano car at the prestigious Geneva Auto Fair.,

In a step that has the potential to revolutionise treatment of retinoblastoma - a rare cancer of the

retina that mainly affects children under two years of age - the IIT-B and doctors from the Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel and Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad have developed a nano particle that can conquer the child killer. Shurin Thakur recently took the third shot of a special concoction nano particles of carboplatin into the tissues of her left eye. Standing in an antiseptic corner of Apollo Hospiutal along with her doctor Debraj Shome, the 17-year-old said: “I have been suffering from attacks of retioblastoma in my left eye since I was two. Even in the US, they told me there was no hope but to remove the eye.” Now, “my vision gets better every day.”

Jaipur prize Jaipur has the “best police station” in Asia, according New York-based Altus Global Alliance, an organsation which works for public safety and justice across the world. It adjudged Jaipur's Vidhyakpuri police station for its coveted award for providing smooth public services and ensuring speedy disposal of cases. Altus Global Alliance made its selection from 211 police station straddling the continents, the countries to which it trav-

India would have given it pride of place in their reports. But as the prize didn't fit in with their image of the country, this was a non-event.

Sukhois for India A Russian Novosti agency report states that “India and Russia are negotiating a new contract for the delivery of 42 Sukhoi30MKI aircraft to the Indian Air Force (March 3). The deal is worth more than $3 billion. The air superiority fighters will come on top of the 230 already contracted from Russia worth $8.5 billion. “The order is being placed due to the insufficient numbers of fighter squadrons in the Indian Air Force and should allow us to eliminate potential threats,” said a source in the Indian defence ministry. Of the contracted 230 Sukhois, 90 will come directly from Russia and 140 will be built under license at the Hindustan Aircraft Ltd (HAL) plant near Bangalore. Another Novosti report tells of the opening of an assembly line in India for the production of Russia's largest truck

Russia's Kamaz truck to be produced in India

elled included Bangladesh, Brazil, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia and Uganda. The best police station was finally selected on the basis of people's scores and the jury's result. The Vidyakpuri station came out top in the combined assessment. Rest assured if the station had been a covert brothel British media correspondents in

maker Kamaz. Kamaz has signed a contract with India's Vectra company for joint production of the vehicle under the brand Kamaz Vectra Motor Limited. The Indian plant will produce 5,000 trucks annually. Kamaz has overseas production facilities in Poland, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Vietnam and Ethiopia.


Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

www.abplgroup.com

Alpesh Patel

Vodafone’s Indian partner mulling London listing

Consultant Editor Financial Voice

Essar likely to sell upto 25% stake for expansion plans

Dear Financial Voice Reader, £21m. It’s a lot of money. It’s what one active trading Indian individual won in the High Court last year against a UK stockbroker, arguing his trading style would have made that much money if his broker had not lied to him about his performance. A couple of weeks ago, Warren Buffett published his annual report. He’s at the opposite end of investing in terms of style. So what are the trading styles employed? MOMENTUM: These investors look at the stock price to see if it is rising and at a rate stronger than its peers. You would also look to see if earnings are also exceeding expectations, broker upgrades. The traders in this group tend to be short term as they exit as soon as momentum decreases. A momentum trader may have an exit rule such as ‘sell half the holding if the stock falls 10 per cent from its most recent high and sell the rest if it falls 15 percent off its most recent high price.’ Who is this style best suited to? The style is best suited to those with the time to monitor the markets and comfortable with a shorter term outlook. They prefer using spreadbetting and CFD brokers because of the lower costs generally. AGGRESSIVE GROWTH: These investors are often looking for new companies which are growing very quickly. Such companies tend to have limited trading history and so can be high risk. Such companies often have no earnings as they are in the early stages of growth. Aggressive growth investors may calculate they could lose at most their initial investment, but make many more times that, thereby, find the risk-reward ratio attractive. What sort of trader do I have to be to go aggressive? Aggressive growth traders tend to be short term, exiting as growth prospects plateau and move onto the next aggressive growth stock. Many are found hunting for internet and technology stocks before or shortly after IPO. I don’t recommend this strategy to those who are not willing to potentially lose substantial sums in short periods of time, in search for potentially equally substantial gains. CORE GROWTH: These investor will stick to large blue chip stocks that have been the best performers on the Nasdaq, Dow Jones, FTSE 100 etc. in terms of revenue and earnings growth. They are willing to pay the extra in higher valuations that such stocks often carry. Stocks like AstraZeneca, GE, and BP would feature in their portfolios. Fundamental stock data thankfully is available for free on numerous websites such as Google Finance. CORE VALUE: These traders look for historically low or below sector or industry average price-to-earnings, price-to-book and price-to-sales ratios. The stocks are typically below market average profitability, but the investor expects a turnaround and buys and holds until that occurs and the market re-values the stocks. Energy and financial stocks tend to be favoured by these investors. Web sites for the core value trader are the same as for the core growth investor. GROWTH: These traders are more aggressive than Core Growth traders, but less so than Aggressive Growth traders. They are will avoid relatively over-valued stocks even if they are blue-chip in the search for stocks likely to grow better than average. They may look toward relatively under-valued medium-cap stocks with better than sector average revenue growth rates. Which type of traders have the best performance record? For the past few years momentum traders have outperformed value investors, however that may now be changing. If you are comfortable with different styles, then unlike a fund manager you could take advantage of the freedom you have to switch styles.

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Essar, one of India’s leading diversified industrial houses and a partner in Vodafone’s Indian mobile operations is mulling a London listing late next month for a 20 to 25% stake sale in their energy and power entities. The

UK based bank to mobilise Rs. 23 – 34.5 bn Standard Chartered, the UK based bank and the mnc bank to have the largest presence in India by any foreign bank, is planning to tap the Indian market with an IDR issue in next quarter (April – June). Neeraj Swaroop, the StanChart CEO for India last week gave these details while announcing the 2009 annual results for the bank. Subject to market conditions, StanChart is thinking of mobilizing Rs. 23 billion to Rs. 34.50 billion via an issue of Indian

industries. Last week, the group also inked a deal to acquire Trinity Coal Partners LLC of USA for US$ 600 mn. Essar has steel making operation in North America, including a facility in Ontario, Canada.

Dutch Shell to buy three refineries in Europe. Shashi and Ravi Ruia controll the Essar group. Their power and energy businesses are having a valuation of about US$ 12 billion. Their interests also include steel and shipping

Depository Receipts (IDRs). The bank has secured all the regulatory approvals for the issue, Swaroop added. StanChart earned a pre tax profit of US$5,151 million for the year 2009, recording a growth of 13% over the last year earnings. After Hong Kong, India is second in contribution to StanChart profits. For the year 2010, the bank has a credit growth target of 15 to 20%. It has also plans to raise the staff numbers by 2,500 in the country, the CEO added.

of the supertax. Apart from UK, France is the only other country in Europe to have imposed such a supertax on bank bonuses. Alistair Darling had estimated that the government would earn upto £550 million in supertax, while the actual earnings are a big windfall. All three major UK banks – Barclays (£225 million), HSBC (£235 million) and Royal Bank of Scotland (£203 million) are among the major contributors of supertax.

The supertax that chancellor Alistair Darling imposed on banks in UK has brought in more money for the government that what he had estimated. According to a report by “Financial Times” last week, 16 global banks together have paid £2.5 billion as supertax for bonuses in excess of £25,000 that they have paid to their executives. The daily report also said some banks did cut down their bonus pool after the announcement

ANZ interested in Indian assets of RBS ANZ, the Australian bank, set to mark its re-entry in India is also looking at the opportunity of buying out some of the Indian assets that Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is about to dispose off. The fourth largest lender in Australia, ANZ

has last year already bought RBS assets in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. At that point of time, it could not explore about the Indian and Chinese assets, as local regulations in that countries were a

Corus stake in European JV sold to a US company A tar distillation plant in Netherlands, a joint venture plant where Corus of UK has an equity stake will now have a US company replacing the Tata’s owned Corus and Cindu BV. A statement issued last week by Corus said the equity stake of both – Corus and Cindu BV has been sold to Koppers Holdings, a carbon-compounds producer from the USA.

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group intends to mobilise funds for their ambitious expansion plans. Essar is operating a huge oil refinery in Gujarat, has bought a 50% stake in a Kenyan refinery and is also understood to be in talks with Royal

StanChart plans to enter UK earns £2.5 bn as Indian market by June supertax on bank bonuses

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RBS assets with their retail units in India, China and Malaysia are estimated to be worth US$ 450 million. At present, another UK based entity; HSBC is busy discussing with RBS about buying some of the Indian assets.

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The amount though has not been disclosed. The said plant, with a capacity of 140,000 tonnes per annum in the Netherlands produces and processes coal tar generated from Corus’s IKmuiden steelworks. Tata Steel, the new owners of Corus is a part of the Tata group of India. In terms of production, it is ranked 8th globally as a steel maker.

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hurdle. In India particularly, if you do not have a banking licence, you cannot buy assets of other banks. Now that ANZ has got licence and in principle approval for making a reentry in India, it would be interested in RBS assets.

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FINaNCIal voice

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

Chevron to sell UK 99p Stores announces plans to quintuple in size refinery, cut 2,000 jobs Chevron Corp, the second-largest US oil company, said it planned to put several downstream operations up for sale, including its Pembroke refinery in the UK, and eliminate 2,000 jobs this year. "Downstream market conditions are likely to be difficult for the next several years," Mike Wirth, executive vice-president for Chevron's global downstream, said in a statement to its annual meeting with analysts in New York. Wirth said he would continue to cut jobs into 2011 and expected aftertax severance charges of $150 million to $200 million in the first quarter of

this year. Chevron will further concentrate its refining and marketing - or downstream - portfolio in North America and Asia Pacific, while soliciting bids for certain operations in Europe, the Caribbean and Central America, and reviewing its operations in Hawaii and Africa, outside South Africa. John Watson, who took over as Chevron's chief executive officer at the start of 2010, said separately that he anticipated a substantial rise in oil and gas production in the middle of the coming decade as the portfolio shifts toward Asia and natural gas.

NRI investments from US hit by tighter SEC norms Foreign financial companies in India that also have operations in the USA would be adversely affected as Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), the US regulator has tightened compliance norms. The new norms could lead to rise in costs for the financial services companies. The amended rules provide for better information to the public and the SEC about the custodial practices of registered investment advisers. Following the revised regulations, ING Vysya has discontinued securities services — portfolio

management scheme and MF investment — for NRIs “designated US persons”. SEC has made amendments to its Investment Advisers Act of 1940 relating to custody of client assets to provide additional safeguards for investors. The amendments come after a review by SEC following the Madoff scandal and several Ponzi schemes involving misappropriation of customer assets. Analysts feel the SEC stipulations would increase costs. Some others are of the view that the norms are complex and stringent.

G P Birla, veteran Indian industrialist passes away A veteran industrialist and one of the seniormost member of the Birla family, G P Birla passed away at his Kolkata residence last week after a brief illness. G P Birla, 86, was younger to his cousin B K Birla, who is now 90. His father, late B M Birla was the founder of the GP-CK Birla group which has interests in automobiles, bearings, earthmoving, power transmission equipment, cement, fan, IT and consumer durables among others. The group also set up renowned medical research centres and hospitals besides educational institutions.

G P Birla

With the group's turnover hovering around Rs 15 billion, G P Birla had passed on the businesses to his only son C K Birla. Some popular companies like Hindustan Motors, Orient Industries and Birla Technical Services fall under the group's fold.

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UK recession busters 99p Stores last week announced plans to quintuple in size. In little over a year it has doubled its number of UK stores - and during the last decade it has gone from a one-man brand to a national brand. But now this fast expanding bargain brand chain with 128 UK outlets, has announced it is moving into a new stateof-the-art National Distribution Centre which has capacity to handle Fourty million 99p products to fill 350 stores. 99p CEO Nadir Lalani says: “That’s our short term plan - now we are working on a mid-term plan of opening another National Distribution Centre within four years in the North of England to build our chain to over 600 stores.” 99p Stores new National Distribution Centre (NDC) in Northampton will also be

(Fron left to right) Faisal Lalani (Buying director), Nadir Lalani (CEO), Hussein Lalani (Commercial Director)

its HQ. It has been acquired from the country’s biggest warehouse operator ProLogis. The announcement illustrates in a stroke of a pen the vision of 99p Stores, who are confident of a £1 billion sales target in the next six years. CEO Nadir Lalani adds: “Boom or bust, High Street spending patterns have changed for ever. “Shoppers now realise they have been paying way

over the odds for essentials and well known brands for too long. There is no turning back and that’s the massive factor behind this expansion move. Our new premises will allow us to expand from our current portfolio of 128 stores to more than 350 over the next four years. Its a greener option,” adds Mr Lalani. It is expected the new Centre and HQ will be

Finally, China welcomes Indian pharma firms After years of resistance, Chinese has finally opened its markets for Indian pharmaceutical firms. Chinese health minister Chen Zhu said on Monday that Indian pharmaceutical companies were "more than welcome" to sell their products in China. Chen said pharmaceutical companies from India are "more than welcome" to participate in China's drug sector. He said Indian firms producing "non-generic and creative medicine" were leading in the developing world. "We believe competent enterprises from India will have a role to play in China's health sector," he said. The country has implemented an online tendering system and a unified distribution net-

work to ensure equal opportunities to all suppliers, Chen said. The statement comes less than two months after Indian commerce minister Anand Sharma raised the issue of market access for pharmaceutical companies during his visit to Beijing last January. China is looking for cost-effective medicines of

high quality, the minister said. They must be safe and proved effective. He pointed out that the government had set up central drug procurement system, which would make it easy for foreign companies to make their bids. Chen said the basic health insurance scheme has been expanded and essential drugs covered under it in the case of 30% of grassroots level health institutions. They have centralized provincial level procurement platform to carry out bidding and purchase of essential drugs, he said.

fully operational by early summer this year. Here are some numbers on the new premises: It will have capacity to store more than 40 MILLION 99p products. Other ‘green’ features and construction include water conservation, solar shading and low energy paints. The bargain brand chain has a 4,000+ 99p product range at all of its UK stores which extends from cosmetics to catering ... food to fashion … themed goods to gifts. More than 60% of 99p Stores products are “well known household brands” such as Colgate, Nivea, Pepsi, Tate & Lyle, Pringles, Johnson’s and Walker’s Crisps. Here is a little more about the history - and future - of 99p Stores: 99p Stores is also a major jobs creator in UK, employing more than 3,000 people with plans to double this number to 6,000 by early next year.

More govt. stake sale in SBI sought Government of India on Monday sought parliamentary approval to cut its stake in top lender State Bank of India to 51 per cent from 55 per cent, seeking to raise $1.2 billion at current market prices from the key reform move. The central government had earlier said it would move to cut its holdings in state-run banks while retaining majority control, but has faced political and union opposition. The government owns 59.41 per cent of State Bank of India (SBI) and already has lawmakers' approval to trim it to 55 per cent. On Monday, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee introduced in parliament a bill seeking approval for SBI to raise capital by a public issue or private placement of shares or through a rights issue.

Feb car sales hit record high in India Car sales in India saw a record jump in February as buyers rushed to beat higher taxes in the budget. India is one of the few countries where demand for cars have been rising, thanks to a fast rebounding economy and rising incomes in the nation of more than a billion people. Sales have climbed for 13 months in a row, reaching 153,845 cars in February from 115,505 in the same month a year earlier, data from the Society of Indian A u t o m o b i l e Manufacturers (SIAM) showed. The figure topped the previous high of 145,905 units in January. Dilip Chenoy, director general of SIAM, said the demand should maintain the pace

in March but would likely hit a roadblock when new emission rules push up costs. The budget had raised factory-gate duties by 2 per cent and companies like Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors passed on the increase to customers. Automobile makers have to comply with EuroIV emission norms from April 1 and companies are expected to pass on the costs associated with investing in new technology to consumers. "We can expect an increase of 2 to 4 per cent arising from this ... and along with the rise on account of excise duties means a total increase of 5 to 6 per cent," said Surjit Arora, analyst with

Prabhudas Lilladher. He said commercial vehicles would be harder hit as, unlike cars, they have yet to factor in the cost of upgrading to EuroIV and the rise in diesel prices. Traditionally, vehicle sales in the country rise in March when individuals, companies and government offices buy ahead of the financial year's close before the budget allocations end and to avail of tax-saving depreciation write-offs. "This year the fall should be sharp," said Chenoy, referring to April. "It is much more significant during a change in emission norms." In 2005, when Euro-III standards were implement-

ed, car sales dropped to 63,000 units in April from 89,000 in March and it took nearly a year for demand to recover, he said. Passenger vehicle sales rose to a record 1.75 million units between April and February, SIAM data showed, surpassing the previous full-year's 1.55 million units. Sales of trucks and buses, a barometer of economic activity, soared an annual 87 per cent to 58,024 units in February, rising for the eighth consecutive month. Sales in 2008/09 had fallen 22 per cent as the global downturn hit the domestic economy. Sales of motorcycles rose nearly 31 per cent to 642,419 units in the month, it said.


fInanCIal voice

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

Gujarat on IBM radar for new investments IBM, one of the top multinational IT corporates is looking at expansion of their India operations. Gujarat is on IBM radar as the company already has huge presence in all other major IT hubs of India – Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad. Last week, a team of senior IBM executives visited Gandhinagar with a view to exploring possibilities of investments here. Led by their director, global strategy Amanda Garland, the team sought several details from Gujarat officials about the facilities that the company can get there. Quality man power and state government incentives were the main areas of their interest. IBM already has a strength of 50,000 people in their India operations.

Tea exports from India rise 41% Shortage of the crop worldwide leading to a higher demand facilitated tea exports from India going up by a huge 41 per cent in January this year, as compared to the same month a year ago. According to Tea Board of India details, the country exported 17 mn kg in January this year. In 2009, the exports in January stood at 12.02 mn kgs. Kenya and Sri Lanka, other major tea exporting countries have witnessed huge deficit in production, while demand from countries that import tea has gone up significantly. Though India's total exports in 2009 fell 5.7 per cent to 191.5 million kg, the trend reversed in December, when they rose 36.9 per cent to 22.24 mil-

lion kg for the month, he said. Good post-monsoon rains in Southern India resulted in 25 per cent increase in India's total tea production for the month of January to 27.1 million kg compared with 21.6 million kg a year earlier. Total tea production in South India was higher by 60.25 per cent at 18.4 million kg as against 11.4 million kg a year ago, a Tea Board official said. Globally, tea production fell to 1.84 billion kg in 2009 from 1.89 billion kg during 2008. India exports CTC (crush-tear-curl) variety of tea mainly to Egypt, Pakistan and the UK and the premium orthodox variety of tea to Iraq, Iran and Russia.

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Biz women top Indian list of philanthropists Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Anu Aga, Kiran Nadar and Rohini Nilekani in Forbes’ list The Forbes list of most generous corporate leaders this year features four women from India at the top in the country list. The list of ‘48 Heroes of Philanthropy’ also has Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, mother of media moghul Rupert Murdoch among the donors. The four Indians at the top – all women are Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CEO of Biocon; Anu Aga of Thermax; Kiran Nadar – wife of HCL Technologies co-founder Shiv Nadar and Rohini Nilekani – wife of IT major Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani. Rohini is also a collector of contemporary Indian art.

Kiran MazumdarShaw

Anu Aga

Rohini makes it to the list for the second year in succession for her support to many NGO activities. According to Forbes, her total donations over the years to various activities amount to US$40 mn. Telecom czar Sunil Mittal, NRI businessman Anil Agarwal and HCL Technologies Chairman Shiv Nadar had made it to the list.

Rohini Nilekani

Forbes said one of the high-profile givers this year are Andrew Forrest of Australia. Besides, Hollywood actor Jackie Chan has donated USD 730,000 to the United Nations and the families of eight Chinese peacemakers, who died in Haiti earthquake. Chen Shu-Chu, a vegetable vendor from Taiwan is also featured in the list.

Harikrishna Exports – a sparkling story of CSR too! Dilip D. Trivedi Harikrishna Exports, a Surat based diamond firm is equally well known for its CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives and employee friendly policies as is for the quality and the volume of its diamond jewellery business. Already available in the Indian market for around 4 years, the ready made jewellery manufactured by the company is marketed under the brand name of “Kisna”. It is being exported to the USA, Europe, UK and many other counties. The export earnings of the company have already crossed Rs. 10 billion mark this year. Harikrishna Exports has consistently won national award for outstanding export performance for the last 10 years. “Kisna” jewellery is available at 2672 outlets all over India, and the company has a network of 142 distributors. The company has plans to open their own outlet in UK soon. Harikrishna Exports buys rough diamonds from Belgium, Russia, Africa, Israel and other countries. They have their own offices in Belgium, USA and Hong Kong, manned by the second generation of the owner family. Savjibhai Dholakia and his three brothers – Himatbhai, Tulsibhai and Ghanshyambhai- are joint owners of the business. All four brothers had very little education, but it was their entrepreneurship that has helped them march ahead in the business. In 1986, they started with just 1 diamond polishing machine, but soon added more. Since 1991, they are also in the export business. The rags to riches story began when the eldest of the Dholakia brothers – Savjibhai bid goodbye to farming

• Diamond firm going all out to keep their workers happy and fighting fit and ventured into this business of glittering diamonds, in 1986. He started along with his brother Tulsibhai and two friends. A native of Dudhala village in Lathi taluka of Amreli district, Saurashtra, they took first step as diamond cutters. Today, the workers in the industry are known as “Ratna Kalakars” (diamond artisans, a dignified definition). The ambience in the industry has also transformed, as the diamond processing machines, known as “Ghanti” in Gujarati are absolutely safe when compared to some 15 years back. In those days, artisans were exposed to the diamond dust and used to be victims of chronic and at times fatal illnesses of the respiratory tracts due to inhaling the diamond dust. The most ambitious and staff friendly project that the company initiated recently was a “Yoga Camp” for a month, which ran through in the month of February, 2010. Savjibhai and his brothers firmly believe that all their employees should be healthy, physically and mentally. The company knows that spending on wellbeing of the employees will ultimately bear fruits in terms of enhanced productivity. To inspire the staff, Savjibhai himself and most of his family members attended the Yoga Camp. Asian Voice, in a chat with Savjibhai and Himatbhai found out that it was the company’s goal to ensure that all

Savjibhai addressing his staff is seen in the first picture. Tulsibhai and Radhaben Dholakia are seen in the second picture (1st & 2nd) from left in front row

employees make practicing yoga a part of their daily routine. They had even previously organised yoga camps for the staff, but this time, their endeavor was to have a longer session with a view to make it habitual. The month long camp was for all the employees and their family members as well. Morning tea and breakfast was provided by the company to all attending the camp. There was an added incentive – a 20% increment in the salary for all those attended the camp for the whole month. Helping the employees get out of their addiction of tobacco chewing or smoking also is another goal that Harikrishna Exports is working towards. Mass prayers are held daily at all the company premises at 10.10 am globally and everybody participates. At Surat, the day also ends with mass prayers. Through their charity arm – Harikrishna Charitable Trust, they run a full fledged hospital and a 24 hour chemist shop. While the hospital provides services to all, employees of the company get 50% subsidy, whereas other needy patients are given a 25% concession. The chemist shop provides medicines at concessional rates to all. Services of specialist doctors for all ailments are available for the patients. The hospital is well equipped with an ICU, a labour room, an operation theatre and other facilities. It is also listed on the emergency service – 108 network, providing treatment to one and all. The trust runs a comfortable, fully air conditioned library with separate areas earmarked for boys and girls to help them read and learn in a peaceful atmosphere. They have “Ashirwad Bhavan”, a special facility for senior citizens. Here they can keep themselves engaged in some interesting activities in the morning and after a lunch break, in the afternoon through the evening. The company runs a huge, automated and hygienic kitchen at their two premises in Surat. All employees get their lunch free here. And in keeping with the motto of equality, even the owners take their lunch at the same place along with their staff members. In Surat, they have staff strength of 2,500. Savjibhai and his brothers have also ensured that benefits of their prosperity are extended to their relatives. In every section of the company’s operation as well as in almost every other activity of the group, family members and relatives have been employed appropriately, as per their talents and capabilities.

Parents of staff members are taken in for a tour/pilgrimage once a year, for four - five days, all at the company’s cost. All children of the staff members are provided all books for their education. In case of advanced studies, if any of the students require higher fees, up to Rs. 10,000 per student per year is paid from a special corpus created by the trust. The company has a huge sports complex, where staff members can play cricket and volleyball after their duty hours. For the society, the trust is regularly organising special seminars for teachers to keep them abreast with the latest in teaching trends as well as for their cultural enlightenment. A seminar aimed at the well being of

• Helping the society through a charitable trust with various initiatives Police personnel of Surat was also organised. Savjibhai believes that every individual should take part in religious and social service or charity activities as early as possible in life and not after the age of 50 or 60. In tune with his conviction, he and his brothers ensure that a share of their profits is spent for the benefit of the society. For their native village of Dudhala, the Dholakia brothers have contributed Rs 10 million for construction of a lake, have planted and are taking care of 3,500 trees, have got public lavatories constructed. They wish to continue to serve their village in future too. Through their efforts, the village is set to earn the label of “Nirmal Gram” (A clean village). The company has adopted a policy of keeping 10% of the profit aside in the name of God, for charitable activities. 10% of the profit is also set aside for spending on social causes every year. The company has also embarked on a very ambitious housing project for the staff. A huge residential complex is being built, with flats of 2 bedrooms, hall and kitchen. The employee will have to pay Rs. 300,000 for the initial investment, while the company will help to raise housing loan from institutions for Rs. 700,000. The flats will be made available on ‘no profit’ basis.


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FInAncIAL voice

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

WEF’s Young Global Leader honour for Sanjay Gupta World Economic Forum has chosen Sanjay Gupta, an Indian-American senior executive for the honour of 2010 class of Young Global Leaders. Gupta is senior vice president and advisor to executive chairman of Abraxis BioScience. It is a leading, USA based pharmaceutical and health-care innovator with offices throughout the world. Sanjay Gupta, commenting on his selection, said “I am deeply honoured to be a member of the 2010 class of Young Global Leaders (YGL). I look forward to working with the YGL community globally to advance a host

of innovative and socially beneficial initiatives. One of the top ranked tennis player – Roger Federer, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC and Twitter cofounder Evan Williams are the others who have been selected for the honour this year. Abraxis BioScience executive chairman Patrick Soon-Shiong, commenting on Sanjay’s selection for the honour said, “We are delighted that Sanjay has been recognised for his past and ongoing contributions to social progress through his innovative thinking, vision, and leadership. We look forward to support-

ing his commitment to improving society and the ideals of the Young Global Leaders at the World Economic Forum.” Sanjay has earlier worked at Intel Corporation, Wal-Mart, AT&T, Sanofi-Aventis and other leading US companies. An MBA from Merton College, Oxford University, Sanjay Gupta was also the managing director at Realstrategy, a boutique strategy consultancy firm in the USA as well as a partner in Geo Health Partners. He has also studied Philosophy at Georgetown University and Bioethics at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics.

Indian firm in race for $80 mn cement factory in Ethiopia

Alpesh Patel’s Political Sketchbook: Of Heroes Is it me or does everyone feel the heroes in politics are long gone? I don’t just mean the hero to old school socialists – Michael Foot (forget that his campaign for nuclear disarmament was a serious nation security risk for the UK), but I met Lady Thatcher this week – the hero of the right. Whether you are right or left, it does feel like ‘they don’t make them like that anymore’. As Gordon Brown gave evidence to the Iraq enquiry, in the same week was the annual service at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill remember the 5 million Commonwealth volunteers who fought in two world wars. As I listened to the bugle call I certainly knew my generation is the most fortunate of any generation to have been born on British or Commonwealth soil. Ours was the generation for whom others fought, and a debt of honour we have not ourselves had to pay forward to the next generation. The name change to Commonwealth Memorial Gates reflects the fact that despite their prominent location next to Buckingham Palace, few persons even in London, let alone the Commonwealth know of their existence, or indeed the debt owed to the fallen from the Commonwealth.

‘Don’t wait for someone behind you to lead’ was the message from Baroness Flather – step forward yourself, because there may well be no one behind to lead. And it was her who led the campaign in 1997 on discovering that no such commemoration existed. She rightly pointed out in her speech that to her surprise it was the prominent and wealthy in the Indian community that failed to provide financial support for the memorial. She also commended the outstanding work of Lord Bilimoria more recently in helping with the work of the Gates. But what of heroes? On the dome are names the recipients from the Commonwealth of the Victoria Cross in the two world wars. Now you may not know about the Victoria Cross. It is the highest possible award for valour ‘in the face of the enemy’. Since the Crimean War less than 2,000 persons have received it. One story has it that the medals are struck from the Russian guns captured at the battle of Sebastapol in the Crimea. For those visiting the Commonwealth Gates you can fund these guns off Pall Mall at Waterloo place behind the statue of another hero – Florence Nightingale. Such is the recognition of bravery, at even the highest ranking officer in the Army will

salute a Private awards the Victoria Cross and at an investiture by the Monarch, it is the VC before all others, including Knighthoods, that is awarded first. And so it is among the names of recipients, were you to look at the Dome of the Commonwealth Memorial Gates will you find names such as Mir Dast, Kulbir Thapa, Chatta Singh, Shahamad Khan, Gobind Singh, Badlu Singh, Premindra Bhagat, Kamal Ram....among many others...we shall remember them, lest we forget...they don’t make them like that anymore...I only wish the Prime Minister had been there instead of the Iraq inquiry. The columnist hails from Karamsad and is a former Visiting Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He read Philosophy, Politics, Economics at St Anne’s College, Oxford when he also interned in the US Congress during the Clinton administration, read Law at King’s College, London, qualifying as a barrister. He is a former Bloomberg TV presenter and Financial Times columnist with 250+ columns published in the FT and author of 13 books on business and the markets. He is the founder Praefinium Partners – a global Asset Management company. A.patel@praefinium.com

A Indian company is competing against four Chinese firms for an 80million dollar contract for the construction of the Habesha cement factory that will help to ameliorate some of its chronic shortage in the East African nation. Nine companies had initially emerged when the company requested expression of interest for engineering, procurement and construction. Then, six companies responded to the bid on the Feb 22 deadline. One company was disqualified after it failed to provide bid security. The final shortlist was of four Chinese companies and one Indian firm. "Walchandnagar Heavy Industries, the Indian company, which has been working in the sugar industry, is venturing into the cement industry for

the first time" Mefsin Abi, general manager of Habesha said. Of the four Chinese companies, Sinoma International and CDIChangdu Cement Research Institute are already involved in the installation of machinery for the expansion project of Mugher Cement Factory. The other two, Hefei Cement Research Institute and Northern Heavy Industries, are undertaking similar projects for Messobe and National cement factories, respectively. The project is expected to take 22 months and cost 80 million dollars, according to the general manager. The technical and financial evaluations will be completed and the result will be announced within three months. The

US$90 mn MRO facility to be set up by Air India & GE

Air India up for private investment? Rajasthan to have India’s

India’s national flag carrier Air India and GE Aviation have signed a deal to set up a joint venture for maintenance, repair and overhaul of GE engines. The Boeing 787 planes that Air India is to buy will be equipped with GE Aviation’s GEnx-1B engines. The two companies will be jointly investing US$ 90 million, of which GE’s share will be US$ 20 mn. “Air India envisages a state-of-the-art facility catering to GE 90 and GEnx engines, including a new engine test facility. Our strong collaboration with GE will enhance the visibility of the facility across the globe and will result in India becoming one of the major engine MRO players,” Air India's Chairman and Managing Director, Arvind Jadhav, told reporters at Hyderabad last week.

The government of India is again exploring options to look for private investment in Air India, though they have termed as strategic investment. The fact is that the losses the Indian flag carrier is making every day makes the government look for viable options for the long term. Last week, four prominent people, including industrialists were appointed as non official directors on the board of NACIL. The aim is to give a professional touch in the day to day affairs of the airline. Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel said last week they are more than one options that his ministry is working upon. The cabinet is to be presented with a complete paper on the financial condition of the airline. The Cabinet will be told the stark truth of the

company will select the firm to do the consultancy work for the EPC within two weeks, according to Abi. The selection will be made from three Indian firms, Tata, Clair and Holtech, and one Pakistani firm, Cementech. Once the Habesha factory starts functioning, it will inject 1.2 million tonnes into the economy, which will be equivalent to half of the current domestic production. According to the cement factory, national demand is expected to soar to 13.8 million tonnes in five years, while the local supply will rise to only eight million tonnes. Ethiopia had to import over two million tonnes of cement in 2008-09, with domestic production affected by acute power shortage.

merged entity, National Aviation Company of India Ltd’s, financial health with accumulated losses of over Rs 70 billion; working capital loan of Rs 160 billion and orders for 111 new planes worth Rs 550 billion of which 74 have already joined the fleet. Highly-placed sources said, keeping the company afloat will require an annual infusion of Rs 50 billion to keep paying the oil and airport charges and wages. It recently cleared equity infusion worth Rs 8 bn into NACIL and kept a

provision of another Rs 12 billion for the next fiscal but this amount can keep the airline airborne for at best a few months. Sources said, despite its poor financial health, the hope for getting a strategic partner comes from AI’s huge advantages like its traffic rights, airport slots and prime properties globally. Air India will get a chief operating officer within this month. Four non-official directors on board Anand Mahindra of Mahindra & Mahindra, Harsh Neotia of Gujarat Ambuja, Amit Mitra – general secretary of ‘FICCI’ and former air chief Fali H Major have been appointed as nonofficial directors on NACIL board.

first no frills airport

It would be the second private airport after Kochi A group of individuals have joined hands to develop what could be called India’s first ‘No frills airport’. It will be coming up near Jaipur and would be an ideal for travelers who want to fly in or fly out of Delhi and Jaipur both. It would be developed in phases, with the first phase to be completed in 2014, when it would become operational. The initial phase would just cost Rs. 5 billion. Rajasthan Aviation Infrastructure (India) Pvt. Ltd., the promoters have entered into a tie-up with Fraport AG of Germany for technical consultancy. All key authorities, including the civil aviation ministry have given their nod for the airport. It will be located at a distance of

60 km from Jaipur, on the Jaipur – Delhi highway. Rajasthan government has been requested to provide road connectivity, as the airport would 12 kms off the highway. The company would offer equity stake to the state govt. in lieu of the road facilities. With the parking fees lower than that at Jaipur and Delhi, it would be an attractive proposition for the low cost airlines and private jets as well. Charters and cargo flights are also likely to find the new facility attractive. According to the promoters, the project has attracted interest from Japanese banks for finance. The group of promoters are all retired senior officials and professionals.


FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

17

Suresh Vagjiani is the Managing Director of Sow & Reap, a Property Investment & Financing company.

Plant Your Seeds Where You Can Water Them Last week we exchanged on two ‘unsold’ properties in the predominately Jewish area of Mill Hill. Like Indian areas of Wembley, Kingsbury and other pockets this alone is a strong local factor which keeps property in this area buoyant and is a factor which is missed by property statistics when considering where to invest. Many Indians follow the proverb you should plant your seeds where you can water them, hence these areas will be lifted by the brown pound. The flats were for first time investors so they are small in value, easy to rent and easy to resell. They were both priced at a modest £135,000 each.

Property 1: 11 Gilda Court, Watford Way, Mill Hill, London, NW7 2QN The property consists of a reception room, two bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom with WC and wash basin in a purpose built block arranged over ground, first and second floors. The property benefits from unallocated resi-

Property 2:

dents parking. The property is situated in the residential area of Mill Hill close to local shops and amenities. Barnet Copthall Sport Centre and the opens spaces of Hendon Golf Club are also within close proximity. Transport links are provided by Mill Hill East underground station (Northern line) and Mill Hill Broadway rail station. The M1 motorway (junction 2) is easily accessible.

Price £128,300 Lease Details: The property is held on a lease which expires on 29th July 2127 and therefore has approximately 122 years unexpired. Tenancy Details: The property is let to Pathmeads Housing Association for a period of 3 years commencing on 9th February 2009 at a rent of £10,400 per annum.

Cash Flow Statement:

Key Figures from Cash Flow Statement: Purchase Price: £128,300 Estimated Valuation: £135,000 Current Equity: £6,700 Return on Deposit: 12.82% Although the reserve price was set at £135,000, as they did not sell we managed to get them both for £128,300 each which is a saving of £6,700 per property. This more than justifies our modest fees for doing this t ransaction. Arecent flat in the same block sold with an auctioneer in October last year for £135,000 this was however on a short lease. On our purchases the lease had been extended at a cost of £26,500. So it was clear this was a good deal. The properties came tenanted and therefore will be

producing income from day one. With new investors we always encourage them to start small, even if their financial capacities are larger, the reason being it is not simply about purchasing a property. In this situation both clients had more funds and would have been willing to spend more on the first purchase. We like to develop a working relationship and not simply focus on the deal. This gives clients a chance to get familiar with the process, see it through to completion and beyond

to see the rentals come. It is only going through with something that both a trustable and working relationship can be developed. So it is important to us to not only meet what we promise in practice but to even try to exceed expectations. Our market is those who have funds either in their own property or in a bank account earning a paltry rate of interest. They neither have the time or the knowledge to purchase property. However saying this, everyone seems to have

Gujarat Properties - Sale & Resale Mortgages Commercial Finance Property Sourcing

42 Gilda Court, Watford Way, Mill Hill, London, NW7 2QN The property consists of a reception room, two bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom with WC and wash basin in a purpose built block arranged over ground, first and second floors. The property benefits from unallocated residents parking. The property is situated in the residential area of Mill Hill close to local shops and amenities. Barnet Copthall Sport Centre and the opens spaces of Hendon Golf Club are also within close proximity. Transport links are provided by Mill Hill East underground station (Northern line) and Mill Hill Broadway rail station. The M1 motorway (junction 2) is easily accessible.

Price £128,300 Lease Details: The property is held on a lease which expires on 29th July 2127 and therefore has approximately 122 years unexpired.

Tenancy Details: The property is let to Pathmeads Housing Association for a period of 5 years commencing on 27th March 2006 at a rent of £9,100 per annum.

Cash Flow Statement

Key Figures from Cash Flow Statement: Purchase Price: £128,300 Estimate Valuation: £135,000 Current Equity: £6,700 Return on Deposit: 8.74% some knowledge in property. There is a well known proverb which says: a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, meaning a small amount of knowledge can cause people to think they are more expert than they really are. The main problem is when people want to invest into property they do not treat it as an investment instead they treat it like they are purchasing their own home. It should be strictly a numbers game. What is the yield? and what will be the future capital growth?, and when do I want to exit and do I ever want to exit? and how quickly can I exit? Are the questions which one should be asking. This is what you consider when you put money into a bank account or purchase bonds so why should this be different when you purchase

property? The aim in both cases after all is to make as much money as possible with the limited funds you have. But people are more hesitant to do this when it comes to directly investing into property. Many people do not realize that the very funds they have invested in pension schemes, ISAs or bank accounts are actually invested into property. Property is a large component of most investment portfolios. The difference being they strip the profits from property and give you the remaining crumb. They do this by way of fancy names such as having a bid / offer spread, market value adjustment, annual management fee, renewal fee etc, it all basically means money from your pocket and into theirs! In these cases the choice in where the funds are invested are stripped away from

Sow & Reap

Call On: 0207 706 0187 Email at: info@sowandreap.co.uk

Sow & Reap Properties Limited is trading as Sow & Reap. Registered in England No. 05083823 Registered Office Address: 31 Southwick Street, Paddington, W2 1JQ

you, and you pay heavy charges, often with poor rates of return in the first place. This makes little sense when looked at logically to leave funds sitting idly. Even if you close your eyes and invest. Clearly it is not logic at play here but emotions, and this is what sometimes clouds judgment when investing into property. Of course this level of confidence comes not from reading or discussing put though experience of going th rough a t ransaction and coming through it positively based on our advice. If you have funds sitting idly in the bank account or in your property and would like Sow & Reap to make them go to work for you, call us now to see how we can help you: 0207 706 0187.


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asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

By

Swati Bhan

Curing conjunctivitis at home Conjunctivitis, or pink eye, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, a clear membrane that covers the outer layer of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids. As with other common eye inflammations, conjunctivitis usually looks and feels worse than it is. While the pronounced redness can be quite alarming, conjunctivitis very rarely causes long term visual damage. Pink eye is, however, a condition that often needs to be diagnosed and treated early as certain types of conjunctivitis are very contagious and any prolonged inflammation of the eyes should be treated with caution to prevent complications and tissue damage.

Pinkeye is caused by infections from bacteria or viruses, allergies, or certain irritants that come into contact with the eye. Because of all the different causes, there are several different types of conjunctivitis and different symptoms. Infection usually begins with one eye but can quickly spread to the other eye in cases of viral or bacterial conjunctivitis. Symptoms of pink eye may include: Some symptoms and precautions that need to be taken • Discomfort in the eye • Redness of the eye or inner eyelids • Discharge and teariness

• Discharge may cause eyelids to crust and stick together while sleeping • Itchiness • Tenderness of the eye, or pain • Sensitivity to light • Swelling of the eyelids • It is advisable not to share towels, pillows, or washcloths with others, especially if they have conjunctivitis or other viral and bacterial conditions such as cold sores. • It is always better to change pillowcases and wash towels and bedding frequently. • Use immune system

Life style

want to, refrain from touching your eyes! If your eyes are itchy, rather use a clean compress for quick relief. • Wash hands thoroughly before and after touching your eyes. Home Remedies to Cure Pink Eye • Colloidal Silver: You can buy colloidal silver in a spray bottle. Spray into your eyes two to three times a day. You can also put one or two drops of colloidal silver in your eyes two or three times a day if you can't find a spray bottle. Colloidal silver has been known to cure pink eye as quickly as six hours. Be sure to use a few days after healing to be safe. • Castor Oil: Put one to two drops in your eyes two times each day. Your eyes will get better within one day, but you should keep using it for a few more days

By Mamta Bhatia, Psychologist

Achieve the impossible, a solution When I project my mind back a few months (4 to be exact) I recall much buzz and energy around commitment making and promises towards a brighter future. At the start of a new year we often over promise and under deliver on our resolutions. As the year goes on we can get worse and worse to the point where we become incredibly frustrated and give up all together. Ask yourself how often you have created an ideal vision for what you have wanted only to look back and regret that you did not focus your energies in achieving these dreams? Pursuing your dreams and goals should be fun, not hard work or tedious. Many people give up on their goals when faced with one too many pitfalls and barriers. All it takes it a mindset and an attitude that can help you go above and beyond the goals you have set. Ultimately it is about how resilient you are to strive through the challenges and how confident you are in your ability to ride through them. What you need to remember is that confidence wavers every minute of the day for everyone. Knowing this should reassure you. The difference between someone who makes it and who doesn’t is that they know what to do when

they are feeling self doubt. I can certainly help you to develop resilience and confidence in yourself. In fact, I can help you to create a strategy around your goals and thinking that will lead to one thing, personal success. Due to high demand in April, I am running a one day session in London; this will be an intimate session with a few participants. If the above resonates with you I suggest you look into this as this session may just be what you need to break out of your mould and create new possibilities in your life. During the session you will learn may approaches that will positively enhance how you live your life and progress in your life. More specifically, you will learn how to: Assess what is working & not working in your life (look at what is great and identify what isn’t so you can regain control and start to manage your life better). Raise awareness on how your thoughts, feelings and emotions create your current reality (by starting to notice how a positive attitude and a clear attitude can attract great things to your life, as opposed to being negative and things feeling ‘bad’). Fine tune your mind in order to create the life that you want (learn very quickly how to manage your internal

thoughts, tuning in and switching off negative thoughts that just hold you back). Quickly build your confidence so you can achieve true success (learning very quickly that every moment is a chance to turn it all around and the earliest you can begin to feel confident is now). Lastly, attain strong satisfaction in all areas of your life (learning how to have a mindset that will bring you full control and happiness in every arena of your life). The session is on 10th April from 9.30 - 5.30 and will be run by me, I possess a solid background in human psychology boasts over a decade’s experience in developing people. I use Eastern approaches and Western application to help individuals go above and beyond their initial thinking in order to achieve and fulfil their dreams. My approach is engaging, open, constructive and relaxed. The core purpose that I adopt is to give people the tools to live to the full happily and confidently everyday ensuring dreams are achieved and commitments made to the self are fulfilled. Do something for you, email: mamta@thinkspalondon.com today to sign up. Spaces are limited and time waits for no man, I look forward to hearing from you, Mamta.

If you have any questions write to mamta@abplgroup.com

kitchen

Treats

Shrikhand

boosters to boost your immune system to help prevent infection as well as to encourage faster healing. • As much as you may

to make sure it is completely gone. Your eyes will get blurry from the oil but it does not sting or hurt and in fact can be soothing. Castor oil is an antimicrobal and is excellent for healing. • Sea Salt: Put a teaspoon of sea salt in one cup warm water and stir until dissolved. You can use an eye dropper and put two to three drops of the saline solution you have created directly into your eye or you can use a cotton ball. Saturate the cotton ball and place it on your eye allowing the water to run into your eye.

Ingredients • 1/2 kg. curds • 300 gms. sugar • 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder • few strands saffron • 1/2 tbsp. pista & almond crushed

Method • Tie curd in a clean muslin cloth overnight. (6-7 hours). • Take into a bowl, add sugar and mix. • Keep aside for 25-30 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve. • Rub saffron into 1 tbsp. milk till well broken and dissolved. Keep aside. • Beat well till sugar has fully dissolved into curd. • Pass through a big holed strong strainer, pressing with hand or spatula. • Mix in cardamom powder and dissolved saffron and half nuts. • Empty into a glass serving bowl, top with remaining nut crush.

• Chill for 1-2 hours before serving. Making time: 20 minutes (excluding tieing and keeping time) Makes: 6-7 servings Shelflife: 3-4 days refrigerated Variations: To make fruit flavoured shrikhand eg. mango, add pulp at the stage of adding cardamom and saffron.


Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

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New girl in Saif’s life

No more sex comedies for Riteish Deshmukh Riteish Deshmukh, who was seen in a TV reporter’s avatar in “Rann”, is not interested in doing sex comedies any more and says he and director Milap Zaveri have settled for a “mellow expression” in the forthcoming release “Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai”. “I won’t do any more sex comedies. It started with ‘Masti’ (2004). Now six years down the line the ‘Masti’ writer, Milap Zaveri, who’s a dear friend, has turned director with ‘Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai’ and there’s absolutely no sex or double-meaning dialogues in it,” Riteish,

who featured in sex comedies like “Masti” and “Kya Kool Hain Hum”, said Riteish has teamed up with his “Aladin” co-star Jacqueline Fernandez in “Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai”. The film’s release date will be April 9 because six years ago on the same date “Masti” had been released and Zaveri wanted his directorial debut to hit the screens on the same date. “Both Milap and I go back a long way. We’ve come a long way. We’ve left our raunchy days behind. ‘Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai’ is my first romantic film since my debut film ‘Tujhe

Meri Kasam’ in 2003. Milap is the most romantic person I know. So it’s only fair that he makes a romantic film with me,” said Riteish. He and Milap are longtime collaborators. Milap even scripted his lines for the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards function that he hosted with Boman Irani. “I think Milap’s sense of humour and quips suit me. We may have gone over-the-top in ‘Masti’, but now we’ve both settled down to a mellow expression in ‘Jaane To Kahan Se Aayi Hai’,” he said. Riteish is making

sure that nothing controvers i a l comes his way.

Aamir bags record £ 5.07 mn ad deal Aamir Khan has signed a deal with a UAE-based telecommunications service provider reportedly for a staggering pound 5.07 million, the highest a Bollywood celebrity has ever received for endorsement, leaving far behind the previous highs of pound 1.74 to 2.17 million. Reports say it is a twoyear contract during which period Khan will make himself available for an allotted number of media shoots, press advertisements and personal appearances. Advertisement guru Prahlad Kakkar, who directed Aamir for his first cola commercial in 1993

(for which the actor was paid a `meagre' pound 24,667), reacted, saying, "That is a hell of a lot of money to pay. He has indeed come a long way. But it isn't surprising; he brings a great degree of single-minded exclusivity to a brand. Associating with Aamir is also a plus for the product in another sense because he is very particular about the script, his own image and the image of the product he endorses."

Advertising circles, however, are taken aback by the new high in commercial fees because the last highest amount reportedly paid to four Bollywood names, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan, for their hosiery endorsements is said to be in the range of pound 1.74 to2.17 million. A leading ad p ro d u c e r, h o w e v e r, said there could be an

explanation: the general spurt in endorsement fees in the last year. "Even someone as young as Ranbir Kapoor, the latest kid on the block, is said to have been lapped up for pound 1.01 million for a two-year-deal by another advertiser," he said. Aamir's own earlier contracts for a biscuit, a cola, a car, an FMCG, a watch maker and a satellite TV service provider are all reportedly in the range of pound 1.74 million; so, by even his own standards, his fees have almost tripled. Trade insiders attributed Aamir's rising stock in ad circles to his recent box-office successes.

Big B in CNN’s top 25 Asian actors list Bollywood legends Guru Dutt, Nargis, Meena Kumari, Amitabh Bachchan and Pran have been named in the list of CNN's top 25 Asian actors of all time. The list has been prepared ahead of the Oscar night and has actors from India, China, Japan, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Korea. With five actors listed, India has highest

number of entries. "In the history of the Academy Awards only two Asians have ever taken home Best Actor or Actress statue (we don't count Ben Kingsley as true Asian). Yet Asia has produced incredibly talented thespians that have changed the course of their nations cinematic history," CNN said. Comparing Guru Dutt to Orson Welles (Citizen

Kane), the website said the actor-filmmaker ushered in the golden era in Hindi cinema with movies like “Pyaasa” and “Kaagaz Ke Phool.” He has been named in the list "because of his soulful acting". His role of a struggling poet in the 1957 movie “Pyaasa” has been named his best performance. Bachchan, 67, has been picked up for his role of brooding inspector Khanna

in “Zanjeer,” which cemented the actor's image as the 'angry young man' of Indian cinema. Pran, who starred in close to 300 Indian films has been described as the pre-eminent villain of Hindi cinema. Nargis has been described as one of the greatest actresses in the history of cinema with her "versatility and natural expression".

Ajay Devgan is fond of his action hero image Bollywood star Ajay Devgan may not have featured in any full-fledged action film off late, but the actor says he still loves his action hero image he was known for. "I'm doing every kind of film and there has not been any effort for an image change. In fact, I still love my action hero image. But at the same time, I'm lucky that I got the opportunity to do films of different genres and people liked me in them, " Ajay said. Ajay has been part of action flicks like "Phool

Aur Kante", "Vijaypath", "Haqeeqat" and "Diljale" among others. The actor was speaking to media in Delhi while he was on a tour to promote his just released "Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?." The comedy revolves around the story of Puneet (Ajay Devgan) and Munmun (Konkona Sen Sharma), a happily married couple living in Mumbai. Their life takes a turn when a distant relative Chachaji (Paresh Rawal) turns up unannounced at their doorstep from a far-off village.

Saif Ali Khan, who played a rocking role in AbbasMastan’s ‘Race’ has also been roped in for the sequel to the thriller. Out of the five important characters from the first instalment (Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif), two were killed leaving scope for Anil, Saif and Bipasha’s character to take the sequel forward. However, while Saif – as the business tycoon and Anil – as the funny, witty detective have been finalized for ‘Race 2’, Bipasha – as Saif’s girl, might be left out. Kumar Taurani, the producer of the film said, “Expectations are sky high after the huge success of Race,” and added, “If the sequel starts where Race finished, we will have to show Bipasha married to Saif, which will make it a little boring for the audience. Therefore, we are still deciding over continuing Bipasha in ‘Race 2’. I don’t rule out the possibility of roping in a new girl for Saif,” he signed off. Saif and Bipasha shared some steamy moments in ‘Race’. It remains to be seen which Bollywood hottie steps into the shoes of this sexy lady.

Vivek Oberoi’s ‘Prince’ delayed The release of actor Vivek Oberoi's much-hyped movie 'Prince' has been delayed by post production work. The thriller has now been rescheduled for April 9 release. The film was earlier set for a March 26 release, but work on its post production and visual effects of high voltage action scenes is still in process. ''Prince' is a huge project, with some out of the world action sequences and visual effects. Hence, we are leaving no stone unturned. The visual effects of the movie are done by the best visual effects studio in the business; we are just reworking on a few scenes, which has resulted in the delay,' Kumar Taurani, managing director of Tips Industries and producer of 'Prince', said in a press statement. The movie narrates the story of a thief who wakes up one morning to realise that he has lost his memory and his life is at stake. It has been directed by Kookie V Gulati and also features Nandana Sen.

Irrfan is the latest entrant in Priyanka’s harem Irrfan Khan is the latest entrant in Priyanka Chopra’s harem. According to rumours, Irrfan was not very pleased being cast as one of Priyanka's seven husbands in “Saat Khoon Maaf” and was in two minds about the part until Vishal Bhardwaj persuaded him and assured him that John Abraham, Naseeruddin Shah and Mohanlal are also part of Priyanka's harem in the flick. Irrfan has finally relented. Barely concealing his sarcasm, the actor described by Time magazine as “the one who can do it all” says, “Whether it's Dibakar Banerjee, Shimit Amin, Anurag Basu, Anurag Kashyap or Vishal Bhardwaj they all make the kind of films that suit my sensibilities perfectly. But they have all moved to another phase in their career. The Vishal that I worked with when I played the lead in ‘Maqbool’ is not the same filmmaker who's making ‘Saat Khoon Maaf.’ He needs commercially viable stars for the budget that his films now need. And let's be fair I'm not commercially viable enough to make a difference to project.”


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Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

‘The Hurt Locker’ sweeps six Oscars I am Sura, not Pura: Vijay Vijay and ‘punch dialogues’ have become two sides of a coin. His 50th film ‘Sura’, directed by S P Rajakumar of ‘En Purushan Kuzhandhai Madhiri’ and ‘Azhagar Malai’ fame, too have a handful of ‘powerful one liners’, we learn. If reports are to be believed, in one of the punch dialogues the actor utters in the movie is, ‘Samadhanama poga nan pura illa da…Sura’ which, if roughly translated, means ‘I am not a dove to prefer peace, I am a shark’.” ‘Sura’ has many other similar one liners, sources say. Vijay plays a fisherman in the film which is being shot in Puducherry, Visakhapatnam and Kochi. Vadivelu is taking care of the comedy part while Tamannah plays a college student who falls for Vijay. Produced by Sangili Murugan (the producer of ‘Kadhalukku Mariyadhai’), ‘Sura’ will be released by Sun Pictures.

I am aggressive, says Reemma “I am an aggressiv e pe rso n wh o wants to achieve great things in life. At the same time I kn ow my lim its and would never crave for unrealistic thi ng s,” sa ys Reemma. Th e ac tre ss , who is on cloud aft er nin e ‘ A a y i r a t h i l sa ys , Or uv an ’, an d s rel “Th e lau appreciations that ing movies in ntemporaries, several years and do I received from my co . me d ore was looking flo I , ve es ha different languag co-stars and fans ce. It an thus came rm d rfo an pe film my t en ed fer joy for a dif They en ible ns po ople have res Pe ’. re an ‘Aayirathil Oruv has made me mo ll.” do ur mo gla as seen me now.” d Selva’s rewarded “But with the movie an “The long wait has d an film that ys a sa e do sh ” to st, le ab rve s ha h wa I ric , inputs me with l tica rformcri pe n d wo an s ur ha combined glamo adds: “The film e more rol h my wit d so ance. Now I am looke appreciation and more ppy ha ”. am I ed . im try cla us ac respect in the ind has been widely ”, to film de the titu rry Ex pre ss ing he r gra that I was able to ca ys, sa e sh n, va ha she asserts. director Selvarag industry for “After being in the

Rajini’s devotional gift to Dhanush We all know Dhanush is a director’s actor who doesn’t use the name of his legendary father-inlaw Rajinikanth to get his things done. At the same time he follows the advices of Rajini to the hilt. Dhanush can be spotted these days wearing a ‘rudraksha’ mala. Sources say that it was a gift from the super star to his son-in-law on his third wedding anniversary. Dhanush holds this special gift very close to his heart. He never removes it except while doing intimate scenes on camera for his films. That was the clear advice given by the super star and Dhanush reli-

giously follows it. The ‘rudraksha’ was in fact given to Rajinikanth by Dayanandha Saraswathi and the super star gifted it to his son-in-law later, according to sources very close to the families.

'The Hurt Locker” sweeps six Oscars at the 82nd Academy Awards, including Sound Mixing, Film Editing, Original Screenplay, Direction and Motion Picture. The other Oscar winners are: Best Picture: “ The Hurt Locker” bags its 6th Oscar. Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow wins the best director Oscar for "The Hurt Locker". Kathryn Bigelow has become the first woman ever to be named best director. Best Actress: Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for “The Blind Side”. Bullock says the film was about the "moms" who take care of children "no matter where they came from." Best Actor: Jeff Bridges gets best actor Oscar for "Crazy Heart." Bridges thanks his costars for their "heart and soul", he says, “Thank you guys, my wonderful team, my wife for 33 years, 3 daughters... I woudn’t be here without you”. Best Foreign Language Film: “The Secret in their eyes” (Argentinean film) bags Oscar for the best foreign language film. Best Film Editing: Fourth Oscar for 'The Hurt Locker”. Best Documentary Feature: And the Oscar goes to “ The Cove”, this is about the systematic slaughter of dolphins in Japan. Best Visual Effects: Oscar goes to “Avatar” Best Original Score: Oscar goes to Michael Giacchino for “‘Up”. Best Cinematography: Mauro Fiore is the winner of 'Best Cinematography' for “Avatar” . Best Sound Mixing: Ray Beckett and Ottosson

Actor Jeff Bridges celebrates with his Oscar after he won the award for best actor for his role in "Crazy Heart" at the 82nd Academy Awards in Hollywood on March 7

bagged the golden statuette for “The Hurt Locker” Best Sound Editing: 'The Hurt Locker” bags the award for the best editing. Best Costume Design: And the Oscar goes to Sandy Powell for “The Young Victoria”. This is her third Oscar, earlier ones are 'Aviator' and 'Shakespeare in Love'. Best Art Direction: Oscar for best art direction goes to “Avatar”. Best Supporting actress: Mo’Nique wins the best supporting actress Oscar for the role in ‘Precious”. Best Adapted Screenplay: “Precious” bag the Oscar for best adapted screenplay. Precious is based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire. Best Makeup: And Oscar goes to “Star Trek” Best Short Film: Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson bag the Oscar for 'The New Tenants' (Live Action) Best short Documentary Film: Award goes to 'Music by Prudence'. "This is amazing. I had never imagined this. This is so exciting... We honour the band behind this film... " said the winners. Best Animated Short Film: And Oscar goes to

“Logorama” . "It took six years to make this 16 minute film..." says Schmerkin. Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal for 'The Hurt Locker”. Mark Boal says, "Thank you Academy for this! I dedicate this to the troops who are fighting and even those who have not made it home." Best Original Song: And the Oscar goes to Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett for 'The Weary Kind' (Theme from Crazy Heart). Best Animated Film: Pete Doctor collects the 'Best Animated Film' award for 'Up', from Cameroz Diaz and Steve Carell. Pete Doctor says, "It's incredible being here... Please picture this entire stage filled with the entire team of 'Up'. Thanks so much to Disney and Pixar... The heart of it came from home, my parents, my kids and wife... you guys are the greatest adventure." Best Supporting Actor: And the Oscar goes to Christoph Waltz for 'Inglourious Basterds' – his 1st nomination and win! "Brad Pitt helped me and the entire cast.. Quentin is a fearless explorer and that’s why I am here. Thank you, all!" he said.

Godh Bharai: A colourful new drama on Sony TV Asia By Jaya Kumar Drama and more fine drama has been part and parcel of Sony Entertainment Television Asia. And to add to that reputation the popular Asian channel has launched another exciting drama serial, Godh Bharai, from Monday 8th March, 2010 at 7:30 pm. Godh Bharai is a colourful Indian Hindu ceremony which is performed in most parts of the country. Godh bharai literally means 'to fill the lap’ with abundance. The celebration is done at the end of the seventh month of a woman's pregnancy to welcome the child to the family and fill the mother's lap with gifts. The series star some of

today's top TV actors. Shakti Anand and Mohit Malik play the lead roles. Pallavi Subhash does the role of Anand’s wife. The talented Anita Kulkarni has an important role in the show. But it is Aanchal Dwivedi, who played the vamp Kaveri excellently in Zee TV's Saat Phere, who dominates the drama Godh Bharai.

She plays the role of Meena, the elder bahu of the family. Godh Bharai is an entertaining family drama that celebrates a beautiful Asian tradition which revolves around the joys of motherhood. Godh Bharai: Sony TV Asia, March 8, 2010 Monday – Thursday at 7.30 pm


Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

www.abplgroup.com

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BollyKats Katrina is excited about her role in ‘Rajneeti’ The glamorized Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif is playing a deglamorised politician in “Rajneeti.” She says that the role excites her more because she is now comfortable with Hindi. Katrina, who has delivered a string of hits playing the urban hip young woman, gets a makeover in Prakash Jha's 'Rajneeti'. Dressed in cotton saris and speaking chaste Hindi, this was a challenging role for her. But the Hindi is passe now for the

actress, whose accented Hindi meant that her many early films had to be dubbed. 'I am excited about the

part (in 'Rajneeti'), but I am not very excited about speaking Hindi because I spoke Hindi in my last 10 films. It's a great role and a great film and I certainly hope people enjoy it,' Katrina said. 'Rajneeti' is Katrina's first political thriller and she says she wants to keep her options open by not restricting herself to any particular genre. 'If it's a good film and I enjoy it and I think the audience will enjoy it then I will do it,' said the

actress, who has given the most hits in last two years, including romantic comedies 'Namastey London', 'Partner' and 'Welcome'. In 'Rajneeti', she will be seen rubbing shoulders with veterans like Nana Patekar and Naseeruddin Shah along with talented actors Ajay Devgan, Manoj Bajpai, Arjun Rampal and Bollywood's new sensation Ranbir Kapoor. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala and directed by Prakash Jha, it is releasing on June 4.

Preity to return to acting after IPL 3

An action thriller, Right Yaaa Wrong is a story of confrontation of two friends – both cops, but with a different mind set. It is produced by Neeraj Pathak and Krishan Choudhary under the banner of Ikkon Pictures and Mukta Arts Ltd. Neeraj has directed the film. Ajay Shridhar is a brave and an intelligent cop. Some incident happens and he wants to die. He also wants his wife to kill him. Will a wife agree to kill her own husband? Why Ajay wants to kill himself? An intriguing tale of two powerful cops and best friends - Ajay Shridhar and Vinay Patnaik. There is an intense rivalry between the two and it leads them on a battle for supremacy.

Preity Zinta has been missing from films for nearly two years now. But the dimpled star has had her plateful: she bought an IPL team and went to Harvard. Now, of course, she is getting ready to return to her home turf, movie sets. The actor has signed two films. However, she doesn’t

The story is written by Neeraj Pathak, Girish Dhamija and Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, while the lyrics are penned by Sameer. The music has been scored by Monty Sharma, while Master Saleem, Mika Singh, Shail, Ujjaini, Kunal Ganjawala and D J Amyth have given the playback.

New Hindi movies releasing this week 1. Do Dilon Ke Khel Mein 2. Hide & Seek 3. Na Ghar Ke Na Ghaat Ke 4. Right Yaa Wrong 5. Swaha 6. Trump Card

Top 5 Bollywood movies for the week

No. Film 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

No. Last Week Karthik Calling Karthik New My Name Is Khan 1 3 Idiots 3 Teen Patti New Toh Baat Pakki 2

Total weeks 1 3 10 1 2

fingers crossed and will get all her lucky charms out for the cricketing event. Soon after IPL, her focus will shift to movies. “I’m very excited about the cricket season. After that, I will be back to acting,” assures Zinta, who seems to have shed many kilos.

I’m too young to be a Bond girl, says Freida Pinto

“Slumdog Millionaire” girl Freida Pinto was in Israel for four months shooting for “Miral,” which will be released later this year, according to reports.

An interesting hide and seek game between them leads to a dramatic confrontation where Vidya (Konkona Sen), ironically Vinay's sister, chooses to support Ajay in this chase of mind games, and Vinay has to fight it out. The star cast consists of Sunny Deol, Irrfan Khan, Isha Koppikar, Aryan Vaid, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anjan Srivastava, Kirron Kher, Deepal Shaw, Shaurya Chauhan, Sanjay Singh, Govind Namdeo, Master Ali Haji and Saidah Jules.

want to divulge much about these projects just now.

“I dedicated 11 years of my life to films. So what’s wrong if I decide to devote a couple of years for business? Now, I know the business of cricket inside out and can finally manage it without being physically present,” Zinta says. So with the IPL 3 almost ready to kick off, the actor already has her

Pinto, 25, plays Miral, a girl raised in a Jerusalem orphanage in 1950s, with story spanning several decades. Shot in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in Israel, other cast of this poignant historical drama film includes Oscar nominated Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire), Alexander Siddig (The Boundary), and Hiam Abbass (The Syrian Bride). Freida is said to have also completed her shooting for romance film “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger” (Woody Allen). She also talked about her favorite superstar in Bollywood - SRK. “His is by far the most inspirational story of all, he’s graceful, charming, and so wonderful, the best representation that India can have internationally. And I don’t know yet if I was more excited or nervous to be standing next to Shah Rukh Khan,” Freida said. Freida laughed over reports of her unsuccessful auditions for playing the Bond girl in “Quantum of Solace.”

“I have no idea where that came from, even my LA agents were curious. But this is a Bond thing, it happens with a lot of actresses, or with those in

the news. It was very flattering, I must say, and I don’t know if I would have done it. I’m too young to be a Bond girl. There’s not

much of a role, though some of them have become iconic, and you need somebody more mature and beautiful than me,” said Freida.


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Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

British Council helps in bringing people closer By K K Joseph The progress of a nation depends on many factors. One of the factors is the contact it develops with other nations. By learning about the culture, the language, the progress and opportunities of other countries, we can also learn many lessons. British Council is one such organization which connects people worldwide with learning opportunities and creative ideas from UK and builds lasting relationship with other countries. The Council plays a pivotal role in bringing people of Gujarat in close contact with United Kingdom. In India the Council operates as a division of the British High Commission and has offices in four metros – Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. They also operate in 110 countries around the world. The foreign and Commonwealth office provide them with aid. They also work with other government departments, agencies and also with private sector. Over and above they also provide services such as project management, UKbased training, English

By RAjEn VAkiL

The Spiritual Path

Darwinnow Exhibition at British Library in Ahmedabad (File photo)

Testing System (BULATS) Professional Exams: For upgrading the skills, the Council conducts professional exams in the fields of medicine, finance, marketing, management, law and English language teaching. British Libraries British Council also runs libraries in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune. They have books on art and culture, English as a language or literature and fiction, the social sciences or history. Their collection of books covers a wide spectrum of the written word. For the professionals, British Library also offers books on economics,

Reading Campaign for children at British Library in Ahmedabad (File photo)

language courses and examinations. Their main purpose is to build UK’s role as a leading provider of education and cultural opportunities. UK Exams in India The British Council also helps people achieve their lifelong ambitions and aspirations. One of the ways to do this is by giving an opportunity to people to take UK qualifications across India. IELTS: For people who are thinking about studying or emigrating abroad, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) helps them meet English language requirements for college entry and visa processing for UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US. English Tests: We can assess our level of English and develop our language ability by taking any of Cambridge’s general English exams. A college student or young professional can test and develop his/her skills for workplace by taking Cambridge Business English Certificate (BEC) or Business Language

in divine light

engineering, information technology, law, management, medicine, science and technology. Apart from collection of books, the library has periodicals, journals, magazines and newspapers from UK. The library also offers a combination of online and offline products designed to provide us with a holistic and comprehensive information service for recreational, professional or reference needs. In Ahmedabad, The British library is at present equipped with 2,800 books and CDs as well as 40,000 online books. According to our specific needs, we can access selected web-based online information resources from the library, whether it is the latest resources in management, or a wide range of journals on various subjects, information about UK, their collection of dictionaries, learning resources or irreplaceable Encyclopaedia Britannica. The library has membership schemes for individuals, young learners, families and organizations. According to Dattatreya R. Kulkarni,

the deputy manager of the library in Ahmedabad, they also provide information about the scholarship/job assistance in UK varsities. You can get genuine information about the colleges in UK and avoid the trouble of joining the unrecognized colleges. Many a times, students have to face hassles after joining unrecognized colleges. The library also gives guidance in preparing for different examinations conducted by UK. Film shows and presentations on study in UK are also a part of the activities of the British Library. It also arranges lectures by eminent personalities from foreign countries. These lectures are very valuable as we can get first hand information on many subjects. Mr Kulkarni says about 20-25 students attend the presentations in the library every week. He says these presentations are very valuable, especially for students who are seeking admissions in UK varsities. The Nehru Centre Like the British Council, the High Commission of India runs the Nehru Centre in London as a cultural wing. It strives to foster a cultural dialogue between India and the United Kingdom. This centre also organizes a variety of cultural programmes by eminent personalities visiting UK or eminent institutions in UK. CB’s suggestions The state governments of India obviously cannot have their embassy in foreign countries, but certainly they can have cultural centres. Gujarat Samachar – Asian Voice Editor, C.B. Patel, had suggested to late Gujarat Chief Minister, Chimanbhai Patel, to have a cultural centre in London. Chimanbhai agreed to this in principle, but after his death the idea has not been pursued. If Gujarat has a centre in London, it would serve the Gujaratis settled in UK in a better way in the fields of culture. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is another cultural centre of India in London. The purpose of the Bhavan is to inculcate the traditional culture of India among the Indians in UK.

The Mahabharata is full of stories and incidents that not only explain the mysterious laws of the universe and our spiritual path, but also give us techniques and mantras to awaken latent powers within our body-brain system. There is this story of a guru, Apod Dhaumya, and his three disciples, Aruni, Upamanyu, and Veda. This story is in three sub-sets, one with each disciple. We will cover these over three articles, starting this week. The word ‘Dhuma’ comes from two roots, one meaning ‘smoke’ or ‘mist’, and the other meaning ‘to agitate’ or ‘liberate from oneself’. When a student first sits for meditation, one closes the eyes and observes the darkness inside. Slowly, one sees a screen of smoke or mist, known as the etheric body. My teacher called it the minor ring pass-not or the screen that does not allow our vision to go beyond. Our inner vision must penetrate beyond this screen to observe the workings of the mind. The goal of the guru is to agitate the disciple enough to wake him/her up from sleep so that he/she is free of his/her own-self. One day, the guru asked Aruni to go to a nearby stream and build a wall to hold the water. Aruni spent the whole day trying to dam the water. Despite his repeated attempts, he could not do so as the water kept breaking through the wall from a certain spot. By nightfall, he was tired, hungry, and knew not what to do. So, he went to sleep on the wall, covering the leaking area with his body. When Aruni did not return, the guru got worried and went to look for him, along with his disciples. They found Aruni sleeping at the dam he had created. When Aruni explained to the guru what had happened, the guru was very pleased

and re-christened him ‘Uddalaka’, meaning ‘the one who has crossed the great expanse of water’. This small story unveils a beautiful aspect of life. It reveals the first step, for any student on the spiritual path; to block the leakages that exist within. We lose energy continuously through brooding, daydreaming, negative emotions, and inner chatter. To stop these leakages, one has to stake one’s whole life or leave no stone unturned, just as Aruni did by sleeping at the dam. If we are successful in stopping these leakages of energy, then we have crossed the great ocean. In the words of Swami Vivekananda, “It is a life's work; and the end to be attained is well worth all that it can cost us to reach it… no price can be too great to pay.” The guru asked the second disciple, Upamanyu, to look after the cows. Upamanyu would look after the cows the whole day, return to the ashram in the evening, bow to the guru, and go about his routine. The guru observed, as days passed, that he was getting fatter and healthier, so he asked Upamanyu what he ate. Upamanyu told the guru that he lived on bhiksha; that he would beg and eat what people provided. The guru explained that a disciple needs to offer the bhiksha received to the guru first. So, the next day, Upamanyu did not eat but offered the bhiksha to the guru. The guru took all of it, leaving none for Upamanyu. A few days later, the guru observed again that his disciple was still fat and healthy. On being asked, Upamanyu replied saying that after offering the bhiksha to the guru, he went out begging again. The guru reprimanded him saying that begging twice was greed; that he was stealing other people’s nourishment, and so Upamanyu stopped begging the second time.

After a few days, the guru was perplexed as Upamanyu was still healthy. Now, when asked what he ate, Upamanyu said that he drank the cow’s milk. The guru was taken aback as Upamanyu did so without his permission and the guru explained to Upamanyu that he should not do so. After a few days, despite the guru taking away all of Upamanyu’s bhiksha, not allowing him to beg a second time, and refusing him to drink the cow’s milk, Upamanyu still looked healthy. So, again the guru called upon Upamanyu and asked him what he ate. Upamanyu narrated to the guru how after the calves had had their fill, he would consume the foam from their mouths. The guru reprimanded him again, explaining that the young calves were taking pity on him; the calves were giving him the foam that they needed for their own growth. Again, Upamanyu acknowledged the guru’s instructions and went about his work. Let us try to grasp what is being conveyed here. We have seen in previous articles that cows symbolise the senses and the energy of sensitivity. We also saw that our first step was to stop the leakages of energy. The second step is to create will, and upgrade the quality of the energy, that is free the energy from the tendency to leak out in a reaction. Will is created in five stages, the last being the surrender of personal will to divine will. What are these wills? What is the will we all live by? How do we upgrade the quality of our energy? We shall look into the answers to these questions and also draw parallels with the story of Upamanyu in our next article. (Edited by Chintu Gandhi.) The author can be reached by emailing 3srb@live.com

Bombay HC says no Hindu Marriage Act for Indians settled abroad

For people of Indian origin, even if they have got married in India and may have lived as a couple there for a while, Hindu Marriage Act is not applicable for them if they are domicile of a foreign country. Bombay High Court, in a recent verdict

quashed an order of a Pune family court. Suhas Muley, a resident of Michigan had filed a divorce petition before a Pune court, even though a US court had also granted divorce to Suhas and his estranged wife Smita. The Pune family court had held that even if the cou-

ple had spent a day of their married life in India, the courts in the country got the jurisdiction. Smita had challenged the Pune family court order. The Bombay Hich Court said Suhas could challenge the US court’s divorce order of January 2009 in that country.


Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

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Lata Mangeshkar to be felicitated by Morari Bapu The nightingale of India Lata Mangeshkar will be presented with the Hanumant Award by noted Ram Kathakar (preacher) Morari Bapu at the annual Asmita Parv (cultural fest) held at his ashram in Mahuva of Bhavnagar in last week this month. Asmita Parv is a four-day cultural extravaganza organised by the kathakar on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti every year. During this festival, noted musicians, performing artists and writers are felicitated and provided a stage to present their art. This year the fest will be held from March 27 to 30. Apart from Lata, noted sitarist Abdul Halim Jafarkhan, classical dancer Yamini Krishnamurthy and tabla player Sapan Chaudhary will be honoured.

65 killed in Uttar Pradesh temple stampede Sixty-five people, most of them women and children, were killed and 64 others were injured in a massive stampede at an ashram at Mangarh in Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The tragic incident took place when a portion of the entrance gate collapsed under pressure of the surging crowd that thronged the ashram

belonging to Kripalu Maharaj to collect food and utensils. The dead included 37 children and 26 women. The function at the ashram, located 80 km from the district headquarters of Pratapgarh and about 200 km from Lucknow, was held to commemorate the death anniversary of Kripalu Maharaj's wife.

High-level probe Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. The probe would be conducted by the Divisional Commissioner of Allahabad. State Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh told reporters here that the mishap occurred around

noon. The programme was to have begun at 2.30 p.m. but started earlier as the crowd entered the premises. A portion of the entrance gate was opened, but the structure collapsed under the pressure mounted by the crowd. The dead were either crushed under the debris of the gate or killed in the ensuing stampede.

Indian medical mission in Kabul off for now The government announced that it had temporarily suspended the Indian Medical Mission (IMM) in Kabul, which was the target of a terrorist attack on February 26. In response to questions, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said the IMMs in Heart, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-

Sharif were, however, functioning normally. “The Embassy of India and its other offices in Afghanistan continue to function normally in the face of extremely demanding and difficult circumstances,” the spokesman stressed. The medical mission in Kabul, comprising six doctors and five paramedics, was operating

from the India-aided Indira Gandhi Child Care Hospital (in Kabul). The statement came amid reports from Kabul quoting the NSA as saying that India would not scale down its operations in Afghanistan in the wake of the February 26 attack. Government sources here said India would continue its development

projects in Afghanistan but would like the Afghan authorities to make foolproof security arrangements for nearly 4,000 Indians working in the embattled nation. The security of Indians figured prominently during Menon’s talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul last week.

In Goa, UK nationals advised to dress decently British foreign Commonwealth office has an advisory for tourists Goa in India is a favourite destination for tourists from western countries, particularly British nationals. The state of late has become notorious for cases of rapes on foreign tourists, with the Scarlet Keeling murder incident being the most publicised case. Following a lot of local politicians demanding that foreign tourists, particular women should dress properly, now UK has uploaded a travel advisory for its nationals visiting the Indian state. It

says tourists from UK should “observe and respect local dress and customs”. Almost half a million foreigners visit Goa every year and UK is the country having the highest number of tourists, about 40,000 annually. Most of the foreign tourists, including women are seen moving about half naked in India.

Patidars 2nd most successful community in business globally A seminar in Ahmedabad highlighted the need for deep introspection on various issues Dilip D. Trivedi Patidars or Patels, a global identity need a lot of introspection on various aspects of life and the social fabric of the community. This was an almost unanimous view of all the speakers at a seminar in Ahmedabad to discuss the future course of the community. The seminar was organised under the aegis of Leuva Patidar Parishad, Gujarat and Lokseva Trust, Ahmedabad on Sunday, 28th February at the Chimanbhai Patel Institute of management premises, opposite Karnavati club on the S. G. road. Eminent personalities of the community, including Ms. Urmilaben Patel, former union minister of India and wife of late Chimanbhai Patel, former chief minister of Gujarat, Keshubhai Patel, BJP leader and former chief minister of Gujarat, Karsanbhai Patel, pioneer and Chairman of Nirma group, a leading industrial group of Gujarat and Pravin Kheni, an industrialist based in Mumbai were among those specially invited for the seminar. Other leading scholars and researchers in sociology as well as community leaders were specially invited to speak on relevant subjects. Leading speakers included Dr. Gaurang Jani, Ph. D., a professor at the Samaj Vidhya Bhavan, Gujarat University, Dr. Vidhyut Joshi, Ph. D., former vice chancellor at Bhavnagar University and

In the first picture, on the dias (L to R) Pravin Kheni, Keshubhai Patel, Karsanbhai Patel and Mrs. Urmilaben Patel at the Patidar Parishad Seminar in Ahmedabad on Sunday, 28th February. In the second picture a view of the deligates.

director, Chimanbhai Patel Institute of Management, Bhimjibhai Nakrani, managing trustee of the Lokseva Trust and a leading member of the Patidar community, actively championing the cause of Patidar unity, Manilal Patel, professor at the dept. of Journalism, Gujarat University and a journalist – columnist himself. In his presidential address, Karsanbhai Patel said Patidars have also been at the forefront of giving, they are never the ones to take, even if it is the case of government aid in situations of distress. He also said, we as the elders have to think of the community, the country and the world. He urged to think and act to conserve the environment, to pass on a worthy heritage for the next generation. Underlining the importance of preservation, he cited the Hindu beliefs that every human being goes through a cycle of reincarnation. Thus, he said it is important that we all think of tomorrow, next generation, as perhaps every one of us would be there in the next genera-

tions and we have to preserve the world, the nature for ourselves. Prof. P P Kanani started the seminar and outlined the future goals of the Parishad, as he said that a “Samadhan Panch” (dispute resolution group) will be formed at appropriately levels to help resolve various social issues that are very much prevalent in most of the families, in every village, town or city. The Panch could try and hammer out solutions to help people avoid waste of time, energy and money in litigation. He also said the Patidar community is disintegrated today, and the Parishad aims to evolve itself as a national federation, an apex body of community organisations at various levels. Dr. R T Savalia, a professor at the Gujarat University lamented the fact that talking about religion before the community members is a frightening prospect. The community has almost totally neglected the power of women. Dr. Gaurang Jani started with a couple of famous sayings by well known Gujarati literary personali-

ties to emphasize the point that Patidars or Patels are leading in migration and developing as a business - industrialist community, particularly migration to foreign countries. They have been facilitated by the community norms that were supreme in the pre-independence era. While Brahmins and other communities considered crossing the sea a sin, the Patels faced no such hindrances. He said that there were a couple of women leading lights in the history of the community, but as of today, the situation is different. There is a picture of contradiction in the family. While the daughter is encouraged to study, she is also successful, her independent and extrovert personality as a service women or a professional is unacceptable in her inlaws family. On the other hand, boys or young men of the community are lagging behind by a distance when it comes to education. There is a huge mismatch on the educational and particularly professional education front. He also lamented about the lack of transfor-

mation in the social framework of the community. Some major reforms were talked about and brought forward way back in 1967. It is over 40 years and things have to change fast now. Dr. Vidhyut Joshi said Patidars are second only to the Jews when it comes to transformation of the community into a successful business and industrialist community. Patidars had no history of trade or industry till almost the independence of India. They have transformed themselves in a matter of around just 60 years. At the same time, he cautioned that just setting up, forming community bodies or organisations will be not attract the youth of today. To bring them into the stream, you have to talk about the issues that effect them – those are their careers, avenues of studies, financial and health issues etc. He also said that Gujarat had two Patel chief ministers in the past, but now there is no prospect of having another one, atleast in the near future. He rolled out the community census figures

to point out that Patidars constitute a far less percentage of the total population of the state than what they think or claim. Bhimjibhai Nakrani emphasised on professional approach, on taking along and winning the confidence of the wider society for the prosperity and development of the community itself. He drew attention to the fact that even as Patidars are leading in business and industries, there are very few professionally managed corporate entities set up or owned by Patels. The Parsis and Jains are leading on this count, as they have evolved the concept of inclusive growth and development, an attribute lacking among the Patidars. He said the Patidars need to come out of the MBA (“Mane Badhu Aavade” – I know everything) mentality and become more professional to make their businesses and industries grow vertically and horizontally. Other speakers underlined the importance of the community continuing the ownership of agriculture land, as agriculture will be a very critical part of the economy. The Patidars should desist the lure of lucrative prices offered for their land. The example of Kutchi Patidars was mentioned. Kutchi farmers and others have migrated and prospered significantly, yet they keep their contact with their native live, they also continue to hold their agriculture land.


24

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

Sons file defamation suite against Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia Veteran flute maestro of India, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is facing the music, literally. His sons, Vinay Kumar and Ajay Kumar have filed a defamation suite against him and author of his biography – Surjit Singh. In the suite, filed before the Bombay High Court, Vinay and Ajay have claimed damages and also sought a permanent stay against the biography. “Woodwinds of Change”, according to them gives the impression that they are illegitimate children of the flute maestro. In question is the sequence of the two marriages of Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia.

Indian students should get fees refund from UK If any student from India is entitled to get his fee refunded and does not get it from UK institutions, India will take up such cases with UK, the government of India has assured in the parliament last week. Britain recently decided to temporarily suspend accepting student visa applications at three of their centres in Northern India – New Delhi, Jallandhar and Chindigarh. Later, the suspension was partially lifted. Still those who wish to take up lower level studies

will have to wait till a decision is taken about them. As a result of these decisions, students who have been unable to pursue their courses should be entitled to get a refund of the fees that they may have paid. India’s minister of external affairs, S M Krishna said in the Rajya Sabha last week that if such students do not get their fee refunds, India will take up such cases with UK. Krishna said India will take up with UK any hardship faced by students.

Women bill pass first test, leaves bitter taste Continued from page 1 In a clever political move, the Congress did not seek any action against errant BSP members in the upper house, as it is expecting the Mayawati party’s support in the lower house for normal government business. The bill provides 33 per cent reservation for women in Loksabha and all state assemblies. The first major step got off the mark after 13 long years, as previous governments, including the UPA govt. in it’s first term could not thrash out the issue, in spite of the fact that the BJP and the Left parties had openly favoured the bill in the current form. On Tuesday also, the UPA did have a minor hiccup, as one of its key allies, Trinamool Congress led by the mercurial Mamata Banerjee abstained from the Rajya Sabha vote. The opponents of the bill – Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Yadav and even Mayawati, the BSP supreme want a sub quota within this 33 per cent for the SC, ST and minorities. Ugly scenes were cre-

ated on Monday in the Rajya Sabha as errant members almost attacked Rajya Sabha chairman and Vice President Hamid Ansari. They also tore a copy of the bill to pieces and threw it on the chairman. Hailing the passage of the bill, Congress president and UPA chair person Sonia Gandhi dismissed suggestions that the UPA government’s stability was at stake. The reserved seats would be allotted by rotation to different constituencies and would be valid for 15 years after the commencement of the Amendment Act. The bill seeks to reserve for women 181 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha and 1,370 out of a total of 4,109 seats in the 28 State Assemblies. The suspended members four from SP, one each from RJD and LJP defied the action and squatted on the floor of the House for over three hours after their suspension. 12 member BSP pulled out of voting after V Moily replied to the discussion. The RJD and the SP announced the withdrawal of their support to the government on Monday.

London-Ahmedabad direct flight campaign gets all round support in Gujarat Continued from page 1 has written a letter to the civil aviation minister, requesting him to restore the Ahmedabad-London direct flight soon. The Congress leader has congratulated NCGO UK president C B Patel for launching this campaign. In a letter to CB, Siddharth Patel has also forwarded a copy of the letter that he addressed to Praful Patel. It is worth a mention that Congress and the NCP are both main constituents of the

present UPA government in India. Speaker of Gujarat Assembly Ashok Bhatt, minister in charge of NRG affairs Jaynarayan Vyas, Gujarat Pradesh President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and MLA Jayant Boski (Patel), BJP MLA from Nadiad Pankaj Patel and others have extended their wholehearted support for the cause. Praful Patel, himself a Gujarati is an NCP leader from Mumbai and his Gujarat Chief has endorsed the demand.

"We will continue to pursue (with UK) to see justice is done," he said. "We have taken it up with the government of UK (and) drawn their attention. By and large UK has been very fair,” he said adding education was one of the strong pillars of bilateral relations between India and UK. British authorities had on February 13 announced that the three visa centres in north India will start accepting from March 1 visa applications from students wanting to pursue higher education.

Rahul Mahajan weds on a reality TV show

Wife Dimpy wants him into politics, Rahul not in a hurry Rahul Mahajan, the controversial son of former BJP leader, late Pramod Mahajan kept his promise of wedding on a reality TV show last week. A Bengali lass, 21 year old model and actress Dimply Ganguly beat atleast 3 other strong contenders to become Mrs. Mahajan. She said she wanted Rahul to take a plunge in politics, but Rahul said he is not in a hurry, as first he wants to manage his home and other things would come after that.

“I really want him (Rahul) to pursue a political career,” Dimpy told mediamen in Mumbai on Saturday night after exchanging wedding vows with Rahul on Imagine TV’s ‘Rahul Dulhaniya Le

Jayega’ show. “Rahul doesn't want me to be a housewife. So I’ll work. But I don’t know yet what I will be doing,” said Dimpy, who was sporting a red wedding outfit, the traditional ‘mangal sutra’ in her neck and vermillion on her forehead. Rahul's mother Rekha Mahajan was present and blessed the couple. His father's photograph was also placed at the marriage venue.

Petition in support of direct flight between the UK and Gujarat. Organised by National Congress of Gujarati Organisations UK. If you want a direct flight from London to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad; if you have a desire to get a permanent, easy connection with people of Gujarat, do sign and get others to sign this petition and send it to “Asian Voice” or “Gujarat Samachar” office by post or fax it to our office (no. 020 7749 4081), at the earliest. THE CAMPAIGN to facilitate direct flights between London Heathrow and Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport Ahmedabad, Gujarat launched by National Congress of Gujarati Organisations UK (NCGO UK) and Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar has generated much interest amongst Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar readers and the entire community. All those wishing to add their names to the list of petitioners, which includes several prominent politicians, business people and community members are requested to complete the tear-off the form and send it to the offices of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar , 12 Hoxton Market, London N1

6HW, from where they will be forwarded to the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi, The Civil Aviation Minister Shri Praful Patel, Government of India and to the Chairman of Air India, Mumbai Shri Arvind Jadhav as well as to Shri Sam Pitroda, special advisor to Indian Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh and Chairman of the Knowledge Commission of India. Please note : If you wish to register more than 10 names on your petition, then simply photocopy the tear-off form and add the extra names. All petitions must clearly state your full names,postal address and must be signed and dated.

REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT WE THE undersigned hereby support the direct Air India flights between London and Ahmedabad for the following reasons : q There are more Gujaratis living and travelling abroad than any other Indian community, and this figure is increasing. q About 40% of Air India passenger to the UK are Gujarati. Indeed on some flights, close to 80% to 90% are Gujarati. q India is the 2nd largest investor into United Kingdom, according to British Government figures. Many of these Indian companies are either owned, controlled, or significantly staffed by Gujaratis. q The UK is the Second Largest investor in India, and the largest cumulative investor in Gujarat. q Nearly 50% of all visas issued by British High Commission

NAME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

in India are to Gujaratis. q Currently, air passengers travelling between the UK and Gujarat are required to change planes either at Mumbai or Delhi. This inevitably leads to considerable inconvenience, delay and expense – particularly for families with young children, pregnent women, the elderly, and the increasing number of business travellers. q We believe that the introduction of direct flights will not only be of benefit to the Gujarati diaspora, but also prove commercially successfully for Air India.

Form also available online at www.abplgroup.com to download and Fax on 020 7749 4081 Email: support@abplgroup.com

ADDRESS

SIGNATURE

DATE


25

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

M F Husain applies for overseas citizen of India card Doha: Legendary painter M.F. Husain has applied for an Overseas Citizen of India card after surrendering his Indian passport to India’s mission in Doha. “India is my motherland and I simply cannot leave that country. What I have surrendered is just a piece of paper,” Mr Husain, revered by many as India’s Picasso, was quoted by the local media as saying, a day after he surrendered his Indian passport in Doha. “I will continue to travel to India and have applied for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card as Indian law does not permit its citizens to hold dual citizenship. I’m here to fulfil my professional commitments and I’m grateful that Qatar came to my support,” he said.

British boy kidnapped in Pakistan The abductors demand a ransom of pound 100,000 for his release Islamabad: A five-yearold British boy has been kidnapped by robbers in Pakistan, local police said. Sahil Saeed, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, was abducted in Jhelum, where his family was on holiday. Robbers broke into the house where they were staying, in Punjab province, on Wednesday night and demanded a ransom of about £100,000. George Sherriff, a spokesman for the British High Commission in Islamabad, said they were "continually monitoring the situation". The boy’s father Raja Naqqah Saeed

Swedish woman appointed as UN’s top cop United Nations: UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon on Monday appointed Ann-Marie Orler as police adviser for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations of the world body, which makes her the first woman to hold the top rank. "Now, the United Nation's top cop is a woman. That is a wonderful way to celebrate International Women's Day," Ban told journalists on Monday. "Gender equality and women's empowerment are among my top priorities. Women are central to the Millennium Development Goals and all our hopes for progress and peace and stability and human rights," he noted.

Sahil Saeed

had been visiting his mother in Pakistan along with Sahil. The kidnapping took place while the father-son duo was about to flay back to Britain. While they were getting ready to leave for the airport four men armed with guns and a grenade approached the house. The intruders first beat up the family members during the night. The

intruders eventually fled with the boy, demanding a ransom equivalent to pound 100,000. Mr Saeed, who has been based in the UK for about seven years said, "I don't have any money at all. They can take me if they want - just let my son come back," he said. "I am nothing without him." And, speaking at the family's home in Oldham, the child's mother, Akila Naqqash, said there was no chance her family would be able to pay the ransom. She said: "Sahil is a really quiet child - he's no harm to nobody. Why

Indian-origin man charged with toddler’s death in Australia Melbourne: A 23-year-old man of Indian origin was charged on Sunday with the death of Indian boy Gurshan Singh Channa, whose body was found far away from his home in this Australian city, a media report said. Dhillon Gursewak has been charged with manslaughter due to criminal negligence, Australian news agency reported. Gursewak is not a relative but he lived in the same house in David Street where Gurshan stayed with his parents visiting from India. Gurshan's body was found on Wildwood Road on Thursday night after a massive search after his

Gurshan Singh Channa

parents complained that the boy had gone missing. The body was found about 20 km away. The police were hunting for a green Holden Commodore car, The Age reported. Gurshan arrived in Australia in January with

Dubai seeks Israeli PM Natanyahu’s arrest Dubai: Dubai’s police chief has sought the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of Israel’s spy agency over the alleged killing of a Hamas leader in the emirate, Al-Jazeera television reported. Dahi Khalfan Tamim said, “he would ask the Dubai prosecutor to issue arrest warrants for…Netanyahu and the head of Mossad,” the report said. Tamim has said he is “almost certain” Israeli agents were involved in the killing of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, at a Dubai hotel in January, and has called for Mossad’s boss, Meir Dagan, to be arrested if it is proved responsible. Tamim said that Mossad had “insulted”

would they want to take my son? What have we done? We've done nothing wrong. This is a normal holiday. Every family takes a holiday. "How is he coping with strangers? Four grown men. I don't know what they are doing to him. I just want him back." Meanwhile, Punjab police are taking this very seriously and a large team is working on the case. According to reporter, there were isolated incidents of kidnapping in Pakistan but this incident did not suggest that it was a case of kidnapping for money.

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his parents. The family was due to return to India as his father Harjit Singh Channa failed to find work in Melbourne. Singh and his wife Harpreet Singh Channa gave statements to police on Friday but officials say they are not suspects. An autopsy had failed to determine the cause of death and the boy's fullclothed body showed no signs of trauma, the newspaper said. Gurshan's death had caused an uproar in India, with New Delhi on Friday describing the incident as "most unfortunate". There have been a string of attacks on Indians in Australia, with one of them proving fatal.

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Dubai and Western countries whose fraudulent passports were used by the suspected assassins in the hit. Dubai has asked the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into prepaid cards issued by the Meta Financial Group’s MetaBank that the suspects allegedly used, a United Arab Emirates newspaper said. Citing an FBI source, The National newspaper said the investigation would look into any Israeli involvement in the killing.

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Washington: A group of Muslim women have risked arrest as they sought to pray in the main area of the Islamic Centre of Washington - an area ordinarily reserved exclusively for men. "Wooden barriers have to be taken down and women have to be allowed to join, to pray behind the men in the main praying area. That's our request," said Fatima Thompson, an American Muslim who converted to the faith 18 years ago. "We are against gender segregation, against the fact that women are put aside or in a totally different room at the mosque," added Thompson, who led the group of female protestors, all self-identified progressive Muslims. The Sunday protest was the second time women have sought to share the main prayer area at the mosque in Washington DC, after a group of 20 women first

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tried in February. "The general issue we are pushing is gender segregation and the ramifications it fosters. It's not healthy, and not reflective of our society here. It's very reflective of very restrictive, ultra orthodox societies," Thompson added. Their hair covered with headscarves, the group of six women entered the mosque's prayer area via the main door usually reserved for men and walked through to the room where around 20 men had already arrived. Women and children ordinarily enter the Washington mosque, located in the city's embassy district, through a small door hidden behind a screen.

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26

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

Myanmar SC turns down Suu Kyi's appeal Yangon: Myanmar's Supreme Court last week turned down an appeal by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her sentence of 18 months of house detention, which would keep her confined during a general election planned this year, her defence lawyers said. A special prison court handed down the sentence on Aug 11 to Suu Kyi, 64, for breaking the conditions of her previous detention term. It convicted the winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years under house arrest, of allowing US national John Yettaw to stay at her lakeside home and detention centre in Yangon after he swam there uninvited on the night of May 3.

Roundup Egyptian firm to improve rail line from Kenya to Uganda Cairo: The Egyptian firm Citadel Capital plans to invest 150 million dollars (111 million euros) over five years to improve the railway line from Kenya to Uganda. Citadel said it had acquired an effective 17.5 per cent stake in Rift Valley Railways (RVR), which operates 2,000 km of track in east Africa. The rail network connects Kenya's Indian Ocean port of Mombasa to the interior of Kenya and Uganda, including its capital Kampala, but is a century old and has suffered from chronic underinvestment. "Citadel Capital will look to inject more than 150 million dollars in Kenya Uganda Railways over the coming five years," said Karim Sadek, the managing director of the private equity firm, which has investments in Africa and the Middle East worth 8.3 billion dollars. Citadel confirmed it had acquired a 49 per cent stake in the South African company Sheltam, which owns 35 per cent of RVR and won a 25-year concession on the line in 2006, but has so far failed to deliver on promises of investment. Sadek pledged to turn the railway's fortunes around and said Citadel would try to acquire the remaining stake in Sheltam in the future.

Kenya becomes world’s number one tea exporter Nairobi: Kenya has overtaken Sri Lanka to become the number one tea exporter in the world. Latest figures provided by the Tea Board of Kenya shows the country exported 342 million kg to 47 world markets, accounting for 22% of the world tea exports. "We did dislodge Sri Lanka as the leading tea exporter last year and hope we will continue maintaining the same position," said Ms Sicily Kariuki at the Kenya - United Arab Emirates Trade and Symposium at Norfolk Hotel, Nairobi last week. The news is a boost to Kenya and the tea sector in particular, which has in the recent past suffered from vagaries of weather and low export earnings due to a glut in the international market.

Tanzania president vows clean elections Dar-es-Salam: Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete vowed a new election law that would impose tighter controls on campaign financing and improve the standards of this year's polls. He said the new measures were crucial to ensuring the credibility of the legislative and presidential elections due in October. "The whole electoral process... right from nomination of a candidate by a political party to actual election and activities after the polls can all be subjected to legal scrutiny under the new law," he said. "There is evidence that some people spend excessively during the electoral process. The trend is worrisome, with emergence of some people in the country ready to buy their way into leadership positions at any cost," Kikwete said. The 44-million-strong east African country, which relies heavily on donor money, has been criticised over widespread corruption and last year admitted to losing a third of its annual budget through graft and embezzlement.

UAE records rare rainfall Dubai: Rare rainfall has caused traffic jams, car accidents, flooding and school closure in the United Arab Emirates. According to UAE's National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), Dubai recorded a total of 22.2mm of rain, while Abu Dhabi and Sharjah received 43.4mm and 35.6mm respectively. Dadna, a small UAE town north of Khor Fakkan, received the highest rainfall with 63.6mm, while Masafi which earlier reported to have received biggest amount of rain, came a close second with 61.2mm, NCMS said. "Strong north westerly winds kept the cloud moving towards the northern and western region of the country, bursting first in the western region and then in north around midnight," an NCMS official said.

War of words between UN and Sri Lanka Rajapaksa sees Ban move to set up special committee as an interference Colombo: Sri Lanka on Saturday said that the decision of the UN Secretary General to constitute a special committee to advise him on the island nation's accountability issues was unwarranted and the aid agency should not interfere with the internal affairs of any country. In a telephonic conversation with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday evening, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he intended to "go ahead with the establishment of a panel of experts, to advise him," on Sri Lanka's accountability in context of allegation of human rights violations and war crimes. Reacting strongly, Rajapaksa told Ban over telephone "it was both

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Ban Ki-moon

unprecedented and unwarranted as no such action had been taken about other states with continuing armed conflicts on a large scale, involving major humanitarian catastrophes and causing the deaths of large numbers of civilians due to military action." Rajapaksa added that "the implementation of

such an intention would certainly be perceived as an interference with the current general election campaign being held island wide." General election is slated for April 8. Sources in the President's office said Rajapaksa wanted to drive home the point that it was strange that the UN had never spoken about form-

Detained Lankan ex-general starts hunger strike Colombo: Sarath Fonseka, the former Sri Lankan army commander and presidential candidate now being detained in a navy facility, has begun a hunger strike to protest his lack of access to a telephone, his wife announced on Sunday. Anoma Fonseka said her husband was prepared to fast to death. Sarath Fonseka was taken into custody in February after his failed attempt to challenge incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa for the presidency in January. He has been accused of trying to topple the government. The general's decision to launch a hunger strike came after mobile phone service he had used to communicate with his family was discontinued, his wife said. Chief

Sarath Fonseka

Military spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasinghe said that the use of the phone had been a courtesy extended to Fonseka and was not a requirement. Fonseka receives food deliveries from his wife on a daily basis. Meanwhile, evidence against Fonseka has been collected as part of the

military court proceedings against him and is due to be handed over to current army commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya next week, Samarasinghe said. Fonseka was arrested after he fell out with Rajapaksa and contested the Jan 26 presidential election. Fonseka received only 40% of the vote, versus Rajapaksa's 58%, clearing the way for the incumbent to start a second term. Fonseka, who spearheaded the military campaign to defeat the Tamil rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to end a 26-yearold war in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka in May last year, was called a hero by the government when the war ended.

ing special committees on Afghanistan or Iraq, places where conflict is raging for years. Ban's decision to form a panel was told to Rajapaksa the same day UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay repeated her call for an independent investigation into war crimes allegations in Sri Lanka. She stated that human rights abuses in the country were damaging prospects of reconciliation after 26 years of the civil war. Earlier, UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston had urged Ban to appoint an international panel to investigate presumptive war crimes in Sri Lanka. These include the urging of LTTE leaders to emerge with white flags, after which they were executed.

India to open consulate in Jaffna

Colombo: India plans to open a consulate in Jaffna town, an important step to spur New Delhi's efforts in the reconstruction of Sri Lanka's war-ravaged north, the government said. India’s Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao "conveyed that India looked forward to opening a Consulate General in Jaffna. Sri Lanka has agreed to the proposal. The consulate in Jaffna, it is hoped, will promote greater people-to-people contact between India and the Tamil population and spur economic activities in a region that was once the breadbasket of Sri Lanka. The issue was discussed between Rao and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo. India has presently a high commission in the capital Colombo and a consulate at Kandy.

Renewed violence in Nigeria claims 500 lives Acting President Janothon Goodluck ordered army to move in to restore normalcy Abuja: More than 500 people were allegedly killed by Fulani tribesmen in renewed communal violence in the northern Nigerian city of Jos, prompting the government to declare a red alert and deploy troops to prevent fresh clashes. Sunday’s deadly attack is apparently an attempt to avenge the killings of over 200 people in mid-January in clashes between the Christians and Muslims in Jos. Bishop Andersen Bok, an official of Plateau State Christian Elders, said that his organisation has

counted 500 bodies so far. “The dead bodies are still lying in their own pool of blood as I speak. The attack started at about 1.30 am on Sunday night. We are in touch with the survivors though many of them are still in trauma,” he said. He claimed that the militants came from neighbouring Bauchi state and dead bodies could be found in Dogo Nahawa village, where the violence first broke out. “More bodies are being brought in and we cannot give the total casu-

alty figure now because houses were burnt and vehicles were set ablaze too, thereby leading to high number of deaths,” state commissioner for information, Greg Yenlong said. Meanwhile, soldiers are patrolling the tense city after acting president Jonathon Goodluck ordered army to move in to restore normalcy. Media reports said some people have been arrested in connection with the killings. Red Cross spokesman Robin Waubo said although the military had

moved in, hundreds have already fled the region and the number of dead is yet to be verified by the humanitarian organisation. “Forces have been alerted and they are doing everything possible to bring the situation under control,” state Police spokesman, Mohammed Lerama said. Goodluck, who is briefed by Ogbonnaya Onovo, IG of police, had said in a statement: “The country arose in the morning to news of renewed crisis in Plateau State.”


Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

27

Gilani unlikely to meet Manmohan in Washington Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is unlikely to meet his Indian counterpart Dr. Manmohan Singh in Washington, where they are scheduled to attend the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on April 12 and 13. Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Abdul Basit said he is unaware of any such meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the upcoming summit. “I don’t know yet,” The Daily Times quoted Basit, as saying. The focus of the conference hosted by US President Barack Obama is on securing vulnerable nuclear materials and preventing acts of “nuclear terrorism”.

No mention of Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar in terror list Islamabad: Twenty men who allegedly helped plan and carry out the Mumbai attacks, including several Lashker-e-Taiba operatives, figure among the 119 "most wanted" terrorists in Pakistan but the list excludes top leaders of Pakistani Taliban and Jaish-e-Mohammed. The 20 men are wanted in connection with a case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and have been booked under provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, Pakistan Penal Code and a cyber crimes law. They figure in the "Red Book" or list of 119 "most wanted terrorists" that was drawn up by the FIA in October last year with help from provincial police forces. However, the name of JeM chief Maulana

Hafiz Saeed

Masood Azhar

Masood Azhar or that of the top leaders of Tehrik-eTaliban Pakistan do not figure in the list. Pakistani authorities have also refused to arrest LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed in connection with 26/11 attacks, saying there is no evidence against him. Heading the list of 20 Pakistani nationals wanted for the Mumbai attacks is Muhammad

Amjad Khan, a shadowy LeT organiser and facilitator based in Karachi. Others on the list are Iftikhar Ali of Faisalabad, who deposited USD 250 for a Voice over Internet Protocol connection that was used for communications by the Mumbai attackers, and LeT financiers Sufyan Zafar of Gujranwala, Muhammad Usman Zia of Rawalpindi,

US raises doubt over Pak billing, withholds $400m aid Washington: The Obama administration is setting up an audit office in Pakistan to monitor the huge American aid flow running into billions after discovering Islamabad was ripping off hundreds of millions of American tax-payer dollars through fraud and falsification. In the latest instance of Washington's profound distrust of Pakistan despite public noises to the contrary, the Obama administration has rejected claims amounting to around $400 million almost a third of the $1.4 billion Islamabad billed Washington as Coalition Support Funds (CSF) causing much bitterness in Pakistani government cir-

cles. The CSF was created after 9/11 to reimburse purported US allies for their expenses in the war on terror. But Pakistan has been the largest beneficiary of the scheme as it has billed Washington even for its own ongoing war in the frontier region. But auditors and the Congress have questioned Pakistan's billing practice and insisted on a tighter scrutiny of the claims. US insistence that a team of auditors visit Pakistan to monitor the costs and billing led to a spat lasting months in which Islamabad denied visas to the US team and Washington withheld payment for 2008.

The issue was finally resolved some weeks back after Pakistan allowed a limited number of auditors to come in. It now turns out that Washington has cleared only $997 million, rejecting $400 million on grounds like over-billing. Meanwhile, the US has announced that it is going to deliver 1,000 laser-guided MK-82 bomb kits to Pakistan to enable it "strike insurgent targets with greater precision". Washington is also slated to supply Pakistan 18 new F-16 fighter jets later this summer. Some experts feel they are largely useless in the war against terrorists and Pakistan has Indiaspecific use for them.

Pak lawmakers refuse body scan, cut short visit to US Islamabad: A delegation of Pakistani lawmakers refused to subject themselves to a controversial full-body scan at a Washington airport, a media report said on Sunday. The six-member group of the parliament members from Pakistan's restive tribal region cut short their official US visit immediately to return home, the Pakistani Express News channel said. It was the first official delegation that refused to go through the

body scanners since they were installed at 19 US airports last month. Abbas Afridi, the head of the delegation, said the US state department had invited them to Washington to discuss security and development projects in the tribal region, with a promise that they would not be subjected to body scanning. "We were not scanned when we arrived on March 28 in Washington from Pakistan, but on Saturday when we wanted to travel

to another city the authorities told us that we would be scanned," said Afridi.

Muhammad Abbas Nasir of Khanewal, Javed Iqbal of Kasur, Mukhtar Ahmad of Mandi Bahauddin and Ahmed Saeed of Batagram. Seven men, including LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, are currently being tried by an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi for planning and helping execute the Mumbai attacks. Thirty-three of the terrorists on the list are wanted by the FIA and the rest by provincial police forces. They are wanted for various terrorist attacks, including the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, and attempts on the life of former President Pervez Musharraf.

Osama’s close aide arrested

Karachi: Dreaded terrorist Osama bin Laden's close aide and a top Al Qaeda leader was arrested from the outskirt of Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi. Pakistani security forces with the help of US intelligence arrested Abu Yahya Mujahdeen Al- Adam, who was a close associate of Osama Bin Laden and included in the CIA's list of ten most wanted terrorists. Abu Yahy was arrested on Sunday and has been shifted to Islamabad for further investigation, the Dawn News reported quoting sources. The militant was believed to have been living with Osama bin Laden after September 11, 2001 attacks in New York. Pe n n s y l v a n i a - b o r n Abu Yahya is a US citizen and assumed to be a commander of foreign militants fighting in Afghanistan, the report said.

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In focus......... Ex-army men’s hand suspected in Benazir assassination

Islamabad: Investigations into the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto have taken a new turn as Interior Ministry officials have revealed that they are looking for four retired military personnel who had eloped just before the December 2007 killing. According to The Dawn, the officials are searching four out of the eight ex-army officials associated with the main accused in the case Ibad ur Rehman. The four other soldiers are still serving in the army. This is the first time that the investigators are probing into the possibility of army soldiers' involvement in Bhutto's assassination. Meanwhile, the UN commission probing the murder is likely to submit its final report to the Pakistan government on March 31. The commission's findings would be submitted to the US Secretary General Ban ki Moon, and would also be shared with the Pakistan government, a UN spokesperson said.

UN offices seek additional security

Islamabad: The United Nations has requested the Pakistan Government to deploy additional police and paramilitary personnel to guard their Islamabad offices in the wake of two recent terror threats. A letter sent by the UN's resident coordinator in Pakistan to the ministry of foreign affairs identifies 15 offices in different parts of the city that require extra protection, The Dawn reports. According to sources, the agency has suggested that the deployments could be on a temporary basis. In recent months, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry has repeatedly warned diplomatic missions to exercise extra vigilance in view of the security situation obtaining in the country. On their part, the authorities have already enhanced security around the missions.

30 insurgents killed as troops repulse Taliban attack

Islamabad: Paramilitary troops last week repulsed a militant attack on a security check post in Pakistan's restive tribal region near the Afghan border, killing 30 Taliban fighters, a security official said. One soldier was killed and four injured in the pre-dawn gun battle in the Chamarkand area of the Mohmand tribal district. 'Several dozen Taliban who were armed with AK-47 (assault rifles) and RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) weapons raided the post but our men fought very well,' said a senior official from the paramilitary Frontier Corps, which spearheads the fight against Islamist insurgents in Pakistan's northwestern region. The official said the Taliban militants fled the area after a gunfight lasting around two hours, leaving the bodies of 10 fallen fighters behind. ' Taliban managed to take the bodies of 20 other miscreants with them.' The official said the militants retreated to the neighbouring Bajaur district, where the Pakistani authorities recently announced a decisive victory over the Taliban.

Bomb attack on police office kills 12

Lahore: A suicide car bomb attack on a police intelligence unit in Lahore killed at least 12 people and wounded about 65 during on Monday's morning rush hour, officials said. The attack outside a federal police office bore all the hallmarks of an operation by al Qaeda-backed Pakistani Taliban militants seeking to topple the government. The city's top administrator, Sajjad Bhutta, said between 580-600 kgs of explosives were used in the attack. A doctor at a hospital treating victims said the dead included a woman and a child. The blast left a huge crater in the road outside the office of the main police investigation agency, the Federal Investigation Agency, and destroyed the front of the building. The agency in Lahore has been attacked at least twice before. Some angry residents shouted at police as they arrived at the scene in Lahore's Model Town residential neighbourhood.

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28

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

This week Mr Kapil Dudakia, Ex-Ofsted Inspector and Asian Voice columnist, who would speak about the Air India Direct flight campaign as a Chairman of the Taskforce

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500

If you do not have a tv, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Week commences 13th March 2010 ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

To ask questions please call on: 020 8963 1001

For more information e-mail:

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Don't miss !!!

Thursday 7pm to 8pm

Only on CB Live - MATV Sky 793 - Thursday 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Coming Events l St Luke’s Hospice Indian Mela (fair) with lots of Indian themed stalls, selling products and offering taster sessions. Organised by St Luke's Hospice on Saturday 24th April 2010 Venue: Claremont High School, Claremont Ave, HA3 0UH Time: 11am until 2pm Entry fee: £2.00. For more information or to have a stall at this event contact Kate on the details below Kate Gammell on 020 8382 8096 or email kgammell@stlukes-hospice.org, www.stlukeshospice.org l UK Charity launchMusic Concert by Sonal Shivkumar at Bhavans, 4a Castletown Road, London W14 9HE, 14th March, 2010 at 6.30 pm, Contact: 020 7381 3086/4608 giving reference of “Help Smile Charity Concert” l The Essence of Krishna featuring Hariprasad Chaurasia with Alarmel Valli Presented by the Lions of Moor Park in association with Asian Music Circuit in aid of The Chain of Hope. Saturday 17 April, 7.30pm, Cadogan Hall,

London, SW1X 9DQ Contact: 020 7730 4500 l Simply Rahat presents Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Tour 2010, Fri 19th March, Palace Theatre, Manchester 7.30pm, Contact: 0844 847 2275* (booking fee applies) www.manchesterpalace.org.uk Sat 20th March, Royal Festival Hall – South Bank Centre, London, 7.00pm, Contact: 0844 847 9910, www.southbankcentre.co.uk Sun 21st March, De Montfort Hall, Leicester, 7.00 pm, Contact: 0116 233 3111, www.demontforthall.co.uk Mon 22nd March, Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 7.30pm, Contact: 0121 780 3333, www.thsh.co.uk l Shaadi.com – Desi Cupid Events, Singles Salsa Networking & Desi Bash After Party Friday, 12th March 2010, Venue: Rumi Bar – London, Contact: 02074878399, www.desicupid.com 2. Desi Cupid Events, Speed Dating for Professionals, Wed 17th of March 2010 Venue: LVPO Bar – London, Contact: 02074878399, www.desicupid.com Gujarati Speed Dating & New Blood 2010

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Music After Party, Friday, 19th March 2010 Venue: Sway Bar & Lounge – London, Contact: 02074878399, www.desicupid.com 3. Desi Cupid Events, Hindu Speed Dating, Tue. 23rd of March 2010 Venue: Mustard Bar Contact: 02074878399 www.desicupid.com 4. Shaadi.com – Desi Cupid Events, Muslim Speed Dating – London, Wed. 24th March 2010 Venue: TBC, Contact: 02074878399 www.desicupid.com l Sai School of Harrow is celebrating Non Violence Day 11.00am, Saturday 27th March Contact: www.saischool.com l Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple presents Mothers Day on Sunday 14th March, 2010 from 3 to 5.30pm, Shiv Ling Rudrabhishek from 1pm to 2.30pm, Cowley, Middlesex UB8 2DX. Contact on 07882253540 l Sainsbury’s Sport

Relief Mile in London on 21st March 2010. Contact: www.sportrelief.com l The Lions Club of Hadley Wood in association with the Asian Foundation For Help is organising a Charity Mehfil, Saturday 10 April 2010, Cavendish Banqueting Hall, Colindale, NW9 5AE. Contact: ali@dewood.co.uk or 07712-563254 l Mother India Weekend 9-11April by THSH. Contact: 01217803333 or visit www.thsh.co.uk Arun Ghosh Sextet, Friday 9th April 5:307pm Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Fri 9th April 7pm Mid Day Mantra Sat 10th April 1-2:30pm Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan with Matthew Barley, Saturday 10th April 7:30pm Mother India21st Centure Remix, Sun 11 April, 7:30pm

Amazing predictions

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The pattern of significant relationships in your life will continue to favour you. It seems that a great deal of mutual benefit will accrue because of various interactions. The underlying trend indicates that deep creative energies are stirring within you and that seemingly insignificant events will play a vital role in the future.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 A great deal will depend on how you organise your priorities this week. This does not mean that you will have to compromise your ideals but you may be obliged to realise that sometimes a more flexible approach is needed. This week stick doggedly to familiar routines and avoid all distractions where possible. GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Opportunities abound, so make the right choices. You should enjoy a popular phase in your life where everyone wants to invite you to parties. This will give you a chance to meet people and pursue any romantic liaisons. There will be excesses associated with splashing out on luxury items which sometimes we do not really require.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 Make a very conscious attempt to stick to main priorities. Organise your time so that it is not taken up entirely by the demands of other people. Ego confrontations with family members are possible now, but the best way to handle this energy is to do your best to strengthen your relationship with your family and your home base. LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 You’re likely to receive insights into where everything is going and this may shape your life for months to come. Leos can look forward to advancing both personal and professional ambitions from now onwards. There are opportunities to expand your sphere of operations and you and a partner could really go places. VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

You should enjoy a very popular phase in your life where everyone wants to invite you to parties. This will give you a chance to meet people and pursue any romantic liaisons that might present themselves. Your communications are extremely high making it easy to close those lucrative deals.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 Saturn continues its journey through your sign, lending its support for you to redefine your sense of self. It’s an exciting, expansive time, when you should find it easier to be who you are and do what you want : you may be surprised by just how far you can go. This is a tremendously exciting time for you. SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There is likely to be a powerful incentive to do what remains to be done and tie up loose ends. SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

Much enthusiasm goes into professional ambitions right now, but you need to be your own boss in many ways. You will be more determined to place your lifestyle on a foundation of greater security. Taking a broad perspective on the prevailing cosmic pattern, farreaching change begins to gather momentum.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

A wind of change may be in the air; attention should turn to the wider world and benefits come from broadening of horizons and mental stimuli. This is an opportune time to go ahead with your plans. All things considered, your health should be robust. The more you live up to your own set of principles the more you’ll gain.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 The powerful combination of planets in your chart throws a significant light on material concerns. The cash situation continues to be rather erratic. However, problems can be avoided if you can keep everything well organised. However, there are indications of favourable changes and developments in the areas of career and employment. PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

You will feel energetic and confident as the week begins. Your thinking is inspired, so listen to your thoughts. This may be a time of expansion and improved opportunity and it would be unwise to let yourself become complacent. A good time for restructuring and rethinking your aims and interests.


time

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

C R O s s W O R D - 78 1

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Across Takes by force Going one better than Driveway-like Prize Presenter Catalog customer Soprano Renata Short-llived’20s car Indisposition Glitters In an early stage of

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development Worked undercover Zest Trucnk of the body Future rocks Jazz pianist Thelonious Figwort family member Slmmin’ Sammy Chatoyant gemstone Sealed like files

sCRAMBLE - 50

Rearrange the letters in the four word jumbles, one letter to each square/circle, to make four ordinary words FNXII

How to play

Now arrange the letters in the circles to form the answer to the riddle or to fill in the missing word as indicated

EHTNT AERRsH ABNRYW

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Taking it easy Beatty and Buntline Spanish cubist Repack for reshipping Gossip column bits Stocking material Hart or stephen “The Simpsons” voice Reflection Diplomatic agent Sawyer or Lane Pronounces an initial H Northwestern pine Toweled off, again Scatter Lunar aspect Separates Sushi wrapping Bath’s river New age pianist John Gymnast Korbut Partially carbonized moss 53 Caen’s river 54 Mach+ jets

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Seek respect mainly for thyself, for it comes first from______.(6)

solution of scramble - 49

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“Peter Pan” Pirate Memo phrase Clampett and other pub servings Gordon jump on “WKRP...” Short trousers Saw-toothed edge Hand-dyed fabric “The Seven Year Itch” co-star Tom Natural Paintbrushes Crossing the Arctic Circle

Solution of Crossword-77 D

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LOOP THE LOOP - 50 Rules Connect adjacent dots with vertical or horizontal lines, creating a single loop. (Fig A). Crossovers or branches are not allowed 3 3 2 (As shown by dotted lines in Fig B). 2 3 2 3 Numbers in the puzzle indicate the 2 3 1 number of lines that should 3 2 2 surround it, while empty cells may 2 2 be surrounded by any number of 3 1 3 0 1 lines. You can’t draw lines arround 2 zeroes. Each puzzle has just one unique solution. How to begin: Example (Fig A) - Begin with the zero next to 3. Since no lines can be drawn around zero, mark crosses around it, as shown. Now there is a cross in one space around 3. So we know the three lines of 3 can only be drawn in the remaining three spaces. Next these lines can only be extended in one direction each. Continue, using the same Solution of LTL No. 49 logic. x x Hints: Keep elimix x 2 x 1 2 x nating possibilix x x x ties by marking x x 2 crosses in x x x x spaces between x x x 1 1 x 1 x 2 x dots where a line x x x isn’t possible, x 3 x 1 x i.e., if you have x x x already complet3 x 0 x2 x 3 x ed required lines x x x x or where a line x 3 x 2 extension may x x x x create a branch x x x 2 1 x 2 or cause a deadx x end (Fig B)

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mathematical operators to make a total of 576

Words: Glade, flier, curtsy, Hedger. Answer:Laughter is an instant vacation.

WHATZIT? - 78

solution of 77 : 6394

sPELLATHON - 78

Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters.

sudoku-78

Today’s Ratings: 03-average | 04-good | 05-outstanding How many words of four or more letters can you make from the letters shown in today’s puzzle? In making a word, each letter may be T T used once only. Each word must contain the U central letter. There should be at least one E seven-letter word. Plurals, foreign words and s proper names are not allowed. British English A Dictionary is used as reference. solution of spellathon - 77 : kite, knit, rink, risk, sink, sinker, skein, skier, skin, skirt, skit, stink, STINKER, strike, tinker, trek gate, GESTATE, sage, stag, stage

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In hot water

Example

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Sollution-77

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The numbers in the pink squares refer to the sums of the digits that you must fill into the empty spaces directly below or to the right of the pink square containing the number. For instance, in the given example, the 2 boxes below 12 must contain 2 digits that add upto 12, whereas for 20, the 3 boxes places horizontally next to it must add upto 20. No zeroes are used here, only the digits one through nine.

solution of KAKURO - 77

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KAKURO - 78

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HOW TO PLAY Each row, column and square 3x3 box is a subgrid of 9 cells. Fill in the grid so that each sub-grid contains the digits 1 to 9. Every puzzle has one solution. Note:

A digit cannot appear more than once in any particular digit combination. For instance in the example, we cannot have the combination of 8+4+8 for 20.

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HEALTH WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

Vitamin pills 'are useless within a week of opening' Vitamin supplements stored in a kitchen cupboard could become useless in just one week because of the humid environment, experts said yesterday. Even keeping products in bottles with lids might not stop the pills degrading. Food scientists found that crystalline substances - including vitamin C, some forms of vitamin B and other dietary supplements - are prone to an irreversible process called deliquescence. It means that at levels of high humidity found in kitchens and bathrooms,

essential nutrients can simply dissolve into the air. Lisa Mauer, associate professor of food science at Purdue University, Indiana, advised storing powdered supplements in very dry areas. She said: 'You might see salt or sugar start to form clumps, and that's a sign of deliquescence.' The process can cause chemical instabilities in products, the professor said, adding: 'If ingredients dissolve they will decrease the quality and shelf life of the product and decrease the nutrient delivery.' And containers with

lids don't always prevent deterioration. Professor Mauer said: 'Opening and closing a package will change the atmosphere in it. If you open and close a package in a bathroom, you add a little bit of humidity and moisture each time. It depends on the conditions. It depends on the formulations. Within a very short time - in a week - you can get complete loss of vitamin C in some products.' She published her research in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and said signs of supplements going off include liquid in their

containers or brown spots on capsules. Professor Mauer added: 'They're not necessarily unsafe but why take a vitamin if it doesn't have the vitamin content you're hoping to get?'

Sunshine and your immune system A spot of sunshine doesn't just lift your spirits, it also boosts your immune system. Research shows that vitamin D, made when our skin is exposed to sunlight, plays a key role in activating white blood cells that protect the body from flu, food poisoning and even cancer. Without the 'sunshine vitamin', the cells do not join the fight against disease. Vitamin D, created when skin is exposed to the sun, can help protect the body from disease The discovery could

help in the development of vaccines and ways to combat auto-immune diseases and cancer. It is well known that vitamin D is vital for calcium absorption and bone health and some studies have suggested it has an anti-cancer effect. But scientists had not realised what a crucial role it played in the immune system. A series of laboratory tests showed that the vitamin triggers dormant white blood cells into turning into 'killers' that seek out and destroy infections. Other white blood

cells turn into 'helpers' that enable the immune system to build a 'memory' of the infection, allowing it to mobilise more quickly on the next encounter. Researcher Carsten Geisler, of the University of Copenhagen, said: 'If

the T-cells (white blood cells) cannot find enough vitamin D in the blood, they won't even begin to mobilise.' The discovery, documented in the journal Nature Immunology, could shed new light on conditions caused by immune system malfunctions, such as multiple sclerosis and organ transplant rejections. Although vitamin D is found in foods such as oily fish and eggs, most of that found in the body comes from sunlight exposure, and many of us simply do not have enough.

Lemon grass fights headaches Native lemon grass has the potential to relieve headaches and migranes, researchers say. Griffith University (GU) researchers Lyn Griffiths, Darren Grice and Kelly Rogers have proven that lemon grass plant Cymbopogon Ambiguus may be as good as aspirin. "Headaches and migraines cause abnormal activities in our bodies such as altering our serotonin levels and interfering with the normal function of our blood platelets," said Grice of the Institute for Glycomics. Platelets clump together for wound repair, but they can also form life-threatening internal clots, starving the brain of oxygen and causing strokes. "We tested extracts of

the plant on human blood platelets and one fraction showed strong biological activity. It was caused by the compound eugenol in the native lemon grass plant, which is a significant find as the compound showed similar activity to aspirin. The compound inhibits platelets clumping together and the release of serotonin," said Grice. Serotonin regulates mood, appetite, sleep, muscle contraction and some cognitive functions including memory, said a GU release. "Nature's medicines hold enormous potential to cure health problems and traditional medicines are a source of good leads for new scientific discovery," Grice said. These findings were published in the latest edition of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Why frozen vegetables are fresher than fresh Frozen vegetables can be more nutritious than supposedly fresh supermarket produce, a study has found. Fresh vegetables can lose up to 45 per cent of important nutrients by the time they reach the dinner table. Time spent in storage, in transportation and sitting on the shelves means it can be more than two weeks from the vegetables being picked to being eaten. By contrast, produce frozen close to the point of harvest maintains a higher level of many vitamins and nutrients. Eighty per cent of shoppers believe the fresh vegetables sold in supermarket are less than four days old. In reality, they can be up to nine days old when they arrive, and remain on the shelf for a further four. Including the time these vegetables are stored at home before being eaten, these 'fresh' items can be more than 16 days old. The study found that in these circumstances green beans can have lost up to 45 per cent of nutrients, broccoli and cauliflower 25 per cent, garden peas up to 15 per cent, and carrots up to 10 per cent. The study on the loss of vitamins and nutrients

Green beans lose 45 per cent of nutrients in the 11 to 15 days it takes to reach the dinner table, while broccoli typically has a 25 per cent nutrient loss

was conducted by the Institute of Food Research on behalf of frozen food giant Birds Eye. The key nutrients the vegetables contain are vitamin C and glucosinates, which are said to block the development of cancer. Birds Eye claims its Field Fresh range of frozen garden peas contains up to 30 per cent more vitamin C than fresh equivalents, and its green beans contain up to 45 per cent more than fresh. Nutritionist Dr Sarah Schenker said: 'The nutritional content of fresh vegetables begins to deteriorate from the minute they are picked. This means that by the time they end up on our plate, although

we may think we're reaping the vegetable's full nutritional benefits, this is often not the case.'

Healthier for you: The frozen vegetable aisle in a supermarket


Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

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Faulty referral forces a draw on India in the last pool game SA placed fifth, India to play for 7/8 place play off in Hockey World Cup South Africa held India to a draw in their fifth and final pool matches, helped by a faulty referral that disallowed a goal for India. The two teams ended at 3 – 3 with Shivendra Singh sounding the board to equalise on Monday just a few minutes before the final hooter. India earned the 4th spot in the pool, ahead of South Africa (5th spot) with 4 points each. Australia and England have made it to the semi finals, while Spain took the third spot in the pool. Pakistan ended up at the

bottom – on 6th spot. The hosts will now face the fourth placed team of Pool A for the seventh-eighth play-off match on Friday. In the earlier games, India could register just one victory – in the first match against Pakistan, while it lost three subsequent games against Australia, Spain and England. England win a close game, India edged out of semi finals England dashed any hopes that India had to make it to the semi finals of the World Cup Hockey

Indian Hockey players react as India's chances of qualifying for the semi-final is dashed after losing to Spain on Thursday last week.

on Saturday, 6th March, as they won a close game 3 – 2. The home team first conceded all the three

goals. Later, they tried to make a spirited fight, but were held at just two goals. England, the European

Davis Cup: NZ have security fears playing in Pakistan New Zealand wants their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania zone semi finals against Pakistan to be hosted in some other country, as they have security concerns over the terrorist attacks happenings in that country.

A Tennis New Zealand (TNZ) official last week said they would like to have the tie moved to a neutral venue. The encounter is scheduled to be played in July. TNZ events and operations manager Tracy Hall

said they had approached ITF (International Tennis Federation) in December 2009 itself, when the draws were held. ITF had than said the situation will be reviewed only after New Zealand and Pakistan win their

first rounds and move ahead. Last week, New Zealand beat Sri Lanka 3 2 at Colombo. Pakistan on the other hand has said it will not allow the event to be shifted out of the country.

Trouble on for Mohd Asif as Veena wants money back Pakistani model, actress claims she helped the cricketer when he had no other support Mohd Asif, the Pakistani cricketer seems to have unending troubles, be it his cricket or personal life. Now, his ex girl friend, TV actress Veena Malik has demanded that Asif should pay back Rs. 300,000 that she had given him. This demand came up after the two decided to part ways and Asif got married to a girl that his family chose for him. Asif was facing charges

of having drugs on him and was banned. In those troubled times, Veena said she supported the fast bowler emotionally and also financially. Asif, according to Veena had promised her that he would return the money to her when things get improved for him. She went on to say that Asif also proposed marriage on Valentine’s Day this year, but she

that I had prowanted to purposed to her is sue her career for not correct. next two years, The actress hence she alleges that refused. After “Now that his that, Asif recently married a situation is better Lahore girl, he is trying to Hina. avoid meeting his The cricketer commitment but Veena Malik however has said I want my money he agrees that back, it is my Veena supported him a lot, hard earned money. I will but all this talk of she havnot hesitate to take him to ing given me money and court,” she said.

Kapil gets the ICC Hall of Fame honour India had created history at the Lords in 1983. Kapil Dev was the skipper of the Indian team that beat West Indies in the final of the World Cup to become the World Champions. Kapil became a legend in the world of cricket. He has now got a major recognition, as ICC inducted him into the Hall of Fame on Tuesday, 9th March. David Morgan, President of International Cricket Conference presented Kapil a commemorative cap at the ICC HQ in Dubai at a special func-

cials and invited guests were present. A delighted Kapil Dev said, “I am proud and happy to have been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. It’s amazing to think that I have been picked as one of Kapil Dev gets a commemorative cap the greats of from David Morgan Indian cricket.” tion organised for the purKapil Dev is one of the pose. Clive Lloyd, former greatest pace bowlers and skipper of West Indies and all rounders that India has also another member of produced. He made his the Hall of Fame, ICC offidebut in 1978 against

F1 racing gets another Indian driver in Karun Chandhok After Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandhok is set to become the second Indian driver to participate at the Formula One racing. He has been inducted by Spain based HRT. The F1 racing season starts in Bahrain soon. Karun Chandhok will

partner Brazilian rookie Bruno Senna. India will be

making its debut at the F1 race calendar next year, as the circuit is under construction near New Delhi. Chandhok has previously partnered Senna, nephew of the late triple world champion Ayrton, in the GP2 support series.

Pakistan and played for India for 16 long years. He scored a memorable, unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup. That match and Kapil’s innings, in fact turned out to be the turning point for India. Kapil’s Devils, as they came to be known later, never looked back. They dashed the dreams of West Indies to register a hat trick of world cup titles.

Champions, while almost eliminating India, secured their semi final berth, as they have maintained an unblemished record, winning all their four games. Spain too beat India 5-2 Going down to Spain with an identical margin of 5 – 2, Indian challenge in the World Cup Hockey was on the verge of being wiped off on Thursday, 4th March, as they lost the third encounter. Little hope was left for the hosts to get their place in the semi finals. Spain led 2-0 at halftime and added three goals

after the break to brush aside their defeat to Pakistan in their previous encounter. OZ thrash India 5 – 2 in second game After a sound victory against neighbours Pakistan on Sunday in their opening game on 28th February, India lost to Australia in their second game of the Hockey World Cup. The match, played late on Tuesday, 2nd March was almost a one sided affair, as the Australians dominated through the game, beating India 5 – 2.

English Premier League Matches Saturday, 13 March Birmingham v/s Everton St. Andrews Ground 15:00 Bolton v/s Wigan Reebok Stadium 15:00 Burnley v/s Wolverhampton Turf Moor 15:00 Chelsea v/s West Ham Stamford Bridge 15:00 Hull v/s Arsenal Kingston Comms Stadium 17:30 Stoke v/s Aston Villa Britannia Stadium 15:00 Tottenham v/s Blackburn White Hart Land 12:45 Sunday, 14 March Man Utd v/s Fulham Old Trafford 13:30 Sunderland v/s Man City Stadium of Light 16:00 Monday, 15 March Liverpool v/s Portsmouth Anfield 20:00 Tuesday, 16 March Wigan v/s Aston Villa D W Stadium 19:45

World Cup Hockey at a glance Match Date Group Match Results No. 01 Feb. 28 B Spain beat South Africa 4-2 02 B England beat Australia 3-2 03 B India beat Pakistan 4-1 04 March 1 A New Zealand beat Canada 3-2 05 A Germany – S Korea (draw) 2-2 06 A Netherlands beat Argentina 3-0 07 March 2 B England beat Sough Africa 6-4 08 B Pakistan beat Spain 2-1 09 B Australia beat India 5-2 10 March 3 A Germany beat Canada 6-0 11 A South Korea beat Argentina 2-1 12 A Netherlands beat New Zealand 3-1 13 March 4 B Australia beat South Africa 12-0 14 B England beat Pakistan 5-2 15 B Spain beat India 5-2 16 March 5 A New Zealand beat South Korea 2-1 17 A Netherlands beat Canada 6-0 18 A Germany beat Argentina 4-3 19 March 6 B Australia beat Spain 2-0 20 B South Africa beat Pakistan 4-3 21 B England beat India 3-2 22 March 7 A S. Korea beat Canada 9-2 23 A Argentina beat New Zealand 1-0 24 A Germany - Netherlands (draw) 2-2 25 March 8 B Spain beat England 2-0 26 B Australia beat Pakistan 2-1 27 B South Africa - India (draw) 3-3

World Cup Hockey – Points Table (matches played upto Monday, 8th March) Team Netherlands Germany South Korea New Zealand Argentina Canada

Played 4 4 4 4 4 4

Won 3 2 2 2 1 0

Australia England Spain India South Africa Pakistan

5 5 5 5 5 5

4 4 3 1 1 1

Group A Draw Lost 1 0 2 0 1 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 Group B 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 3 1 3 0 4

GF 14 14 14 6 5 4

GA 3 7 7 7 9 24

Points 10 8 7 6 3 0

23 17 12 13 13 9

6 12 8 17 28 16

12 12 9 4 4 3


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Asian Voice - Saturday 13th March 2010

OZ back to winning ways on NZ tour

England thrash B’desh 3 - 0

Visitors take 2 – 1 lead in the ODI series

Australia has it seems, got back to the winning ways. After losing a T20 and also the first ODI, they beat New Zealand in the 2nd and the 3rd ODIs to take a 2 – 1 lead in the ODI series. Brad Haddin scored his best in ODIs, his second century for the visitors on Tuesday at Hamilton, as Australia thundered past the home team with a 6 wicket victory and more than 2 overs to spare. At Seddon Park, Ponting made 69 and combined with Haddin for a matchwinning 151-run partnership that justified Ponting's rare decision to send New Zealand in. New Zealand just managed 245. Haddin loves batting against the Kiwis; his both ODI hundreds and his first Test century have come against them, and in all three forms of the game he averages 52.06 against New Zealand compared to an overall career mark of 34.55. Haddin's timing was exquisite, his shots effortless. Shane Bond missed a tough return catch when Haddin was just on 8 and that proved too costly. It was the HaddinPonting partnership that proved decisive. Ponting's half-century came at near-

Luke Wright's late-innings charge lifted England over 280 at Chittagong on March 5

Adam Voges and Cameron White shake hands after guiding Australia to victory at Hamilton on Tuesday

ly a run a ball, though it was a supporting role. Vettori and Bond got respect while Styris and Mason were targeted by the two Australians. They knew that Vettori's bowling options were limited and the only wicket in the first 30 overs was the runout of Shane Watson for 15. There was little assistance for Australian bowlers on a good batting surface, yet New Zealand struggled to make the best

of the opportunity and slipped to 55 for 3. Five of New Zealand's top six made scores in the 20s to 40s and Ross Taylor was the only man who went on to score a halfcentury, although even his 62 was short of what it could have been. The top-order should have stayed at the crease longer. Brendon McCullum (23), Martin Guptill (21) and Neil Broom, who laboured to 24, missed their chances.

{Brief scores: 3rd ODI: OZ - 248 for 4 (Haddin 110, Ponting 69) beat NZ 245 (Taylor 62, Johnson 3-41, Harris 348) by 6 wickets. 2nd ODI: OZ - 273 for 7 (Hussey 56, White 54, Haddin 53) beat NZ 253 (Vettori 70, Johnson 4-51) by 12 runs (D/L method). 1st ODI: NZ – 281 for 8 (Taylor 70, Styris 49*) beat OZ 275 for 8 (Hussey 59, Tuffey 3-58) by 2 wickets}

England in Hockey World Cup semifinals Spain beat England in the last pool match 2 - 0 On Monday, Spain halted England’s victory march in the pool games. England lost their last encounter 0 – 2, though this defeat did not mean much as England have already secured their spot in the last four stage. Spain scored a goal each on either side of the breather. In the earlier matches, England beat India 3 – 2 on Saturday, while on Thursday, they defeated Pakistan 5 – 2. On Tuesday last week, they had won 6 – 4 against South Africa, while in the first game, they had registered a 3 – 2 win against the mighty Australians.

England's Ashley Jackson collides with Spain's Miguel Delas during the International Hockey Federation (FIH) World Cup 2010 field hockey match in New Delhi on Monday

As expected, England completed a whitewash of hosts Bangladesh in the three match ODI series. In the last game at Chittagong on Friday, newcomer Craig Kieswetter recorded his maiden century, as England piled up a challenging 284 for 5. The home team, after winning the toss and asking the visitors to bat first, failed to chase and ended up at 239 for 9, losing by 45 runs. Craig Kieswetter's innings laid the foundation for Eoin Morgan and Luke Wright to play aggressive cameos, as they boosted England's total beyond the reach of Bangladesh. Kevin Pietersen was circumspect against the slow bowlers when he first came to the crease. Just as he began to play with confidence he was pinned lbw for 22 by Razzak, despite his full forward lunge, as his struggles against leftarm spin continued. Paul Collingwood also struggled for his 36, but Kieswetter gained in confidence with every run, and brought up his fifty in the 33rd over. He opened up after reaching the milestone and accelerated towards a hundred. Morgan made the most of several lapses in Bangladesh's fielding, being put down twice as he raced to 36 from 29 balls. He put on 67 in just over eight overs with Kieswetter as the pair matched each other shot for shot to take full toll of anything loose after

England took the batting Powerplay in the 44th over. The hosts' run chase was soon in trouble. Debutant Ajmal Shahzad struck for England with his third ball in one-day international cricket - just as he did against Pakistan on his England Twenty20 debut in Dubai last month - to have Tamim well caught by Tim Bresnan at third man as he slashed hard at the ball. Imrul Kayes briefly threatened to counterattack. Mushfiqur Rahim and Aftab Ahmed came together after Kayes departure and both hit their strides quickly, running hard and putting away any loose balls. They added 56 as Bangladesh's chase began to gain momentum. Later, as Rahim and Shakib fell after making good starts and the asking rate soon climbed towards ten an over. As victory came increasingly remote the run chase fizzled out with Naeem Islam and Mahmudullah soaking up 85 balls between them for 51 runs and Bresnan hastening the slide with a career-best 4 for 28. {Brief scores: 3rd ODI - England 284 for 5 (Kieswetter 107) beat B’desh 239 for 9 (Aftab 46, Rahim 40, Bresnan 428) by 45 runs. 2nd ODI: England 261 for 8 (Morgan 110*, Cook 60, Shakib 3-32, Razzaq 352) beat B’desh 260 for 6 (Rahim 76, Kayes 63, Bresnan 3-51) by 2 wickets}.


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