AV 13th February 2021

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE Love in the time of Corona

Brexit transition: Is your business ready?

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‘My pride does not walk before me’: Priyanka Chopra

Absence of ‘NRI season’ dampens spirit of industrial leaders

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

STUDENTS’ CRY FOR HELP

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13 - 19 FEBRUARY 2021 - VOL 49 ISSUE 40

inside: Census 2021 allows voluntary gender identification SEE PAGE - 7

International students urge universities to halve exorbitant tuition fees and relying on charities for survival as they battle financial, mental and emotional distress

UK’s first ever Yoga Union formed to fight abuse in the sector SEE PAGE - 15

31 killed in Uttarakhand glacier disaster SEE PAGE - 26

The UK’s No.1 Property Auctionee er

Rupanjana Dutta and Priyanka Mehta Hundreds of thousands of international students are rendered helpless, destitute and estranged as they survive the coronavirus pandemic on meagre ends with increasing reliance on essential food and medicines donated by charities and community organisations. Financial distress has not just impacted their academic results but clamped down on their emotional and mental well-being as they cope through depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. While some are requesting that the universities halve their academic fees at a time when they have practically not availed campus facilities, others are still job-hunting for any and all available part-time jobs in a bid to pay-off their tuition fees and rent.

22-year-old Shivangi Sharma, is studying for her Master’s degree at the University of Bedfordshire.

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While she was able to apply for a £500 hardship fund from the University, other students who have not paid their tuition fees in full have not been fortunate of the same. Speaking about how SEVA (Serving Together For A Better Future) Trust UK, helped her with ration kits during the pandemic, she said, “There is a national lockdown in the UK and the funds and savings that we had got with us were all spent in the first two-three months of our arrival on rent and food supplies. Continued on page 6

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13 - 19 February 2021

with Keith Vaz

Fashion giant causes concern for Leicester-based suppliers

Shaun Bailey Shaun Bailey was born in a council house to British Jamaican parents and raised by a single mum. He was homeless in his twenties and struggled to make ends meet. But he managed to turn his life around - and he spent twenty years as a youth worker helping others do the same.

Since then, he has been an adviser to Downing Street, helping to deliver the largest youth programme in British history. He has been an adviser to the Department for Education, helping to expand access to the Army Cadets for schools across the country. And now he is the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London.

It’s fair to say that he is not a typical politician. But that’s a good thing. Because after five years as a Member of the London Assembly, Shaun has seen how Sadiq Khan is failing our city. And he is determined to give London a fresh start.

Which place, or city or country do you My whole ethos is about bringing peomost feel at home in? ple together. So I’ve been extremely grateLondon has always, and will always, be ful for the opportunity to meet Londoners where I feel most at home. My grandmothfrom different communities, faiths and er was a Windrush immigrant who came to backgrounds. Londoners have taught me a London in search of a better life. huge amount. And I hope to use their expeLondoners welcomed her as one of their rience and knowledge to build a safer, fairown – and I’ve always felt grateful for the er, more affordable city. opportunity to grow up here.

And the worst?

What are your proudest achievements?

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Family is the most important thing in my life. So my proudest achievement is marrying my amazing wife Ellie, and being a dad to our children Aurora and Joshua.

Outside politics, I’m extremely proud to serve as an Honorary Colonel of the Royal Fusiliers, with responsibility for Cadets.

What inspires you?

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The activism and determination of the younger generation to initiate change.

Their passion to challenge the status quo is an example to us all – and they inspire me to work harder for a safer, fairer, more affordable city.

What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

During my twenties, I went through desperate periods of homelessness, sofasurfing as I relied on friends to give me a roof over my head. The stress was unbelievable, knowing that if a friend was not there, I’d have to spend nights on the streets.

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

The late Barron Hulme. He gave me the encouragement, confidence and push to become a youth worker. I want every young Londoner to have someone like Barron in their life.

What is the best aspect about your current role?

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Having to work with individuals who play politics and blame others for their failures, rather than taking responsibility for their actions.

What are your long-term goals?

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Becoming the Mayor of London and giving London a fresh start. I want to build a city that works for ordinary Londoners. A city that recovers from coronavirus with safer streets, affordable homes, a transport network fit for a global city and a lower cost of living.

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

I wouldn’t be! But in this fantasy scenario, I’d build the homes that Sadiq Khan failed to build. We need a city and a country that everyone can afford to live in. And I do not need to be Prime Minister for that.

As Mayor, I will build 100,000 homes to be sold at £100,000 each.

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

I have to choose two: Dr Martin Luther King Jr. He gave everything for the emancipation of people of colour, and fought to bring people together. And Edward Cardwell, whose reforms of the British Army changed the trajectory to one of merit rather than birth.

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6 University faces heat for proposals to drop English language The University of Leicester has been facing the heat from academics, students and external examiners over its proposal of considering cutting subjects such as English after a "drop in demand", and in an attempt of “decolonising the curriculum”.

Instead, the University, appears determined to focus on ethnicity, sexuality and diversity, an idea rejected by a number of academics and students. Some like Professor Isobel Armstrong, a fellow of the British Academy, has also reportedly returned her honorary doctorate from the university in protest.

Nishan Canagarajah

The Leicester branch of the University and College Union (UCU) said Prof Armstrong made her decision "in protest at the egregious attack on the integrity of English at Leicester and the attempt to eradicate

1,000+ years of language and literature from the curriculum".

In her article for the Times Higher Education, Dr Shazia Jagot, who studied at the University of Leicester, said the proposed changes could actually directly impact on the education of BAME students.

She wrote, “The idea of culling whole periods of literature is absolutely antithetical to the twin goals of diversifying and decolonising English as a discipline.

What happens when you remove the opportunity for students, particularly black and ethnic minority students, to read Beowulf,

Online fashion giant has reportedly demanded that their Leicester-based suppliers bring all clothes-making work in-house, either buying out or cutting ties with sub-contractors causing concern among some about how they will pay to hire new workers and rent space.

Boohoo has reportedly given these suppliers a deadline of 5th March to stop using outside labour following recommendations of last year’s Alison Levitt QC report which investigated concerns about worker welfare during the pandemic.

The report, published in September, said Boohoo had "capitalised on the commercial opportunities offered by lockdown" but took no responsibility for the consequences for those making

the clothes they sold. It further recommended that "within six months Boohoo should reduce its approved suppliers to a list which contains a manageable number of companies, ideally without reducing capacity" with "the goal of reducing and ultimately eliminating subcontracting."

According to the BBC, the company said all of its suppliers in the city must "bring all finished goods manufacturing in-house".

In a statement to the BBC, the company said, "As we state in our letter to suppliers, the boohoo group is committed to growing our business in a more sustain-

able and transparent manner. Working with suppliers in a more strategic and sustainable way, is a key part of our partnership approach to improve transparency, efficiency and accountability," the company said in a statement to the BBC. "One of the key recommendations from the Alison Levitt QC review was to consolidate our supply chain. Supporting suppliers to bring their CMT units inhouse shortens our supply chain and is just one of the ways that we are helping them to build stronger more sustainable businesses that can thrive." The company declined to comment on what help would be offered

by Boohoo for suppliers to manage this change if they are struggling financially.

Family urges young people to stay at home after untimely death of Leicester graduate The family of a 32-year-old man has urged young people to stay at home and follow Covid-19 guidelines following the untimely demise of Faizan Shahid.

The Leicester University graduate reportedly had no previous health problems but died from coronavirus last week. According to his family, the father of two young children, was healthy and stuck to all the lockdown rules. According to local media reports, Faizan first developed a temperature and a cough and his condition deteriorated about seven days after the symptoms appeared.

Initially, he appeared to be

improving, but his condition took a sharp turn for the worse. His 29-year-old wife, Samiya Iqbal, reportedly called for an ambulance that took him to Queen’s Hospital in Burton where he was taken straight to the Intensive Care Unit.

In a statement to Leicester Mercury, his brother-in-law, Zain Iqbal, said, "We were all extremely worried for his health and praying for the best but we had hope that he would recover as he was a young and healthy man.

Unfortunately, his age didn't help him. Faizan had moved to England eight years ago in which he stud-

ied hard for his masters in electrical engineering, with hopes to start a successful career, alongside working as a part time taxi driver to support his family.

His family, still devastated and in shock, also released a joint statement, which said, "We, as a family, want to take this opportunity to emphasise to everyone, the severity of this pandemic and how it is extremely crucial to follow all government guidelines. Please stay home and stay safe. Don't go taking liberties."

Faizan Shahid is survived by his 29-year-old wife, and two children, aged five and seven.

Temporary mortuary re-opens at Birmingham Airport On 6th February Saturday, a temporary mortuary has reopened at Birmingham Airport in a bid to ease pressure on hospitals after the recent increase in Covid-19 cases.

The facility, which can store up to 1,500 bodies, initially opened in April but closed in September as deaths from coronavirus reduced. But as hospital admissions have Chaucer and Milton?”

Under the restructuring, the English department will not teach medieval literature due to "a drop in demand from undergraduate and postgraduate students in recent years". If adopted, the changes would also mean the university discontinuing BA English with English language, and MA English Language and Linguistics. The university said it would instead offer "a range of modules which are excitingly innovative", such as modules on race, ethnicity, sexuality and diversity and provide a "decolonised curriculum".

risen again, officials have decided to reopen the hangar to help the NHS. The decision will be reviewed on a weekly basis. The airport site will be used by eight local authorities in the West Midlands and Warwickshire, with support from Birmingham Airport, West Midlands Police and Warwickshire Police.

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13 - 19 February 2021

Does UK need a political party to run NHS? Boris Johnson is planning a radical renovation of NHS England, according to leak documents, as he reverses controversial privatisation policies that were introduced by former Prime Minister David Cameron.

As per the draft white paper, the government is planning to reduce the role of the private sector in NHS England and give the health secretary greater control. NHS Improvement, a healthcare spending monitoring agency, will also be scrapped and incorporated into NHS England.

The NHS is one of the few totally publicly funded healthcare services in the world and since 1948 has treated and saved the lives of millions and millions of people. Each one of those patients was treated on a basis of their need rather than their ability to pay. Post Brexit, Mr Johnson has been organising a greater control of our several sectors. But with greater control comes greater responsibilities. The question remains is the government ready for that? In the meantime, Liz Truss, UK’s Secretary of State for International Trade and Shri Piysuh Goyal, India's Minister for Commerce and Industry met on the weekend to discuss the India - UK trade and investment relationship. They were joined by the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry from India, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri.

Discussions were carried out on the entire range of bilateral trade and economic relations in a spirit of mutual understanding of each other’s priorities and trade sensitivities. Both Ministers reiterated their commitment to long term India-UK partnership and agreed to deepen trade cooperation between the two countries through an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP). They also reviewed progress in removing market access barriers on both sides and ongoing cooperation in response to Covid-19.

UK is unarguably on the right track, building its relationships

with important nations, brick by brick. But there are issues at home that the Prime Minister needs to address immediately.

This pandemic has shown how vulnerable our NHS is- monetarily and infrastructurally. When the government should have been protecting frontline staff with PPEs, tests and necessary vaccinations, the public was asked to protect them instead.

Community organisations (many Indian), temples, gurdwaras, mosques, churches came forward to buy basic food and PPEs for these healthcare workers. The government has made relentless cuts to the NHS funding over the years. Will this centralisation of power in the hands of the Tory party, be essentially the right model for us? Let’s pause and think.

Also let us look at New Zealand, as the British government grapples with its current round of reforms. New Zealand has a dual health system- with those who are unable to pay and those with insurance, guaranteed quicker access to specialist care provided in the private sector. Perhaps this the right approach for us too? Saying no to privatisation is not always the right answer.

The times are hard, the country is undergoing a painful loss of lives and crippling medical system with lack of basic infrastructures. We are also much more conservative in treatments, though our sciences are more liberal.

We need money, we need more trained and skilled staff. We also need a system that ‘worships’ equality, inclusivity and condemns ‘institutional racism’ in practice and not just theory. Ten months have passed, with reports claiming institutional racism has led to life losses. We are still losing 1000 people a day.

Politics was never meant to control. It was meant to distribute power and decide collectively for greater good. It was also meant for learning ‘in-time’ lessons, especially from our previous mistakes. Let’s hope Mr Johnson does not make a rookie one!

Democracies in danger Democracies around the world are in danger of succumbing to capitalist autocracies, communist dictatorships, or repeated foreign interferences. It is not just the “third-world countries” who are prey to the dangers around cyber warfare, breach of surveillance and sophisticated spycraft. The two-pronged increasing Chinese and Soviet aggression is a cautionary note for firstworld countries such as the UK and USA. China inveigles poorer countries into taking out massive loans to build expensive infrastructure that they can’t afford and which will yield few benefits, all with the end goal of Beijing eventually taking control of these assets from its struggling borrowers. It is an age-old story: one country trying to wield its power and influence into another. History recalls Britain has imposed its colonial education across the “third world countries” in the camouflage of “civilising” them through the East India Company. China is practically following a similar formula.

Beijing pushed Sri Lanka into borrowing money from Chinese banks to pay for the project, which had no prospect of commercial success. Onerous terms and feeble revenues eventually pushed Sri Lanka into default. Eventually, Beijing demanded Port Hambantota as collateral, forcing the Sri Lankan government to surrender control to a Chinese firm. Kenya, Zambia, or Malaysia are in a similar boat and to that effect, one might even say Bangladesh. Pakistan is already seen by many as a Chinese colony. In the 21st century, this is explained as China’s debt-trap diplomacy. But in the process, China has perhaps banked too much on the failures of democracy yielding fruits in her favour especially if one considers the deepening ties of Myanmar’s with the Soviets. While the military runs riot in Myanmar, as it stamps out democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi and arrests other NLD leaders, Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has cultivated deeper military ties with Moscow to avoid dependence on

China, Myanmar's largest weapons supplier. Russia has also used its diplomatic muscle with China to insulate the Myanmar junta from international rebuke, blocking condemnation of the coup by the U.N. Security Council. While this may be a reprieve for countries such as India, it is not good news for western democracies largely the USA and UK who have until recently assumed the high moral ground of restoring democracies across the Middle-East and southeast Asia at the expense of emptying their “coffers”. And now, they are concerned that Russia and China are quite doing the same? Diplomatic hats would advocate that it is the classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Where China and Russia cannot manoeuvre or manipulate the countries by portraying themselves as the ultimate “messiah”. They deploy the old trick of spy intrusion in a spin-off to Britain’s divide and rule order. While Vladimir Putin may be tentatively stepping down as Russia’s longest-serving President, he has cultivated a coterie of KGB spies in the guise of Russian oligarchs and bureaucrats who are snooping into British and American politics. Germany, Poland and Sweden declared a Russian diplomat in their country “persona non grata,” in a pushback to Moscow’s expulsion of European diplomats in support of Alexei Navalny. In late 1986 the US under Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev the Soviet Union carried out tit-for-tat expulsions over several weeks. But the UK needs to be more cautious than allowing temporary expulsion of diplomats considering the previous frostbites around Sergei Skripal and the Russian dossier which highlighted how Soviet-origin Britons contributed as much as £3 billion to the Conservative Party.

While the Russians, unlike the Chinese, Qataris or Kuwaitis don’t practically own Canary Wharf, Westminster would be cautious of the British democracy being disguised into capitalist autocracy.

BJP trying to broaden its geographical reach The upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry are crucial for BJP and a test on its strategy to broaden its geographical reach and build an all-India image. The aggressive footwork underway in West Bengal and Assam to get dominance in the East and its increased posturing in South point to a party determined to attain a pan-India presence. The year 2021 is going to be important as this is the year before 2024 where the party is going to get the opportunity to add more and more states to its support base.

Prime minister Narendra Modi and BJP president JP Nadda toured Bengal last week to drum-up support for the party. PM Modi said that only BJP could ensure real change in the state and attacked the Mamata Banerjee government of being just a reincarnation of the Left Front which had “helmed a rebirth of violence, corruption and attacks on democracy.” The BJP is also doing everything to claim the legacy of Netaji Subhas Bose by promising new infra projects and new jobs – to make the lotus bloom in Bengal. The party has seen a steady stream of TMC leaders join its ranks in the last few months. It is facing a problem aplenty now. After former TMC ministers Suvendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee switched sides, the party has potentially solved its problem of lacking charismatic Bengali faces. Earlier, BJP was hoping to cash in on Saurav Ganguly's charisma. But he fell ill and that idea did not materialise. Mamata is worried about the migration of many party leaders to BJP, but she is keeping a brave face.

PM Modi during his visit to Assam unveiled a slew of development projects worth over one billion pound. The PM Modi will also visit Tamil Nadu and Kerala to draw support for BJP. In

Tamil Nadu BJP was hoping to draw Rajinikant's support after the launch of his party. But he abandoned the idea after he fell ill.

Now the BJP is hoping to have an understanding with Sasikala who has been released from prison recently. But the present crop of AIADMK leaders are not keen to have any truck with her. In Kerala BJP's presence in the assembly is just one member. The party is finding it difficult to have an understanding with UDF or LDF in the state. Its support is limited to some pockets only.

Despite PM Modi's hard-selling the contentious farm laws for months, its potential political cost appears to have weighed high in the government’s considerations to resort to a tactical retreat. Pressure from RSS, apprehension of ceding space to Congress in Haryana, and risk assessments in the poll-bound states appear to have prevailed over the BJP to buy peace with agitating farmers, with an offer to keep the laws in abeyance for a year and a half. But the farmers are not willing to accept the government's offer. The prolonged farm agitation had put the BJP-JJP (Janata Jannayak Party) alliance government in Haryana staring at the prospects of Congress plucking off vulnerable MLAs from the ranks of the deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala-led outfit. Within the BJP, it is being observed that Congress is gaining back the support base of the Jats in RohtakSonipat regions. Even if farmers weren’t up in arms in the pollbound states, BJP was wary of a possible dent in support. The RSS is learnt to have also been cautious of reports about growing anger against BJP in Punjab. The Akali Dal withdrew its support to the government. Shiv Sena also deserted. Now Shiv Sena is planning to contest elections in West Bengal which may divide the Hindu vote which the BJP is also hoping to bank on.

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.

– Albert Einstein

Alpesh Patel

Farming Hate and Division Of course, social media is a place for division and hate. Rarely do you see anything else, sadly. One numpty MP decided unemployment was Rishi Sunak's fault - as if he hadn't spent enough.

She obviously knew she won't paying the national debt back in any fair sense. The same MP decided violence in India is all one sided against farmers.

Presumably one morning the Hindu hating PM of India got up and thought, right, which religion are most farmers - Hindu - let me make any farmer laws then.

No, he hates India - He's Anti-Hindu, Anti-Nationalist PM, so he thought, let me starve India.

Sorry for the sarcasm. But one Twitter person summed it up perfectly when I asked 'why are the 99% other farmers from India not protesting? After all 25-30% of Indian GDP is agrarian and I do recall seeing some farms in Tamil Nadu, and in Andhra, and Kerela.

The person replied, 'the farmers feel they will be worse off'. Perfect. Feel. So we are to run economic policy on feelings not on economics. Which made me realise, some people would rather be poor and feel happy than wealthier and feel they may not be happy with more money.

Of course, the problem is in a few Indian states, subsidies led to middlemen robbing farmers of their fair trade prices. It led to inefficient farming practices. In the 1700s, some British MPs want to romanticise that for political gain, children in Britain write letters (the height of radicalization for ideology and tantamount to child abuse). In contrast, India wants to move to the 21st century.

If you can cripple that part of India's economy, you can hold her back. Feed the farmers with misinformation, destroy the nation. Hold back the country.

Of course, India's problem is it's hard to fight emotional feeling drummed up by rabble-rousers who admit it is feelings of fear, with dry arguments about economics and law - trust me I have degrees in Law and in Economics and zero emotions left.

You always have to carry the people with their hearts not just their minds.

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13 - 19 February 2021

Harrow MP pays tribute to Indian diplomat killed by JKLF On Saturday 6th February, Conservative MP for Harrow East paid his homage to an Indian diplomat reportedly killed in Birmingham by Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), a secessionist organisation banned in India.

Bob Blackman tweeted, “Today we remember the murder of the young #Indian diplomat #RavindraHareshwarMhatre who was kidnapped on 3rd February 1984 in Birmingham by #JKLF. They demanded a ransom of £1 million & he was

Poster of Ravindra Mhatre. Picture Courtesy: Bob Blackman, Twitter

then murdered on 6th February 1984. #RIP #OmShantiOm”.

Posted in India’s consulate in Birmingham, 48-year-old Mhatre was

kidnapped by elements owing allegiance to a Kashmir-based militant group on February 3 and body was found in nearby Leicestershire two days later. Three people were convicted and jailed in Britain. Later documents released by the UK’s national archives reportedly disclosed that the West Midlands police had provided locations of the three suspects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, but officials in Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs (MFA) stonewalled UK efforts to apprehend them.

Diaspora unites against Sri Lanka’s “religious war against Tamil Hindus” The Federation of Saiva (Hindu) Temples UK issued a public statement against the Sri Lankan government’s seizure of Hindu Temples to build Buddhist Viharas.

The statement encouraged Tamils and Hindus all over the world to unite and fight against Sri Lanka's “religious war against Tamil Hindus,” the Tamil Guardian reported.

Nigel Adams, the UK Minister for Asia at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development, has consistently raised red flags against Sri Lanka's curtailment of religious freedoms including that of forced cremations.

Muslim Council of Britain has also been actively campaigning against this policy, one which has been internationally condemned as a violation of Muslim religious rites.

Now, according to Federation of Saiva (Hindu) Temples UK, by using the Department of Archaeology to siege historical Hindu temples and

build Viharas in their places the Sri Lankan government has essentially declared war against Tamil Hindus.

The statement referred to an incident at Kurundurmalai Adi Iyanar Temple in Mullaitivu last month where a Trident was pulled out and replaced with a Buddha statue, followed by a ceremony held by monks and State Minister Vitdura Wickramanayaka.

The federation’s statement noted, “This act has caused acute pain and consternation among the Hindu Tamils. Tamil leaders have strongly condemned this act as a blatant attempt to Buddhistise the traditional habitat of the Tamils.”

The federation linked the “Buddhistisation” to the Sinhalisation of the North-East and the government’s attempt to colonize the Tamils’ “traditional habitat.”

The excavations of another temple in Kumulamunai were described by the federation as being done “under

the guise that they occupy Buddhist sites.”

The statement, signed by Mr M Gopalakrishnan of the Federation of Saiva Temples UK, further warned that the appointment of the Archaeological Heritage Management Task Force, put in place to dislodge and shut-down Hindu temples, has energized Sinhala nationalists.

Member of the Archaeological Heritage Management Task Force Ven. Ellawala Medhananda has said the team has identified 2,000 sites as being of Buddhist heritage.

The federation called this an “ominous threat not only to Hindu places of worship but also to lands belonging to Hindu Tamils.”

The federation of temples has urged for Hindus worldwide to unite and stop the large-scale Buddhistisation and colonisation in the “virtual holy way” declared by the Sri Lankan state.

Islamic Relief cleared of anti-Semitism charges The UK’s largest Muslim charity has been cleared off all allegations of institutional antisemitism in an independent report. Islamic Relief UK had stopped receiving government funding after controversy around social media posts of two trustees and a senior member of staff.

According to Dominic Grieve, the former Conservative attorney general who led the independent review, Islamic Relief Worldwide, a global organisation with an annual income of about £130m, was a “highly effective charity” performing “crucial humanitarian work around the world”.

In his review, he noted, “We found absolutely no evidence that the reputational issues that have arisen over the conduct of a few individuals has had

any link to the way IRW carries out this charitable work.

“On the contrary, the charity has made a lot of effort to ensure there isn’t antisemitism, and I saw no evidence of it among staff whatsoever.”

The Times had earlier disclosed that Tayeb Abdoun, network and resource development director, had been tweeting antisemitic material under an alias, but the charity had acted swiftly to deal with the individual. Abdoun, who had worked for the charity for more than 25 years, was forced to tend his resignation. A few months earlier it was revealed that two trustees had posted antisemitic comments on social media before they were appointed. A new board of trustees was appointed soon after-

wards.

As a result of the disclosures, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) suspended its funding of the charity, along with the German and US governments.

Dominic Grieve’s report makes 19 recommendations to improve the charity’s governance, including more non-Muslim and independent trustees, a better gender balance in the organisation, updating its code of conduct and developing a new personal social media policy. Since August, IRW’s board of trustees has consisted of three women and four men, but its board of directors – the most senior staff – are all men. IRW said it was committed to fully implementing the report’s recommendations.

Places of worship struggling against permanent closure Some places of worship are struggling against permanent closure because of financial strains posed by coronavirus.

Hindu, Muslim and Sikh organisations have repeatedly raised concerns about a dramatic reduction in their income with some small temples in Southampton, Crawley and Wales now being on the verge of closure.

Places of worship have been unable to celebrate religious events as usual and

most of them usually depend upon on contributions made from in-person visits or from philanthropic donations made by community members. Under normal circumstances, the Shree Ram Mandir receives £7,000 on the week of the religious festival of Diwali.

However, according to reports, due to the imposition of the national lockdown in November last year, the temple received only £1,500. Such deep deductions often make it difficult

for the maintenance of these places of worship besides the upkeep of their staff.

Similarly, the Sikh Council UK also revealed that all member Gurdwara Sahibs have reported an annual fall in income of between 50-75% in 2020. According to the Council 60% of members have expressed concerns that they do not have enough reserves to see them through another six months

of lockdown. The Council's survey results further note, 94% of members reported a major decrease in annual income and 50% were unaware of available support. Most Gurdwaras rely on donations and payments for wedding and prayer services.

What creates pressure on you?

Rohit Vadhwana Very few of us can say they are not under any kind of pressure. They are lucky or intelligent to thwart pressure completely.

It seems today's lifestyle has many pressure points - reasons to create pressure. Some of them might be unavoidable, but if we analyse properly, most of the reasons for creating pressure on us are avoidable, easily.

While checking on her social media, my wife sees photographs of a family friend, visiting hometown, and feels we are stuck in lockdown. It's a pressure taken voluntarily but is completely avoidable. Possibility of being in a different situation makes us consider our current situation is inferior. Till the time we have seen another person's situation, we are happy on our own. But as soon as we know, others are different - not necessarily better - situated in life, we feel we would be better placed in that way.

I drive to the office, and at a traffic signal, a roaring sports car stops beside mine. I realise my car, although quite good for me, is much inferior to that beautiful beast.

Is it a necessary pressure I take in my mind? I would have loved the beautiful box on four wheels that I own, but as soon as I see someone else's is shinier, louder or bigger, I take unnecessary pressure on my possession.

You get an email circular from the HR of your company, mentioning your colleague has been promoted to the next level. You know it will give him a 15% raise in salary.

Your pay is not reduced, but jump in your colleague's pay creates unknown pressure in your mind. You are neither demoted nor have got any salary cut, but comparing other's progress with yours leaves you under unexplainable pressure. It is also called peer pressure, where we constantly see ourselves in undeclared competition with the surrounding people.

Such situations of comparison and inferiority are vicious and never-ending. One can never satiate such thirst. The only way to come out of such a situation is either not to fall into it or to make a rational assessment.

Not to slip in that comparison requires Buddha’s mind, which we might not possess. But coming out from there is a simple process of asking a few questions to ourselves:1. Before the comparison, was I unhappy?2. If I put myself in that desired situation, will it be the end of my peer pressure?3. If I don’t get the other car, or promotion or cannot visit hometown or vacation place, will it affect me or my family in any adverse way?There can be a set of such questions that we can prepare, but in my opinion, it is enough to know, this is avoidable pressure and unless we have a desire to jump into a race, better not to burn out.

So, ask yourself: What creates pressure on you? And see if it can be avoided or reduced or removed.

(Expressed opinions are personal.)

Neasden Mandir opens vaccination centre On Wednesday 3rd February, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in

heroic effort that is saving lives. It will save your life when you have the vaccine

Priti Patel MP with Neasden Temple trustees Sanjay Kara (left) and Jitu Patel - Credit: BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha

Neasden opened a new vaccination centre to aid the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines being administered by the National Health Service (NHS).

Home Secretary Priti Patel visited the centre, at the premises of Swaminarayan School opposite the temple, and hailed the local community's "heroic effort" which will help save lives.

She tweeted, "It is a

and it will save the lives of other people, too."

The home secretary has been leading a drive to counter reported reluctance within the country's ethnic minority communities about taking up the vaccine.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also expressed concerns around "vaccine hesitancy" among these communities and stressed that people should have confidence in the life-saving jabs.

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6 UK

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STUDENTS’ CRY FOR HELP Continued from page 1 “There are no part-time jobs and I did not have resources to survive. I could not have approached my parents for help because their business has been heavily impacted by the pandemic.

We contacted local UK charities such as SEVA Trust and Go Dharmic who helped us with regular hot meals.

Currently, my friend is struggling to pay his tuition fees.

He requested the University to accept small instalments of £200-£300 based on the amount he earns from his part-time job. But the University had been urging that he pay bigger instalments of £600-£800 which is difficult to accumulate during these times. SEVA Trust intervened and Cllr Charan Sekhon spoke directly with the University’s Deputy Chancellor and resolved our hardships.”

In the 2018-19 academic year - the last for which figures are available - overseas students accounted for 20 per cent of those studying in UK higher education, with people from outside the EU paying annual fees of between £14,000 and £20,000. Many have come together to feed the international students, who otherwise have had no recourse to public funds or hardship funds through universities.

While their parents in India or elsewhere pay fee in advance or in instalments but for day to day running expenses, they are usually earned by students through part-time jobs, as they don’t have huge savings. There were 485,600 overseas students at UK universities in 2018-19, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, with 343,000 from non-EU countries such as China and India. In 2019-20, 35% of all non-EU students were from China and it continues to be the biggest source of international enrolments, with 141,870 students representing a 56% increase over five years since 2015-16. The 55,465 students in UK higher education in 2019-20 from India is up from 16,890 in 2015-16 – representing a 228% increase over the five years, and is a further increase on the 42% hike witnessed in 2018-19.

But experts predict that the number is likely to decline this year owing to uncertainties around the pandemic.

SEVA Trust UK provides ration kits and help accessing hardship funds When the pandemic started, with the first lockdown, the Indian community put their strengths together to fund and feed youngsters, but over time and with Vande Bharat flights being operational, they naturally thought that the situation has normalised or improved.

But as courses finished and new international students arrived in September, prob-

Councillor Charan Sekhon

lems started resurfacing, especially with UK’s longest lockdown that paralysed the nation.

SEVA Trust UK over last 11 months fed more than 650 Indian students. Cllr Charan Sekhon from the charity told Asian Voice, “We are an educational charity. We have done a lot of work in Bedfordshire and in India.

“This year due to pandemic, our management decided to feed the starving kids. When the first lockdown started, we organised a foodbank. On 25 March 2020 we started food hub for international students as unlike home students they could not go back to their families. Most of them had lost their part-time jobs, which was their main source of income. There are a lot of university accommodations that do not have common kitchens or facilities in the rooms. Students there depend on accommodation canteens or mess or restaurants, and they came to a standstill within 48 hours.

Without these and no income, the students living on their own, were left without food.

“We contacted three universities around Bedford, and they had no idea or system in place, with people working remotely. So, we set up a dedicated food hub and that was carried on.”

SEVA has put together parcels, that would last students from two to four weeks and they can request for a top up. The members and volunteers bought essential items in bulks from supermarkets with donations from members of the community and organisations.

“When students find a part-time job, they stop taking these parcels. We have three types of parcels. Most have 10 - 15 items including tinned food, bulk rice, spices (for those who have kitchens but no means to buy food), pasta, atta, tea bags, coffee, snacks, toilet papers, handwash and other essentials.

People have been so generous. Lot of individuals came forward, including Indian women groups, to help and we did not have to actively crowd fund.”

The charity does not invite any students to the storage area to ensure safety.

Volunteers go to the students with food parcels after they have been contacted via social media, website or phone calls.

“We do an initial screening to understand the situation with students,” said Cllr

Sekhon. “We look at their university ID number, their official email and course name. Then we go and deliver the parcels to their doorstep. We have even provided hot food in occasions.”

But why are universities still bringing international students over, when they cannot support them?

“There is a mixed picture,” said Cllr Sekhon.

“Some have worked very hard once we have made them aware that there is a problem with students.

Some universities have put together additional help through emergency or hardship funds.”

Originally hardship funds were not available to international students, because they were meant to be self-reliant and self-sufficient financially, according to the Home Office. But as situation worsened, students’ body like NISAU and organisations like SEVA Trust UK urged them to extend the aid to interna-

Sanam Arora

basis, as we don’t have resource to tackle it. Lot of students have also suffered in silence in absence of any help.”

But praising the community effort, he said, “The Indian High Commission put together a list of charities and community organisations who are helping Indian diaspora and students, and we could recommend many students to local charities/organisations using that list. 50-60 organisations came together along with the High Commission and created a WhatsApp group too.

Queries are posted in there, and we have been able to help each other through that.

SEVA Trust UK delivers food parcels to students’ doorsteps

tional students as well.

Cllr Sekhon said, “We argued that the circumstances have changed. These students who had a lot of money set aside, have no longer access to that. Some of the students’ parents have lost jobs or businesses in India due to the pandemic.

The top up income through part-time jobs have gone too.

So, we told the concerned universities that you must consider helping these students financially. Some have not only given hardship funds to these students but also provided laptops to study from home. They have also taken on board recommendation to give students staying at university accommodations rent breaks. On the other hand, some universities have been very harsh, threatening to report students to Home Office if they failed to pay rents. So, we got in touch with those universities too and explained the situation and tried to resolve the issues.”

However, there are many students who haven’t had any such assistance. Cllr Sekhon said, “We cannot take things on case-by-case

“I have also used the list by referring students, since we work in Bedfordshire only. There are many charities that work in London and some students, while remote learning, have moved to London, looking for parttime jobs, and this group helps.”

London mosque-based charity helping students Among other such organisations helping these students is the Newham Community Project, a London mosque-based charity providing food to over 1300 students every week.

Elyas Ismail of the Newham Community Project told the newsweekly, "We started last year from Ramadan. We decided to help and make and distribute meals on Iftar. We started with 20-30 meals a day.

Within a week we had students who were asking for help - basically for food. So, within one month, towards the end of Ramadan, we were giving out meals to approximately 800 students a day.

“Honestly, when we first met the students, they were in terrible shape. Because of the lockdown, everything

was shut. The universities were closed. There was nobody to answer the phone calls or reply to their emails.

For many of them, it was their first-time outside India, they were hardly 19-20 years old. Some even had suicide thoughts. You know what the saddest part was?

Although they had no other support here, universities used to send them generic emails about ‘you need to pay your fees’. Some of the emails that we saw were awful.

“At the end of Ramadan, we were going to stop distributing food, but we just decided to carry on. Since then, we have been giving them a week’s supply of food every week. We give them rice, oil, pasta, bread, eggs, chocolates and cereals. We give them cooked meals as well when they come. At the moment, we are helping 2000 students a week. It’s getting worse. The longer the lockdown continues, they won’t get part-time

Elyas Ismail

work and no money to pay their fees or rent. We’ve met students who we’ve put in hotels, helped them in getting accommodation. It’s just heart-breaking.

“Half-an-hour ago I met a student who turned 19 recently. He’s an undergraduate student. He was in a bad shape. I had tears in my eyes.

He said my dad is a farmer and they have borrowed £10,000 to pay his fee. He needs about £30,000 over three years! He wants to go back home because he can’t find work here. He looks up to me as a father. A lot of these students have lost hope.

When asked about donations, and how he has supported the students for so long, Elyas added, “We had no grants from the government. It’s all from the community. We want to carry on.

We will carry on. At the end of the day all our shops are completely empty, and we refill it every day. If 10 months back someone would have told me that we would be serving 2000 students, I wouldn’t have believed them."

When it came to coordi-

Shivangi Sharma

nating with the students during Covid-19, National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK was the first to start helping out. The Union has over 60 WhatsApp groups and a good presence on social media, and they were able to coordinate with the students easily to help them out through the pandemic. A 360 model of support was put up, including help with food and disseminating critical information.

Sanam Arora, Founder and Chairperson, NISAU told us, “We think an assurance from the Home Office that students will not be penalised for changes to their financial situation that are leading to them needing help, will go a long way.

“NISAU’s 7-point recommendation to the Universities UK: 1. Proactive communications from all universities ensuring students know of the support that is available.

2. Ensure international students are eligible for hardship funds at their university.

3. Introduce a cross-sector and government student protection scheme for international students with input from students and key representative bodies.

4.

Universities to exercise extreme compassion when dealing with students who are unable to pay their fees on time due to economic impacts of Covid - including care that communications do not inadvertently lead to fear and distress 5. Immediate access to basic food supplies by the university - vegetarian where necessary - without students needing to provide proof of a lack of funds.

Such proof can follow during the longer administrative process but must not stop emergency food provision.

6. Temporary removal of the usual position of no recourse to public funds during a pandemic to facilitate emergency support.

7. Home Office assurance that in the current exceptional pandemic circumstances that students will not suffer adversely if they request financial support - explicit no detriment to visa status due to changes in financial circumstances.”

(Additional reporting by Shefali Saxena).

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in brief ENFIELD COUNCIL PARTNERS WITH LONDON MAYOR TO COMBAT FUEL POVERTY Residents in Enfield who own their own properties are being invited to solar power their homes to make them more energy efficient. Enfield Council has partnered with the Mayor of London in an initiative called Solar Together, to help residents save money on their electricity bills, by installing solar panels on their roofs that will generate clean electricity.

From 15 February until 23 March, residents will be able to register their interest for the Solar Together London group-buying scheme. Homeowners can register for free and without obligation online by providing details about their roof, such as its size and orientation.

A supplier “auction” will be held on 23 March, when Solar Together’s suppliers will bid for the work. The more residents that register, the better the deal for each household. From 12 April, householders who have registered their interest will be contacted with a personal recommendation, based on the specifications of their roof which includes costs and a solar panel. If accepted, the winning supplier will contact the householder to survey their roof and set an installation date. Solar Together will then ask for a £150 deposit which is conditionally refundable. All installations are planned to be completed by the end of October 2021.

Solar panels are a good investment as householders will be less reliant on energy suppliers. They will also be helping to reduce CO2 emissions and support a sustainable future through increased generation of renewable energy.

Cllr Guney Dogan, Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability at Enfield Council, said, “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Solar Together and the Mayor of London on this fantastic initiative, that will benefit homeowners by reducing their energy bills. I would encourage residents who are interested in this fantastic opportunity to register their interest as soon as possible. Solar panels on roofs are a great way to reduce environmental impact and will help us to become a net-zero carbon borough.”

Census 2021 allows voluntary gender identification Census will help government better safeguard “brown” and “queer” South Asians suffering from racism and double isolation within their communities Priyanka Mehta In a first, the 2021 census being conducted across the UK barring Scotland will allow people to identify themselves with their gender.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published a voluntary question which asks if an individual's gender identity is the same as their legal sex, and if not, then asks them to enter what it is. It must be noted that these questions are voluntary and for people aged 16 and over only.

Discussions around gender identification and sexual orientation within Asian households are frowned upon even whilst staying in a progressive country such as the UK. Stigma, taboo and racism have most often resulted in double isolation for the “brown” and “queer” in the pre-dominantly white British society. Organisations such as Naz and Matt Foundation, Hidayah and Birmingham South Asians LGBT have urged South Asians to have active discussions around these subjects with their family members. Yet, many members of the LGBTQ+ community choose to live “closeted” or “double lives” out of the fear of ostracisation and abandonment. Stonewall ranked role models such as Hafsa Qureshi besides others like Mohsin Zaidi, barrister and author of ‘A Dutiful Boy’, have regularly supported young South Asians wary of “coming out” to the community. But many are believed to be living “hidden” lives without any help from such support networks. In 2016, the UK's forced marriage unit heard from at least 30 LGBTQ+ people who were being ordered to have a heterosexual wedding by their families. Yet there is no concrete data to quantify those rendered helpless. Through their participation in the 2021 Census, there is optimism that government can design policies around mental, emotional and physical well-being that can safeguard the South Asian LGBTQ+ community.

Government operating in vacuum A spokesperson for ONS said, “Three years of evidence gathering by the ONS to inform the 2021 Census showed that there is

Brent Council hands out laptops to pupils home schooling Brent Council and Higgins Partnerships are delivering computer equipment to primary schools in the Stonebridge area. Stonebridge and Our Lady of Lourdes primary schools have received a selection of tablets and laptops to help pupils with home schooling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Brent Council awarded Higgins a £22 million contract for the redevelopment of the Hillside and Milton Avenue sites as part of the redevelopment of Stonebridge back in September.

Higgins will design a selection of 51 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, and 22 four-bedroom town houses, a selection of which will be wheelchair adaptable. This will provide homes for 73 families who are presently overcrowded or in temporary accommodation.

There will also be a retail unit with new public open space linking the two sites. The public space will feature hard and soft landscaping with a new playground and outdoor gym included, and a series of bridges over the existing canal feeder that runs through the sites.

Councillor Eleanor Southwood said: “Supporting Stonebridge residents as we deliver new affordable homes and thriving local spaces in their neighbourhood is a core commitment. We’re always keen for our

contractors to give back to Brent’s communities and I’m grateful to Higgins for this wonderful initiative to help local schoolchildren access home schooling and digital learning. I’m looking forward to working with the Stonebridge community as we progress with this development.”

Sophie Allen, Headteacher at Stonebridge Primary School said: "Ensuring all our pupils have access to the Stonebridge School online offer has been one of the biggest challenges this lockdown. The five laptops donated will ensure even more of our pupils are able to continue with their learning on appropriate devices through accessing the live lessons and learning platforms that we are offering as a school. We really appreciate the donation of this crucial equipment to support our pupils continued education."

a clear need for this information at both a national and local level. While there are estimates of sexual orientation at a national and regional level, it is not possible to produce robust estimates for all local authorities.

There is no robust data available on gender identity. These data are needed by local authorities and service providers to inform the provision of services and to monitor their effectiveness.

“Without robust data on the size of the LGBT population at a national and local level, decision-makers are operating in a vacuum, unaware of the extent and nature of disadvantage which LGBT people may be experiencing in terms of health, educational outcomes, employment and housing, and unable to design and monitor the effectiveness of policies to address this.

Low recruitment levels in the Armed Forces Run by the ONS, the census is a once-ina-decade survey that provides an accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception

of 1941. This year Census day is March 21, with results available in 2022, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years, kept safe for future generations. This year, in another first the Census will field a question asking people if they have served in the Armed forces. It appears at a time when there has been some concern about low recruitment levels within the British Armed Forces. The Daily Mail recently reported that Ministry of Defence’s’ “Infantry Battalion Soldier Strength Summary – January 2021” showed the prestigious Scots Guards, which has a working requirement of 603 troops, had just 339 soldiers available for operations.

This is in alignment with The Guardian report of 2019 which disclosed that the British army faced a recruitment crisis, with frontline combat units operating as much as 40% below strength after a steady decline in the number of soldiers in infantry regiments.

Commenting on the subject, the ONS spokesperson said, “There is a new need to understand numbers, locations and age ranges of our armed forces community for central and local government, and charities that work with veterans and their families, to target resources and expertise where they are most needed to meet their commitments under the Armed Forces Covenant.”

The census, taking place on 21 March 2021, will shed light on the needs of different groups and communities, and the inequalities people are experiencing, ensuring the big decisions facing the country following the pandemic and EU exit are based on the best information possible.

8 COMMUNITY

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Indian families are complicated, but love is not - Navin Kundra

Navin Kundra

Shefali Saxena

B

ritish singer-songwriter Navin Kundra has been quietly using his music to heal and entertain people globally and he continues to do so even in the pandemic.

Speaking to Asian Voice Navin said, “Before the pandemic struck, I would go into care homes and perform. It was something I did out of charity and I found it very rewarding.” However, after the

LOVE in the time of Corona

Love in the time of Corona has been rather tough over the past one year in the pandemic. The virus may require social distancing, yet, it has indeliberately confined people within the four walls of the house, which has come as a boon to many. Ahead of Valentine’s Day Asian Voice tried to explore the stories of and about love in the time of Corona.

AMEET AND PRIYA

lockdown happened in the UK, he decided to go online and perform for everyone on his show, Saturday Night Live.

Kundra told us that he has also merged with the NHS at the moment now for a campaign. He said that he is working with BAPIO, where he’s trying to spread the magic and healing power of music to as many people as possible.

Elaborating his experience of performing at care homes, he said, “There’s a misconception that people in care homes like a specific kind of music.” During the lockdown Navin’s method of preparation and research has evolved thanks to one on one engagement with fans during live performances via digital. “It has turned me from being a passive artist to being a lot more connected with my audience,” Kundra said. In the past, Navin Kundra has performed for Narendra Modi in front of an audience of 60,000 people at Wembley stadium.

Unfortunately Kundra recently lost his grandfather. Sharing the beauty of his relationship with his granddad, he said, “My

LOCKDOWN VALENTINES Cllr Pranav Bhanot told Asian Voice that he and his wife, Shefali, have been celebrating Valentine’s Day for over 10 years, and used the opportunity to spoil the other.

“This year, Valentine’s Day will be different not least because we have a young baby (Veer) to share the day with but also in the midst of a Government Lockdown.

The lockdown has been monotonous, and it is quite easy to get PRANAV, SHEFALI AND complacent in BABY VEER a relationship.

Therefore, I am hoping to use Valentine’s Day as a good excuse to spoil Shefali perhaps by way of exercising my cooking skills by preparing a brunch and going on a winter walk,” Pranav said.

His wife, Shefali thinks that the lockdown has been a huge blessing for the family. “We have been able to savour and share key moments with each other, that may well have been in front of our extended families - first giggles, crawling and our son, Veer's first word. But it hasn't been all honky dory, with newborn night feedings to early morning rises my husband and I have had to really learn the art of teamwork and leaning on each other for support and company. The challenges have seen us both overworked and overtired with remote working impacting work life balance.

Grateful to government guidelines, we have been able to create a support bubble in order to help us through life's events - a death in our family, childcare and a new job.

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I intend to spend it with my little family, my husband, my son and I. It isn't about the gifts or big gestures - for me Valentine's Day is about really appreciating your partner and all the positives they bring to your life.

We will of course centre this all around Veer's schedule to get some alone time,” Shefali told Asian Voice.

Conservative Cllr Ameet Jogia wishes to celebrate at home this year. He spoke to Asian Voice and said, “Valentine’s Day is always a special occasion to dine out, but this won’t be possible this year. It’s been a difficult year for so many, but it’s also made

“

I believe it’s important to keep relationships strong with your roots.

”

time with my grandfather was all just fun, music. He was also into music and art. He made a bold move from India to the UK for a better life. For all the things that I now do, performing for the Royal Family, or Saturday Night Live, none of that would have happened had he not made that move.”

He also shared that because we are so far from India, our connection to our roots back home is really through our grandparents. “I believe it’s important to us appreciate what we have and the love we have for our friends and family. Therefore this Valentine’s Day will be even more special for us all!”

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND Abihroop Sengupta and his wife Dia are parents to a one year old Abhyalaxmi, so this year's Valentine's Day will be celebrated at home. “I have recently taken up cooking and I intend to surprise my ABIHROOP AND DIA wife Dia. Her birthday is on the 11th, thus it will be a much grander celebration. I started the week by taking her for a Wine Tasting dinner, Abhiroop told Asian Voice.

LOVE WILL FIND A WAY At the start of the pandemic, one brand/dating app that grabbed the opportunity to cash on the socially distant relationships and millions of singletons locked at home, was Bumble. So how does a brand sell itself and get people to sign up when they practically can’t see each other in person? Writer-Director Reema Sengupta directed an ad for Bumble last year on the theme ‘Love will REEMA SENGUPTA find a way’. Speaking exclusively to Asian Voice, she said, “This heartwarming project that gave me the space to briefly focus on love and optimism during the isolation of the lockdown. I wanted to create a video-essay that felt like we’re trying to make sense of our changing reality together. I wanted the visual style to reflect how our worldview has become one massive collage of pixelated videos, memes, gifs, text, Instagram filters, abstract memories of what used to be and the quiet serenity of our immediate surroundings. So many little moments from my own long distance relationship found their way into the poetry. I loved that the brand was women forward and the project was women-led even from the ad agency and the client side. The film was executed 100% remotely and responsibly.”

keep relationships strong with your roots.

Indian families are complicated. But love is not complicated. My first show this year was dedicated to my grandfather. Grief just taught me a bit off guard during that performance. The number of messages he received from the audience was like they were giving me a hug,” he added as he also stated that one cannot open up social media these days without seeing someone has passed away.

However, many youngsters today are not close to their grandparents.

Commenting on that, Kundra said, “It can be corrected by increasing proximity and communication. That’s why the care homes were important to me. Sometimes I would think that these people have lived their entire lives, have great wisdom, there must be something to learn and talk about . You ask a few questions, that’s all they want.

There’s nothing more to do. They have done everything that we are about to do. It's so easy to get annoyed or angry or quiet because something was said either yesterday or today or 20 years ago, but at the end it’s not worth ruining relationships.

It could be so much more magical.”

He signed off by quoting Kahlil Gibran, “Between what is said and not meant, and what is meant and not said, most of love is lost.”

SINGLETONS GET TOGETHER Mani Hayre shared a video on Twitter during Valentine's week where she spoke about how singletons could celebrate the day. She told Asian Voice, “The idea came to me on Sunday evening.

I hate Sundays so much, a whole day to fill and when you’re single MANI HAYRE and living alone, there aren’t enough walks in the world to make the day better. I was also planning my diary for the week and noticed Valentine’s Day coming up and on a Sunday, the cheek! So the idea came to me, why not organise an event, for my fellow singletons. If there were other singles who needed a distraction, when everyone else is showing off their lockdown love, then let’s get together and have a laugh.”

According to UK’s leading accommodation platform UniHomes, nearly a third of students find love at the university, with as many as a fifth of students also deciding to take the ultimate relationship stress test of moving in together. Students have had a better place and way to cope, but what about couples who are engaged to marry?

FACETIME YOUR VALENTINE We’re all aware of the number of weddings that got postponed or interimly cancelled during the pandemic. It is difficult to imagine what these lovebirds in lockdown must have gone through. Tanveer Mann (who is about to marry soon) has chosen to be responsible during the pandemic in order to protect her family from the virus.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Tanveer said, “Because of the pandemic, my fiance and I haven't been able to see each other for a couple of months as we're trying to keep our families safe. We're probably just going to celebrate over facetime unfortunately!

Nothing very exciting.”

V-DAY BOX Pritha Mukherjee of Posto has introduced a V-Day Box packed with tender loving care including candles, chocolates and unique dishes to tickle your taste buds.

Speaking to Asian Voice, she said, “It’s a perfect gift to relish and romance together during lockdown.”

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Miners’ strike 1984-85 and the Indian farmers’ strike 2021 The current international interest in the farmers’ strike in India reminded me about the miners’ strike that took place in the UK. The millennials will be forgiven if they have never heard of it. The coal mines in the country were in long term decline and they were heavily subsidised by the government. In parts of Yorkshire, Wales and Kent a lot of people depended on coal mining jobs.

Mining is not an easy job having to work hundreds of feet under the ground. But in the absence of any other opportunities whole communities depended on them. The government led by the then prime minister Margret Thatcher wanted to close down the mines. On 6 March 1984 it was announced that 20 colliers would close with a loss of 20,000 jobs. However, the government had a formidable opponent by the name of Arthur Scargill. He was the leader of the National Union of Mineworkers. He declared a national strike on 12th March 1984. Thus, started one of the most violent industrial conflicts in Britain.

Flying pickets prevented miners who wanted to carry on working from entering the mines. Violent scuffles took place between the police and the picketing miners.

Families in the close-knit communities fell apart between those who wanted to work and those who wanted to strike.

On 18 June 1984 the battle of Orgreave took place at the Orgreave coking plant in Rotherham. A confrontation between over 5000 miners and an equal number of police took place. Police on horseback charged with truncheons drawn. 51 pickets and 72 policemen were injured. Riots also took place in Easington, Durham, Brampton and Bierlow.

During the strike 11,291 people were arrested. Number of workdays lost due to the strike was 26 million making it the largest strike since the general strike in 1926. In all there were 3 deaths. Meanwhile the strikers were living in poverty and at least one soup kitchen was started in Yorkshire and many fundraising events were held to support them. The strike ended on 3 March 1985 with the miners losing.

In India the farmers’ strike has been going on for two months. Repeated negotiations between the farmers and the government have failed to find a solution. The government wants farmers to be able to sell their products to other buyers rather than just the one body as at present.

The government believes that it would benefit the farmers and fetch them a better price, especially the millions of small farmers. The strikers believe that the change will put them at the mercy of multinational companies. The solution may be for the government to guarantee a minimum price for the farmers' produce.

The contrast between the two disputes is the social media revolution we have witnessed. Let us imagine that we had the same social media during the miners’ strike that we have today. Emails would have been flying across countries and continents asking why the British government is picking on miners. Tens of thousands of twitter chats would have been going on backing the miners and condemning the British government for its presumed fascist tendencies. In the flurry of these activities the narrative would change, and the British government would be accused of muzzling the press, heavy handed policing and even repression. The United Nations would have to remind Britain that the right to protest is a fundamental right. Members of parliament in faraway countries would express moral outrages and talk about going on fact finding missions. In reality all this would not happen even if there was the same media presence in 1984. The reason?

Well, it is Britain we are talking about.

This though is what the Indian government has faced.

People are swayed by false narratives that multiply every minute. India is a vibrant functioning democracy with fiercely independent judiciary and a constitution that guarantees all the fundamental rights which go with the functioning of the world's largest democracy. India is surrounded by countries where there have been military regimes and civil wars. And yet India is portrayed in poor light and there is no shortage of pundits predicting an imminent death of democracy or even the collapse of the nation.

Nitin Meha London

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a significant day in the Catholic Church year beginning a period of forty days of prayer, fasting and charity. At services, people traditionally are marked with ashes of burnt palm branches as a sign of their recognition of their human frailty as well as sinfulness and need for repentance in their lifelong journey of conversion. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting within the Catholic Church for those between the ages of 18 and 59. They may eat only one full meal and two other meals consisting of substantially less food. There should be no food taken between meals. Anyone whose health is threatened by fasting is exempted from the fast. Catholics age 14 and older also abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Fridays during Lent. This year, Ash Wednesday falls on 17 February.

Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai, India

KHICHADI Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG Kapil’s

Prayer meetings We have all been participating in various prayers meetings either after somebody moving on to higher abode or someone's wellbeing. The meetings are all virtual but, in my view, highly effective. The meetings often use zoom or another similar medium. This morning we also had our usual monthly family prayers that we have been doing for last 30 years.

The beauty of these so-called zoom prayers is that people from all over the world can join in. Even my granddaughter, Suri, joined in from Uganda. In fact, such prayers now attract far more people than the prayer in physical form.

I have just witnessed 13 days of daily prayers after Shree Prabhudabhai Manek or more affectionately known as Babhai. The participation of around 400-500 people each evening overwhelmed me. The dedication of grandchildren for their grandfather was nothing but a reflection of the values imbibed by Babhai when they were growing up. I have to add that those who contribute to these prayers such as the famous folk singer, Prafulbhai and his family who sang beautiful bhajans on the last day all the way from Ahmedabad when it must have been around 1 am in the morning, is nothing less than highly commendable.

I am thoroughly impressed with all the wonderful people who voluntarily give their time freely with such prayers. Is that not commendable? They have such good sense of seva.

Beyond all I strongly believe in and have often witnessed the power of prayer. When we honestly and genuinely pray for someone, the vibrations genuinely reach the Almighty and benefit the person concerned. We should learn to pray for others as they work for sure. When we combine all our prayers the energy created ripples into the society.

Such is the power of prayers.

Subhash V Thakrar Founder, Charity Clarity Past Chairman, London Chamber of Commerce

Gujarat’s initiatives in Tourism Gujarat has lagged behind other States like Kerala, Rajasthan and few more to attract tourists, especially overseas tourists from Europa and America, the main reason being the shortsightedness on the part of past Gujarat State government.

It all changed during the last decade, with giant statue of Sardar Patel drawing vast crowds of local as well as overseas visitors. Gujarat has numerous attractions, especially on wildlife, historical places and nature reserves.

The main attraction on wild-life front is Asiatic lions of Gir forest, the only place in the world where these noble creatures can be seen roaming freely in their natural habitat.

At one time, these beautiful animals were seen throughout South East Asia and North Africa. The fights between these lions and Roman gladiators in vast arenas were commonplace with audience cheering their heroes who used to kill these lions with their bare hands! As a reward some of these gladiators were given their freedom if they were slaves, while others were honoured in different ways! No wonder Gujarat’s Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced five-year plan to attract more tourists, especially at the upper end, with significant investment, creating Disneyland type parks and amusement Center, 4* and 5* hotels that may attract businesses to hold their conferences in politically stable Gujarat. Gujarat also has beautiful coastline, Dieve and Daman islands with sandy beaches, historical places like Mount Girnar, Somnath temple and all year mild, enjoyable weather, world’s biggest stadium for cricket lovers and much more. If Gujarat succeeds in attracting visitors like Kerala, then it would provide employment, boosting local economy, as well as putting Gujarat on the world tourist map.

Once coronavirus emergency is over, with the help of various vaccinations, tourism will bounce back with vengeance and Gujarat will be ready to take advantage of the new surge in holiday industry!

Bhupendra M. Gandhi London

Proud to be Indian It was interesting to read about Dr. Hamid Mansuri and his wife Mumtaz Mansuri from Patan in Gujarat “We are proud to be Muslims, but we are Indians first”.

In the present time when religious hatred is widespread, people like Dr. Mansuri is giving a very powerful message to not only people in India but also to the people across the world. Helping poor people and providing free medicines to poor people and distributing food kits during lockdown is also really helpful. There are some hardliners who want to divide the communities and the country in the name of religion and create bad feeling in the mind of youngsters.

People like Dr Mansuri can really contribute to society by spreading the right message that any religion is to unite people not to divide them. Intellectual people like him can encourage others to get educated and how to live a long & healthy life by practicing good hygiene and eating healthy food. They can influence and convince people to adopt the right approach towards society where they live and encourage to contribute to the growth and prosperity of their families, societies and the country at large. A donation of £1500 towards the Ram Mandir shows that for them the country and its ethos are important.

They are a true example of humanity and secularism.

Hitesh Hingu London

Dharma Yuddha Kapil Dudakia In the age of Kali, is it any wonder that we witness humanity plummet to depths that even Ravana would have been proud of? We are witnessing the culmination of several negative forces that derive energy from warped ideologies.

Amidst this madness sits Bharat, the last bastion of humanity and commonsense.

India is being attacked by multiple forces. From the east we have seen China do what it does best, exercise uncivilised behaviour and act like a bigoted neighbour. It uses its monetary muscle to buy corrupted third parties who are encouraged to eat away at India’s defences. On the west we have the terrorist state of Pakistan. We have known, more than any other nation, that Pakistan is the very cauldron of terrorism and extremism. Pakistan was created out of the madness of one man, Jinnah. His ego and thirst to be a leader was too great and he allowed the partition agents to create Pakistan not out of love or ancestral pride, but only to satisfy his greed. A nation born out of such negativity can but only produce the worst of the worst. Today, Pakistan is dead, there is no soul, there is only greed, envy, corruption, fear, exploitation, murder, rapes and systematic persecution of its minorities.

Move further west and you encounter the European nations. Their one-time monopoly to exploit others broken, and today their offspring so lost in their own pity, they are galvanised to support the terrorists and the extremists to attack the largest democracy in the world, India. They have entertained the Pakistani terrorists in their support to undermine India on the Kashmir issue. Now they are in bed with the Khalistani terrorists and have fallen hook, line and sinker for the fake outrage against the Farmers Bill.

Keep moving further west and you hit America and Canada. America now in the hands of Biden and the Democrats is openly hostile to India. I had warned people about VP Kamala Harris and her anti-India and anti-Hindu rhetoric. Is it any wonder that today we find America attempting to play dirty politics on any issue where they can exploit and undermine India? Canada is in an even worse position than America. It is now run by Khalistanis.

I am certain it’s only a matter of time before these homegrown terrorists promoted by their Government, bite the very hand that gives them this unprecedented encouragement. Canada will rue their stupidity. Remember, a true Sikh can never be a Khalistani.

In the age of Kali, where social media is king, those who control the narrative control the masses. India might call itself the technology hub of the world, but let us also be clear, it has been too stupid and incompetent in not harnessing this technology to protect its interest. It is in the gift of the Government to put this right, it’s doing bits and pieces, but there now needs to be a quantum leap in terms of what it does and the level of resources it puts to this task.

Our enemies, be they Islamists, Christians, multinationals or nations, have their benefactors assigning billions of dollars to further their interest. One wonders what India is doing. Even their embassies around the world often seem impotent to put up a fight. This Dharma Yuddha has to be won by India to save the world from its own madness. I believe PM Modi is the right person for this task, I pray he brings into his circle a few more good people.

Perils of NHS In the UK, services provided by the NHS are exemplary and the current corona pandemic has once again underlined the crucial positive role it plays in our daily lives as a health care provider. The doctors, the nurses and other staff care for the patients in the most proficient way and additionally, most of these services are without any direct cost to the patient.

It is however necessary to point out a few problems. The waiting time to get an appointment with a GP continues to be getting longer and longer. This period is further aggravated if one needs an appointment with a specialist consultant or requires an investigation such as an X-Ray,MRI etc.

Moreover, there are extra and avoidable procedural delays because the findings of the investigation are not shared with the patient but instead pass through a long channel as the report is sent to the consultant and then to the GP. This consumes a lot of time and the helpless patient, during this longtime span, remains uninformed about the results of his investigation, not knowing whom to contact resulting in a lot of stress, anxiety and trauma.

Currently, the NHS machinery is thoroughly occupied in coping with the Corona pandemic. But it is equally important that the authorities are aware of the sensitivities of the patients & take corrective actions resulting in an overhaul and reform of the system leading to an NHS that is more caring and conscious to patients' emotions and wellbeing.

Bharat Shah Harrow

www.asian-voice.com

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UK 11

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

13 - 19 February 2021

Government has reportedly not signed any "Quarantine Hotel" contracts No hotels have signed a government contract to become a quarantine facility, despite the UK's new travel policy being rolled out in just seven days' time.

British and Irish citizens, and those with residency rights, who return to the UK from coronavirus hotspots from February 15, will be asked to go into government-administered quarantine for 10 days.

These so-called "red list" countries include places with new coronavirus variants and may include South Africa and some South American countries.

However, with just one week until

Boris Johnson

the new policy is set to be introduced, the government confirmed it has not yet signed up any hotels to run the system. It was reported over the weekend that the government may

need to find rooms for close to 1500 returning passengers a day.

The Prime Minister's official spokesperson said: "No formal contracts have been awarded yet. You can expect further updates on this, this week."

Hotels near ports and airports were sent a commercial specification document last week from the Department for Health and Social Care. This asked them for proposals on how they could deliver the scheme. As of last Friday, UK Hospitality, which represents the country's hotel sector, said they had not been consulted.

Testing the vaccine passport V-Health Passport™, the product of British technology company VST Enterprises (VSTE), was a world first in April 2020. Today, it remains the only solution that combines test and vaccination solutions with other needs such as event and travel ticketing.

The product has been used across the world in education, the workplace, leisure centres, air travel, maritime, construction and more. The technology is now also being adopted by some of Britain’s blue light emergency services who were seeking a solution that can both store and display results in one place and track their staff’s contact with others.

There are many reports of Covid19 test and vaccine certificates being counterfeited. VSTE CEO Louis-James Davis warns of the very real and serious threats from the

use of health passports that are based on unsafe QR and barcode technology. These risks range from social distancing breaches when scanning someone’s code to potential data breaches from using unsecure legacy code scanning technology.

On 3 February 2021, VSTE visited blue light company First 4 Care in Mansfield to receive feedback on their implementation of the VHealth Passport™. First 4 Care upload and manage their team members’ Covid-19 test and vaccination results as part of a twice weekly testing cycle. Each day, they scan onduty staff to form a ‘true contact’ using V-Health Passport’s contact tracing system to reveal their current health passport status.

Jonathan Lightbody, Managing Director of First 4 Care, said, “Using V-Health Passport™ has added reassurance. We’ve been testing our team

twice a week for a few weeks now, and that helps them feel reassured too. Now they have confidence as they have been tested. Before, when they didn’t evidence it, we couldn’t evidence it either. Now we can evidence our team has had a test, or the vaccine, and the reassurance that gives the whole team is quite remarkable.”

Louis-James Davis added that both barcodes and QR codes - which represent first and second generation legacy technology - are unsecure and vulnerable to hacking, “QR codes were originally developed as a scanning technology for close-proximity car parts tracking, a world away from identity and banking use cases, and today’s needs for digital health passports. They were then used to skip the input of websites in marketing and promotional purposes."

Parliament to consider debate on farmers’ protest British Parliament’s Petitions Committee is likely to consider a debate in the House of Commons on the subject of farmers protests and freedom of press in India after an online petition attracted over 1,00,000 signatures.

The list of signatories for the epetition also reflects a signature of Boris Johnson, in his capacity as a west London Conservative Party MP. But Downing Street insists that the U.K. Prime Minister had not signed the petition. Other signatories of the petition include Labour MP for Slough Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Preet Kaur Gill among others.

The petition titled, ‘Urge the Indian Government to ensure safety of protesters & press freedom’ calls on the British government to make a public statement on the “#kissanprotests & press freedoms”. All e-petitions on the Parliament website that cross the 10,000 signatures mark

require the U.K. government to make an official statement and any petitions that cross 1,00,000 signatures must be considered for a debate. The House of Commons said the government’s response to the petition is expected later this month and the debate is under consideration.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi had earlier issued a statement stressing that the Indian Parliament had passed “reformist legislation” for the agricultural sector. It stressed that “a very small section of farmers” have some reservations about and therefore the laws have been kept on hold while talks are held.

The MEA noted, “Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken.

The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments,

especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible.”

Meanwhile, the Indian Journalists’ Association (IJA) in the UK expressed their concern over the arrest of journalists covering the farmers’ protests and urged the Indian government to ensure the safety of journalists in the country.

They noted, “The freedom of press is an important pillar of any democracy and authorities must ensure that journalists are able to do their jobs – reporting accurately and without bias – however challenging the circumstances.”

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points since November last year, demanding the government to repeal the three farm laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

Whittome urges a pay hike for care workers and nurses Healthcare unions are urging the public to support their campaign for pay rises to recognise their work during the pandemic.

The Royal College of Nursing are calling for a 12.5 per cent pay rise for nursing staff across the UK, while the GMB is demanding 15 per cent and Unison had asked for each employee to receive an increase of at least £2,000 by the end of 2020 under its campaign to "give all NHS staff a decent pay rise”. Nurses are due to be considered for a pay rise in 2021-22, when the current three-

year deal comes to an end. But care workers are still left in the lurch.

In her article for Labour List Nadia Whittome, wrote, “Many care workers across the country are employed as agency staff or on zero hours contracts. They struggle to get by on a national minimum wage that doesn’t pay them enough to live on. And what’s true for care workers is also true for the many low-paid private sector workers in retail, logistics and transport who have played such a crucial role in the pandemic.

“The Chancellor has frozen the pay of key workers outside the NHS in the public sector. The £250 award he’s tossed to lower earners is inadequate, amounting to just 68p a day. And the million outsourced workers who also provide public services are excluded. While NHS staff have been promised a pay rise, will it be anywhere near enough to make up for lost earnings after a decade of pay cuts? A nurse today could be earning around £2,000 less per year in real terms than they did in 2010.”

Unhappy Farmers at Delhi’s Borders Ruchi Ghanashyam For months now, thousands of farmers have camped at sites outside Delhi to protest against what is commonly known as the Farm Bills, also described as the Indian agriculture acts of 2020.

These are three acts passed by the Parliament of India in September 2020 that received the assent of the President on 27 September 2020: The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act. Agriculture, with its allied sectors, is the largest source of livelihoods in India. About 70 percent of India’s rural households depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihood.

Land holdings have shrunk over the years and about 82 percent of India’s farmers are small and marginal.

India is the largest producer, consumer and importer of pulses in the world. India is also the largest producer of milk with annual milk production of around 165 MT (2017-18), and the second-largest producer of rice, wheat, sugarcane, cotton, groundnuts, fruits and vegetables. Yet, Indian agriculture has many growing concerns. As the Indian economy has diversified and grown, agriculture's contribution to GDP has steadily declined over the years. India has achieved food sufficiency in production and is an exporter of food grains, but ironically, it still accounts for a big portion of the world’s hungry and malnourished population. Improving farmer’s income is essential to keep India growing and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Whether it is removal of poverty, or improvement of nutrition and life spans, India cannot progress without uplifting those engaged in agriculture.

According to an FAO report, agriculture in India has achieved grain self-sufficiency but the production remains resource intensive, cereal centric and regionally biased.

There are serious sustainability issues too, as free power has encouraged farmers to resort to indiscriminately pump groundwater for water intensive crops in water stressed areas.

Desertification and land degradation threaten India’s agriculture sector. Environment is also under stress in north India from pollution, to which stubble burning has been a significant contributor. Smog in winters in Delhi, forces children to stay indoors. Apart from addressing pollution, groundwater depletion, over exploitation and excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides, it is important that a modern system is set up for Indian agriculture through strengthened market linkages, and investment in the entire supply chain, including through a competitive, efficient and well-regulated private sector.

Government has clarified that the new laws are aimed at benefiting farmers by giving them the option of selling their produce to private players, removing agents and brokers, thereby giving greater control in the hands of the farmers.

The modernisation of India’s agriculture would be a long process. At the WTO, developed countries have been asking India to reform this sector. Thus, it came as a surprise that a certain western leader was critical of the reforms that would introduce the very changes that his country had been seeking at international fora. Some celebrities too have jumped on the bandwagon, without developing a full understanding of the various nuances of the issue.

Farmers in Punjab, Haryana, and parts of Uttar Pradesh have apprehensions about the impact of these reforms.

Protests by farmers against the new acts gained momentum in the last quarter of 2020. The matter went before the Supreme Court of India, which stayed the implementation of the farm laws on 12 January 2021. It also appointed a committee to look into the grievances related to the farm laws. The committee has asked the public for suggestions related to the farm laws by 20 February 2021. A number of rounds of discussion have taken place between the government and representatives of farmers and government has, interalia, agreed to withdraw penalties imposed for burning crop residues and has offered to suspend the farm laws for eighteen months. The government has also expressed its desire to continue talks on the subject.

India has adequate institutions of Parliament, courts, media, and public opinion, which is all important in a democratic polity. In a democracy, doubts about government policy can and should be addressed through dialogue and not intransigence of either party. Peaceful protests and open dialogue are needed to solve the many problems of poverty and development that India faces. It is hoped that apprehensions and doubts about the farm laws will be cleared and resolved peacefully at an early date so that the farmers can return to their lives instead of suffering the cold on the outskirts of Delhi.

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

12 MEDIA WATCH

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

www.asian-voice.com

13 - 19 February 2021

SCRUTATOR’S Man prays before boarding Mumbai local train Local train services are a lifeline for millions of people living in Mumbai. Every Mumbaikar knows that their lives would be impossible without it. For the past 11 months, Mumbai's local train services had been suspended due to the pandemic.

What makes the local trains the city's lifelines is the fact that it is accessible to all from working professionals travelling miles to reach their offices on time to fruit vendors who sell freshly cut fruits during peak office hours. In a big relief to the residents of Mumbai, the Maharashtra government announced that the local trains will be resuming their services from February 1st, 2021. The local train services which were suspended in March-end last year due to the Covid-19 outbreak resumed services gradually later in the year. However, it was made accessible to only women or those providing essential services after obtaining a special pass. However, from Feb 1 onwards it has been opened to all categories of the public. As the city rejoices, one particular photo has been going viral on the internet which shows exactly how much the local trains mean to its commuters. Even Mahindra group chairman, Anand Mahindra, shared the photo and called it the "soul of india." It shows a man kneeling and offering a little prayer before boarding the local train. The photo has struck a chord with Mumbaikars, many of whom responded saying that local trains are not a mode of transport, but an emotion. (Agency) Value of a tree with 100 years of life

A five-member committee has told the Supreme Court that the true value of a tree, with 100 years of its lifespan remaining, would be Rs 72,00,000, taking into account the benefits it would give to nature and mankind, including the cost of oxygen it would emit to the atmosphere. A bench headed by CJI S A Bobde had set up a committee in February to evaluate the true value of a tree, taking into account all its benefits, including the oxygen it would emit in its lifespan, when a PIL had challenged the West Bengal government's decision to cut 356 trees to construct five railway overbridges (ROBs) costing £50 million on a 59-km stretch from Barasat to Bongaon on NH-112 (part of NH-35). The committee comprised Soham Pandya, B K Maji, Niranjita Mitra, N K Mukarji and Sunita Narain. This project is part of the Centre's 'Setu Bharatmala’ programme, which aims to make national highways free of all railway crossings by constructing 208 railway over and underbridges in 19 states at a cost of £2.08 billion. The Centre has sanctioned £229.4 million to West Bengal for 22 such ROBs and RUBs on NH-112. (Agency) Metro transports live heart between hospitals

In a first such initiative in India, an exclusive passenger

train of the Hyderabad Metro was used to transport a live organ (heart) for a transplant in just 30 minutes to avoid peak traffic of the city. The organ, harvested from a 45-year-old brain dead man, was transported in a special train to cover a distance of 21 km. A team of medical experts, led by Dr AGK Gokhale, travelled along with the organ. “ Considering the traffic and the fact that the hospitals are on opposite ends of the city, we consulted Metro authorities for transportation.

Short of helicopters, we thought this is the best option for a fast, uninterrupted commute,” Dr Gokhale of Apollo Hospitals said. “If more time is spent in transit, chances of the heart functioning well in the recipient reduce drastically,” Anoop Antony, transplant coordinator at Apollo Hospitals, said. Dr G Swarnlatha, in charge of Jeevandan programme, said that for a heart transplant, the time period available for transit and transplantation is only four hours. “This is the very first time that an organ has been transported through the Metro rail in India,” she said. (Agency) Dumping a blessing in disguise While dumping of homeless and elderly people by the Indore civic body has caused widespread outrage, the incident has come as a blessing in disguise for a woman who had been searching for her missing husband. When Pushpa Salvi saw photos and videos on social media of some homeless people who were taken out of Indore recently, she recognised her husband Anil Salvi (50) among them. The man, who is mentally disturbed, left his home last month. The woman, after being unable to find him, had subsequently lodged a missing person's complaint with police. Last week, she recognised her husband in the visuals of some homeless people who were dumped out of the city. “I had filed a missing person's report after I did not find him. On January 29, I got a call from someone that my husband was found in Nipania area,” the woman said. (Agency)

Bachchan chooses three-wheel bike to enter sets

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan who used to walk down to the sets of work recently made a rather epic entry. The moment got captured in a picture that the veteran actor shared on Instagram. The picture sees the 'Coolie' actor arriving at the sets dressed in a navy-blue coloured suit seated on what appears to be a three-wheel bike which has a big basket attached to the front of it. Bachchan, who is one of the most active celebrities on social media, is also seen wearing headphones as he is seated on the bike. "Music in the ears .. toy boy entering the sets to work .. on buggie wheels .. yuuuhoooo," he wrote in the caption of the post. Much like the other posts by the senior actor, this one too received scores of likes and comments. Meanwhile, Big B, who was last seen in 'Gulabo Sitabo', has an impressive line-up of films in the pipeline including Ajay Devgn's 'Mayday', Rumi Jaffery-directed 'Chehre', Ayan Mukerji's superhero movie 'Brahmastra' and Nagraj Manjule's sports film 'Jhund'.

(Agency) Man smashes crying infant's head on door A man allegedly killed his 20month-old daughter after his wife asked for Rs 5 to buy a sweet for the wailing child in Maharashtra's Gondia district, a police official said. The incident happened at Lonara village, located over 900 km from Mumbai, following which the 28year-old accused, Vivek Uike, was arrested. The child was crying and asking for 'Khaja' (a sweet

snack) from her mother. When the woman asked for Rs 5 from her husband to buy the snack and pacify the baby, he allegedly picked up the child and smashed her head on a door repeatedly, the senior police official from Gondia said. The girl's mother tried to intervene, but could not save the child. The baby received severe injuries on her head and other body parts and died on the spot, the official said. The mother later informed the police, following which the body was sent to a hospital for a forensic examination, he said. Based on police complaint filed by the woman, Vivek Uike was arrested and charged for murder, he said.

(Agency) Youngest martyr of India gets recognition Prime Minister Narendra Modi who visited visited Assam on Sunday paid tributes to as many as 15 martyrs of India’s freedom movement, whose stories of sacrifice have remained unrecognised and unheard of in the rest of the country for nearly eight decades.

These stories include that of Tileswari Barua, a 12-year-old girl from a remote village, who, on being moved by the patriotic songs that had moved thousands of rural folk in Assam, went ahead and took a bullet from the colonial police and died for the country. The PM said: “Today is a special day for me. Today I got the opportunity to pay respect to this historic land of Dhekiajuli.

In 1942, people here were martyred to protect the nation and to respect the tricolour.

Every drop of the martyrs’ blood makes our resolve stronger. This rich history makes me take pride in Assam”. (Agency) Statue for canine that helped crack 49 cases

When ASP Tinki of the dog squad died in November last year, the Muzaffarnagar police department lost one of its brilliant officers. She had a nose for detecting crime and helped police crack 49 cases. As a tribute to this super cop dog, police unveiled a statue of Tinki at Police Line last week. Tinki, a German shepherd, was eight years old when she died after a brief illness. She was a recruit from the National Dog Training Centre at the BSF Academy in Gwalior. Muzaffarnagar was her first posting as a sniffer dog. She joined as a constable. Her spectacular ability to sniff out crime got her six promotions in six years, a record for a dog.

Senior police officers attended the unveiling ceremony. The only person who was conspicuous by his absence was Tinki’s handler, constable Mahesh Kumar, as he has been transferred to Bijnor. In his place, senior dog handler Sunil Kumar unveiled the statue.

(Agency) Cop saves differently-abled man from falling under train

A Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel saved life of a differently-abled man by preventing him from falling under a moving train at a railway station in Maharashtra's Panvel. The RPF shared a video of the incident which took place at Panvel Station, when a differentlyabled man tried to board the running train and a passenger was helping him. However, the RPF personnel came in time and pulled him back. It is not safe to board a moving train as a person can get caught between the train and railway tracks, which can even lead to death. RPF has been entrusted with the responsibility for the safety of railway property, passenger area, and passengers.

(Agency)

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UK 13

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

13 - 19 February 2021

in brief in brief 1 IN 3 COVID-19 PATIENTS SUFFER FROM PTSD A new research by Imperial College London and the University of Southampton has found that 1 in 3 (35%) Covid-19 patients put on a ventilator experience extensive symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings come as the numbers of Covid-19 patients in hospital have reached a record high in the UK, far exceeding the numbers in May when the study was conducted.

The researchers surveyed symptoms of PTSD in over 13,000 UK patients with experience of confirmed or suspected Covid-19. Extensive symptoms of PTSD were found in 35% of patients put on a ventilator and 18% of patients hospitalised without requiring a ventilator. They also found lower levels of extensive symptoms of PTSD for patients given medical help at home (16%) and patients who required no help at home but experienced breathing problems (11%). The symptoms of PTSD can start immediately or after a delay, but usually within 6 months of the traumatic event. A traumatic event is one where you see that you are in danger, your life is threatened, or where you see other people dying or being injured. Without timely treatment, PTSD symptoms can continue for years and prevent people from moving on with their lives. The most common PTSD symptom experienced by Covid-19 patients was intrusive images, sometimes known as ‘flashbacks’. For example, this could be intrusive images of the ICU environment, ICU doctors wearing full PPE or other patients in the ICU. Dr Adam Hampshire, from Imperial College London, said, "The data collected from our online studies is helping to provide insights into the psychological impact of Covid-19.

We can see that the pandemic is likely to be having an acute and lasting impact, including for a significant proportion of patients who remained at home with respiratory problems and received no medical help. This evidence could be important for informing future therapy and reducing the long-term health burden of this disease."

HARPER COLLINS APPOINTS MAHEEN CHOONARA FOR D&I ROLE HarperCollins UK has appointed Maheen Choonara to the newly created role of diversity, inclusion and belonging manager.

Choonara will help drive HarperCollins' diversity, inclusion and belonging strategy, working closely with the people team, senior executives and CEO Charlie Redmayne.

She was formerly diversity and inclusion (D&I) adviser at Cancer Research UK and has extensive experience in creating D&I training programmes, ethnic minority progression, inclusive internal and external communications, alongside supporting diverse targeted recruitment and employee networks.

Athanasiou said, “This is a critical role that will help carry us forward faster as we enact positive inclusive change. Maheen brings invaluable experience, and she will play a crucial part in helping make HCUK an even more diverse and inclusive workplace.”

Choonara added, “I’m thrilled to be joining HarperCollins and to build on its commitment to diversify the workforce and better represent its readership. Last year brought many inequalities into sharp focus.

This role will give me the opportunity to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities and create systemic change.

I’m excited to be able to work across the business and be part of an organisation proactively creating a more inclusive culture.”

Home Office launches new measures to tackle online child abuse Police are struggling to tackle the growing volume of cases around online child abuse and according to the National Crime Agency (NCA), the situation is likely to worsen. The UK’s child abuse image database has 17m unique images on it, and it is growing by 500,000 every two months.

In light of this the Violence Reduction Units bring together organisations across local communities to tackle violent crime and address its underlying causes where they do positive preventative work with children and young people. The £35.5 million, which covers 2021/22, is the third year of funding for 18 Violence Reduction Units operating across England and Wales in

areas worst affected by serious violence. It takes the total invested in Violence Reduction Units to more than £105 million.

In their first year of activity, initiatives funded by the scheme supported more than 100,000 young people, more than 51,000 of whom were identified as being at high-risk of being involved in criminal and violent activity.

They also helped bring police, education leaders, health workers and local government together to share information about the causes of violence and agree a coordinated plan of action to tackle it. This is crucial to preventing crime at a local level.

Today’s funding means that they can continue this vital work.

Priti Patel

Home Secretary Priti Patel said, “Violence Reduction Units play a vital role in preventing young people from being dragged into the horrors of serious violence, and this funding will enable them to continue this crucial work. I will continue to back our police with the

resources and powers they need to cut crime and make your community safer.”

Work funded by Violence Reduction Units has included prevention work in schools, communities, prisons, hospitals, Pupil Referral Units and police custody suites.

The Home Office, in partnership with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, is hosting a virtual Four Nations conference this week, which will be attended

by Minister for Crime and Policing Kit Malthouse. The Minister will hear about the significant work taking place to support young people and discuss the importance of tackling serious violence.

Nazir Afzal to continue his legal fight against Cummings A former chief prosecutor for the north-west has vowed to continue his legal fight, against Dominic Cummings including launching a private prosecution.

This appears after the Durham Police rejected Nazir Afzal’s dossier which claimed that Cummings had broken national lockdown rules and driven to the North-East during the pandemic.

Nazir Afzal and his lawyers had compiled a 225-page dossier claimed that statements Cummings gave during a press conference in Downing Street’s rose garden on 25 May 2020 affected the course of justice, as they were made as Durham police’s investigation into his behaviour was already under way. The allegations included claims of multiple breaches of the lockdown rules by Cummings and his wife, Mary

Wakefield. But the force has decided to take no further action.

In a brief letter letter to Afzal’s lawyers, Durham’s deputy chief constable, Dave Orford, noted, “We have considered all of the material provided.

However, it does not change our decision from that outlined in our press release dated 28 May in respect of Mr Dominic Cummings and we take a similar view in relation to his wife Mary Wakefield.

“We do not consider the relevant tests are made out in relation to any potential offences raised within your submission.

Therefore, Durham constabulary will be taking no further action.”

It also believed that there was “insufficient evidence” that Cummings travelled to Durham a second time on 19 April. Afzal’s

Inquiry into racism in maternity care On Tuesday 9th February, an urgent inquiry was launched investigating the alleged systemic racism in the NHS’s maternity care.

With the support of UK charity Birthrights, the inquiry will examine how claimed racial injustice – from explicit racism to bias – is resulting in poorer health outcomes in maternity care for ethnic minority groups.

According to statistics published last month by MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the country) black women were four times more likely than white women to die in pregnancy or childbirth in the UK while women from Asian ethnic backgrounds face twice the risk.

Barrister Shaheen Rahman QC, who is expected to lead the inquiry, in a statement to The Guardian said, “In addition to these stark statistics there are concerns about higher rates of maternal illness, worse experiences of maternity care and the fact black and Asian pregnant women are far more likely to be admitted to hospital with Covid19. We want to understand the

Barrister Shaheen Rahman QC

stories behind the statistics, to examine how people can be discriminated against due to their race and to identify ways this inequity can be redressed.”

An expert panel that includes a human rights lawyer, a clinical negligence solicitor, doulas – trained healthcare companions – obstetricians and midwives will oversee the inquiry. Rahman will be supported by two co-chairs, including Benash Nazmeen, director of the Association of South Asian Midwives Association of South Asian Midwives.

A new role of head of midwifery research has been created

by NHS England to focus on health inequalities associated with maternity outcomes for mothers and babies from black, Asian and ethnic minority families.

lawyers claimed the evidence they presented to the force, including new material from fresh witnesses, met the legal test for such a prosecution.

Durham police disagreed.

In a statement to The Guardian, Afzal said Durham police’s decision was “hugely disappointing but not surprising. It is not clear from the letter that we received whether the views of the Crown Prosecution Service were sought at all. And you will know that we submitted a 225-page submission including new evidence, especially witness evidence, of an alleged third breach [the alleged trip on 19 April] that Mr Cummings has not previously revealed.”

He further added, “I am considering with my legal team what further avenues to pursue, because millions of you would want me to. We are nothing

Nazir Afzal

without the rule of law, and it applies to everybody or to nobody. When I learned that one of the architects of the rules that we all rightly had to comply [with] decided to ride a coach and horse through them, and that his political masters then decided to put a ring of steel around him, I had no choice but to do what I’ve done. All the research tells us that that one act diminished public confidence in that lockdown. Justice takes time and I will carry on because you would want me to.”

Spiritual guru delivers talk on well-being World famous scientific spiritual guru, Dr Deepak Chopra delivered a talk on the future of well-being and higher consciousness with balance of mind, body and soul through spirituality organised by Jain Vishva Bharati, London, on Sunday 31st January 2021.

The talk linked between well-being, consciousness and spirituality, a much-needed positive booster for thousand plus participants, as we journey through this pandemic.

There is a paradigm shift,

towards self-reflection, awareness and listening to nature, as Covid-19 has taken away what we took for granted.

Wellbeing and consciousness is a fundamental reality.

Chopra said, “At present it’s a moment of adversity and grief, but also moment of opportunity.

Through the opportunity of collective consciousness, we can heal, project a more peaceful, sustainable, joyful world.”

Migrants eligible for vaccine On Monday 8th February, it was reported that migrants living in the UK will reportedly be eligible to receive Covid-19 vaccines regardless of whether they have the legal right to live and work in the country.

The government has also assured that getting the shot would not trigger immigration checks.

A government spokesperson to the Daily Mail said,

“Coronavirus vaccines will be offered to everyone living in the UK free of charge, regardless of immigration status.

Those registered with a GP (General Practitioner) are being contacted at the earliest opportunity and we are working closely with partners and external organisations to contact those who are not registered with a GP to ensure they are also offered the vaccine.”

14 WOMEN'S VOICE

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

www.asian-voice.com

13 - 19 February 2021

“My pride doesn’t walk before me”

pen and paper about your existence and what you’ve been through so far. The good, the bad, the ugly. It kind of helps you deal with your pain, and I think that’s something powerful. So if someone wants to write a book, even if you do it just for yourself, it really is like writing a diary. I wrote this book like writing a diary for me and I used to keep a journal when I was a kid. Like every night, it was my ritual to write two pages and I sort of wrote this book like that. You know, my innermost thoughts. I was very particular about handling it as sensitively as I can.

- How do you balance your stardom when you walk into a room full of people who may not know about your accomplishments?

I think humility is what it requires. My pride doesn’t walk before me. It used to when I was younger and then I fell many times as you read in the book. But I learnt very quickly that there’s no point in having pride. The only thing that will take you really far, if you want to play the long game is investing in yourself and learning and having humility in being able to say that I don’t know everything but I’m willing to learn. And I may not understand that you may not know me but I’m willing to show you what I can bring to the table. At least for me, it was very important to put my head down and not be entitled. I’ve seen what entitlement can do, very closely and that was something that my parents taught me not to ever be.

And that’s literally, that’s the reason why I had the ability to say that I understand that objectively, obviously, just because I have a prolific career in one country, doesn’t mean that everyone in the world needs to know me. And that was something very important for me to remember.

That gives me the ability to live my life also very normal like I don’t carry the baggage of my stardom anywhere. You know I’d be walking on the beach, I go fishing, I go trekking, I go to movies, I do the things that I have missed out on when I was in my 20s because I was so busy running, are the things that I’m doing now.

Q

for our kids. I hope that we can.

Maybe by example, maybe by conversation. Wherever we can, we have to push the envelope a little bit and I try in my humble way as much as I can. As I said, I’m not a head of state or a lawmaker, yet. But with my influence, as much as I can I’ll try.

- How do you decide when or how to voice your opinion?

I’m sure it happens to all of us in real life. I may be a star or actor or whatever but I’m still a girl, a normal human being. Every day I have to bite my tongue so that I don’t say something. Because if you know me, you know I have an opinion (laughs), I’ve to decide and pick my battles on when I’m going to give my opinion and when I’m not.

- What is the responsibility that comes with writing a memoir?

And, what would your advice be to women who’d want to write their own memoir someday?

I think revealing your life should be about revealing your life, and not people’s lives unless that’s the kind of book you’re writing. For my book, I was very clear because there are so many people who have contributed to me - about who I am emotionally, mentally, physically, professionally, that it was crucial that if I was going to write my story, that I write about the influences that I’ve had, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s their story. This book is not a tell-all, it is a reflection of my thoughts and my journey so far and I think that was a responsibility that I took very seriously from the time I decided to do it. And for women who want to write their stories, I would implore them to do it. I think it’s such an empowering thing to be able to put

Q

Q &

A by: Shefali Saxena

“

For women who want to write their stories, I would implore them to do it.

”

While Priyanka Chopra Jonas was shooting in London for her next Hollywood project ‘Text For You’, Asian Voice received early access to read her memoir - ‘Unfinished’ and got a chance to speak to Priyanka in an exclusive virtual interview on Zoom, where we asked her questions from her book.

She spoke about the responsibility that comes with penning down a memoir, why women will strongly relate to her writing, how her multicultural experiences have helped her in choosing her words wisely and how she leaves her stardom outside the door when she walks into a business meeting. Here are excerpts from the interview:

Q

- The part where you write, “But is there a world in which those who are blessed with more might build a larger table rather than building a higher fence?” will resonate the most with women. Could you elaborate?

I’ve been an advocate of opportunities all my career. No one made my opportunities. No one gave me opportunities. I created my opportunities and that is also a very privileged thing for me to say, by the way.

I was just talking about this because I was doing press for The White Tiger and opportunity is such a privilege. There are so many people who live life not having a choice in their

own life, especially girls. You don’t have a say in your own life, and that is something that we, overall as a community, need to sort of come together and fight for. The best that I can do, the most that I can do and I always try to do is of course that I have always been an advocate for girls specifically - to have an education, to have a right in their own lives, to have jobs and financial independence. That was something my mother definitely taught me when I was very young. She was like, ‘It doesn’t matter who you are born to, who you’re married to or what your life is going to be, you have to have financial independence’, and we as a community need to do that. It can’t belong to one person. It has to belong to us as girls. I was just saying that as a generation of women, we have to leave a better world for the next generation of the girls to come, like the ones who did before us.

They gave us the opportunity to have a voice today. And like that, we have to be able to create that voice

Q

BAME women and lifestyle diseases A huge number of South Asian women suffer from low uptake of cervical cancer smear tests, Polycystic Ovaries, gestational diabetes, sexual health, endometriosis and much more. Asian Voice spoke to Dr Nitu Bajekal, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist for 20 years at the NHS, with over 35 years of clinical experience in women’s health.

We also reached out to her daughter, Rohini Bajekal, a nutritionist and a Board-Certified Lifestyle Medicine Professional, who provides evidencebased nutrition and lifestyle advice to her clients, focusing on a whole food plant-based approach. In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, the mother-daughter duo spoke about their advice specific to South Asian women’s health.

Menstruation, PCOS & Diabetes We asked Dr Nitu about the ideal time/age for a young woman/girl to reach out to a doctor in case she hasn't started menstruating. She said, “Most girls start their periods around

Dr Nitu Bajekal

age 12 (8-16 range). Starting periods depend on a number of factors including nutrition, exercise, body weight, and family history. Seek medical advice if periods haven't started by age 16 or earlier by age 14 if there are no other signs of puberty (hair and breast development).”

According to her, for PCOS, the first line of management is to use lifestyle to treat and manage this often distressing condition. “For those who have weight to lose, losing as little as 5% of body weight can help

Rohini Bajekal

with all symptoms of PCOS,” she added as she emphasised that weight loss needs to be done in a healthy sustainable way.

Adding to this, Rohini spoke about the most important nutrient that BAME women suffering from PCOS need. She said, “Fibre helps promote healthy gut bacteria, reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, normalises blood sugars and improves insulin resistance. Fibre also helps flush away excess oestrogen.

Fibre is only found in plant foods.”

Unfinished by Priyanka Chopra Jonas will be published by Michael Joseph on Thursday 11th February, £20, Hardback.

Tickets to Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ digital book launch on Thursday 11th February at 6.30 pm are available to buy from Fane.co.uk starting at £5 here: https://www.fane.co.uk/priyankachopra-jonas

Making a success of your freelance career A virtual event will be held in April 2021 on “Making A Success Of Your Freelance Career” which will explore how we have adapted to life during Covid-19 and provide practical support.

Advita Patel from CommsRebel, who is the Managing Director of CommsRebel, an internal communication and employee experience consultancy based in Manchester, UK will be one of the speakers. She's also the co-founder of A Leader Like Me, a subscription service which helps under-represented women

of colour succeed further in their leadership roles.

Advita helps organisations take the leap and revolutionise the way they communicate with their workforce by using effective measurement techniques and creative tools. She is also a qualified coach/mentor and works with teams and individuals to help them build their personal brand, achieve their goals and beat imposter syndrome. Advita will share five top tips for building your brand as a freelance consultant, as well as pitfalls to be aware of.

www.asian-voice.com

AsianVoiceNews

UK

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

15

13 - 19 January 2021

in brief

UK’s first ever Yoga Union formed to fight abuse in the sector

RADHA KRISHNA TEMPLE, BALHAM HELPS THE POOR, HOMELESS AND HOSPITAL STAFF

Rupanjana Dutta

NEW RESEARCH TO UNCOVER FACTORS AFFECTING ETHNIC MINORITIES DURING COVID-19 UK researchers are set to dig deeper into the reasons why people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Four new projects, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) via the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to a total of £4.5 million, will place the social, cultural and economic impacts of Covid-19 under the lens, to better understand how and why these groups have been disproportionately impacted, both by direct and indirect consequences of the pandemic. During the first wave of the pandemic last year, people from some ethnic minority groups, particularly Black and Asian, were more likely to be infected, diagnosed and die than people in White ethnic groups. Minority ethnic groups are also among those who have faced the biggest labour market shocks as a result of the pandemic and have experienced above average increases in mental distress. Findings from the four projects will be used to design health interventions, policy recommendations, and other measures to help lessen the effect of the pandemic on these groups across the UK. Two large consortia projects will investigate the wider social, cultural and economic impacts of the pandemic on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups in Britain. In the first, researchers led by a team from the University of Manchester will assess the impact of Covid-19 on ethnic minority communities across a broad spectrum of issues including health, housing, welfare, education, employment and policing. In the second, a consortium led by the University of Leeds will investigate the combined impact of Covid-19 and racial discrimination on wellbeing and resilience across Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Families and Communities in the UK. Two smaller projects will focus on the effects of Covid-19 on Birmingham’s ethnic minority Muslim communities, and the impact of Covid-19 on mental health in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. The projects will be codesigned and/or co-produced with people from ethnic minority backgrounds throughout.

“Anyone currently working as a yoga teacher in the UK is eligible to join us” AV: Why did you start the union? Did you do a market survey to understand the requirements?

Simran: I realised we needed a union after experiencing non-payment, harassment, and rates of pay that were so low I was forced to work while extremely sick. I didn’t have any savings, sick-pay, or job security, and ended up bed bound for a month. This insecurity and exploitative working conditions, deprived of the rights we need, are so similar to precarious and ‘gig economy’ workers across the UK, including Uber and Deliveroo drivers, and other workers who organise in the IWGB. Yoga teachers across the UK began sharing experiences and writing openly about the exploitative rates of pay in the industry about a year ago. We did several large surveys about working conditions, pay, interest in union membership and priorities within that, as well as Covid. We have a small team of researchers and analysts working on that data, which guided our initial actions; as a union branch, we now have a strong, vibrant member-led democracy, supported by the central union, the IWGB, that hears every voice and centres the perspectives of the most exploited - people of colour, LGBTQ people, and women.

AV: Have you personally been harassed ever or paid below the minimum wage?

Simran: Before Covid hit, I spent a year working full-time as a yoga teacher in London, running all over the city to try to scratch together a living. Despite working days that were sometimes 16 hours or longer, including my commute, and barely taking a day off in months, I was barely earning enough to pay my rent, scrabbling to get by, and finally worked myself sick but without any savings to support myself.

I’ve experienced harassment and intimidation from a studio owner who refused to pay me after weeks of classes and had to give up my attempts to get my payment because of the damage to my mental health, and the fact that there was nowhere to turn.

Photo credit: Elle Narbrook

Radha Krishna Temple, Balham continued to support 'Croydon Night Watch' with feeding homeless people with freshly cooked vegetarian meals. Each meal is cooked with nutritional value of protein, fibre and carbohydrates, which is greatly received by the homeless especially in the winter months. The donations and food raised by the local community really shows great empowerment of human love and the volunteer’s time and commitment to this remarkable great cause. They have distributed £2500 worth protein bars, cereal bars, snacks, soft drinks, water and much more to St Georges Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Croydon University Hospital who have truly welcomed and benefitted in receiving these items for the hard-working staff. The temple has also recently donated £600 worth of groceries to the Wandsworth Food Bank in ensuring fresh meals are delivered to those in need.

Yoga teachers in the UK have voted to form a new branch of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which organises precarious and gig economy workers including Uber and Deliveroo drivers. This is the first trade union for yoga teachers in the UK, and the second ever in the world, after Unionize Yoga in New York.

Key concerns include unpaid overtime and poverty pay well below living wage, as well as a lack of basic workers’ rights like sick pay and annual leave. Members also report an endemic culture of bullying, harassment and discrimination. The IWGB Yoga Teachers’ Union already operates working groups on these issues and offers training on responding to and preventing sexual harassment.

Yoga is an ancient form of exercise focussing on strength, flexibility and breathing to boost physical and mental wellbeing. The NHS defines main components of yoga as its postures (a series of movements) designed to increase strength and flexibility and breathing.

The practice originated in India around 5,000 years ago and has been adapted in different countries in a variety of ways. Yoga is now commonplace in UK’s leisure centres, health clubs, schools, hospitals and surgeries. Since 2015, World Yoga Day is celebrated on 21 June across continents, after

cally undervalued. We clean and prep being proposed by Indian venues, travel extensively, plan classes, sign Prime Minister Narendra students in, do free marketing for our Modi. employers, deal with our students' emotionPoverty and lack of al and spiritual dilemmas, and show up and support stay well beyond our teaching time, and Covid-19 has thrown more. This is all unpaid overtime, and many yoga teachers into there's a deeply ingrained false belief that it poverty, with many ineligible people for furis 'unyogic' to ask for adequate compensalough and falling between the gaps of the tion. It's a performative silence that Self-Employment Income Support Scheme together with cavalier attitudes towards our (SEISS). According to membership surveys rights as workers on the part of some studio conducted by the IWGB Yoga Teachers’ owners - increases the pressure and stress Union over 60% earned below living wage on yoga teachers to pay our bills and make a before Covid-19, with some earning as little decent living from our work. Yoga teacher as £5 an hour including unpaid overtime. pay needs a complete overhaul."

Only 4% of yoga teachers When the fraternity report having employee was asked about the status and basic protecprospect of having this tions, going down to 3% union by their side, Krishna in the case of female Ruparelia, a qualified Hatha yoga teachers. Only 19% Yoga teacher told Asian have written contracts Voice, “I think this Union is of any sort, less than a good idea, and I may con17% in the case of sider joining. I have comfemale yoga teachers of pleted my 500 hours yoga colour. teacher training with the Simran Uppal, British Wheel of Yoga. PreSecretary, IWGB Yoga Krishna Rupa Covid I taught at the local Teachers’ Union said, relia gym and since then have “The global yoga indusbeen volunteering my time try is worth around £60 billion and much of with the Art of Living within the Sri Sri Yoga that wealth is being extracted from underteam, teaching online classes to help people paid, exploited yoga teachers. We’re not manage their anxiety during this pandemic. monks protected by an ashram or a wealthy “Whilst yoga is one of the most popular elite of wellness celebrities. We have to surpractises that attendees across the globe vive just like the other precarious workers in take part in, people don’t know the comthe IWGB and around the world. It’s time plete benefits that yoga brings to their physfor the yoga industry to live its values and ical emotional and spiritual health. Though respect our human rights.” my income has not been affected much, I Lynette Greenaway, BAME Officer, know other teachers who are in a much IWGB Yoga Teachers’ Union said, “The more dependable situation.” labour of yoga teachers has been systemati-

AV: Many focus on the spiritual aspect and undermine the financial angle, calling it ‘Unyogic’. How do you plan to make people aware of their rights?

Simran: We’ve been reaching out through our own communities and more widely, using social media, formal and informal networks of teachers, and through the mainstream press. We’ve had articles published about us and with interviews from our members in the Guardian, the Times, the Independent, Le Monde and others; I even had an article of my own writing published in the Independent and appeared on Canadian national TV! We believe that sharing stories and experiences helps yoga teachers feel less isolated, realise that they aren’t alone, and that we can come together and change the industry - and our society - for the better.

It’s important to note that there’s yoga, and there’s the yoga industry: as yoga teachers, we’re working and living and dependent on the material world and the industry, not somehow disconnected from it like a sadhu, or protected by a temple or ashram like a monastic yogi or priest. It’s not spiritual to ignore the violence and exploitation found in the real world; spirituality - in a yogic context, and across all South Asian traditions I know of - involves tending to ourselves, our communities, and changing the world for the better.

AV: What is the process of enrolment and does it cost anything to be a member?

Simran: Anyone currently working as a yoga teacher in the UK is eligible to join.

You can find more information and join here: https:// yogateachersunion.co.uk/ membership. Like other trade unions, our members all pay a monthly subscription to resource our campaigning and movement, and to help fund the brilliant legal, press, and other support that comes through the central union. Our subs are tiered, and members choose how much to contribute, to enable our union to be accessible to everyone while resourcing and sustaining the branch effectively.

Simran Uppal

16 UK

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

13 - 19 February 2021

Dentist raising money to install Public Access Defibrillator in Canons Park Roshni Ruparelia, born and bred in London’s Canons Park area has been raising money to purchase and install a defibrillator for community access.

“As a dentist, I carry out regular medical emergency update training.

During this cycle, certain statistics have had a significant impact on me,” she told Asian Voice.

“For every 1 minute from the point of cardiac arrest (heart attack) to a patient receiving treatment with a defibrillator, their chances of survival reduce by 10%.

“What the community lacks for the area is a Public Access Defibrillator (PAD), which could make all the difference in a medical emergency.”

A defibrillator is a portable device that can diagnose life-threatening heart rhythms and deliver a high energy electric shock to the heart of someone who is having a heart attack. It is an essential part in trying to save their life. You don’t need to be trained to use a defibrillator – anyone can use it.

There are clear instructions on how to

Roshni Ruparelia

attach the pads and the device will only instruct you to deliver a shock if it’s needed.

Roshni added, “Canons Park is not only my home but holds a special place in the hearts of its supportive and caring community.

I know so many friends and family

who commute from the underground station, attend the local schools and enjoy the park itself.

“I have since been working with the Community Heartbeat Trust and Harrow Council, including local Cllr Ameet Jogia to install a Public Access Defibrillator along the main parade, within reaching distance of the local parade, underground station and public park.

“Our target is to raise £3170 to cover purchase of the defibrillator, installation and maintenance for 10 years. So far, we have raised £1500 through online donations, collection tins and collection buckets!”

To donate see: https://communityheartbeat.enthuse.com/cf/hearts-ofcanons-park---defibrillator-appeal

Community seeks financial support for prison officer’s grieving family Subarna Saha, lovingly known as Rajat, passed away on 15 January, at a tender age of 39 years, having contracted the coronavirus.

He worked as a Prison Officer and was the main bread earner of the family.

His cousin Swati, from Ely in Cambridgeshire, is trying to raise £50,000 through a GoFundMe page, to mitigate financial burden Rajat's family is facing. 50 people have donated around £3000, as the paper went to print on Tuesday.

Rajat has left behind his childhood sweetheart and wife Rupashree (Rupa) and their 17-month-old baby boy, who he absolutely adored. Rupa works part time as a healthcare professional at one of the NHS Trust Hospitals. Rajat also financially sup-

Rajat with family

ported his elderly mother in India.

Now his family has to deal with both the trauma of bereavement and with the financial burden it places on them.

At the GoFundMe page, Swati wrote, “Rajat was a humble, extremely hard working, caring, generous and a good-natured human being. His big

smile and loud laugh would bring life wherever he went.

He was immensely loved by those who had the opportunity to know him. He would go out of his way to help anyone who needed it the most.

“Rajat will be missed by all those who came in contact with him. We are raising money in his memory to mitigate financial burden his family faces. All the money raised will be deposited directly for the needs of the family.”

To donate see: https:// www.gofundme.com/f/in-lovingmemory-of-subarna-saha-rajat?utm_ source=facebook&utm_medium=soci al&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

4-year-old from Harrow nominated for prestigious national charity award A 4-year-old from Harrow who’s searching for a stem cell donor is set to be honoured by blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan, at a digital awards celebration.

Veer Gudhka has been shortlisted for the John Petchey Young Hero of the Year at the Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards 2020.

Additionally, his friends and family who launched the Help Veer Now campaign last year, have been nominated for the charity’s Minority Ethnic Advocate of the year award.

Veer Gudhka is one of only a few hundred people in the UK to have inherited a life changing illness called Fanconi Anaemia which results in a decreased production of all types of blood cells. His best hope of survival is through a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor. Last year, Veer’s

Veer and his family

family launched the Help Veer Now campaign, to encourage more people of Asian descent to sign up as stem cell donors.

The Help Veer Now Campaign has recruited over 1200 people to the register through a combination of events and online recruitment. A huge 76% of these new recruits were from a minority ethnic background.

March’s lockdown didn't stop the campaign and with an event planned, Help Veer Now adapted to a virtual format, raising both funds for Anthony Nolan and awareness of stem cell donation within the British Indian community. To date Veer and his family have raised £12,098.

Anthony Nolan is the charity that finds matching stem cell donors for people

with blood cancer and blood disorders and gives them a second chance at life.

Additionally, Veer's father, Nirav has coauthored a children's book, with publisher The Jai Jais.

The book, entitled Mahavir, is dedicated to young Veer and a percentage of the sale of every book is being donated to Anthony Nolan.

Nirav Gudhka, Veer’s father, said, “We are so touched to be shortlisted for our award category. We had a very busy year of campaigning last year, and this recognition put a big smile on our faces.

“It’s also very ironic that Veer has been searching for his superhero but is being recognised as a hero himself.”

All winners will be revealed at 7pm on Thursday 11th February.

www.asian-voice.com

Coronavirus concessions in immigration Maria Fernandes The Coronavirus outbreak is a rapidly changing event and immigration policies have been introduced to prevent the adverse impact of the pandemic.

Those on temporary visas which expire between January 1, 2021 and February 28, 2021 who have not been able to leave the United Kingdom can ask for extra time.This is called 'exceptional assurance' and is not a grant of leave.

Where visa centres are closed,foreign nationals can apply online and select a visa application centre in any country worldwide to submit any type of application and biometrics. This concession is extended until March 31, 2021.

Visa Concession Scheme Those who had leave to remain and left the United Kingdom before March 17, 2020 with the intention of returning but wereunable to do so before the expiry of their leave can apply online until March 31, 2021 to enter under a Visa Concession Scheme. It will enable a person to travel without a visa for 3 months leave outside the Immigration Rules (LOTR) on the same conditions as their previous grant of leave and apply before the expiry of leave.The routes eligible for this concession are those where, if the person was in the UK with their previous leave, they would be able to apply for leave to remain.

Continuous residence The Home Office have also stated that where the regulations contain a “continuous residence” requirement, an absence for Covid related issues will not count as a break in residence. This is particularly important for those with Indefinite leave who do not return to the UK within the 2 year period that is normally required.

Workers Applicants currently in the United Kingdom can work while their application is pending if they have been assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) before January 1, 2021.Applicants who qualify include those who have applied for a Skilled Worker visa, a Health and Care Worker visa, Intra-company Transfer visa, T2and T5 Worker visas.

If an applicant's CoS is assigned from January 1, 2021 and they are not applying under the Health and Care visa, they must wait until their visa application has been granted before starting work.

Employers Employers in the United Kingdom can complete a right to work check through video call without having the employee's original documentation.

Employers of Tier 2 or Tier 5 workers can reduce their salaries to the amounts payable under the Job Retention Scheme ie 80% of the normal salary, or GBP 2,500 per month, whichever is lower. This includes cases where the result would be that the salary would fall below the normal minimum for that occupation. Where there is a loss of income until 1 January 2021, the Home Office will consider employment income for the period immediately before this.

Healthcare visas Eligible healthcare workers with visas expiring between October 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 can apply for a one-year visa extension free of charge. Individuals changing employer, or with visas expiring after March 31, 2021, are not eligible.

The deadline for pre-registration nurses and midwives on the NMC’s temporary register to sit the Occupational Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been extended to 30 September 2021. If they do not pass on the first attempt, they will have until 31 December 2021 to pass the exam. Sponsors can continue sponsoringthem if they have not sat their first attempt at the OSCE within 3 months and achieved full registration within 8 months.

Students Students with work rights whose sponsor suspends all study on their course as a result of the pandemic will be considered to be in vacation time and so will be permitted to work full-time during this period.

A student who is receiving tuition by distance learning will be considered to be within term-time and will be limited to the term-time work hours stated on their visa.

The new Graduate route is scheduled to be launched in summer 2021. If students are required to either continue their current studies or commence a new course by distance or blended learning due to Covid-19, theycan switch into the Graduate route on a concessionary basis if they have spent time studying outside the UK. They must enter the UK on or before 6 April 2021 and complete the final semester of their studies in the UK. Students starting the Masters programme in January 2021 will benefit from this concession if they enter the UK before 27 September 2021 and complete the final semester of their studies in the UK. The changes that are introduced are temporary measures and will change. It is vitally important for all those affected by the pandemic to keep careful records.Although currently all hands are on deck to help, those affected, months and years from now, may need to prove what happened during this time.

www w.asian-vo voice.c .com

AsianV Vo oiceNews

UK

AsianV Vo oiceNewsw weekly

17

13 - 19 February ary 20 2021

we first started d, we used d to export xport our product from the UK. Now o we havve a hybrid approach. We started planning from 2016 and in 2018 018 we set up an office in Belgium, m, EU. With the Brexit transitio on the paperwork has been affec ected, but we were well-versed with h it, beacuase we export quite widel dely, including to South Asia and China.

“We spoke to the Departmen ment fo or International Trrade and trade advisors. In the meantime, not only did we go to European cities to look fo or business opportuniti nities to sell, but we also looked for or supp ppliers,, to diversifyy and haave v a portfolio of materials and ingredients from Europe as well.

“Last year we launched Sticksology in the same concept cept as tea infusion sticks but we broadened out from T-stickss in l to

PRODUCED IN ASSOCIA AT TION WITH H UK GOVERNME ENT

BREXIT TRANSITI YOUR BUS READ DY? As the UK’s ’s new relationship with the EU be eg gins, find out h to keep your business mov ovin Rupanjana Dutta The UK has now agreed a deal with the EU, and we all need to be aware of new rules which started on 1 January 2021. The Brexit transition period ended on 31 December 2020, so it is essential that those who haven’t yet taken action to prepare, check if they need to do so and take action where necessary. If the businesses are not ready fo for these changes, they could risk serious disruption.

Here’s ’s w what hat yo you ne need to know ow if y yo ou trade wiitth the EU: U: • While the deal with the EU means zero tariffs and zero quotas, businesses still need to be ready fo or changes to trade and customs procedures with Europe. For trade with countries outside the EU, check fo for any changes to tariffs.

• If you run a business, you will need to make customs declarations when exporting goods to the EU. Yo ou can make the declarations yourself, but most businesses use an intermediary like a courier, freight fo forwarder or customs agent.

• The UK government have v taken measures to allow traders time to adjust to new processes, introducing new border controls in three stages up until 1 July 2021, and agreeing with the EU to temporarily simplify Rules of Origin procedures fo for 12 months to the end of December 2021 by implementing a 12-month waiver on supplier declarations.

•Y Yo our business needs to take some key actions, like making sure you have v an EORI number starting with GB. Y Yo ou need to check the new rules fo for importing and exporting goods and be confident that your goods meet origin rules beffore claiming preffeerence. If exporting, you will also need to

check that the EU business you are exporting to is also ready.

• If you are due to o travel to the EU ffo or work, yo need a visa or work p • From 1 January, if you want to hire from outtside the UK, including fro om the EU, you must be a Ho licenced sponsor under the UK’s new points-based immigrati migration system. The new system doesn’t apply when hiring Irish citizens,, or EU citizens alreadyy livingg in the UK. •Y Yo ou may need to haavve your UK proffeessional qualification officially recognised if you want to work in a regulated proffeession in the EEA or in Switzerland.

Businesses should use the Brexit checker tool at gov.uk/ transition fo for a personalised list of actions.

Optimistic about deman nd d Nim’s Fruit Crisps manufacture fruit & vegetable crisps, air dried infusions and edible teas. They import about 260 tons of citrus fruits from the EU per annum.

Nimisha Raja, Founder and CEO, told Asian V Vo oice, “We actually received an EU grant through the Department ffo or International Trrade to train two members of our staff on the ins and outs of trade post Brexit transition.

“With With the UK UK’ss transition, transition we now need a Phytosanitary Certificate and a Certificate of Origin. Every invoice has to include Commodity Codes and our EORI number. Customs Declarations need to be completed too and submitted prior to delivery arriving at UK.” Advising businesses that are still preparing to make the changes, she told this newsweekly, “It will pay to be patient. We

but we w will get used to it and in the long run it will be fo or the best.

As a man nufacturer, I am feeling e very optimisti very imistic that once we get imistic back to ssome sort of normality after Covvid, we will see quite an increase in demand ffo or British goods domesti omestically.”

Awareness an nd d positiivit vity are key y Spice Kittchen is an artisan producerr of spice tin gift sets along with ith handmade spi spice blends.

Sanjayy Aggarwal, A Founder and Chief Sp pice Officer said, “We import our o spices from India and send ord ders daily to Europe fo for the online customers. ustomers. Our business is boomingg overall, but slower due to Covid d.

“We prepared fo for the changes, like gettiing an EORI number to

th he labels. The Department for o In nternational Trrade was able to provide support and the gov.uk/ traansition ansition website was a great great so source ource of help. help “My advice to those still preparing would be to make sure that you are aware of the changes and try and keep on top of them. Definitely fo follow the UK Government guidelines and staayy positive!”

Brexit transition, has given us an opportunity to diversify, estab ablish our presence and give credibility bility

Opportunities in different ent mark kets Sticksology brought innovation to drinking tea with their tea infusion n sticks. Ricky Kothari, Founder and Chief Sticksologist used the transition period to diversify his business to diff ffeerent markets and consumers.

He told Asian Vo Voice, “When

Ricky Kothari believes the Brexit transition has given him an opportunity to diversify

and confidence to the brand in diff fferent markets.

“We havve not changed much on our packaging, but we have v our EORI number, Certificate of Origin etc. At our doorstep there is a huge market that we can still access, as long as we get our documentations lined up with the right partners.”

Sanjay Aggarwal advises to follow guidelines and keep positive

New rules are here Doing business with Europe has changed. Use the Brexit Checker T To ool to get personalised actions fo for your business. www w..gov.uk k//transition

18 FINANCE - UK

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

www.asian-voice.com

13 - 19 February 2021

Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel Suppose you've followed the craziness behind bitcoin, or Ocugen, or Gamestop. The world has gone crazy and greedy.

What does it mean? Are you missing out. After all, Elon Musk, the world's richest man, backs Bitcoin, and he didn't get rich by being stupid - he owned PayPal (so do I - 20 years later, by the way).

Let's not forget this week also saw the lawsuit against Robinhood, the cheap online broker, for the suicide of one of their clients. So before your kids all decide to take down my industry, the hedge fund industry, please be aware of that. Yes, it's alluring - Ocugen is up 700% in just a week at the time of writing. Or Golden Rock up 500% over the same time. Of the biggest movers, I only had French Connection - 100% return in a week, and I had to wait six months for that! And I wouldn't own it now. "I'm out," as they say on Dragon's Den. The chances of you finding that lottery ticket are small - there are thousands of stocks. Even if you reduce it to tiny companies, and ones on Redditt, the online chat room, these things are rumoured, you're playing like a person in a casino. It's not investing.

And if you're gambling - then you know you only use risk capital ie sums if you lose you won't change your lifestyle. And that's the problem. It then isn't worth it.

Let alone, if you get in, and then it drops. I host a weekly radio show on Clubhouse (the new American app on which Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg appear). On Friday nights, we discuss with a global audience, including those from Silicon Valley, the latest developments.

It is an insightful bunch from hedge fund managers to techies to entrepreneurs. And things are coming up I wouldn't invest in, because you really need to know your stuff - SPACs (cash shell listed companies which shoot up in value - Branson has one - on speculation what they may invest in).

We discussed the new area of companies working on mental health through psychedelics microdose drugs.

Not my cup of tea - but I know for speculators that will be good news.

Of course all great fortunes are built on private information as Rothschilds said, but for me, this is public information. Great fortunes are still built on solid reliable information. The few, on luck and chance and you don't hear about the dead investors because they've lost so much, they can't pay the internet bill.

The demand for learning quality, not gambling information, is high. I gained 10,000 followers in 5 days on TikTok because people are fed up with the no nothing numpties claiming to make you millions in a week.

Many asked me for work experience, I created a virtual remote internship in my asset management company.

You can get it free at www.campaignforamillion.com .

Unilever set to cash in on sustainability, focus on plant-based foods and functional nutrition British multinational consumer goods company Unilever has announced its intentions to expand its range of plant-based foods.

With people lowering their meat intake, or opting for a vegan lifestyle, CEO Alan Jope called the rise of plantbased foods an “inexorable” trend. He said, “We are seeing in every single country in the world a shift towards more plant-based diets, even in emerging markets.”

Plant-based foods is a wide, and growing market and bodes really well for the ambitions. company's Especially in India, which has the highest percentage of a vegetarian population.

Not just the food market, Unilever also intends to cash in on the big growth areas of beauty and nutri-

tional supplement markets.

The group, which is accountable for numerous household names like Ben & Jerry's, Dove, Pond's, intends to grow a £865 million a year plant-based foods business in the coming five to seven years. In an interview with Bloomberg, Jope said that plant-based products will be one of the top five global categories that the group will focus on in the coming future, alongside functional nutrition driven by the macro trend of health and well-being.

He said, “As you'll know there is a secular trend toward us all eating a little more of a plant-based diet and we see all our vegetarian and vegan offerings growing very quickly.” The first step to this plan is to

offer plant-based versions of existing brands. Jope said, “The first thing we're concerned to do is to make sure that our big brands like Knorr and Hellmans have got attractive plant-based offerings.”

Unilever already owns meat substitute brand The Vegetarian Butcher. Jope said the company will “con-

tinue to roll out the Vegetarian Butcher into more places both in retail and in partnership with our quick service restaurant partners.” Unilever has also reportedly invested in a food innovation centre at Wageningen University in the Netherlands for research in developing new products.

Issa brothers' £6.8 bn Asda buyout to cost them just £800 mn Blackburn-based private equity-backed billionaires Mohsin and Zuber Issa will reportedly shell out less than £800 million from their own pockets to take a controlling stake in supermarket Asda, a mere fraction of its £6.8 billion valuation. In what is touted to be the UK's biggest leveraged buyout in over a decade, the Issa brothers along with private equity firm TDR Capital are in the works to buy the supermarket chain.

Reports reveal, they have arranged an intricate series of asset disposals and debt deals to fund the buyout.

Financial Times stated an estimated £165 million

Mohsin and Zuber Issa

worth of fees will be paid to the lawyers, bankers and other advisers on the deal.

The Issa brothers and TDR are reportedly funding most of the deal's £6.5 billion cash consideration by loading up

Asda with £3.7 billion of junk-rated debt, which will be sold to loan and bond investors this month. The supermarket's previous owner Walmart will retain a minority stake in the busi-

ness, cutting £500 million off the new owners' registry.

The buyers will also raise a further £1.7 billion by disposing of some of Asda's assets, with sale and leasebacks planned for its distribution centres. Its petrol stations are being sold to EG Group. This leaves just £780 million for them to fund from their own pockets.

The brothers released a statement last week saying they were “putting in place a robust capital structure” for the grocer and were “confident that external investors will share our belief in Asda's strong fundamentals and exciting future prospects.”

Rolls-Royce proposes temporary shutdown of jet-engine factories Sunak planning to tax major online retailers

to bring justice to the High Street

British luxury automobile maker, Rolls-Royce has proposed to temporarily close its jet-engine factories for two weeks this summer as it seeks to handle costs amid Covid losses.

The aero-engine maker has initiated talks with unions on the shutdown and cost cutting at its civil aerospace unit.

In a statement, Rolls-Royce said, “As we continue to manage our cost base in response to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic of the whole commercial aviation sector, we are proposing a two-week operational shutdown of civil aerospace over this summer.” The company hit losses due to the Covid crisis with its airline customers grounding planes. It had warned last month that travel would be even more constrained than expected this year, leading to increased cash outflow.

A media report suggested that Rolls-Royce staff have been told the two weeks' pay they will lose will be spread across the year to minimise the impact on their income. The move is expected to affect all 19,000 staff in the Rolls' international civil aerospace division, including 12,500 in the UK.

Amazon, and other online retailers face the possibility of a double tax raid as the Treasury seeks to re-balance the weight between booming online businesses and the High Street. Media reports quoted sources close to Chancellor Rishi Sunak as saying the current taxation system around online businesses is “killing the High Street.” Reports also suggest that Downing Street's policy unit are looking into the possibility of a Covid windfall tax which will target “excessive” profits of those who have cashed in during the pandemic.

Tech firms and online retailers may be called in to present their views on a new tax plan. The 'Amazon Tax', as it has been dubbed, seeks to target major online

retailers posting huge profits while avoiding pricey high street rent costs and overheads. The online sales tax could be introduced as part of a business rates shake-up.

Online retailers like Amazon currently pay business rates on their huge warehouses and offices.

However, they have no need for expensive High Street stores like traditional retailers, which often attract big business rates.

There is a visible advantage as online players like Boohoo and Asos have been able to keep costs down by avoiding the expensive rents paid by their High Street rivals.

The update comes at a time when Amazon's British sales increased by 51

Rishi Sunak

per cent last year to £19.5billion.

However, Amazon UK paid only £14.5 million in corporation tax in 2019. The firm said its tax bill was offset by government incentives related to its investment in infrastructure. Treasury officials, according to media reports, hope to use the money from a one-off Covid windfall tax

on these companies, to help cover the £300 billion cost of Covid on the country.

Neither of these taxes are expected to be introduced in March's upcoming budget. However, originally reported by the Sunday Times, both could play a key role in the Treasury's plan to slash Britain's £2 trillion debt.

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FINANCE & REAL ESTATE 19

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

13 - 19 February 2021

Trade Secretary concludes India visit, secures new jobs in the UK On Tuesday 9th February, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss concluded her 5-day visit to India in her bid to secure a potential future Free Trade Agreement with India while deepening UK-India bilateral trading ties.

As part of her visit, the Government has helped to secure a number of investment wins that will create jobs across the UK. This includes a major investment by leading technology and digital firm Tata Consultancy Services that will bring 1,500 high-skilled jobs to sites all over the UK. Indian pharmaceutical and biotechnology giant Wockhardt has also confirmed further investment in Wrexham, Wales, leading to more than 40 new jobs and the extension of their Covid-19 vaccination contract to ensure the UK has uninterrupted fill and finish capacity for vaccines in 2022.

UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said, “India is the world’s biggest democracy and a nation that shares our belief in free enterprise.

Deeper trading ties will create opportunities for UK businesses that were simply not there as part of the EU, and set the stage for a much closer partnership with one of the economic powerhouses of the present and future.

Bilateral meeting with Minister Piyush Goyal to advance conversation on ETP

“We will be collaborating much more closely in the industries of tomorrow like science, tech and green growth, so we can build back better and deliver an export-led, investment-led, jobs-led recovery from coronavirus.”

India is the fastest growing major economy in the world, with longstanding ties to the UK and a potential market of 1.4 billion people. Previously the trade secretary had also agreed an outline of a new Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) with India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, as part of the development of a roadmap that would lead to a potential comprehensive FTA, including considerations on an Interim Agreement on preferential basis.

The UK-India trade relationship, worth £23 billion in 2019, supports key industries such as technology and life sciences and around half a million jobs

Liz Truss and Minsiter Shri Piyush Goyal

in each other’s economies.

Life Sciences has been a priority sector for both nations, with UK pharmaceuticals exports to India growing by 21.4% to £96.75m in 2019. During her visit, the Secretary of State met with UK respiratory digital health company, Smart Respiratory Products, which is helping doctors in India manage their patients remotely via a smartphone app and telemedicine platform.

The firm recently secured a £5m partnership with Indian company, Care Ability Healthcare, to supply their Smart Asthma respiratory solutions.

Demonstrating the strength of the UK tech and life sciences sector, AI healthcare start-up Behold.AI announced during the visit that it has partnered with India’s Apollo Group to provide a diagnostic tool which can quickly analyse chest x-rays to aid in screening Covid19 positive patients.

India may reduce public sector units to just two dozen Following the new policy that focuses on privatisation in non-core sectors, the Indian government may reduce the number of public sector enterprises to just around two dozen, from over 300 at present.

According to sources, the final number will be decided by the Union cabinet based on recommendations by NITI Aayog, which has been tasked with identifying the next set of companies to be offered for strategic sale.

The budget has made it clear there will be only four key strategic sectors and in

these key segments, there will be a maximum of three or four public sector units.

All other areas where there are PSUs, the government will move out and there will be less than two dozen PSUs left.

This will include banks and insurance companies, especially in the general insurance space. In her third budget, finance minister Nirmala Sitharman had identified atomic energy, space, defence, transport, telecommunications, power, petroleum, coal and other minerals and banking,

insurance and financial services as strategic sectors.

The policy states that in the strategic sectors, there will be bare minimum presence of the public sector enterprises. The remaining CPSEs in the strategic sector will be privatised or merged or subsidiarised with other CPSEs or closed.

In non-strategic sectors, CPSEs will be privatised or will be closed.

The policy marks a huge shift in the government’s attitude towards privatisation of PSUs and flags its commitment to go

ahead with the process.

There is a clear shift to involve the private sector and global investors to bring in efficiency and provide much needed cash for the government to help revive the economy hit sharply by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Public Enterprises survey 2018-19, there were 348 central public sector undertakings as on March 31, 2019, out of which 249 were operational.

Remaining 86 were under construction and13 were under closure or liquidation.

HC lifts stay on Future-RIL deal In a setback for US ecommerce giant Amazon, a two-judge bench of the Delhi high court lifted the status quo order on Future Group’s deal with Reliance Industries (RIL). Earlier, based on Amazon’s petition, a single-judge order had asked Future and all other authorities to maintain status quo on the £2.47 billion Future-RIL deal.

Amazon had moved the HC to enforce the emergency order from Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and stop Future from taking any steps to complete the RIL deal.

The HC will hear the matter again later this month but noted that authorities like markets regulator Sebi and antitrust regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) could not be restrained from ‘proceeding in accordance

with law’. The single judge bench is yet to give its final order on the original Amazon petition as well.

“The bench comprising of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh, has stayed the operation and effect of order passed by single judge, for the prima facie reason that the company is not a party to the shareholders agreement dated August 22, 2019, executed between Amazon, Future Coupons and the promoters of Future Retail, under which arbitration was initiated by Amazon in Singapore,” a filing to the BSE said. An Amazon India spokesperson did not comment on the latest development.

Future Retail has filed an application with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) seeking approval for its deal with

RIL. Sebi has given a conditional nod to the deal, and CCI has cleared the deal.

Sebi bans Biyani, four others for insider trading Markets regulator Sebi banned Kishore Biyani, the promoter of Future Group, and four other related entities from the market for one year for insider trading in the shares of Future Retail. These five entities have also been barred from dealing in the shares of the same company for two years.

The Sebi order came at a time when the Future Group is involved in several court and arbitration cases involving Amazon, which is trying to block Biyani’s deal to sell the retail business to RIL. Through an earlier deal signed August 2019, Amazon had invested £ 143.1million in Future Coupons, which held about 10% stake in the group flagship, Future

Retail. Some corporate lawyers said that the SEBI order may have some implications for the Indian company, but is unlikely to impact the Amazon pact.

The SEBI order relates to trading in the shares of Future Retail using unpublished price-sensitive information by Biyani and his associates when the group was undergoing a restructuring in MarchApril 2017. The order was passed against Future Corporate Resources, Kishore Biyani, Anil Biyani, FCRL Employee Welfare Trust, Rajesh Pathak, Rajkumar Pande, Virendra Samani and Arpit Maheshwari.

The Holy Trinity

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

We have just closed a small deal for a client in South East London.

The cash flow is very interesting. The purchase price was £225,500 for a 3 bedroom ex-council property. The property is a spacious duplex, with even some outdoor space. Being ex-council, the service charges are very low and include the building insurance.

The client raised the full funds by way of a remortgage. The cost of the remortgage is 2.2% fixed for 5 years; this means the cost of raising this money is under £5K per annum. The expected rental according to LHA rates is going to be £15K. If we allow £3K of expenses you have an income stream of £7K, almost by magic.

The property too was purchased cheaply; it is about £30K below market level.

The three most important factors when investing in property are location, location and location! This property was bought in a particular area of South East London; an area which we have dug into deeply. We have carried out an inhouse investment analysis on this location, and we believe there will be strong long term growth in this location, for a sustained period.

The client lives in the Midlands somewhere; far away from the property. This was purely an investment decision, and taken with the report in mind. He purchased the property blind.

Many investors have an unexamined criteria, where the property they purchase must be close to where they live. Of course this is helpful when works need to be done and on going maintenance, especially if you will be managing it yourself. However, saving a little money on building works is not where you make your money in a property. Money is made on the capital growth of the property, this is driven primarily by the location and how and why it will be lifted in the coming years. This needs to be studied and incorporated into investing. We have 18 pages to say this particular area that we have targeted will lift. One reason is that it is one of the last remaining boroughs in London, where the average price is below £300K, demonstrated by this very purchase.

This puts it within reach of the average couple, who earn the average wage of £25K each. Put together, a couple can borrow £250K. London is being priced out for first time buyers. They are having to leave and instead look at commuting options.

Another strong point is a station will be opening which will put Canary Wharf within 11 minutes train ride and Bond Street within 25 mins.

The area is a sleepy area which I have visited many times now, and it seems to be unaware of the kind of growth it will experience in years to come. And if we are completely wrong there is still the positive cash flow which will hopefully increase in time.

Buying an investment property in the current climate requires a lot of caution. Here there are not one but three sound reasons behind this investment.

INCENTIVE SCHEME FOR ACS, LEDS, LAPTOPS ETC The government will open a £1.35 billion production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for air conditioners, LED lights, laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs and servers from April. The hope is to create close to 280,000 jobs over four-five years, while also boosting domestic production and reducing imports. The department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) said that a £623.8 million PLI scheme for ACs and LED lights will be in operation from April, which is expected to result in incremental production of nearly £17 billion, while creating 100,000 jobs. DPIIT has proposed incentives of 4-6% on incremental sales over the 2019-20 base year. Similarly, a Cabinet note floated by the ministry of electronics and IT has suggested a 4% support on net incremental sales of ‘Made in India’ IT hardware for a period of 4 years, resulting in incremental production of over £30 billion.

SBI NET PROFIT AT £519.1 MN IN DEC QUARTER India's largest lender SBI reported a net profit of £ 519.1 million for the quarter ended December 2020, a drop of 7% from £558.3 million in the previous year, which was driven by a one-time recovery of £1.1 billion from Essar Steel. The bank’s net profit was up nearly 14% from £475.4 million in Q2FY21. SBI’s stock jumped by 6% after the bank’s chairman Dinesh Khara said that loan slippage could be lower than the £6 billion projected earlier and that the lender was expecting to hit double-digit credit growth as early as Q2FY22. Khara said the bank had received restructuring requests for loans worth £1.81 billion and that it had made adequate provisioning for bad loans. The bank’s deposit grew 14% year-on-year, of which current accounts grew by 11% and savings accounts 16%.

20

WORLD

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13 - 19 February 2021

China planning to build a new city on Australia's doorstep in Papua New Guinea CANBERRA: Leaked documents revealed that a Chinese company intends to construct a new city on the Island of Daru in Papua New Guinea - just 200 km north of Australia's Cape York.

The plans were submitted to the PNG government in April last year and, if approved, could include a major sea port, an industrial zone as well as a commercial business precinct.

Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has described the Chinese company's $39 billion plan as 'speculative' and said he maintained a close relationship with PNG prime minister James Marape, The Australian reported. 'We regularly discuss the various pressures in our region, and I think we're very much on the same page about those issues,' he said. Home affairs minister Peter Dutton said the government was keen to discuss the proposal with the PNG government. 'So we will look at it closely, but Australia will always act in our best interests and we will seek to support

our neighbours.'

It comes after the Fujian Zhonghong Fishery Company, which is controlled by the Chinese government, recently inked an MoU with the PNG government to build a $204 million fishery complex in Daru - an area of PNG which has no commercial fisheries.

Under the proposal for New Daru City, the potential deal would be 'predicted on an agreed Sovereign Guarantee based on a long-term BOT [Build Operate Transfer] contract'.

This means the Communist Party-backed firm would have total ownership of the venture for a designated period of time yet to be determined. Over the past year Australia has become the target of an increasingly aggressive and belligerent Beijing.

China imposed a litany of unofficial bans and arbitrary tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Australia exports after Canberra called for an inquiry into the origin of the coronvirus

pandemic - and the subsequent cover-ups which followed.

Australia is now preparing to take legal action against China at a World Trade Organisation tribunal, but the process to have the tariffs removed could take several years.

As Beijing now looks to set up a mega city in Australia's backyard with the diplomatic relationship continuing to deteriorate, it's feared China could have an ulterior motives and a secret plan to turn the area into a naval base. Under the proposal for New Daru City, the Communist Party-backed firm would have total ownership of

the venture for a designated period of time.

Michael Shoebridge, the national security program director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's said China and it's corporate proxies often approach provincial governments to try and get controversial infrastructure projects off the ground - as they are less security conscious than national administrations. 'The big message is really that Australian policymakers and leadership cannot be complacent in any way about Chinese presence and intent in PNG,' he told The Australian.

Uganda opposition leader Bobi Wine challenges election results KAMPALA: Uganda opposition leader Bobi Wine has challenged the results of the presidential election in the supreme court and sought the cancellation of the results that handed victory to incumbent Yoweri Museveni, his party's lawyer said. Museveni, a former guerrilla leader who has led the East African country since 1986, was declared winner of the election on 14 January with 59% of the vote, while Wine was given 35%.

"We want the poll cancelled and repeated," said George Musisi, lawyer for Wine's National Unity Platform (NUP).

Wine, 38, a pop star and lawmaker, rejected the results and said he believed his victory was stolen. Musisi said Wine was ask-

ing the court to overturn the results on several grounds, including widespread use of violence.

"There was outright ballotstuffing, there was intimidation of NUP agents and supporters, some were arrested on the eve of the election, there was pre-ticking of ballots," he said. The filing showed the judiciary could be trusted to adjudicate over the dispute fairly, Museveni's National Resistance Movement party told, adding the petition did not have much chance of succeeding.

"Kyagulanyi is trying to give his supporters a soft landing but inside himself he knows he lost genuinely," said Rogers Mulindwa, NRM's spokesman.

Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, used his youthful energy and a widespread Ugandan love of music to build a large following among young peo- Bobi Wine ple and present a formidable challenge to Museveni. On the campaign trail, which Wine once described as a "war zone", he was forced to wear a bulletproof vest and a ballistics helmet for safety reasons.

To keep a lid on Wine's support, authorities responded with a violent crackdown. His rallies were routinely broken up with bullets, beatings, teargas and detentions.

Uganda's judiciary has over the years drawn criticism from the political opposition and some

Joe Biden

the Department of Health and Human Services to put out best practices for combating xenophobia in our national response to Covid,” he said.

The memo, states in part: “The Federal Government must recognize that it has played a role in furthering these xenophobic sentiments through the actions of political leaders, including references to the Covid-19 pandemic by the geographic location of its origin.”

“Such statements have stoked unfounded fears and perpetuated stigma about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

and have contributed to increasing rates of bullying, harassment, and hate crimes against AAPI persons,” read the memo, noting that two million Asian Americans have served on the front lines of the pandemic.

Hate-based violence and discrimination against the AAPI community began a sharp rise as the Covid pandemic took hold in the US last February. The web portal Stop AAPI Hate - an online site to self-report incidents of hate crimes or discrimination in multiple Asian American languages - documented 2,583 incidents of AAPI bias nationwide between 19 March and 5 August. Verbal harassment and name calling made up 70 per cent of the incidents, while 9 per cent of cases reported were physical attacks.

Former president Donald Trump fanned the flames of

KABUL BLAST KILLS 2 SIKHS; 3 HINDUS AMONG INJURED A blast in Afghan capital of Kabul last week killed at least two members of the minority Sikh community. The explosion hit a store in the heart of the capital, causing it to collapse and kill the two men, according to two Afghan police officials. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but the Islamic State group has targeted Sikhs and other minority communities in Afghanistan. A Kabul police spokesman said six people were wounded in the blast. He said police were investigating what caused the explosion. Reports quoting police officials say that the injured included three Afghan Hindus. With growing threats from IS, Afghanistan's once-thriving community of Sikhs and Hindus has dwindled from as many as 250,000 members to fewer than 700.

SAUDI ARABIA SUSPENDS FLIGHTS FROM INDIA The official websites of UAE carriers Etihad Airways and Emirates announced temporary suspension of passenger flights from 20 countries including India to Saudi Arabia in accordance with fresh directives. “Effective 3 February 21:00 Saudi time - you will not be permitted to enter Saudi Arabia if you are travelling from or have been in any of the following countries in the past 14 days: Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, USA, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, Portugal, United Kingdom, Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Lebanon, Egypt, India, Japan,” said an advisory on Etihad’s official website. The restrictions do not apply to Saudi nationals and citizens, diplomats, health practitioners and their families.

157 PROTESTERS HELD DURING STRIKE IN NEPAL human rights activists for alleged partisan rulings in high-profile political cases.

Challenges to the results of all the four previous elections won by Museveni have been dismissed by the Supreme Court. In the rulings, most judges acknowledged the elections were marred by irregularities, but said those irregularities could not have affected the election's ultimate result in a substantial manner.

Biden condemns racism against Asian Americans WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden signed a memo condemning xenophobia and hate-based violence against Asian Americans, which has dramatically spiked amid the Covid-19 pandemic. "Today, I'm directing federal agencies to combat the resurgence of xenophobia, particularly against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, that we've seen skyrocket during this pandemic. This is unacceptable and it's un-American," said Biden in his remarks at the White House before signing the memo.

“We face deep racial inequities in America and systemic racism that has plagued our nation for far, too long,” said the president, amid a package of reforms aimed at promoting racial equity. "I've asked the Department of Justice to strengthen its partnership with the Asian American Pacific Islander community to prevent those hate crimes. I've also asked

in brief

anti-Asian American xenophobia referring to Covid as “the China virus,” “the China plague,” and “Kung flu,” among other terms. He has repeatedly blamed China for the spread of the virus in the US. Veteran Indian American community activist Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council - which launched the Stop AAPI Hate portal described some of the reported incidents at an Ethnic Media Services briefing last October: Grandparents were walking their grandchild around a neighborhood as a group of young adults drove by, screaming racist epithets. A middle schooler was physically attacked by a bully who told him to “go back to China.” When he responded that he was not Chinese, he was punched in the head 20 times by the bully. No immediate action was taken by school administration.

Normal life was paralysed across Nepal during a nation-wide general strike called by the Nepal Communist Party’s splinter faction-led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda to oppose the appointment of office bearers and members of various constitutional bodies by PM K P Sharma Oli-led caretaker government. Markets, educational institutions and offices were shut down while transport services were disrupted.

At least 5,000 security personnel were deployed. Meanwhile, police arrested at least 157 cadres of the Prachanda-led faction for enforcing the strike. NCP’s Central Committee members Ashta Laxmi Shakya, Himal Sharma and Amrita Thapa were among those arrested

NIGERIAN WOMAN SET TO BE WTO’S 1ST FEMALE CHIEF Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was poised to become the first African and first woman to lead the embattled World Trade Organization, after a South Korean rival withdrew and the US reversed its previous opposition. The US government expressed its support for OkonjoIweala, lauding her experience at the World Bank and leading Nigeria’s finance ministry, and pledging to work with her on reforms. The development ended months of uncertainty over the leadership of the trade body and cleared the way for WTO members to confirm OkonjoIweala as the next WTO director-general.

NETANYAHU PLEADS ‘NOT GUILTY’ Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded not guilty as his trial on corruption charges resumed in a Jerusalem courtroom just weeks before national elections in which he hopes to extend his12-year rule. Netanyahu was indicted last year for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.

In recent months, Israelis have held weekly protests calling on him to resign. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and has dismissed the charges against him as a “witch-hunt” and has refused to step down.

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in brief CHINA FORMALLY ARRESTS OZ JOURNALIST

China has formally arrested a Chinese-born Australian journalist for CGTN, the Englishlanguage channel of China Central Television, on suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets overseas, Australia’s foreign minister said. The arrest of Cheng Lei starts an official criminal probe and came six months after she was detained. “The Australian government has raised its serious concerns about Ms. Cheng’s detention regularly at senior levels, including about her welfare and conditions of detention,” foreign minister Marise Payne said. “We expect basic standards of justice.” she added.

JEFF BEZOS TO STEP DOWN AS AMAZON CEO Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon as an online bookseller nearly three decades ago, will step down as the CEO of the $1.7 trillion global e-commerce giant and will become the executive chairman, a move he said would give him “time and energy” to focus on his other ventures and passions.

Amazon, which announced that 2020 net sales increased 38 per cent to $386.1 billion, compared with $280.5 billion in 2019, said Bezos will transition to the role of Executive Chairman in the third quarter of 2021 and Andy Jassy, CEO of the company’s cloud business, Amazon Web Services, will become CEO at that time.

Bezos has been Amazon’s CEO since its founding in 1995.

RUSSIA EXPELS EUROPEAN DIPLOMATS OVER NAVALNY RALLY Russia’s foreign ministry said it was expelling diplomats from Sweden, Poland and Germany for attending a rally in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The diplomats were being declared “persona non grata” after they were alleged to take part in the “unlawful” rallies in support of Navalny on January 23, the ministry said. Mass protests in support of Navalny took place that day all across Russia. Diplomats from Sweden and Poland in St Petersburg and from Germany in Moscow took part in the rallies, it said, and their actions were “unacceptable and inappropriate for their diplomatic status.”

They were required to leave Russia “in the nearest future,” a ministry statement said.

THREE WOMEN NOMINATED FOR BEST DIRECTOR AT GLOBES Netflix’s “Mank,” a black and-white drama that dives into Hollywood’s Golden Age with the making of “Citizen Kane,” topped the nominations for the pandemic-delayed Golden Globes, as female directors finally broke through with multiple nods. “Mank” earned six nods. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which has only previously nominated five female directors in its history, gave Globes nods to three women in the category this year: Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Regina King (“One Night in Miami”) and Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”). Nominees for Best picture were: “The Father”; “Mank”; “Nomadland”; “The Trial of the Chicago 7”; “Promising Young Woman.”

Biggest protests in Myanmar since 2007 draw thousands YANGON: Tens of thousands of people rallied across Myanmar for a second day of protests on Sunday to denounce last week’s coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It is the biggest protest in Mynamar since the 2007 Saffron Revolution that helped lead to democratic reforms.

In Yangon, crowds sported red shirts, red flags and red balloons, the colour of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy Party. “We don’t want military dictatorship! We want democracy!” they chanted. On Sunday afternoon, the junta ended a day-long blockade of the internet that had further inflamed anger since the coup last Monday that has drawn international outrage. Pope Francis expressed “solidarity with the people” on Sunday and asked Myanmar’s leaders to seek “democratic” harmony.

Massive crowds from all cor-

ners of Yangon gathered in townships, filling streets as they headed towards the Sule Pagoda at the heart of the city. Some marchers presented police with flowers. One officer was photographed giving a surreptitious three-finger salute. Protesters gestured with the threefinger salute that has become a symbol of protest against the coup.

Drivers honked their horns and passengers held up photos of Suu Kyi. “We don’t want a dictatorship for the next generation,” said 21-year-old Thaw Zin. “We will not finish this revolution until we make history. We will fight to the end.” There was no comment from the junta in the capital Naypyidaw, more than 350 km north of Yangon and state-run television news carried no mention of the protests. An internal note for UN staff estimated that 1,000 people joined a protest in Naypyidaw while there were 60,000 in Yangon

alone. Protests were reported in the second city of Mandalay and many towns and even villages across the country of 53 million people. The demonstrations have largely been peaceful, unlike the bloody crackdowns seen in 1998 and 2007. But shots were heard in the southeastern town of Myawaddy as uniformed police with guns charged a group of a couple of hundred protesters, live video showed.

Pictures of protesters afterwards

showed what appeared to be rubber bullet injuries.

With no internet and official information scarce, rumours swirled about the fate of Suu Kyi and her cabinet. A story that she had been released drew crowds out to celebrate on Saturday, but it was quickly quashed by her lawyer. More than 160 people have been arrested since the military seized power, said Thomas Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on Myanmar.

Disenchanted Iranians turning to other religious faiths TEHRAN: In Iran many people who are disenchanted with Shia ayatollahs are turning to other religious faiths. For father mansour, Christianity in Iran has all the excitement of the persecuted early church. In homes across the country he delivers his sermons in code, calling Jesus “Jamsheed”. He leads songs of praise in silence.

“We lip-synch because we can’t worship out loud,” he says.

The risks are great: proselytisation is banned; dozens of missionaries have been jailed. But so too are the spiritual rewards.

Local pastors report hundreds of secret churches attracting hundreds of thousands of worshippers. Evangelicals claim Christianity is growing faster in Iran than in any other country.

The spiritual gap between Iran’s Shia ayatollahs and the people they rule is widening.

The strictures of the theocracy and the doctrine of Shia supremacy alienate many. So growing numbers of Iranians seem to be leaving religion or experimenting with alternatives

to Shiism.

Christians, Zoroastrians and Bahais all report soaring interest. Leaders of other forms of Islam speak of popular revivals. “There’s a loyalty change,” says Yaser Mirdamadi, a Shia cleric in exile.

“Iranians are turning to other religions because they no longer find satisfaction in the official faith.”

Formally, the ayatollahs recognise other monotheistic religions, as long as they predate Islam. The constitution allocates non-Muslim “peoples of the book”-Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians - five of the 290 seats in parliament. They have their own schools (with Muslim headmasters) and places of worship. Iran hosts the Muslim world’s largest Jewish community. But the clerics prefer to keep non-Shias separate, clois-

tered and subservient. Religious diversity, they fear, could adulterate the Shia identity of the state. Since the Islamic revolution in 1979, there has never been a non-Shia minister. The clerics sometimes denounce religious minorities as infidels and spies. Conversion to nonMuslim religions is punishable by death.

The repression isn’t working. The state says over 99.5% of Iran’s 82m people are Muslim.

But its numbers are not reliable.

A poll of more than 50,000 Iranians (about 90% of whom live in Iran) conducted online by Gamaan, a Dutch research group, found a country in religious flux. About half of the respondents said they had lost or changed their religion. Less than a third identified as Shia. If these numbers are even close to correct, Iran is much more diverse than its official census shows.

Zoroastrianism, Iran’s oldest faith, is perhaps the country’s second-biggest religion.

Nowruz and Yalda, two of its

Kenyan recycles plastic waste into bricks stronger than concrete NAIROBI: Nzambi Matee hurls a brick hard against a school footpath constructed from bricks made of recycled plastic that her factory turns out in the Kenyan capital. It makes a loud bang, but does not crack.

“Our product is almost five to seven times stronger than concrete,” said Matee, the founder of Nairobi-based Gjenge Makers, which transforms plastic waste into durable building materials. “There is that waste they cannot process anymore; they cannot recycle. That is what we get,” Matee said, strolling past sacks of plastic waste.

Matee gets the waste from packaging factories for free, although she pays for the plastic she gets from other recyclers. Her factory produces 1,500 bricks each day, made from a mix of different kinds of plastic.

These are high density polyethylene, used in milk and shampoo bottles; low density polyethy-

lene, often used for bags for cerals or sandwiches; and polypropylene, used for ropes, flip-top lids and buckets. But she does not work with polyethylene terephthalate or PET, commonly used for plastic bottles.

The plastic waste is mixed with sand, heated and then compressed into bricks, which are sold at varying prices, depending on thickness and colour. Their common grey bricks cost 850 Kenyan shillings ($7.70) per square metre, for example. Matee, a materials engineer who designed her own machines, said her factory has recycled 20 tonnes of waste plastic since its founding in 2017. She plans to add another, bigger, production line that could triple capacity, and hopes to break even by year end.

Matee set up her factory after she ran out of patience waiting for the government to solve the problem of plastic pollution. “I was tired of being on the sidelines,” she said.

holy days, are celebrated as national holidays. Officially, it has only 23,000 adherents. They follow the teachings of Zarathustra, a Persian prophet from the 6th century BC. But 8% of respondents told Gamaan they were Zoroastrian. Some are attracted to the faith’s indigenous roots, Persian creed and hostility to Islam, which they deride as an Arab implant. Such was the popularity of Zoroastrian-style weddings, conducted with Persian prayers around a fire, that the authorities banned them in 2019.

The clerics see Sufism, or mystical Islam, as a bigger threat. Long targeted by the government with harassment and arbitrary arrests, Sufis protested in 2018. Five members of the security forces were killed; over 300 Sufis were arrested. Noor Ali Tabandeh, leader of the Gonabadis, the most popular Sufi order, was then placed under house arrest until his death in December 2019. But Gonabadi mystics say their retreats attract a growing number of Iranians.

Iran’s Sunni population is also growing, in part due to high birth rates. They are thought to be 10% of the population and live mostly on the country’s periphery. The authorities want to keep it that way. They have demolished all Sunni mosques in the capital, Tehran. Still, every Friday thousands of Sunnis spill out of large villas in Tehran which Sunnis use as prayer halls.

Millions more have joined Islam’s other offshoots, such as the Yarsanis, who follow the teachings of a 14th-century holy man, and the Bahais, who follow those of a 19th-century prophet.

Their universalism and rites incorporating music, dancing and the mixing of the sexes draw many seeking a respite from the theocracy founded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who reportedly said, “There is no fun in Islam.”

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Absence of ‘NRI season’ dampens spirit of industrial leaders Kunjal Zala

Quite similar to what was shown in the 2011 Hollywood film Contagion, Covid-19 pandemic has not only caused more than a million deaths, but it has also created abrupt changes to the daily lives of people, adversely affecting the global economy and causing widespread panic.

India being one of the most developing economies, faced huge trouble as the NRIs were not able to visit as usual. October to February are usually considered cool months and celebrated as the ‘NRI season’. The diaspora settled across the globe, visit their families in India, and spend extravagantly while shopping, eating out and holidaying with loved ones. But this winter, the lull in the number of visitors has affected the country’s economy directly. Experts from various sectors have shared their views with Asian Voice exclusively, and explained how Covid-19 has crippled their industry, especially with absence of NRI spending, though not all is doom and gloom.

Due to travel restrictions NRIs are not able to visit

Overseas dispatch of designer costumes are still pending All our Spring-Summer ‘20 orders from UK, Dubai, Canada, US, were 90% ready and we were going to dispatch it but the pandemic hit the whole world badly.

Most of our clothes are not fast fashion, so they can wear them even after 20 years because of the quality and because they are timeless. Since we deal B to C (Business to Customer) gradually our business is getting back on track after December and now our NRI clients have again started contacting us for their designer costumes.

- Nila & Sachi Thakkar (Sachi Couture, Vadodara)

Tough time for Film Industry

Coronavirus pandemic has evoked a worldwide interest in yoga, Ayurveda and naturopathy to build immunity and lead a healthy lifestyle. During the pre-Covid period NRIs from Kenya, London, US frequently visit our Leelavati Naturopathy Care Centre for treatment.

Diseases such as Migraines, obesity, allergic bronchitis, dyspepsia, anxiety, depression, hypertension, skin allergy, sciatica etc. to name a few out of our large portfolio of treatments were cured. But due to international travel restrictions, presently Indian patients are only visiting the centre for treatments.

We are going through one of the worst phase due to pandemic.

Despite of government’s permission to open Cinema Halls and Theatres, people are still in a fear of Covid-19. Only 2% of the audience is coming to watch a movie. This is the first time in our history that the entire Indian box office is facing problems. India’s film industry, purveyor of song-and-dance spectacles to millions, will take at least two years to recover financially from the coronavirus pandemic, which is threatening big-ticket projects, putting at risk tens of thousands of jobs.

-Ramnikbhai Shah (Managing Trustee- Leelavati Naturopathy Care Centre and Oshwal Trust, Jamnagar)

- Dr. Hirachand Dand (CEO – Madhu Entertainment & Media Ltd)

Gradually people have started dine-ins

NRIs rush to buy homes in India

Lockdowns forced people to stay home and not to travel, so there were a lot of cancellations.

People started preparing various dishes at their home during the lockdown. But now the good olden days are back as restaurants are now running at almost 100 per cent capacity and the business is back to around 70 per cent of pre-Covid levels. It’s clear that people are feeling the loss of socialising and hence are willing to trust their favourite restaurants to meet their friends and family. There is also a surge in the number of restaurants adopting contactless menus and accepting digital payments. I am very hopeful that 2021 will be about embracing the new normal, learning from our past with mindful consumption, investing in sustainable and responsible dining practices to create fonder food memories and a brighter future.

Covid-19 has enhanced the credibility of real estate as a financial and emotional asset. After the lockdown, residential market witnessed a growth of 25-30% as NRIs started investing in real estate.

They believed one should have a property in their home land so that can shift during their tough times. NRIs are more attracted towards weekend homes or ready-tomove-in flats. The preferred cities include Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Anand and Kolhapur. NRIs ideally invest in the residential real estate segment owing to a good return on investment, reasonable capital appreciation and low rupee value. Developers are also providing customised solutions for this segment by constructing ‘smart’ homes with an international appeal.

- Suril Udeshi (Restaurant Consultant, Ahmedabad)

Raju Pandit (Pandit Reality and Infra Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Vadodara)

Gradually restarted admitting emergency cases India is the most prominent destination for medical treatment due to high quality services provided at the lowest cost. Covid-19 brought the medical tourism sector to a halt in mid-March, when international travel froze and major centres such as Delhi and Mumbai turned into hotspots. There were critically ill patients who were on regular follow-up but couldn’t travel for treatment. We continuously tried to treat them optimally through virtual consultations. But now, with the country slowing opening up its skies through air bubbles with select countries, private hospitals have gradually restarted admitting emergency cases from abroad. But no patients are coming from countries that are called bubble safe such as the UK or the US. Most of the patients are from the African countries. Though, India launched visa facilities for foreigners namely, ‘M-visa,’ to allow foreigners to enter the country for healthcare treatment but it will take some more time before things actually getting back to normal.

- Himanshu Sharma (Head- International Relations Zydus Hospital, Ahmedabad)

Big Fat NRI weddings will be in full-swing in no time The big fat Indian wedding industry has been hit hard as the Covid-19 outbreak has forced postponements of weddings across the country. Even after the lockdown ended, there is no hope of international NRI weddings coming into its old grand form anytime soon. Weddings may be smaller than before, but the glory of Indian weddings is far away from being faded. The rise of intimate, micro-weddings (though none the less lavish) has the wedding industry accept that the 'big fat NRI weddings' might take a long halt before it makes an appearance.

Around 80 percent of NRI couples who were planning to get married in 2020, have chosen to postpone their weddings to the latter half of 2021, over cancellations. At present, couples are planning weddings within their home city or somewhere nearby. In the near future, domestic destinations for weddings would be the trend, given the restricted access or limitations on international travel. This will also impact the expenditure done on banquet halls, fancy decors, large scale food catering, and extensive honeymoon travels.

Despite all the challenges thrown at the wedding industry, we at Koncept events, believe that when things return to normalcy, NRI weddings will slowly but surely become the quintessential elaborate gathering as always.

Couples would concentrate on the sanitization of venues, regular disinfection of shared facilities, and hygiene when serving guests and they will prefer open, bigger venues to facilitate social distancing. We know it's been like a pause button, but we also know that it will be in full swing in no time.

- Shyam Thakker (Owner – Koncept Events India)

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Not only on the global platform, the use of video conferences has been a tool that has been used extensively by the Indian government on the domestic front as well

A brand new

Normal Akshat Jain Following the global pandemic of novel Coronavirus, India has been at the forefront of digital conferences both within and outside the country. under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is leading and adapting to the new way of reaching out to people, turning the adversity into an opportunity

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi (C), External Affairs Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar (far left) and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval (far right) at the India-Australia Leaders’ Virtual Summit in New Delhi on June 04

corona crisis and galvanise SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) member nations into action. New Delhi also pressed for a G20 video meeting which was convened on March 26 last year. Since then the UNSC, EU and NATO have all adapted and connected through video conferencing.

On May 4, PM Modi took part in the Non-Aligned Movement’s (NAM) online summit, along with 30 other heads of states and governments, the President of the United Nations and the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO). In his first The ambassadors and high commissioners of Democratic address to the People’s Republic of Korea, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, grouping since Mauritius, Australia, Cote d’Ivoire and Rwanda present their assuming office in credentials to the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, 2014, PM Modi through video conference reiterated the importance of reforms aimed swift, effective and sustained towards inclusive global channels of communication engagements and the need for a becomes even more critical in the united front against the global world of global diplomacy, pandemic of COVID-19. especially during times like these.

As countries around the “INDIA, WITH THE RIGHT world continue being in BLEND OF THE PHYSICAL lockdowns and social distancing AND THE VIRTUAL CAN becoming the new norm, EMERGE AS THE GLOBAL diplomatic visits too have come NERVE CENTRE OF COMPLEX to a halt. But diplomacy hasn’t.

Under the aegis of Prime Minister MODERN MULTINATIONAL Narendra Modi, India is turning SUPPLY CHAINS IN THE POST this adversity into an COVID-19 WORLD. LET US opportunity, by conducting RISE TO THAT OCCASION routine diplomatic engagements AND SEIZE THIS online and reaching out to OPPORTUNITY.” nations and leaders, particularly Narendra Modi as the situation demands better Prime Minister of India coordination among world leaders to work out an effective global response to the On June 04, PM Modi held unprecedented spread of the the first-ever bilateral ‘virtual pandemic.

With positive summit’ when he met his diplomatic outreach becoming Australian counterpart Scott more important than ever at this Morrison through video point, virtual meetings and conference, making it their online summits have emerged as Safe & secure the new tool for communication.

As a secure and safe option to various video conferencing Virtual diplomacy, Real apps, the National Informatics Results Centre (NIC), Government of The Indian government has led India, has launched an and been part of multiple virtual application named “Vidyo” conferences and summits during where all recorded videos of these tough times. India took the conferences are saved on lead in getting South Asian government servers and can be leaders to meet through a video accessed by authorised conference to explore personnel. cooperation in combating the s the world changes rapidly around us, the diplomacy at the highest end and the way it is conducted is evolving as well. Events are unfolding around the world every minute and the flow of information is constant, regardless of time zones and lockdowns enforced by countries to fight the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Ensuring

A

fourth meeting in the last eighteen months.

India and Australia announced that they shall be raising their diplomatic relations further by elevating the bilateral Strategic Partnership concluded in 2009, to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) and promoting “2+2” engagements at the defence and foreign ministry level. Apart from this, there were a host of other declarations and MOUs being agreed upon for supply chain management, cyberspace and agriculture. A new joint fund was also set up which would enable Indian and Australian researchers to develop an antiviral drug for COVID-19.

ambassadors in various regions and sub-regions in recent days.

On April 23, 2020, EAM Dr S Jaishankar tweeted “The changing world of corona era diplomacy. Strong friendships thrive even virtually”, referring to his regular virtual conversations with Indian ambassadors abroad as well as with other foreign ministers across the globe. The EAM has held detailed virtual discussions with his counterparts from several countries.

The Digital Era Of course with virtual conferences a new set of challenges will come in place for the leaders around the world. For example, face-to-face meetings, gaining trust of the other side and reading between the lines are some of the key components of diplomacy which will be replaced with video conferencing.

PM Modi participating in the G20 Virtual Summit to discuss the global response to COVID-19 on March 26

Another important aspect of the meeting was the arrangement for increased Maritime Security coordination between the two countries. PM Modi stressed on the importance of the IndoPacific region’s security as a worldwide concern with PM Morrison acknowledging a growing role for India to ensure harmony and prosperity in the region.

Not just the Prime Minister, India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar also participated in a virtual foreign ministers’ meeting for BRICS and a virtual meeting of SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) foreign ministers through a video conference.

Apart from high-level diplomatic engagements, communication with Indian missions across the world is also being conducted through digital

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi with the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the India-Australia Leaders’ Virtual Summit, in New Delhi on June 04

But despite this, the benefits of the virtual diplomacy far outweigh its costs. As economies shrink and the world battles with recession and austerity, virtual conferences and summits are

situation, international virtual summits and conferences have successfully bridged the communication gap between the countries.

For the foreseeable future, as

Left to right: External Affairs Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar and Secretary (East) Vijay Thakur Singh(right) hold a virtual meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Kang, Kyung-wha The Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Harsh Vardhan attends a virtual meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Health Ministers

going to be not only time efficient but also a cost efficient

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi virtually addressing the 25th Foundation Day of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences at Bengaluru

means. The MEA has been regularly engaging with Indian

conferencing solution for India and to push the Digital India reforms, the government launched an innovation challenge last month. According to the National Policy on Software Products, this innovation is aimed at developing an Indian tool for video conferencing to enhance local expertise.

As India takes to the virtual space to conduct business, the government is taking strong cyber security measures not only when it comes to official government and public sector dealings but also for private citizens. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has set out detailed instructions for citizens using various conferencing apps and about the challenges of data security as well as standard operating practices.

In the current volatile

way of diplomacy. In order to develop a comprehensive video

nations around the globe struggle with the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic and worldwide travel restrictions continue to be in place, it may be necessary for diplomacy to be conducted largely through virtual means, and this may become the new way of diplomacy going forward.

Akshat Jain is a writer, Columnist, novelist, blogger, and a research scholar at IIT Delhi.

He has authored books, numerous articles and white papers on different ideas and genres. His most recent book - My Illusion my Mistake has been dedicated to the forty families of Pulwama attack.

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Sasikala flaunts AIADMK flag as she returns to Tamil Nadu CHENNAI: VK Sasikala, the sacked AIADMK chief released last month after a four-year jail term for corruption, signaled that she planned to be a disruptor for Tamil Nadu's ruling party ahead of approaching state polls as she flaunted the party's flag on her car on her way back to the state.

She returned to the state on January 27. Till now she had been in Bengaluru, where she was treated for Covid.

While she was in jail, she was removed as AIADMK chief and expelled by E Palaniswami - the man she had handpicked as Chief Minister - as part of a compromise he reached with rebel-turned-deputy O Panneerselvam or OPS). While she has challenged her removal in court, the Election Commission has acknowledged the OPS-headed group as the

real AIADMK and has permitted them to use the party flag and symbol.

As Sasikala's convoy entered Tamil Nadu, with the AIADMK flag on her car despite the party's warning against its use by nonmembers, her supporters showered flowers and danced in celebration. The ruling party had complained to the police when she was spotted using the party flag after her release. Later, her team was tacitly warned by the Tamil Nadu police.

"We are not afraid of anyone. The cadre is with us.

The AIADMK flag is our property," state Law Minister CV Shanmugam, who had complained against Sasikala to the police chief a few days ago, said. Sasikala's return is set to shake up Tamil Nadu politics ahead of polls due by May, even though she cannot contest for six years because of her

conviction.

She belongs to the Thevar community, a key vote bank for the AIADMK. Sasikala's supporters, including a section of AIADMK members, are planning a big reception for her return to Tamil Nadu, especially in capital Chennai. Posters hailing her as "permanent General Secretary of AIADMK", "Raj Mata (queen mother)" and "Guardian Goddess" have been put up in Chennai by her supporters.

Sasikala's planned reception may set up a clash with the state administration with the police warning against any big gatherings on account of Covid restrictions.

Just before her comeback, properties owned by her relatives VN Sudhakaran and J Ilavarasi, were confiscated. The

Tamil Nadu government said it was following a 2017 Supreme Court order on the two, who had been convicted along with Sasikala in an illegal wealth case. Sasikala, a live-in aide of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, took over as AIADMK chief soon after her death in 2016. She made an abortive attempt at taking the post of Chief Minister when she was convicted for corruption by the Supreme Court in a case in which Jayalalithaa was also accused.

PUNJAB

Punjab to again bring bills to negate farm laws CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said his government will again table the amendment bills to negate the ‘draconian farm laws’ in the assembly since the governor had “failed” to send to the President the bills which were passed earlier. “We will bring the bills again as the Constitution provides that if the bills are passed twice by the vidhan sabha they have to be sent by the governor to the President,” Amarinder said after an all-party meeting that he had called to discuss the farm agitation. He added that governor VP Singh Badnore should not have ‘sat over the bills’.

Pointing out that the President had refused to meet Punjab leaders after the amendment bills were passed in the vidhan sabha on the ground that he had not received the bills, the chief minister told the

all-party meeting that he will seek time again from the President. At the meeting, the parties urged the Centre to redress the grievances of farmers by immediately withdrawing the three farm laws. While condemning the “sponsored violence in Delhi”, the parties decided that an all-party delegation will go to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister and raise the issue, along with other matters of concern on the farmers’ agitation. The parties said farmers have shown “exemplary resilience” in their continued fight in a democratic manner.

At the meeting, underlining the need for an early resolution of the crisis, the CM warned that there were grave challenges from Pakistan and this threat could not be undermined. “We have to work to resolve this issue before things go out of hand,” he said, adding that he knew how

many drones, arms and ammunition were being smuggled into the state from across the border.

Farmers stop Bobby Deol's film shoot The shooting of actor Bobby Deol's upcoming film 'Love Hostel' was disrupted in Punjab's Patiala district by a group of farmers protesting against the three agricultural laws, police Amarinder Singh said. The incident took Deol was not present during the place when the film's shooting time of the incident. was taking place at a house in Earlier, farmers had halted Mehon village near Devigarh in the shooting of Janhvi Kapoor's Patiala district, they said. upcoming film 'Good Luck Jerry' Around 150-200 farmers thrice. The shooting of the film gathered there and halted the was disrupted twice in Patiala shooting of the film, Inspector and one-time in Fatehgarh Sahib Harmanpreet Singh, Julkan district last month. Farmers had police station, Patiala, said. The insisted that actor Janhvi Kapoor protesting farmers said they will should make a statement in not allow the shooting as none support of farmers who are from the actor's family spoke in agitating against the Centre's favour of the protesting farmers. three new farm laws.

The police official said Bobby

WEST BENGAL

Bengal farmers deprived of central govt schemes: Nadda MALDA/NABADWIP: BJP president JP Nadda took on Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee last week, alleging her of depriving the benefits of central government schemes because of her “ego”. “Mamata didi has done gross injustice to Bengal’s farmers. Caught in her ego, she didn’t allow the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. Her stubborn stance deprived 70,00,000 Bengal farmers from getting benefits for more than two years. A farmer lost out on Rs 14,000 in the process,” he said before having lunch with farmers at Sahapur in Malda district.

The BJP president flagged off the party’s ‘Parivartan Yatra’ from Nabadwip in south Bengal and coined a slogan: Onek hoyechhe Mamata, paribartan chaihhe janata (Enough of

JP Nadda

Mamata, people want change).

But he ended his speech with the ‘Jai Bharat, Jai Bangla’ slogan that sounded similar to Mamata’s.

Nadda said: “After realising that 25,00,000 farmers have applied online for PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, the CM has said she wants to implement the

scheme. She has missed the bus.”

Nadda also cited a host of welfare schemes, namely Ayushman Bharat, Ujjwala Yojana and Soubhagya Yojana.

Problem of plenty The BJP is doing everything to claim the legacy of Netaji Subhas Bose by promising new infra projects and new jobs – to make the lotus bloom in Bengal. And most tellingly, the party has seen a steady stream of TMC leaders join its ranks in the last few months. It is facing a problem aplenty now. After former TMC ministers Suvendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee switched sides, the party has potentially solved

its old problem of lacking charismatic Bengali faces.

On the other hand there is growing disquiet within the party over the new inductees, with the old guard feeling marginalised. This recently forced BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya to announce that the party was halting “mass joinings” of leaders from TMC. There are also apprehensions that inducting TMC members accused of corruption and extortion – charges BJP has been levelling against the Mamata government – could prove a costly stain on the lotus. Finally, there is resentment among grassroots BJP cadre now having to work with their former political rivals. In fact, there have been several clashes between the BJP old-timers and new entrants.

in brief ‘HOUSE ARREST’ OF ANDHRA MINISTER ORDERED The Andhra Pradesh state election commission (SEC) directed DGP to restrict panchayat raj and rural development minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy to his house till the completion of local body elections on February 21. The directive comes after Ramachandra Reddy allegedly asked poll officials not to follow the directions of the state election commission.

He also allegedly warned that poll officials who follow the directions of the SEC will face a tough time after the elections are over. The SEC said that after carefully looking at various alternatives and avenues of remedial action and by invoking its plenary powers under Article 243K of the Constitution, it has directs the DGP to confine the minister to his residential premises. Ramachandra Reddy condemned the SEC’s action against him.

TN WAIVES £1.2 BN WORTH FARM LOANS Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami told the assembly that farm loans taken by over 16,00,000 farmers in the state will be waived. The announcement has been made by the state government ahead of the assembly election to be held this year. The total amount to be waived is £1.21 billion for farm loans taken from cooperative banks, the CM said. "It is important to help farmers revive farming," said Palaniswami, citing crop loss and hardship to farmers due to the pandemic, two successive cyclones and unseasonal rain. The waiver will be applicable immediately and funds will be kept aside from the government's wallet to fund it, Palaniswami said.

SUKHBIR’S VEHICLE ATTACKED, SAD BLAMES CONG A group of miscreants reportedly attacked the vehicle of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal at Jalalabad town in Fazilka district when he reached there during the filing of nominations by party candidates for the local body polls. A case under attempt to murder charges was registered against 50-60 unidentified people at Jalalabad. According to information, the moment Sukhbir’s convoy entered the administrative complex, a group of miscreants reportedly start pelting it with stones, while others fire gunshots towards the SAD workers, injuring three of them.

Two of the injured, who sustained bullet injuries were taken to the medical college in Faridkot for treatment. Sukhbir alleged that police, backed Congress goons, led by the young son of the Congress MLA made an attempt on his life and three party workers who came to his rescue received bullet injuries.

'NETAJI BATTALION' IN KOLKATA POLICE In the run up to the state assembly polls, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who became the first woman to present the West Bengal Budget, has announced the setting up of ‘Netaji Battalion’ in Kolkata police department in the coming months. Her decision to set up the ‘Netaji Battalion’ in Kolkata police department could be considered significant amid the ongoing tussle between the state and Centre over Subhas Chandra Bose’s legacy. While proposing a budget of £29.96 billion for 2021-22, she said, "There will be an Azad Hind Bhawan in all the districts besides the formation of Netaji State Planning Commission (similar to Niti Aayog) in West Bengal and a separate 'Netaji Battalion' in Kolkata police department in the coming months."

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Govt has time till Oct to repeal laws: Tikait Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said farmers protesting against the central agriculture laws on Delhi’s borders since November “are not going anywhere” and would intensify their agitation in the coming days with a ‘tractor kranti’ - a mega rally that would not be restricted to Delhi but held nationwide. “We will neither leave the protest, nor the government,” said Tikait. “We give time to the Centre till October to take back the farm laws and ensure guaranteed MSP. If our demands are not met, we will plan and intensify our agitation elsewhere in the country from October 2,” said Tikait.

The BKU did not enforce a chakka jam at UP Gate on Saturday so that it doesn’t inconvenience sugarcane farmers but protesters at UP Gate on the Ghazipur border blared horns for a few minutes to mark the end of the transport blockade farmer unions had announced.

Farmers block a highway in Patiala Though the UP Gate protesters did not make any attempt to enforce the ‘chakka jam’, they kept Delhi Police engaged at the Delhi border, sapling in hand. Delhi Police reclaimed the part of the highway where Tikait and a few other farmers had planted saplings,

Rakesh Tikait

next to a sheet of iron spikes that the cops installed there as tyre killers. But as Delhi Police removed the mound of soil the farmers had heaped there and barricaded the spot again, the farmers ‘claimed’ an adjacent piece of land to again plant saplings. “They have also increased police presence in the area. But we will keep growing our crops even if you sow nails in our path,” Tikait said.

Asked about the resumption of talks with the Centre, Tikait said, “We will not talk under duress.

Talks this time will be conditional.

Apart from repealing of farm laws, we will also focus on guaranteed MSP for farmers.”

Tikait gets support Rsponding to Prime Minister

Narendra Modi’s assertion that minimum support price (MSP) would continue to remain in place, Tikait asked why his government was not bringing a law to make it legally binding. He also accused the Centre of “confusing people when it says that MSP is there and will continue to remain. If it’s that why doesn’t the simple, government bring a law that guarantees MSP? After all, this is one of our demands,” said Tikait.

“We never said that MSP is being scrapped. But there is also no law that makes it legally binding on the government. In the absence of guaranteed MSP, influential traders are looting the farmers.

We will not allow people to do

business when we go hungry,” he added.

The BKU leader also sought to counter the government’s allegations that the agitation was being used as a platform by many political parties. “Politicians and their parties are supporting the farmers’ movement. But neither are they seeking votes here nor are they being allowed to make political statements. When such is the case, how can they say that the agitation has become politically motivated?” Tikait asked.

Over the past few weeks, senior functionaries of various opposition parties, such as AAP, Congress, INLD and Shiromani Akali Dal, have visited UP Gate and extended their support to the agitation. Later, the protest at UP Gate received the support of the heads of 12 religious organisations. Prominent among them was the shankaracharya of Kashi Sumeru Peeth, Swami Narendranand Saraswati.

“This government has adopted a rigid approach against farmers. I suggest the government shed this attitude and accept their demands without any delay,” said Swami Narendranand. “I will pray to God that good sense prevails,” he added. Tikait also got support in the form of his wife, Sunita Devi,

who visited the protest site at UP Gate. “Neither the farmers nor this government is ready to blink.

In my opinion, the government should pay heed to the farmers’ demands,” she said.

Give farm laws a chance: Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an ardent appeal to protesters to give the new farm laws a chance even as he questioned opposition parties for their sudden "U-turn" on the need for reforms in the agriculture sector. Participating in the debate in Rajya Sabha on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, Modi renewed his offer for talks and said the door on negotiations had not been slammed shut but stood by the reforms, saying they were the need of the hour and could not be put off any longer. "It is indisputable that this is the right time to make agriculture profitable and we should not waste this opportunity. We need to progress, we cannot allow the country to slide and we need to give the reforms a chance to see whether they are beneficial or not," he said. Modi also sought to allay the worry that the reforms might spell the demise of MSP and mandis or APMCs. "MSP was there, MSP is here and MSP will remain in future," the PM said.

India ready to supply weapons Over 60,00,000 vaccinated; daily deaths drop to 84 to IOR countries: Rajnath India's defence minister Rajnath Singh, who delivered the keynote address at the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) conclave organized as part of Aero India 2021 in Bengaluru, reiterated that India was ready to supply weapons to countries in the region.

Singh said as the largest nation in IOR with a vast coastline of 7,500km - India has an active role to play for peaceful and prosperous coexistence of all countries.

“Indian Ocean is a shared asset and a lifeline for international trade and transport due to its control of major sea lanes carrying half of the world’s container ships, one third of its bulk cargo traffic and two-third of its oil shipments,” he said.

The defence minister added that the conclave is reflective of the importance India attaches to the vision of common growth and stability, and constructive engagements with partner countries.

He said efforts are on to synergise resources in IOR, including defence industrial cooperation. Many IOR countries are becoming globally competitive and developing new technologies, including defence shipyards for design and shipbuilding, which can be jointly harnessed through regional cooperation efforts.

He said the Indian aerospace and defence industries present an attractive opportunity for foreign companies and the country was ready to supply different types of missile systems, helicopters, warships, patrol vessels, guns, tanks and radars.

Govt plans to cut def imports Rajnath Singh said with an aim of encouraging the manufacture of defence related items in the country, the government's endeavour is also to bring down its defence imports by at least USD two billion by 2022. He also said the aerospace sector has an important role to play, if India has to reach its targets of domestic defence production of USD 25 billion and exports of USD five billion by 2025. “With an aim of encouraging the manufacture of defence related items in India, our endeavour will remain to bring down defence imports by at least USD 2 billion by 2022. Between 2016 and 2019, as many as 138 proposals worth over USD 37 billion for domestic manufacturing have been approved," Singh said.

India can’t depend on others Rajnath Singh said that India cannot remain dependent on other countries for its defence and that the indigenously developed Tejas was better than its foreign equivalents on several parameters and also comparatively cheaper.

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar’s Ahmedabad office completes 16 glorious years The Ahmedabad office of your favourite newsweeklies ‘Asian Voice’ and 'Gujarat Samachar' will complete 16 years of establishment on coming Tuesday 16th February, 2021.

On this auspicious occasion, photo unveiling ceremony of the founder member of ABPL Group, well-wisher, guide and a true friend, Late Shri Bhupatrai T. Parekh and his wife Late Smt. Sarlaben B. Parekh is organized in our Ahmedabad office.

On this day, Retd. Justice Shri Subhodhchandra Shah and other dignitaries will grace the occasion with their presence. We seek the blessings and wishes from all our readers and well wishers to mark the successful journey of our India office.

India vaccinated over 60,30,000 people against Covid-19 till Monday evening, even as daily new cases and deaths from the infection continued to decline. Covid-19 related deaths have been registering a steady decline with daily fatalities below 150 since the last 10 days. Daily deaths across the country dropped to 84 on Sunday, while 17 states/UTs did not report any death due to the infection that day. On Sunday, 11,831 new cases were recorded across the country.

Officials said effective containment measures, including prompt tracing and tracking, aggressive and widespread testing, along with standardised clinical management protocols had ensured low mortality levels and consistent low daily positive cases. Of the 60,300,000 people inoculated till Monday evening, over 54,00,000 were health workers and around 630,000 frontline workers. With this, India became the fastest country to inoculate over

600,000 people, achieving the target in 24 days. The US took 26 days to reach this mark and the UK 46 days. Eleven states have covered more than 65% of their healthcare worker pool with Bihar achieving the highest so far at 77.6%, followed closely by Tripura and Madhya Pradesh at 76.4% and 76%, respectively. Uttar Pradesh, with the second highest number of healthcare workers after Maharashtra, has inoculated 68.2% people in this segment.

Among the poor performers, 11 states have covered less than 40% of their health workers. They include Delhi (38.2%), J&K (37.3%), Punjab, (34.2%) and Tamil Nadu (27.6%). Puducherry has registered the lowest coverage of its health workforce at around 14%. The country’s active caseload stands at 1,48,609 with five states accounting for 81% of the total. Kerala and Maharashtra cumulatively account for 70% of the total active cases.

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31 killed in Uttarakhand glacier disaster With the recovery of five more bodies on Tuesday, the death toll from the Uttarakhand glacier disaster rose to 31, even as a multi-agency operation to rescue around 35 workers feared trapped inside a swamped tunnel at the Tapovan power project in Chamoli district continued, officials said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah issued a statement in Rajya Sabha on the avalanche in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district and said all concerned agencies of Centre and State are monitoring the situation. Members of Rajya Sabha also paid tribute to victims of the disaster. In Lok Sabha, Shah said that Centre is monitoring the situation.

“PM himself is monitoring it. Both the control rooms of the Home Ministry are monitoring the situation round the clock and the state is being provided with all the possible help,” he said.

Earlier during the day, state chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat conducted an aerial survey of areas affected due to the disaster and took stock of the situation.

Personnel of the ITBP, NDRF and Army worked to locate around 170 people, mostly labourers working at two power projects, who are still reported missing.

Officials said rescue operations are centred around a 1,900-metrelong tunnel at NTPC’s Tapovan site, where at least 35 people are believed to be trapped. A barrage at the project site had been washed away in the flood that saw water rise up to 70 feet, leading to debris blocking the 20-feet-wide opening of the tunnel. The concern has been oxygen - deep inside a tunnel that is blocked from both sides, the men might suffocate. “The first 72 hours are crucial in such cases,” Rawat said while reviewing the rescue operation. “The tunnel is very long.

There might be enough oxygen

inside.”

The cause of the flood, meanwhile, remains uncertain. Fresh satellite-based assessment by the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing reported that it was not a glacier burst but a landslide that may have triggered an avalanche, which then caused the flood.

Executive director of the Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre Piyoosh Rautela said, “Satellite data from February 7 clearly shows that a landslide at the terminus of the glacier at an altitude of 5,600m triggered a snow avalanche, covering approximately 14 sq km, and causing a flash flood downstream of Rishiganga river.”

Back on the ground, rescue teams said it is extremely cold. We are hopeful that our people are alive, that there are oxygenated spots inside,” ITBP spokesperson Vivek Pandey said. Tunnel Number 1 is a relatively narrow structure, about 25m wide. Only one

excavator can enter at a time.

“Because it is completely filled with slush, clearing the way has been a challenge,” DGP Ashok Kumar, who has been camping there, said.

Because when the debris is cleared, there is not much space to manoeuvre.

So, progress has been slow. By Monday night, they managed to get100-130m into the tunnel. The hope, now, is that they get to this one point in the tunnel where the

slush may have subsided. “About 180m into the tunnel, there is a sharp 90°- bend, which may have slowed down the flow at least,” Kumar added.

About 2,500 people in 13 villages, right up to Niti Pass, were completely cut off on Sunday after a bridge collapsed in Raini. “We are airdropping essentials in these remote villages and will keep doing so until connectivity is restored,” DGP Kumar said.

PM Modi slams Mamata, says BJP will bring change Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off his Bengal poll campaign on Sunday last, saying only BJP would ensure “ashol paribartan (real change)”, and attacked the Mamata Banerjee government of being just a reincarnation of the Left Front which had “helmed a rebirth of violence, corruption and attacks on democracy”.

In a speech peppered with Bengali phrases, the PM accused the Mamata government of being anti-farmer and anti-people, saying it was blocking all attempts by the Centre to help. He stressed on a “double-engine” thrust on development to end the state’s reluctance to provide Central benefits, promising voters that Bengal’s first BJP cabinet would ensure marginal farmers were not denied the benefits of the PM Kishan Samman Nidhi scheme.

Tying up Bengal’s love for football with BJP’s core ideology, he said Trinamool had committed several fouls in the last 10 years: misgovernance, attacks on the opposition, looting people’s money and attacks on faith.

“People would soon show them the ‘Ram card’,” he said, warning people against “match-fixing” by Trinamool, Congress and the Left.

“In Delhi, they speak behind curtains; they speak behind closed doors. They will now do political match-fixing. In Kerala, the Left and Congress have decided to loot the government after every five years.”

Talking about the 2011 Bengal polls, when Mamata had given the slogan of ‘paribartan’, Modi said: “Mamata Didi promised paribartan in Bengal; people trusted. Bangal mamata ki aas leke jee raha tha par dus saal use nirmamta mili. (People hoped for compassion but got heartlessness instead over the last decade). What Bengal got wasn’t the paribartan it hoped for but only a rebirth of the Left. That, too, with interest.

Development projects in Assam As PM Narendra Modi arrived

Narendra Modi and Mamata Banerjee

at Dhekiajuli town, about 150 km northwest of Guwahati, to unveil a slew of development projects worth over £1 billion in Assam on Sunday, he also paid tributes to as many as 15 martyrs of India’s freedom movement, whose stories of sacrifice have remained unrecognised and unheard of in the rest of the country for nearly eight decades. The PM said: “Today is a special day for me.

Today I got the opportunity to pay respect to this historic land.

Poll-bound states get highways, big infra push In West Bengal, where the BJP is aiming to unseat the ruling Trinamool Congress in elections later this year, £2.5 billion has been earmarked for road projects, including 675 km of highway works on the existing KolkataSiliguri road. In addition, freight corridor projects for the East Coast corridor from Kharagpur (West Bengal) to Vijayawada, and an West Corridor from BhusavalNagpur (Maharashtra) to Kharagpur-Dankuni (in West Bengal) have also been proposed.

There is also new social security scheme with an outlay of £100 million for women employed in tea plantations in West Bengal and Assam, apart from 1,300 km of national highway projects worth £3.4 billion for the poll-bound north-eastern state. The road projects will enhance industrialisation and investments and the extension of social security benefits to gig and platform workers will benefit

casual workers of the state, BJP West Bengal unit executive member Shishir Bajoria said.

"In all, the schemes, be it extending ESI to all workers or improving roads are in line with our party's promise to bring Sonar Bangla in the State. For the last many decades, the state has been

left out of development… The Centre's focus is on laying the ground for development,” Bajoria said.

In Tamil Nadu, where the BJP will contest the elections in partnership with the ruling AIADMK, national highway works with a budget of £ 10 billion, including the Madurai-Kollam corridor and Chittoor-Thatchur corridor, have been proposed. In neighbouring Kerala, where the BJP is trying to gain a foothold in the upcoming elections, 1,100 km of highway works with an investment of £6.5 billion, including the MumbaiKanyakumari corridor, have been proposed. The second phase of the Kochi Metro rail and Chennai Metro rail projects have also been proposed, apart from a sea-weed

park and a fishing harbour for Tamil Nadu.

The BJP's immediate priority in Tamil Nadu has been to expand its clout in the state dominated by the two Dravidian parties so that it can mop up some seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The AIADMK finds itself firefighting antiincumbency and now has to deal with twists and turns in the party as Jayalalithaa's close aide VK Sasikala is set to get active in the state politics. Sasikala was discharged from a Bengaluru hospital and returned to the state in a car bearing the AIADMK flag, something that analysts believe was a clear indication of tough times ahead for the AIADMK, as the current Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami was propped up by Sasikala herself.

Amid row over 578 accounts, Centre asks Twitter to block 1,200 more In fresh trouble for Twitter over the “misuse” of the platform regarding farmers’ protests, the Centre has served a new notice to the micro-blogging giant, asking it to block another 1,178 accounts, suspected to be linked to Khalistan sympathisers or backed by Pakistan.

This is in addition to the 257 handles the government had demanded should be blocked.

The fresh demand has been made by the IT ministry after it received an advisory from the home ministry and security agencies, government sources said. “The accounts ordered blocked are of Khalistan sympathisers, or those backed by Pakistan and operating from foreign territories… Many of the accounts are also automated bots that were used for sharing and amplifying misinformation and provocative contents on farmers protests,” said a source.

The government is of the view that the activities conducted through the accounts that are sought to be blocked have the potential to “cause threat to public order in view of the ongoing farmers protests” in parts of the country. A spokesperson for Twitter in India did not answer a detailed questionnaire on the matter. The fresh face-off comes at a time when the government has warned Twitter that its officials may land a jail term and the company slapped with a penalty over its refusal to comply with the orders.

After bringing down the 257 accounts that were

mentioned in the first list (related to farmer protests that had the hashtag #ModiPlanning Farmer Genocide), Twitter had swiftly unblocked most of them, angering officials at the IT ministry – headed

by Ravi Shankar Prasad -- who sent a detailed notice to the company, asking them to comply with their orders.

“Twitter is an intermediary and they are obliged to obey directions of the government. Refusal to do so will invite penal action,” the IT ministry had said in the first notice sent on February 1, as per sources. The government said that the “motivated campaigns” and the hashtag being mentioned by the 257 accounts were being run to “abuse, inflame and create tension in society on unsubstantiated grounds.” “Incitement to genocide is not freedom of speech; It is threat to law and order. Delhi had witnessed violence on Republic Day,” the government said, while reiterating its request to block the accounts. Twitter, however, had said that it had decided to unfreeze most of the accounts as the tweets sent out by them constituted “free speech and are newsworthy”.

The IT ministry clearly did not agree. “It may be noted that as per the relevant provisions of Indian law, the intermediary (Twitter in this case) is bound to comply with the order of the Designated Officer authorized by the Central Government, and in case of non-compliance, statutory consequences shall follow.”

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Your childhood food habits impact your lifelong health: study A new study suggests eating too much fat and sugar as a child can alter one's microbiome for life, even if you switch to a healthier diet as an adult. Researchers at UC Riverside conducted a research to reveal a significant decrease in the total number of gut bacteria in mature mice fed an unhealthy diet as juveniles.

UCR evolutionary physiologist Theodore Garland said, “We studied mice, but the effect we observed is equivalent to kids having a Western diet, high in fat and sugar and their gut microbiome still being affected up to six years after puberty.”

The paper was recently

published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. The microbiome refers to all the bacteria as well as fungi, parasites, and viruses that live on and inside a human or animal. Most of these microorganisms are found in the intestines, and most of them are helpful in stim-

ulating the immune system, breaking down food, and helping synthesize key vitamins.

Garland's team in their study, looked for impacts on the microbiome after dividing their mice into four groups – half fed the standard healthy diet, half fed

the less healthy Western diet, half with access to a running wheel for exercise, and a half without. All mice were returned to a standard diet and no exercise after three weeks. The team examined the diversity and abundance of bacteria in the animals at the 14-week mark.

The researchers found that early-life Western diet had more long-lasting effects on the microbiome than did early-life exercise.

They said it is significant that they were observed so long after changing the diet.

Garland said, “You are not only what you eat, but what you ate as a child.”

Drink these easy immunity booster teas to energise your day Winter is at its peak, and we long for the comfort of a hot cup of tea or coffee.

However, is it wise to dump your body with so much caffeine? A good alternative to your usual cuppa could be a beautifully fragrant and healthy tea that boosts your immunity, and energises you.

Ginger Tea Ginger has anti-inflammatory qualities that help soothe your body. It also relieves various kinds of body aches. Boil ginger, and jaggery with water and you have yourself a tea that boosts blood circulation and

immunity.

Tulsi Green Tea Bored of your regular green tea? Next time you reach out for that packet of green tea, mix tulsi in it and make a potent antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory tea with immunity-boosting properties. Tulsi is rich in vitamin A, C, and zinc. It has strong bioactive compounds, and boosts health by reducing oxidative stress and blood sugar levels.

Kashmiri Kahwa This delicious concoction is a personal favourite.

It is a green tea flavoured

with saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, dried fruits like apples and raisins, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, almonds, dried apricots, and dates. This drink makes your skin supple, aids your weight loss goals, assists digestion, reduces stress, and works as a deconges-

tant.

Darjeeling Tea There are flavonoids or phytonutrient-rich plant pigments present in this tea that reduces cholesterol levels. There are also polyphenols present in the tea leaves that help fight inflammation and lower blood sugar.

Apply ghee on the soles of your feet to get better sleep Indian celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar has an unusual and easy home remedy for people who are unable to sleep at night because of aches and pains in the body. In a recent Instagram post, she announced Ghee as practically, the slayer of all aches.

Well, not in these exact words. Ghee is known to have a lot of health benefits.

The wonderfully fragrant Indian butter has even taken over Hollywood with several celebrities now including it in their diet. So how does it help improve our sleep?

Diwekar urges us to apply it on the soles of our feet. When it comes to sleep, she says, the application of ghee allows for the “vata to settle and reduces gas and bloating.” She adds, “this, in turn, reduces acidity and improves sleep. You do know that sleep and excretion, all of digestion, in fact, are linked. Poor digestion and assimilation are also linked with low vitamin D and B12 levels as well.

Improved sleep will also lead to improved fat loss, moods and skin tone.”

In her “guidelines”, Diwekar writes, “winters are

the time when most people have aches and pains in the joints and have sleepless nights. Is there a kitchen

secret that helps you sleep like a baby? What if I told you there is but it isn’t a pill, it's ghee.

Yes, ghee is not a panchamrit for nothing. Adding it to your meal of course helps digestion and assimilation of nutrients but did you know that application of it to the soles of your feet helps excretion?”

So how exactly can you use ghee? She says, “Keep a

little dabbi of ghee on your bedside. Take a drop of it on your little finger and spread it on your feet. With the sole of your palm rub the sole of your foot till it feels warm.

Repeat on the other foot.

Go to a restful sleep.”

Who all can benefit from this? Diwekar says everyone can, but especially those who, “have snoring problems, have disturbed sleep, have indigestion/ farting/ burping, IBS and chronic constipation who need fibre or pills daily, people on daily antacids”.

Happy day to you!

Psychologist Mamta Saha As we stride into February, my dear friends, I would like you to take a moment to focus on your inner peace, less on the outer chaos, and remember, that stillness lives within you. Take time to master the art of 'dolce far niente', which is to 'be' more rather than to 'do' more.

We are such 'doing' creatures that we use this as our defence against becoming and accepting our true authentic self. Come away from doing, start 'being', and you'll be surprised by the new opportunities that come into your awareness. Your bright future is waiting for you.

This week is about the Power of Breath and using that power to Unlock Our Authentic Selves.

Rhythms and cycles exist in nature such as day, night, and seasons. Similarly, the body, mind, and emotions have their own biorhythm. When this rhythm is synchronized, we feel balanced and well within. Your breath is intimately linked with your state of mind and your emotions. For example, if you are stressed, how do you breathe? Have you noticed? The breath is shallow.

So, there is an intricate phenomenon that's happening in our system automatically: every emotion or state of mind has a corresponding rhythm in your breath. For example, when you are irritated, your breath starts going in a specific pattern: this dictates your physiology, which hormones are secreted, eventually determines your mindset (internal narrative). So, by mindfully focusing on your breathing, you can change your state to feel grounded, and take the reins of your life.

When I changed my breath and strengthened my mind-talk, I got to see the space of opportunity that existed around me. I was excited at the prospect.

Once you unlock your authentic self, your heart and your breath will hold you on days you had previously drowned and will remind you of who you truly are. You will learn to exhale the past bad experiences, and your inner calm will magnify. The colours of the scene in front of you will not be as grey as they once were, and you will know deep down, intuitively - how you will get through what is presented in front of you.

So, remember, when in doubt, do some deep abdominal breathing and ground yourself.

You are more than just your story: so, expand your horizons and accept your authenticity, then it may present you with a world of options you may never have considered before. Oh & a reminder: opinions are not facts: know in your heart who you are, and that is what truly matters! Repeat ‘I intend to access my inner power and strength in order to speak my truth!’

Lastly, I caught up with Jeeti Pooni from the 'Because We Are Girls' documentary, a fierce advocate for sexual abuse awareness. Jeeti talks openly about her journey, from her darkest moments to her epiphany moments, where she grew into and accepted her true authentic self. Check out this interview on Youtube: she shares helpful, practical tips and tools you can use to help yourself unlock your authentic self.

My advice to you (if you are still reading) is dream big darling friend, someone loves you, is always listening and the world is waiting. For more tips and tools download your free e-book ‘Just in time’ from www.mamtasaha.com, tune into Saha Mindset podcast on Spotify and follow me on FB (Mamta Saha) and IG (Saha_Mamta). Talk to me: mamta@mamtasaha.com As always, I wish you peace and happiness.

Vitamin C works wonders to cure bleeding gums A new study has explored the advantages of Vitamin C in healing bleeding gums.

Bleeding gums could be a sign of gingivitis. However, one should also check their Vitamin C intake. Findings of the study led by the University of Washington, were published in the journal 'Nutrition Reviews'.

Lead author of the study, Philippe Hujoel was quoted in a report as saying, “When you see your gums bleed, the first thing you should think about is not, I

should brush more. You should try to figure out why your gums are bleeding.

And Vitamin C deficiency is one possible reason.”

The study analysed studies of 15 clinical trials in six countries, involving 1,140 predominantly healthy participants, and

data from 8.210 US residents surveyed in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Results showed that bleeding of the gums on gentle probing, or gingival bleeding tendency, and also bleeding in the eye, or retinal hemorrhaging, were associated with low Vitamin C levels in the bloodstream.

The researchers found that increasing the daily intake of Vitamin C in those people with low

Vitamin C plasma levels reversed these bleeding issues. The study does not imply that successful reversing of an increased gingival bleeding tendency with Vitamin C will prevent strikes or other serious health outcomes. However, it does suggest that Vitamin C recommendations designed primarily to protect against scurvy are too low and that such a low Vitamin C intake can lead to a bleeding tendency, which should not be treated with dental floss.

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‘Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations’ Sangeeta Waldron

Award winning publicist and owner of Serendipity PR, Sangeeta Waldron’s new book demonstrates that CSR is the future of business.

Waldron’s book titled ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations’, will be published on 18 February 2021. “Also, there are not many female, ethnic voices in this field and I want to help change that,”

Sangeeta said.

Her book consists of a special chapter on India, where she talks about how in the year 2014 India was the first country in the world to introduce a CSR law. “In this chapter we discover some of India’s pioneering brands who have been driving change for over the last 100 years. I have also interviewed an Indian Yogi, who shares his wisdom about Yoga and how it stimulates a mind-set for sustainability;

Yoga is now a United Nations initiative,” she said.

The book contains 15 global inspirational interviews with thought leaders and entrepreneurs, including David Katz, CEO of Plastic Bank; Lois Acton, mentored by Anita Roddick, founder of the Bodyshop, Fred Huguez, who escaped the LA gang culture about the essence of sustainability, and more. The foreword is by environmental journalist, Lucy Siegle.

'Coping in a Crisis’ oppressive at the same time for some.

The inspiration for the book came during the first lockdown in March last year. Most of my clients were presenting the issues that ended up being discussed in the book. I wanted to support the public by helping them make sense of their experiences during the pandemic by sharing my expertise. As an author, the best way I could do this was through a book. This would cover simple practical tips that people could use to help them get through the crisis.

Do Asian men and women cope with crises differently?

Do you think Asians are better at coping with crisis in general?

My clients come from diverse backgrounds. However, their experiences are universal. The one factor I would mention is that the extended family network is stronger within the Asian community. This can be supportive during a crisis but can be

In my experience, women find it easier to open up about their feelings, whereas there is Hansa Pankhania still a considerable stigma for men to do so. I am heartened by the recent media input encouraging men to open up and seek support, but I feel we have a long way to go.

Stress is the new constant in the lives of millennials today. How can your books help our readers to overcome stress?

By offering simple and practical stress relief techniques for those who cannot afford or make it to the gym. I promote natural ways of dealing with stress that can be easily

Film Producer Sophia Ramcharan passes away Sophia Ramcharan was a film producer & programmer who graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London with an MA in Film & Television Production, passed away last week.

Sophia was selected for the National Film and Television School’s BAME Leadership Programme, and was mentored by Duncan Clark, President of Distribution at Universal Pictures International. Sophia was also previously selected to be a BAFTA mentor for the BFI Film Academy Alumni programme.

Sophia produced various short films, music promos, and corporate video work, including

Happy New Year (2013) which was awarded the Pears Short Film Fund 2013; premiered at the UK Jewish Film Festival and screened internationally, including The Geneva International Jewish Film Festival and San Diego International Jewish Film Festival.

Remembering Sophia, Broadway Cinema tweeted on Sunday: “Our dear friend and colleague, Sophia Ramcharan, passed away in the early hours of this morning. Sophia was wise, brave, and blessed with a great sense of humour. It’s beautiful to see such an outpouring of love for her today and our thoughts are with her family and friends.”

RIZ AHMAD WINS LONDON CRITICS’ CIRCLE FILM AWARD Days after his nomination at the Golden Globe for Sound of Metal, Riz Ahmad has won a London Critics’ Circle film award for his role as an up and coming hip hop star in Mogul Mowgli. This paves the way for Riz Ahmad his Oscar nomination, making him a favourite among bookies to bag an Academy award in April.

Congratulating Riz, the BFI tweeted: “Congratulations to @rizwanahmed on winning the @londoncritics British/Irish Actor of the Year Award for #MogulMowgli and Sound of Metal #londoncritics.”

Mogul Mowgli is available now on #BFIPlayer Subscription. If you're not already a subscriber, you can watch as part of a 14 day free trial https://theb.fi/3oYi9O7.

INDIA'S OSCAR CONTENDER BITTU

Shefali Saxena Hansa Pankhania is an author, executive coach and speaker. She is an expert in Manager and Corporate Wellbeing and Resilience, with over 25 years of experience in coaching and consultancy to over 250 companies, countless managers, and employees. She has published 5 books, including a series of ‘Stress to Success’ books. In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, she spoke about her book ‘Coping in a Crisis’.

What is the inspiration behind the book 'Coping in a Crisis’?

in brief

Student Academy Winning short film BITTU is India’s Oscar contender.

Writer/Director Karishma Dev Dube’s that

integrated into the busy lives of millennials.

We need the support of businesses who can provide us with space for these Natural Wellbeing Centres. Overall, we need the support of the media and communities to turn this around. My team and I have dedicated our lives to this work and are happy to collaborate with interested parties. I am offering a FREE Copy of ‘Coping in a Crisis’ to all your readers. It is available through our website- www.aumconsultancy.co.uk

centers on a close friendship between two girls on a seemingly normal day at a school in rural India. An accidental poisoning at school eclipses a close friendship between two girls. Set in a forgotten Himalayan community, this film follows the journey of an eight year-old BITTU her best friend and young protégé, Chand. The incident was a moment of mundane carelessness that resulted in horrific consequences. On this day, events escalate quickly between the two friends, bringing them to an end they never imagined.

Guneet Monga, BAFTA nominee and the Executive Producer of the Oscar-winning documentary short film PERIOD END OF SENTENCE has come on board to lend her support to this important film. BITTU is Executive Produced by "Indian Women Rising," a female cinema collective founded

by Guneet Monga, Ekta Kapoor (Alt Balaji), Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, and Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh (Balaji Motion Pictures).

INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER CHAMPIONING COMPELLING VOICES To open the year of its 20th anniversary, flipped eye publishing, the UK’s leading independent publisher championing compelling voices, publishing an immersive collection of mythological short stories.

His Father’s Disease by Aruni Kashyap and the lucid début pamphlet Portrait of Colossus by Samatar Elmi. To mark their anniversary year, flipped eye are also planning a bookshop tour with the two authors, as well as exclusive events, a competition for emerging editors and more.

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Ananya Pandey believes in healthy competition One of the youngest additions to Bollywood, Ananya Pandey has a lot on her plate. With three releases in her kitty, and two more lined up, Ananya has a healthy attitude towards her peers.

Speaking in an interview, she said, “I believe in healthy competition. It can be really fun and motivating. Having said that, I really get happy when other people of my age are doing something good. I was excited to watch Coolie No 1, and kept telling Sara (Sara Ali

Khan) she's so fabulous in all songs. We jam to each other's music. I am happy when I see everyone do well. I am also motivated, it helps me set the benchmark higher.”

Ananya added, “My family and friends keep me grounded. I still have the same friends I had when I was four years old. I was in the same school with the same batch mates for 12 years. Nothing in my personal life has changed at all.

Once I am done shooting, I am at home, a normal girl who fights

with her sister, and her parents don't allow her things. Both my parents are extremely humble.”

Ananya also said, “I feel there's still a sense of unity, brotherhood, and family in the industry, which has been kind and welcoming towards me. I feel they are very supportive and kind people. All the films I worked in, and the other two, I have made sort of a family on all those sets.” On the work front, Ananya has 'Liger' opposite Vijay Deverakonda, and Shakun Batra's untitled.

'The White Tiger' star Adarsh says he felt intimidated at auditions Breakout star of Netflix's 'The White Tiger', Adarsh Gourav may be the talk of the town at the moment, but he is no stranger to rejections. In a recent interview, Gourav revealed he felt intimidated at auditions where he had to compete with muscular men. The actor had no work for months before he bagged the role in Rahim Bahrani's recent. In an Instagram post from Netflix India, Adarsh said that he competed with “really big, buff men with great bodies” at auditions.

He said, “I looked at them and thought, 'Wow man, these guys really look like heroes.' I was intimidated because I was a skinny kid and I still am.”

However, he chose to focus on his skills.

“I realised rejections are a bigger part of an actor's life than acceptance.” Gourav had made his Bollywood debut with Karan Johar's 'My Name Is Khan' as a child artiste, and has been out of work for a long time. In fact, he had almost given up.

Gourav said, “There was a time in 2015 when I wanted to quit acting and not do it anymore. Even in 2019, before I got 'The White Tiger', I had no work for months. I was literally trying to make money any way possible.” 'The White Tiger' features Gourav alongside Rajkummar Rao and Priyanka Chopra. The actor plays the role of an ambitious driver who rises above his circumstances to become an entrepreneur.

A very pregnant Kareena relives her childhood

Priyanka nominated for BAFTA Best Supporting Actress category

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is pregnant with her second child with Saif Ali Khan, took to Instagram to share a picture of a box of chocolate. She also said how it had brought back memories from her childhood.

Sharing a photo of popular candy Nutties, the actress wrote, “Reliving my childhood, uff yummm.” She also wrote “Sugar rush” on the picture.

Kareena has been staying busy all through her pregnancy, with her work, spending time with family and going on a

Actor Priyanka Chopra has been nominated to the BAFTA 2021 longlist in the Best Supporting Actress category. She is being considered for her role as Pinky in Ramin Bahrani's 'The White Tiger'. The actress

Others in the fray for the trophy in Best Supporting Actress include; Niamh Algar, Kosar Ali, Maria Bakalova, Ellen Burstyn, Glenn Close, Olivia Colman, Jennifer Ehle, Dominique Fishback, Jodie Foster, Ashley

joins the ranks of Oscar-winner Olivia Colman and Oscar-nominated stars Glenn Close and Saoirse Ronan, among others.

The nominations were made out of 234 entries. A second round of voting will select the final list of six nominees and a third round will decide the winner.

Madekwe, Amanda Seyfried, Saoirse Ronan, Yuh-Jung Youn and Helena Zengel.

Not only Priyanka, Bollywood's Adarsh Gourav too has made it to the BAFTA longlist for the Lead Actor category. He is in the race against actors like Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Ralph Fiennes, and others.

vacation. She has also socialised with friends and family through the period. She recently shared a picture with her girl gang, and captioned it, “It's been a FORTUNE of memories... on to the next... to new beginnings PS: #Fortune you have been kind

#FortuneNights #EndOfAnEra #KaftanSeries.” Her gang includes Karisma Kapoor, Amrita, and Malaika Arora.

The actress and her family are all set to move into their new home in a few months.

Her new house has a library, art, and antiques. It includes a beautiful new nursery for the baby, and Taimur's own space. The new house is reportedly much bigger than Kareena's Fortune Heights' home. It is more spacious with beautiful terraces, a swimming pool, outdoor areas, and open landscaped spaces.

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Anushka and Virat name their daughter 'Vamika' Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli posted their first family picture revealing the name of their baby girl, Vamika. The name has become one of the top trending hashtags on Twitter as Anushka shared a heartwarming picture of her and Virat doting on their baby.

Vamika is another name for Hindu Goddess Durga and has its origins in the name ‘Vama’ which is the other face of Hindu God Lord Shiva. It is believed that on the Shivalinga, the fifth face is that of the ‘Vamadeva’ which is also the side that represents the artistic, calm, and placid side of the powerful God. Hence, Goddess Durga, who is known to be the better half of Lord Shiva, is also known as Vamika. Besides having a deep-rooted meaning in the Hindu mythology, the name also captures both the names of Virat and Anushka as it starts with Virat’s first letter ‘V’ and ends with Anushka’s ending syllable ‘ka’, thus having elements from both names.

Anushka’s Instagram post has received over 4.2 million likes as friends and colleagues from the film industry congratulate the couple. Captioning the post, Anushka mentioned that her family has experienced a roller coaster of emotions, sometimes in a span of minutes since the arrival of Vamika. She also mentioned that her daughter has taken the love, presence, and gratitude which she shared with her husband to “a whole new level”. She also thanked everyone who sent positive wishes, energy, and prayers their way since they have lost their sleep but have gained full hearts.

Amitabh wishes son Abhishek on his birthday Actor Amitabh Bachchan took to social media to wish his son, actor Abhishek Bachchan on his birthday.

He took to Instagram and posted a then-and-now collage of throwback pictures with his son. He captioned the image, “...I lead him once holding his hand .. he leads me now holding my hand.” The photo was a black and white picture from Abhishek's childhood, showing Amitabh leading his son. The second one was a similarly recent one, only in reverse.

Amitabh's fans were more than happy to see the picture, and left dozens of comments wishing the actor. Abhishek was also wished by his niece Navya Naveli Nanda, who

shared a fun throwback picture with her uncle and wrote, “Happy birthday bestfriend to more NYC nights

Twitter. Kangana has been tweeting against Rihanna and Greta, also targeting Indian celebs speaking out in sup-

The Fabulous lives of Bollywood wive The Fabulous lives of Bollywood wives follows four Bollywood wives and what they get up to in their life in Mumbai. The idea is to be similar to Keeping up with the Kardashians although all four women are friends rather than part of the same family. But we do get to meet some great celebrities along the way.

The four ladies that the series revolves around are: Neelam Kothari, married to Indian film and TV actor Samir Soni, and a well-known actress in her own right.

She now owns her own jewellery brand. During the series Neelam is debating whether she should make an acting comeback.

Bhavna Pandey, married to Chunky Pandey and mother to actress Ananya Pandey. Bhavna is the rock of her family and her daughters are her everything and this is what she spends her time working on.

& Chelsea games. You may just be my favourite family member My partner in all crimes!”

Salman reacts to India's ongoing farmers' protests Actor Salman Khan is one of the latest Bollywood celebrities to react to India's ongoing protests by farmers. Going on for quite some time now, the issue garnered much attention after international music star Rihanna, and teen environment activist Greta Thunberg tweeted in support of the farmers.

When asked about his opinion on the issue, Salman said, “The right thing should be done. The most correct thing should be done. The most noble thing should be done.”

A lot of Indian celebrities have posted on the topic, using the hashtags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstProgaganda.

Actors including Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Kangana Ranaut, Taapsee Pannu and Richa Chadha, along with cricketers like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have expressed their opinions on social media.

Kangana is even sparring with Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh and has had nasty exchanges on

Genre: Reality Television Duration: 1 Season – 8 Episodes Streaming on: Netflix

port of the protesting farmers. Two of her tweets were subsequently deleted

by Twitter over violation of rules.

Seema Khan, married to Sohail Khan, making her the sister in law of Salman and Arbaaz Khan. She is a fashion designer and it also made clear through the series that Seema and her husband live separately. They have an older son who is on his way back from university and a younger son who is the heart of the family.

Maheep Kapoor, married to Sanjay Kapoor sister in law to Anil and Boney Kapoor and aunty to Sonam and Arjun Kapoor. During the series we see Sanjay and Maheep accompany their daughter Shanaya to the famous Le Bal ball in Paris.

We watch as the four women struggle with being mothers of famous kids with just as famous husbands, being businesswoman in their own right and mingling with their famous friends and family. We are invited into Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan’s party as the woman are very good friends with Gauri and we go on holiday with the woman who are met by producer and friend Karan Johar.

The Fabulous lives of Bollywood wives is fun to watch and will give you a great out from the Groundhog Day type lives we seem to find ourselves in at the moment. It will give you a great laugh to hear the way some of these so-called posh people live and how they interact with each other.

You can get in touch with Vallisa: djvallisa@gmail.com

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Nidhhi Agerwal, Pawan Kalyan in Krish Jagarlamudi's next Actor Nidhhi Agerwal has been paired opposite Pawan Kalyan in Krish Jagarlamudi's upcoming Telugu period film. Set to be produced by AR Rathnam, the film will mark the maiden collaboration of Krish and Kalyan who has returned to acting after a hiatus of two years.

The movie is tipped to be a period

drama set in pre-Independent India, and will feature actors from multiple industries. A source quoted by a media report said, “The plan is to make a pan Indian project. Since Krish is popular in Bollywood, he convinced Pawan Kalyan and the producer with the idea of making the film in multiple languages including

Hindi. This is one of the primary reasons why they're on the verge of actors from across signing industries.”

It is also rumoured that a leading Bollywood actor is being considered for the antagonist's role.

Mahesh Babu calls shooting in Sharjah a 'unique experience' Currently shooting for upcoming Telugu film 'Sarkaru Vaari Paata' in Sharjah, actor Mahesh Babu has described the warmth and hospitality he is receiving as a “unique experience”.

Shoot for the project in Dubai began in the last week of January. Most portion of the movie will be shot in Dubai and Sharjah.

Tweeting about the

experience of shooting in Sharjah, Mahesh wrote, “Filming for #SarkaruVaariPaata at Sharjah's Mleiha (@discovermleiha) was truly a unique experience!

The stories, amazing recreational activities, and stunning landscapes will stay my favorite for a long time to come! Appreciate the warmth and

hospitality.”

The movie marks the maiden collaboration of director Parasuram and Mahesh Babu, who will be sharing screen space with Keerthy Suresh for the first time. If rumours are to be believed, Bollywood star Anil Kapoor has been approached with an offer to play the antagonist.

Telugu film 'Pitta Kathalu' promises four bold women and their stories Trailer of Netflix India's upcoming Telugu anthology film 'Pitta Kathalu' is out and going by the visuals, the movie promises distinct stories of four bold women and their journeys.

The movie features shorts by four directors, with bold themes.

It is the story of four women, four journeys of love, and betrayal.

Women in the story are seen challenging the norms and breaking away from a man's world.

Lead cast of the movie includes Amala Paul, Ashwin Kakumanu, Eesha Rebba, Jagapathi Babu, Lakshmi

Manchu, Saanvi Megghana, Sanjith Hegde, and Shruti Haasan among others. The four short films are directed by Nag Ashwin, Nandini Reddy, Sankalp Reddy, and Tharun Bhascker. 'Pitta Kathalu' will be

TV Listing * Schedule is subject to change

MON 15 FEB FRI 19 FEB 2021 16:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 16:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 18:30 NAMAK ISSK KA 19:00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 2 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 SHAKTI 20:30 MOLKKI

Vetrimaaran, Pa Ranjith defend farmers protesting across india

produced by RSVP Movies and Flying Unicorn Entertainment.

This is the maiden anthology from the Telugu industry. It is believed to be an adaptation of Netflix's own 'Lust Stories'.

21:00 PINJARA KHUBSOORTI KA 21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) 23:00 NAMAK ISSK KA SATURDAY 13 FEB 18:30 DESI BEAT RESET 19:00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 2 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 NAAGIN (SEASON 5) 21:00 BEST OF DESI BEAT 21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR SUNDAY 14 FEB 16:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 18:00 CHOTI SARDARNI 20:00 NAAGIN (SEASON 5) 21:00 BEST OF DESI BEAT 21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) FINALE

Tamil filmmakers Vetrimaaran and Pa Ranjith have declared their support for protesting farmers, along with National award-winning Malayalam actor Salim Kumar. In a Facebook post, Vetrimaaran wrote, “Protest is the expression of people who are not heard otherwise. The power of governance is given to the Government by the People.

It should protect the interest of the people, not act as corporate collaborators.

Farmers are trying to defend the spirit of the nation. Protesting for their rights and supporting the protest is democracy.”

Vetrimaaran is one of the first southern filmmakers to voice his opinion on the ongoing issue.

Meanwhile, Ranjith took to Twitter to express his opinion. He

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 15 FEB FRI 19 FEB 2021 8:30 BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18:00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18:30 DIL KA RISHTA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 21:00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE

said those questioning the farmers' protest should understand why they're doing it. He wrote, “We stand with farmers & so, we

support the cause that the farmers have been fighting for the last few months.

People, whoever questions farmer's protest & its supporters, should have a sense that the survival of farmers depends on MSP! #FarmersBill #StandWithFarmers”.

SATURDAY 13 FEB 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 DESI BEAT SEASON 3 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) 20:30 BARRISTER BABU 21:00 BALIKA VADHU SUNDAY 14 FEB 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 DESI BEAT SEASON 3 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 21:00 BALIKA VADHU

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www.asian-voice.com

13 - 19 February 2021

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England beat India by 227 runs in Chennai Test Veteran James Anderson's spell of reverse swing trumped Virat Kohli's show of grit as England decimated India in the opening Test by a 227-run margin in Chennai on Tuesday.

A target of 420, with 381 left on a fifth day of worn out Chepauk track, was always a tough task going by cricketing logic and Anderson's mid-morning burst blew away the Indian middle-order. In the end, the hosts could manage only 192 in 58.1 overs.

That spell ensured that there wasn't a Sydney like heist or the magic of Brisbane final day which many had hoped for despite the world record target. Kohli (72 off 104 balls) seemed like a lonely general standing on a burning deck as he showed his colleagues how to bat on a difficult track. He covered the swing and shuffled towards the off-stump to counter Anderson, ran purposefully and scored his runs against spinners. But there was that one ball that was always going to keep low and he got that from Ben Stokes.

"I don't think we put enough pressure on them with the ball in the first half...credit to England, they got stuck in and put up a big total on the board," Kohli conceded in the post-match presentation. "England were far more professional and consistent throughout the Test match than we were," he added.

Courtesy Anderson (11-4-17-3), the match became a mismatch within an hour and India now need to win two out of the next

three Tests to qualify for the World Test Championship final in June. The player of the match honours went to England skipper Joe Root for his match-defining double hundred in the first innings. It was left-arm spinner Jack Leach (26-4-76-4), who after his first innings humiliation at the hands of Rishabh Pant, finished with the best figures but the effort paled in comparison to the effect that Anderson had on the psyche of the Indian team. Anderson sowed doubts among the rank and file of the home line-up, whether they had the technique to play the moving ball which swings the other way round. Kohli can but can his colleagues do it will be the big question going forward.

It was the 27th over when Anderson first came into the attack and the second ball was a perfect reverse inswinger which had Gill in a daze as the off-stump went for a walk.

Rahane (0), for all the appreciation coming his way, was in very poor form for the better part of the Australia series, saving a hundred at MCG where he was dropped thrice.

The first ball he faced on Tuesday was another one that came back a shade and it was hitting the middle of the middle stump with the Umpires' Call saving the vicecaptain of what looked like a plumb leg before. The wily Anderson realised that an out-of-form Rahane's feet are not moving.

The next time he just went a shade wide off

the crease and delivered another reverse inswinger. Rahane knew that there was no comeback.

Pant (11) has had three great knocks but he was facing a bowler with supreme game awareness and immaculate understanding of conditions. Against a left-hander, he predictably came round the wicket and angled a few in with a busy Pant hitting a boundary.

By then, Anderson had gauged that Pant could be hurried on the drive. So the master changed his tactic and bowled a slower one enticing Pant to go for a drive. Pant tried his best to check it but the bowler had asked his skipper Joe Root to specifically stand at short cover for that particular shot.

From 92 for 2, it was 110 for five and Kohli cut a lonely figure at the other end.

Washington Sundar (0) was then picked by Dom Bess with the one that turned away leaving India in complete tatters.

Pant, Root among nominees for ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, England captain Joe Root and Ireland batsman Paul Stirling will be battling for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's Player of the Month Award as the 3 cricketers were announced in the shortlist for the month of January.

In women's' cricket, Pakistan's Diana Baig, South Africa's Shabnim Ismail and her compatriot Marizanne Kapp will be in contention for the newlyannounced Player of the Month Award.

This shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy and fans around the world. The ICC

Voting Academy comprising prominent members of the cricket family including senior journalists, former players, and broadcasters and some members of the ICC Hall of Fame.

Winners will be announced every second Monday of the month on the ICC's digital channels.

Pant, Root rewarded for serieswinning contirbutions Rishabh Pant made it to the shortlist for his heroics in India's celebrated 2-1 Test series win in Australia.

The India wicketkeeper hit 97 in the 3rd Test in Sydney as India went to clinch a heroic draw while his unbeaten 89 in the 4th Test helped India breach Australia's

Gabba fortress and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

England captain Joe Root played two Tests against Sri Lanka, where he scored a 228 and 186 and led his team to a 2-0 Test series victory. The third nominee in the category, Ireland's Paul Stirling played two ODIs against UAE and three ODIs v Afghanistan, where he scored three centuries in January.

On the other hand, Diana Baig of Pakistan played three ODIs and two T20Is against South Africa, where she led the wicket-takers with nine wickets in the three-match ODI series against South Africa. South Africa's Shabnim Ismail also

in brief ANKITA MAKES IT TO OZ OPEN DOUBLES MAIN DRAW Ankita Raina, who has been the torchbearer of Indian women’s tennis after Sania Mirza, became only the fifth Indian woman - after Sania, Sikha Uberoi, Nirupama Vaidyanathan and Nirupama Mankad - to make it to the main draw of Australian Open. In Melbourne, she will partner Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu and the pair will take on local wildcards Belinda Woolcock and Olivia Galdecki in the first round. The 28-year-old Ahmedabad-born Ankita, who has been plying her trade on the ITF and WTA circuits, made it to the main draw of the event on the back of sustained performance over the last three to four years.

BYJU’S TO BE ICC’S GLOBAL PARTNER IN £13 MN DEAL After becoming the Indian cricket team’s official sponsor, edtech major Byju’s has now signed a deal in the range of £12-13 million to become a global partner with International Cricket Council (ICC), according to sources.

Byju’s three-year deal with ICC comes at a time when India is slated to host two major cricketing events - the T20 World Cup in 2021 and the 50-over cricket World Cup in 2023. As a global partner, Byju’s will have extensive in-venue, broadcast, and digital rights across all ICC events. This marks yet another instance of internet firms spending on cricketing events to acquire users. Paytm, PhonePe, credit card payments startup Cred and edtech startup Unacademy are some of the other names who have bagged different sponsorship rights for blockbuster events, including the IPL.

SUNETRA NAMED BCA WOMEN’S TEAM COACH

Rishabh Pant and Joe Root

played three ODIs and two T20Is against Pakistan and took seven wickets in the victorious ODI series against Pakistan, before taking five wickets in the second T20I against the same opposition. Her compatriot allrounder Marizanne Kapp who is the third nominee in the category played two ODIs and two T20Is against Pakistan where she made 115 runs at a strike rate of 110.57 and added three wickets in the ODI series against Pakistan.

The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) appointed former India cricketer Sunetra Paranjpe as the head coach of its women’s team. The association had appointed former India cricketer Anju Jain as the senior women’s team coach last year. But a fallout between Jain and BCA following differences over accommodation and other issues ensured that she didn’t join the association.

Paranjpe is an International Cricket Council (ICC) level-1 coach and NLP practitioner. BCA officials said Paranjpe has worked as Under19, Under-23 and senior women’s team coach with Mumbai Cricket Association apart from a trainer of Indian railways Under-23 women’s team. A right hand batswoman and medium pacer, she was a member of Indian women’s team between 2002 and 2007 and has played in 28 ODIs apart from three Test matches. Former Maharashtra Ranji player Mandar Sane has also joined as the bowling coach of the Baroda women’s team.

IPL auctions: Arjun Tendulkar, Sreesanth among contenders Arjun Tendulkar, son of Sachin Tendulkar, will be among the few notable cricketers who will be going under the hammer when the IPL auction takes place this month.

Besides him all eyes will be on S Sreesanth and it needs to be seen how the IPL franchisees treat him after what happened to him in 2013.

A left-arm seamer, Arjun has enlisted with a base price of Rs 20,00,000. He has played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last month and has trained with Mumbai Indians in the past as well.

Meanwhile 37-year-old Sreesanth was in the eye of the storm in 2013 edition of IPL when he was arrested for spot-fixing. He has a

Finch. Some India internationals like Kedar Jadhav, Murali Vijay were released by Chennai Superkings.

Harbhajan Singh was also among the released. With age clearly not on their side, Jadhav and Bhajji have registered a base prize of £ 200,000.

Arjun Tendulkar Also in the fray will be India's Test base prize of Rs 75,00,000. specialists: Hanuma Vihari All eyes will also be on (£100,000) and Cheteshwar Pujara Australian internationals like Steve (Rs 75,00,000).

Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Besides this, Australia pacer

Mitchell Starc and England skipper Joe Root won't be participating in the auctions, it was confirmed.

A total of 1,097 players (814 Indian and 283 overseas players) have signing up to be a part of the IPL 2021. The player auction set to take place in Chennai on 18th February 2021 and a maximum of 61 players can be picked up at auction if every franchise chooses to have the maximum of 25 players in their squad (of which up to 22 may be overseas players).

Here are the players who will go into the auction pool: Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, Chris Morris, Kedar Jadhav, Murali Vijay, Piyush Chawla, Alex Carey, Keemo Paul,

Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mohit Sharma, Jason Roy, Sheldon Cottrell, Mujeeb-urRahman, Hardus Viljoen, James Neesham, Krishnappa Gowtham, Karun Nair, Jagadeesha Suchith, Tejinder Singh Dhillon, Chris Green, Harry Gurney, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik, Siddhesh Lad, Tom Banton, Prince Balwant Rai, Digvijay Deshmukh, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell McCleneghan, Akash Singh, Anirudha Joshi, Ankit Rajpoot, Oshane Thomas, Shashank Singh, Tom Curran, Varun Aaron, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Moeen Ali, Parthiv Patel, Pawan Negi, Isuru Udana.