AV 13th March 2021

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE Biden hails team NASA, says Indian Americans ’taking over the country’

PM Modi promises real change, targets Didi at Kolkata rally SEE PAGE - 23

SEE PAGE - 22

Fall in Light: A Mother’s Story

R

SEE PAGE - 28

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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13 - 19 MARCH 2021 - VOL 49 ISSUE 44

PALTRY PAY RISE TO HIT ASIAN WORKERS THE HARDEST Chancellor Rishi Sunak in an EXCLUSIVE interview with Asian Voice assures pay rise for NHS workers next year

Royal regrets: The Queen's Gambit

inside: Indian government summons British envoy over farmers debate in Parliament SEE PAGE - 4

No LAC pullback until disengagement in all areas: India

S. Jaishankar

Rupanjana Dutta & Priyanka Mehta

On Tuesday 9th March, the Treasury’s own public sector pay Equality Impact Assessment released by GMB Union of workers revealed that 80% affected by the NHS 1% pay recommendation are women or from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. The document appears amid growing anger against the Government’s 1% pay recommendation amounting to a mere £3.50 hike for NHS workers in England after a year of the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the announcement, the Royal College of Nursing warned the government of a severe “backlash” from the staff as it called the suggested rise "pitiful" and said that nurses should be getting 12.5% more.

Continued on page 6

Amid signs that talks between India and China on disengagement at other friction points had stalled, India said there would be no de-escalation of forces in eastern Ladakh until there was disengagement in all friction areas. “It is our expectation that the Chinese side will work with us, both through the WMCC and senior commanders’ meetings, to ensure that disengagement in the remaining areas is completed at the earliest,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

This, he added, “would allow” both sides to “consider deescalation of forces in eastern Ladakh as that alone will lead to the restoration of peace and tranquility”.

Continued on page 26

2 UK

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13 - 19 March 2021

with Keith Vaz

Migrants rights activist releases film on struggles of refugee women

Velji Vekaria Velji Vekaria was born in 1961 in Kutch, Gujarat. He migrated to Kenya in 1970 where he completed his studies. In August 2000 he migrated to London with hopes of working in the construction industry.

Velji went to university to upskill himself in IT and construction management. He has had a very successful career in the construction industry.

When he arrived to UK, he joined a temple to do charity work. He also joined SKLPC(UK) under the guidance of the late Arjanbhai Vekaria who were struggling at the time. Arjanbhai asked him to join as Secretary and then General Secretary.

Arjanbhai was his mentor and encouraged Velji to join the Hindu Forum of Britain. He became a committee member and was part of the team that organised Diwali @Houses of Commons.

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

India Gujarat, Mombasa, and London. India as I was born there.

Mombasa as I spent most of my youth there. London is where I have now spent a lot of time raising my family and developing relations with the community.

What are your proudest achievements?

I was awarded Best Boy in 1981 in my secondary school. I was Honorary secretary of Religious, Social and Educational Departments with a surprise appointment by the British High Commissioner in Nairobi in 1992 as an Honorary Correspondent. I became Chair of Diwali @House of Commons under the umbrella of the Hindu Forum of Britain and President of SKLPC (UK) What inspires you?

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I like working for the community and I feel united by working together, especially with the younger generation. I enjoy seeing the community grow from strength to strength and it makes me feel immensely proud to be part of this.

What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

One of the many challenges is the criticism given by others.

However, I learnt how to deal with this by using feedback to develop and improve myself. I slowly learnt that you can't always please everyone.

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

Firstly, my loving parents followed by Late Arjanbhai Vekaria and Late Haribhai Halai. Without their encouragement and help, I would not have achieved what I have today. They had faith in my ability, and they mentored me.

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Furthermore, with engagement with wider community, I have come across inspiring people from all ages, who have supported me in achieving what I have done so far.

What is the best aspect about your current role?

Driving the project forward for the construction and completion of our new India Gardens project with the support of members of the community.

And the worst?

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When working together as a team and some look at the overall perspective for their own individual benefits as opposed to the wider community. This then disrupts the team dynamics and affects the outcome of the goal. However, having said this, I have not encountered this too often in my current role.

What are your long-term goals?

Continue to see my community grow and flourish not only for the younger generation but also to make sure that members of the Senior Citizens are being looked after.

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

Charity begins from home. I would concentrate more on the Country. Based on what we have encountered following Covid-19 and the efforts put not only by NHS Staff but also all the frontline staff, I would give one off bonus for their selfless services over past year.

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

Mahatma Gandhi. To speak to him about what drove him to do the things he did for the betterment of India during extremely critical times.

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ment to Birmingham Mail, she said, "I created this film with refugee and migrant girls and women in Birmingham and around the world as many are suffering in silence. The connections they made with each other helped them through this crisis and with mental health. Over 100 artworks feature in the film from the girls and women together with my artwork. I want this film to evoke compassion and toler-

ance with refugees and migrants.

Solidarity is the only way forward in this crisis.

"Many girls don't know their rights. I've spoken to some young migrant and refugee women who were married at a very young age as child brides and they believe that this is the norm. So, it's about educating girls to empower them to make the right decisions in their lives.”

Her project The Migration Blanket has received support from the Arts Council UK & National Lottery Fund, The United Nations Migration Agency, IOM, Celebrating Sanctuary, Ziauddin Yousafzai, father of Nobel Laureate, Malala Yousafzai, the Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands, Celebrating Sanctuary, Near Neighbours and the Aziz Foundation.

Birmingham Council to continue food vouchers over Easter Birmingham City Council will be providing food vouchers for 72,000 children over the twoweek Easter holiday. The council is also expected to provide vouchers for 68,500 school-age children eligible for free school meals, and 3,500 children within early years settings.

An additional £1.8m from the government’s Covid Winter Grant (CWG) scheme means the council can now fund a second week of vouchers, costing £1.08m, with the remaining funds going to vulnerable adults

Cllr Jayne Francis

in line with the grant guidance.

The council had already allocated CWG funds for one week of meal vouchers for the Easter break.

Cllr Jayne Francis, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills

and Culture, said, “I’m really pleased that we have again stepped up to make sure that struggling families are supported during the Easter break. It is even more vital that vouchers are provided in the school holidays when increasing numbers of children are eligible for free school meals. After a great deal of public pressure, it is encouraging that the Government has finally recognised the importance of ensuring that children do not go hungry during these unprecedented times.”

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Singh steps down as Chair of Leicester NHS Trust

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Chair of University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Karamjit Singh CBE, is expected to step down from his position on 16th April 2021.

Mr Singh has served as Chair since 2014 with his career spanning almost 50 years of dedicated public service across many diverse roles at local, regional and national level.

Commenting on his decision to step down, he said, “My eightyear term of office is due to finish next year but it makes sense for me to step down a year early.

The Trust needs to appoint a

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A Birmingham-based migrants rights activist has released an 11 minute movie featuring 100 artworks from refugee women fleeing danger across the world.

Celebrating International Women's Day on Monday, 8th March, the The Migration Blanket tells the story of women who have had to leave their homes for their safety featuring migrant stories from as far as Greece and South Africa, from women and girls aged 16 and above.

Salma Zulfiqar, the founder of the ARTConnects produced the film to give a voice to refugee women around the world including some in Birmingham. It has won Best Animated Short Film at the Berlin Independent Film Festival.

Salma collected the art during sessions she has been running from her home and in her state-

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permanent new Chief Executive and that should be done by a new Chair. Having provided important leadership continuity whilst the Board has addressed financial control issues, it is time to allow someone else to fill this role that I have enjoyed so much.

“I am hugely proud of what we have achieved since I took up the role in 2014, not least over the last twelve months when staff across the Trust have done such a fantastic job to meet the challenges of an unprecedented global pandemic. I am also proud that during my time as

Karamjit Singh

Chair, we have secured a much needed £450 million capital investment to develop our Trust over the next few years. That is a huge vote of confidence in our Trust and our staff.”

Investigation against Nazi graffiti at Gravesend Gurudwara Police are investigating the “appalling act” of a Nazi swastika symbol being spray painted on the boundary wall outside a Sikh gurdwara in Gravesend.

The swastika was spraypainted on the boundary wall of the Siri Guru Nanak Darbar, near to the gate of the building in Khalsa Avenue. It has since been removed by volunteers who had to paint over it.

Sukh Singh tweeted,

"This is depressing. I thought we were way past this. Gravesend has a diverse and generally cohesive community, and people from all races and religions attend our magnificent guru ghar; this person was taught to hate, and is in the minority; a minority given a voice; let’s drown this hate out."

Jagdev Singh Virdee is the general secretary at the gurdwara. According to him

the graffiti was painted near the gate, “in an area not yet covered by CCTV”.

In a statement to Kent Live, he said, "Ironically we are due to extend our CCTV cover there this coming week. It is shocking, and also a surprise since we have very good relations with the community. It is the first time that something like this has happened in the 11 years since we moved here."

DI Shaun Creed said,

"We are currently investigating this act of racially motivated graffiti and would ask for anyone who may have information to come forward.Incidents of this nature are offensive and will not be tolerated and we will work with those effected to offer support and reassurance."

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13 - 19 March 2021

The Queen’s Gambit To do nothing is often the best course of action. But history was not made by those who did nothing. Golden words from Claire Foy portraying Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix drama The Crown. Words, which perhaps, best “suit” the current crises that the Royal Family finds itself in the middle of.

This is not the first time that Her Majesty will be tasked with dismissing controversy about the conduct of the upper echelons of Royal members. She has in the past justified and protected The Crown despite the fallacies of her sister, husband and children.

Defending the honour of the institution and the existence of the “archaic” firm despite some firm members courting controversies around broken marriages and adultery, alleged sex abuse, alcohol and drug addictions. So, why have some papers like the Daily Mirror now dubbed Oprah Winfrey’s two-hour interview with Meghan and Harry as the “worst Royal crisis in 85 years?”

Because it took an outsider to show to the world the underpinning attitudes that formed the pillars of the monarchy? Or because in an age of social media and click-bait journalism driven forward by push notifications around racism, is the “Royal attack” appearing magnified and damage far more colossal? Or is it because post-Covid-19 there is a sudden and blessed awareness about discussions related to suicide, anxiety, depression and mental health? There is no one answer to the question that Daily Mirror asks. Instead, one must assess for themselves if Meghan’s proclamations have truly manifested the worst Royal crisis in almost a decade? Her revelations, even the royal experts and biographers have themselves conceded, are far worse than what the Buckingham Palace had expected. If media reports are to be believed then the reason behind the Queen’s silence can be attributed to the Royal heads huddling at Palace quarters to devise a strategy that can lay to rest all the media frenzy.

But while the Queen’s silence may for now be golden, the speeches and singular monologues by TV broadcasters are nowhere close to silver. Some are abhorrent at best and others are plain revolting and perhaps, even defamatory. Piers Morgan has become the bull’s eye for mental health charities after he dismissed Markle’s claim about having suicidal thoughts. As obtuse and condescending as the Good Morning Britain broadcaster is, it is rather a shame that Britain wakes up to his narrative and beliefs. And while Morgan may be facing all the wrath for his filibustering of the progress made on addressing mental health, the bigger question should be on ITV’s credibility. Following public backlash, the broadcaster has been implicitly pressured into releasing a condemnation of Morgan’s words. But not before the programme generated skyrocketing TRPs and worldwide fame.

They say, sometimes bad publicity is also good publicity. Now, is the time to ask a follow-up question: Publicity at what cost? By damaging someone’s already vulnerable state of being and at that when she is pregnant? While the progressives rightfully argue against cancel culture, perhaps, in this case, it would Suit Morgan to politely take a step back and voluntarily retire because if the YouGov polls are to be believed then the younger generation clearly gives no two hoots to Piers Morgan and his belief that Meghan was “lying”. The older generation? While they may have their loyalties with the Queen, they would not be so soulless as to dismiss such stark accusations into thin air.

Meghan’s interview is oddly reminiscent of Princess Diana’s Panorama interview in 1995. Diana was labelled cunning and manipulative for airing the dirty Royal linen. It is no wonder Prince Harry is concerned that history may be in danger of being repeated. But it all depends on The Queen’s Gambit and what Suits the firm.

Time to pick a side Chancellor Rishi Sunak will face questions from MPs this week over spend now, pay later budget and his plan to combine emergency Covid support schemes with the biggest tax rises since 1993.

On the other hand, the comprehensive Spending Review copy that was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and released by GMB Union which represents NHS workers, said, almost a quarter (23 percent) of NHS workers are members of an ethnic minority, the Treasury has said.

The Equality Impact Assessment said that ‘Asian and Asian British workers are relatively overrepresented in the NHS workforce when compared to the [wider] public sector. In particularly, 8% of the NHS workforce identify as Asian or Asian British whereas only 1% of the public sector identify as Asian or Asian British. In addition, there is a smaller proportion of individuals that identify as White in the NHS workforce relative to the [wider] public sector.’

And the 1 percent recommendation, which would be a pay cut in real terms, contradicts a statement in the Treasury’s internal document that the Government would ‘exclude all members of the NHS workforce from public sector pay restraint.’

NHS workers also comprise of 25,000 Indians. This pandemic has affected their lives like never before. Workers who travelled to the UK, looking for a better opportunity, have lost lives or their loved ones. The 1 percent pay-rise and pension freeze affect them more disproportionately than anyone else.

However, the Indian industry has widely welcomed this budget, believing it to pave the way for an “investment-led recovery” for a pandemic-hit economy. They have also hailed at the minister’s announcement of consultations related to the visa regime, as a step in the right direction by both the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

On Monday, Minister of State for South Asia, Lord Tariq Ahmad will be heading to India, for a week. Relationship with India is key post-Brexit and sectors he may be looking at may

include education, as well as other industries such as technology and pharmaceutical. But, on 8 March 2021, in UK’s Parliament, a debate took place discussing the condition of Indian farmers and press freedom in India. India’s Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar called upon British High Commissioner in India, Alex Ellis and conveyed strong opposition to the unwarranted and tendentious discussion on agricultural reforms in India in the British Parliament. Foreign Secretary made clear that this represented a gross interference in the politics of another democratic country.

He advised that British MPs should refrain from practising vote bank politics by misrepresenting events, especially in relation to another fellow democracy.

The High Commission of India, for the first time, issued a formal statement, calling this as a distinctly one-sided discussion among a group of UK Parliamentarians in a Westminster Committee Room. The statement said, “The High Commission of India would normally refrain from commenting on an internal discussion involving a small group of Honourable Parliamentarians in a limited quorum. However, when aspersions are cast on India by anyone, irrespective of their claims of friendship and love for India or domestic political compulsions, there is a need to set the record straight.”It is important to be righteous.

It is also important to support relief for humanitarian crises. With Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to slash hundreds of millions of pounds in foreign aid to countries in conflict zones around the world, criticism of India seems to be a bit of a farfetched. The moment has come where Mr Johnson should put his money where his mouth is. Relationship with India is crucial for UK in a post-Brexit world. Mixed messages by UK actually confuses the relationship. Tech visa, post study work visa for students without sponsorship, everything charts a path towards better friendship- away from the hostility of Theresa May era.

So, if UK wants a true ally in India, it is time to keep such contradicting discourses at bay. It is time for the UK government to pick a side.

The Bengal heavyweights West Bengal has a history of political violence dating back to the pre-independence times. It was seen during the Congress rule, taken over by the Left and now, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) appears to be using similar strategies.

But unlike the city of Mumbai, ballot boxes in Kolkata have hardly ever been a battleground for Bollywood celebrities.

Tollywood (the Bengali version of Bollywood) stars have often fancied touring with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her attempt of replicating Kolkata as the London of India. But never has Tollywood appeared as divided as it does now. BJP has roped in high flying actors including Mithun Chakraborty and Yash Dasgupta (close friend of TMC MP Nusrat Jahan) besides other heavyweights including Dinesh Trivedi and founder of the Singur Movement Suvendu Adhikari. The jury is still out if India’s former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly will eventually hop on the BJP bandwagon. For now, it appears unlikely.

But even as Prime Minister’s rally at the Brigade fell flat against Mamata’s deafening speech in Siliguri, this election is proving to be perhaps, the most challenging for the TMC. Both TMC and the BJP have contradictory ideologies in context to government policies, food security and increase in unemployment rates. But religion and communal violence has once again become the epicentre of Bengal politics. TMC and the BJP have consistently accused each other of circulating communal sentiments ahead of elections. Recently, in a bomb explosion, a 25year-old man was killed and 5 others were injured. This gave rise to blame game between TMC and BJP. The BJP leadership, too,

agreed that communal polarisation was on the rise in the state, but blamed appeasement politics by the TMC. The BJP focused on winning the 2021 elections will certainly work on capitalising on the death of a party MLA. Linking cause to consequence, the BJP has repeated its call for the ouster of Mamata Banerjee as chief minister. In the process, it has dredged up every act of violence that fits its narrative against the chief minister and her failures to deliver welfare, relief and reconstruction funds allocated by the BJP regime in New Delhi as part of its federal responsibility of running the union government. 'Routine’ and ‘normal’ eruptions of violence and homicide as part of the political process of confrontation between the ruling regime and the political opposition, is an essential part of elections in West Bengal.

Every time the chief minister brushes aside incidents of violence, she does two things simultaneously. She normalises violence as “nothing of consequence” and she shields the wrong doers. This was the strategy used by the CPI(M) in its last years in power, when it deliberately refused to act against corruption within its ranks. The deployment of central forces may deter the trouble makers, but it is doubtful whether the election will be peaceful because ruling and rival parties have no dearth of trouble makers. But most fundamentally, eyes will be pinned on whether the heavyweights help BJP form government in West Bengal? Who will the Party appoint as their CM and most importantly what does that speak of the influence of celebrities and sportspeople in Indian politics?

If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore. – Michele Ruiz

Alpesh Patel

The Rise and Rise of the UK as an Investment Destination Despite worries about Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK has defied analysts and continues to cement its place as a premier investment destination.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is increasing despite challenging global conditions, with British infrastructure and companies reaping the rewards.

Shelter From The Storm With productivity, GDP and unemployment levels on the decline worldwide due to the pandemic, politically stable regions with robust judicial frameworks become increasingly attractive.

KPMG have reported that VC investment into scale-ups doubled at the start of 2020, while foreign investment in London real estate performed strongly in 2020, according to estate agency Knight Frank.

London outshined Paris and Manhattan for inward property investment, boosted by a series of eye-catching deals like the $380 purchase of The Cabot in Canary Wharf by Hong Kong-based firm Link.

The Benefits of the UK for Inward Investment The UK has a long tradition of providing a stable base for domestic and international companies. When there is some level of uncertainty in the broader markets, investors look to mitigate risk by dealing in known and proven quantities. The UK’s educated and multi-cultural workforce, strong property market, reputation for innovation and opportunity, and a diverse set of well-positioned assets has ensured the attention of foreign direct investment.

Regulatory Commitments Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has committed to improving the UK’s already strong position as an equities listing destination through public market reform. He believes that by reducing free float requirements and modernising listing rules, the UK can attract more inward equities investment when combined with its strong corporate governance standards.

Urban Regeneration Government decentralisation programs over the past few decades have focused on regenerating the UKs urban centres outside London. Investment in infrastructure and housing in areas like Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield have seen property and business grown. Additionally, transport projects like the HS2 and the Crossrail stand to significantly benefit the commercial growth of Birmingham and Slough, respectively.

Resilience During the Pandemic Ernst & Young's recent UK Attractiveness Survey continued to paint a rosy picture for UK financial services — which has been the most attractive European destination for decades. The recent report has allayed fears that Brexit and the pandemic will change this position by reporting that the country has attracted double the amount of financial services investment projects as Germany in recent years.

Modernising, Repositioning and Future Opportunities The E&Y report provides more exciting news about investor sentiment about the UK as it modernises its economy and repositions itself globally. Indeed, the UK is regarded as more resilient by global investors, with only 3% suggesting that COVID has derailed investment plans. While the economy offers plenty for the here and now, there is a strong worldwide sentiment about the UK’s ability to exploit future opportunities with cleantech, digital and health seen as areas that the country is well-positioned to embrace.

Another huge growth area is digital tech, with the UK attracting over 30% of the entire European investment market. As fears about Brexit fade and the vaccine rollout brings some semblance of normalcy to the economy, the UK is in an excellent position as a global investment destination.

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Statue of ‘Flying Sikh’ in memory Indian soldiers A memorial will be erected in Southampton in memory of all Indians who fought in the World Wars.

Twentieth century Sikh fighter pilot, cricketer and golfer from Oxford University Hardit Singh Malik is to be immortalised in a sculpture, the design for which has now been approved for a memorial in the port city of Southampton.

Commenting on the announcement, Lord Rami Ranger CBE said, “The story of Air Ace Hardit Singh Malik is inspirational. He faced racism and bigotry even when he wanted to fight to save Britain from the German invasion in the first world war. He tried to join the Royal Air Corps but was turned down on account of his race. He instead joined the French

Hardit Singh Statue of Hardit Singh Malik Air Force, and luckily, his Malik first arrived Picture Courtesy: OCHD at Oxford professor in the U.K. in 1908 University discovered this as a 14-year-old to and wrote to the head of the is best known.

Balliol College at the Royal Flying Corps, who He served on the University of Oxford and allowed Mr Malik to join Western Front flying a went on to become a the British RFC. This is Sopwith Camel on combat member of the how the first missions across France and Royal Flying Indian could fly Italy. He was one of only Corps durfor Britain. two Indian pilots to survive ing World statue His the war, despite being War I. As will remind wounded and crash-landing the first us of our behind enemy lines in Indian shared hisOctober 1917 when his airand turtory and craft was found to have baned pilot struggles. been hit more than 450 with a spe“The idea times.

Lord Rami Ranger CBE cialised helto immortalise More than 1.2 million met, he became Hardit Singh Indians fought and 70,000 famous as the Malik came from the died during World War "Flying Sikh". He also Committee of ‘One One, although only four played cricket for Sussex Community Hampshire & became pilots. and was also the Indian Dorset’, led by Mr The statue and plinth is Ambassador to France after Pritheepal Singh. It is heartset to be almost 17ft (5m) a long and distinguished ening to know that high in total. It is hoped the career in the Indian Civil Southampton Council is statue will be installed near Service. But it is as a fighter fully supportive and behind the city's Sea City Museum pilot during 1917-19 that he the idea.”

by April 2023.

Indian government summons British envoy over famers debate in Parliament On Tuesday, India summoned British envoy Alex Ellis to lodge a protest against what it said was an “unwarranted and tendentious” debate in the British Parliament where lawmakers criticised the Indian government’s handling of the farmers’ protest.

The debate was held on Monday in response to a public petition which garnered more than 115,000 signatures. MPs and members from Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democratic and Scottish National Party had urged Boris Johnson to raise their concerns about the handling of the protest and media freedoms with the

How to kill resistance to change?

Rohit Vadhwana Change is not easy. It is painful and against comfort. Therefore, any change requires a lot of effort while the status quo is easier.

Inertia is a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged. It exists in our nature normally. In physics, the concept of inertia means a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless that state is changed by an external force. Does it happen to you? Is there resistance to change in your nature?

Change, though difficult, is essential for growth and progress. Sometimes when inertia, resistance to change, becomes overpowering and affects our progress, it is time to kill that resistance. So, how to kill resistance to change?

Here are five steps to help you kill inertia, resistance to change.

1. Decide to make a change: The first step for any change is to decide to change. Without deciding that change is required, nothing will change in life. The decision doesn't mean a thought, it means decision. One has to not only consider a change but to decide to change something. And this decision should be firm. Believe in your decision and resolve to act firmly on it.

2. Don't get bogged down by critics: When you will start making changes in life, a million and one critics will appear to reverse them. There will be hundreds of people criticising your decision, but don't get bogged down by their comments, if you are changing for good. Critics encourage resistance. People cannot accept change not only in their own lives, but also in your life. Therefore, it is very much possible that they would start criticising you.

3. Keep reminding benefits of decided change: When you have decided to change something, stop backtracking.

Remind yourself benefits of change. While there might be fear or risk in making change, attached advantages must be greater. Therefore, if you keep reminding yourself what benefits will come with the transformation, it will keep you motivated and defeat resistance.

4. Have a schedule for the changes: Unless you plan your proposed changes in a timely schedule and follow them as a routine, there is chance that you will stop pursuing them.

As said, because changes are painful and difficult, it is important to keep following them as per a schedule. If you have decided to change your sleeping cycle, follow it in a religious manner. Your pre decided time table or methodology will help you overcome resistance.

5. Reward yourself for achieving every milestone: After all, it is our mindset which plays greater role in helping us achieve a change. Therefore, when you move towards making some change in career or relationship, break it down in smaller milestones. Reward yourself with something that you love when you reach a milestone. Rewards encourage us to continue on the path of success and therefore, it will work as an antidote to the resistance.

These five steps will help in following your resolve to change and fightagainst resistance.

human rights violations in Indian government.

‘Kashmir’ etc. Foreign Most of the British media, including the British MPs acknowledged the media, are present in India Indian government’s and have witnessed the agricultural reforms were events under discussion a domestic matter but first-hand. The question of noted their constituents lack of freedom of the media had strong links with Alex Ellis in India does not arise.”

India’s farm sector and issued a strong statement as Ellis was summoned by were upset by what they it deeply regretted that foreign secretary Harsh described as the use of force rather than a balanced Shringla and served a against protesting farmers. debate, “false assertions demarche or formal diploConservative MP Theresa without substantiation or matic representation that Villiers was the only one of facts - were made, casting conveyed India’s “strong about 20 lawmakers who aspersions on the largest opposition to the unwarjoined the debate to defend functioning democracy in ranted and tendentious disthe Indian government’s the world and its institucussion on agricultural actions. tions”. reforms in India in the Following the debate, In its statement it noted, British Parliament”, accordthe Indian High “It is also a matter of coning to a statement from the Commission in London cern that, once again, comexternal affairs ministry.

High Commission of India ments were made Nigel Adams, the UK to mislead the minister of state for Asia, British Indian comwhile responding on behalf munity, raising of the British government, doubts about treatsaid London will continue ment of minorities to monitor the farmers’ (Expressed opinions are personal.) in India, alleged protest “incredibly closely”.

The Indian Government has rights notified will include imposed restrictions on grant of multiple entry lifelong Overseas Citizens of India visa to visit for any purpose; (OCI) from practising journalexemption from registration ism or research and engaging in with FRRO for any length of Tabligh or missionary activistay; and parity with nationals A new report by the Muslim Treasurer of the APPG on British ties. in domestic air fares and entry Council of Britain (MCB) provides Muslims, who has contributed a fees to monuments and public OCI card holders are now the most comprehensive analysis foreword to the report, has said, places. required to have to take prior yet of the All-Party Parliamentary “This landmark report recognises It has also said that OCI permission from the “compeGroup on British Muslims’ definithe fact we cannot wait for a party card holders will enjoy parity tent authority” or Foreigners tion of Islamophobia. of government mired in accusawith Non-Resident Indians Regional Registration Office tions of Islamophobia to lead on Titled ‘Defining Islamophobia: Zara Mohammed (NRIs) in adoption, appearance (FRRO) “to undertake research; this crucial issue. Instead, the A Contemporary Understanding of in competitive exams, purchase to undertake any Missionary or APPG on British Muslims’ definireport pushes this conversation How Expressions of Muslimness or sale of immovable property Tabligh or Mountaineering or tion of Islamophobia can equip us forwards, bringing together all the are Targeted’, the new report gives barring agricultural and farm Journalistic activities; to underwith the starting point to better different aspects of this definition a detailed account of how the defihouses, and pursuing profestake internship in any foreign understand the issues and facilitate and providing a solid evidence base nition has since been embraced by sions like medicine, law, archiDiplomatic Missions or foreign a means to tackle the everyday to assist in the integration and Muslim communities around the tecture and chartered accounGovernment organisations in issues Muslims face. We must embedding of this across British country. It proposes pathways for tancy. Apart from restrictions India or to take up employment move this conversation forward society.” this most preeminent definition of on journalism, research and in any foreign Diplomatic and create pathways to action with Ahead of the report’s release, Islamophobia to be taken up, bolmissionary work, the new notiMissions in India; to visit any our partners and wider society. I Zara Mohammed, Secretary stering efforts to tackle this pervafication provides for exemption place which falls within the hope this report proves a useful General of the Muslim Council of sive form of racism that continues from registration with the Protected or Restricted or proresource for all of us to tackle an Britain, said, “We need a robust to exist. The report includes interFRRO if cardholders intimate hibited areas as notified by the issue that is not just an issue for way of understanding the nature ventions from several subject matthe office by email if there is a Central Government or compeMuslim communities, but one that and scale of Islamophobia. This ter experts. change in permanent residentent authority”. impacts all of society.” report demonstrates how the Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, tial address or occupation.

According to the latest

OCI card holders to enjoy parity with NRIs

MCB launches new report on Islamophobia

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PALTRY PAY RISE TO HIT ASIAN WORKERS THE HARDEST Continued from page 1 While organisations such as the Doctors Association UK have challenged the government to explain to the country how “it is morally or economically justifiable to cut the real-terms pay of staff that saved the life of the Prime Minister in the last year, while paying £7000 a day to management consultants for the outsourced test and trace program.”

Knife in the back when NHS is facing a retention crisis Commenting on the Dr Kaveri subject, Jalundhwala, Vice-Chair Doctors’ Association UK said, “The Prime Minister has previously told NHS staff that, “We owe you more than words can say” for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now he must back up his rhetoric with action and act to pay NHS staff what they deserve after the last year of hell. If he fails to do so, it will be clear to the public that his priority is not the NHS. “Frontline staff are

College of Physicians, the Royal College of Nursing, the Doctors Association UK, Independent Age, and Unison, and MPs are thought to have received upwards of 7400 letters of advocacy for the bill.

Unfortunately, the second reading of the bill was delayed in January 2021 due

already shell shocked and considering if they want to keep working in the NHS after the betrayals they have experienced in the last year and previously. This latest knife in the back may represent an insurmountable barrier to staff retainment and worsening NHS staff vacancies which already stand at over 100,000. The NHS is facing a retention crisis, and this recommendation of 1% may be the final nail in the coffin.”

Delays in the Bill for Right to Remain for NHS Migrant Workers The warnings that the staff may go on strike is even more worrisome in light of consistent delays in the passing of the Bill for Right to Remain for NHS Migrant Workers.

In November 2019, the Immigration (Health and Social Care Staff) Bill 201921 was put forward, which would offer migrant healthcare workers indefinite leave to remain. This is similar to the actions taken in countries such as France, who are granting full citi-

to the Common’s COVID safety rules. The Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine, who sponsored the Bill, has since urged the government to consider debating the bill remotely, due to the urgency of its nature.

It should also be noted that higher pay rises (2.1%) were previously promised by the NHS Long Term Plan before Covid-19.

The Chancellor vowed to give the NHS “whatever it needs” to tackle the coronavirus crisis last year. The latest recommendation ignores a decade of realterms pay which has seen pay cut by £600 per employee over the last decade.

Now, the latest Equality Impact Assessment, reveals that the 1% recommendation, which would be a pay cut in real terms, contradicts a statement in the Treasury’s internal document that the Government would “exclude all members of the NHS workforce from public sector pay restraint.”

Compiled by civil servants in November for the Comprehensive Spending

Dr. Kaveri Jalundhwala

zenship to frontline migrant workers. The bill is supported by the Royal

Dr. Chaand Nagpaul

Review, it was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and is being released by GMB Union which represents NHS workers.

GMB calls for the government to Uturn Almost a quarter 23% of NHS workers are members of an ethnic minority, the Treasury said. The Equality Impact Assessment said that “Asian and Asian British workers are relatively overrepresented in the NHS workforce when compared to the [wider] public sector.

In particular, 8% of the NHS workforce identify as Asian or Asian British whereas only 1% of the public sector identify as Asian or Asian British. Besides, there is a smaller proportion of individuals that identify as White in the NHS workforce relative to the [wider] public sector.”

In a statement, Rachel Harrison, GMB National said, “The Officer, Government must U-turn on its disgraceful plan to impose a real-terms pay cut on NHS workers.

“This damning document proves that this paltry offer would hit the living standards of women workers and minority groups hardest. What is more, it proves that Ministers knew this and went ahead anyway. Our NHS workers have risked everything to keep us safe during the coronavirus outbreak, now they deserve a real pay rise after a decade of austerity and real terms cuts to pay.”

Currently, 22.1% of staff at NHS are from ethnic minority community, out of which 131,446 are Asian. But 31.4% of medical staff are Asian, with the highest number of overseas staff being Indians at 25,809.

Health unions decried the absence of a pay rise for NHS staff, despite their dedication and hard work during the pandemic.

Pay rise a kick in the teeth Dr.ChaandNagpaul, Chairman of British Medical Association (BMA) said, “This is a total dereliction of the Government’s moral duty and obligation to a workforce that is keeping the NHS on its feet and patients alive.

“Throughout the pandemic, doctors have cared for more critically ill patients than was ever thought possible and worked round the clock despite suffering from extreme stress and exhaustion, with BMA surveys showing significant numbers of doctors selflessly working extra hours without pay. This is a time at which the Government should demonstrate that it recognises the contribution of a workforce that has literally kept this country

Chancellor assures pay rise for NHS workers next year Chancellor Rishi Sunak believes it is ‘unfair' to say that people have not received any support. Speaking to Asian Voice, in an exclusive interview Mr Sunak said, “My dad was a GP, my mum a pharmacist, and I know what an amazing job the NHS has done and their heroic efforts.

My dad has gone back to work volunteering during this pandemic, so I know what is happening at ground level.

“The budget is designed to deal with tax policy and economic policy, and we deal with public spending at spending reviews. At spending review in November, we have set up a budget for all public departments, and NHS in a midst of a long-term set- Chancellor being interviewed by Rupanjana Dutta tlement is going to receive decide appropriate pay. When we set up £33bn a year- a significant rise in NHS the rest of the pay policy for the public secspending. tor in November at the Spending Review, “They will also a get a lot of money we did specifically exempt the NHS from next year for dealing with coronavirus and the broader approach of public sector pay vaccine rollout. As far as pay is concerned, to ensure that NHS workers would get a the review body goes through a process to pay rise next year.” alive for the past 10 months.

“This comes as a kick in the teeth after a decade in which doctors have experienced real-terms pay cuts of up to 30% and in the same week as the Chancellor has announced a huge increase in the taxation on doctor’s pensions that will leave virtually all doctors worse off. The Doctors and Dentists

Review Body must demonstrate that it is truly independent of Government and recognise the need for a fair pay uplift that makes up for historic pay cuts but also recognises the efforts made and personal risks doctors have taken during this terrible pandemic.”

Another matter to affect the senior NHS doctors is the ‘freeze’ on lifetime limits for pension tax

relief. There is already evidence that pension tax relief limits have caused doctors to reduce shifts or even retire early and a cap of this sort could make that problem worse just at the wrong time for our country. Some 1.3 million public sector workers will see a pay freeze next year, while those earning less than £24,000 guaranteed a pay rise of at least £250.

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Ap pps to to h help yo you move ve more

Couch to 5K

Active10 Apps to help yo you e eat well/los ell/l e w wei eiigh ht

PRODUCED IN ASSOCIA ATI TION WITH W THE UK GO OVERNMENT VER RNMENT

LO OSE WE WEIGH EIGH HT & FEEL L BETTE BE ETTE ER

Easyy M Meals

NHS Weig Weight Loss Plan theeir own skin.

It is about better manaaging one’s dayyto-daay liffe, e, having v a support ort system, and d confid ding in people who h you can trust.

“In the Asian commun nity, our diet consists of o a variety of spices which are antii inflammator y. We also tend to h vve a balanced meal ha eal consisting of llentils, of til d dals l and nd a wide variety o vegetables. of

Making sm mall, simple change es to wha hat and how how much m you are e eating and drinkin ng can really help p you lose we eigh ht. t. Bet B tter Health is here to support yo ou to feel better b and healthiier in 2021.

Rupanjana Dutta

The last yyear haas been tough on all of u us, but there has never b been a better time to haaavve a go at some new heath hier habits.

Gaining weight is often a gradual p g process.. It happens pp over the years ass a result of modern-daayy lif l fee and the odd unhealtth hy habit.

If you want to lo ose weight, it’’s not about geetting it right, but gettin ng started.

Health hyy changess start st with little changes an nd will help you to feel feel bette better err,, inside and out.

Extra weightt causes fat to build up around a vital organs, maaking it harder for for the b body bod to fight against disseases like cancerr, hear heart diisease and now Covid-19.

If you are oveerweight or living with ob besity,

lowering yo our weight can help reeduce your risk of developiing serious diseases. Lo osing weight has man nyy health heal benefits. h Making sm mall, simple changes to what and how much you are a eating, and drinking caan really help you lose the pounds, and it means you’’ll be better able to fight serrious diseases.

Whether you want to lose weightt or get active, the NHS haas lots of free ideas to help you along the way ay.

For m more see nhs.uk k// better-health r Rupa R p Joshi, J hi a GP and Managing Partner at Woodleey Centre Surgery in Berkshire told Asian V Voi oice, “Better Health is all ab bout physi hysical and mental well-beeing. As doctors and medical proffessi esssionals, we look at it objectivelyy. We can measure some of these parameters but a lot of it is about how h people feel feel in

D

How to ha H av ve be better health and d get actiiv ve? Dr Joshi sa ay ys: 1 “Aim 1.

“A Aim ffor or 5 or more mor portions o vegetables a day. But if you of

In the the h A Assia an commu m nitty y, our ur d diiet cons nsists of of a variiety e o off ssp pices ices whicch arre e antiantiinfl fla ammatto ory ry.

can get it up to 8, that’s even n better. Also, havve food food with fibr fibre.

Use Olive oil to cook and haave v a rainbow diet as each ffood ood grroup has diff ffer erent nutrients that your y body needs.

2. Carbs like lik potatoes, br bread, d rice or pasta should make up p no more than a third of your meal.

Go ffor or w wholegrain varieties, such as wholewheat pasta and nd brown rice. Or try swappingg your potatoes ffor or sweet potatoes. atoes.

Wholegrain has extra fibre which w is really good for for us. It I helpss our gut microbiome and bowels. s.

Alwaays ys include incl some protein n– like beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat or other types.

3. Drink plenty of fluids (6 to

Dr Rupa R Joshi

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8 cups c of fluid a daayy) and avvoid suggary drrinks.

4. Set a reminder (you could usse the alaarm or timer on yyour p phone)) to gget up p and move every 30 mins during the daay. Tr Try stretching during TV ad brreaks orr pacing around the kitchen whilee the keettle’s boiling. May be do some squ uats.

Moving about is very importan nt, but it also has to be achievable. Tr Try settting yo ourself a goal. There are so many am mazing online classes like the onliine gaarba-zumba class or yoga- choose wh hatever suits you.

5. Tr Try and get out every day in the t op pen air at least once. It helps yourr m mental l well-being. ll b The h target is 150 0 m minutes of moderate exercise everyy weeek. Getting some music on and going g for o a walk or jumping on a bike bik and d go oing ffor or a ride are ar both great waays yss to m move. n do When you are younger you can m more of cardio-vascular exercises, b but older age groups should focus focus more more on strrength and balance exercises to k keep th he muscles intact and strong. Breaathing exxercises and being in the greeneryy will caalm down your nerves. nerves For children, reduce their screeen tim me and try and get them moving ffor or at Trry and d cut leaast 60 minutes every day. T do own on their sugary treats as welll and sp pend quality time with them.”

o help and support to lose weight For and get activve go to https://www.nhs.uk k// better--health

Wha att y yo ou ea att has a direct eff effect ect on y yo our he heal e th t Azmina Govindji RD MBDA, a registered dietitian, consultant nutritioniist, bestselling author and global o speaker, worked in a clinical setting within the NHS HS and then spent eight yearrs as Chief Dietitian and Head of Diet Infformati ormation Serrvices to Diabetes. She set up A Azmina Nutrition as a freelance nce consultancy over 20 years ago and just published ed her 20th book ‘Vegan Vegan Savvy: v The Expert’s Guide to Nutriti u on on a Plant-based Diet’.

Speaking to Asian n Voice, Azmina said, “Food Voi is an integral part of South Asian culture and ther ere’s hould no reason why we sh deny ourselves our faavourite v ffoods oods to be health hyy.

Indeed, traditional So outh Asian cuisine can be very nutritious – we just n need to be mindful of our coo oking methods and portion n sizes. o keep “Here are 3 things to in mind when buildiing your nutrition strategy: • Consider wh hyy you want to be healthier – ffor or exa examp ample, to reduce risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease or Coviid-19, or perhaps h tto ffeel eell more confiden fid t, t or to be able to run aaround with the children.

• Agree with yourr nearest and dearest the realisti stic things you can do together tto improve your liffesty estyle. Research c shows

Azmina Govind dji

that we do better iif we have v the support of people around us.

• Resolve to mak m e gradually changes and slowly build up from there.

“T Tak ake your weeight seriously.

Most people gain weight gradually over a long o period of time and modern liffee doesn’t alwayys make it easy sy, but this extra weight causees pressure to build up around vital organs, making it harder ffor or the body to fight against diseases seases like cancer, heart disease ase and Covid-19.”

5 top tips by A Azmina to ea at heallthi thier and affo aff ordable meals

Food iiss a an n inte tegrra all pa arrt of S So outth Asia Asia an cu ultu ture re and and therre’s ’s no rre easson why w we e sho should ld den ny ou oursse elves ourr ffa avo v urriite foods to be hea ealtthy hy y.

Life after Couch to 5K 53-year-old Shilpa Panchmaatia, is a business growth coach and serial entrepreneur witth a busy life in London. Constaantly being on calls and sitting att a desk all day long during lockdown she wanted to do o something constructive to feel e better.

Shilpa decided to use th he NHS Couch to 5K app to geet fitter. “I was jjust feed up p with h not feeeling a 100% fit and health hy.

I wanted to go back to havin v ng more energy and fitting into o nice clothes and feeeling goo od,” she told Asian Voi o ce.

“My friends had used it and then I saw it in a magazine. I instantly loved it because I llike to set goals and achieve theem. It gives me something to aim and strive for o . I also like a structtured plan and an organised way of d i things. doing hi So, S I piick ked d up p this app and it’s very simple and easy to follow.

“I exercise daily and enjoy it. I also eat healthily most da d ys y as it makes me feeel good. I ha h ve v a daily yoga session and alwa w ys y go fo or a walk, sometimes tw wice a day.”

Shilpa feeels a morning routine is key fo or her as it helps h her to reduce anxiety and focus o better.

“I make sure I havve a daaily natter with friends, often when I am on my walk. It helps m me to feeel connected and get a proper o perspective if I am feeeling low o .

I also try to havve a good lau ugh whenever I can. It changes my mood immediately,” she saiid.

1. Use up leftovers, saffel ely.

It’s easy e to revitalise the leftovers overs from fr yesterday’s meaal by adding one or two new ingredients.

Try throwing in a can of sweeetcorn and some fresh coriiander and lemon. If you ha h ve v a leftover l f curry but no rice, you could try stuffing ffing the curry curr into who olemeal pitta bread with h shredded salad ffor or an alternative al light lunch.

Rem member to reheat meat dish hes till piping hot, reheat eat only onl once and eat with hin two daays ys of first cook king.

22. Y You ou’ll o ou ll benefit the waisstline and the wallet if yo ou spend just a little morre time looking at food d labels. C Compare porttion sizes and number of porti ortions per packet.

And d do compare diff ffer erent bran nds as you can often get similar ffoods oods at a cheaaper price when you buy supermarket own bran nds. Remember: Low fat doesn’t d mean lowcalo orie.

3. Don’t get sucked into mullti-packs or “buy one get one free fr ” off ffers. ers. IIt’s easyy to be lured l by such adveertising and to buy foods ds that wer weren’t on yourr shopping list. Big B packs ks of ffood ood can often meaan you eat more, b ause it’ because it’s ’ simply l hard h d to put the rest awa w y. If you buy multi-packs, get into the habit h of only keeping a ffew ew w packs accessible accessib and storing the rest r out of sigh ight.

4. Don’t D waste fruit that is going oing a bit soft in the fruitt bowl bow - puree squidgy banaanas into smoothies or frreeze them - simply blitzz in a bl b ender ffor or instan ant banana ice cream.

Poach ch or bake bak other fruit such h as apples, pears and plums ms in fruit juice jui and servve with natural yogurt and a ffew ew chopped nuts. n 5. Get et in into the habit of addiing vegetables to all your dishes. Tak Take advaantage of the freezer, espeecially if you’ve cook ked more than you intended. Dal dishes freeze particularly well.

Shilpa Panchmatia

https:// s:///azminanutrition.com/ azminan https:// s:///azminanutrition.com/ azminan project/vegan-saavvy vvyy/

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KHICHADI Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG Kapil’s

BJP Solidifies holds on Gujarat SEMINAR FOR OUR LETTER WRITERS Dear Readers, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar are planning to organise a virtual letter writers’ seminar on Friday 26 March 2021 from 3-4pm BST (8:30-9:30pm IST/1011am EST).

Many would recall, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar in the past have organised a greet and meet event annually for the regular letter writers Some of them even went on to compile and print these letters as a book or collection. Our esteemed letter writers such as Nagindas Khajuria and Arun Vaidyanathan are no more, but we remember them and their writings very fondly.

On this occasion, we would also be felicitating some of our renowned letter writers- thanking them for regularly contributing and inspiring us.

If you wish to attend the event, please register with Shrijit at shrijit.rajan@abplgroup.com by 24 March 2021.

Asian Voice team

Need for long-term emergency funding deal for TfL this month Later this month, Transport for London are facing the prospect of running out of money yet again. Let’s be clear that this is down to two reasons.

The first is that last spring, the pandemic caused fares revenues across the TfL’s network to plummet by 90%.

Consecutive lockdowns have meant that passenger numbers have failed to properly recover ever since.

After the Government took the irresponsible decision to stop providing TfL with a £700m a year operating grant in 2018, it was left to rely on fares income as its main source of income. This is why, alongside TfL and the Mayor, I have been calling for a long-term sustainable funding package from the Government.

This brings us to the second reason that TfL are facing an imminent financial cliff edge. Whilst Ministers immediately gave the private rail companies a comprehensive bailout back in March 2020, they have only given TfL two short-term, sticking plaster deals with a number of strings attached. Both of these deals went dangerously close to the wire. This can’t be allowed to happen again later this month and the Government must provide TfL with the sustainable package it urgently needs.

The alternative is cuts to local transport services and key infrastructure projects, which are vital for creating job opportunities for our community.

Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

My trip to London 50 years back I was reading Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar online edition March 6, 2021 here in Canada and upon seeing date March 6 inadvertently I went into my memory lane. 50 years back I stopped over in London on this date for two days on my way to America as a student. I took loan from an Indian bank for college fees and other expenses. First time I had stepped in any western country and first time I saw snow.

When I landed it was night and I had no UK currency to make a phone call to my wife’s uncle who used to live in London. But upon seeing my situation, one Gujarati gentleman made a call for me and in few hours my wife’s cousin came to pick me up. It was cold and I had no overcoat and only the suit I was wearing. After dinner I went to bed shivering with cold but due to time difference slept for few hours.

I stayed in the house of Chaturbhai Patel of Tarapur, who lived at Streatham Road in London. Next morning after having breakfast his son Bipinbhai took two days leave from work and took me for city tour by bus, He shopped for me including buying warm overcoat. At night, my wife’s another cousin Bhaskar Patel came in his car and showed me how London looks during night and I was speechless. One relative Late Vinulal Patel took me to pub to get me acquainted with western lifestyle. I was impressed by the hospitality given to me and momentarily I forgot how home sickness I was for leaving my wife Bhavna and one-year-old daughter Alpa, my mother and brother back at home in Vallabh Vidyanagar, India. When I decided to go to America most of the people discouraged me saying I had a good job in the accounting department as a senior account’s assistance at Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar. We had a bungalow built by my late father’s money that he earned in East Africa.

On 8 March 1971, I still vividly remember the news of the ‘Fight of the Century’ between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden New York City. It was not only a battle of the biggest prize in sport, but it also tore the nation apart over civil rights and the war in Vietnam.Joe Frazier won in the 15-round battle.

I wish all readers of Asian Voice, a happy and holy Maha Shiv Ratri and also Happy Mother’s Day to all caring, loving, incredible mothers living or dead.

Suresh Patel Markham

Gujarat is always in the forefront when it comes to fight for independence, liberate India from the clutches of British Raj, giving India prominent personalities to save the nation.

Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Mahadev Desai, Maniben Patel and many more who were pillars of “Quit India Movement.”

That does not mean prominent personalities from other parts of India did not participate in this vast and extensive movement to force British to quit India by civil disobedience.

Who can forget names like Subash Chandra Bose, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Abdul Kalam Azad, Bhagat Singh, Rabindranath Tagore and thousands more who sacrificed their lives to liberate India?

Unfortunately, Indian Congress Party who took the reign when British left, failed these heroes, these freedom fighters and established “Dynastic Rule”; power passing from father to daughter, sons and grandsons, with corruptions penetrating every aspect of the country.

Bharat was not liberated in true sense until BJP came to power, first in Gujarat and then at the Centre, with such devoted, incorruptible leaders like Atalji Bihari Vajpayee, Lalkishan Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Murli Manohar Joshi and above all Narendra Modi who changed the face of Gujarat in two terms he served as CM of Gujarat, making Gujarat leading State, in industrial and agricultural sector, with industrialists like Tata, Premji and Ambani eager to establish car production in cooperation with famous German, Japanese and French brands.

I was not surprised reading in “Gujarat Samachar” how BJP triumphed in local elections, capturing cities after cities, making Congress redundant in Ahmedabad, Baroda, Rajkot and many more cities, breaking their own record at a time ruling parties every-where suffers badly due to Covid 19. One tag BJP should lose is that it is Hindu party, a political branch of RSS. Looking at the list of candidates, there are hardly any candidates from ethnic minorities, especially from fringe Muslim communities like Daudi Bhoras, Ismalis, Ahmedias and Sufis who are mostly loyal to India, remained in India after partition. Of course, BJP can only select them if they are members, so first priority is to encourage them to join BJP! Bhupendra M. Gandhi London

Book by Dr S Jaishankar Article from a book written by Dr. S Jaishankar “The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World” (AV, 6-12 March 2021) throws light on some of the myths about the developed world and the reality came on the surface while tackling Covid-19.

India has set an example and proved to the world about its capacity in quickly developing and supplying vaccines not only within the country but also to other neighbouring countries and as far as Brazil and Morocco. All the logistical challenges were resolved by a group of determined and likeminded people. The world was given one more reason to trust and believe India as a long-term dependable business partner. India has also taken climate change, harnessing its full potential on solar energy and meeting renewable energy targets seriously.

It has been rightly mentioned in the article that a major takeaway from Covid-19 experiences is the power of the digital domain and high-tech applications like contact tracing.

The concept of “work from home” will expand to “work from anywhere”. “Study from home” has expanded many avenues for people who are developing new applications / interactive software programme for students across the world. Only minor changes, to suit local needs, are to be done to make them more relevant.

I think, It is an opportunity in disguise for India to expand its grip on information technology and in the field of education. Programmes of mass education can be taken by easy to understand and interactive applications. This will be really beneficial to the wider population living in rural India. Government and NGOs should support schools that are willing to go the extra mile in educating those who cannot afford or who cannot go to the schools for other reasons.

Hitesh Hingu London

Time to be cautious The deadly virus, novel Coronavirus has created menace all over the world. But people are not taking the pandemic seriously and are assembling in large numbers in markets and other places for shopping without taking necessary precautions.

Being a concerned citizen, I would like to request the government to impose heavy fines on those people who do not wear masks and who do not maintain social distancing at public places so that people can fully understand the unintended consequences of the Coronavirus.

Jubel D'Cruz Mumbai

Religious Bigotry at Oxford University?

Kapil Dudakia It was a day when Indians would mark as history making.

Yes, it was a great day for Rashmi Samant, a young aspiring woman from Manipal, a town near Udupi, Karnataka who became the first Indian to be President Elect of Oxford University Students Union. To be elected by your peers at one of the most prestigious universities in the world is indeed a monumental achievement.

However, I have come to a conclusion that Oxford University has become anti-India and even anti-Hindu. So what is it that makes me believe that there is something going wrong at this University?

Well in April 2015, the British Board of Hindu Scholars had organised an event called ‘Contrarian’. As the name suggests, it was to look at world issues, but with a unique perspective to challenge contemporary thinking. i.e. The very essence of University education. Keynote international speakers included the world-famous Indian parliamentarian Dr Subramanium Swamy, and the renowned Hindu author Shri Rajiv Malhotra. Days before the event was due to take place, the anti-India forces came together and demanded the event be cancelled. They made wild allegations against Dr Swamy and the organisers. The hysteria created was supported by some academics and collectively they succeeded in getting it cancelled. So much for freedom of speech!

I have spoken to some Indian students from Oxford University. They informed me that they know their University, and some academics, are very much anti-India and anti-Hindu. Whilst I had suspected this, I have to say, I was shocked. I asked them why they have not fought back.

The answer was just as interesting. These students are terrified that if they speak out, their professors will mark them down or even fail them. Given the huge amount of money their parents spend, they succumbed to the harassment and live in a climate of fear.

So today, I speak for the Rashmi’s at Oxford University who are unable to voice their concerns.

Now we come to a chap called Abhijit Sarkar, who describes himself on the Oxford University website as a ‘British Academy Postdoctoral Researcher’. Basically, he’s part of the University. This chap made an unprecedented attack on Rashmi Samant via Social Media. In my view it amounted to harassment, bullying and incitement to religious hatred. He, along with a number of other organisations, sustained their attack on Rashmi with such ferocity, that in the end she decided to protect her health, it was better to resign. I am amazed Oxford University has someone like Abhijit Sarkar who incites hatred on social media so openly. In one outburst, he states: 'Tell Zee News that Oxford students are still not ready for "Sanatani"'. Now just think about it, how would a Muslim take it, if you replaced ‘Sanatani’ with ‘Muslims’? Oxford University would be on its knees begging for mercy. How about if you replaced ‘Sanatani’ with say, ‘Jews’. Believe me, even the ViceChancellor would have no alternative but to resign.

But it’s ‘Sanatani’. So as far as Oxford University is concerned – this Abhijit can disrespect Hindus and they are OK with it. Is Oxford University condoning such racism? Does it support religious hatred by its people? And what are the Police doing? This after all breaks the Equalities Act of 2010.

I suggest the people in power at Oxford University also read Alpesh Patel’s column of last week. He makes some telling observations.

So, in the week when the world celebrated Women’s Day – how ironic that our leading educational institution is embroiled in the destruction of a young woman of colour.

Big-hearted people In an inspiring twist to the mundane world conflicts, the UK and the international community have just been held spellbound by the big-hearted acts of Captain Tom Moore who has just passed away after stealing the hearts of many. A World War era British Army Officer, Moore had gone on the fundraising spree for a British charity in the times of Covid pandemic.

His positive gestures amid the pandemic-hit region, vibrant attitude to the difficult situations and positive thoughts to tomorrow, all in his age-old days, had inspired many. Such people are real gifts to the world, affected by so many problems.

They have been spreading a ray of hope through their great gestures. These have been the real big-hearted and hard-working people who have been building and literally feeding this world through their activities in their fields like education, engineering, healthcare, hospitality and agriculture. There has been such people in my native areas like Tuticorin, Korkai, Tiruchendur, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, inspiring others through their incredible and generous actions.

P Senthil Saravana Durai Mumbai

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12 MEDIA WATCH

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SCRUTATOR’S Life is too short, says 101-year-old after jab Debunking all myths about the risks associated with the Covid-19 vaccine, super senior Delhiites led the way as the inoculation drive saw the participation of octogenarians, nonagenarians and a centenarian too. “The vaccine brings hope of normal life being restored,” smiled Vedpal Sareen, 94. Though wheelchair bound, he arrived at Max Hospital in Saket with his son. The Sareens, however, complained about the lag on the Co-Win portal, with Sanjeev saying, “This is mismanagement.

There wouldn’t be the need for queues if the centres had to simply collect the data and feed it into the system later.” Meanwhile, the directorate of family and welfare took to social media to announce that 101-year-old Harbansh Lal Mehra had received the jab. Mehra advised other elderly citizens to receive the shots. “There has been no medical problem so far. Go ahead, take the vaccine. Life is very short,” said the centenarian. In east Delhi, Saraswati Manchandana, 85, who was accompanied by her caretaker, was inoculated.

“I had a backache while waiting for my turn. The waiting time should be reduced for octogenarians,” she said. (Agency) 'Dead man' comes alive moments before autopsy A man, who was severely injured in a motorcycle crash, was found moving on an autopsy table just before doctors prepared to open him up, a health official said. The 27-yearold from Karnataka's Mahalingapur town was brought to a private hospital in a critical condition, where doctors declared him dead and took him off a ventilator. His family then moved him to a nearby government hospital where he was to undergo a post-mortem examination. Relatives told local media that a pathologist saw the body move as it lay on the autopsy table. A government health officer confirmed the incident and said that the injured man was then immediately admitted to another hospital, where his condition was improving. The official said doctors at the private hospital had exercised "bad judgment" when they removed him from the ventilator and presumed him dead. (Agency) Bail denied to ‘cruel’ man

100 gravel pieces removed from boy’s eyes Nearly 100 minute pieces of stones and gravel along with some chemical had pierced into the eyes of Mahendra Chaudhary, a class VII student, in an accident. His parents were heartbroken when local doctors told them that removing the particles were next to possible.

But three months later Mahendra regained vision after some Ahmedabad-based doctors performed a four-hour 3D surgery on his eyes. Bhurabhai, a marginal farmer in Banaskantha, said that his son and his friends were playing outside the house when some digging equipment accidentally went off resulting in the blast. The doctors said that they had to operate both the eyes simultaneously and some 100 microscopic particles of stone and gravel were removed from from the eyes. Doctors also found haemorrhage in one eye, forcing them to remove the natural gel that fills the eye cavity using vitrectomy. “We prepared a specialized paediatric anesthesia workstation which automatically controls the amount of anaesthesia as it is risky to keep the patient sedated in such surgeries for long hours due to risks,” a doctor said. (The Times of India) Official wants parking space for horse

In what appeared to be a course correction from its “will you marry her” question that drew flak from women activists, a Supreme Court bench headed

by CJI S A Bobde denied anticipatory bail to a husband accused of dowry harassment, observing that “cruel men" don't deserve relief. The comment was significant as though the husband appeared to have a good case for relief, the SC decided to go purely by the woman’s allegations. The husband claimed the accusations were a response to his police complaint about nude photographs of his wife being shared by another man.

This happened when the couple was estranged, he said. The husband's counsel said the wife had shared her nude photos with the other man during the period of estrangement in her own marriage and that the allegations of dowry harassment, when not a single penny was taken or demanded as dowry, were onesided. (Agency)

A Maharashtra government official from Nanded urged the district collector to allow him to tie a horse he wants to ride daily to reach his office on the campus of the collectorate, saying he cannot use a two wheeler owing to problem in his spine. The request was made by Satish Deshmukh who works as assistant auditor in the employment guarantee scheme department in Nanded district collector’s office. After receiving the application, Nanded resident deputy collector Pradeep Kulkarni sought a medical opinion. As per the written reply by doctors, the spine problem could aggravate in such case if a

person rides a horse. Deshmukh in his letter had said that he wanted to purchase a horse as he cannot use his two-wheeler owing to some issue in his spine.

Later, Deshmukh withdrew his letter and tendered a written apology for raising the demand without giving any reason.

(Agency) Rare sighting of Himalayan Serow

A Himalayan serow, a threatened species, has been sighted and photographed in Assam’s Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve. “This is the first recorded human sighting of the Himalayan serow - a medium-sized mammal - in the low altitude plains of Manas National Park. The Himalayan serow has reportedly been seen on a few occasions at Bhairabkunda on the AssamArunachal border. Chandra Sarmah, a nature lover, said it is a high altitude dweller which is usually found 2,000-4,000 metre above the sea level. However, Dipankar Lahkar, a wildlife biologist said that Serows have always been there at the Manas National Park and the Royal Manas National Park of Bhutan.

Echoing Lahkar, a forest official also said that the sighting for the first time does not mean the animal never existed in the forests before. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Himalayan serows have experienced significant decline in population, size and habitat in the last decade owing to intensive human impact.

Previously assessed as a ‘near threatened’, it has now been categorised as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (Agency) 67 cops to guard Dalit’s marriage One deputy SP, five subinspectors, one inspector and 60

constables will be deployed to ensure peace during the marriage of a dalit college lecturer in a village in Sabarkantha district.

Deputy SP Dinesh Chauhan said that following a spate of attacks on Dalit marriage processions in the last one year in north Gujarat, lecturer Naresh Vankar has sought police protection to ensure that the most important day of his life passes off peacefully. “There is no such tension in the village and it has never had any history of caste violence,” Chauhan said. Vankar, a resident of Bhajpura village, said, “My marriage procession will go all around the village including the main market. I requested police protection and it has been given.” Bhajpura has a population of about 800 and there are 30 households of Dalits in the village. Village sarpanch Kalpesh Patel, however, expressed surprise at Vankar’s demand. “It’s a simple marriage procession.

There is no objection in the village.” However, Patel added that it would be better if the procession is carried out between 3 pm and 6 pm considering the rush of people going to fetch milk at the nearby dairy plant.

Earlier, upper caste members have taken serious objection to Dalit grooms riding a horse in their wedding processions, leading to clashes in some villages of Sabarkantha. (The Times of India) Thirsty girl enters house, ‘raped’, killed & buried After working on a farm in UP’s Bulanshahr with her mother and sister all day, the 14-year-old girl was exhausted. She wanted water. She knew that a family lived nearby. After she entered the house, the girl was allegedly raped and strangled by Harendra, a labourer. When she tried to resist she was dumped in a pit.

Her body was found five days later by police. Harendra was arrested from Shimla, where he had fled after committing the crime. When the girl did not come back after two hours, her mother and sister had gone looking for her. Harendra was found lying inebriated on a cot.

No one else was at home. They

couldn’t find out much. Three days passed with no news of the girl. Her father then approached the police to register a missing person case. When the police went to Harendra's house it was found locked. One cop scaled the wall to enter the premises. He landed on loose, soft mud. When they dug just a little deep, they found the girl's body. By this time, Harendra had fled. “We detained his father and put Harendra’s number under surveillance,” the SHO said. “It turned out he was in Shimla.” A police team went to Shimla and he was arrested. The SHO said that during interrogation, he confessed to the murder.

(Agency) Lion cub trapped inside net rescued When wildlife researchers Umesh Khetani and Mehul

Dudia reached Chanch village in Amreli, they were little prepared for the strange sight; a lion cub caught in a net. The duo was called to rescue the cub as it had entangled itself so badly in the fishing net that it would have died. The two had to face an extremely protective lioness, who along with the two cubs, paced close to the entrapped cub.

When the forest department was informed, they were told that it would take two hours for the veterinary team to reach. Finally, Hehul and Khetani decided to do something to rescue the cub.

However, any attempt by the researchers or the foresters to get close to the cub would agitate the lioness. On the advice of the forest trackers, the group decided to obstruct her vision. They parked two motorcycles in such a way that it would obstruct the lioness’s vision. This enabled the men to cut the cub loose from the net and release the cub in the direction that the lioness was sitting. Khetani said, “The rescue was tough and dangerous due to the presence of the lioness and other two cubs in the vicinity.

Had we waited for the officials to come, the cub would have died,” he said. (The Times of India)

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W

e are celebrating International first fully formed Police unit in Liberia at a Women’s Day. Every society difficult juncture. Indian women have creneeds women’s energy to keep ated and lead global brands in the world of moving forward. International Women’s business. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw set up Day provides the opportunity to recognise India’s leading biotech company, Biocon the vital role played by women.

Limited, and is regarded as the richest selfmade woman in India; Shahnaz Hussein In India, women have played an imporpioneered the herbal beauty care movetant role in society through the ages. ment, creating a global brand that presentAncient Indian wisdom and philosophy ed India’s Ayurvedic knowledge to the were enriched by the knowledge of saints world. It would be hard to identify a field like Gargi and Maitreyi. Some of the hymns that has seen no in the oldest representation of Sanskrit text, the women. are Rigveda, Globally, too, attributed to women of Indian Maitreyi. Women origin are trail philosophers blazers. US Vice could debate with President Kamala their male counHarris, Home terparts and often Secretary Priti got the better of Patel and Attorney them. Throughout Suella General and medieval Ruchi Ghanashyam Braverman are modern Indian leading the way in history, women have been a wor- Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former High politics. The voice Dr Swati thy presence in the Commissioner of India to the UK. With a career of p h i l o s o p h i c a l in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has Mohanwas sweet landscape. been posted in many countries including South music to all ears as Over the years, Africa, Ghana, before arriving in the UK. She was N A S A ' s negative practices only the second woman High Commissioner to Perseverance rover like dowry, sati, the UK since India’s independence and during her landed on Mars. and preventing tenure, she witnessed a number of significant Kalpana Chawla, the first woman of widow remarriage developments in the UK-India relations.

Indian origin to go emerged to the to space, lost her life in the quest for scidetriment of women’s position in society. ence; she was one of seven crew members Reformist Raja Ram Mohan Roy camto die in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaspaigned vigorously against the practice of ter in 2003.

Sati (women burning themselves on their With such positive and indelible contrihusband’s funeral pyre), which was outbution, it is painful for society as a whole lawed by the then Governor General of when a violent crime is committed against a India. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Swami woman. Such crimes can only be eliminated Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi by empowering women physically, emoespoused the cause of women’s education tionally and financially. and empowerment. A notable reformist PM Modi started the Beti Bachao Beti was Savitribai Phule, who opened a girls Padhao campaign (save the girl child, eduschool in Pune with her husband. cate the girl child). According to Minister Women’s bravery and administrative Smriti Irani, women received 75% of disburacumen have also been recorded by history. sals under the Mudra loan scheme that proRani Lakshmibai, the Queen of Jhansi, is vides loans of Rs 1 million to small regarded as a national hero for her battle entrepreneurs. These and similar efforts against the British in 1857. The queen of around the globe can contribute to improvKittur in Karnataka, Kittur Chennamma, ing the status of women in society. Much and Begum Hazrat Mahal, co-ruler of more needs to be done for improving Awadh, fought armed battles against the women’s empowerment around the globe.

British. The Begums of Bhopal were A multi-pronged approach is necessary. notable rulers of their times, trained in Law enforcers have to be firm on protecting martial arts. Queen Ahilyabai Holkar was women; strict enforcement of the law and not only a brave warrior but a renowned timely delivery of justice are essential. administrator.

Crimes against women are often the outThroughout modern Indian history, come of deeply ingrained social practices women have dazzled society with their and behaviour. Efforts have to focus as achievements. India has had a woman much on society as law enforcement and Prime Minister as well as a woman justice. Attitude change has to start from President. In independent India, women school itself. Increased visibility of women have excelled in almost every field: in different walks of society would help.

Speakers of the lower House of Parliament, Cross cutting efforts by society as a whole, ministers, chief ministers, governors, men and women, are a must for women to ambassadors, administrators, law enforcers, live with safety and dignity around the scientists and educationists, doctors and world! engineers, and artists. Women are in the Happy International Women’s Day! Army, fly planes and excelled as the world’s

To Women

Labour councillor has whip removed A Labour councillor has reportedly had her suspended from the party but will effectively whip removed by the party after claimsit as an independent councillor while ing to have received a Covid-19 vacan investigation is carried out. The cine from a private doctor outside Medicines and Healthcare products of the NHS. According to The Regulatory Agency, which would Department of Health and Social be responsible for any enforceCare, it would be illegal to adminment action, said it was investigatister vaccines outside of the NHS. ing.

Councillors Susan Brown and Jamila Azad, who has been Liz Brighouse, the leaders of the elected to both Oxfordshire County Jamila Azad Labour groups at Oxford City Council Council and Oxford City Council, and Oxfordshire County Council, issued has now removed the post from her a joint statement in relation to the post.

Facebook page. According to her initial It noted, "Following a recent post on her Facebook post Ms Azad and another woman Facebook account about her Covid-19 vacciappeared to have been receiving injections nation, Councillor Jamila Azad has been susfrom a man in medical scrubs and PPE, pended by the whips of both the Oxfordshire according to the Local Democracy Reporting County Council and Oxford City Council Service (LDRS).

Labour groups, pending further investigation.

The comment noted it was a "Private Care Councillor Azad has now been removed from Doctor for Covid-19 vaccine. A long wait for the post in question. We will be making no NHS waiting list." It is unclear where Ms Azad further comment on this matter until formal may have received the vaccine. In the meaninvestigations into it have been completed." time, Labour has said that she has not been

Jobs is a top priority for Sadiq Khan in London reelection campaign On Wednesday 4th March as Sadiq Khan kick-started his reelection campaign, he announced that jobs will be his top priority if he was re-elected as Mayor of London. Calling for 1945-style programme to rebuild London’s economy he pledged to maximise City Hall expenditure to support London's recovery with the aim of helping over 300,000 Londoners who lost their jobs Sadiq Khan during the pandemic.

In his statement, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, “We have had a dreadful year, but there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel for Londoners. We owe it to everyone who has lost their lives, to the key workers who have done so much to keep us safe, and to all those who have suffered to ensure we build an even better London after the pandemic.

“It is clear from the Government’s budget that the Tories don’t have the ambition or the vision needed to do that.”

Recalling the achievements of the 1945 Labour government, Sadiq further promised that a ‘top priority’ for his second term will be protecting Londoners' jobs and helping to create new jobs to replace the more than 300,000 lost in London. The Mayor has also pledged to continue his relentless focus on tackling crime, building council homes and cleaning up the city's air.

As an example of his commitment for further engagement with small business heavily impacted by the pandemic, the

Mayor visited Hot Milk, a local business in Bounds Green. The café has been supported by a £5000 Back to Business grant from City Hall, and raised over £12,500 through Sadiq’s Pay It Forward London initiative.

"In 1945, a Labour Government rebuilt Britain from the ashes of war. I am hopeful that with the right support from the Government, working with London’s businesses, we can help get the 300,000 Londoners who have lost their jobs during the pandemic back into work quickly.”

Citing the elections on 6th May as “a two-horse race” between him and the Conservative candidate, Shaun Bailey, the Mayor believes Londoners have to choose between someone who will stand up for London and the Conservative candidate who won’t stand up for London in the face of the most anti-London government in living memory.

He has also urged ministers to help him deliver a post-war style recovery package of investment in London and requested the Chancellor to replace the furlough scheme when it comes to an end with a new jobs guarantee linked to in-work training and apprenticeships. He has previously stated his proposal of getting central London’s economy back on track with £5m of investment dedicated to attracting Londoners and domestic tourists back into the West End.

14 WOMEN'S PAGE

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Kia Abdullah wants to see more women of colour in crime fiction

Shefali Saxena Kia Abdullah is a novelist and travel writer from London.

She has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Times, and is the author of Take It Back, named a thriller of the year by The Guardian and The Telegraph. Kia frequently contributes to the BBC commenting on a variety of issues affecting the British-Asian community and is the founder of Asian Booklist, a site that helps readers discover new books by British-Asian authors. Kia’s book Truth Be Told is a powerfully explosive novel which sees the return of Zara Kaleel and her most hard-hitting and controversial case to date: an allegation of on-campus male rape.

Truth Be Told was published in paperback on March 4 by Harper Collins Publishers.

In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, she spoke about her writing process, women writers and more.

What is the kind of preparation that goes into writing crime fiction?

Crime fiction works best when there is a central question posed to the reader. It can be the traditional ‘whodunit?’ or, like in my novels, ‘who is telling the truth?’ In Take It Back, for example, a 16-year old girl accuses four classmates of rape and the novel asks the reader to sit in on the jury. The follow-up, Truth Be Told, poses a similar question. Good crime fiction also requires extensive research. I spent a week at the Old Bailey and a few days at Inner London Crown Court; I have a barrister, two solicitors and a police officer who consult on my novels; I’ve spoken to pathologists, forensic medical examiners and rape counsellors among many other experts. I believe that you should research as thoroughly as possible, but then pull it back to about 70% for the sake of the narrative.

Sometimes, you have to take

creative license to keep the story moving.

What are your go to books/TV shows/films in the same genre?

My favourite crime novel of all time is The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson. Sometimes, crime fiction is seen as formulaic and not as worthy as its literary equivalent, but writers like Thompson show the extraordinary skill that can be found in the genre. In terms of courtroom thrillers, The Client by John Grisham is a favourite. The recent film The Trial of the Chicago 7 is also a brilliant courtroom drama.

Is there a definitive syntax or pattern that you intentionally follow while choosing the titles of your books?

My editor deserves the credit for that! I’ve always come up with very wordy or abstract titles, but when it comes to crime fiction, simple works best. As an author, sometimes you can feel apprehensive about formulaic covers and titles, but these are the things

that sell books. I love hearing readers say “this novel was so much more than I expected” because they recognise the level of craft and research that has gone into it. The tricky thing is getting them to choose the book in the first place, which is where the simple cover helps.

What do you think is the future of women writers, especially in the genre you specialise in?

I think women will continue to excel in the genre. We have incredible storytellers like Denise Mina, Gillian Flynn and Attica Locke working in the genre which is heartening. I’d love to see more women of colour in crime fiction, especially in the UK. There are very few Asian or black female crime novelists here and I want that to change. I hope I can play a part in changing the old guard.

in brief THE SAMRUDDHA BHARAT FOUNDATION TO LAUNCH ITS SIXTH VOLUME The Samruddha Bharat Foundation (SBF) is all set to launch its sixth volume titled "Her Right to Equality: From Promise to Power", edited

by Dr. Nisha Agrawal, the former CEO of Oxfam India and SBF's Advisor. Ms. Supriya Sule (MP) will be launching the volume. Besides her, Prof.

Ashwini Deshpande, Ms. Tara Krishnaswamy, Dr. Archana Garodia Gupta, Ms. Amita Pitra and Dr. Sumitra Mishra who have contributed to the volume, will participate in a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Nisha Agarwal. The launch is scheduled for March 18, 2021 at the Multipurpose Hall, India International Centre between 05:30-07:30 pm. Her Right to Equality is the sixth book amongst the “Rethinking India” series, a set of fourteen volumes that reimagine current socio-economic and political paradigms, and propose innovative ideas to further India’s promise. The series includes contributions from over 140 of India's foremost academics, activists and policymakers across party lines.

Lord Popat: Post Covid-19 we must build a new world that is equal for both men and women On March 5, ahead of International Women’s Day, over 3000 participants logged in from the US, Canada, Africa, India, Singapore and Australia and the UK to be a part of International Women’s Day Speaker Showcase, hosted by Lord and Lady Popat, in association with Rupa Popat and Rupal Sachdev Kantaria. The theme was this year was Choose To Challenge, where 12 speakers from various countries spoke for five minutes each in order to share their sentiments on this day. The event was moderated by Cllr Ameet Jogia.

In his opening remarks, Lord Popat said, “The world has changed remarkably since last year’s debate. Ironically, it has been a year that has kept people apart. But in many ways, it has brought us closer together. Now more than ever, we have a responsibility to hear and amplify these stories. Post Covid-19 we must build a new world, a world that is equal for both men and women.”

Rupal Sachdev Kantaria, Partner Oliver Wyman, was of the opinion that we are certainly making progress. However, she also said, “Gender equality is not just about having strong female voices. It’s more than that.

It’s about how women are perceived and how their needs are met in society alongside men.

Women are more likely to lose their jobs than men. Women do at least two and a half times more unpaid work than men.” Calling this pandemic a “once in a generation opportunity”, Rupal said that this is our time to work together to uplift the women in our society.

While British Banker and CEO, NatWest Group Alison Rose said, “We are the architects of a more productive future,” Rico Jacob Chace, LGBTQIA+ and Black Rights Activist, Board Member of TransActual UK and Founder of "Against Racism" spoke about transphobia, homophobia in ancestors and families. Rico said, “We need to move on from the past, true, but we need to know that trans lives matter, and have always mattered.”

Anya Hindmarch CB said, “I refer to these women as the transitional generation.

Transition, however, is never comfortable.

And so often these women exist and endure in the twilight zone. They’re working as hard as their fathers did, whilst also playing an important role as their mother’s roles. These typical gender roles were long in the making, and there’s a typical muscle memory that’s hard to break.” She feels that the work here is far from done, but it’s gathering pace. “The route to racial equality has to follow a similar path to that of gender equality. “Choose to challenge” is a powerful theme. The onus is on everyone,” she added.

LSE Director Baroness Minouche shared her thoughts on IWD and said, “Today, I’d like to argue that women need a new social contract. That’s relevant to the role that they play and could play in the national global economy. The new social contract is based on the assumption that women looked after, the young and the old, for free which is unsustainable. For the first time in history, more women go to university than men all over the world. And until they have children, enter the labour market on the same rate as men. But after they have children, women tend to reduce their hours and suffer a pay gap for the rest of their lives, which forces them to the world of secondary earnings. We need to think about women’s economic roles differently. Which means families need to be reimagined fully. The economic gates of a gender neutral market are potentially huge.”

Keisha Mcleod, a mother who is determined to get Justice for her son narrated the painful story of the murder of her son. She said, “I stand before you today because I’m a woman, facing the worst that a mother can endure. Losing a son at the age of 14. CJ was murdered in broad daylight at 3 pm by a children’s park in 2017. From that moment to this very moment, I’m in disbelief. Disbelief because of all the energy and time I put into raising him until that moment. Disbelief that on that Monday, I’d just spoken to him less than an hour ago. Disbelief because the words that were said to me via FaceTime was “CJ’s been shot”.” Keisha also spoke about this quest with education as he navigated

through ADHD. “To do better, you have to know better. A child with ADHD cannot be punished as the same as an average child.

Each child’s life story deserves to be told so that society can change for the better,” she added. She campaigns for Children with learning disabilities and is also a member of Newham New Safety Board.

13 year old Khloe Thompson said, “I’ve spent the last five years proving to adults that my age doesn’t defy my impact. At the age of 8 I started my journey with Khloe care.

I wanted the women on the streets to have a sturdy bag instead of carrying plastic bags. I also have the ability to change the world by connecting my charity with my passion.”

H.E. Yamina Karitanyi, who is currently the High Commissioner for the Republic of Rwanda to the United Kingdom said that, “Women and men are equal in terms of ability and dignity and they also should be equal in terms of opportunity. 62% of our cabinet is women.”

Anne Elizabeth Boden MBE is a Welsh tech entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Starling Bank, a UK mobile-only bank. Making her point, Anne said, “A 50 something woman in FinTech is an exceptionally rare phenomenon. Nevermind that I had more than three decades of experience. I just wasn’t something that venture capitalists and private investors were used to.

Anyone who didn’t fit into this group, didn’t, well fit in! In the UK only one percent of venture capital funding goes to old female founder teams. There are so many things that need to change. A good start would be to get out of the mindset that there are jobs that men do and jobs that women do. Let’s hear for Professor Sarah Gilbert, who’s the co-creator of the Oxford vaccine,” she concluded.

Jahnavi Harrison eased down the listeners with her chanting and rendition.

Congolese model-turned-activist Noella Coursaris spoke about how she set up the Malaika Foundation to empower young African girls through education.

Storyteller, Podcast Host, Former Monk,

L-R: Lady Popat, Ameet Jogia, Lord Popat, Baroness Minouche, Rupal Sachdev Kantaria, Khloe Thompson, Jahnavi Harrison,Anya Hindmarch CB, Anne Elizabeth Boden MBE, Keisha Mcleod, Noella Coursaris, Rico Jacob Chace, Jay Shetty, H.E. Yamina Karitanyi, Rupa Popat

Jay Shetty shared the names of the three most influential women who have had a huge impact on his life. He thanked his mother for teaching him the value of love, sacrifice and care, while also being the breadwinner of the family. He then mentioned his sister who is four and a half years younger, whom he still calls “kid” for teaching him loyalty, and for planning his proposal and wedding. Jay then thanked his wife for whom he has also dedicated a book, for teaching him spirituality and making him believe that there’s always a way to find good in everything.

Rupa Popat summarised the showcase and said, “From the boardroom to the White House let us acknowledge the progress we’ve made on the global stage,” as she went on to list the achievements made by women in producing the Oxford vaccine, putting Harvey Winstein behind bars in the MeToo movement, winning two Nobel Prizes in Chemistry, not to forget Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget for homeless women and menstrual products. Rupa Popat listed some main talking points that she thinks will help women: Build our education system because according to her, diversity can be a bolt on to the current curriculum, Mentorship, supporting local schools, education led charities abroad, Corporates - diversity and inclusion, tackling workplace abuse for which companies can start by driving transparency. “We need corporates to drive the change from within. It is vital to remove the barriers on entry of female entrepreneurs,” she said.

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The Female Success Club helping women The evolving paradigm entrepreneurs establish work-life balance of motherhood in the On 8th March to coincide with International Women’s Day, a wellness and business coach kick-started the Female Success Club.

Dal Dhaliwal started her business journey in the wellness industry in 1996, as a Personal Trainer, Dance Fitness Instructor and Fitness, Sports Tutor. The mum-of-three wanted to combine her passion for wellness and business and help women globally.

Commenting on the launch, the multi-talented TV and radio presenter said, “Growing up I have rarely seen women from our culture excel in business or in the wellness industry. It was not the norm. However, I was determined to break the traditional stereotypes and to break cultural barriers”.

In 2010, with a passion for wellness and Dal entrepreneurship, decided to launch her first exclusive personal training

studio for women. This established her as one of the first few British Asian women to launch a gym in the UK. In 2013 Dal’s career and life shifted direction in an unexpected, but very positive way.

She said, “It was during this time I was learning about the ‘online space’. I was living and breathing social media marketing, personal branding and learning everything I could about digital. I began to share my wellness and business knowledge online for free. I was very fortunate to be headhunted on social media by a TV producer.

“Thereafter, my media career and public speaking profile was established. I went on to produce and host my own TV and radio shows”. Dal’s popularity and influence built on social media and respected reputation to deliver excellence has established her as a lead-

ing influential figure within the wellness, personal development and business sectors.

During the height of the pandemic in April 2020, Dal decided to create an online platform that would help women working from home. However, her business concept had to be postponed; after her mother was rushed into hospital with heart failure. Dal said ‘It was an extremely worrying time for me and the family. I didn’t know if my mum would survive. We are very blessed that she recovered’.

Almost a year later, than planned, the Female Success Club is now launched with the aim of helping female entrepreneurs build fulfilling lifestyles, overcome their limited beliefs and confidently create the best version of themselves and a life they deserve.

The online membership platform will help women

time of Corona Shefali Saxena

Dal Dhaliwal

improve in all areas of their life; body, mind, performance, relationships, business and so much more.

Dal said, “I understand that being a busy female entrepreneur comes with many challenges; overwhelm, frustration, loneliness. I also understand finding a work-life balance can be challenging for many women. This is why I created the Female Success Club.

It’s a woman’s one-stop shop that offers wellness, business, personal development, relationship coaching and more!”

Government launches campaign for improving women’s health and wellbeing The government has launched a 12 week call for evidence to better understand women’s experiences of health and care system this year to coincide with International Women’s Day. The call for evidence is expected to form the basis of a landmark government-led Women’s Health Strategy and will include the following six core themes: Placing women’s voices at the centre of their health and care, Improving the quality and accessibility of information and education on women’s health, ensuring the health and care system understands and is responsive to women’s health and care needs across the life course, Maximising women’s health in the workplace, ensuring research, evidence and data support improvements in women’s health, Understanding and responding to the impacts of Covid19 on women’s health.

Nadine Dorries, Minister for Women’s Health, said, “Women’s experiences of health care can vary and we want to ensure women are able to access the treatment and services they need. It is crucial women’s voices are at the front and centre of this strategy so we understand their experiences and how to improve their outcomes.

The call for evidence has been designed to be user friendly, quick to fill out and easily accessible from people’s mobiles. People who live with and care for women, organisations with experience of providing services for women and those with an expertise in women’s health are also encouraged to share their views.

Research has shown that

although female life expectancy is higher than men in the UK, women on average spend less of their life in good health compared with men. Female life expectancy in this country has been improving more slowly than male life expectancy since the 1980s.

Very little is known about conditions that only affect women including common gynaecological conditions which can have severe impacts on health and wellbeing, but for which there is currently little treatment. A key example of this is endometriosis with the average time for a woman to

Nadine Dorries

receive a diagnosis being 7-8 years, and with 40% of women needing 10 or more GP appointments before being referred to a specialist.

Although women make up 51% of the population, there is less evidence and data on how conditions affect women differently. A

University of Leeds study showed women with a total blockage of a coronary artery were 59% more likely to be misdiagnosed than men, and found that UK women had more than double the rate of death in the 30 days following heart attack compared with men.

The call for evidence seeks to examine experiences of the whole health and care system, including mental health, addiction services and neurological conditions as well as issues relating specifically to women such as gynaecological conditions, menopause and pregnancy and post-natal support.

Leicester Council of Faith honours Smita Shah On this International Women’s Day, the Leicester Council of Faiths re-iterated its commitment to give women more recognition for the wonderful work they do to benefit themselves, their families, and their communities.

Leicester Council of faiths has recognised one of their long-standing board members Miss Smita Shah as a Honorary Life Member, making her the first woman to hold this title.

Commenting on the appointment, Fayyaz Suleman, the Chair, said, “Women don’t often get the recognition they deserve and all of us have a duty to highlight not only the contribution that women have made in history, but the positive impact that women are making today and will make in the future for the wellbeing of our nation and humanity in

general.

Many women also play an active part in faith communities in Leicestershire and I would like to thank all of them and urge them to Smita Shah continue and inspire others.”

On being appointed, Smita said, “It was the faith placed upon me by the Community Members of Jain Centre Europe that helped me to break the mould almost a decade ago by being elected as the first female president. This was both a proud and poignant moment for me and seems appropriate to recall so close to International Women’s Day. “It is an honour again, a privilege and another first to be bestowed with the honorary life membership for Leicester Council of Faiths (LCOF) an organisation I have worked with for

a long time and hold dear to my heart. To that effect I look forward to supporting and advancing the great faith worth undertaken by the LCOF. “My experience across all sectors will put me in good stead to strengthen the work of LCOF. Similarly, my education that spreads over four continents helps me to understand different communities and share their cultures and different faiths. I look forward to reaching out to Leicester and Leicestershire’s Faith Communities by working with the LCOF Chair and Board members.”

At the peak of the pandemic majority of the NHS fertility staff including anaesthetists and nurses, as well as laboratory testing equipment were turned over to help tackle the virus. Staff in the private fertility sector were furloughed and the industry lost millions of pounds.

Unfortunately, patients with infertility became low priority as compared to those with serious comorbidities. Many of these women had waited for months, and in some cases, years to get an IVF treatment, henceforth, this delay became detrimental to their emotional and mental health.

On the top of that, one cannot forget that the pandemic has been difficult for people who’ve lost their mothers or mothers who have lost their children. Sea of yellow hearts is a concept that many would want to explore this year, especially if they’ve suffered the unfortunate loss of a loved one.

Mothers who were juggling work and kids during the pandemic with homeschooling are almost warriors who deserve a long holiday. On Mother’s Day, while millions of mothers will enjoy the bliss of motherhood, it is also imperative to note that given the current global situation and paradigm shift in cultures, many women and men may in fact not want to have children at all.

In her opinion piece in The New York Times, author Kia Abdullah recently wrote that, "I do not have a maternal instinct. I have never felt a desire to bear and rear children. My choice is not rooted in selfishness as I once thought, nor a fear of losing my figure, or a puerile attachment to a contrarian view. I simply don’t want children."

It's a beautiful thought and very well articulated for the women of 2021. Elaborating on that, Kia Abdullah told Asian Voice, “The motherhood debate often feels adversarial because it concerns such a personal, elemental thing. It alters your very identity so it’s little wonder that the discussion gets a little heated. I would ask that we treat each other with empathy. Women who do not have children can and do lead extraordinarily fulfilling lives, despite society’s efforts to convince us otherwise.

As for what to say to people who pressure you to have children, I find that a dispassionate response works best: “My research shows that there’s very little return on investment.” People don’t often know what to say to that! Sometimes, a parent will pause for a moment, then shrug and say “fair point”, which is always refreshing!”

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13 - 19 March 2021

PRODUCED IN ASSOCIA ATI TION

LOOKING AFTER YOUR MENT TAL AL HEAL LTH IS KEY KE TO YOUR OVERALL OVERALL WELLBEING Good men ntal tal healtth is more im mpo portan ntt now now than ev e err..

Man ny of o us aren’t just worried about catching the virus, we’r e’re worried about the we ellb being of our lov oved ones and our finances. Fa Faced with an unpreceded lockdown own and an loneliness, frustration and a feeling of hopelessness is natural. But it’’ss im mpo portant to remember that it’’ss ok o to feel this way ay and an that everyo one reacts differen ntlly y. Rem R emberr,, for most of us, these feelings will pass. The ere are things you can do now ow tto help you y keep on top off your mental wellb ellbeing.

Rupanjana Dutta Don’t n’t judge y yo ourself ag agai others’ achievements Dr Farzana Hussain is a GP Partner at the Project Surge Newham, East London. Du the 72nd anniversary of the national health service, she one of the 12 frontline work photographed by Rankin ffor o playying a vital role, especial during the pandemic.

Speaking to Asian Voi Voice Dr Hussain said, “It is very important that we talk about our mental health, especially in the Asian community. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Mental health is just another part o your health.

“In the lockdown, ment health has got worse for for som some.

There are ways y to look afte mental wellbeing and take c of yyour whole self. Y You ou can look up Every Mind Matter for practical practi tips and expert advice on mental health an physical wellbeing.

“Walking in the fresh ai every day is helpful for for your y mental health. Getting goo sleep and making sure that you haave ve a support network is

Dr Farzana Hussain

tant. Doing one thing njoy most - whether it or part of your daily also help with your llbeing. cal health can be our mental health d and similarly, our ealth can aff ffect ect our alth too. For example, ng with diabetes can m mental health issues. talk about it as there is embarrassing about.” alking about the uence of social media our lives, lives Dr Hussain added, “Nowadayys, we rely on social media so much.

While it can be helpful in many ayys, we must be aware f misinfformati ormation oo. Don’t judge ourself against others’ achievements.

Remember when you ake up p a hobby, y it ffor or rrelaxation and our own pleasure. You You n’t need to compete h anybody. Also, e of the content and mation in the media overwhelming.

Feel free to take a break or disconnect from it all.”

Good sleep is very important for your mental wellbeing

Top 5 tips from Dr Hussain for your mental wellbeing: 1. Acknowledge and accept that there has been a lot of anxiety and sadness around us. If you are ffeeling eeling a bit down, that’s that’ ok. While being in lockdown, in the current circumstances, it is normal to ffeel eel this waayy.

2. Tr Try to think positive. We now havve a vaccine, so look for forward and make plans for for something that you will do in the next few months. mon 3. Eating well and sleeping well are equally important. Haave ve a balanced diet of fruit and

vegetables. Sleeping enough ugh is instrumental to your men ntal wellbeing.

4. Find a support network. Stay in touch with real peoplee- your friends and family or join na virtual group.

5. Havve some time ffor or yourself and to explore your spirituality. If you don’t practice any faith, maybe y you could meditate and reflect on things. Let your body and mind relax.

For more tips and ad dvvice visit ever ymindmatters.co.uk.

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WITH UK GO OVERNMENT VERNMENT Here are some w wa ays of lookin ng g after yo your men ntal wellbein ng g

ngs Plan prra actical thin gs

Ligh igh htin tin ng g up women’s men n’’s liv liiv ves es Located in T Tameside, ameside, Dipak Dristi (Light of Vision) is a charity for women who who are 55+, w wher here majority have v lost their partners.

They understand the importance of mental health especially with the lockdown measures in place and the ffear ear of coronavirus. v Some of the members haave ve no family around them and are battling loneliness, Covid-19 related anxiety, low mood and sleeplessness.

Champaben Mistry, Chairman n and trustee of Dipak Dristi told Asian Voi Voice, “In normal times, we take our members out to meet each other, socialise, engage in creative activities, take part in fitness classes and attend dementia or cancer aawar wareness programmes. The dedicated team of volunteers often translate the infformati ormation provided at these programmes into languages that members are familiar with. We sometimes accompany them to their doctors’ appointments too.

“But when the pandemic started, we lost some of our members to the disease which frightened others. In order to saffeguar eguard their mental health, we followed some basic tips provided fo by proffessi essionals, including nutritionists and psychologists.

“The volunteers k keep eep in touch with the members who haave ve no smartphones to ensure that they are not lonely and suff ffering ering from anxiety. Confined within ffour our walls on their own and being

If you are unable to get to the shops, work out how you can get any household supplies you need. You You could try tr asking neighbours or family friends or find a delivery service.

Continue accessing treatment and support ffor or any an existing physical or mental health p problems where possible. Let servicess know you are staaying ying at home and discuss how to continue receeiving support. If you need regular medicine, you might be able to order repeat prescrip ptions by phone, or online via a website or app. Contact yourr GP and ask if they off ffer er this. Y You ou can also ask your pharmacy acy about getting your medicin ne delivered or ask someone else to co collect it ffor or you. y

Sta ay y connected c d with others Champaben Mistry

unable to see their families is daunting. We help them with shopping, talk to them regularly, sort out their doctors’ or banks appointments.

“We also make kits for for activities such as arts and crafts, embroidery and knitting to keep keep them engaged. Sometimes we speak to their families and off ffer er support when needed.

“We emphasise that ph hysi ysical activity in open air is important ffor or mental health. So, we ad dvise vise our members to go out in the garden or walk around the block ffor or at least ffew ew minutes every daayy. We advise them to reach out to their GP if they need to. We also ask them to pick up a new hobby like gardening. When the lockdown started, we delivered some chilli and tomato saplings to the members to care ffor or. We also encouraged them to speak to each other if they need any help.”

Maintaining healthy relationships with peeople you trust is important for forr yyour mental wellbeing.

Think about wayys to stay in touch with friends and nd famil family – by phone, messaging, ng, video calls or social media.

Ta alk about you ur worries It is normal to feel feel w worri orried or scared about the curr current situation. Remember: r: it is okay to share your concern ns with others you trust – an nd doing so mayy help them too.

If you cannot speeak to someone you know o or if doing so has not helped, th here are plenty of helplines yo ou can try instead. https://www w.nhs. .nhs.uk k/conditions/ stress-anxiety-depression/men sion/mentalhealtth-helplines/

Look after yourr bod dy y Our physical health h has a big impact on how we ffeel. eeel. At A

times like these, itt can be easy to fall into unheallthy patterns of behaviour that end up making you ffeel eel worse.

Try to eat heallth hyy, wellbalanced meals, drink rink enough water and stay active. acttive. P Physical activity can really help to boost here’s lots of your mood, and ther workouts online that yyou can do from your own n home A Avoid smoking, drugs or drinking too much alcohol.

For more tips and support to look after your body, search NHS Better Health.

Sta ay yo on top of difficult feelin ngs gs Concerns about the coronavvirus outbreak and your health is normal. However, some people may experience intense anxiety that can aff ffect ect their day-to-day liffe. e.

Try to ffocus ocus on the things you can control, such as how you act, who you speak to and where you get infformati ormation from.

It’s fine to acknowledge that some things are outside of your control, but if thoughts about the situation are making you feel anxious anxi or overwhelmed, try some ideas to help manage your anxiety.

For tips and advice to stay on top of difficult feelings, feelings, llook up Every Mind Matters.

Try not to overw verw whelm elm yourself and use only trusted news sources.

You could set yourself y a specific time to read news updates and be mindful of how you are consuming news depending on your mental health. Fact-check infformati ormation from social media or other people.

Check yo your empl ploymen ntt and an benefits rights You maayy be worried worri about work

and money while you must stay at home which can haave ve a big eff ffect on yyour mental health.

If you have not already done so, you might want to talk with your employer. Find out about government support ffor or businesses and self-employed people and understand your sick pay and benefits rights.

Carry on doin C ing g thin things gs yo ou en njo joy If you are feeling feeling worried, worri anxious, lonely or low, you maayy stop doing things you usually enjoy.

Make an eff ffort ort to focus focus on your favvourite hobby if it is something you can still do at home. Or start a new hobby: read, write, do crosswords or jigsaw ws, bake, or try draawing wing and painting. Whatever it is, find something that works for for you.

Take ake tim me e to t relax e This can help with difficult emotions and worries and improve your wellbeing.

Relaxation techniques can also help deal with ffeelings eelings of anxiety.

For relaxation techniques, look up Every Mind Matters.

Get g good ood sleep sl Good-quality sleep makes a big diff fference to how we ffeel, eel, so it’s important to get enough.

Try to maintain your regular sleeping pattern and stick to good sleep practices.

For tips and advice to get good sleep, look up Every Mind Matters.

• FFor or more tips and advice visit ever ymindmatters.co.uk.

• For guidance on w what hat rules and guidance appllyy in your area, visit https://www.go ovv.uk/corona k//coronaavvirus

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Get ready if you want to employ skilled staff from abroad Maria Fernandes Following Brexit, the new points-based system came into operation for skilled workers. A number of sweeping changes were made but went largely unnoticed because of the impact of the pandemic. The lowering of the skill level immediately opens up a number of positions within several industries, the ending of the need to carry out local labour searches means that an employer can now select the best person for the job, not the most suitable which had been the policy for many decades.

In order to employ non settled workers, an employer must obtain a sponsorship licence to do so. The licence comes with a number of responsibilities which remain a continuing duty during the life of the licence. Compliance is managed through an electronic system called the Sponsor Management System.

Before making the application the employer will need to consider whether there are adequate systems in place to: Check the status of the proposed employee and monitor this.

Maintain records of relevant documents for each employee, including passport and right to work information Track and record employees’ attendance Keep employee contact details up to date Report any non compliance with the conditions of the employee’s via the management system for example if your employee stops coming to work.

In order to apply for a licence it is necessary to appoint key officers although one person can occupy all the roles. Those who cannot be appointed as officers include those who have: An unspent criminal conviction Are subject to a bankruptcy restriction order or undertaking, or a debt relief restriction order or undertaking Have incurred a civil penalty in the past 12 months Been a ‘key person’ at a sponsor that had its licence revoked in the last 12 months Failed to pay VAT or other excise duty Their behaviour currently or in the past considered to be “not conducive to the public good” Once an application is lodged a number of checks are conducted and this may include a visit from the Sponsor Compliance Team which can take place before the grant of the licence and can be announced or unannounced. Visits were suspended during the pandemic but are likely to resume.

If an application is refused, there is no formal process of review unless there is a casework error. It is possible to apply again and in some circumstances there is a cooling off period before an application can be made again.

Once the licence is granted the next stage is to assign Certificates of Sponsorship. There are 2 types of Certificates of Sponsorship which follow different processes. A Defined Certificate is for Tier 2 applicants coming from abroad and Undefined Certificates are for those already in the UK and workers in other routes whether in the UK or abroad. It is important for a sponsor to select the most appropriate route.

There are specific Codes of Practice which set job descriptions and minimum salaries and these must be strictly adhered to. A person must be paid either the “going rate” or the minimum of £26500 whichever is higher. There are a number of circumstances, for example for new entrants when the rate paid can be lower.

Although the regulations have been relaxed in a number of ways, with the ending of some restrictions, the Home Office will focus on whether a position is genuine or not.

A genuine vacancy is one is defined as one which: requires the jobholder to perform the specific duties and responsibilities for the job and meets all of the requirements of the relevant route does not include dissimilar and/or predominantly lowerskilled duties is appropriate to the business in light of its business model, business plan and scale The guidance gives examples of vacancies that are not considered to be genuine. This includes one which contains an exaggerated or incorrect job description to deliberately make it appear to meet the requirements of the route when it does not, or is otherwise a sham or it is a job or role that was created primarily to enable an overseas national to come to, or stay in the UK. The Sponsor Licencing Team applied these reasons liberally during the previous system and it is likely that this will continue to be the practice.

Despite the challenges, for the first time in years immigration policy is not driven by numbers. It remains to be seen how it will be operated in reality. It is hoped that the route will be equally available to all countries.

(If you have any questions for Maria, please email us at aveditorial@abplgroup.com)

• • • • •

• • • • • •

• • •

A unique lockdown success story - a fan makes the same team as their role model 13-year old Aanya Goyal, a pupil at Alleyn's School in Dulwich, has been chosen as one of the four pre-university students to represent the UK at the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO), which is being organised by Georgia this year.

Aanya is the youngest ever to make the UK team for the EGMO. The previous record for the youngest student to represent the UK at this competition was 15.

Aanya credits her success to the hard work she has put over the years. Aanya has had regular success at maths olympiads starting with a gold medal at the UKMT Junior Maths Olympiad three years back when she was still at primary school.

Aanya says that she was determined to make the UK team at some

stage during her secondary schooling but was not expecting to do so at such a young age.

Incredibly, Aanya says that the lockdown played a positive role in her early promotion as being stuck at home and with nowhere to go meant that she spent her summer holidays and the lockdown periods to polish her problem solving skills under the tutelage of her father, a maths coach and former olympian himself.

Another incredibly interesting feature of Aanya's story is that one of her role models for the past few years - Yuhka Machino, who was last year recognised as the world's best female mathematician - is one of the other three members on the UK team alongside Aanya. Aanya recalls her first meeting with Yuhka two years back

Aanya Goyal

when Aanya introduced herself to Yuhka as Yuhka's biggest fan.

Aanya says that she never thought she could be in the same team as Yuhka.

The selection to the UK team is based on a series of exams organised by the UK Mathematics Trust. Over 600,000 secondary school students across the UK write the UKMT challenges every year. Only the top 1000, typically sixth formers, are invited to the British Mathematical Olympiad in November each year.

Of these the top 100 are invited to Round 2 of the British Mathematical Olympiad next January.

This is a 3.5 hours competition comprising 4 challenging problems. Aanya achieved a Distinction and was ranked among the top 4 girls leading to her selection for the UK team for the EGMO. The other three girls on the UK team are all sixth-formers while Aanya is still in Year 9.Aanya is the first British Indian to make the UK team for the EGMO.

Indian doctor conferred ‘Citizen of Honour’ award by City of Liverpool Professor Dr Shiv Pande, an Indian doctor who was previously made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the UK’s honours list, has become the first Asian to be made a ‘Citizen of Honour’ by the north-west England City of Liverpool.

A ‘Citizen of Honour’ recognition is extended to individuals who have made “significant, exceptional or unique contributions to enrich the image of Liverpool and/or its citizens”.

Professor Dr Shiv Pande MBE

Dr Pande has been a distinguished resident of Liverpool for 49 years. In 1999, he became the first

ever ethnic minority person to be elected Treasurer of the British General Medical Council.

Liverpool is one of Britain’s most prominent and high achieving cities. It is the city of four-time 19th century British Prime Minister William Gladstone, the singing sensations The Beatles and Liverpool and Everton football clubs. It is also noted for being a progressive and interna-

tionally oriented city. It bestowed a ‘Freedom of the City’ award to South African freedom fighter and President Nelson Mandela.

Dr Pande said, “I am honoured to be made a ‘Citizen of Honour’ by the City of Liverpool, which has been my home for nearly half a century. It is deeply gratifying to be recognised for my work. I thank the City Council for selecting me.”

The Council decision was unanimous.

Conservative and Labour BAME Councillors join forces to call out misinformation and encourage Covid vaccine take up A group of 150 councillors, from both Conservative and Labour Parties, have joined forces to sign an open letter to their communities encouraging them to take the vaccine alongside social media videos seen over a million times on social media.

Signatories to the open letter include black and ethnic minority councillors from across the country including Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Medway from diverse backgrounds including from the British Indian, Muslim and Black communities.

Coronavirus has disproportionately had an impact on minority ethnic communities, in addition these communities have been subject to misleading information around the vaccine. The campaign seeks to encourage people not only to take the vaccine but also to have important conversations with loved ones and relatives about getting the protection they need from

Cllr Gurjit Kaur Bains

the virus.

Cllr Gurjit Kaur Bains (Cons, Gravesham) and Cllr Paulette Hamilton (Lab, Birmingham City) have come together to encourage black and ethnic minority councillors from across the country to play their part in fighting misinformation and urging people to take the

vaccine when asked to do so.

The campaign has received the backing of the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer as well as Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi MP. Videos from councillors produced as part of the campaign have been seen over one million times.

Commenting on the campaign, Cllr Gurjit Kaur Bains said, “As elected councillors we understand our communities and throughout this pandemic have been helping to provide support to our most vulnerable. This initiative is cross party because we all have a duty to protect our communities and fight misinformation. The message is clear, the vaccine is safe, it will protect you and your family.

We all have a role to play so I urge everyone to have conversations with their own friends and families about the importance of taking the vaccine. Let’s work together and fight this virus.”

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Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel I’ve had quite a few messages about people being disappointed with the poor performance by fund managers in their pensions.

So, when we consider the long-term performance of active fund managers in the UK and the US over the last decade, a worrying trend emerges. According to S&P Global’s Indices Versus Active (SPIVA) scorecard, most equity fund managers fail to beat the market. And this is not a blip. With the odd exception, this has been the state of play ever since the SPIVA scorecards were first published in 2002.

The last SPIVA scorecard showed that 69.33% of UK equity fund managers underperformed the S&P United Kingdom BMI Index over the past decade.

In the US market, the picture is even bleaker: 87.2% of all active funds underperform their benchmark between 2005 and 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic crash and the early stage of the recovery, things weren’t much better.

According to research published by the University of Chicago, almost 3 in every four active funds underperformed the S&P 500.

This sustained underperformance is a worry for pension investing fund managers. When discussing active vs passive funds, the common refrain is that active funds are perfectly positioned to take advantage of the market in times of significant volatility. However, these figures blow that argument out of the water.

Call me old fashioned, but if the entire premise for active funds is that they outperform passive funds, I’d expect that to happen more than half the time.

The Reasons Why Active Fund Managers Are Failing While on the one hand, these poor results are shocking; on the other, it’s not entirely surprising. There are clear reasons for the poor performance of active funds.

In a less professional or less informed market, active fund managers were able to triumph. But now — as evidenced by the SPIVA scorecards — being one of the 1525% that outperforms passive funds is incredibly tough.

Long-Term Problems Additionally, there are drawbacks to active funds that limit how conducive they are to the ups and downs of longterm success. Long-term stock market success often requires the will to hold on to a poorly performing but high potential stock in the short term. However, it is easy to lose investor confidence — or your fund manager job — during these downswings. Additionally, as pointed out by this research, funds that do outperform their benchmark over 15 years spend 60-80% of that time underperforming. These statistics require an iron will and the understanding of investors. I say all this not to make it seem as if active fund managers are buffoons who are so incompetent that they are failing to beat the market — although that is an opinion held by researchers like Cass Business School’s David Blake.

On the contrary, these are smart people stuck inside a tough trading discipline. But whatever the understandable causes, their suitability for good pension investing must be called into question.

How Active Fund Managers Mitigate Risk Another explanation for this chronic underperformance is detailed in Rob Isbitts’ excellent Forbes column. He speculates that the real reason active fund managers can’t outperform the S&P 500 is that a) they are not trying to b) if they did, they’d be out of business.

Isbitts explains that risk management is the main reason for active funds underperformance and makes the point that active fund managers are averse to the exposure of taking a position of the entire index. While this is an interesting point, he admits that indexing is cheaper and has performed well over the last 15 years.

I want everyone to learn how to invest for themselves, or at least the right questions to ask their fund manager, or financial advisor. I create a Campaign to teach for free people how to invest better and so they feel they are seated next to me, connect with me on instant messenger and see what I see. It’s all free on www.campaignforamillion.com

Thousands of British steel jobs at risk as Greensill files for administration Greensill Capital has filed for administration, warning that it was in “severe financial distress” putting thousands of steel jobs at risk. Greensill's main customer is metals magnate Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG which was “experiencing financial difficulties” and had “started to default” on obligations to Greensill. Greensill has about $5bn of exposure to Gupta’s GFG. Documents filed in court revealed that GFG said in a February 7 letter that if Greensill stopped providing working capital it would fall into insolvency.

GFG’s operations, which include UK-based Liberty Steel, continued to trade but if the group were to fail, it would put tens of thousands of steel and engineering jobs around the world at risk, including 5,000 in the UK. Union officials are due to meet Gupta to seek assurances over the future of his businesses. The Community steel union said Gupta needed to tell them “how he plans to protect jobs” at sites including its aluminium smelter in Lochaber in Scotland.

When is the right time to invest in real estate in the near future?

Shefali Saxena Bilal Ahmed, Founding Partner of Offa, is a handson property financier. Offa is the only UK bridge finance provider operating an Ethical Finance model designed in accordance with universal Islamic Finance principles.

Having spent almost two decades in the property finance sector, Bilal’s experience is extensive and spans the entire life cycle, from purchase and development to refurbishment and disposal.

Working across student accommodation, residential and commercial developments, Bilal understands the needs of both brokers and clients. In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, he spoke about the spending habits of South Asians, ethical financial advice and paradigm shift in real estate during the pandemic.

What is your biggest learning about the spending habits and habitation in the Asian community?

Culturally, Asians like to spend on upgrading their home, whether that’s fabulous kitchens or extensions to create more living space.

With the increase in professional and business owning Asians in society coming into wealth,

it is not unsurprising that they look for a detached house with a big drive as a priority, over luxury holidays for instance. It is the same when it comes to investments such as pensions – the main investment class Asians tend to favour is property. As a result, buy to let investments (residential and commercial) are very popular.

What according to you is the future of real estate designs?

Covid-19 will change our homes because it has changed the way we live, and the way we want to live.

Multigenerational living has been on the increase in 2020, with at least 12% of the UK population were adults who had moved back in with parents as a result of the pandemic, according to a survey by the personalfinance website finder.com.

Increasingly university students have chosen to live at home too. The pandemic has made outdoor space become an essential for New-build many. developers and architects will need to be aware of this shift when they plan new housing developments.

Alongside the need for more space, house planning will also need to consider easily adaptable spaces which could transform how people

use their homes.

If you were to give one piece of ethical financial advice withstanding the monetary losses incurred by millions of people during the pandemic, what would it be?

Given where the world is today in terms of climate change, social values and the need for fairness and transparency – my single piece of advice is to be more discerning about your finances. It is no longer about determining your financial decisions purely on price – this may have untold costs on society. In addition to price, make your buying decision about the values of the firm you are dealing with. Ask questions such as where are they investing your money and will it help and the society environment?

How transparent are they about fees? Is the basis of the finance fair? If everybody did this – then perhaps society would be better prepared for calamities such as pandemics and natural disasters and there would be less financial crisis’.

When is the right time to invest in real estate in the near future?

Those who got in early to the real estate market have reaped the returns. A report written in 2015 by economist Rob Thomas

showed that buy-to-let returns over the previous 18 years had beaten those from every other major asset class available. Since buy-to-let mortgages were introduced in 1996, Thomas calculated that net annual returns have averaged at 16.2%, compared to a lower average return of 6.2% on UK equities. The number of people renting continues to increase, with a third of UK’s millennials who will rent into retirement. The UK has the fifth-highest number of tenant occupiers out of all 28 EU nations. VeriSmart forecasts renters will account for 55% of the housing market by 2045.

Clearly the buy-to-let market is still offering good returns for investors, provided they focus on affordable parts of the UK, where there are strong yields and the potential of good capital growth.

Sunak announces new measures to help business, jobs Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has paved the way for the year with his three-point economic plan to fix public finances and the economy.

He announced new measures to help business and jobs through the ongoing pandemic, and support the UK's long-term economic recovery through a series of tax-raising plans.

Setting a tough tone for the announcement made on March 3, he said he will do “whatever it takes” to help people and businesses through the “moment of crisis” caused by the Coronavirus. Speaking in the House of Commons, he said. “We're using the full measure of our fiscal firepower to protect the jobs and livelihoods of the British people.”

In his opening remarks, Sunak said there has been acute damage to the economy, with more than 700,000 people losing their jobs, the economy shrinking by 10 per cent, and borrowing at the highest.

“It's going to take this country, and the whole world, a long time to recover from this extraordinary situation,” he said.

Furlough Sunak extended the furlough scheme until the end of September.

Employees will continue to receive 80 per cent of their wages until the scheme ends, however, firms will be asked to contribute 10 per cent in July and 20 per cent in August. The scheme will be gradually phased out in September.

Sunak confirmed that the selfemployment income support scheme has also been extended. The fourth grant will cover February to April, worth 80 per cent of average trading profits up to £7,500. The £20-a-week increase in universal credit is extended for six months. He said unemployment will peak at 6.5 per cent down from a forecast peak of 11.9 per cent last July.

Support for businesses During the Budget, Sunak stated that the total direct cash support to businesses has reached £25bn.

With the government-backed bounce back loan (BBL) and coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS) coming to an end, the Treasury is launching a new loan scheme to run until the end of the year.

Loans can be between £25,000 and £10m.

The 5 per cent reduced rate of VAT will be extended until the end of September.

Then it will be gradually increased, at 12.5 per cent for six months, before returning to the standard rate from April 2022. In a £6 bn tax cut, hospitality and leisure businesses pay no business rates for three months, then rates will be discounted for the remaining nine months of the year by two-thirds.

Housing & spending Stamp duty holiday on properties up to £500,000 has been extended until the end of June. It will be kept at double its standard level until the end of September, and then returned to usual levels from October 1. Sunak confirmed a mortgage guarantee to help first-time buyers access 95 per cent mortgages. The Chancellor announced a total Covid support package worth £352 bn for this year and next.

Corporate taxation The rate of corporation tax will increase to 25 per cent in April 2023, the lowest rate in the G7 according to Sunak. He said businesses will only be impacted if they are making profits, and the change will only come in

Rishi Sunak

once the OBR forecasts the economy will be recovering.

The rate will be tapered so that only businesses with profits of more than £250,000 will be taxed at the full 25 per cent rate; meaning, only 10 per cent of companies will pay the full higher rate. Companies with profits of less than £50,000 will remain at 19 per cent.

Sunak said, “It's a tax rise on company profits, but only on the larger more profitable companies, and only in two years' time.”

Health & education Sunak has announced £16.5 bn to support the UK's vaccination rollout, and £50 m to boost the country's vaccine testing capability. £19m has been promised for domestic violence programmes, funding network of respite rooms for homeless women. £40 m for new funding for victims of 1960s Thalidomide scandal, and lifetime support guarantee. £10 m has been announced in support of armed forces veterans with mental health needs.

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Arcelor Mittal Group to invest £4.5 to 6.5 bn in Gujarat L N Mittal, the Indian-origin promoter of Luxembourgbased Arcelor Mittal Group, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Gujarat. He also met chief minister Vijay Rupani in Ahmedabad.

State government officials present in the meeting said the steel company, which took over Essar Steel plant in Hazira some time ago, intends to double the production capacity of its plant in Gujarat besides making fresh investments in the state. The group has pledged fresh investment in Gujarat between £4.5 to 6.5 billion.

Manoj Das, additional chief secretary (ACS) at chief minister’s office (CMO, who accompanied Rupani during the meeting with Mittal said, “L N Mittal apprised the CM about the group’s plan to

double its production capacity in Gujarat and make fresh investments in specialized steel.”

“The group said that its fresh investment will be between £4.5 to 6.5 billion.

We have assured them the best support in realising the business plan and providing incentives under our new industrial policy. In the last two years alone, FDI inflow in Gujarat has increased manifold. Mittal bringing in fresh FDI into Gujarat will further give a boost to the state’s development,” Das added.

Mittal visited the Statue of Unity (SoU) at Kevadia and other development projects before meeting the PM and CM. The state government also invited Mittal to the next Vibrant Gujarat summit, briefing him about the business opportunities in the state.

Signs MoU with Odisha for steel plant Meanwhile, the group has revived plans to build a steel plant in the iron orerich Odisha state as he doubles down on his bet on India. Mittal, through his India joint venture company Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel, plans to set up a 12-millionton capacity plant in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.

This would entail an investment of £5 billion.

In 2006, Mittal had planned to set up a similar capacity sized plant in Odisha, but later dropped the proposal because of problems in acquiring land and securing iron ore linkages. Iron ore is a key raw material in steel production.

Mittal and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik signed an MoU for the plant last week. In a tweet, the chief minister’s office said the deal

will give a boost to the government’s #InvestInOdisha campaign. The £5 billion investment in Odisha will be in addition to the JV company’s other investments in the state. The company will be investing £200 million to double its pellet making capacity in Paradip to 12 million tons. The company has a benefaction complex and slurry pipeline projects already operational in Keonjhar. The India JV combines the financial might of Mittal’s global steel company Arcelor Mittal and the technological prowess of Japanese giant Nippon Steel.

Wipro to buy UK firm Capco in $1.5bn deal Wipro will acquire Londonbased global management and tech consultancy Capco for $1.5 billion to bolster its presence in the banking, financial services & insurance (BFSI) space. The deal, which is Wipro’s largest acquisition ever, will also give the Indian tech services giant a strong consulting footprint.

The deal comes under CEO Thierry Delaporte, who took over in July last year, and demonstrates a desire to regain the momentum the company has lost to rivals over the past several years.

Wipro’s other big acquisitions include those of USbased cloud consultancy firm Appirio for $500 million in 2016, and of UK-based Infocrossing for $600 mil-

lion in 2007.

Capco clocked $700 million in revenue in the 2020 calendar year. Wipro said the acquisition creates a global financial services business of $3.2 billion, up from the current $2.5 billion, with a strong consulting and business transformation footprint. Capco, founded in 1998, gives Wipro access to 30 new large BFSI clients. It has over 5,000 consultants based in more than 30 global locations across 16 countries. It works with more than 100 clients and has many long-standing relationships with leading financial institutions.

The all-cash transaction is expected to be completed during the June quarter, subject to regulatory approvals

and customary closing conditions. The transaction will be financed through internal cash and debt. Wipro has some $6 billion of cash reserves. BFSI is a big spender on technology and is the largest industry vertical for the major IT services companies, accounting for almost a third of the revenue for many of them.

Compared to TCS, Cognizant and Infosys, Wipro is weak in BFSI. The Capco acquisition seems to be an effort to address this gap.

Wipro believes there are significant synergies to be realised through cross-selling opportunities. Capco is said to be highly complementary to Wipro’s capabilities in building digital tech-

Tata Motors to go solo, no tie-up with Tesla Putting at rest all speculation around a partnership with Tesla, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said last week that,“There is no dialogue with Tesla. With us, there is nothing,” Chandrasekaran told media as he spoke about the aggressive plans of Tata Motors and its British subsidiary Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) in the electric vehicles space. The Tata Sons chief said products under Tata Motors and JLR have been performing well, and there is no need for any outside partner at this point in time.

There had been widespread speculation in the media about an impending partnership between the Tata Group and Tesla as the latter is now entering the Indian market. The conjecture had also contributed to

the spike in the share price of Tata Motors.

But it had also moved up due to the strong performance of the company’s car business in India.

More fuel was added to the speculations when the official twitter handle of ‘Tata Motors Electric Mobility’ sent out a cheeky tweet on January 15, positively commenting on rumours of the Tesla partnership through the lyrics of an old Hindi film song (though the tweet was deleted promptly as it started to go viral).

Before Chandrasekaran’s comment to media, there has been no reaction from either Tesla or Tata group on a partnership.

Tesla has registered an office in India, and this has been done in Bangalore (company is called ‘Tesla Motors India & Energy Pvt Ltd’). It is expected that the company is currently laying the ground-work for its long awaited India entry. Tata group is going strong in electric vehicles business.

On India front, the electric version of Nexon mini SUV has received a healthy response and the company is looking at more electrified versions, including for Altroz hatchback.

nology and operations solutions for helping clients achieve their transformation objectives. Delaporte said, “Together, we can deliver high-end consulting and technology transformations, and operations offerings to our clients. Wipro and Capco share complementary business models and core guiding values, and I am certain that our new Capco colleagues will be proud to call Wipro home.” Lance Levy, CEO of Capco, said, “We are incredibly excited to join our new colleagues at Wipro.

Together, we will offer bespoke transformational end-to-end solutions, now powered by innovative technology at scale, to create a new leading partner to the financial services industry.”

Finding the right pressure point

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

Recently, I went to view a parade of shops in South London. Although it’s nice enough to own a string of shops, there was nothing intrinsically juicy about the deal. The yield is circa 5%. Yes, there could be some asset management opportunities as the tenants vacate, especially as there is a nice street to the rear of the buildings.

The angle on this deal is whether the incoming investor could gain another couple of floors on the existing properties through the whole length of the shops.

The seller, who happens to be a property company, had an architect sketch the properties with the two floors on top, with the aim of selling this idea of the potential.

This is similar to the deal I wrote about last week, although, here the idea is a lot more plausible as you actually own the shops you’re requesting planning on, which helps when you come to the implementation.

When I went to the site I noticed a couple of churches in close proximity to the property. Looking at the whole breadth of the street it didn’t make sense this was the only row of shops without two extra floors. I assumed it was due to the churches. Though the buildings themselves were not listed, the churches most certainly were, and there is something known as paying respect to the churches due to their listing.

I assumed this was the reason why planning was never sought for the two extra floors, as I couldn’t see why a property company would be selling without the planning permission in place, if it could be obtained.

That was my speculation however, when I ran the site by our planner he pointed out the site was actually in a conservation area, and therefore you run the risk of a planning application for development being blocked.

This would make sense, and would explain as to why the site is being sold only with a sketch and no pre application or application in place.

Despite this, as I like the site and its location; I asked the planner how would the council look at the application if all the properties were aimed for the key worker market?

This may tilt the application in our favour. Planning is not a game of certainty. The weakest link can derail the application; conversely, if you pick the right pressure point and package the application up accordingly it would straighten the case.

It may be that the council in question is behind in its affordable housing target and these units would help it achieve its goal. The balance of whether the architecture should be preserved or key worker units be constructed may be swung in the developer’s favour.

The site has income coming in, and as tenants leave there will be development opportunities. So, even if the planning is not gained this would still be a good asset to hold long term. I am currently doing my due diligence before I present it to interested investors.

FDI inflows in India see 40% rise to $53bn in April-Dec Foreign equity inflows in India shot up 40% to $52.9 billion with gross FDI rising over 22% to $67.5 billion during April-December 2020 on the back of deals in the digital space, such as those involving Reliance Jio. Net inflows were estimated to be 30% higher at $48.5 billion as repatriation or disinvestment in Indian ventures also went up by a third to $19.1 billion, data accessed from the Reserve Bank of India showed.

“India remained the bright spot in an otherwise shadowy year for FDI, as global inflows plunged by 42% y-o-y in 2020 ($859 billion), the lowest level since the 1990s, according to UNCTAD’s ‘Investment Trends Monitor’ released on January 24. India clocked a 13% ($57 billion) yo-y rise, the highest growth

among nations, boosted by flows into the digital sector,” RBI said.

Although the government is yet to release the sector and country-specific details, it attributed the increase to steps taken by it.

“Measures taken by the government on the fronts of FDI policy reforms, investment facilitation and ease of doing business have resulted in increased FDI inflows into the country,” the commerce and industry ministry said in a statement.

“Net FDI flows remained strong in December 2020, following a surge through AugustNovember 2020. A surge in FDI equity inflows in August-December 2020 was largely driven by a few mega deals in digital services,” RBI said in its

monthly publication last week. During December, FDI inflows are estimated to have increased 22.7% to $9.2 billion.

With sectors such as insurance all set to see an increase in the sectoral limit to 74% and several companies looking to diversify their production bases to reduce their dependence on China, the government is hoping that flows will remain strong.

RBI, however, warned of possible downside risks to the outlook for FDI flows in 2021, citing the “persistent uncertainty clouding the course of the virus”.

Unlike inward flows, FDI outflows via investment by Indian companies dropped by almost a quarter during April-December 2020 to a shade under $8 billion, RBI data showed.

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in brief FEDERAL RESERVE NAMES INDIAN AMERICAN TO TOP POST Naureen Hassan, a 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, has been named First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Naureen Hassan Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The bank said that the appointment has been approved by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. "As First Vice President, Hassan will be the New York Fed's second ranking officer as well as an alternate voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee," the statement said. "Naureen's leadership background, deep commitment to fostering diverse teams, and extensive technology and financial experience will be critical to her role as a bank leader," John C Williams, president and CEO of the New York Fed, was quoted as saying. "I am confident that Naureen will be an inspiring and innovative leader, and look forward to working with her to move our organization forward in line with our values," he added.

UNRULY INDIAN PASSENGER OFFLOADED An allegedly disruptive Indian passenger on board an Air France flight from Ghana via Paris to New Delhi forced the plane to make an emergency landing at Bulgaria’s capital city of Sofia. Media reports quoted Bulgarian National Investigation Agency official Ivailo Angelov as saying that the Indian citizen “soon after take-off began quarrelling with other passengers, assaulting a flight attendant and pummelling the cockpit’s door.” His aggressive behaviour led the crew of flight AF 226 to make an emergency landing in Sofia. The passenger was taken off the aircraft and charged with endangering flight safety.

LARA TRUMP EYES SENATE SEAT Former US president Donal Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is eyeing the North Carolina Senate seat being vacated

by Republican Richard Burr. While many in the state are skeptical, she will move forward, an entrance into the race would set up a crucial test of Trump's popularity among Republicans, which remains massive more than a month after leaving office, can translate to others. The answer to that question has implications that extend far beyond Lara Trump's political future. If Donald Trump can prove that he can help other Republicans win office, his selfappointed status as leader of the party would be validated. Losses, however, would remind Republicans of his vulnerabilities.

17,000 QUAKES HIT ICELAND Authorities in Iceland have said that a small volcanic eruption could be imminent on the southwestern tip of country some 30km from the capital Reykjavik. CNN quoted the Icelandic Meteorological Office as saying that around 17,000 earthquakes have been recorded in the region recently, compared to 1,000 normally for a whole year. The largest quake of 5.7-magnitude was registered last week. Tremors signalling a potential eruption were also detected, near Mt Keilir, inactive for past 800 years, the Icelandic Met Office said.

“The magma is fracturing and it is so close to the surface... that we have to take it seriously,” Freysteinn Sigmundsson, a geophysicist, said.

Imran Khan wins trust vote amid opposition boycott ISLAMABAD: Pakistan PM Imran Khan last week comfortably won a trust vote in the National Assembly by securing 178 votes, six more than the required number, to ensure his tenure in the office following a big setback in the recent Senate polls. His victory was a foregone conclusion after the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an anti-government alliance of opposition parties, decided to boycott the session and the government warned its party members of disqualification if they voted against Khan.

The Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf-led government had no option other than seeking a trust vote after its candidate for the senate seat from Islamabad, Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, lost to former PM and opposition’s candidate Yousaf Raza Gilani.

The total strength of the National Assembly is 342. The opposition enjoys the support of 160 members, while the government and its allies have 180 lawmakers. Two seats are currently

vacant. Khan needed 172 votes to win the confidence vote.

Announcing the result, speaker Asad Qaiser said: “Today, PM Imran Khan has secured178 votes.”

Addressing the House after securing the trust vote, Imran thanked the lawmakers, including his allies, for staying by his side. He said the way senate elections were conducted in Pakistan was embarrassing. He also lashed out at his political opponents and called Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief and former president Asif Ali Zardari and former PM Nawaz Sharif “thieves”. “These thieves were blackmailing my government for an NRO,” he said. The NRO refers to the National Reconciliation Order under which Benazir Bhutto and many others were able to return to Pakistan from exile as cases against them were dropped. The term is now used to describe an attempt to use an ordinance to allow someone to escape the legal process.

The PM further said that Sharif had faked sickness to go abroad so that he could avoid the legal consequences of his corruption and theft.

He criticised Yusuf Raza Gilani, who had defeated PTI’s Hafeez Shaikhin the recent Senate polls, as one of the most corrupt politicians in the country. “Just look at his (Gilani’s) wealth and assets before he became the PM and do a comparison with his assets after he became the PM. The picture will be clear,” he said.

Top opposition leaders, meanwhile, demanded Khan’s resignation and holding of fresh elections. PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the vote of confidence has no meaning. “This was not a confidence vote. We know which agencies watched the members of the assembly the entire night. (We know) who knocked on the

Imran Khan

doors of each member to ensure they were present,” he said. His reference was towards reports that the government kept its members in lodges in Islamabad under strict watch so that all of them are present in parliament during the floor test. He challenged Khan to “be courageous and ask the public to cast a vote of confidence (by) conducting a new election”. PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz said Khan’s days as PM were numbered and PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Khan had been exposed after the defeat in the Senate seat.

Nepal’s reinstated parliament begins session, Prachanda faction walks out KATHMANDU: Nepal’s reinstated lower house of parliament held its first meeting on Sunday during which the lawmakers belonging to the ruling Nepal Communist Party's (NCP) splinter faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ boycotted the session. President Bidya Devi Bhandari last week summoned the session of the House of Representatives in accordance with the supreme court’s February 24 ruling which annulled embattled PM K P Sharma Oli’s “unconstitutional” decision to dissolve it.

Oli, who reached the parliament building to attend the session in the afternoon, left the venue even before the start of the meeting. The lawmakers

close to the Prachanda-led faction of the ruling party walked out as the House meeting was under way.

Main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC) and Janata Samabadi Party (JSP) lawmakers demanded the withdrawal of the controversial ordinance on the Constitutional Council,

prompting the speaker to put off the session until March 10. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. Oli, in a surprise move, dissolved parliament on December 20 last year, amidst a tussle for power with Prachanda.

The ruling NCP split over Oli’s move to dissolve the 275member House. In a landmark ruling last month, the apex court reinstated the lower house of parliament. The CPN-UML led

by Oli and CPN (Maoist Centre) led by Prachanda merged in May

Pak health workers hesitate over China vaccine ISLAMABAD: Just over a half of Pakistan's health workers have received a Covid-19 shot since inoculations began last month, while a poll suggested nearly half had concerns over China's Sinopharm, the only vaccine available so far. Pakistan had distributed 504,400 Sinopharm vaccine doses to provincial authorities by Feb. 20, and 230,000 frontline health workers had received a shot by Friday last, according to health minister Faisal Sultan. In January, Sultan said 400,000 health workers had been registered to get the vaccine.

A poll of 555 medical workers conducted by Gallup Pakistan and a national physicians' association between Feb. 12 and Feb. 20 said 59% of health workers had not yet been offered a shot.

Sinopharm is one of four vaccines approved for use by Pakistan for health workers and is currently the only vaccine available in the country of 220 million.

Some 81% of health workers said they were willing to be vaccinated, but 46% said they would prefer Pfizer or AstraZeneca over the Sinopharm shot.

Some 58% said a vaccine developed so quickly could not be guaranteed to be safe. "Chinese is a brand not synonymous with medical innovation," Bilal Gilani, of Gallup Pakistan, said. "If Pfizer or AstraZeneca were offered, there would be a much higher uptake." Pfizer is a US company while AstraZeneca is AngloSwedish. Gilani said doctors did not trust government recommendations and instead looked to social media for information on the vaccine.

"No doctor is refusing to get the vaccine. Some of them are waiting for the Oxford one, AstraZeneca," Salman Kazmi, General Secretary of the Young Doctor's Association Pakistan, said. "But there are some myths and delays, that is probably why the speed of vaccination is not high."

While a preference for Western vaccines may be a stumbling block in the case of Covid shots, polio vaccination efforts in Pakistan have had to grapple with Islamist militant attacks and conspiracy theories the shots are a Western ploy to sterilise Muslims.

2018 to form a unified Nepal Communist Party following victory of their alliance in the 2017 general elections.

Meanwhile, the apex court quashed the unification of the erstwhile Communist Party of Nepal led by Oli and the Communist Party of Nepal led by ‘Prachanda’, in a blow to the two warring leaders. A bench of the apex court issued the verdict giving authenticity of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) to Rishiram Kattel, who had registered the party at the Election Commission in his name prior to the formation of NCP led by Oli and Prachanda.

Kattel had challenged the Election Commission’s decision in May 2018.

Dhaka seeks to double vaccine purchases from India DHAKA: Bangladesh wants to buy up to 40 million more doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII), its health secretary said, potentially more than doubling its purchases. Bangladesh, a country of more than 160 million people, has already received vaccines from SII as part of an earlier deal for 30 million doses.

Indian government has also gifted the neighbour 2 million doses of the shot that SII, the world's biggest vaccine maker, is producing for many countries.

"Talks ongoing. Let's see," Health Secretary Abdul Mannan said. SII did not respond to a request for comment. Bangladesh is also due to get a total of 68 million doses of vaccines from a WHO-backed alliance, with the first shipment of around 10 million doses expected by June, Mannan said.

Currently, Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd is the sole distributor of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Bangladesh but the government has not yet decided who will handle future purchases from SII, Mannan said. "We have not ordered for any additional doses. As of now our total order is for 30 million doses," Beximco Pharmaceuticals' Chief Operating Officer Rabbur Reza said. "Additional orders will depend on the government."

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Biden hails team NASA, says Indian Americans 'taking over the country' WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden congratulated the NASA team responsible for the success of the Perseverance rover that landed on Mars earlier this month. He lauded the team at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)/California Institute of Technology, including Dr Swati Mohan, the Indian-American aerospace engineer, who was one of the many people who spearheaded the development and the landing system for the rover.

Biden while speaking to Mohan in a video conference call said that the IndiaAmericans are "taking over the country". Mohan thanked Biden for interacting with them, but the President said he was honored to interact with the team. "This is an incredible honor. Indian - of descent Americans are taking over the

Dr Swati Mohan and Joe Biden

country. You (Mohan), my Vice President (Kamala Harris), my speechwriter (Vinay Reddy) I tell you what. But thank you.

You guys are incredible," Biden told Mohan. who skilfully Mohan, landed the spacecraft, works at the National Aeronautics and

Space Administration's (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

She is one of the many Indian women scientists, engineers and missile developers, who are leaving a trail for future generations. Over the course of about 10 minutes, Biden poured on the kudos and cast

the landing as an important bright spot that has come at a rough time for the nation.

"What you did, you restored a dose of confidence in the American people. They were beginning to wonder about us.

They were beginning to wonder are we still the country we always believed we were.

You guys did it. We can land a rover on Mars, we can beat a pandemic and with science, hope and vision, there's not a damn thing we can't do as a country," he added.

During the interaction, the President also spoke with Michael Watkins, Jet Propulsion Laboratory director and lauded the NASA team for doing an "incredible job. It's so much bigger than landing Perseverance on Mars," Biden told members of the NASA team. "It's about the American spirit. And you brought it back."

China hikes defence budget to $209bn, a 6.8% increase BEIJING: China’s 2021 defence spending will rise 6.8% from 2020, up just slightly from last year’s budget increase and broadly tracking the government’s modest growth forecast, as the world’s secondlargest economy emerges from the pandemic’s fallout.

The hike was announced by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the country’s parliament, the National People’s Congress (NPC). Li pledged that efforts to strengthen the People’s Liberation Army, which is developing an array of weapons from stealthy fighters to aircraft carriers, would continue apace in the face of what China views as multiple security threats.

The spending figure, set at 1.4 trillion yuan ($208.5 billion)

in the national budget released last week, is closely watched as a barometer of how aggressively the country will beef up its military. Last year China said the defence budget would rise just 6.6%, its slowest rate in three decades, as the economy wilted in the face of the Covid19 pandemic. This will be the sixth year in a row for a singledigit increase.

The budget gives only a raw figure for military expenditure, with no breakdown. Many diplomats and foreign experts believe the country underreports the real number.

China’s reported defence budget in 2021 is about a quarter of United States defence spending, which amounted to $714 billion in

fiscal year 2020 and is expected to increase to $733 billion in the 2021 fiscal year.

China applies strict mechanisms of fiscal allocation and budget management on its defence expenditure, which is

mainly assigned to personnel, training and sustainment, and equipment, it said. China has voluntarily downsized its armed forces by over four million troops since 1978, according to a white paper released in 2019.

Trade unions call to shut Myanmar economy MANDALAY: Myanmar’s major trade unions called on members to shut down the economy from Monday to support a campaign against last month’s coup, turning up the pressure on the junta as security forces cracked down on demonstrators staging widespread protests.

“To continue economic and business activities as usual...will only benefit the military as they repress the energy of the Myanmar people,” an alliance of nine unions said. “The time to take action in defence of our democracy is now. We call for...the full extended shutdown of the Myanmar economy,” they said in a joint statement. A spokesman for the military did not answer calls seeking comment.

The call by the unions came as an official from the party of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi died in police custody. The cause of death of National League for Democracy official Khin Maung Latt was not known. Ba Myo Thein, a member of the upper house of parliament which was dissolved after the coup, said reports of

bruising to Khin Maung Latt’s head and body raised suspicions that he had been abused.

Some of the biggest protests in recent weeks were staged on Sunday. Police fired stun grenades and tear gas to break up a sit-in by tens of thousands of people in Mandalay. At least 70 people were arrested. Police also launched tear gas and stun grenades in the direction of protesters in Yangon and in the town of Lashio in the northern Shan region, videos posted on Facebook showed. A witness said police opened fire to break up a protest in the historic

temple town of Bagan, and several residents said in social media posts that live bullets were used.

The UN says security forces have killed more than 50 people to stamp out daily demonstrations in the country since the military took over power on February 1. “They are killing people just like killing birds and chickens,” one protest leader said to the crowd in Dawei, a town in Myanmar’s south. “What will we do if we don’t revolt against them? We must revolt.”

The state-run Global New

Light Of Myanmar newspaper quoted a police statement as saying security forces were dealing with the protests in accordance with law. It said the forces were using tear gas and stun grenades to break up rioting that were blocking roads. Over 1,700 people had been detained under the military junta by Saturday, according to figures from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group. It did not give a figure for overnight detentions.

The UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, called on the security forces to halt what she called their “vicious crackdown on peaceful protesters.

Myanmar’s military must stop murdering and jailing protesters,” Bachelet said in a statement. A spokesman for the ruling military council did not answer telephone calls seeking comment.

in brief AFTER US, JAPAN TELLS CHINA TO STOP ANAL SWAB TESTS Tokyo has requested Beijing to stop taking anal swab tests for Covid-19 on Japanese citizens as the procedure causes psychological pain, a government spokesman said. Chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato said the government has not got a response that Beijing would change the testing procedure, so Japan would continue to ask China to alter the way of testing. Last month, the US had protested with China after learning some US officials were subjected to the anal swab tests.

China’s foreign ministry had denied it.

TEXAS LIFTS MASK MANDATE, TO OPEN 100% Texas will lift its mask mandate and increase the capacity of all businesses to 100 per cent from March 10, Governor Greg Abbott has announced, making it the largest US state to end one of the most effective ways to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus. “It is now time to open Texas 100%,” Abbot said. The announcement by the Republican leader in Texas, where the virus has killed more than 42,000 people, has rattled doctors and city leaders who said they are now bracing for another deadly resurgence. Texas is the largest US state to end its mask mandate.

Abbott has faced criticism from his party over the measure, which was imposed last July.

CAPITOL RIOTERS ACCUSED OF DOMESTIC TERROR FBI director Chris Wray accused supporters of Donald Trump who carried out a deadly January 6 attack on the US Capitol of domestic terrorism and vowed to hold them accountable. “I was appalled that you, our country’s elected leaders, were victimised right here in these very halls,” Wray testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. “That siege was criminal behaviour, pure and simple. It’s behaviour that we, the FBI, view as domestic terrorism.” Supporters of former President Trump have repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims the rioters were actually fake Trump supporters who belong to the leftleaning antifa movement, short for anti-fascist.

But Wray told lawmakers this narrative was false, adding: “We have not to date seen any evidence of any anarchist violence extremists or people subscribing to antifa in connection with the 6th.”

SWITZERLAND TO BAN WEARING OF BURQA Switzerland will follow France, Belgium and Austria after narrowly voting in a referendum to ban women from wearing the burqa or niqab in public spaces. Just over 51% of Swiss voters cast their ballots in favour of the initiative to ban people from covering their face completely on the street, in shops and restaurants. Full facial veils will still be allowed to be worn inside places of prayer and for “native customs”, such as carnival. Face coverings worn for health and safety reasons are also exempt from the ban, meaning face masks worn because of the Covid-19 pandemic will not be affected by the new law.

Switzerland’s parliament and the sevenmember executive council that constitutes the country’s federal government opposed the referendum proposal.

10 KILLED IN SOMALIA SUICIDE BOMB BLAST More than 10 people were killed and 30 others injured in Somalia after a suicide car bomb exploded just outside a restaurant near the port in the capital Mogadishu, reports said. The blast occurred at the Luul Yemeni restaurant near the port. "The explosion was very strong and caused significant destruction and caused civilian casualties," official Mohamed Osma said.

No group has claimed responsibility but the country faces recurrent attacks by al Qaedalinked al Shabaab insurgents. The group has been waging a violent insurgency across the Horn of Africa country. They were driven out of Mogadishu by government forces backed by 20,000 African Union peacekeepers in 2011.

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13 - 19 March 2021

PM Modi promises real change, targets Didi at Kolkata rally Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday pitted BJP’s “politics of development” against Trinamool’s “model of corruption and violence” and urged Bengal voters to help him usher “ashol paribartan (real change)”. Addressing a massive rally at the Brigade Parade Ground, PM Modi sought to turn TMC’s “Khela hobe (Let’s play)” dare on its head, reminding the crowd of all the “khel (games) from corruption to tolabaazi (extortion) - that Trinamool played with Bengal for the last 10 years”.

“You (Trinamool) are experienced players. What games have you not played? You have looted Bengal’s poor, looting even cyclone relief sent by the Centre.

There is an Olympic Games-level of corruption in Bengal,” he said.

But the games should end now. An end to these games will mean the start of development. The lotus is blooming in Bengal because of the mountain of rubbish that Trinamool has created.”

The PM tried to establish a direct line with Bengal’s voters, stressing how the state could gain out of this “dosti (friendship)” and turn the clock back to “again lead the country when India would cel-

Narendra Modi

ebrate the centenary of its independence in 2047”. A BJP government would not only mean a change of parties, but also result in a Bengal “where youth have education and employment and are not forced to flee the state”, Modi said, adding that a “double-engine BJP government at both the Centre and in Bengal” would usher growth of industry and commerce, investment and 21st Century infrastructure. He held out hope for a state where every section -

"from Adivasis to refugees" would be equal partners in development. "A BJP government will mean appeasement for none," he said.

"So much has been snatched away from Bengal in the 75 years since India’s independence. We will return everything that has been snatched away," PM Modi promised. He said five years of development with a BJP government in office could lay the foundation for the next 25 years of

progress. “There is no reason why Kolkata cannot become the city of the future.” Meanwhile, actor Mithun Chakraborty felicitated PM Modi at the Kolkata rally after joining BJP. Didi hits back at Modi The only “syndicate” in India is that of PM Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, Mamata Banerjee said in response to accusations by both that Trinamool Congress has institutionalised “syndicates” in the state. Equating the upcoming assembly elections with a “battle for survival”, Mamata exhorted a large gathering in north Bengal’s Siliguri to help her win the fight. “If you can’t ensure that [survival], Modi will divide and take pieces of Bengal away,” she warned.

Mamata dared the PM to have a debate with her one on-one at a time and place of his choosing.

"The PM lies. It’s a behaviour that does not behove the PM’s chair.

Give me a date and time. Tell me when I will come for a debate.

Khela hobe (the match is on).

People will be the judges.”

On PM Modi’s allegation that 10 years under TMC had turned Bengal into a land of “tolabaazi (extortion)” and “syndicates”,

Mamata said the “Narendra ModiAmit Shah syndicate does not even listen to BJP”. “Prime Minister, you never come to Bengal for work. You come here to spread canards and lies,” she said.

“You can come for your political compulsions. You came today, too (to Kolkata). But before campaigning, explain why the price of an LPG cylinder is nearly Rs 900.

Why are kitchens on fire? Why are petrol and diesel prices rising daily? Bengal gives free rice. But one needs to buy gas for Rs 900 to even boil it.”

She also countered PM Modi on his claim that Bengal would see “ashol paribartan (real change)” after the polls. “Change will come in Delhi. You will have to leave then,” she said. “The four states and one UT (going to polls) will hit BJP for a six. You will lose everywhere. You talk of Sonar Bangla after selling Delhi. After selling off the Red Fort, Indian Railways, BSNL, Coal India, Air India, the only thing left is to replace India’s name with your name. You are the biggest tolabaaz. Poor people may perhaps get Rs 5 or Rs 100 if they engage in tolabaazi. What happens when you do it? SAIL was sold for how much? Rail, how much?”

BJP ropes in Mithun Chakraborty; Ganguly denies joining politics The BJP has been trying to rope in a popular Bengali face to counter Mamata Banerjee for some time now.

Now they have Mithun Chakraborty, who PM Modi called “Banglar Chele” (Bengal's Son) at a rally in Kolkata. Calling him a “cobra that can kill with one bite”, popular actor and former TMC Rajya Sabha MP Mithun Chakraborty joined

the saffron party on March 7, ahead of PM Modi’s rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata. Referring to his TMC stint as a “bad decision”, he said he has joined the BJP to “serve the poor.”

“Earlier my slogan used to be ‘marbo ekhane, lash porbe shoshane' (I will beat you here, your body will land in a crematorium). This slogan has become old now. I

have prepared a new slogan for the campaign in this election. It is ‘aami joldhora noi, belebora noi, aami jaat gokhro, ek chobolei chobi' (I am not an ordinary snake. I am the Indian cobra. One bite can kill you),” the actor told at the rally. West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh inducted Chakraborty into the party by handing him a party flag.

No new taxes in Gujarat budget, health outlay up marginally Taking a cue from the Union budget, the Gujarat government refrained from announcing any new taxes or revising existing levies in the state budget for 2021-22.

Due to this, large number of people benefiting from the Aatmanirbhar schemes and small businesses becoming self-reliant again.

Despite the unprecedented focus on the health and healthcare infrastructure following the Covid-19 pandemic, the budget marginally increased the outlay for health and family welfare. “The budget plan size of £22.70 billion for 2021-22 is higher than that of 2020-21,” said deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, who presented the £58.78 million surplus in the state assembly. The budget size, however, shows a rise of just 4.48% over the £21.72 billion size of the previous budget.

“The budget endeavours to ensure that the state’s development is not hampered by the pandemic,” he said. No new major project or noteworthy scheme was announced.

Health budget gets just 0.7% more Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the state government’s health infrastructure and the extraordinary rise in health spending over the past one year, the state government chose not to affect a significant hike in budgetary allocation for the health and family welfare department.

Compared to a budgetary provision of

£1.12 billion in the 2020-21 budget, Nitin Patel announced a budgetary allocation of £1.13 billion for the year 2021-22, a meagre rise of £8 million. This comes down to a mere 0.7% hike. Interestingly, in the previous budget year (2019-20), the state government had hiked the budget by 4%.

Sabarmati Ashram makeover For the first time in its budget, the state government has made an allocation £5 million under the tourism department for the overall development of Sabarmati Ashram and its development as a place of national eminence. The state government in the budget stated, “It is proposed for overall development of Sabarmati Ashram as a place of national eminence. For this purpose, an amount of £5 million would be required during the year 2021-22.

Statue of Unity gets £65.2 mn The Statue of Unity (SoU) built to honour Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, has got another booster dose of £65.2 million in the state budget outlay. The allocation has been made for ongoing and upcoming projects under the Statue of Unity Area Development Project. The state government has announced a provision of £31.5 million for making available qualitative modern facilities to the tourists visiting Gujarat.

‘Banglar Chele’ to counter ‘Banglar Meye’ While addressing the gathering at Brigade Parade Ground, Modi referred to Chakraborty as “Banglar Chele” (Bengal’s Son) – an apparent counter to TMC’s ‘Bangla Nijer Meye ke Chai' (Bengal wants its own daughter) slogan which refers to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as Bengal’s daughter.

Reports about the party’s attempts to get former Indian cricket team captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on board have been doing the rounds for a while, but the former cricketer is believed to have told his close circle that he does not wish to join politics. In an interview with media, Ganguly revealed that he will take life as it comes. “We’ll see where life goes. We’ll see

Mithun Chakraborty

what happens,” he said.

No doubt, he enjoys massive popularity in Kolkata for obvious reasons. Ganguly said “I am fortunate to get that much attention. I don’t seek for it. I just go about my job. I just lead a normal life in this city [Kolkata], I meet people, I talk to them, spend time with them. That’s my nature. That’s the way I am,” he further added. Ganguly made his priorities loud and clear. And this is not the first time he did that. Yet, politi-

cal leaders refuse to give up, hoping that the Bengal icon might take a last-minute move and join the politics.

The BJP also made efforts to reach out to Bengali film industry icon Prosenjit Chatterjee. On January 23, Chatterjee had also attended the Prime Minister’s event at Victoria Memorial on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. However, he too denied having any political ambitions.

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Sasikala quits politics before Tamil Nadu elections CHENNAI: VK Sasikala, former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's close aide and the expelled chief of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), announced her retirement from public life and politics. Sasikala, who was released from jail in January, was widely expected to contest the upcoming assembly elections.

Sasikala said in a statement, "I have never been after power or position even when Jaya (J Jayalalithaa) was alive. Won't do that after she is dead. (I am) quitting politics but I pray that her party wins, and her legacy goes on." Sasikala - who spent four years in a Bengaluru jail on corruption charges - said.

VK Sasikala

Sasikala said in the statement, "I urge supporters of AIADMK to all work together and defeat the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the primary opposition)." She added, "I urge the party cadre to work to keep her legacy going."

After Jayalalithaa's demise in December 2016, Sasikala had

stepped in as AIADMK chief.

However, she was sentenced to a fouryear jail term for corruption.

Before being jailed, she had picked Edappadi K Palaniswami to take over as CM. However, Palaniswami colluded with O Panneerselvam, removing her from the post and the party.

A month after her release, she filed an application in a court against Chennai Palaniswami and Panneerselvam to stake a claim for the AIADMK top post.

Her return had stirred the AIADMK, which never quite

recovered from the power vacuum after the demise of Jayalalithaa, who was lovingly known as 'Amma' (mother).

Tamil Nadu Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6 across 88,936 polling stations. The term of 234-seat state Legislative Assembly ends on May 24, 2021.

While Sasikala’s seemingly shocking decision is expected to help the ruling AIADMK, it has come as a jolt to her nephew TTV Dhinakaran, whose party Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) is contesting this election. It has also come as a shocker for DMK which was expecting votes to split between AMMK and AIADMK.

PUNJAB

Punjab Assembly passes resolution against farm laws CHANDIGARH: The Punjab assembly last week passed a resolution asking for the unconditional withdrawal of the farm laws in the interest of the farmers and Punjab, and to continue with the existing system of MSP-based government procurement of foodgrains.

As he spoke on the resolution in the Assembly, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh asked 10 questions from the nation with an aim to expose the true intent of the Centre behind the legislations, which he said were unacceptable to the farmers and the state under any circumstances.

“Who benefits from completely unregulated private mandis? Who benefits when farmers are debarred from approaching civil courts for any dispute related to an agreement signed with the corporates?” asked the CM posing his 10

questions to the nation.

He also appealed to the Union government to withdraw all cases and notices against the agitating farmers to build a congenial environment for an amicable solution.

The resolution, which was later passed in the absence of AAP and SAD MLAs, expressed the angst of the members against the “inconsiderate and unresponsive attitude” of the Union government, which has aggravated the situation and enhanced unrest and anguish amongst the farmers.

Replying to the Governor’s address, the chief minister also lashed out at BJP leadership for terming the protesting farmers as anti-nationals. Farmers and farm workers of Punjab “are as patriotic and nationalistic as those who gave their lives for the country in Galwan valley last year to protect India’s integrity and sovereignty”, the CM said. His remarks were

targeted at Haryana Agriculture Minister JP Dalal, who had said that those who died at Delhi borders during the ongoing agitation would have died anyway at home too.

Amarinder pointed out that despite 11 rounds of discussions, the Centre was unmoved and unconcerned about the protests of the farmers across the country, and had not taken any positive step to meet their demands. He demanded an

unconditional apology from Dalal for his “insensitive conduct.”

Earlier, the members of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) created uproar in the assembly when the chief minister was replying to the Governor's address. Singh then lashed out at SAD, saying both Sukhbir Badal and Harsimrat Badal brazenly cheated the people of Punjab with their double-speak on the farm laws.

WEST BENGAL

Mamata faces ex-aide Suvendu in Nandigram NEW DELHI: Suvendu Adhikari, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's one-time right hand man who crossed over to the BJP in December, will take on the Trinamool Congress in a do-ordie contest in the state elections that begin later this month, his party announced. Releasing the first list of candidates for the Bengal polls, the BJP pitted its most important acquisition against the two-time Chief Minister as part of its all-out campaign to wrest one of the few states where it has historically had little traction until recently.

The announcement came a day after Mamata said that she will contest from Adhikari's constituency and vacate her existing seat of Bhowanipore in Kolkata in what was seen as a bold statement and acceptance of the challenge flung at her by her former aide. "I will contest from Nandigram as I stick to my words. From Bhowanipore

constituency, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay will be contesting in the upcoming Assembly elections," said the Bengal Chief Minister, announcing candidates for the election starting March 27.

The BJP's announcement incontrovertibly made Nandigram the most important contest of this election, with the Chief Minister taking the fight straight to the BJP and, symbolically, all those who ditched her for the BJP. Nandigram is the stronghold of Suvendu, who had challenged his former mentor to face him in the constituency. Suvendu was virtually the architect of the ouster of the Left from Nandigram in 2007 after a bloody battle over land rights of farmers in the area where the CPM government wanted to set up a chemical hub. Trinamool's sweep in Nandigram in 2007 is one of the key factors that catapulted Mamata to power in 2011.

This week, Suvendu had told the BJP leadership that he was confident of defeating Mamata by "at least 50,000 votes" in Nandigram. But a final decision on Mamata Banerjee & Suvendu Adhikari fielding him against the top Bengal’s film industry, Trinamool face was left to Prime sportsmen, singers, former IPS Minister Narendra Modi, officers, doctors and professors, according to sources. among others. The list includes Responding to her 50 women candidates. announcement, Adhikari flipped “Several existing MLAs, the "outsider" tag used by ministers and party leaders Mamata against the BJP, and could not be given tickets. We paint himself as a "son" of had to come up with a mix-andMidnapore - the region that match of old-timers and young Nandigram falls in. ones. Also, names of those who Mamata also announced the are above 80 have been dropped names of 291 candidates for the because of the Covid-19 294 assembly seats, leaving three pandemic. Some MLAs are seats in the hilly regions of north ailing. We will try to include all Bengal for her “friends”. The list these names in the state declared by Mamata comprises legislative council,” Mamata several new faces including said. actors and directors from West

in brief AIADMK RELEASES 1ST LIST OF NOMINEES The ruling AIADMK released its first list of six candidates for the April 6 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu ahead of arch-rival DMK and pending conclusion of seatsharing with allies, including the BJP. The party's star candidates, chief minister K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam will contest from their respective home constituencies of Edappadi in Salem and Bodinayakanur in Theni districts. The AIADMK allotted 23 seats to ally PMK days ago, before DMK finalised seat-sharing with Indian Union Muslim League, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. The ruling party, however, is yet to conclude the seatsharing exercise with BJP and others. The IUML and MMK were allotted three and two seats respectively by the DMK and it gave six segments to the VCK.

CUSTOMS LINKS KERALA CM TO GOLD SCAM The Customs informed the Kerala HC that Swapna Suresh - key accused in gold and currency smuggling through diplomatic channel - had revealed the role of CM Pinarayi Vijayan, speaker P Sreeramakrishnan and three cabinet ministers in the smuggling racket on November 25 last year. Sumit Kumar, commissioner of Customs (Preventive), submitted a statement in this regard in response to a petition filed by the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services challenging a lower court’s order for granting effective protection to Swapna on her complaint of receiving a death threat in jail against revealing names of high-profile persons.

PUNJAB FINANCE MINISTER OPENS PURSE STRINGS Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal presented the state budget with an outlay of £ 16.80 billion for the financial year 2021-22 in the state assembly. Badal tabled the last budget of the Amarinder Singh-led government. The assembly elections are due early next year. In the budget the government increased old-age pension to Rs 1,500 and free travel for women in govt buses. Govt has also proposed to waive farm loans of 113,000 farmers. The government has also decided to set up 2 new medical colleges, 8 maternal and child health wings, free bus travel for govt college students and £10 million allotted for smartphones for class 12 students. The minister also announced an increase in the amount under the Shagun scheme from Rs 21,000 to Rs 51,000.

EX-TMC MP DINESH TRIVEDI JOINS BJP Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi, who dramatically quit Rajya Sabha last month claiming he was feeling “suffocated” over “violence in the state”, joined the BJP)in the presence of party’s national president J P Nadda and Union minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi. Welcoming Trivedi to the party, Nadda said the Bengal leader now belongs to the right party.

“Former TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi was a right person in a wrong party, now he is in the right party,” Nadda said. Reacting to the development, the Trinamool Congress described the Trivedi as “ungrateful” who has “betrayed” the people of West Bengal.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “For so many years, he did not say anything against the party. Now, just before Assembly polls, he has made complaints about the party. He is ungrateful and has betrayed people of the state.”

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Centre hands over SUV explosives case to NIA The Union home ministry ordered a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the recovery of explosives from an SUV parked near the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.

The decision sparked a fresh row between the Centre and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, with CM Uddhav Thackeray smelling “something fishy” and state home minister Anil Deshmukh terming the move “wrong.”

Deshmukh said while the NIA had taken over the explosives case, the case pertaining to the death of Thane resident Mansukh Hiran (48), who had claimed the car belonged to him, will continue to be probed by the Anti-Terror Squad. Thackeray said the ATS was looking into the matter “but despite that, if the Centre hands it over to NIA, it would mean something is fishy. We won’t give up till we expose it.”

The NIA said it is in the process of re-registering the explosives case that was till now being probed by ATS. The NIA is empowered by the NIA Act to probe cases related to explosives and IED/bomb blasts as the Explosive Substances Act is part of the NIA ‘schedule of offences.’

For this, consent of the state government concerned is not needed. All that is required is an MHA order entrusting the case to the NIA. Mumbai police were initially looking at the explosives angle while Mumbra police had

registered an accidental death report after Hiran’s body was found in a Thane creek last Friday. The ATS took over the explosives probe after opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis made charges against assistant inspector Sachin Waze on the floor of the Assembly on Friday.

After Hiran’s family said they suspected foul play, the ATS on Sunday took over that case as well and turned it into a murder investigation. A letter purportedly written by Hiran claiming harassment by the police has also surfaced.

Deshmukh said on Monday, “The state home department has received a communication from MHA on the probe into recovery of explosives having been entrusted to NIA. In our opinion, this was a wrong decision particularly when state lawenforcing agencies were moving in the right direction. Mumbai police are highly competent and professional. But since the case has been given to NIA, we will cooperate with the Central agency.”

The Explosive Substances Act was added to the NIA Schedule in 2019 through an amendment to the NIA Act. Recently, the NIA took up a case related to a blast in Murshidabad, West Bengal, in which state minister Jakir Hossain was injured. Soon after the Shiv Sena-led government assumed office, NIA had taken over the Elgar Parishad case about a Maoist conspiracy against the

government. At the time, the MVA government had not objected to NIA taking over the investigation.

An NIA official said the agency, as of now, was only entrusted with the case relating to recovery of the explosives laden car outside the Ambanis’ residence Antilia. “The Mansukh Hiran case is not mentioned in

into the SUV case will lead us to in the future.

Indian industry welcomes Sunak’s budget, plan for new special visa Indian industry widely welcomed UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget, which the Indian-origin minister dubbed as paving the way for an “investment-led recovery” of a pandemic-hit economy. Besides the measures put in place to help businesses with grants and loans, the minister’s announcement of consultations related to the visa regime were also hailed as a step in the right direction by both the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

“I’m launching two wide-ranging consultations today: to make sure our research and development tax reliefs and our Enterprise Management Incentives are internationally competitive,” Sunak said in his budget speech to the House of Commons “A new unsponsored points-based visa to attract the best and most promising international talent in science, research and tech. New, improved visa processes for scale-ups and entrepreneurs; and radically simplified bureaucracy for high skilled visa applications,” he said, adding that his mission is to make the UK the “best place in the world for high growth, innovative companies”.

Baroness Usha Prashar, Chairperson of the FICCI UK Council, said the move would help attract talent from countries like India. “FICCI UK Council

Birthday wishes to Bollywood singer Padmashri Anandji Happy birthday wishes to one of the living legends of Hindi film music Anandji Veerji Shah on his 88th birthday.

Versatile composer Anandji (of the legendary Bollywood singer duo Kalyanji-Anandji) just turned 88, but he is as active and enthusiastic as a 28-yearold. After a couple of movies as solo music directors, they both joined to form the Kalyanji- Anandji duo. Their first musical hit was for 'Naagin' movie in 1954.

Anandji was born on 2 March 1933, in Kundrodi, Kutch in the state of Gujarat.

Like his ‘late’ elder genius-composer brother Kalyanjibhai, multi-talented music-savvy Anandji is also known for his sense of philanthropy and witty humor. Anandji started his career as a musician, with a new electronic instrument called the clavioline which had the music by Hemant Kumar. When big music directors like S. D. Burman, Hemant Kumar, Madan Mohan, Naushad, Shankar-Jaikishan, and O.P. Nayyar were leading the Hindi film music world it was very tough to make a place amongst them. They still managed to attain success.

The legendary composers jointly composed music for more than 250 films. The duo delivered as many as 17 golden jubilee hits in addition to 29 silver jubilee hits. They have been nominated several times for the Best Music Award and they won it for their astonishing music in the film 'Kora Kaagaz.' The legendary pair was also given National

the MHA order. We cannot say at this point what our investigation

welcomes the Budget from the Chancellor Rishi Sunak; in the short-term, it will protect the economy and kickstart recovery,” said Prashar.

“The significant announcement of a 700 million pounds support for the UK’s arts, culture, and sporting institutions as they reopen will ensure support to the sector. The launching of a consultation of a ‘new, unsponsored, points-based visa’ to attract international talent in science, research and tech’ is a welcome announcement,” she said.

Among the other highlights for FICCI UK is the announcement of at least 15 billion pounds in green bonds and world’s first sovereign green savings bond for retail investors. And, the creation of the first-ever UK Infrastructure Bank and eight new freeports are seen as having the potential to support trade between India and the UK. CII was equally cautious about the proposed tax hike set for high-profit companies in the future, but overall welcomed the incentives put in place for businesses ahead of that. “While steep hikes in Corporation Tax face businesses from 2023, it is welcome that the government has sought to boost investment through a new super-deduction; this scheme should cover the digital economy as well as plant and machinery,” said Lakshmi Kaul, CII Head and Representative for the UK.

An unforgettable tribute to the heroic poet Narmad Jyotsna Shah

Anandji Veerji Shah

award for their composition for the film 'Saraswati Chanda.' Among the vast ocean of melodious compositions, their songs like “Chahe Dur Ho, Chahe Paas Ho,” “Dum Dum Diga Diga,” “Govinda Aala Re Aala,” “Mere Desh Ki Dharti Sona Ugle Ugle Hire Moti,” were arguably the best and are still remembered.

Anandji is married to Shantaben Shah and the couple is blessed with two sons and two daughters. On behalf of entire Gujarati community, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar wishes you happiest birthday and may the upcoming years bring lot of happiness and success in your life.

On 26 February 2021, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar organized a virtual programme to pay tribute to a brave poet Narmad on his 135th death anniversary. Gujarat Samachar’s columnist and renowned Radio Anchor, Mr. Tushar Joshi hosted the beautiful event. The keynote speakers for the event were Retd IAS officer Mr. Bhagyesh Jha, a renowned poet, speaker and actor, along with Surat -based Yaminiben Vyas, a well known poetess, writer, actress and Secretary of the Narmad Sahitya Sabha. The tuneful singing of Narmad's poems by wellknown singer Maya Deepak and her group made the event more melodious.

Jyotsna Shah, Consulting Editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar welcomed the guests and viewers.

Yaminiben started her speech by reciting the verses of famous poet Bhagwati Kumar Sharma. She said, Narmad, born in Surat, was a Gujarati poet, orator, lexicographer and reformer.

During his prolific career, he introduced many literary forms in Gujarati. He faced economic struggles but proved himself as a dedicated reformer, speaking vehemently against religious and social orthodoxy.

After studying in Bombay, he stopped serving as a teacher to live by writing. He

started a bi-weekly newsletter called Dandiyo. Today, Narmad’s house has been restored and converted into a museum.

Mr. Bhagyesh Jha, thanked C.B. Patel and Jyotsnaben for the wonderful thought of celebrating the 135th death anniversary of Narmad and remembering him for his contribution in the field of Gujarati Literature. He recalled the Narmagadya, Narmakavita, Narmakathakosh, Narmakosh dictionary.

His 'Mari Hakikat', is the first autobiography in Gujarati, which was published posthumously. When we listen to”Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat” we feel very proud of our state and our language. Mr. C.B. Patel thanked the special guests Tushar Joshi, Yamini Vyas and Bhagyesh Jha for their august presence.

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Dissent against the govt not sedition: Supreme Court Emphasising that citizen cannot be prosecuted just for expressing their opinion against the government and its policies; the Supreme Court said expressing views which are not in conformity with a government policy is not sedition. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hemant Gupta dismissed a PIL seeking prosecution of former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah for the offence of sedition for expressing views against the decision of the Centre to scrap special status given to the erstwhile state under Article 370.

“Dissent cannot be termed sedition,” held the bench. “The expression of a view which is a dissent from a decision taken by the central government itself cannot be said to be seditious.” As the petitioner pleaded the court to pass an order disqualifying Abdullah from Parliament for making “anti-national and seditious” statements against the country by opposing scrapping of Article 370, the bench got enraged and said penal action should be taken against the petitioner for filing a frivolous petition.

Appearing for the petitioner,

advocate Shiv Sagar Tiwari contended that Abdullah made grave errors in making statements against the country by saying that he will get restored Article 370 which was passed

by Parliament and he must be punished for sedition. He also alleged that the politician also made a statement in which he had said that help from China should be taken to restore Article 370.

“The statement of Farooq Abdullah is anti-national and seditious. If such acts are not controlled by the government, then other people like the ‘tukde tukde’ gang having anti-national thoughts will provoke anti-national activities, destroying the peace of the country," the petition said. The bench asked the petitioner to produce the alleged statement of Abdullah but the petitioner failed to do so and instead pointed out a BJP spokesperson's statement quoting Abdullah.

“Where is that statement? You have even mentioned in your petition the clarification given on his that he was statement misrepresented. Are you aware that the issue (on scrapping of Article 370)

is pending in this court? We must penalise people for filing such petitions for publicity,” the bench said. The court thereafter imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 and asked the petitioner to deposit the amount in advocates’ welfare fund.

“There is nothing in the statement which we find so offensive as to give a cause of action for a court to initiate proceedings. Not only that, the petitioners have nothing to do with the subject matter and this is clearly a case of publicity interest litigation for the petitioners only to get their names in press. We must discourage such endeavours," the court said.

The court's order on dissent not amounting to sedition assumes significance in view of the allegations of misuse of the stringent provision.

Section 124A of IPC, which talks about sedition, has been invoked frequently in recent times by police against people and activists, including Disha Ravi and actress Kangana Ranaut, for expressing their opinion or making statements on social networking sites against government.

Tikait’s formula to strengthen farmers stir With the farmers’ protest completing its 100 days at Delhi's borders on Saturday last, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait has appealed to the farmers to follow the formula ‘1V-1T-15M-10D’ one village, one tractor, 15 men for 10 days - to strengthen the movement.

BKU has directed its cadre in every district to implement the plan with one of its senior members saying the formula will help farmers to continue the protest for years.

Tikait's formula would also ensure a large number of farmers to participate in the stir and then return to their villages for farming, BKU leader Dharmendra Malik said. Malik claimed that leaders of farmers' groups are constantly urging the government for renewal of the stalled talks, but the government is not interested. "It seems the government wants to prolong the farmers'

Rakesh Tikait

agitation and tire them out," he added.

BKU’s state president Rajveer Singh Jadoun said, “Rakesh Tikait has come up with a formula to strengthen and continue the movement. As part of this formula, 15 people from every village should stay at the protest venue for10 days and then the next lot of 15 should replace them. The first lot of protesters can return home and tend to the fields. The formula will

enable farmers to continue the protest for several years."

BKU Agra district president Rajveer Lawaniya said, “Kisan panchayats are being held in different parts of the district to chalk out plans to implement the formula."

So far, 11 rounds of talks between the government and farmers' unions have remained inconclusive. "Let us also see till when does the government keep testing us," Malik said.

Tikait has been stating in 'kisan mahapanchayats' that if the Centre does not repeal the contentious new agri laws, farmers will bring in 40,00,000 tractors to Delhi and lay siege to the Parliament complex.

“Harvest your crops and keep your tractors ready. Call for a ‘Delhi march’ can be given anytime now,” Tikait had said at a 'mahapanchayat' in Agra on February 24.

Gujarati motel owner couple shot in US, wife dies A husband-wife duo from Bharthana locality adjoining Surat city were shot at in their motel in Elkton town of Maryland, the US, leaving the 59-yearold woman dead.

The deceased was identified as Usha Patel while her husband Dilip, 59, suffered bullet wounds in the lower torso.

His condition is said to be critical but stable in a private hospital. Usha was shot in the chest by the assailant and she died on the spot. Relatives of the couple in Bharthana said that Dilip has not been informed about Usha’s death considering his medical condition.

Local police detained a Delaware resident Hakeem M Evans from a nearby area. Investigators also recovered the CCTV footage of the motel in which the suspect is seen present at the scene of crime. He had rented a room and some dispute over the rent is suspected to be the trigger behind the attack.

“Around three rounds were fired at the couple as per the preliminary information. Dilipbhai is still in hospital and critical,” said Sarju Patel, a distant relative of the couple who lives in Bharthana. Usha, who was originally from Vyara in Tapi district, got married to Dilip around 40 years ago and they shifted to the US 20 years ago. The couple is survived by two sons Keyur and Kevin. “Their sons work with the couple at the motel,” Sarju said. After shifting to the US, Dilip and Usha did private jobs and gradually saved money to build their own motel.

Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat resigns Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Tuesday submitted his resignation to Governor Baby Rani Maurya amid political drama in the state. Rawat reached the Raj Bhawan in Dehradun amid speculation that the BJP top leadership has asked him to step down, reportedly over "poor performance" and several BJP MLAs being "unhappy" with his style of functioning.

After submitting his resignation, Rawat told the media that he was thankful to the BJP for giving him the "golden opportunity" to serve the state for four years. "The BJP gave me the golden opportunity to serve as CM for four years. I was born in a small village. Only BJP gives so much respect and opportunity to someone who belongs to a simple family from a small village," Rawat said.

"It was a unanimous decision that now I should pass on the baton to someone else. I want to thanks the people of the state for giving me the chance to serve," he said. Rawat told the media that the BJP legislature party will meet on Wednesday at the party headquarters. All BJP MLAs will be present, he said. Commenting on the resignation, former CM and Congress leader Harish Rawat said that the day's political developments were evidence that the BJP will not be able to come back to power.

No LAC pullback until disengagement in all areas: India Continued from page - 1 As before, India emphasised that “progress in the bilateral relationship” would happen only when there was peace on the border.

After the first round of disengagement on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, which saw the creation of a ‘buffer’ zone which would not be patrolled, talks between the two sides to negotiate a disengagement in Dogra-Hot Springs appear to be going nowhere. The last meeting of the military commanders led to a stalemate of sorts. Ultimately, India wants to restore its patrolling rights in the Depsang plains where Chinese troops have prevented Indians from going up to Patrolling Points10 to13.

Srivastava said foreign minister S Jaishankar, in his conversation with his counterpart Wang Yi, “had emphasised that with the completion of disengagement in the Pangong Lake area, the two sides should now move quickly to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in eastern Ladakh”. “A prolongation of the existing situation is not in the interest of either side,” Srivastava added.

Another WMCC meeting between the two sides has not yet happened as a followup to the senior commanders’ meeting. “The senior commanders in their last meeting (on February 20) had noted that the disengagement in Pangong Lake area was a significant step forward and it provided a good basis for resolution of other remaining issues along the LAC in the western sector,” Srivastava said.

China blames India for tension Meanwhile, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Sunday reiterated Beijing’s position that the border issue was not the “whole story” of the bilateral relationship and the two countries need to create “enabling conditions” to resolve the dispute and move on. Reiterating that India and China were partners and not rivals, Wang again blamed India for the border flare-up last year and called for the countries to manage disputes properly.

Responding to a query on ties with India, Wang claimed the “rights and wrongs” of what happened at the border were clear and “so are the stakes involved”, suggesting the two sides move on. In his recent interaction

with Wang, Jaishankar had, however, made the point that ties could not be reset as long as there were tensions on the border caused by aggressive Chinese actions.

“The two sides need to help each other to succeed instead of undercutting each other.

We should intensify cooperation instead of harbouring suspicion,” Wang said.

“We are committed to settling the boundary dispute through dialogue. At the same time, we are resolved to safeguard our sovereign rights,” he added, as he refrained from making any direct comment on disengagement and de-escalation efforts in eastern Ladakh. In his remarks, Wang said the world expected China and India to safeguard the common interests of the developing countries and advance multipolarity in the world. “On many important issues, our positions are the same or close due to similar national realities, therefore China and India are each other’s friends and partners, not threats or rivals,” he said.

Wang said it was the responsibility of both sides to solidify the existing consensus, strengthen dialogue and communication

and improve the various management mechanisms to jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

Obituary Sewa Ram Mittal Mr Sewa Ram Mittal (25-6-32 to 16-2-21) passed away on 162-2021 due to heart failure.

He is survived by his wife, one son and three daughters who are all married. Also ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He was Area Librarian in South London. He loved serving the community, reading, advisory work and to organise poetry sessions. He was Secretary of Asian Centre Brixton and later on was Social Secretary of Radha Krishna Temple in Stratford.

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Maha Shivaratri: Why do we celebrate, significance and rituals Shivaratri is not observed only once in a year, rather it falls on every month of the year on different dates and it is called Masik Shivaratri. But there is only one Maha Shivaratri, which falls in late winter just before the arrival of spring, which marks the Maha Shivaratri or “the Great Night of Shiva” in the month of February or March. The festival of Maha Shivaratri 2021 will be celebrated on Thursday, 11 March.

Maha Shivaratri Shivratri means ‘night of Shiva’ and Maha means great in Sanskrit. The Maha Shivratri is the grand and great night of Shiva. It is primarily a Hindu religious festival and is celebrated by Hindus in India, Nepal, Indonesia and Hindus residents across the world. Unlike most other Hindu festivals which are celebrated during the day, the Maha Shivaratri is celebrated at night. While Hindu festivals which include expression of cultural revelry, the Maha Shivaratri is a solemn event notable for its inward focus, fasting, a meditation on Shiva, self-reflection, social harmony and an all-night vigil at Shiva temples.

About Lord Shiva In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is regarded as the representation of the Supreme Being. He is known as the third element in the Hindu Trinity of Supreme God (Trimurti), the other two members being Lord Brahma – the creator and Lord Vishnu – the protector. Shiva is the destructive form of the Almighty.

As the cycle of creation, destruction, and recreation is always in a circle, Shiva’s primary responsibility is maintaining the life cycle. Theologists say, that its the Shiva’s Mahakaal Roop (Destroyer Representation) that destroys the world into oblivion, but as Shankara, he also recreates the cosmos from nothingness. His symbol of Lingam or the phallus represents his power to create.

Lord Shiva Family Parvati is the wife of Lord Shiva. She is the daughter of mountain king Parvat and mother Mena. Parvati is the mother of Hindu deities Ganesha and Kartikeya. Her elder sister is the goddess Ganges. Some communities also believe her to be the adopted sister of Vishnu.

Different other forms of Lord Shiva: Shiva as Ardhanareeswara In this form, Lord Shiva is said to be half man and half woman. In the full figure of Shiva the male and female principles are united. Shiva Linga – the symbol of Lord Shiva which consists of both Lingam (phallus) and yoni (the female organ) represents the totality of his nature and the totality of all created existence.

Statue depicting Shiva Natraj form Lord Shiva is shown either in meditating or a dancing form where his dance is to the beat and rhythm of creation.

He is also shown in sculptures with many hands. One pair of hands, for example, represents the balance between life and death.

Trinetra – Neel Kantha Shiva is also shown as ‘tri netra’ or three-eyed, and is ‘neela kantha’ – blue-necked. Besides, there are a lot of many attributes associated with Lord Shiva.

Brief description of some of the important symbols that depict Lord Shiva: Unclad body covered with ashes This form of Lord Shiva depicts that Lord Shiva’s presence is much higher than this Physical and material appearance. According to some scholars, Shiva’s body smeared with cemetery ash points to the philosophy of life and death and the fact that death is the ultimate reality of life.

Why is Maha Shivaratri Celebrated There are many legends and no single legend can conclusively establish the exact reason of this tradition of celebration of Maha Shivaratri.

Some of the most important legends are listed below Lord Shiva saving the earth from destruction After the Earth was faced with imminent destruction, Goddess Parvati pledged with Lord Shiva to save the world. She started praying till Lord Shiva was pleased with her devotion agreed to save the world with a condition that the people of the planet earth will have to worship him with dedication and passion. It is from that day onward, the night came to be known as Maha Shivratri and p e o p l e began

climbed onto the nearest tree for shelter till day-break.

Perched amongst the branches, he was afraid he would doze and fall off the tree. To stay awake, he decided to pluck a leaf at a time from the tree and drop it, while chanting the name of Shiva. At dawn, he realized that he had dropped a thousand leaves onto a Linga to keep himself awake, the tribal plucked one leaf at a time from the tree and dropped it below which he had not seen in the dark. The tree happened to be a wood apple or bel tree.

This unwitting all-night worship pleased Shiva, by whose grace the tribal was rewarded with divine bliss. This story is also recited on Maha Shivaratri by devotees on fast. After observing the all-night fast, devotees eat the Prasad offered to Shiva. There is another possible reason for the origin of the all-night worship. Being a moonless night, people worshiped the god who wears the crescent moon as an adornment in his hair, Shiva. This was probably to ensure that the moon rose the next night. Immediately after Maha Shivaratri, almost like a miracle, the trees are full of flowers as if to announce that after winter, the fertility of the earth has been rejuvenated.

And this perhaps is the reason why the Linga is worshipped throughout India as a symbol of fertility.

The festivities differ in various parts of India. In southern Karnataka, for example, children are allowed to get into all kinds of mischief and asking for punishment is the rule of the day, probably originating from the mythological incident of Shiva punishing Brahma for lying.

TheVishvanatha Temple at Kashi in Varanasi celebrates the Linga (symbolic of the pillar of light) and the manifestation of Shiva as the light of supreme wisdom.

The Puja Rituals and Significance Bathing the Linga with water, milk, and honey, and Wood apple or bel leaves added to it, representing purification of the soul; The vermilion paste applied on the linga after bathing it, representing virtue; An offering of fruits, which is conducive to longevity and gratification of desires; Burning incense, yielding wealth; The lighting of the lamp which is conducive to the attainment of knowledge; And betel leaves marking satisfaction with worldly pleasures.

These six items, till today, form an indispensable part of Mahashivaratri, whether a simple ceremony at home or grand temple worship. By offering water, hugging the Linga, lighting the Diya and incense, and ringing the temple bells, devotees call to protect the world from annihilation.

Maha Shivaratri is thus not only a ritual but also a cosmic definition of the Hindu universe. It dispels ignorance, emanates the light of knowledge, makes one aware of the universe, ushers in the spring after the cold and dry winter, and invokes the supreme power to take cognizance of the beings that were created by him.

worshiping Shiva with full devotion.

Yogic Tradition and Mount Kailash Ascetics believe it is the day he became one with ‘Mount Kailash’ a mountain frozen in time for eternity. In the yogic tradition, Shiva is not worshiped as a God, but considered as the Adi- Guru (First Spiritual Teacher), a Guru from whom the knowledge itself had originated. After many millennia in meditation, one day Lord Shiva became absolutely still. That day is celebrated as Maha Shivratri. Ascetics see Maha Shivratri as the night of stillness.

Lord Shiva drinking poison during Samudra Manthan During the ‘Samudra Manthan‘(churning of the ocean) an event according to Indian ancient text Puranas, a pot of poison emerged from the ocean. This terrified the Gods and demons as the poison was capable of destroying the entire world, and they ran to Shiva for help. To save the world from its evil effects, Shiva drank the deathly poison but held it in his throat instead of swallowing it. This made his throat turn blue, and he was given the name Neelakantha, the bluethroated one. Shivaratri is the celebration of this event in which Shiva saved the world.

Brahma and Vishnu Battle According to another legend in the Shiva Purana, once the other two of the triads of Hindu Gods, Brahma, and Vishnu, were fighting over who was the superior of the two. Horrified at the intensity of the battle, the other gods asked Shiva to intervene. To make them realize the futility of their fight, Shiva assumed the form of a huge column of fire in between Brahma and Vishnu. Awestruck by its magnitude, they decided to find one end each to establish supremacy over the other. Brahma assumed the form of a swan and went upwards and Vishnu as Varaha went into the earth.

But light has no limit and though they searched for thousands of miles, neither could find the end. On his journey upwards, Brahma came across a Ketaki flower wafting down slowly. When asked where she had come from, the Ketaki replied that she had been placed at the top of the fiery column as an offering. Unable to find the uppermost limit, Brahma decided to end his search and take the flower as a witness.

At this, the angry Shiva revealed his true form.

“Asian Voice”, “Gujarat He punished Brahma for telling a lie, and Samachar” and Brighton cursed him that no one would ever pray to Gujarati Cultural Society (GCS), him. The Ketaki flower too was banned and NCGO jointly organized a from being used as an offering for any virtual event on zoom applicaworship, as she had testified falsely. tion under the banner of Since it was on the 14th day in the “Sanskarvahini” on 28 February dark half of the month of Phalguna that Brijraj Gadhvi 2021, Sunday between 3pm and Shiva first manifested himself in the 5pm. Brijraj Gadhvi and Rajubhai form of a Linga, the day is especially Gohil from Bhavnagar studio auspicious and is celebrated as Maha presented melodious songs and Shivaratri. Worshipping Shiva on this won the hearts of the audience. day is believed to bestow one with As Dhirubhai Gadhvi from happiness and prosperity.

Brighton, Anantbhai Suchak and How is Maha Shivaratri Mahendrabhai Chauhan of the celebrated Raju Gohil technician team started the virMaha Shivaratri is alltual event, viewers spanning night worship. The from America and Canada participated in the event. legend associated with Dhirubhai Gadhvi started the event by welcoming everyone and a story where a poor introduced Vimaljibhai Odedra, president of the National Council of tribal man who was Gujarati Organization. The editor/publisher of Asian Voice and Gujarat great devotee of Samachar Mr C.B. Patel continuously inspires us to arrange proShiva went deep grammes under the banner of “Sanskarvahini” which entertains our into the forest to well-wishers.

Managing Editor of Gujarat Samachar, Kokilaben Patel said, we are collect firewood. organizing various entertainment programmes under the banner of However, he lost Sanskarvahini from the second week of January. Viewers from different his way and could parts of the world are actively participating in the event. Britain will be not return home celebrating Mother’s Day on 14 March, to commemorate, Asian Voice before nightfall. and Gujarat Samachar has arranged the virtual event “Matruvandana”.

As darkness fell, Well-known singers from Ahmedabad will present songs of Rafi, he heard the Mukesh, Kumar Sanu, and Lata Mangeshkar. growls of wild Rajubhai Gohil from Bhavnagar’s studio sang popular bhajans, a n i m a l s . movie songs, and folklore. Brijraj Gadhvi, son of renowned singer from Terrified, he Bhavnagar, Late Shri Ishardan Gadhvi, performed songs of Maa Jagdamba and Maa Bhavani and received a huge applause.

Huge applause for Sanskarvahini

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Fall in Light: A Mother's Story Shefali Saxena Meera Dalal, 25, took her own life after suffering physical and emotional abuse at the hands of an ex-boyfriend in 2016. Her mother Daksha Dalal has written a book that explores what happened to her daughter, and sheds light on domestic violence, psychological abuse, depression, loss, and suicide awareness.

The book is coauthored with human rights advocate and domestic abuse campaigner Saurav Dutt. ‘Fall in Light: A Mother's Story’ was released on International Day. Part Women's proceeds will go towards organisations that provide education around suicide prevention and mental wellbeing.

In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, Daksha Dalal and Saurav Dutt shed some light on this initiative to publish the story of Ms Dalal.

Here are few excerpts: What is the most important advice you'd like to give to families and girls?

Daksha: I wouldn't want anyone to be in the position I am in. The first and foremost advice I'd like to give is to please ask for help. Whether that is from friends and family or trained professionals. There are lots of organisations you can contact, such as Women's Aid and Refuge. You are never alone.

Can you please emphasise further for our readers, as to why we need to be more open to talking about mental health?

Daksha: There is a very

Dalal Family

famous saying that "a problem shared is a problem halved". The only way we can identify mental health concerns and get appropriate help is to openly talk about the issues. There is so much help out there but you or your family must reach out if there is a concern. We need to talk about our issues openly and put a mirror up against our flaws as a community. Forget about the stigma, we cannot and must not let another mother, father, sister, brother or friend go through the heartbreak of losing someone for fear of "what society would think".

In public perception, most abusers are often men. Do you think we are raising our boys and men right?

Daksha: Domestic violence does not discriminate between gender and men and women can be the abuser as well as the abused. There are bad apples in all societies and cultures. I do think that in the Asian culture, men are typically expected to suppress their feelings and to have that tough "macho man"

image. Men that are taught to have that attitude in life don't like it when they lose control but also tend to have a higher resistance to seek help and talk about their feelings. This can lead to mental health issues and domestic violence concerns. We should be teaching our boys to talk about their feelings and actively teaching gender equality and love and respect for each other. I don't think we as a society talk enough about our feelings for fear of stigma and familial pressures.

Saurav Dutt

As a human rights advocate and domestic abuse campaigner, and most imperatively - being a man, what is your immediate perspective or approach towards liaising with mothers like Mrs Dalal who want to spread awareness?

Saurav: I felt a sense of enablement and empowerment in providing the comfort, the security, and in promoting a sense of strength in Mrs Dalal. If Mrs Dalal’s efforts mean that someone else out there feels courageous enough to share their story and to help others then that was exactly what we were looking for. As a man of course it’s vital to be the conduit by which a strong woman can find the words and the meaning behind all that pain; my job is as a messenger and to convince

Mrs Dalal that together we could stay the course and that there really was a larger mission beyond this book.

As someone who has chronicled accounts of over 200 domestic abuse survivors, at which step do you think women need to be helped?

Saurav: Have strength. Seek support from agencies near you, confide in family members.

Create a safety plan and get out.

Ensure the police are contacted and please follow through with your complaints. Go to court.

Stand strong. Request a restraining order. This time is going to be one of the most trying times you will endure.

This time is also about you and only you. You need to look after yourself, eat well and remain as healthy as possible. Once you're out - don't go back. It gets worse each time.

What according to you, we as a community need to practice, to be able to help our women who may be under emotional turmoil due to domestic abuse?

Saurav: As a community we must take it seriously in all its forms, particularly the psychological side that can impact mental wellness to the point that an individual, like Meera, takes their own life. It is astonishing that Mrs Dalal was criticised by a minority for bringing these issues to light, as if she was somehow shaming her family and community. There are times where we also have to think less like parents and more like the police, think in terms of evidence gathering, be prepared for our brainwashed children to hate us as we protect their life and liberty.

Let’s go wedding shopping!

With the UK wedding industry worth £10b a year and the UK Asian wedding industry within that estimated to be half of that figure, Asian weddings are big business in the UK. They are also hugely important to Asian families and communities and with that ‘wedding shopping’ is a big deal, and usually, also a grand family affair.

Ami Rabheru of The Retail Business Hub told Asian Voice that with the roadmap to weddings announced, couples are wanting to get going with their plans and of course shopping. But with non-essential retail not set to open until at least 12th April, wedding shopping has been a rather difficult task for couples and families.

The Pop-Up Bazaar founded by Ami Rabheru, founder of Indian fashion brand

Designer Studio London and SME retail business consultancy The Retail Business Hub was started as a knee-jerk reaction to lockdown in April 2020 to help small businesses remain visible and help customers discover new brands and products they will love to shop!

The Pop Up Bazaar hosted a wedding special virtual pop up event catering to the south Asian community in the UK in February end on 27th and 28th. Ami shared

her perspective on Asian weddings in the time of Corona and said, “After the initial shock of lockdown and the forced closure of non-essential retail, I decided to bring together some of my fellow industry business buddies to start a virtual pop up shop! I curated a selection of makers, designers, retailers and boutiques all under one virtual roof to create an innovative shopping experience and create that important connection with brands and customers. Something which started on social media has now grown to hosting the events on a purpose built platform at www.popupbazaar.co.uk.”

She further added, “Niche marketplaces

in brief GEN Z WANTS MILLENNIALS TO STOP USING THESE EMOJIS If you’re a millennial, the following list of things is now absolutely mundane and out of vogue! The “cry laughing” emoji is now a deeply uncool symbol of old age, side parting is so yesterday; Gen Z prefers the “skull emoji” and middle parting in 2021.

They also want millennials to shut up about Harry Potter and don’t want to read in your Instagram bio that you are a potter. You need to watch your memes and update your abbreviations. Don’t act lazy in writing “great” as “gr8” and use “W” for “win”. More bad news for people who love skinny jeans.

They’re gone, gone with the wind. Gen Z doesn’t want to join Twitter or Facebook because their parents and elders might be on these social media platforms. They only want TikTok, so either keep up with the times or don’t make an account there to embarrass yourself, is what Gen Z thinks.

The latest generation hates paragraphs, so you may want to stick to bullet points. Also, good luck with aubergines, we meant, the emojis, not the plant. Gen Z will hurl abuses at you if you “still” use it as a symbol for sex in text messages. If you belong to Gen X or Y and are shocked to read this right now, please have a glass of water and pay more attention to the Gen Z kid in the house.

TOUQEER BUTT ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF DEBUT SINGLE “EK HI TO DIL” ‘Ek hi to Dil’, comes straight from the heartstrings of Touqeer Butt, an up-andcoming British-Asian artist on the horizon.

Having signed with Zee Music company, his song first debuted on their official YouTube channel on 6th January 2021.With 154k views in the six weeks since it was released, it seems like the listeners agree with Touqeer’s sentiments. The opening notes are immediately inviting and beautiful in their simplicity. The listener gets an immediate sense of familiarity, knowing that they too must have felt the same emotions at some point in their lives. Touqeer Butt is a British Asian musical artist who debuted his first single ‘Ek Hi To Dil’ on 6th Jan, 2021 and was signed with Zee Music, India. have become ever popular for customers who are looking to break away from the big commercial online giants and shop in a more curated environment. The platform enables the customers to connect with the brands and their founders and discover their products and services whilst building those B2C relationships. We are thrilled to be the only virtual events platform supporting independent product businesses for the South Asian Market in the UK. The pop up bazaar has created a collaborative community not only with the businesses participating but also with customers wanting to support and buy from small businesses in the UK.”

What happened a 100 years ago, is still relevant in 2021 The Nehru Centre, The High Commission of India, London launched Sunday Times bestselling author, Shrabani Basu’s latest book, The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer on March 3. Basu was in conversation with Shashi Tharoor, Ex-Minister of State, MP Thiruvananthapuram and former UN Secretary General.

The event was preceded over

by Indian singer, actress,television personality, mindfulness speaker and Penguin Author, Raageshwari Loomba, along with Nehru Centre Director Amish Tripathi.

In the village of Great Wyrley

near Birmingham, someone is mutilating horses. Someone is also sending threatening letters to the vicarage, where the vicar, Shahpur Edalji, is a Parsi convert to Christianity and the first Indian to have a parish in England. His son George – quiet, socially awkward and the only boy at school with

distinctly Indian features – grows up into a successful barrister, till he is improbably linked to and then prosecuted for the above crimes in a case that left many convinced that justice hadn't been served.When he is released early, his conviction still hangs over him.

Having lost faith in the police and the legal system, George Edalji turns to the one man he believes can clear his name – the one whose novels he spent his time reading in prison, the creator of the world's greatest detective. When he writes to Arthur Conan Doyle asking him to meet, Conan Doyle agrees. The

idea of writing the book came to Basu in 2015 when she visited the auction of letters written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Speaking about racism in the context of the book, Basu said, “Even now, there is so much prejudice in the system...Now in the pandemic who is likely to be stopped and searched? It is the Black, Asian and Ethnic minorities.” She further added that now we have hate mails and internet trolls.

Basu also told Tharoor that because of George Edalji, British law of justice had to be changed and they actually started a court of

appeal, previous to that convicted criminals had nowhere to go. “It is George Edalji’s legacy that we have the appeals court for criminal cases,” she added. Furthering the talk on racism, Tharoor also added that in those days, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to his father from Harrow about racial injustice in Britain. Shashi Tharoor asked Basu to explain what makes this book relevant in 2021, to which she said, “With Black Lives Matter, we exploded last year and we then saw how serious this culture was. This happened a 100 years ago, but my goodness it is still relevant now.”

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Priyanka announces new Indian restaurant in New York

After successful stints in Hollywood, actress Priyanka Chopra has entered the culinary industry with SONA – a New York-based restaurant serving Indian cuisine. She took to Instagram to announce the project which is set to open later this month.

She wrote, “I'm thrilled to present to you SONA, a new restaurant in NYC that I poured my love for Indian food into. SONA is the very embodiment of timeless India and the flavours I grew up with. The kitchen is helmed by the incredible Chef @harinayak, a masterful talent, who has created the most delicious and innovative menu, taking you on a food journey through my amazing country. SONA is opening later this month, and I can't wait to see you there! This endeavour would not have been possible without the leadership of my friends Maneesh Goyal and David Rabin. Thank you to our designer Melissa Bowers and the rest of the team for realizing this vision so clearly.”

Flashes necklace from sister-in-law Priyanka was in London for the shooting for her next project, “Citadel'. She was recently spotted on a walk in the city with mother Madhu Chopra. Pictures of the two enjoying some quiet time together have appeared online. While Priyanka was seen in a white shirt and pyjamas, paired with an oversize cream trench coat, her mother wore a long winter jacket.

Priyanka's locket is from her sister-in-law, jewellery designer Danielle Jonas' collection.

Danielle is the wife of Nick Jonas' elder brother, Kevin Jonas. Earlier this week, Priyanka had shared a selfie in the same ensemble. She had captioned it, "That fit tho.. #sundayfunday."

Priyanka has been in London for over a month due to her shoot schedules and the lockdown, continues to remain connected with husband Nick, who is in the US. She had recently conducted an Instagram live with her fans in which she later stepped out of her vanity van, wearing Nick's green jacket.

Aamir only has eyes Far cry from gender equality, for Ellie Avram in first says Bhumi Pednekar look of 'Koi Jaane Na' Actor Bhumi Pednekar stressed on the responsibilities of being a woman, on International Women's Day. All for celebrating women and their achievements, she adds. “We have come a long way but even now, women have not been able to achieve equality they deserve. Generations have fought for the kind of freedom and independence we have today and we have to do the same for our future generations.”

She stresses that the measure of a woman's empowerment is subjective. “If I talk about myself, I feel empowered as I was born in a liberated family.

But when I step out into the world, I realise I am very privileged. There are women who even today don't have any basic needs and rights catered to, from health to sanitation, education or even basic respect.

Overall, we are a far cry from being equal to the opposite sex.”

Pednekar elaborates, “There is a major gender disparity. And so, every day, through our actions and conversations, we should make sure to inch closer to an equal world. Even in your ecosystem or your house, you have to keep hammering the thought of

equality and keep putting it out there constantly.”

She believes that too much is expected from women at times.

“It's not that, we can't live up to it as women are emotionally superior than men and have more tolerance than them. We can give birth and that is a super power but a lot that is expected is also unreal.”

The actress says she is conscious and deliberate about her choices. “As a person, most of my communication is about empowering my gender and I am ruthless about it. So, as an actor, when I have the means to reach out to so many people, I will use it. I consciously choose women who are here to prove a point and have an opinion, as sometimes, strong women might not have an opinion.”

Pednekar has starred in several women-oriented movies, like 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha', 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha', and 'Saand Ki Aankh'.

Rajkummar Rao does not want to be trapped in a certain image The first look of actors Aamir Khan and Elli Avram from their song 'Har Funn Maula', from the film 'Koi Jaane Na' has been unveiled. Elli took to Instagram to share the picture featuring Aamir standing behind her in a blue blazer. She captioned the photo, “He's the Jack of all trades, she's the Queen of the dance floor. Get ready to meet them on 10th of March.”

Several Bollywood figures took to the comments section of the post to congratulate Elli. The movie is directed by Aamir's friend and filmmaker Amin Hajee. In an interview, choreographer Bosco Gonsalves praised Aamir's dedication.

He said, “He (Aamir) is not known for dancing, but surprisingly for this song, which is all about groove and style, he delivered fabulously. He is very dedicated and keeps giving shots with variations for us to choose from. We have just put insertions like a close-up to enhance the song. Fans will get to witness Aamir Khan in a never-seen-before dance avatar.”

On the work front. Aamir will be next seen in 'Laal Singh Chaddha', the official remake of Hollywood classic 'Forrest Gump'. The movie is slated for a Christmas release this year. Meanwhile, 'Koi Jaane Na' will be released on March 26.

National award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao wants to stay away from the comfort zone of playing a certain character on screen. In a recent interview, he said even though his attempt is to play regular, relatable men, he avoids getting “trapped” in a certain image.

“There are times when I try and be conscious that I can't repeat certain gestures and avoid that. I know it might work beautifully for the audience and perhaps even the scene, but I restrain myself. I don't want to get into the rut of doing the same thing, repeatedly. I don't want to be trapped.” Rao said he prefers to dive deep into brainstorming sessions with his directors.

He said the depth of the character decides the amount of time he dedicates to the preparation of any role. However, when it comes to comedy, a forte he has mastered without an ounce of doubt, his process is more “organic”.

“When you do a comedy, it's spontaneous, you

can't force it. It's about being there and having fun with your lines. I don't plan anything when it comes to comedies. The trick is to surrender.” On the work front, Rao is set to make a comeback to the horror-comedy universe, with 'Roohi', a film from the 'Stree' franchise. The film features him as a man in love with a woman who is apparently a witch. Rao said he had to work hard to differentiate his character from the previous hit film.

“When producer Dinesh Vijan suggested that we do a horrorcomedy, I was thrilled. I knew I had to play these two wild characters unlike anything. At some point, Vicky (Rao’s character in 'Stree') and Bhawra will meet in one film. That was exciting because I’d be playing a double role. I had to play Bhawra remarkably differently than Vicky, from his looks to the way he speaks.” Helmed by Hardik Mehta, 'Roohi' also stars Jahnvi Kapoor and Varun Sharma. It is slated to be released on March 11.

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Janhvi reveals the important life lesson she got from mom Sridevi Actor Janhvi Kapoor, who recently celebrated her birthday, spoke about the most valuable lesson she learned from her parents, the late actor Sridevi and film producer Boney Kapoor. In an interview, she said that she and her sister Khushi have been taught to be kind regardless of the situation.

“I think the one thing that my parents have taught me which I'll always follow, no matter what the circumstance, is to be nice to people. I think Mom and Pappa are very dignified people and very respectful of others. One thing that I respect about them is that they've never encouraged jealousy or frustration and always taught

us to be happy for other people.”

She continued, “They've taught us to keep our heads down and concentrate on our work. You know, more often than not, you're presented with an opportunity where you either succumb to your ego or take the higher road and I've always seen them take the high road. That's something that I really value that they've inculcated in me and Khushi.”

On the work front, the actor was most recently seen in 'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl'. She will soon be seen in the horror-comedy 'Roohi', and after that, will star opposite Kartik Aaryan in 'Dostana 2'.

7th anniversary of 'Queen', Kangana says never anticipated success

On the 7th anniversary of her breakthrough movie 'Queen', actor Kangana Ranaut said she never anticipated it would go on to be such a big success. In fact, she only did the movie “for money”. Directed by Vikas Bahl, 2014 release 'Queen' made over £20 million worldwide.

In a series of tweets, Kangana said, “After almost a decade long struggle I was told I am too good an actor to be a Bollywood leading lady, curly hair and vulnerable voice made it worse, I signed Queen thinking this will never release, signed it for money with that money I went to film school in New York.” She added, “In New York I studied screenwriting, directed a small film in California at the age of 24 which gave me a breakthrough in Hollywood, after seeing my work a big agency hired me as a director, I buried all my acting ambitions, did not have the courage to return to India.”

She revealed that she was looking forward to working in the US, and had even bought a house in Los Angeles. However, “Queen released, changed my life and Indian cinema forever marked the birth of a new leading lady and woman centric parallel cinema.”

“Queen is not just a film for me, it was an explosion of everything I ever deserved was kept away from me for 10 long years, everything came all at ones, it was overwhelming, I truly believe what is ours no one can take away hang in their you will get your due.” Her performance in the movie as a young woman who loses her inhibitions after a failed relationship went on to win her a National Film Award for Best Actress. Kangana has earlier spoken about how her career in Bollywood was almost over before the film.

Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee Pannu unfazed by IT raids Actor Taapsee Pannu and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap were in for a rude shock this week, when the Income Tax raided entities connected to them, and Kashyap's partners from the now-shutdown Phantom Films on March 3. The search was reportedly carried out across 30 locations in Mumbai and Pune.

Kashyap mocked his “haters” in a post on Instagram over the weekend, when he broke his silence ever since the raids began. Sharing a photo alongside Pannu, Kashyap said it is back to work for both of them. “And we restart #DoBaaraa .. with all our love to all the haters ...” The post came just hours after Taapsee responded to the IT raids.

She wrote, “3 days of intense search of 3 things primarily. 1. The keys of the “alleged” bungalow that I apparently

own in Paris. Because summer holidays are around the corner. 2. The “alleged” receipt worth 5 crores to frame n keep for future pitching coz I've been

refused that money before 3. My memory of the 2013 raid that happened with me according to our honourable finance minister.

Genre: Comedy Duration: 110 minutes Streaming on: Amazon Prime

Coming 2 America Coming 2 America is a follow on from the original film back in 1988. Prince Akeem's father, The King, is dying and tells Akeem he knows that Akeem has a son living in America and he should bring him to Zamunda.

Prince Akeem played by Eddie Murphy is happily married to Lisa and they have three daughters. 30 years on he is set to become King soon, as his father is very ill, but the heir to the throne should be a male and unfortunately for Akeem he only has daughters.

That is until he finds out that on a night in Queens he was drugged by a lady thanks to Semmi and bore a child that he has no recollection of.

He must now travel to Queens and find his only son and the heir to the throne. Akeem and Semmi travel to America once again and look for Lavelle Junson, after finding him Lavelle refuses to come to Zamunda without his mother Mary and so they all set off along with Lavelle's Uncle Reem.

General Izzi heard about Lavella and still annoyed that Akeem did not marry his sister he arrived with his daughter and asked for Lavelle to marry her.

For Lavelle to take his seat as Prince he must pass a number of tests including snipping the whiskers of a Lion. At first he is reluctant but soon gives in. Lavelle also finds he is in love with one of the maids and after overhearing a conversation between his father and General Izzi he leaves and returns to Queens. Akeem goes after him and after consoling him they all return to Zamunda.

Coming 2 America is just as funny as the original film and will have you in stitches throughout the film. Eddie Murphy is brilliant as King Akeem just as he was as the Prince in the original film. It does lack some of the great characteristics the first film had and still has some of those cringe worthy moments but it is definitely worth the watch and it is awesome that even during a pandemic we are able to stream this film at home.

You can get in touch with Vallisa: djvallisa@gmail.com

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50 days of 'Master', Malavika Mohanan cherishes memories Actor Malavika Mohanan's latest Tamil release 'Master' has completed 50 days of theatrical run. In an Instagram post, she said the movie has given her so many cherished memories which she will carry for the rest of her life. She wrote, “Master. A film which has given me

so much. A chance to work with icons, some amazing lifelong friends, and so many cherished memories that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Malavika was seen playing a college professor in Lokesh Kanagaraj's 'Master'. It was the

biggest Tamil film to release in theatres around Sankranti this year.

On the work front, Malavika will be next seen opposite Dhanush in a yet-untitled Tamil film, which is currently dubbed 'D 43'. Bankrolled

by Sathya Jyothi films, it also stars Smruti Venkat and Samuthirakani.

Dulquer stopped by cops for driving on wrong side of the road Actor Dulquer Salmaan was recently caught on camera travelling on the wrong side of the road in Alappuzha. In an Instagram video, which has now gone viral, Dulquer could be seen travelling in his luxurious Porsche, waiting for the signal to turn green. However, the problem was that he was in the way of oncoming traffic.

The social media user who posted the video said that the star was on the wrong side of the road by mistake. He added that it is a newly built bypass road and the mistake happened due to the actor's lack of familiarity with the highway. The user also said that the cop gave correct directions to the star to help him to return to the correct side.

On the work front, Dulquer awaits the release of his ambitious film 'Kurup'. He is also shooting for an untitled project, which will be helmed

by Rosshan Andrrews.

TV Listing

Living with my character is a complicated thing: Mohanlal Currently basking in the success of his Jeethu Joseph-directed 'Drishyam 2', ace actor Mohanlal says he is a “free man” even though all the characters he played over the years remain close to his heart. Which is why, reprising the role of Georgekutty was exciting for the actor.

“It was a great feeling to go back to the same house and family, though some things have changed as children are now in college.

Georgekutty still has a turmoil raging within him.” 'Drishyam 2' was released on Amazon Prime Video recently and has been lauded by film critics and the actor's fans alike. The original 'Drishyam's success had raised the audience’s expectations from its sequel, with several even suggesting possible storylines.

'Drishyam 2' was initially planned to be launched in theatres. However, when the makers

found cineplexes weren't ready yet, they chose to release it digitally. “When the entire film industry came to a standstill due to the pandemic, we thought of making a sequel to draw the audience. 'Drishyam' was viewed all over the world. We want everyone to watch this film too. This is a platform where we can get maximum viewership.”

When asked about the film's Hindi remake, Mohanlal said, “Let 'Drishyam 2' be made in all languages.

If people want to watch Kamal Haasan or Ajay Devgn in 'Drishyam 2'. they should have the choice.” Producer Kumar Mangat has reportedly bought the rights of 'Drishyam 2's Hindi remake. On the work front, Mohanlal's much-anticipated historical 'Marakkar' is all set to release. The actor's directorial debut 'Barroz' is also delayed due to the pandemic.

Upasana joins husband Ram Charan on the sets of 'Acharya' Upasana Konidela has landed in Rajahmundry to join her husband Ram Charan on the sets of upcoming Telugu film 'Acharya'.

Photos of her from the airport went viral on social media. She is expected to stay with Ram Charan until the completion of the latest schedule of the movie.

Charan joined the sets of

'Acharya' last month. He will share screen space with his father Chiranjeevi in a fulllength role for the first time. On the work front, he will be next seen in SS Rajamouli's upcoming film 'RRR', which also stars Jr NTR, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt and Samuthirakani in key roles.

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 15 MAR FRI 19 MAR 2021 14:30 NRI HAADSA 16:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 19:00 UDAARIYAAN 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 SHAKTI

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 15 MAR FRI 19 MAR 2021 8:30 BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN 13:30 RSWC Highlights - SL vs ENG 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18:00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18:30 DIL KA RISHTA 19:00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20:00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20:30 BARRISTER BABU 21:00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE

20:30 MOLKKI 21:00 PINJARA KHUBSOORTI KA 21:30 BAWARA DIL 22:00 NAMAK ISSK KA SATURDAY 13 MAR 18:30 DESI BEAT RESET 19:00 UDAARIYAAN 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 NAAGIN (SEASON 5) 21:00 BEST OF DESI BEAT 21:30 DANCE DEEWANE 3 SUNDAY 14 MAR 20:00 NAAGIN (SEASON 5) 21:00 BEST OF DESI BEAT 21:30 DANCE DEEWANE 3

SATURDAY 13 MAR 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 13:30 RSWC Highlights - SEMI FINALS 2 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 DESI BEAT SEASON 3 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20:00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20:30 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE 21:00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE SUNDAY 14 MAR 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 DESI BEAT SEASON 3 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20:00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20:30 DESI BEAT RESET 21:00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE

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India thrash England; qualify for WTC final India defeated England by an innings and 25 runs in the fourth and final Test to win the four-match series 3-1 and seal a place in the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship. Rishabh Pant (101) and Washington Sundar (96 not out) set up the huge win for India after the hosts had bowled the visitors out for 205 in their first innings.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel picked up five-wicket hauls in the second innings to help India bundle England out for 135.

India started Day 3 at 294 for seven, and Axar Patel along with Sundar continued to score freely in the first hour on Saturday. The duo put on 106 runs for the eighth wicket before a mix-up in the middle ended Axar's stay. He was run out on 43. Ben Stokes then cleaned up Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Siraj inside four

deliveries to leave Sundar stranded on 96 as England took the last three wickets in five deliveries to bowl India out for 365.

Stokes was the pick of the bowlers for England as he returned with figures of four for 89. He was ably supported by James Anderson who took three for 44 but their spinners disappointed on a surface that offered some turn and bounce.

In the second essay, the hosts came out to bowl with a healthy lead of 160.

England negotiated the last few minutes before lunch without losing any wickets but Ravichandran Ashwin picked up two wickets in two balls to rock the visitors in the post-lunch session. Axar Patel soon joined in the action and removed Dom Sibley and Ben Stokes in quick succession. Joe Root was looking good during his short stay in the middle but he

in brief CHESS PLAYER KONERU HUMPY IS BBC INDIAN SPORTSWOMAN

misjudged a length delivery from Ashwin and was trapped in front of the stumps.

Coach Ravi Shastri heaped generous praise on his team and said the eventual score-line did justice to how India have played Test cricket over the last couple of years, also adding how the entire Indian camp would now look forward to the WTC final.

It’s been an arduous journey for this team and the coaching and support staff, staying inside biobubbles without any contact with the outside world for close to three-and-half-months and facing serious challenges on and off the field.

“These are tough times.

We’ve not seen anything like this since the second world war.

They’ve overcome all challenges to be here and achieve this. It’s

been simply magnificent,” Shastri said. To bring about their series performances to a perfect culmination of sorts, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel - both bowlers having got to England’s nerves the last two weeks – walked away with five wickets each in the second innings. Ashwin, in the process, recording his 30th five-wicket haul.

Pant for his brilliant, gamechanging century and some remarkable wicketkeeping, and Ashwin for his 32 wickets and 189 runs, were named the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series.Both teams will now shift their focus to the shortest format of the game as they will play five Twenty20 Internationals at the same venue, starting March 12.

WTC final moved from Lord's to Southampton India will play their inaugural World Test Championship final against New Zealand at Southampton's Ageas Bowl Stadium from June 18-22, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly confirmed. Initially, the final was supposed to be held at the Lord's but Southampton, with a five-star facility inside the stadium, will make it easier for both the ICC and the England and Wales Cricket Board to create a bio-bubble for the two teams. "Yes, the final will be held at Ageas Bowl," Ganguly replied to a query.

India qualified for the marquee clash after beating England 3-1 in a just-concluded Test series. The BCCI president, who has been on a medical break after undergoing a bypass surgery, is expected to travel to UK to watch the final match.

Southampton, with its slowish

track, puts India on even keel with New Zealand as spinners will come into the game at the venue.

"I will go for the World Test Championship and hopefully we can get past New Zealand in the final. New Zealand will be there before us and they will play a couple of Test matches (against England)," Ganguly said. He lavished praise on the team for its superlative performance in the away series against Australia and home games against England.

Was it a massive achievement? "Oh yes, specially after what players have gone through to be in those bubbles and play cricket day in and day out. It was remarkable. Right from IPL till now. What they have achieved is fantastic," he said.

"I think we must

congratulate Ajinkya Rahane, first in Australia and Virat Kohli in England, the head coach, support staff, everybody.

(Rahul) Dravid who does a lot of work behind the scenes with these boys. To see that day in Brisbane was outstanding," he said. Ganguly believes that Rishabh Pant is a match winner in the mould of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"I have seen him for past two years and I have belief in match-winners. A player, who on his day will win you games.

Pant is one such guy," Ganguly said. "Sydney Test, if he had been there for six more overs, he would have won us that game too. He is like Dhoni, Sehwag and Yuvraj, who can win matches alone," said the former India captain.

He was mighty impressed

with Pant's game sense during his under pressure hundred at Motera. "...and look at how he played in Ahmedabad. His game sense while facing the second new ball against James Anderson, who has bowled well in the series. He counterattacked and changed it."

He also lauded National Cricket Academy head Rahul Dravid, whose behind the scenes work has helped in creating a solid bench strength.

"That's why I say Dravid has done a great job. Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur did so well in Australia and we won the final Test without Jasprit Bumrah," Ganguly said.

On his health, he said that it was a "small blemish" but he is back to work now. He will be in Ahmedabad to watch the second and third T20 Internationals. "

Neeraj rewrites national record; Hima races without competitors India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra returned to competitive action with a bang, bettering his own national record by one centimeter with an 88.07-metre throw at the Indian Grand Prix 3 in Patiala last week. His previous record was 88.06m set at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

Another Olympic-bound javelin thrower, Shivpal Singh of Uttar Pradesh, came second with a best throw of 81.63m, while Sahil Silwal, representing Haryana, was third with a best effort of 80.65m. This is the first

time that three Indian javelin throwers breached the 80m mark in the same competition.

Neeraj started with an effort of 83.03m before having two foul throws. After a fourth throw of 83.36m, the 23-year-old sent the javelin to 88.07m. His final throw was 82.24m.

There was a crosswind blowing which was creating problems for me, but my body responded really well,” Neeraj said. “In some of the throws, I felt I had really given it my all, but the result didn’t reflect my effort. The throw that created

the national record was all about correct technique.

My attempt Neeraj Chopra and Hima Das was to be event, but no one else won a technically flawless. It felt very silver or bronze! The reason: smooth.” This was Neeraj’s first Hima was the lone participant in competitive tournament since the race. Primarily due to the booking his berth for the Tokyo Covid pandemic, only two Olympics with an 87.86m throw athletes had sent their entries to in January last year at an event in the AFI. One was Hima and the South Africa. other Amrit Kaur from Punjab.

Hima Das wins gold, no one Amrit was there in the start list, gets silver or bronze! but she backed out at the last India’s top athlete Hima Das moment. won gold in the 100m sprint

Indian chess player Koneru Humpy has won the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award for 2020, following a public vote. The 33-year-old beat sprinter Dutee Chand, airgun shooter Manu Bhaker, wrestler Vinesh Phogat and India hockey captain Rani Rampal to the award. Humpy is the World Rapid Chess champion having won the title in December 2019 after a two-year maternity break. In 2020, she won the Cairns Cup, an elite-level tournament for the top female players. "Being an indoor game, chess doesn't get as much attention as sports like cricket gets in India.

But with this award, I hope the game will draw people's attention," she said after winning the honour. Born in Andhra Pradesh, Humpy was identified as a chess prodigy at an early age by her father. She lived up to the reputation by becoming the youngest grandmaster, aged 15, in 2002 - the record was broken by China's Hou Yifan in 2008. She received the Arjuna Award, one of India's top sporting honours, in 2003, and India's fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Shri, in 2007. The BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year initiative was launched in 2019 to celebrate female achievements in sport and highlight the issues and challenges faced by women and girls in India.

SIX CITIES TO HOST IPL FROM APRIL 9 The BCCI-led Indian Premier League (IPL) announced the operations and tournament schedule for the 2021 edition of the tournament to be played in India. Six cities - Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Ahmedabad - will host the 60 matches of the tournament this season with Ahmedabad hosting the three playoffs and the final. The tournament will begin on April 9 and conclude on May 30. Chennai will host the opening game between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The BCCI, in trying to bring in some neutrality - considering there won’t be matches played in Hyderabad, Jaipur and Mohali - has decided that none of the franchises will play at their respective home venues. The BCCI hasn’t confirmed that fans will be allowed for the tournament. However, it is learnt that a call on whether to allow fans at a later stage in the tournament will be taken.

“Each team is set to play at four venues during the league stage. Out of the 56 league matches, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata & Bengaluru will host 10 matches each while Ahmedabad and Delhi will host eight matches each. All teams will play at four out of the six venues during the league stage,” the BCCI said in a statement.

VINESH WINS GOLD, GETS BACK NUMBER ONE RANK Living up to the expectations, star Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat grabbed the 53kg gold medal along with world number one rank while Bajrang Punia booked his spot in the final of the men’s 65kg event at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event. It was second gold medal for Vinesh in as many weeks with a dominant win as the 26-year-old blanked Canada’s Diana Mary Helen Weicker 4-0 in the title clash.

ZIMBABWE TROUNCE AFGHANISTAN A century from skipper Sean Williams coupled with destructive pace bowling from Blessing Muzarabani and Victor Nyauchi led Zimbabwe to a rapid 10-wicket win over Afghanistan inside two days in the first Test in Abu Dhabi last week. Brief scores: Afghanistan 131 & 135 (Ibrahim Zadran 76; Muzarabani 2-14, Nyauchi 3-30, Tripinao 3-23) lost to Zimbabwe 250 (S. Williams 105, Sikandar Raza 43, R. Chakabva 44; Hamza 6-75, Zahir 2-81) & 17-0.