The history of Indian Rupee

Few days ago, one of our long-time friends Dineshbhai Patel (of Sokhda near Vadodra India) came from New Jersey to visit us He brought for us Rupee beer cans brewed and packaged by Dorchester Brewing Company, Boston, MA, USA

I was amazed to see that Rupee was written in English as well as Hindi, and India’s map and the history of the Indian Rupee was printed on it, which we did not know!

There is also a photo of Sultan Sher Shah Suri and underneath written as follows

Sultan Sher Shah Suri was the leader of the revolutionary 16th century Suri Dynasty stretching across present day India After defeating the Mughal Empire, the wealthiest empire of its time, his most notable contribution is attributed as being earliest issue of the modern-day Rupee Today, the Rupee remains the official currency of India and seven other countries around the world

Many of our acquaintances asked for to have empty beer cans to keep as a sovereign and preserve Rupee’s history

Suresh and Bh av na Patel

Can PM save the NHS?

I must admit that since Rishi Sunak took the reign of his hopelessly divided party, the party following into the footsteps of Italy, one of the most politically instable European nations, PM has indeed gained the trust of the nation, laid out plans for economic stability, growth and to increase and improve living standards of the long-suffering British public

In any economy inflation can save or destroy the nation Who can forget the out-of-control inflation in pre-war Germany that brought Hitler to power? It needed a suitcase full of German currency to buy a loaf of bread!

It is indeed a shame that our NHS, once regarded as our crown jewel; has now become a cheap joke, to be plundered by one and all No one cares who gets the treatment, who is entitled and who is an overseas scrounger visiting this nation to obtain free treatment, even heart surgery and cancer treatment while our own patients are waiting, even dying before they get the appointment!

This is in sharp contrast to other EU nations where if you call an ambulance, first thing they ask you is to see your medical insurance certificate They will turn away if you can’t produce one, no matter how ill you may be

Pouring limitless money in NHS’s bottomless coffer is not the answer It needs shake-up from top to bottom, without guilt or apprehension First measure needed is to stop health tourism Some flights landed here are full of pregnant women, known as “Maternity Express ”

The second most important step is to introduce ID (Identity Card) which needed to be shown at every turn and contain full history of the person and can be used t o o p e n b a n k a c c o u n t , a t p o l l i n g s t a t i o n a n d G P surgery, as well as at the hospital No card means you pay upfront for any treatment you may need Our bleeding-heart politicians will never show the courage to take right step for the nation

The third one is for NHS to work in harmony with private sector that can also provide excellent medical treatment For example, if a hip replacement cost NHS £10k, while private cost is £12k, patient can go private paying the difference between NHS and private cost

This will reduce the waiting list and elderly may not have to wait months, even years that may be detrimental to their well-being Then our politicians will call queue jumping, not fair to those who could not afford to pay

Well, we all do not drive Mercedes or Jaguar; some of us have to do with Toyota and Hondas, live in terraced houses rather than detached bungalows! This is called Capitalism where entrepreneur, highly educated professionals will always enjoy better living standard than the rest of the population We tried Socialism but did not work Whatever you may think of Capitalism, there is no meaningful alternative

Bhupe nd ra M Gandhi

Tomato scores 100

With petrol touching Rs 100 and LPG touching Rs 1000 mark in India have found a new friend tomato scoring 100 Rs/kg This reminds us of our very own Indian Udupi hotels, which are kind enough to give extra sambar or chutney free but tomato sauce is chargeable in fast food restaurants Petrol bunks may put up 'tomato price today' along with their petrol and diesel price

Train strikes

Looking at the strikes undertaken by various unions in recent months, it seems that they are taking British people for a ride Whichever government/party comes to power, they will not be able to print money and fulfil the reckless demands of unions

At a time when the cost-of-living crisis is looming high, prices of some of the essential commodities are at the highest level, the interest rates are at the highest level in the last 15 years and the inflation is very high, I think it is right time to consider other productive options Strikes will bring hardships to people who have already been suffering from the various factors mentioned above It is time to think outside the box to fix the problem Whoever or whichever political parties are behind the strike/instigating strikes should keep aside political differences and keep the nation on priority

The agenda should be to boost productivity, how to make Great Britain great again If we do not take corrective actions now, we are making irreparable losses for future generations Strikes are giving negative impressions about the country to the outside world

This is the right time to think and make sure that we keep all the strikes out of the way for at least one year from now So far striking on various days, especially during big events or during the holiday seasons has only created more and more hardships for people but the employees who were on strike did not get any advantage The railways’ employees, teachers and doctors should be reasonable in putting forward their demands The cost of living is affecting everyone, not only some people Unions and collective bargaining powers should be used judiciously

Hitesh Hing u

Tomatoes have become even more costlier than petrol

The price of tomatoes in India has risen to Rs 130 a kilogram in several states of India and has become even more costlier than petrol

Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer They are also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K The government must control inflation and do something to bring down the price of tomatoes and other household ingredients as a relief to the common man

Jubel D'Cruz

Air India Direct flight from London Heathrow to Ahmadabad

When I first learnt from ex-Air India colleagues, about Air India, switching their flights from Heathrow to Gatwick I was shocked and sad

The revenue generated by operating flights from Heathrow was adequate to continue operations These flights were very convenient for passengers from all around London and far with convenient travel from counties

I congratulate you for highlighting and bringing the matter up in both, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar

We fly every year for the last 22 years by Air India from Heathrow and have booked our flights for 20 Nov 2023 on Virgin, flight no VS354 connecting on Indigo flight VS8750 via Bombay as a protest

Shakoo joins me in protesting whilst supporting you and ABPL to chase Air India to bring back their flight operations back to Heathrow for convenience of passengers, some of whom would be old and infirm

Wish you a great success as you did in the past for s t a r t i n g H e a t h r o w - A h m e d a b a d f l i g h t s w h i c h w e r e stopped by ex-Aviation Minister, Praful Patel

Vinoo Vadgama

I strongly appeal to have above flights run from Heathrow instead of Gatwick

It has been most convenient way for all Gujarati pass e n g e r s s i n c e A i r I n d i a s t a r t e d d i r e c t f l i g h t t o Ahmedabad

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar have always raised their voice for general public

Suresh Patel

I would prefer atleast one flight directly from London Heathrow airport to Ahmedabad, as it’s convenient for our elderly and people with health issues, living in London or nearby Heathrow airport

D hiru and Rekha Shah

Kapil D udakia