The Royal Court Theatre announces ‘Word-Play’

T h e Ro yal C o u rt T h eat re h a s ann o u nc ed Rab i ah Hussain's new play, WordP l ay , d i re ct ed b y Ni m m o Ism ail Issam Al Ghussain, K osar Ali, Simon M anyonda, S i r in e S aba , a nd Y u sr a Warsama hav e been selected t o b ri ng th i s ca p ti v at in g p rod uction to life

W o r d - P l a y d e l v e s i n t o the hierarchical structures of language and the profound and enduring impacts t h e y h a v e T h i s t h o u g h tp r o v o k i n g p l a y e x a m i n e s h o w l a n g u a g e i n f l u e n c e s and shapes our lives, revealing the intricate dynamics at play

Rabiah Hussain had the o p p o r t u n i t y t o d e v e l o p W o r d - P l a y d u r i n g h e r attachment as part of the R o y a l C o u r t T h e a t r e a n d Kudos Writing Fellowship in 2019 This valuable exper i e n c e p r o v i d e d a f e r t i l e ground for the play's creation and allowed Hussain to further explore and refine her ideas

The play is scheduled to r u n a t t h e R o y a l C o u r t J e r w o o d T h e a t r e U p s t a i r s from Thursday, July 20 to Saturday, August 26, 2023, with the press night taking place on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at 7pm

Indian author wins Elizabeth Longford Prize

Indian auth or Ram ch andra

G uh a rec eiv ed the pres tig io u s El i za bet h L o n g f o rd P r i ze fo r H i st o ri ca l Biog raphy 2023 , co inciding w it h th e p ri ze 's 2 0 th anniv ersary Guh a m ad e a statem ent em phasising that the debate su rround ing th e m eri ts and d r aw b ac ks o f emp ire d oes not hav e to be d ivisiv e or co ntentiou s H i s a w a r d - w i n n i n g b o o k , “ R e b e l s a g a i n s t t h e R a j : W e s t e r n F i g h t e r s f o r

India's Freedom” (published by William Collins), delves into the remarkable tale of s e v e n w h i t e i n d i v i d u a l s , consisting of four men and three women These individuals faced severe consequences at the hands of the ruling British establishment

Mo’s new single “I Don't Mind” featuring Mutya Buena from the Sugababes was released on the 7th of July In a conversation with Asian Voice, he talks about his music career, accomplishments and his upcoming single

How did your musical journey begin and how has it evolved over the years?

Living in a multicultural environment, I started learning at a very young age and had a chance to experience music from all over the world My father saw my interest in music and being a composer himself, he bought me a Sequencer Keyboard at the age of 9 I gradually got really good at it, to the point where I once started an impromptu music night at a restaurant

By the time I was 11, I was sequencing music and used to save the projects on small Floppy Disks After a bit of research about the technological aspects, I bugged my dad for a year before I finally got a computer powerful enough to make music Since then I have travelled the world, learned to play more instruments, worked with very talented artists and became a full-time music producer/artist ing to vocals while A R Rahman taught me how to make everything sound huge while still sounding pleasing More recently Sonu Nigam and Arijit Singh are all inspirations to my music I try to mix all the different genres together by bringing the South Asian Roots and merging them with our UK style!

How have your South Asian roots helped your art? Are there any Indian singers who served as an inspiration?

What are some challenges that you’ve faced as a South Asian artist in the UK?

I don't think there are any challenges being South Asian I believe if you are good at what you do, especially in music it doesn t matter where you re from or what your roots are, The world will appreciate you and your talents I have seen this first hand while growing up listening to Apache Indian who became one of the biggest South Asian artists internationally recognised Not forgetting Jay Sean and Raghav! All of these artists have carved their way into the world by being the best and I feel this is what it takes

What genre of music do you prefer listening to? How do your listening choices affect your music composition?

'Nai Jeena' and it was released on VYRL which is a subsidiary of Universal Music India They liked my music and got in touch with me Amaal gave his input on the song and introduced me to Kunaal Verma, who wrote an amazing hook and collectively we agreed we should get a male and a female

S o u r c e T w t t e r

Being South Asian has played a massive part in my development I am proud of our heritage and how we have so many different genres Indian music has a massive influence on my music

I prefer to listen to every genre of music I grew up listening to R&B, Hip Hop, House and 2step music of course not forgetting Bollywood, Qawwali, Ghazals, folk music All these genres are locked inside my head! I am constantly learning and trying to find innovative ways to merge genres together In my previous song 'Sweet Surrender' that featured the amazing Kelsey, was a UK Garage Vibe with a hook vocal from a very talented Sufi Artist from Pakistan So I'm constantly trying to merge genres and of course trying to bring my South Asian roots into it singer I mixed and mastered the entire record

Can you elaborate on your upcoming track ‘I Don’t Mind’? What is in store for the audience with this track?

Guha for their support of India's struggle for independence Among the seven, four were British, two were American, and one was Irish

In addition to receiving a cheque worth £5,000, the w i n n e r o f t h e E l i z a b e t h

L o n g f o r d P r i z e f o r

H i s t o r i c a l B i o g r a p h y 2 0 2 3 was presented with a bound copy of Elizabeth Longford's a u t o b i o g r a p h y , t i t l e d T h e Pebbled Shore (1986)

Growing up, I was listening to Ghazals, Qawwali, Bollywood music and folk music, and when artists like Timbaland, Just Blaze, Dr Dre and Scott Storch started sampling the Indian forms, I was inspired Asian instruments became an integral part of all my songs to a point where now my sound is defined by some of the amazing unheard South Asian instruments I have used and sampled Nusrat Fateh Ali, Mehdi Hassan, Abida Parveen and Pankaj Udhas taught me how to add feel-

You have collaborated with artists like Asim Azhar, Palak Muchhal and Amaal Malik in the past

How do musical collaborations usually work?

What is the energy mix like?

Working with so many artists, it's all about energy in the studio that can lead to a great song When it comes to working with more established artists who know what they want, it's almost a battle trying to get your ideas heard but working with Asim Azhar, Yash Narvekar, Palak Muchhal, Amaal Malik etc, they invited me for the type of music I do and produce The track is called

My new single 'I Don't Mind' is a collaborative project For this song, I produced the entire beat first before inviting Justin who is my in-house songwriter to the studio Justin loved the vibe and collectively we came up with an awesome hook We then worked on it for a few days perfecting the lyrics and the music so it all merges well together before sending it to the singer In this instance, I sent it to Mutya Buena from the Sugababes who is a very close friend of mine and I felt that her vibe and singing style would be perfect for the song She loved the song, came to the studio and we recorded the track It combines all our musical styles and showcases my production/writing influence with Mutya's amazing vocals and undeniable charisma Our collaboration on the song represents a union of musical powerhouses who have united for the passion for creating memorable and timeless music

Having collaborated with Mutya Buena and Justin Edwards for ‘I Don’t Mind’, what is your favourite aspect about this collaboration?

It easily has to be the time we spent in the studio The vibe was amazing and we were loving every second of it We had incredible energy in the studio when we were producing, writing and recording the song We had laughs, played jokes on each other, had food together and generally just vibed out the entire day! I take studio sessions as vibes and energies I bounce off others as they bounce off me, I like to make people feel comfortable to get the best out of them We spent the first half of the day just talking about what our plans were, how we see the song fit within the industry and how we feel we can push the song once released Mutya and Justin bring so much energy and it shows in the song Can you shed light on an experience that has been the biggest highlight of your career?

The biggest highlight of my career so far has been releasing the music that I have worked so hard to create I want people to hear my story through my music and I feel now is the right time I have worked with some incredibly talented artists from across the world and by taking in the experiences and learning from all the long sessions I've had; I was certain to release my own music which represents me as an artist I have compiled an album of songs that is featuring amazing artists The Album is called ' Ijazat Hai' and it will be released later this year! I cannot wait for it to be released and to showcase my talent as an Artist, producer, songwriter and composer out to the world

Alpesh Patel OBE

T he one th ing we learnt about MP' s 's ecret' u ndisclo sed s hareho ldings (s tory in th e Guardian) is MP s are po or at inves ting Barcl ays a p opu lar pick is down 50% in the pas t decade Maybe if th ey bo ught more - th e c omp any wo uld h ave h ad s ome p olitic al oversight asking wh y its management has let do wn p ens io ners wh o are sh areh olders

And on the issue of BT's potential takeover by the Germans Well the share price is the lowest in over 30 years Consider this too is probably in your pension fund because of the 'genius' investment trust fund managers you entrusted to screw your pension over

Back to those MP stocks: BP was popular - it's at 1997 price levels So was Sainsburys - at 2000 price levels - the level when I wrote in my Financial Times column I am only buying US stocks (Good job I also decided not to be an MP) HSBC was also well liked - great because it's at 1997 price levels! Seriously, I am questioning the judgement of MPs - but that would be a first wouldn't it

There is a reason our Government's allow us to invest tax free in foreign companies via ISAs and SIPPs!

This past week I was in Oxford Let me tell you my journey as a trader and investor: Tracing the Roots of Success from Oxford to Wall Street

The Oxford effect isn't just a theory or an obscure notion to me; it's a lived experience Oxford isn't just a place that expects; it s a place that instills, inculcates, and nurtures

It s a place that hones raw potential into honed intellect and ambition into measured success It's the foundation where I learned the art of critical thinking in scary one to one tutorials with tutors such as David Butler, complex problemsolving, and the ability to assimilate and evaluate diverse streams of information swiftly – skills that are incredibly essential in the world of trading and investing

When I became a Visiting Fellow, all of this was multiplied

When I transitioned into the world of trading and investing, the parallels were apparent The labyrinthine streets of Oxford were replaced with the complex web of the financial markets The stacks of books and research papers turned into the fluctuating trends and patterns of economic data The robust discussions in classrooms found their echoes in the negotiation rooms with investors

The intellectual rigour that Oxford demanded of me became my armour in the often unforgiving world of trading on Wall Street Just like at Oxford, I found myself continually learning and adapting In the financial world, similar to the academic world, there are always new theories to understand, new strategies to deploy, and new challenges to overcome

When in 2005 I held the first hedge fund board meeting off Wall St at our prime brokers, following a meeting with the traders at the NYSE who would be executing our trades, I knew the confidence of the Oxford effect was core to getting here I did not fit in many other ways Chutzpah as they say in the Big Apple

So, as I look at this picture this week back in Oxford, I see the beginning of a journey that led me to where I am todaytrader and investor It all ties back to those formative years, under the spires of the Oxford skyline, where I learned that the only constant is change and that continuous learning and adaptability are the key drivers of success

Ang San Suu Kyi put it well, "Oxford Expects" One cannot feel humbled at best and a total failure at worst

Perhaps this is the Oxford Effect at its core: a relentless pursuit of knowledge, adaptability, and resilience that not only prepares us for academia but also for the broader canvas of life, whether that's on Wall Street or any other endeavor we choose to pursue And it's something I carry with me every day, in every transaction, in every decision, and in every success

(Post script: I was in Oxford with dozens of Pakistani students this past week judging their business plans to make their country better Will write about that separately I am Indian btw - fascinating read My work as a Visiting Fellow w a s p u b l i s h e d i n m y b o o k b y M a c m i l l a n ' I n v e s t i n g Unplugged' you can download it for free from www investing-champions com)