AV 15th October 2016

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe Price 80p

Vol 45 | Issue 24

UNITE AGAINST TERROR: MODI

CRUCIAL ROLE OF INDIAN-ORIGIN PLAYERS IN WORLD CRICKET P31 15th October to 21st October 2016

"Jay Sri Ram" his voice echoes, and what follows is a deafening cheer in response. Breaking tradition in style, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his presence felt at the Ramlila Maidan in Lucknow's Aishbagh.

Speaking at the Dussehra rally, he said, "We set Ravana on fire every year.

What is the root of this tradition? When we do this, we should be aware that in our own lives and in society too, we will get rid of the faults. We should introspect during Vijayadashmi at the faults that we have done away with over the year."

Keeping 'terrorism' the central theme of his address, Modi said, "If all of us keep our eyes open and pay close attention to the activities of terrorism, they will not succeed in their designs. We see visuals of what terrorism is doing to Syria. It brings tears to one's eyes. It gives us the conviction that there is no guarantee for the safety of humanity without

defeating terrorism."

What not many know is that every year the burning of Ravana's effigy, has a theme.

This year, it was rightfully 'Atankvaad Ka Samool Naash' (Ending of the Root of Terrorism). Without naming neighbour Pakistan, Modi sent a strong message saying, "We will not spare those who shelter terrorists."

"When we burn Ravana, we should remember that humanity can't be saved lest we fight terrorism together. Those who destroy our world are modern-day 'Ravana'. If you think that we are free from terrorism, then you are wrong. It is a virus affecting our society." He also called upon the world to come together against terrorism as it has no boundaries. "If a country of 1.25

46 Church Road, Stanmore, Middlesex, London HA7 4AH

email@travelinstyle.co.uk

Narendra Modi

TM

May to visit India

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

billion keep an eye on every terrorist activity, they will never succeed."

Modi also took the opportunity to talk about women's equality. "Today is the International Day of the Girl Child. We should collectively work towards an India where there is no discrimination based on gender and where girls get all opportunities to shine.

Every year we set Ravana on fire because of what he did to one woman - Sita.

But what we really need to do is burn down the Ravana in our minds, that leads us to kill many girls in their mother's wombs."

He added, "Look at what has happened in the Olympics. It was our daughters who made us proud. This difference in the way we look at our daughters and our sons needs to be done away with."

In a speech that could be as un-political a speech as it could be, the Indian Prime Minister touched topics on terrorism, Continued on page 26

Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to visit India early November, according to sources involved in finalising the details of her first trip to the country as Premier.

Trade is expected to feature high on the agenda during her India visit, and she is expected to hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior ministers.

A Vaz in the Shadow Cabinet

Continued on page 15

The recent Shadow Cabinet reshuffle has witnessed appointment of six BAME members, including two Asian women viz. Valerie Vaz and the new Labour peer, Baroness Shami Chakrabarti.

Other Shadow Ministers from the ethnic minority background include Diane Abbott, appointed as the Shadow Home Secretary, Clive Lewis, the Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Continued on page 7

2

ONE ONE with Keith Vaz, MP

Asian Voice 15th October 2016

www.asian-voice.com

to

Jiva Odedra, MBA, CEng

Jiva Odedra was born in Uganda and spent his childhood in India. He came to England in 1980 and learnt English language. Subsequently, he went to Nottingham Trent University to study BEng in Electrical Engineering; holds MBA from Bradford University; and is a Chartered Engineer.

Currently, Jiva works as Business Investment Manager with Leicester City Council and leads on Food and Drink sector. In his spare time, Jiva Odedra works with charities as volunteer helping these organisations to become efficient and improve sustainability.

Jiva, studies the Bhagavad Gita daily and derives inspiration from its core message on – Action, Knowledge and Devotion – to serve others. Additionally, he has studied Vedas, Upanishads, Sufism, Zen, the Holy Koran, Sikhism as well as Bible. Based on lessons from the Bhagavad Gita, he wishes to inspire younger generations to recognise the divine in themselves and become self-confident.

1) What is your current position?

Currently, I am working as Business Investment Manager with Leicester City Council; I lead on the Food and Drink sector businesses in the City.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

As a Chartered Engineer specialising in Telecommunications technologies working for Marconi, I was part of a team responsible for bringing to mar-

ket some technologies which revolutionised the industry.

Now with Leicester City Council helping local Businesses to grow and create jobs continues to be a source of real joy.

3) What inspires you?

The ancient Bhagavad Gita inspires me and allows me to develop an ability to view the world without filters such as faith, gender, geographical and ethnic boundaries.

I see the divine in everyone and everywhere with utmost respect

AsianVoiceNews

To inspire others to recognise the same divine within themselves and others; then to improve their selfconfidence and therefore be better participant socially wherever they live.

for Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Space.

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

To be perfectly, honest I don’t recall any particular obstacles in my life’s journey or career; I feel every time I have an idea the world starts conspiring to make that a reality; only obstacle I fear is my possible inability to tap into offerings that come my way.

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

My Parent. They suffered as Ugandan Asian and I recall both missing meals regularly to ensure children were fed during their struggle for survival. They continue to inspire me and others.

I have never forgotten the fact that it took many generations hard work to make me successful today.

6) What is the best aspect about your current role?

Working with Leicester Food Park, a world class manufacturing facility for SMEs; helping Food and Drink businesses across the City to improve operations, develop new products and new markets continues to motivate me to do more.

In short, helping to create local jobs is the best aspect of my cur-

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

The recent Brexit debate has created very unfair views around people from different cultures arriving in this country and I would proactively encourage people to continue to celebrate diversity; we must continue to create new knowledge and new opportunities for our people and we cannot do it in isolation. rent position.

7) And the worst?

There is no worst aspect to this job; each day brings new opportunity to make difference to lives of individuals in the city. The local Leicester Businesses continues to grow or survive despite at times very fast changing business environment.

8) What are your long term goals?

After studying Bhagavad Gita I sincerely believe that the real religion for me is to serve others.

Fake Sheikh’s victims get a fair shake The conviction of Mazhar Mahmood (pictured), aka the Fake Sheikh and the King of the Sting, in a London court last Wednesday must have brought joy to many victims of this Pakistani-origin journalist. Among them must certainly be Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir, the Pakistani cricketers who were found guilty of spot fixing in the Lord’s Test in 2010.

Mazhar Mahmood had cajoled Butt to ask the two pacers to overstep the crease on predetermined deliveries, and caught the deal on camera. This evidence worked against them and sent the trio to jail, and almost brought an end to their successful careers.

Mazhar Mahmood, as investigative reporter for the (now defunct) News of the World, used to trap celebrities into committing criminal acts while filming his victims on the sly.

Photos would be splashed across the tabloid newspaper, and the police would do the rest. But a jury recently found Mazhar Mahmood guilty of perverting the

course of justice. The 53year-old self-proclaimed “king of the sting” faces jail after he and his driver, Alan Smith, were found to have tampered with evidence in the collapsed drugs trial of the pop star Tulisa Contostavlos.

Mazhar Mahmood and Alan Smith will be sentenced on October 21.

Mazhar Mahmood entrapped Tulisa Contostavlos by posing as a film producer who could get her a role with Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio. In return, he asked the NDubz singer to arrange for some cocaine. Alan Smith initially corroborated this account of events, suppressing Tulisa’s statement that she neither took nor dealt in drugs. During her trial, it was revealed that Alan Smith had later retracted

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

his original statement, causing the case to collapse.

Tulisa had been accused of arranging for Mazhar Mahmood to be sold 800 pounds of cocaine by one of her contacts following an elaborate sting for the Sun on Sunday in May 2013.

Besides the Pakistani cricketers and Tulisa, Mazhar Mahmood’s victims include the Duchess of York, the Countess of Wessex, the former England football manager, SvenGoran Eriksson, former London’s Burning actor John Alford and a former Page 3 model called Emma Morgan, among others.

Mahmood Mazhar started his career as a boy in Birmingham where he helped his father produce an Urdu newspaper. According to Roy Greenslade, writing in The Guardian, when he was 18, Mahmood exposed family friends for selling pirated videos. He was then hired by a gossip weekly, and went on to become a prize-winning investigative reporter.

Many of his victims, who were jailed and their lives ruined, are planning to bring libel suits against the

Fake Sheikh, News of the World and The Sun. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp could face compensation claims that would “dwarf” its 330 million pounds bill for phone-hacking.

Mazhar Mahmood’s career has spanned the News of the World, the Sunday Times, and the Sun on Sunday.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission is now reviewing the convictions of six people who were found guilty of offences as a result of evidence provided by Mazhar Mahmood.

American financier John Bryan has already filed a case for libel and invasion of privacy in a Los Angeles court. According to him, Mazhar Mahmood had tried to entrap him by offering him an investment opportunity in a casino, and then asked him to supply prostitutes and drugs.

The Met, too, is in a tight spot. It has emerged that despite at least two warnings about Mazhar Mahmood’s modus operandi, it continued to use evidence supplied by him to arrest and prosecute people with previously unblemished records.

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

Lord Krishna, since his teachings are beyond time, space and connections. For me Lord Krishna and Lord Jesus Christ are one and same. In the Bhagavad Gita, I learnt that I only have right to action and not the results of that action.

Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana, Ma Karmaphalaheturbhurma Te Sangostvakarmani (Ch.2, Verse 47)

Malala has come a long way since the bid on her life It’s been four years since Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the militants. She has come a long way since then. She has become the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

On 10th October, 2014, she was announced as the corecipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.

Life in England has not always been easy for her. In the beginning, post-rehabilitation she found it hard to settle at school. Everything was new and foreign. But slowly the homesickness has eased.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme a few years ago, Malala described settling into her new life.

She said: “I was feeling a little bit embarrassed and worried ... the school was quite different.”

She said she was also particularly surprised at the level of freedom afforded to women, adding: “It was difficult to adjust to this new cul-

ture and this new society, especially for my mother, because we have never seen that women would be that much free, that they would go to any market, they will be going alone with no men and with no brothers and fathers, because, in our country, if you want to go outside, you must go with a man.

“Even if your five-year-old brother goes with you it’s fine, but you must have someone else, a girl cannot go outside all alone.”

Since Malala and her father set up the Malala Fund, it has donated £2.2m to local services and global projects working to educate girls in Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Sierra Leone and countries housing Syrian refugees.

C MMENTS

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice |15th October 2016

No chest-thumping, but no handwringing either Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned BJP MPs against chest-thumping in the wake of the swift Indian response to the cross-border jihadi assault on an Army base in the Uri sector of northern Kashmir.

There should be no triumphalism, no threats against Pakistan. War could never be a permanent source of conflict resolution. His cautionary words were welcome, and induce some measure of calm reflection.

That said, there is scarcely any moral justification in handwringing, wails of remorse at the Indian response on the ground that war mongering was reprehensible and both sides, Indians, no less than Pakistanis, should avoid any such descent into the pits. Such windy rhetoric goes down well with those tortured at most times for reasons of inexplicable selfguilt, a state of mind to which psychiatrists rather than newspaper columnists, have a an informed explanation. But this form of recurring pietas, while consoling tormented souls fearful of eternal damnation, scarcely offer any rational solution to terrorism and its depredations. If the fanatical jihadi has an alienable right to life, so, too, one hopes, does his/her would-be victim. Gopal Gandhi, the former popular and well respected Governor of West Bengal, and now a frequent broadsheet columnist, recently voiced his opposition to all war mongers, from whatever quarter.

As a general principle, few would contest his proposition – except that he penned his declaration in the context of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan which has claimed hundreds of Indian lives over the past decade and more, and destroyed huge amounts of Indian property. So what his call amounts to is the equalization of India and Pakistan. This may earn Mr Gandhi brownie points from the likes of Bollywood megastar Shahrukh Khan, but it merits no approval whatsoever from the Indian hoi polloi.

Gopal Gandhi made no mention of the jihadi terrorist attack on Mumbai in March 1993, which resulted in 300 deaths of innocent citizens; he made no reference to the city’s 167 deaths following the terror attack on the traumatized metropolis on 26 November 2008, and depredations betwixt and between that has taken a heavy toll of life and property. Such cowardly assaults failed to cow Mumbai’s residents or diminish their resilience in the face of tragic adversity. This, surely, deserved eloquent recognition.

The inability or unwillingness to recognize the nature of evil in its most pristine manifestations, such as those of Nazi Germany and contemporary jihadi terrorism against hapless individuals, invariably belonging to non-Islamic faiths, is, alas, a sad reality.

India happens to be a responsible democratic state whose compact with its citizens involves the guarantee of their right to life and property under the rule of law.

India was never conceived of as an ashram for the pious. These are places for monks and nuns who seek solitude and spiritual comfort from communion with the Divine. One cannot have it both ways. It is either one or the other. To experience the comforts of ordinary life, among which is the freedom of expression, and come along with sanctimonious prescriptions is surely the purest hypocrisy.

Pakistan was created by its founding fathers on a platform of an undying hatred for the infidel. Far from this dimming, it burns more brightly than ever before in its tortured history. Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, and currently an academic in the country, has written a searing, well researched book, ‘Pakistan Between Mosque and Military,’ which should be high on the reading list of every decent person across the world in search of enlightenment on the near intractable problems that have long blighted India-Pakistan relations.

If the truth be told, Pakistan is well advanced on the road to perdition. It is for Pakistanis to save their country. It is no business of officious foreigners, least of all Indians, to proffer advice. India could help the process get started by stopping the absurd charade of lowering Indian and Pakistani flags at sunset on the Wagah border post with a ceremonial swagger bordering on lunacy. A world beyond Pakistan beckons.

Consider the following facts. India has produced CEOs of Google, Microsoft, PepSico, Mastercard, Deutsche Bank, while Pakistan hosts leaders of al Qaeda, Taliban, Laskar-e-Taiba and kindred groups.

The Indian economy, presently worth $2.28 trillion, is the world’s seventh largest, to Pakistan’s 38th position. India’s foreign exchange reserves amount to $367 billion, to Pakistan’s $20 billion. For India, a war with Pakistan is certainly not what the doctor ordered.

India-Vietnam ties on upswing Vietnam may be a middle-sized country a little bigger than the UK, but its people enjoy an iconic status in Asia and across the world. The Vietnamese people under the leadership of the legendary Ho Chi Minh and his close colleagues, among whom was the warrior extraordinary, General Vo Nguyen Giap, have defeated three great powers - an achievement that ranks among the most incredible in world history. In the last phase or so of the Second World War, the fledgling Vietnamese resistance fought the forces of Imperial Japan. Next came the greater struggle against colonial France, in which the French military suffered decisive defeat.The true epic was Vietnam’s colossal resistance against the occupying forces of the United States. American war crimes in the country included chemical defoliation and carpet bombing unique in human annals. Despite insuperable odds the Vietnamese routed the Americans, and repeated the feat against the invading Chinese in February 1979.

For India, Vietnamese friendship is a prize to be cherished, as it assuredly is. It is one of the outstanding achievements of Indian foreign policy over the past two decades that the bonds between the two countries are closer than ever. There is a remarkable convergence of national interests that has provided the critical mass to

this bourgeoning relationship. Defence and security cooperation has been supplemented by increasing volumes of bilateral trade and investment. The best clearly is yet to come.

Relations with Pakistan may have recently hogged Indian media headlines, but the country’s interests in South East Asia is of far great significance in the long and medium term. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Vietnam in September resulted in major trade and military agreements, so when interviewed by an Indian newspaper, Vietnam’s new Ambassador to India, Ton Sinh Thanh, was understandably upbeat in his responses. Referring to Mr Modi’s visit, Ambassador Ton recalled it was the first by an Indian prime minister in 15 years. The moment was significant because India and Vietnam are soon to celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations, and are 10 years into their Strategic Partnership, which is to be elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Oil and gas exploration, aviation links, naval visits and military-to-military dialogues are on the anvil, he said. ‘Vietnam and India have always had close relations. This is a special kind of relationship, not only free of problems but also firmly based on the convergence of strategic interests,’ said Ambassador Ton Sinh Thanh. Long may it endure

Indian cricket’s theatre of the absurd The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to lock horns with the Supreme Court of India and has come out the worse in the encounter. One BCCI member wailed to the press that court’s ‘recommendations’ had become ironclad laws. Correct. Otherwise in time-tested fashion, the BCCI would have cherrypicked recommendations to suit their interests and rejected those that did not. Justice Lodha, wise to such tricks, decided to get tough. Either do as we say, or out you go. The BCCI has long been a law unto itself, a selfperpetuating Mafioso of the venal and corrupt in service for the venal and corrupt. The entire international cricket fraternity has accepted the DRS system on umpiring decisions, the BCCI being the inglorious

exception. The BCCI has steadfastly opposed the formation of players’ association, which no other cricket has done. Selectors are stubbornly loyal to shop soiled mediocrities long past their sell-by dates but soldiering on regardless.

The State Cricket Associations are in a worse state of disrepair, their inner wrangles always in the courts – a case of washing dirty linen in full public view.

The last belongs to Bishan Singh Bedi, one of India’s greatest cricketers. ‘Cricket isn’t just played with bat and ball, it reflects your integrity and your uprightness…Shows your character…All administrators must accept that there is one boss – the game.’

That is where the BCCI has fallen short.

3

This is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way - Author Doris Lessing

“Our London” Navin Shah

GLA Member for Brent and Harrow

Remembering the Battle of Cable Street

It was an honour and privilege to attend a reception jointly organised by the London Jewish Forum and the Jewish Leadership Council to mark the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street which for British Jews symbolises part of a proud and longstanding history of fighting racism and fascism.

A brief historical background released by the London Jewish Forum states “On October 4th 1936, Jews alongside other minority and left-wing demonstrators took to the streets of London’s East End to stop Oswald Mosely and the British Union of Fascists (BUF) from marching through the heavily Jewish and immigrant area. The demonstrators were met by a strong police presence who tried to clear the way for the BUF members to pass through the area, but were eventually forced to stop the BUF instead due to the risk to public safety.” The day is now remembered as ‘The Battle of Cable Street’ and takes pride of place in London’s history signifying a day of solidarity and combating all forms of racism and antisemitism.

The reception after a rally took place, not far from the office of Asian Voice, at Shoreditch Town Hall on last Sunday. The reception, held in a packed hall, comprised members of Jewish Community, Leaders of London’s Diverse Faith Groups, MPs, Assembly Members and Councillors. Accompanied by my Assembly colleagues Andrew Dismore, Tom Copley, Nicky Gavron and Unmesh Desai, it was a pleasure to hear moving and inspiring addresses from keynote speakers like Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Rabbi Laura Janner Klausner, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, local MP Rushanara Ali, General Secretary of the TUC, Frances O’Grady, andChief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, whom I’d heard at Pinner Synagogue recently, delivered a powerful and inspiring message of the ‘power of unity’ and cautioned that after 80 years the threat from fascist still continues and further flagged up the new message “they shall not divide us”. Sadiq Khan – Mayor of London expressed solidarity with friends and families and rejected fascism. He declared how the Battle of Cable Street, after 80 years continues to inspire London’s diverse communities.

Continued on page 6

Asian Voice is published by ASIAN BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS LTD Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 • Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com Website: www.abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications

4

UK

www.asian-voice.com

Asha’s becomes the only Manchester Indian restaurant to ever feature in Michelin Guide One year after opening, Asha’s restaurant in Manchester has been included in the prestigious Michelin Guide 2017 – the only Indian restaurant to ever be recognised by the Guide in Manchester.

One of only 25 venues recognised across the Greater Manchester area this year, the Peter Street restaurant has also been shortlisted in the upcoming Manchester Food and Drink Festival awards for Best Front of House Team.

The Asha’s team is used to Michelin recognition, as its sister restaurant at Newhall Street in Birmingham has been included in the Michelin guide for the eighth consecutive year.

The Asha’s team say the success of the first year is

Ashwani Rangta (L) with Asha Bhosle (R)

down to legendary Bollywood singing star and namesake, Asha Bhosle, the inspiration behind the restaurant group, with many of the dishes on the menu originating from her own recipes. 84-year-old Asha continues to select and

grind the spices at Mumbai’s famous souks, distributing her signature masala to the ten restaurants worldwide bearing her name.

Asha works closely with Executive Chef, Ashwani Rangta, to oversee the deli-

cious array of modern Indian cuisine on offer. From Northern India, Ashwani’s has cooked for heads of state and luminaries at five star hotels around the country before joining Asha at the ARIL Group.

Along with a knowledgeable and customer-focused front of house team , the Asha offer has worked for Manchester diners who enjoy both the lunchtime and evening menus.

Pairing the food with an exciting, modern cocktail menu and carefully selected wine list has ensured Asha’s stands out as THE dining destination in the region – even being chosen by Guy Garvey, the lead singer of Elbow, for his wedding reception earlier this year.

Shruthi UK celebrates birth centenary of Queen of Carnatic Music A rare concert was held in Birmingham to mark the birth centenary of Dr MS Subbulakshmi, one of India’s pioneering vocalists, also known as the Queen of Carnatic music. Carnatic music is a system of classical music associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent.

Dr MS Subbulakshmi was the first musician of Indian origin ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, by its government. India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, had said of Dr Subbulakshmi: “Who am I, a mere Prime Minister before a Queen, a Queen of Music.”

The event was organised

by Shruthi UK, the Midlandbased South Asian arts and culture organisation, in partnership with East End Foods, the Asian foods giant.

Dr Chithra Ramakrishnan FRSA, founder and artistic director of Shruthi UK, said she felt “humbled and privileged to have organised this unique celebration.”

Attended by around 100 representatives from public and private sector organisations, the event featured speeches, including from our senior news editor Dhiren Katwa, thematic presentations, a stage performance and light refreshments.

Welcoming guests, host Dr Tony Deep Wouhra MBE DL, Chairman of East End Foods PLC, said: “It gives us great pleasure in supporting such events that celebrate the rich cultural heritage of our ancestral roots. India has a firm place on the world map for many reasons, arts and culture, of course, being one of these.

A special souvenir to mark the occasion was also officially unveiled at this event. Among goodwill messages, one from MP Virendra Sharma read: “Shruthi UK have done a fantastic job in organising such an important and entertaining event. The Nightingale of India would be proud of the work and effort that has been put into this celebration of her work.”

The guests of honour were Dr S Rajah and Dr Jega Rajah from the Shri Venkateswara Balaji Temple, the largest temple of its kind in Europe.

They were joined by the High Sheriff of West Midlands Dr Keith Bradshaw, DL and former Lord-Lieutenant of the Paul West Midlands Sabapathy MBE and Tarang Shelat, President, Hindu Council of Birmingham.

Dr Subbulakshmi’s singing career spanned 70 years. She began singing at the age of 11. Apart from singing on stage, she also appeared in a few Tamil films

in her earlier years. An interesting aspect of her life is the MS Blue, the colour shade of her sari which she wore, named after her.

Dr Subbulakshmi was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, the same native place as Pichai Sundarajan, CEO of Google Inc. The second annual concert of the British Carnatic Choir will take place in Birmingham on Saturday, 26th November 2016.

Leicester, a poster city of Britain’s multiculturalism, is officially twinned with the Gujarat city of Rajkot.

What’s new for 2016 is the addition of the Diwali Village which will feature children’s fun-fair rides, entertainment (including Bollywood music) and a wide range of stalls, including food, organisers

said.

Belgrave Road – called “Little India” and the “Golden Mile” due to the number of jewellery shops there – is lined with specially installed lights and is the centre of Diwali celebrations.

A giant Ferris Wheel is being put in place to enable views from a height of over

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

False suicide claim led to death

Michael Isherwood left a hand written note shortly before he died to his sister “Mud sticks.

No coming back from these allegations.” The 51-year-old inspecting engineer as Vauxhall’s car factory in Merseyside had been accused by a 16-year-old girl of secretly filming her on his phone.

The devastated Isherwood tried to overdose on paracetamol in a failed attempt to kill himself. Days later he was found dead in his car after gassing himself. Now the family are asking the police to prosecute people making false allegations.

“An innocent life has been lost because of an entirely false claim. Innocent people are being hurt. The police are leaning too far towards believing everyone who makes these allegations.” said Ken Isherwood of Prenton, Merseyside, father of Michael.

Dudley Imam found guilty of sexually abusing girls at mosque

A religious teacher has been found guilty of sexually abusing two of his pupils in Dudley more than 30 years ago. Hifiz Rahman was convicted of assaulting the two girls while practising as an Imam at Queens Cross Mosque during the 1980s.

The 57-year-old was arrested and charged after one of the girls, now aged 40, bravely came forward to police in 2012. The victim, who was between seven and eight years old at the time, told officers that the Imam used to abuse her on an almost daily basis while she read from the Holy Book. But she had been too scared to tell anyone as a child and even started to self-harm, scratching her face in the hope that he would no longer abuse her.

Police investigating the crime established that Rahman was Imam at the mosque at the time. He was arrested in March 2014 but during interviews, he denied knowing or sexually assaulting the girl. The investigation then uncovered a second victim, who was traced before further charges were put to Rahman in January 2016.

Rahman was found guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday, October 7, with sentencing to take place at a later date.

Former model detained over social media links to jihadists

Tickets for this popular event are available from www.britishcarnaticchoir.com

Leicester to have ‘Diwali village’ this year Leicester is reputed to host the largest Diwali celebrations outside India, attracting over 40,000 people for the lights switch-on ceremony that sparks off the celebrations. The events of dance, music, theatre and exhibitions over two weeks are attended by nearly 100,000 people.

A unique event this year is the Story of Diwali in Leicester exhibition, which details the festival’s origins in the town in the 1960s and explores why Leicester has this festival and the people, organisations and events that made it happen.

Local people have shared their memories and photographs to create a unique record of how Leicester’s Diwali has been celebrated through the decades.

In Brief

AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice |15th October 2016

110 feet.

Leicester’s assistant city mayor for culture, leisure and sport, Piara Singh Clair, said: “The big wheel was extremely popular when we introduced it for the first time last year, so I’m delighted that it’s coming back. It’s a great way to see Leicester from above, and to gaze down on the spectacular Diwali celebrations taking place on the Golden Mile”.

For the first time, the Diwali lights switch-on event this Sunday will also feature two displays: Ocean of Light which will include an evocative outdoor installation featuring thousands of lights suspended in space, and Colours of Radiance, a dazzling light show using LED umbrellas to create moving “rangoli” patterns.

A former glamour model who posed topless in a tabloid has been arrested by counter-terrorism police. The model was contacted last month by detectives for communicating with an Isis recruiter in Syria. Kimberly Miners, 27, was detained by police on Friday under the Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of possessing material likely to be useful for preparing or committing an act of terror. Officers from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit also searched Miners’ Bradford home. A spokeswoman for the unit said: “As part of an ongoing investigation, officers have arrested a 27-yearold woman from Bradford on suspicion of the possession of terrorist material.” The police last month suspected that Miners was being groomed by Isis to become a jihadi bride. It is alleged she used multiple Facebook accounts to confuse authorities and allowed her to communicate with extremists, including an ally of preacher Anjem Choudary. In all her Facebook accounts, she was “friends” with an Isis recruiter in Syria named Abu Usama alBritani. Authorities think he is a 30-year-old from Coventry who uses social media to spur attacks on UK soil. Miners' has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

www.asian-voice.com Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

5

6

UK

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice |15th October 2016

Priti Patel’s message to the World Bank Britain is set to challenge the World Bank in its focus on aid spending to “countries who need it the most”, rather than to more developed countries like India, China or Brazil. The I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development Secretary, Priti Patel told the world bank to use British taxpayers money to help poorer countries to “stand on their own two feet”.

Britain is the biggest contributor to the bank's I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development Association (IDA), which gives loans and grants to the some of the poorest countries. In the division’s last funding round, Britain contributed £3 billion. It is said however the bank spent over £14 billion on aid to socalled, upper and middleincome nations.

In her first meeting as I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development Secretary, Mrs Patel is said to out pressure on the bank to ensure UK’s considerable contribution works “harder and smarter” in boosting developing economies.

“As a globally engaged, outward-looking nation, Britain is challenging the bank to focus its support on those who need it the

most. Boosting global prosperity by creating jobs, investment and trade in countries where there are desperately needed is firmly in UK’s interests,” she told a national newspaper.

In an associated development, it is said that Mrs Patel’s department was preparing to underspend its budget by tens of millions of pounds in a bid to stop taxpayers money

Priti Patel, MP

being spent on dubious, bloated and frivolous projects.

She is consulting with department officials to see if any leftover cash could be redirected into the conflict, stability and security fund, which helps pay for peacekeeping and humanitarian operations internationally.

Cabinet ministers including Boris Johnson, whose departments have wasted aid money, have been read the Riot Act by Patel, telling them they would be named and shamed if they continue to approve embarrassing projects. This comes as it has emerged the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had spent £343m on aid programmes which included finding mates for tropical fish, teaching Hamlet to Ecuadorians and funding an anti-littering campaign in Jordan.

GPs fake medicals of minicab drivers It has been alleged GPs took cash payment from cabbies to give a medical clearance needed to obtain a private hire licence according to an investigation. Uber and minicab companies demand a medical declaration from prospective drivers to be conducted by authorised GPs. The GP carries out a check-up and a review of their records. But an undercover investigation has found that three London doctors signed drivers forms for cash without performing the checks. Questions on the Transport for London form asks for information like cardiovascular disease, seizures and eyesight problems or a brain injury.

The opening statement of the form says “This form

Dr Dave’s talk on Bronchoscopy

should be taken to a registered medical partitioner who has access to your medical history, typically your GP, for completion. It is not completed by someone who has access to your full medical history this could lead to delays in the processing of your medical.”

According to the investigation by The Sun newspaper, Dr Ashraful Haque Mirza who works in a surgery in Morden, South London, hurriedly filled out forms and concocted results of blood and eye

A seminar focusing on bronchoscopy, a common procedure carried out to help tackle lung disease was hosted by Solihull Hospital on Wednesday this week. The talk was given by specialist Dr Chirag Dave. The procedure allows the doctor to look at the airways of a person’s lungs using a bronchoscope to help diagnose any lung issues. Dr Dave also highlighted diseases that can be diagnosed through this common practice.

tests. The newspaper’s undercover reporter posing as a taxi driver told Dr Mirza, his vision “gets a bit blurry” when he was tired.

The doctor allegedly replied “Right, OK. Fine…

They won't give you any problems.”

An Uber spokesman said : “There should be tough action against any GP who has falsified medical certificates and any test centres found to cheat the system should be closed down.” in 2015 TFL closed 15 test centres after was found that foreign drivers were allowed to sit exams in their own language. TFL’s chief operation officer for surface transport, Garrett Emmerson said: “We take all allegations of fraud seriously and will investigate.”

Remembering the Battle of Cable Street

Continued from page 3 The Mayor stressed the need to respect and celebrate diversity and differences.

Assembly Members Andrew Dismore, Tom Copley and I signed London Jewish Forum and Jewish Leadership Council’s joint pledge declaring “On the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, we pledge to combat all

forms of racism, antisemitism, islamophobia and fascism wherever they are found. We commit to building communities that value diversity and embrace differences, and we stand together with those who share British values and promote tolerance. We stand firm that prejudice and hate shall never be accepted in our society.”

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Disputable booklet circulated across east London mosque After an investigation revealed claims of a booklet preaching "any Muslim should kill" those who insult Prophet Mohammed being allegedly handed out at a London mosque, the police have launched a hate crime probe into the matter.

The piece of literature talks about the case of Mumtaz Qadri, an man with radical views on his religion, who murdered a governor in Pakistan for supporting liberal reforms to the country's strict Islam laws. It says "all Muslims should support" Qadri and that being a "big shot" does not prevent someone from being an apostate who should face being killed. The matter came to light following a Standard investigation. After it alerted police to the booklet, the Scotland Yard said it was looking into it "to establish whether a criminal offence has taken place." A Scotland Yard spokesman said, "We will be assessing the contents of these leaflets to establish whether any criminal offence has taken place.

We are committed to tackling hate crime in all its forms and have long since recognised the impact of hate crime on communities."

Distributed to several worshippers at the Darul-Uloom Qadria Jilania

mosque in Walthamstow, the booklet carries the name of preacher Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani on its cover; the imam of the place of worship. A worshipper who received a copy, told the Standard, "The event was a few months ago. I was at Giyarween Shareef. Two or three people delivered the leaflet. Unfortunately, I am shocked. I think it gives a bad impression.

Islam teaches when you live here you obey the law

and the rule of law, but this is not doing that."

Jilani denies writing the book despite being featured on it. He said it had been "falsely attributed" to him, and that he did not "authorise" the use of his name or picture and did not give permission for any of his sermons to be reproduced.

Jilani added that he did not agree with the booklet's contents and that he did not know "if, why, or how" it was distributed in the mosque.

He said it it had been distributed, then it was without his knowledge and "without authorisation by either me or any member of the committee."

The mosque is also home to charity, the International Muslim Movement.

The Charity Commission said it was also "urgently" looking into the material and poised to launch its own investigation.

It said, "We are assessing the information received as a matter of urgency so as to establish the facts and have contacted the charity's trusteers for their response. At this time, the commission has not opened a statutory inquiry into the charity. However, if the information provided is accurate it would raise serious regulatory concerns."

Jealous man kills wife for working as care worker An over-protective man who murdered his wife for working as a care worker, admitted his crime in court and has received imprisonment for life with a minimum requirement he serve 20 years. Imran Khan, who believes himself to be a righteous Muslim, couldn't come to terms with the fact that his wife Nasreen worked with "other men".

Following an argument one night, he fatally stabbed her eight times at their home in Cheadle, Greater Manchester.

Police found texts sent to the deceased by Imran that said it was "haram" for her to interact with other men, and ordered her to quit her job. One of the many texts read, "I have told you 10 times there are three people whose prayers

will not be accepted by Allah- a fleeing slave until he returns to his master, a woman whose husband is angry with her, until he is pleased with her, and a drunkard until he becomes conscious. If you don't listen to me, I get angry. If you go to men's houses and lie to me I get angry."

Nasreen looked after elderly men and women, administering their medicine and warming their food.

Passing sentence, Judge Patrick Field QC, said Khan showed "an outdated, almost medieval notion of how a wife should behave. Nasreen worked hard to support her family and was good at that job but by contrast you are a selfish and controlling man, did little to support your family and your wife.

Unless anybody should think this was some kind of cultural clash, let it be said that the evidence shows your parents and sister entirely supportive of Nasreen's choice. You nevertheless decided that no wife of yours should be caring for men." Judge Field of Manchester Crown Court added, "Behind the traditional line taken in your texts, appeared to lurk an element of jealousy of your wife's independence of mind and a resentment of her defiance of your orders."

The day she was killed, was the day the victim had confided in her boss about her husband's behaviour. "I can't take it anymore, I don't know what to do," is told her employer who offered to speak to Khan.

www.asian-voice.com

A Vaz in the Shadow Cabinet

AsianVoiceNews

Continued from page 1 Kate Osamor as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development and Dawn Butler, who is the Shadow Minister for Diverse Communitiesand Emily Thornberry as the Shadow Foreign Secretary.

Valerie Vaz been appointed as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, the former Liberty head has become the new Shadow Attorney General.

A Solicitor by profession, Valerie, who is the sister of MP Keith Vaz, has been a MP in Walsall South since 2010, and in June 2015, Valerie was appointed by the Speaker to the Panel of Chairs. Since then Valerie has chaired debates in Westminster Hall and Delegation Legislation.

Valerie is an elected member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). She is also the elected vice-chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). Valerie chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Epilepsy and is a member of the APPG among others on the British Library, Burma, Classical Music and Yemen.

In 2013 she visited Burma as a member of Mr

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Speaker’s delegation and met with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the President and members of civil society. In 2015 Valerie was a member of the UK CPA delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) historic first Women’s Forum in Malta.

Although Vaz had given her backing to Andy Burnham in last year’s Labour leadership elections, she has since offered her full support to her party leader Corbyn after he beat Burnham.

Not only the Shadow Cabinet has more women than in the Tory cabinet, it has a very interesting mix.

Corbyn has pushed for gender equality within his cabinet and is made up of 16 women and 14 men. Some 25 MPs who resigned from Mr Corbyn's team have agreed to return and take up frontbench jobs in the reshuffle, perhaps in hopes that the Labour leader will lead the party to victory in the next general elections.

This includes 10 MPs who left the frontbench over the summer.

It has also given opportunities to many able, yet 'unknown' faces, who have been successful Labour Mps for years, but seldom rose to such important roles. But the reshuffle has

left some very capable BAME candidates out of the Shadow Cabinet, including Seema Malhotra and Chuka Umunna.

However recent reports have suggested that Ed Miliband might join the Shadow Cabinet or even more controversially, Tony Blair, while Barry Gardiner has become Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade.

With 33 positions filled, perhaps Jeremy Corbyn is likely to expand his team?

Corbyn heckled over Shadow Cabinet reshuffle

The leader of the Labour party has been heckled by his own MPs after a poll showed the party trailing behind the Conservatives by 17 points. Party members were left angry, when Mr Corbyn failed to answer why he replaced Rosie Winterton with Nick Brown and reappoint Loiuse Haigh, an MP who actually never left the Shadow Cabinet. Conor McGinn MP and Holly Lynch MP both quit as Whips in protest to Mr Corbyn's decision to sack Rosie Winterton as the Chief Whip. He was also confronted over his views on Russian intervention in Syria, after he appeared to

suggest Vladimir Putin's regime may not be responsible for a number of bombing raids in the country.

Lord Blunkett, a former Labour Home Secretary warned that Labour had jeopardised the party's reputation on security by appointing Diane Abbott as Shadow home secretary and Baroness Chakrabarti as Shadow attorney general.

While Chakrabarti defends allegations of hypocrisy over her 13 year old son's private schooling, Abott is alleged to have received £5000 donation in kind, from an organisation rumoured to have connection with extremist groups, which paid for her and an assistant to fly to Nairobi as part of a trip to Somaliland..

The Muslim Charities Forum was banned from receiving government aid after an investigation suggested links to a group alleged to fund Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood political movement, as well as poor performance in delivering against agreed objectives. She declared the funding in the register of member's interests in May, after the charity had its Government backing removed in August 2015.

The Muslim Charities

GET ON THE LADDER

LUXURY APARTMENTS

UK Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

The Labour Shadow cabinet, as announced: Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Emily Thornberry, Shadow Foreign Secretary Tom Watson, Deputy Leader & Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Diane Abbott, Shadow Home Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Clive Lewis, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Richard Burgon, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Shadow Lord Chancellor Keir Starmer, Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Kate Osamor, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development Angela Rayner, Shadow Secretary of State for Education Valerie Vaz, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Nia Griffith, Shadow Secretary for Defence Jonathan Ashworth, Shadow Secretary of State for Health Barry Gardiner, Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade Debbie Abrahams, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Shami Chakrabarti, Shadow Attorney General Forum however states that it is not extremist and abides by the principles of democracy and interfaith tolerance.

Corbyn unfloored

The newspaper Guardian has reportedly admitted that Jeremy Corbyn's travel on the floor of a packed train was inaccurate and based on a “gonzo news release” by two of the Labour leader's supporters.

Paul Chadwick, the newspaper's global readers'

HARGE C F O E E R F D E H IS ALL FULLY FURN Y PAID!

HOUSE LAPORTE WAY

LUTON LU4 8SB

DOORS OPEN SATURDAY SUNDAY

10.30AM

*

WITH STAMPMINDS FUROTM ST PANCRAS DIRECT

IN TOWN 25 THE BEST DEAL

editor said that the claim of Mr Corbyn left sitting on the floor for 3 hours was not sufficiently checked before publication or corrected promptly enough when proved to be wrong.

He clarified, that newspaper had published the story “too fast” and it had not intended to mislead its readers. Mr Corbyn had obtained a seat during his journey, but the information was not included in the news report that accomopanied the video.

CARLTON

RELEASING FROM

£139,995!

22ND 23RD OCTOBER ‘16

RENTAL YIELDS

UP TO 6.2%

REGISTER NOW ON 020 3770 2177 galliardhomes.com/av

7

EXCHANGE ON THE DAY WITH A £2000 DEPOSIT *Terms & conditions apply to all incentives

8

UK

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

CB Patel

As I See It

The importance of Theresa May's visit to India Prime Minister Theresa May, like her predecessors have decided to make India one of her key destinations in South Asia to discuss bi-lateral trade. During her last visit with the former Prime Minister David Cameron, Mrs May was the Home Secretary and she is remembered for her comment on India's efficiency to deal with Mumbai terror strike. This time she is the Premier of the Great Britain that is home to 1.5 million of Indians. After taking up her office, she faced several challenges- the greatest being the challenges of Brexit. It is her time to prove her worth and strengthen the relationship with countries outside EU. So what is her mission in India?

India is one of the fastest growing among large economies and it is evident that Britain needs some concrete deals with non-EU countries, prior to March 2017. The IndoBritish relationship is 400 years old.

Since 1947, the power dynamics have shifted. As a result, potentials have not been explored to the fullest.

In fact, among India's three dozen “strategic partnerships”, France remains the original one. President Jacques Chirac had a long-standing interest in India and undertook three visits to India, in 1976, 1998 and 2006, the only leader to have been chief guest at the Republic Day twice, first as Prime Minister in 1976 and then as President in 1998.

The implementation of the announcement made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to

Paris in April 2015, about the decision to purchase 36 Rafale combat aircraft in a flyaway condition, was taken forward by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

More significant were the joint ventures (JV) proposed to be set up between private sector entities in both countries that could provide a much needed boost to “Make in India” in defence. Among the emerging areas of cooperation are homeland security, cyber security, special forces like the National Security Guard and its French counterpart GIGN, and intelligence sharing to tackle the common threats of terrorism and global criminal networks.

Cooperation in “strategic” areas is growing and the government-togovernment relationship is the principal driver for this. French foreign direct investment has picked up and there are more than 800 French enterprises operating in India. Also while France has readily supported India's United Nations Security Council Permnanent Membership proposal and the country's counterterrorism methods or stance, UK has remained rather vague on these subjects- making one question their real intention.

On the other hand, India-Japan and India-Germany relationships have been gradually flourishing.

United States, which always been closer to Pakistan and China, after their recent interactions with PM Modi is showing a different level of interest. Mr Modi's visit to China in

On Her Majesty’s secret trip

It has emerged The Queen lobbied the Australian government in secret to ensure the Prince of Wales succeeded her as the head of the Commonwealth. Her most senior advisor flew on a special but secret mission to Adelaide to persuade Julia Gillard, the then prime minister, that Prince Charles would take over as the ceremonial head of the 53 nation Commonwealth.

The visit by Sir Christopher Geidt, the Queen’s private secretary was revealed in a talk by Ms Gillard in London last week.

In a speech at King’s College London, Ms Gillard who hosted the 2011 Commonwealth has of government meeting (CHOGM) in Perth said: “In early 2013 I was advised that Sir Christopher Geidt, the Queen’s private secretary, wanted half and hour of

Sir Christopher Geidt

my time in my capacity as chairwoman of the Commonwealth, an officer this host holds until the next meeting. He would fly to Australia - to anywhere I was - in order to get it. The upshot of our meeting, which took place in Adelaide is a clearly worded statement for the public record about how succession works for the role of the head of Commonwealth. I would not want you to think this was some simple act of colonial subservience. I did see the wisdom in it.

However, the purpose of the statement would have been a mystery to many until Prince Charles attended the next CHOGM

2015, yielded $22bn worth of deals.

But the total Indo-British trade in the first quarter, has seen a decline of about 26%, as compared to the same period of 2015. Why? UK and India share a bigger possibility together. Yet other countries have reached India earlier and strengthened ties better. India’s importance to the economy was readily demonstrated during the crisis caused by Tata Steel’s decision to withdraw from steel manufacturing in the UK. Big corporations in Britain are in need of skilled workers- many from non-EU countries, especially India.

They have demanded a fair and lenient immigration system. But UK's frequent and erratic rule changes have resulted into a stuttering confidence. Moreover the Indian diaspora that have contributed so much to the British treasury, have hardly found right number of representation- whether it is in Quangos, or Public Life or even in the UK Government.

However, Sajid Javid's visit to India started the bilateral talks for post-Brexit deal with India. Our eyes are now set on Mrs May, to see what she does to establish a 'solid' bilateral relationship with India and we sincerely hope after all these years, she will be able to take this partnership to a different level of commitment, unlike her predecessors.

- CB

Bring humour into work, GPs told Charlie Chaplin said laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain. A Belfast GP seems to have taken a leaf out of the comic genius’ book. Dr Waqar Ahmed, who moonlights as a stand-up comedian, has told GPs to bring humour into their work in order to help patients loosen up.

Dr Ahmed explained some 200 medics attending the Royal College of GPs conference in Harrogate recently how improvisational theatre techniques and comedy classes have helped him become a better doctor, adding that these techniques could help family doctors to better diagnose patients.

He said GPs should not be afraid to “go off script” when talking to patients.

They should listen to patients more and allow in Sir Lanka in the Queen’s place.

The secret trip, paid for by the taxpayer helps explain how Sir Christopher, who was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2011, was then named a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 2014.

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Cllr Sachin Shah Leader of Harrow Council

The gift of life for our community Organ donation. It can be a matter of life and death, especially for people of Asian heritage. That’s why I’ve made the pledge to donate my organs in the event of my death – and I think you should too.

It’s an issue that was highlighted for me at our volunteer awards, Harrow Heroes – our annual thank you to those amazing people who, through giving their time to others, have made our part of London a better place to live. All our winners are truly inspirational people and collectively they’ve made a real difference. Congratulations to Usha Shah, who won our overall volunteer of the year award. She’s worked tirelessly to encourage Asian people to join the donor register. It’s an issue that everyone of Asian heritage in the UK should care about - it’s certainly one that chimed with me personally, and one that I think is vital I share with you here.

The organ donor register has for more than forty years provided a vital lifeline for people with illnesses, whose only chance of survival is an organ transplant.

Last year more than 3,500 people received the gift of life in the form of a donated organ, given by someone after their death. It’s a modern miracle that’s changed millions of lives, but unfortunately there’s another side to the story, because, for people like you and me, the picture is much less positive.

People from Asian backgrounds are more likely to need an organ transplant than the rest of the population - we’re more susceptible, for instance, to illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension, which may result in organ failure. We’re also hugely under-represented on the register. About a third of people waiting for a kidney transplant right now are from an ethnic minority, yet people from non-white communities make up only 4% of those registered. That means that Asian patients wait longer for donor organs that match their blood and tissue type. In fact, on average, patients from minority ethnic communities wait a year longer for a kidney transplant than white patients - last year in the UK 70 Asian people died while waiting for a donor kidney.

It’s a stark message that I hope hits home - it certainly has with me. And I hope that you too will be persuaded to join the register. Find out more at www.organdonation.nhs.uk or get a leaflet from your doctor’s surgery.

Woman’s hijab pulled off on a London Street Dr Waqar Ahmed

conversations to flow.

But he warned against overt jokes, saying: “Don’t deliver a diagnosis with a punch-line or try to imitate Frankie Boyle or you may cause offence. No fat jokes or mother-in-law jokes.”

Dr Ahmed, who has performed 200 gigs and has studied clowning, said: “It came from some kind of mid-life crisis but it has made me a much better GP. My consultations are faster, the patients are laughing more.”

Professor Philip Murphy, director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies said: “Unlike the succession to the Crown, it isn't possible to legislate for the headship succession. So all the palace can do is to create and expectation that Charles will succeed to the headship.”

In a racially motivated attack, a woman had her hijab pulled off on a busy London street. The victim in her 20s was not injured but was traumatised by the incident, Scotland Yard said. The incident happened on September 28 as she was walking accompanied a friend at around 7:30pm in Haringey, north London.

The victim was approached from behind by two men, one pulled off the hijab before they both

ran away. Police say the culprits are in their late twenties. The first suspect is white, around 5ft 6in with blond or ginger hair.

The second is of Mediterranean appearance with spiky hair, wearing a grey top.

Detective Constable Ben Cousin said “This was a shocking attack in broad daylight in the middle of a busy road. Racially and religiously motivated crimes will not be tolerated.”

Swimming a waste of time says GP A government exercise expert has said swimming is a waste of time for most people because their technique is so bad they fail to gain any noticeable health benefit. It’s said the average person’s ability in the swimming pool is not enough to maintain the level of intensity which will enable them to lose weight.

Dr Dane Vishnubala, the GP exercise champion for Public Health England,

said many people who come to the pool to get in shape simply splash around using a “doggy paddle hybrid” and spent their time talking with friends.

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Raj Bhachu; Healing The People Who Could Not Be Healed Raj Bhachu, described by the Daily Telegraph as being at the “Cutting Edge of Complementary Health,” is a bio-regulatory medicine practitioner.

Gentle and patient, his peaceful and calm nature pervades his Northwood Hills practice. In Raj’s consulting room with its unique bio-resonance testing equipment, there is a display of food and drink alternatives subtly presenting patients with healthy choices.

Raj uses a combination of different therapies like bio-resonance, sound therapy and a pressing technique to bring optimal wellness to a patient.

He not only treats locals, but also famous footballers, pop stars, big industrialists and celebrities from all around the world. Why do patients fly in from, for example, America, Australia, India, Israel, South Africa, when they have good practition-

will travel round the world. These people will do anything it takes to get out of pain. If you are in pain, say with rheumatoid arthritis, you want to be out of pain, out of dis-ease. They’ve usually tried everything under the sun.

Usually I am the last practitioner so I not only have to work with all of the clutter that they have accumulated in their life, but also Raj Bhachu the very serious condition they ers out there? They fly in arrive with here.” for a day or two, go back home, then return six Early Memories weeks later for another Raj was born in Nairobi, appointment with him.

Kenya. His father is a sucSays Raj, cessful structural engineer.

“The key is our ability to Early memories are of hikfocus on what is causing the ing, camping, climbing disease, then remove it. mountains and picnicking We deliver something on Mount Longonot, game that will bring them good safaris, and beach holidays. health. Symptoms start to He studied at Oshwal High disappear. For that, anyone

UK Asian Voice | 15th October 2016 ent,” he comments.

School, a Kenyan private school.

Turning Point “It was lots of fun, I had the best teachers. They Suddenly, Raj’s sister fell taught us how to love subunwell with cancer and was jects. We had Chemistry on given a few weeks to live.

Saturdays, I remember.”

Raj threw himself into tryRaj came from a well ing to find a cure and in the settled family, but his parprocess discovered ents decided it would many effective be good for him to therapies from leave Kenya at 16 around the and come alone Our current globe. His sisto the UK to ter lived for health is the study.

He five consequence of all another arrived at the years. Raj’s the choices that we c u r r e n t beginning of the ‘A’ Level have made in life. career had academic year.

We need to learn to beenB born.

I l f o r d u t County High, a make good choices” moving from grammar school, Pharmacy to Raj Bhachu had already chosen its intake. Raj Complementary turned up, alone, but Medicine was a big the Headmaster gave him challenge. admission on the basis that He set up his clinic, Sai he was the first schoolboy Nutrition Centre, and even to turn up and perform his now, with no website and own ‘A’ Level admission. little publicity, he has tens “After that, nothing was of thousands of patients a challenge for me- hurdles and works through his are just unexplored opporlunch hours. He is booked tunities,” he says seriously. at least three months in He was so successful advance. Yet his work with that he got an unconditionbio-energetic therapies is al offer of three Cs to study known only by word of Medicine at University mouth.

College, London, after givVery few therapies ing a great interview. work on diet, lifestyle and But the prohibitive cost movement all at the same of overseas tuition meant time. Bhachu has invented that he opted instead for a “Pressing Technique” Pharmacy at Brighton. which enhances blood sup“I had to learn everyply to tissues and organs. thing- from the moment I “The effects are immediatelanded. It made me selfyou start to feel better,” he sufficient and independnotes.

9

Disease and the Asian Community Raj says, “A common disease for Asians is Type II Diabetes. It’s a lifestyle disease.

We have successfully helped people control their blood sugar levels through changing their diets, having a good lifestyle, incorporating movement.

Punjabis, for instance, eat a significant amount of wheat, in chapattis or paranthas.

Gujarati’s tend to eat wheat and rice in the same meal.

South Indians eat a lot of rice. Eating the same grain repeatedly, if it is high glycaemic, leads to raised blood sugar levels.

The key is to lower the glycaemic load so that food sugars are released more slowly. This is an art we need to teach Asians so that they are not spiking their blood sugars constantly.

Spiking blood sugars regularly leads to insulin resistance, which leads to diabetes. “Our current health is the consequence of all the choices that we have made in life. We need to learn to make good choices.”

I recommend whole families get up to Northwood Hills to fix their health and secure their futures, if they can get onto Raj Bhachu’s waiting list, that is!

10

READERS’ VOICE

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

Asian Voice - the masterpiece for Asians throughout Europe

Asian Voice has shined up as the most outstanding weekly newspaper, amongs Asian media in Europe, continent due to the efforts of its hard working editorial team.

The front page at most events is the “Breaking News” that does not allow an enthusiastic reader to overlook it.

Accordingly, the last page comprising of sports news is eye catching for sports lovers.

“One to One” with Hon MP Keith Vaz is a must reading opener. “Readers Voice” is really worth reading with valuable opinions and views. “Media Watch” and “Scrutators” nicely covers several news of general interest. “comments” “Political Sketchbook” by our unique Alpesh Patel is outstanding. His “Financial Voice is again something worth reading. “Spotlight” outshines on its own, “World” and “India - World” seem to be worth reading for a certain group of readers.

“Health and Wellness” seems to be beneficial for a particular class of readers. It needs a little push up to suit in the Health Section of a highly recognised Weekly.

“Kollywood” and “Hollywood” are both to the right point. News on South Indians Films attracts local readers.

Overall the “Asian Voice” is really a very fruitful and rewarding outcome of its very popular British -Indian personality, a very fluent and outstanding figure as an editor C. B Patel. No doubt the helping hands of a matured Associate Editor Rupanjana Dutta and Deputy Editor Anand Pillai are part and parcel of Asian Voice tremendous success.

I, as a longtime writer and critic in India and Kenya, personally think and believe that if given only a little push “Asian Voice” may turn out to be in the front row of the weekly newspapers in the Asian countries and gradually in the world as a whole Otherwise, wishing you all the best and congratulating your entire hard working team for your highly aimed achievement in the News World.

Dr H. V. Kerai (PHD) Writer, Critic and Lecturer Welling, Kent

Column with punch and panache

Readers of AV do not need introduction to Kapil’s KHICHADI, one of the most hard-hitting and popular column not only in ethnic press but even at national level. His latest piece, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” exceeds all expectation and has become topic of conversation at dining tables. Pakistan is a “Terrorist State” in the eyes of the world. It solely exists on spreading terror not on India but within its own borders as well, harbouring Osama, giving him shelter and protection by army has alienated even its close ally America. No wonder “Surgical Strike” by India on POK has received worldwide support and enhanced India’s reputation as “No Nonsense” State, once regarded as soft touch.

Pakistan has found in PM Modi a worthy opponent; a world class “Chess Player” who plans and executes every move with precision, taking into account every counter move by the enemy. India is fighting Pakistan on two fronts, on the battle-field as well as in diplomatic circle where China is the real enemy who fears India as worthy rival on military, economic and technological front, an obstacle who may thwart China’s ambition to colonize the world. economically and rule the waves, as Britain used to in early 20th Century. While Pakistan has banned Indian movies, TV channels and Indian artists, Pakistani artists are earning a fortune with the tacit support of “Bollywood.” This is the sickular nature of Indian politics that troubles many.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Subscribe Today Asian Voice in UK for only £29 for one year

On a knife edge

We understand from media reports that knife crime in this country is on the increase.

In line with the gun culture in the US we, in this country, particularly in the south east of London are probably facing similar hate crimes but here knives are used instead of guns.

Imagine yourself being confronted by man weilding a knife and threatening to harm you.

It must be a very frightening experience.

Knife crimes are not carried out just for the intention of robbery, they are done for various reasons eg revenge or just for fun.

People who are victims would probably live the rest of their lives on a knife edge, being jittery and afraid to go out any time of day or night.

It has been suggested by some that increased jail sentences for the culprits may be an answer.

But others argue that prison sentences on their own are not effective.

The person will come out of jail more hardened criminal and would be carrying a chip on his shoulder.

But then how could we put a stop to this sometimes indiscriminate harming of people who may have caused no offence or harm to the perpetrators?

What needs to change is the person or the environment they are brought up in. The culprits and their victims need more support from their peers. However, the poor victims of a knife crime would probably live the rest of their life on a knife edge.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

What do you think?

We want to know your views on this subject Write to Asian Voice 12 Hoxton Market London N1 6HW or e-mail: aveditorial@abplgroup.com

The root cause

Last week your editorial “Rubicon Crossed” as well as Kapil, Alpesh and the front page news article gave enough information to understand the current round of BharatPakistan blows. However, the root cause of the conflict lies with the West in general but especially with the USA. Since partition it seems that the successive USA administrations and their secret services have a compulsion to care and nurture the Pakistani army. (Most countries have armies to defend the country but in Pakistan the army is there to run the country, sometimes openly and other times overtly.)

The USA has pumped more than $50 billion worth of armaments into the country.

Generally we do not know their motive for such generosity. However, we do know that in the 1980s they pumped enormous amount of money and armaments to dislodge the USSR from Afghanistan and eventually dismember them. Their actions also created the Taliban and El Qaida. Is this behaviour to showcase their destruction wares or are they guided by a third party? If no armaments and money were provided to the country, the whole of the sub-continent would have progressed well economically and would have eliminated poverty forever. Would the USA change their behaviour (by stopping armaments) even at this late stage and let the neighbours peacefully sort out their differences for their mutual benefits?

Narsibhai Patel New Malden

Brexit

After the Referendum, we thought Brexit would have a very drastic effect on the British Economy. The pound has gone down against the US dollar but the economy is still going strong, services and manufacturing are surprisingly on the rise, retail sales too have been going up. As the pound has become cheaper, thousands of Chinese, EU, US and other foreigners are coming to London for a shopping spree which has helped boost business confidence in Britain.

PM Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson have also toured to EU states for better deals when Article 50 will be invoked in 2017. They too will have free Trade Agreements with China, India, USA, Australia, Canada, Commonwealth and other Countries. So it seems Britain will be better off outside the EU which will have biggest problem of immigrants from the Middle-East and Africa resulting in more economic, political, cultural and terrorism issues!

Upendra Kapadia By email

The promise and risk of fracking

The well is drilled vertically for two miles and then travels horizontally for a further two miles. It uses cement and steel pipe casing with an overall diameter of 24 inches, reduced to 13.5 inches after 0.25 mile and further reduced to 8.75 inches at 0.6 mile depth. The cement and steel are used to prevent seepage from pipe into groundwater.

350 pieces of pipe, weighing 87 tons are used.

Once the well is drilled and safe, fracturing fluid is pumped at extreme pressure into the deep rock beneath the Earth’s surface. This fluid consists of 80.5% water, 19% proppant (a combination of natural quartz sand and man-made ceramics) and 0.5% chemicals (additives, many toxic, used to inhibit bacterial growth, minimize friction and increase viscosity).

During the life of this one well, 2 million gallons of water, 4 million pounds of proppant and 350+ barrels of chemicals would be used. Before it is possible to estimate the recoverable quantity of shale gas from that which is in-place, several such wells may need to drilled over an extended period. With current low prices of natural gas worldwide and likely environmental damage to England with the highest population density in Europe, government should ban fracking as in Germany.

Nagindas Khajuria By email

Challenging validity

Please read letters by J.B.Chacha and Navalram Dave in Gujarat Samachar (6-102016). Mr. Chacha asks why India is utilizing 8% of Indus water whereas it is entitled to use 20%. India also must stop electricity to Pakistan. Mr. Chacha exhorts Indian to take over part of Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan. India must withdraw much favored nation status to ungrateful Pakistan.

Navaram Dave has asked why we are celebrating Navaratri with lavish expense when India is faced with war like situation and widows and orphans of martyr javans are weeping. Why we have not channelized funds to these victims, instead of lavish/ extravagant show of affluence to celebrate Navaratr? He suggests that this can be best evidence of unity among the community and thanks/ appreciation of their devotion to protect India.

These letters are challenging validity of our show of love towards India and show futility of mouthing pro India slogans. Readers have right to know if any Indian organization has undertaken to raise funds for suffering widows and orphans affected by terrorists attacks and or protecting India from enemy/ terrorists.

Ramesh Jhalla By email

ASIAN VOICE

Tel: 020 7749 4080

(Off Coronet Street)

Rates Valid from 1-10-2015

Please detach the form and send it with your payment or credit card instructions to address below

Karma Yoga House Fax: 020 7749 4081 E-mail: support@abplgroup.com 12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

UK EUROPE WORLD 1 Year £29 £77 £92 2 Years £52.50 £141.50 £169 Subscriptions are non-refundable after 30 days

Visit our website: www.abplgroup.com

NAME

ADDRESS POST CODE Email:

TEL:

I'd like to be kept up to date by email with offers and news from ABPL

Please charge my VISA / MASTERCARD / CREDIT / DEBIT CARD for £

Card No:

Signature

Card Expiry date

Date

UK Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Mayor to meet Indian businesses to show London is open to global investment Sadiq Khan is due to meet with leading Indian businesses on Wednesday, to explore opportunities to attract further investment and to reassure leaders them that London is open for business.

The Mayor is hosting a meeting at City Hall with 17 leading Indian foreign investment companies already working with London to discuss further expanding their links with the capital following the European Union referendum result. Names include: Air India, HCL Technologies, Hiranandani, ICICI Bank, Infosys, Lalit London, Tata, Usha Martin Group, Asian Business Association, Wipro, CII to name a few.

He will also reassure bosses that Indian businesses, who employ nearly 50,000 people in the capital, remain welcome postBrexit and that London is open to investment, trade and talent from around the globe.

The Mayor is keen to further strengthen ties as Indian companies are the second biggest foreign investors in London.

According to data from the Mayor’s promotional company, London & Partners, in the last 10 years, London has attracted more foreign direct investment from India than Japan and China

and only the US invests more in our capital. India is also a crucial trading partner for London and a significant market for the capital’s businesses, with the value of London exports to India amounting to £1.29bn in 2014.

Sadiq Khan said: “London is open for investment and business from around the globe and the city already has an excellent trading relationship with India.

“I am looking forward to meeting with leading Indian businesses to reassure them that our great city remains open to the best global talent, and I’m keen to discuss how we can strengthen and support further investment in London.”

Both the Confederation of Indian Industry and UK Business India Council will be represented at tonight’s meeting, which will be chaired by Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor for Business and Enterprise.

Shuchita Sonalika, Head and Director of the Confederation of Indian Industry, said: “Nearly 40 per cent of the fastest-growing Indian companies investing in the UK are based in London, highlighting that London has been the destination of choice for Indian FDI. Their diverse operations range from IT,

financial services, media and entertainment, tourism and others.

“We hope that London will continue to be an attractive place to do business and their interests will be fortified post-Brexit. This interaction of Indian companies with Mayor Sadiq Khan is testament to that effort and CII looks forward to working with the Mayor’s team to deepen business links between India and London.”

Kevin McCole, Chief Operating Officer of the UK Business India Council, said: “Indian business contributes hugely to London, and London businesses contribute hugely to India. So, at this time of uncertainty due to Brexit, the UK India Business Council is delighted that the Mayor and his Deputy have taken the time to hear the views of Indian businesses in London, and, quite rightly, to remind them that London is open for business.”

To further strengthen business links between London and India, London & Partners will open applications for the next round of its India Emerging 20 (IE20) initiative, a programme to discover some of India’s most innovative and high growth companies with global aspirations.

Last year’s competition saw more than 10 times as

Amber Rudd’s policy that never was Never before has the Conservative Party Conference caused a nationwide furore, but that's what happened when Home Secretary Amber Rudd unveiled plans for companies to publish the number of non-EU staff employed by them with the possibility of “naming and shaming” firms.

"I come here today with a warning to those that simply oppose any steps to reduce net migration. This government will not waver in its commitment to put the interests of the British people first. Reducing net migration back down to sustainable levels will not be easy. But I am committed to delivering it on behalf of the British people,” she told the conference. "The test should ensure people coming here are filling gaps in the labour market, not taking jobs British people could do. So I many applications as places from companies all over India and across the life sciences, technology and professional services sectors. The final 20 companies selected for the programme will be given the opportunity to come to London to meet and learn from senior business leaders, venture capital investors and decisionmakers from major global companies.

want us to look again at whether our immigration system provides the right incentives for businesses to invest in British workers,” she added. Ms Rudd also announced a further crackdown on illegal immigration through new powers to go after landlords, employers and banks.

Within hours of the speech, she faced a backlash from politicians and businesses alike with Labour saying it will "fan the flames of xenophobia and hatred in our communities" and the SNP called it "the most disgraceful display of reactionary right-wing politics in living memory”. Business leaders described the policy as divisive and damaging.

Among animosity, the public accused her of being racist, to which she hit back saying "don't call me a racist" for talking about immigration. Days later Education Secretary Justine Greening said the Government's proposal to

make companies reveal the numbers of foreign workers they employ would not be made public. Speaking on ITV Greening said “This is not data that will be published. There will be absolutely no naming and shaming. This is about informing policy, so that we understand particularly which areas and parts of the country there are skills shortages, evidenced by the fact employers are not taking local workers as much as they might do.”

In the midst of the storm, Steve Hilton the former director of strategy for David Cameron called on Amber Rudd to be removed from her position as Home Secretary following her comments on immigration.

Appearing on ITV's The Agenda Hilton said: “Theresa May needs to send a really clear signal to the world that this idea - that has been noticed around the world of forcing companies to name and shame foreign workers - was a mistake. A powerful way to do that would be to move the minister who made the announcement... I think it's important to correct this mistake because it has had a big impact on Britain's reputation around the world.”

After over a week in the storm, Amber Rudd dropped her proposal as the government did a U-turn.

Let your family enjo oy

the light.

Send money for Diw wali wali.

0800-026-0535 0800 026 0535 moneygram.co.uk /moneygram

@moneygramMe

Send at:

11

4VUL`.YHT 4VUL` ;YHUZML LY H[ ;LZJV PZ IYV V\NO[ [V `V\ I` ;LZJV )HUR 7VZ[ 6ɉJL ;LZJV ;OVTHZ *VVR HYL L HNLU[Z VM 4VUL`.YHT 0U[LYUH[PVUHS 3PTP[LK PU [OL WYV]PZPVU VM TVUL` [YHUZMLY ZLY]]PJLZ 4VUL`.YHT [OL .SVIL HUK 4VUL`.YHT )YPUNPUN @V\ *SVZLY HYL [YHKLTHYRZ VM 4VUL`.YHT (SS V[OLY THYRZ HYL [OL WYV VWLY[[` VM [OLPY YLZWLJ[P]L V^ULYZ 4VUL`.YHT 0U[LYUH[PVUHS 3PTP[LK PZ HU H\[OVYPZLK HUK YLN\SH[LK PU [OL <UP[LK 2PUNKVT I` [OL -PUHUJPHS *VUK\J[ (\[OVYP[` 4VUL`.YHT

12

MEDIA WATCH

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

India’s surgical strikes at terrorist bases across the Line of Control in Kashmir was the subject of the hour, the bang that carried a message of national intent and resolve that would brook no denial. Pakistan’s attempt to take India-Pakistan relations to the UN Security Council for discussion fell flat on its face as it found no takers among its permanent members.

The subject is unlikely to disappear anytime soon, given Pakistan’s determination to keep the pot boiling with assaults such as the unsuccessful one mounted on the Baramulla BSF base, repelled with the loss of an Indian jawan from Bihar (Press, TV reports October 4) A further attempt at infiltration in Kupura was thwarted by the Indian Army, resulting in the deaths of 7 jihadis (Hindu, Times of India October 7)

RBI cuts interest rate

The Reserve Bank of India’s cut the interest rate by 25 basic points a quarter of 1 per cent). It was the first such measure under the new regime of RBI Governor Dr Urjit Patel, and was warmly welcomed by industry captains gearing up for the festive season.

Dr Urjit Patel

Noting that the easing inflationary pressure had opened up the space for action, raising hopes of a revival of bank credit, the Reserve Bank opted for a stimulant to business optimism and growth. The interest rate will now be 6.25 from 6.5 per cent.

The RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee concluded that the reduction of the interest rate and comfortable liquidity position should support a revival of credit to productive sectors of the economy.

Market sources expect interest rate cut in December. ‘We expect another cut of 25 basic points in 2016 which will be in in the December quarter on expectations remaining around 6 per cent, said Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist CARE Ratings.

(Business Line, Hindu Times of India October 5)

Upbeat IMF forecast

Stating that India’s growth is ‘resilient,’ the International Monetary Fund projected India’s growth in the current 2016-17 to be 7.6 per cent, and China’s at 6.6 per cent. According to the IMF, ‘India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will continue to expand at the fastest pace of among major economies.’ The IIMF said the economic recovery will continue to benefit from improvement in trade, more effective policy implementation and stronger external buffers. ‘These have helped boost sentiment,’ it said.

GST impact The IMF also noted the positive effect of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on trade and investment. ‘This tax reform and the elimination of poorly targeted subsidies are needed, widen the revenue base and expand the fiscal envelope to support investment in infrastructure, education and health,’ it said. The country’s reform agenda must continue to ensure further economic successes (Business Line October 5)

India, Singapore deepen ties

implies support for India’. There was no such ambiguity in Russia’s expression of outright support carried the headline, ‘Russia backs surgical strikes, says India has the right to defend itself.’

This should go some way to calm the speculative fever doing the rounds that the country’s military drill with Pakistan had diluted its ties with India.

Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin clarified the issue in New Delhi, explaining the Pakistani drill was designed to tutor Pakistan in anti-terror skills and, no doubt, an opportunity to Russia to gain some first-hand knowledge of Pakistani operational art (Times of India October 4)

ONGC stake in Russia approved

State-owned energy giant ONGC received cabinet approval to purchase an additional 11 per cent in Russia’s Vankor oilfield in Siberia for $930 million even as the Indian government looks to secure more energy deals during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India later this month for the BRICS Summit.

Vankor is Russia’s second-largest field by output and accounts for 4 per cent of Russia’s oil Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong with production.

PM Modi ‘The acquisition is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ONGC’s objective to add high and his Singapore counterpart quality international assets to Lee Hsien Loong held broadIndia’s exploration and producranging talks in New Delhi. tion portfolios, and thereby augSingapore fully supported India’s menting the country’s energy responsive measures to safeguard security,’ said an ONGC stateits territorial integrity and securiment (Telegraph October 6) ty against external attacks by terrorist groups, said Mr Lee. Both White House aborts sides agreed to expedite the secanti-Pakistan petition ond review of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation The White House in Washington Agreement to boost bilateral halted acceptance of signatures trade. for a petition designing Pakistan

Economic bedrock

Prime Minister Modi said: ‘The trade and investment ties form the bedrock of our bilateral relationship. ‘We enjoy a strong network of business-to-business partnerships, said Mr Modi, who stressed the close defence and security ties between India and Singapore. He said: ‘The rising tide of terrorism, especially crossborder terrorism and the rise of radicalization are grave challenges to our security. They threaten the very fabric of our societies…Today, we have agreed to enhance our cooperation to counter these threats, including in the domain of cyber terrorism.’

Prime Minister Modi said.

Speaking to a local newspaper, Mr Lee, was critical of what he perceived as India’s unwillingness to give greater market access to foreign companies, including those from Singapore (Business Line, October 5, Hindu October 6)

Russia’s full support

A recent Times of India report was titled ‘US attacks terror,

as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The decision came a days after a record number of half a million signatures, five times more than the required number to get a response from the Obama administration. Normally public petitions are kept open for a month. No explanation was forthcoming for the closure (Times of India October 5) This should enlighten the Indian public on the two faces of US President Barack Obama administration. Like others before it, the Obama administration has kept Pakistan in business with generous financial and military aid packages.

Reliance Group in Rafale offset deal

Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group will join hands with French manufacturer of the Rafale aircraft in an offset deal under which substantial components will be manufactured in India. The 50 per cent offset clause in the Dassault’s contract with the Indian government has led to the formation of new joint venture to be known as Dassault Reliance Aerospace.

Peres to Modi Within six months of Narendra Modi assuming office as Prime Minister, the veteran Israeli politician, Shimon Peres, who died recently at a ripe 93 years, visited India – a country he was drawn to – for the last time. He asked Israel’s Ambassador Daniel Carmen – a few months into his post – that he wished to meet the new Indian Prime Minister. The request was duly passed on to the PMO. The answer was received in barely 15 minutes: it would be a pleasure. Peres was then a private citizen, hence the speed of the response was truly remarkable.

Abrogation of Article 370

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

of their leder Omar al Hindi (30) closed the trap (Hindu October 4)

Germany backs India

The new German Ambassador to India, Martin Ney, expressed his country’s full support to India in the fight against cross-border terrorism. He said: ‘It is absolutely clear that there are two norms in international law governing this issue. The first…is that every state should ensure that no terrorism emanates from its territory.

Secondly, that any state has the right to defend its territory from any form of global terrorism.’

(Times of India October 6)

SAARC must address

Peres had visited India as Foreign terror: Lankan PM Minister shortly after the establishment of diplomatic relations During his recent visit to India, in January 1992. In a conversaSri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil tion with Prime Minister Wickremasinghe said the South Narasimha Rao, he advised a funAsian Association for Regional damental demographic balance Cooperation (SAARC) risked in Kashmir, asserting that the becoming defunct or irrelevant if huge Muslim majority in the valley would encourage external forces to stir unrest in the state and eventually a secessionist movement. This implied the abrogation of Article 370, or its modification. Economic and social development were a far second to an exclusivist Islamic identity, averred Peres, who was roundly abused by the left-liberal antiIsrael lobby in Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe Delhi. It would with PM Modi take a brazenly dishonest man or woman to say member countries did not Peres was wrong, particularly in address the ‘core’ issue of crossthe light of subsequent circumborder terrorism. He appeared to stances, including the ethnic hint that an alternative structure cleansing of the Kashmiri Hindu to SAARC may have to be considPandits by jihadi fanatics in the ered, a view he had broadly early 1990s. Indians are much expressed previously in given to idealism without temAuckland, New Zealand (Times pered steel of realism (Telegraph of India October 6).

September 30)

Kerala-based IS group busted

A Kerala-based organization known as Ansarul-Khilafah, an ideological affiliate of Iraq and Syria-based Islamic State (IS) were planning operations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu when its six operatives were arrested by agents of the N a t i o n a l Investigation Agency in Kochi, Kerala, last week.

The men had been on the NIA’s radar for the past four months, but the arrival in India from Qatar

Air Rorce Day flypast. Chief Marshal Arup Raha takes salute

Supreme Court Justice R.M. Lodha. see comment page 3

UK Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

More Reagan Needed in India

I love playing the game ‘what the Prime Minister should have said’. This is what the Indian PM should have said after the Uri attacks – apologies and thanks to the late Ronald Reagan.

“We Indians are slow to anger. We always seek peaceful avenues before resorting to the use of force. Despite our repeated warnings, Pakistan continued her reckless policy of intimidation, her relentless pursuit of terror. We tried quiet diplomacy, public condemnation, economic sanctions, and demonstrations of military force. None succeeded. She counted on India to be passive. She counted wrong. I warned that there should be no place on Earth where terrorists can rest and train and practice their deadly skills. I meant it. I said that we would act with others, if possible, and alone if necessary to ensure that terrorists have no sanctuary anywhere. Tonight, we have.

At 7 o'clock this evening air and naval forces of India launched a series of strikes against the headquarters of terrorist facilities that support Pakistan’s subversive activities. The attacks were concentrated and carefully targeted to minimize casualties among the Pakistani people with whom we have no quarrel.

Several weeks ago from Uri, I warned PM Sharif we would hold his regime accountable for any new terrorist attacks launched against Indian citizens. Uri and its monstrous brutality is but the latest act in Pakistan’s reign of terror. The evidence is now conclusive that the terrorist attack was launched from Pakistani soil.

Our evidence is direct; it is precise; it is irrefutable. We have solid evidence about other attacks Pakistan has planned against India. Thanks to close cooperation with our friends, some of these have been prevented.

Today we have done what we had to do. If necessary, we shall do it again. It gives me no pleasure to say that, and I

wish it were otherwise. I'm sure that today most Pakistanis are ashamed and disgusted that their military has made their country a synonym for barbarism around the world. The Pakistani people are a decent people caught in the grip of military tyrants.

To our friends and allies around the world who work with us against terror, I would only say you have the permanent gratitude of the Indian people. We who remember history understand better than most that there is no security, no safety, in the appeasement of evil. It must be the core of Indian policy that there be no sanctuary for terror. And to sustain such a policy, free men and free nations must unite and work together. Sometimes it is said that by imposing sanctions against Pakistan or by striking at her terrorist installations we only magnify the country’s importance, that the proper way to deal with her is to ignore her. I do not agree.

For for us to ignore by inaction the slaughter of Indian civilians and Indian soldiers, whether in hotels or army camps, is simply not in the Indian tradition. When our citizens are abused or attacked anywhere in the world on the direct orders of a hostile regime, we will respond so long as I'm Prime Minister. Self-defense is not only our right, it is our duty. It is the purpose behind the mission undertaken tonight, a mission fully consistent with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

We believe that this preemptive action against his terrorist installations will not only diminish Pakistan’s capacity to export terror, it will provide her with incentives and reasons to alter her criminal behavior.

I have no illusion that tonight's action will ring down the curtain on Pakistan’s reign of terror. But this mission, violent though it was, can bring closer a safer and more secure world for decent men and women.

We will persevere.

Thank you, and Jai Hind.

Local entrepreneur's creative agency wins laurels at Annual Hertfordshire Digital Awards Local entrepreneur Bhavik Haria founded award-winning creative agency Cincera, when he was just 19. From start-up to success story in just a few years, Cincera today, is a full- service video agency providing everything from video production to marketing. It was honoured with the Gold Award for “Use of Video in Business” at the recent Hertfordshire Digital Awards.

Recognising “some of the digital industry’s leading lights,” the annual awards were designed to reward innovation and progressive thinking in digital media. The judging panel included Robin Bailey, former ITV presenter; Miles Alvis, Franchise Manager at Lookers Volvo Colchester; Tim Brown, Director at Sky Sports; Rob Pritchard, Media Officer at West Ham United FC, among others.

"We are so honoured to be recognised by for the work we're doing within the digital sector. Our dedicated team is always pushing the boundaries and upping our high production values, while helping companies embrace

Bhavik Haria (right) with the award

the amazing power of digital,” said Bhavik Haria, Cincera founder. “Building a startup isn't easy – it’s a roller coaster of a journey, but it’s also highly rewarding. My aim has always been to add tremendous value to our customers through our innovative products and channels. We are thrilled that this award recognises these efforts.”

Haria founded Cincera using his focus on supporting local communities and natural entrepreneurship to grow it into a successful creative agency in less than five years. He is as passionate about giving back and contributing to

Mitie boss Ruby McGregorSmith calls it quits Mitie chief executive Ruby McGregor-Smith has decided to call it a day, just weeks after a disastrous profit warning.

On Monday, she announced that she will step down from the outsourcer after 10 years at the helm and hand over the reins to former British Gas boss Phil Bentley on December 12.

However, Lady McGregor-Smith, a Conservative peer, has denied that the company’s poor performance this year has prompted this decision. She said the decision was personal and was influenced by one of her children saying: “I want my mum back.”

The first Asian chief executive of an FTSE 250 company who has doubled Mitie’s revenue and profits during her stint told the company’s board late last year that she

wanted to step down in 2016.

She has held the top job at Mitie, which runs government detention centres and cleans airports, since April 2007.

McGregor-Smith told the Evening Standard: “This decision was very much driven by me. I

started this job when my kids were six and four years old, and now they’re nearly grown up.

One of them said to me recently, ‘I want my mum back.’ So I’m going to take some time out to be with them.

Balancing having young kids with running a listed company is hard.”

Shares in Mitie crashed 26% in September after the group warned investors that “significant economic pressures” would cause first-half sales and profits to fall.

A source close to the discussions indicated that Bentley would be receiving more than the £1.5m remuneration package which Lady McGregorSmith earned last year.

13

strong communities as he is to the success of Cincera.

“I believe that my commitment to giving back to others has really been the fuel for the growth of my business and my own personal development,” he added. Haria has spent months volunteering for CAREducation Trust in Asia, raising more than £50,000 across India, Kenya and Nepal. The Cincera office is also dedicated to contributing to the local community: “I love supporting other organisations doing great work through the work that we do as an agency.”

One person is diagnosed with leprosy every 2½ minutes

Join the fight to #BeatLeprosy Aadil was just three when leprosy started attacking the nerves in his limbs.

If left untreated he would have lost the use of his hands and feet and may have lost his sight too.

Thankfully, he was treated early, before this terrible disease could destroy his life.

But many more children are still living with undiagnosed leprosy.

It costs just £5 to screen an entire school for leprosy – helping us to diagnose and provide treatment to more children like Aadil before it’s too late.

Text LEPRA to 70500 to donate £5 Or donate online www.lepra.org.uk Text charged at £5 plus your standard network rate. Lepra will receive 100% of your donation. Obtain bill payer’s permission. Customer care 01206 216700. Registered Charity Number: 213251 (England and Wales) SC039715 (Scotland)

14

SP

TLIGHT

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

12th century stolen 'artefact' handed over to the Indian High Commissioner Sunetra Senior

Manu is a special sort of community worker and student of Vedic philosopher, fighting to raise awareness for the Dogras of the Jammu region, from the Jammu Kashmir state: “historically,” Manu passionately opened, “our people were great warriors. We have a very rich language (Dogri) and a unique heritage, but over the years, and amid the conflict of geo-political boundaries between two of the world’s most major religious groups, our culture and representation have been gradually drowned out”. This hits especially erroneous because the state of Jammu Kashmir actually had a Dogra dynasty: My “Today Dogra youth,” Manu continued, “both in activism India and as part of the British-Asian diaspora, find is always themselves having to concede their background as generically Kashmiri – or sometimes Punjabi where inclusive many Dogras are also settled - because they’ve been wiped from Indian national memory. In India, there is nothing of the Dogras in the educational curriculum. My role, as a result, has been to mobilise community groups, on Facebook and other online pages, and organise various gatherings to give our minority a voice, and encourage Dogras to speak up about the intricacies of their heritage, amongst the Indian community and at open public events.” *** This includes a ceremonial function recently held at British Parliament on the 10th October, on the 121st anniversary of the last Jammu Kashmiri Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh, to discuss and consolidate what happened at the time and boost new-fangled recognition. There will also be a colourful showcase of Dogra culture on the 16th of October at Trafalgar Square, demonstrating the culture’s proud martial heritage and offering the chance to sample some delicious Dogri cuisine. “We celebrate the festival of Lohri – a time of the year to mark the harvest – in our own distinctive way too,” Manu made sure to emphasise. It is fitting that this warm crusader is as expressive as she is fervent – regularly contributing her social and political opinions to publications such as the Daily O, and being dubbed the Founder of the Voice of Dogras as one of the few from a marginalised community to graduate from a top 5 Indian university and go on to a life of commemorating it. As she emphasised: “much of my work is to revive a worthy narrative,” and what is nationhood if not a communal epic? Bringing the focus back to individuals and people, communication and self-worth, Manu doesn’t just raise the profile of the Dogras, but shows us the meaning of cultural integrity and what it is to truly love your home: “we want increased visibility, but we also care deeply about the Jammu Kashmiri state. We are a diverse people and in terms of the population, we really have a more secular character. In Pakistanoccupied Jammu mainland, out of 1 million Jammu Kashmiris, 900,000 are actually Dogri speaking.

Our ethnic heritage is very much interwoven.” Indeed too, although predominantly Hindu, Dogras also form part of the Sikh and Muslim communities.

What exactly compelled you towards Dogra activism and the Jammu Kashmir community?

I am a Dogra, and I wanted to give back to my community. Education has started to take off in Jammu, but we are still largely a martial and agrarian community. There are a lot of ties to the Indian army and armed forces. I am very proud of stepping out of the mould and going to study my passion of sociology at Lady Shri Ram College, and later at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai. I was always aware I was a Dogra girl, and felt blessed to have the privilege of receiving such high quality education. What really catalysed my activism was the 2008 Amarnath land row in Jammu Kashmir around the Hindu pilgrimage that took place in the Muslim majority Kashmir valley.

Jammu Kashmiri politicians didn’t want to support it, and the whole region was in unrest. My father was actually arrested for protesting. What I noticed was a distinct lack of representation of the Jammuites who all rose together during this conflict. The media were only talking to people as Kashmiris and the few Jammu leaders who were speaking couldn’t quite communicate: both because they were coming from an underrepresented point of view, and the lack of having access to a better education. I was so frustrated. We are such open and giving people too. I realised we had to have more of a polit-

ical identity and presence: through vocalisation and editorial presence. A counter-narrative was absolutely necessary.

Are there any significant actions you‘re taking in Britain to strengthen the Dogra community?

We have a social media page so Dogras everywhere can connect. In England, we’ve been speaking out to ascertain that we are not in fact just Kashmiri and have our own heritage.

There will be a protest to the Pakistani High Commission about the atrocities committed in Jammu Kashmir, from both the Muslim and Hindu communities. Learning by inquiry into the past, with an ability to sift through counter narratives objectively gives us the skills to deal with our present better. Though most historians have wronged Dogra History, more have now arisen to counter it, not in an attempt to seek a consensus, but because they believe that there are two sides to every story. One has been told and the other needs to be told.

You are a writer too; what do your articles usually focus on?

They’ll focus on the state of Jammu and Kashmir, but they are not rabble-rousing. I want solutions. There’s been too much pain and one-track mindedness already. When a people have been repressed for so long there is a lot of

angst and frustration. The last thing I want is inward looking feeling. I want liberation and for people to feel open. I would say my activism is inclusive. The entire state is important to me. It’s not about ownership and regionalism; it’s about positivity and working together.

Finally, what in your opinion is integral to community cohesion?

History and culture bring people together. You need a shared narrative; a legacy and sense of belonging. If you look at the Dogras in particular, we were an amazing marital race who fought alongside the British in Tibet and Afghanistan, East Africa and Macedonia. Communities also have a certain way of thinking and worship that intimately binds them. However, it is also important to do this positively.

Don’t preach; affirm. I always encourage people to talk, say at lectures about Jammu, even if for 10 minutes, to let people know and connect them to the story. Cohesion is about inspiring and bringing people together; this includes inviting others to understand you. I’m pleased to report this approach has already gained traction, with youngsters getting in touch and asking if they can do their thesis statements on the Dogras and people asking me about my background without needing a prompt! twitter.com/KhajuriaManu

On Friday, 30 September 2016, High Commissioner of India, H.E. Navtej Sarna was formally handed over a 12th century sculpture of Brahma and his consort Brahmani at India House by the Art Loss Register (ALR). The 12th century sculpture of Brahma and his consort Brahmani was stolen from the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Rani-ki-Vav in Patan, Gujarat in November 2001.

The artefact was recovered by the London-based Art Loss Register, which specializes in recovery and return of lost and stolen art.

The sculpture resurfaced in London in 2015 in an advertisement by an art dealer and was detected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the efforts of Dr. Kirit Mankodi, a retired Archaeologist who has been working on recovery of stolen Indian art for several years. The artefact was handed over to Art Loss Register after the owner realised that it was procured

HE Sarna (R) with the stolen artefact

illicitly. The statue was examined by a team of experts the Archaeological Survey of India and after several rounds of discussions and examination by an expert committee of the ASI, it has now been authenticated as the original statue. Both ALR and Dr. Mankodi also contributed to ASI’s analysis and examination of the sculpture.

The High Commissioner expressed his deep appreciation for the work done by the Art Loss Register in returning this stolen artefact back to India.

GPs’ receptionists put off patients A study has found GP’s receptionists deter patients from seeing the doctor worrying they will be questioned about their symptoms. The Royal College of GPs warned receptionists no to take decisions about the patient's health.

A survey of 2000 patients found that dis-

cussing potentially embarrassing problems with people without medical knowledge is a key reason stopping them seeing the doctor. The research published own the Journal of Public Health found 37% of men and 43% of women were put off by making an appointment after speaking to a receptionist.

Former Lib Dem peer joins the Conservative Party Former Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Zahida Manzoor has joined the Conservative Party, praising Theresa May’s vision and commitment to address the problems of social mobility at home.

Baroness Manzoor has a respected background in education & charities before becoming a Baroness and is the second Liberal Democrat peer in the last few months to join Conservatives.

Baroness Manzoor, who used to be a columnist in Asian Voice, said: "Leaving the Lib Dems - where I've been a member for 3 years in the House of Lords, was tough, but it was the right thing to do. I could not support the leadership of a party that calls itself democratic and then refuses to acknowledge the will of the people in a referendum.

Zahida Manzoor

"Theresa May's vision of a Britain that works for everyone, and her clear leadership over Brexit, now make the Conservatives a natural home for me and millions of people like me, from all communities across the UK. "As Britain embarks on a new journey, outside the EU but reaching out to trade with the world, and as we really begin addressing the problems of social mobility at home, I look forward to helping play my part as a Conservative."

Former socialite was right, barrister says The barrister who dashed ex-socialite Mary Whitehouse’s drive against obscenity now believes she was right.

Jeremy Hutchinson who argued for the defence in the 1982 private prosecution of the

then director of the National Theatre. Now 101, Hutchinson has over the years grew to respect her and believes the rise of pornography and other lewd forms of art have vindicated her.

UK Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

15

May to visit India

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Cllr Ketan Sheth Councillor for Tokyngton Wembley Brent Council’s Chair of Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee

Care of Older People The care of older people is one of the greatest challenges we face today. Our residents are living longer, but the resources we have to support them is diminishing year-by-year. It is estimated that by 2030, the number of people living in Brent, who are aged 65 or above, will have risen to around 53,000 – that is an increase of 47%. However, Brent Council’s budget spend on adult social care has fallen and is expected to fall further.

The question is how do we square this circle? Brent’s current administration has responded to this challenge and has started the New Accommodation for Independent Living project (NAIL). The NAIL project is the largest and most strategically important efficiency and quality improvement initiative led by the Council’s Adult Social Care Department.

The aim of the NAIL project is to identify, develop and acquire alternative forms of care to residential care for all vulnerable adult residents in the borough.

This is because the outcomes for people going into residential care are not always as good as for those who remain in their own communities - residential care provides a ‘one size fits all’ approach to providing care and

support despite the fact that, in any one residential care home, every person living there is likely to have different individual support needs. It is also significantly more expensive for the Council to provide residential or nursing care than it is to provide Extra Care sheltered housing or Supported Living. Therefore, the largest strategic priority for the Council is to support more residents to remain in a home of their own or in their own communities.

Both Extra Care sheltered housing and Supported Living enables this.

One such Extra Care sheltered housing accommodation is Willow House in Wembley, which is provided as part of the NAIL project. I recently spent an afternoon at Willow House talking to some of the residents – many of who are of Asian origin who live there, its staff and those who work for Network Homes Ltd, who built the accommodation, and London Care Ltd, who provide the care service. What I saw was high-quality housing for older people, many of whom have mental health and learning disabilities needs. It was certainly very different to a residential home. At Willow House, the residents live independently as far as they can. They can go shopping

on their own, socialise as they choose, or cook their own meals in their kitchens with support if they need it. The postman even delivers mail to their own individual flats.

Older people, with mental health and learning disabilities, are one of the most socially excluded groups in our society and this is primarily a result of an historical segregation of services that unintentionally deny people their own home, choice and control and a decent income; factors which ultimately deny social inclusion.

There is no one housing and support option that works for everybody. We need to get a better balance of housing, support and service options so that our elderly residents have real choices, wherever they live. We struggle to get the balance right because we are trying to operate within financial and service structures that are often still geared towards ‘the old way’ of doing things. We should not allow that to put us off making the changes that give people real choice, control and inclusion. The NAIL project provides one such alternative and offers a new way of supporting older people to maintain their independence and is an alternative to residential care.

PM Theresa May with PM Narendra Modi

Continued from page 1

Her visit is likely to coincide with the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi between November 7 and 9.

The summit is being organised by India's Department of Science and Technology and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and has Jo Johnson, UK minister for Universities, Science, Research & Innovation, as a

confirmed keynote speaker from the UK end. The bilateral summit was among the major announcements made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK in November 2015.

60 year old Mrs May, has often mentioned India among the priority countries for a free trade agreement to boost the UK's ties outside the EU, post Brexit, especially during the Conservative party conference.

Exclusive News & Views for British Asians it, e am t it! n u Yo 've go we

I

I I

Haven't had a chance to catch the biggest stories of the week?

I

I

Asian Voice & Gujarat

I

Samachar newsweeklies

FREE

what's happening in India, World, UK, Politics,

I

Community, Diaspora, History, Culture,

I

I

For an in-depth round-up of

Heritage, Films,

So what are you waiting for?

If you are not a subscriber of Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Celebrities, Sports.

Asian Voice £29 Gujarat Samachar £29 Both Weeklies (separate) £58 Both Together for Subscriber only £35-00 Total Savings £23-00 You Save 40% By adding only £6 you can subsribe Gujarat Samachar

SUBSCRIPTION FOR

One year subscription of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice is ONLY £35 (UK)

Please tick as appropriate:

GUJARAT SAMACHAR & ASIAN VOICE ASIAN VOICE

Europe and Overseas Subscription rates are being held the same as last year!

G.S.

UK A.V. Both

It means only 9 Pense a day

Rates Valid from 1-10-2015

EUROPE G.S. A.V.

Both

1 Year £29 £29 £35 £77 £77 £126 2 Years £52.50 £52.50 £63.50 £141.50 £141.50 £242

Then subscribe and read

I

One year subsrciption

Asian Voice Newsweekly Bumper & Trustworthy News Various informative/inspiring columns, Subscribers also receive sevaral Theme based Special issue, Diwali Magazines, Annual Calender delivered at home

WORLD G.S. A.V.

£92 £92 £169 £169

Both £150 £280

Please Note: Subscriptions are non-refundable after 30 days

Please detach this form and send it with your payment or credit card instructions to address below

GUJARAT SAMACHAR & ASIAN VOICE

12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW

Tel: 020 7749 4080 / 020 7749 4000 Fax: 020 7749 4081 E-mail: support@abplgroup.com

NAME

ADDRESS Email:

£

POST CODE

www.abplgroup.com

Click

om roup.c abplg for

e-Editio

n

TEL:

I'd like to be kept up to date by email with offers and news from ABPL

Please charge my credit card VISA / MASTERCARD / CREDIT / DEBIT CARD for Card Expiry date

Card No: Signature

Date

NOTICE: Subscribers who pay by credit or switch card, the transaction will show as made for Asian Business Publications Ltd (ABPL) on your bank statement.

Please make the cheque payable to Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice.

NOTICE: If you are going away on a holiday and would like to suspend Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice for that duration, please notify us in advance in written via email at support@abplgroup.com or via post (see below for address). We do not take any such instruction on phone. Please NOTE we are CLOSED on Saturdays and Sundays

CALL NOW 020 7749 4080 / 020 7749 4000 or Email: support@abplgroup.com

NAVRATRI AND DURGA PUJA IN THE UK AT A GLANCE

16

SPECIAL

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

SPECIAL Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

www.asian-voice.com

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Over the last 10 days, the British Indian community celebrated Navratri and Durga Puja all over Britain.

People of all ages and background took part in the celebrations- that not only included Raas-Garba, but also almost 40 Durga Pujas across the country and various cultural activities including ‘Dhak' (drum-playing) competition, 'Dhunuchi naach' and 'Sindur Khela’, besides Antakshari, dance-drama and music-festivals. Some even organised such competitions with participants in Kolkata through live streaming.

In London, almost a dozen Durga pujas took place from Friday till Tuesday, and the local Bengalis participated with much enthusiasm. Most of these Pujas served bhog (Prashad) free of cost to the visitors and invited people to take part in Aarti and Pushpanjali. Many also organised 'Kumari Puja'.

We have put together a photo journey of various Durga Puja and Navratri celebrations across Britain, exclusively for our readers.

We wish you a Happy Dussehra!

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Durga puja by Sheffield and district Durgostab and Cultural Committee in Barnsley, South Yorkshire

Durga puja in Glasgow

Lohanna Community North London Garba by their ladies at Dhamecha Lohana Centre, South London on Saturday 8 October

Durga Puja by London Sharad Utsav at Ealing Town Hall, London. The Mayor of Ealing Dr Patricia Walker attended the inauguration event in a Red ‘Balucharee’ Saree Photo courtesy: Srinjoy Sen

Durga puja by Nabarun Hindu Cultural Association in Birmingham

Hindu Temple and Cultural Association puja in Edinburgh

Durga Puja by Bengali Association of Merseyside and North of England in Liverpool

Navratri Step by Step workshop over the weekend at Pandav Vidhya Shala

For opportunities in the ARMY Visit our website www.army.mod.uk

Belfast Durga Mahotsav- their first year of Durga Puja in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A 2D image of the ‘Pratima’ (idol) was created

HYDERABAD MUMBAI AHMEDABAD BANGALORE DELHI CHENNAI

£401 £408 £404 £403 £440 £402

RAJKOT BANGKOK KOCHI COLOMBO GOA LUCKNOW

TRAVLIN STYLE

Durga Puja in Cambridge by Indian Cultural Society

Durga puja by Spandan- Bengali Association of Croydon in South London

Durga puja by Mudra academy of performance arts in collaboration with others in Belfast

0203 751 4242

MK Ananda Club Durga Puja in Milton Keynes

£442 £400 £402 £431 £402 £456

46 Church Road, Stanmore, Middx, London HA7 4AH *All prices are from and subject to change and availability*

17

NAVRATRI AND DURGA PUJA IN THE UK AT A GLANCE

16

SPECIAL

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

SPECIAL Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

www.asian-voice.com

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Over the last 10 days, the British Indian community celebrated Navratri and Durga Puja all over Britain.

People of all ages and background took part in the celebrations- that not only included Raas-Garba, but also almost 40 Durga Pujas across the country and various cultural activities including ‘Dhak' (drum-playing) competition, 'Dhunuchi naach' and 'Sindur Khela’, besides Antakshari, dance-drama and music-festivals. Some even organised such competitions with participants in Kolkata through live streaming.

In London, almost a dozen Durga pujas took place from Friday till Tuesday, and the local Bengalis participated with much enthusiasm. Most of these Pujas served bhog (Prashad) free of cost to the visitors and invited people to take part in Aarti and Pushpanjali. Many also organised 'Kumari Puja'.

We have put together a photo journey of various Durga Puja and Navratri celebrations across Britain, exclusively for our readers.

We wish you a Happy Dussehra!

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Durga puja by Sheffield and district Durgostab and Cultural Committee in Barnsley, South Yorkshire

Durga puja in Glasgow

Lohanna Community North London Garba by their ladies at Dhamecha Lohana Centre, South London on Saturday 8 October

Durga Puja by London Sharad Utsav at Ealing Town Hall, London. The Mayor of Ealing Dr Patricia Walker attended the inauguration event in a Red ‘Balucharee’ Saree Photo courtesy: Srinjoy Sen

Durga puja by Nabarun Hindu Cultural Association in Birmingham

Hindu Temple and Cultural Association puja in Edinburgh

Durga Puja by Bengali Association of Merseyside and North of England in Liverpool

Navratri Step by Step workshop over the weekend at Pandav Vidhya Shala

For opportunities in the ARMY Visit our website www.army.mod.uk

Belfast Durga Mahotsav- their first year of Durga Puja in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A 2D image of the ‘Pratima’ (idol) was created

HYDERABAD MUMBAI AHMEDABAD BANGALORE DELHI CHENNAI

£401 £408 £404 £403 £440 £402

RAJKOT BANGKOK KOCHI COLOMBO GOA LUCKNOW

TRAVLIN STYLE

Durga Puja in Cambridge by Indian Cultural Society

Durga puja by Spandan- Bengali Association of Croydon in South London

Durga puja by Mudra academy of performance arts in collaboration with others in Belfast

0203 751 4242

MK Ananda Club Durga Puja in Milton Keynes

£442 £400 £402 £431 £402 £456

46 Church Road, Stanmore, Middx, London HA7 4AH *All prices are from and subject to change and availability*

17

18

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

IMF, World Bank predict 7.6% India growth The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have predicted a 7.6 per cent growth for India in 2016. The IMF said India would remain the world's fastest-growing large economy as it raised its growth forecast for the country by 0.2 percentage point from its earlier projections to 7.6 per cent for the current fiscal and the year after that.

It said India's economy continued to recover strongly, "benefiting from a large improvement in the terms of trade, effective policy actions and stronger external buffers, which have helped boost sentiment.

Nevertheless, underlying inflationary pressures arising from bottlenecks in the food storage and distribution sector point to the need for further structural reforms to ensure that consumer price inflation remains within the target

band over the medium term." The World Bank, meanwhile, said India's GDP could grow 7.6 per cent in 2016-17, and 7.7 per cent in 2017, supported by "expectations of a rebound in agriculture, civil service pay reforms supporting consumption, increasingly positive contributions from exports and a recovery of private investment in the medium term." It also did add that India still faces the challenges of further accelerating the responsiveness of poverty reduction to growth, promoting inclusion, and extending gains to a broader range of human development outcomes.

Keeping the global growth forecast unchanged at 3.1 per cent for 2016, and 3.8 per cent in the year after, the IMF altered its forecast for the US by 0.6 percentage point for 2016 and by 0.3 percentage point for 2017.

Automation threatens 69% jobs in India A World Bank research finds that automation threatens 69 per cent of the jobs in India and 77 per cent in China. WB President Jim Kim said, "As we continue to encourage more investment in infrastructure to promote growth, we also have to think about the kinds of infrastructure that countries will need in the economy of the future. We all know that technology has and will continue to fundamentally reshape the world."

Responding to a question asked at the Brookings Institute during a discussion on extreme poverty, Kim said, "But the traditional economic path from increasing productivity of agriculture to light manufacturing and then to full-

scale industrialisation may not be possible for all developing countries."

He added, "In large parts of Africa, it is likely that technology could fundamentally disrupt this pattern.

Research based on World Bank data has predicted that the proportion of jobs threatened in India by automation is 69 per cent, in China it is 77 per cent and in Ethiopia, the percentage of jobs threatened by automation is 85 per cent."

Kim said, "If this is true, and if these countries are going to lose these many jobs, we then have to understand what paths to economic growth will be available for these countries and then adapt our approach to infrastructure accordingly."

Global debt at record high: IMF The International Monetary Fund has said that the worldwide public and private debt is at an all-time high, posing a substantial impediment to getting global economic growth back to normal. In its new report, it said the easy money policies of the world's top central banks has fed the problem, stoking a private-sector credit binge in China and rising public debt in some lowincome countries.

Slow economic growth is making it difficult for countries and companies to cut their debt burdens as it can also drag on growth momentum because deleveraging companies slow spending and investment. Without deleveraging, however, countries

risk fresh financial crisis that can turn into deep recessions. IMF's Fiscal Monitor report said, "For a significant deleveraging to take place, restoring robust growth and returning to normal levels of inflation is necessary."

"Global debt is at record highs and rising," the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department chief Vitor Gaspar said. Public and private debt, excluding the financial sector's last year hit $152 trillion, with around two-thirds owed by the private sector, the report said. Measured against the size of the world economy, it rose from less than 200 per cent of global GDP to 225 per cent over the 15 years to 2015.

www.asian-voice.com

India may ease FDI curbs on food retail AsianVoiceNews

Besides tweaking rules for several areas of the real estate sector, following a series of liberalisation efforts earlier this year, the Indian government is now looking to ease FDI restrictions for the recently opened food retail by allowing stores to sell non-food products up to a certain value. While a formal review of the rules is yet to be conducted, discussion within the government has begun, especially for the food retail segment, where the food processing ministry has been pushing hard to allow 15 to 20 per cent sales to come from household products such as soaps, toothpaste, or kitchenware.

"We are examining the issues but there is no formal proposal yet," said a source.

The Modi administration has moved cautiously on the front, given it considers traders as a prominent constituency. With elections looming in crucial states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat, it remains unclear if the government was willing to take a political gamble.

In the case of real estate, the government is toying with the idea of

tweaking rules to ensure that companies like Chinese construction giant Dalian Wanda Group are able to move ahead with their proposed investment of nearly $10 billion. Under the existing rules, development of townships is not allowed. Sources said restrictions on transfer of undeveloped land are being reviewed as there are takers for it. They also said that

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

there may be other rules that could be reviewed as part of a comprehensive exercise but the details are yet to be worked out.

Although companies such as Walmart are studying similar formats in Latin America, industry sources said, an Indian buyer would prefer going to a store where she can buy goods that meet his/her daily requirement for all household items and not just food. Even at that time the food processing ministry had argued that these stores be allowed to sell personal care and non-food products required by households on a daily basis.

Food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal's proposal, however, did not find favour with others in the government.

Pound continues to fall amid 'hard Brexit' fears The British currency pound has continued to fall against the US dollar as worries persist over the UK’s economic prospects outside the EU. Sterling suffered sharp losses last week as ministers at the Conservative party conference signalled they would opt for a “hard Brexit” settlement that sacrifices access to the single market and prioritises stricter immigration controls.

Sterling was under pressure again at the beginning of this week but some calm had returned to markets. The pound fell 0.3% against the US dollar to $1.2395 on Monday last.

It was flat against the euro at €1.11. However, the pound’s weakness boosted the UK’s FTSE 100 share index – which features companies that make a significant proportion of their profits in dollars – as it closed at 7,097.5, near its record closing high of 7,104 last year.

Investor nerves were

strained on Friday when the pound slumped more than 8% in a “flash crash” in overnight trading in Asia. It dropped from $1.26 to $1.1491 in just eight minutes – a huge plunge in a market where a single cent is a big change – and recovered only some of those losses during London trading hours. Sterling still ended the week about 4% lower against the euro and US dollar.

One market watcher said the currency was stabilising after the events of

Friday morning. “The dust has started to settle after the flash crash overnight on Thursday saw the pound briefly trade below €1.10 and $1.20,” said Chris Saint, senior analyst at City firm Hargreaves Lansdown’s currency service.

With a quiet week ahead on the economic indicator front, he expected the pound to continue to take its cues from politics.

“There is little on the domestic calendar this week to draw attentions

away from ongoing worries over how politicians will handle Britain’s withdrawal from the EU,” said Saint.

David Davis, the Brexit secretary, claimed that the “major part of the fall” in the pound to a 31-year-low had been down to a “flash crash”. He told parliament on Monday: “There will be lots of speculative comments in the next two-anda-half-years that will drive the pound up and down, but the government could not do much about that.”

The pound’s sharp fall has raised pressure on those UK firms that rely on imports, such as retailers and those manufacturers who need raw materials like plastics and metals. A weaker currency makes imports more expensive.

On the other hand, it makes UK exports more competitive and some companies have reported a pick-up in overseas sales since the British vote to leave the EU in June knocked sterling.

Intas acquires generics business of Actavis in UK, Ireland In what is the biggest buyout by an Indian company in Europe, Ahmedabadbased Intas Pharmaceutical Ltd acquired the generics business of Actavis in the UK and Ireland, from global generics giant Teva, at a value of £600 million. The company paid 2.4 times Teva UK's revenue in the all-cash deal.

Binish Chudgar, vicechairman and managing director of Intas, said, "This transaction represents a unique opportunity for Intas to build scale in the UK and in Ireland. It will add to our market-leading hospital franchise and create a strong platform for further European expansion." Intas is one of the top 10 Indian pharmaceutical

Binish Chudgar

companies, by revenue, and focuses on super-speciality in central nervous system, nephrology, gastroenterology, urology, orthopaedics, and cardiology-diabetics segments. Chudgar added, "Through our subsidiary, Accord Healthcare, we have been operating successfully in Europe for more than a decade and this acquisition

will make Accord a leading generics player in the UK market. We have a clear plan for the continuation and development of the Barnstable site and the Actavis UK and Ireland team; we look forward to welcoming them to the Intas Group. We are confident that the cultural alignment between Accord and

Actavis UK & Ireland will ensure a smooth integration."

Sources from investment banking said a bank consortium, including Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, will provide finance to the company for the buyout. A much-watched stake, Intas beat domestic rival Aurobindo Pharma, and global giants Mylan and Novartis for the bid.

"Together we have a great opportunity to build on the strong foundations of our respective organisations; we are excited to join the Intas/Accord family and look forward to an exciting future together," said Sara Vincent, senior vice-president, Actavis UK and Ireland.

REALESTATEVOICE

www.asian-voice.com

SWEETENING THE DEAL AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

We have just exchanged on a two bedroom flat in the prime neighbourhood of St John's Wood.

The client in this case purchased blind, hopefully he'll be pleased when he finally sees the property, which is due to complete in a couple of weeks.

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap London Property Investment

We are working on another deal, which we will be closing soon, in Camden. This has a purchase price of £560k.

It is a three bedroom property in Camden, which is prime student area, surrounded by universities. The price of the property equates to £650 per sq. ft. This is not very much, given less desirable areas go for these amounts.

As the area attracts

BEWARE OF THE WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING Let me tell you a story about a landlord that didn’t trust his gut instincts. His buy to let property had been empty for one month, this is because it was the run up to the Christmas period, which is typically a quiet time, and therefore there had not been any interest in the apartment.

Understandably, the landlord was getting quite concerned. In time, he was approached by a family that was desperate for accommodation.

There was something disconcerting about this family, so I advised him

that it might be better to have the property empty than just any old person in there, and that he should trust his gut. However, he decided to let them move in, as he was anxious to have tenants in his empty property.

Once they had moved in, they proceeded to redecorate the property, painting the walls black and all the radiators dark purple. Numerous complaints were received from neighbours about their behaviour and loud music at night. There were several incidents

BUY TO LET OPPORTUNITY

Asian Voice |15th October 2016

students, this flat is prime for room lets. This property should attract a rental of £800 to £1,000 per week. This gives a potential yield, on the conservative end, at 8%.

With this kind of yield, if there is any dip in the market it is not that relevant, as it is producing money on a monthly basis.

Whether the market goes up or down, if you’re generating money on a monthly basis it doesn't matter too much.

The Borough of Camden, where the property is located is going through massive regeneration.

Hundreds of millions are being pumped into this location. So the numbers and prospects look very good for this property.

when the police were called out to the property, and it was suspected that they were taking drugs.

They had paid one month's rent in advance, but had then failed to pay any further rent. The landlord had to issue proceedings for possession, in order to evict them. This took four months, by which time the rent arrears had risen to several thousands of pounds.

The night before the bailiffs were due to come to evict them, they had a

However, there is always the concern regarding what prices will do, what if they go even lower?

Well, you are coming in at £100k cheaper than the market price, and having a £100k cushion helps.

During the worst financial crisis of the decade in 2008, London property prices only dipped 15% and this was only for a period of two years.

If we apply this same drop to the property, you will only get back to the price you paid. Given central London property history, this is probably the worst case scenario.

Even considering this eventuality, you will be earning circa £15k per annum. All this assuming a deposit of £170k, 30%.

The landlord was left with a property which needed several thousand pounds of work (including redecoration throughout and replacement of almost all the furniture) to make it fit for re-letting; a bill from his solicitors for the eviction proceedings; and no chance of recovering anything from the tenants, who had disappeared without a trace.

l Two bedroom apartment l Portered block

l Within walking distance from both Marylebone and Marble Arch stations

l Hot water and heating included in the service charge

l Property is selling in the block for £1,590 per square foot

l Resale value expected to be around £1M Call us now to find out more!

On another end of the scale, we have been offered a site totally off market for circa 40 flats in Harrow.

It would be particularly suitable for a builder who wants to keep their workforce busy.

The GDV for this development is expected to be around £15m.

Call us now for details of this very exciting opportunity.

Moral of the story?

This type of nightmare story only happens rarely but this does not mean it cannot happen to you!

Use our service to find a tenant and manage your property, in order to reduce any risks.

huge party, during which several windows were broken, and other damage was done. It was left completely filthy, with rubbish in all of the rooms.

Much of the furniture had been either broken or removed from the property.

l Purchase price is £920 per square foot

Marylebone, London, W1H Purchase Price: £650,000

19

Never let anybody move into your property without full references, and be very, very careful who you rent to. Once in, it is not so easy to get them out.

20

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

Consultant Editor Financial Voice

GLOBAL INVESTORS SUMMIT AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

OCTOBER 2016, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Alpesh Patel

Dear Financial Voice Reader, If you’d like a live take on the markets as an Asian Voice reader – come to my free online webinars: www.alpeshpatel.com/mega .

First things first in terms of finance and UK and India – looks like the PMs of India and UK will be at the TechRocketships event where Anand Mahindra and I will judge for our respective countries the best companies to set up in the UK. Join us: https://www.events.ukti.gov.uk/tech-rocketshipawards-2016 Well it feels like the end of the financial world. A collapse in the Pound is what triggered it. I write to you from Tokyo and boy is it expensive! £12 for a bottle of water at dinner! So now what? Well the UK stock market is at an all time high. We did not see that coming as a benefit of Brexit. So your pension is actually better off. We really really did not see that coming.

You see as the pound crashed, so profits of UK companies in the FTSE 100 (the largest 100 listed companies), increase automatically. Why? Because most earn their money abroad and so in pound terms earn even more. So yes it’s just a technicality but your pension is worth more…as long as you don’t go abroad to spend it of course.

Basically as long as you spend your money in the UK you are fine. If you are in business try and export.

But don’t import and don’t holiday abroad. That said I have to go to New York and that is going to be expensive for me – I know it will be.

Should you now sell the FTSE 100 and buy US stocks. Well the FTSE 100 will keep on rising I think for now as the pound falls. So just stick with it as it hits an all time high.

What excites me the most? Well the first thing to boost the UK stock market to an all time high was what I just described, but what will boost it even more is that as the Pound is cheap, they will start from overseas look to buy more British companies and that will send the stock market even higher.

Look for companies which are British and good at exporting – they are going to benefit the most – like Bae or Rolls Royce.

Oh, try to eat less – most of our food is imported.

It’s good to eat less anyway!

Modi govt plans to present budget on Feb 1 The Indian finance ministry has proposed February 1, as the new date to present the annual budget, adding a little update that it plans to mandate the use of Aadhaar for anyone who avails a concession while buying a railway ticket. The finance ministry made a presentation before the parliamentary standing committee, on finance on three crucial changes that have been proposed; merger of general and railway budgets, advancing the budget presentation date and merging plan and non-plan expenditure.

Seeking to provide a little relief to those worried about the fate of the SC/ST and tribal sub-plans, the FM said even after the merger of plan and nonplan spending, it would mandate that share of SC/ST components of scheme allocations cannot be lower than what was provided in the budget estimates for 2015-16 and 2016-17. It also told the parliamentary panel that the concurrence of the Comptroller & Auditor General before ending the age-old distinction.

The department plans to hold pre-budget consul-

www.asian-voice.com

Narendra Modi

tations with ministries from October 17, and hopes to complete the process with all stakeholders by December 25. Projections for GDP for the current fiscal year would be advanced from February 7 to January 7. The economic survey, annual report of the economy, will be presented to the Parliament, a day before the budget. The government hopes to gain parliamentary approval for the budget and notify it before March 31. This means no need for the traditional vote on account and help accelerate spending on government plans and projects. It also hopes to complete all legislative procedures relating to the budget, including the passage of the financial bill before the new financial year 2017-18 begins in April.

The Government of Madhya Pradesh is organising Global Investors Summit on 22nd and 23rd October, 2016 at Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

This two-day event will aim to showcase the strengths and industrial prowess of Madhya Pradesh, and provide a global platform for interaction with Indian industry leaders, policy makers, investors and other stakeholders.

The event attracted around 5,000 participants in 2014. Key sectors that will be showcased at this year's Summit are Agri business and Food Processing; Automobile and Engineering; Defence; IT; Renewable Energy; Pharmaceuticals; Textile; Tourism and Urban Development.

In an exclusive message to Asian Voice, Dy Mayor of London, Rajesh Agrawal said, “I am delighted that

Shivraj Singh Chouhan (center) with Rahul Dixit (left) and Salil Kumar of Asset India at a recently held event in London

my birthplace, Indore, has been chosen as one of the three smart cities that the UK Government has decided to support under India's Smart Cities project.London has been consistently ranked as the best place in the world to do business so I am glad that Madhya Pradesh's Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan chose London as their destina-

tion to promote Madhya Pradesh.”

“India is the second largest investor in London and I want to use my time as the Deputy Mayor to further strengthen the UKIndia relationship.”

Striking an upbeat note about Madhya Pradesh, Salil Kumar from Asset India said, "While the past decade has seen Madhya Pradesh turn into a great

Rajesh Agrawal, London's Dy Mayor for Business

investment destination, the road ahead promises more growth and fantastic opportunities as far as national and global investors are concerned.

Like LONDON IS OPEN, Madhya Pradesh is open for investment under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri. Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan. We welcome the initiatives taken by the MP Government."

IMF cuts UK's 2017 growth forecast again The International Monetary Fund has cut UK's growth forecasts again on the back of the Brexit vote. Soon after the referendum, the IMF cut its 2016 GDP growth forecast from 1.9 per cent to 1.7 per cent and the 2017 forecast from 2.2 per cent to 1.3 per cent. Last week it trimmed the 2017 forecast further to 1.1 per cent, although it has revised up this year’s growth forecast to 1.8 per cent on the back of stronger than expected growth in the second quarter of the year.

The Fund said it has also revised down its medium term GDP growth potential forecasts for the UK from 2.1 per cent to 1.9 per cent due to the expectation that lower migration, trade and capital flows would take a toll.

Survey results and some “hard” data from the Office for National Statistics since the vote has come in stronger than

Theresa May

expected and City of London economists have been revising away their expectations that the UK will enter a new recession this year. The Bank of England is currently forecasting growth of 0.3 per cent in the third quarter of the year, following a 0.7 per cent expansion in the second quarter.

But the IMF said that growth is still likely to slow significantly over the next two years, as a consequence of uncertainty weighing on private firms’ investment and hiring. It added that consumer confidence was

still likely to be negatively affected and that inflation would rise sharply to 2.5 per cent next year, thanks to the more than 10 per cent depreciation of sterling in the wake of the 23 June vote.

The Fund said its latest forecasts, which are close to those of the OECD’s latest projection update last month, were predicated on the assumption that the UK’s Brexit negotiations with the rest of the EU proceed smoothly and that there is only a “limited” increase in economic barriers.

“The unexpected vote for Brexit... leaves unclear the future shape of the United Kingdom’s trade and financial relations with the remaining 27 EU members, introducing political and economic uncertainties that threaten to dampen investment and hiring throughout Europe,” said the Fund’s economic counsellor Maurice Obstfeld.

He added that the Brexit vote reflected growing resentment of cross-border migration, which has fuelled dangerous nationalist sentiment in Europe.

The Prime Minister Theresa May said that she would trigger the Article 50 exit procedure before March next year, but has still not outlined what kind of trade relations she hopes to secure for the UK with the rest of the EU. On the policy front, the IMF said that the Bank of England’s monetary stimulus since the Brexit vote was “appropriately geared” to supporting lending and that the Chancellor should consider a near-term discretionary easing of fiscal policy.

The Bank has indicated that it may cut interest rates again later this year, although stronger than expected surveys in August and September have prompted traders to reduce their wagers on such an outcome.

India supports World Bank capital increase Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said India strongly supports the capital increase in the World Bank, expressing interest in taking a larger share in the global lender than the dynamic formula. During his meeting with World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, the minister acknowledged the longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship between the WB Group and India, and called upon the agency to work together with its member countries to explore innovative financing solutions.

Arun Jaitley

Jaitley arrived in Canada to attend the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. He appreciated the

support of the bank to the many important achievements of India in its development process, especially in the six priority areas identified by the Prime Minister for Multilateral Development Banks' assistance.

A statement released by the Indian Embassy said, "While discussing the policy issues related to the World Bank Group, he indicated India's strong support for the capital increase and its readiness to take a larger share than the dynamic formula."

During his visit, Jaitley

met with Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland, and later interacted with several US State Department officials during a reception hosted in his honour.

Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das held a bilateral meeting with US Treasury UnderSecretary Nathan Sheets, when both sides exchanged notes on the state of their respective economies, public debt management and municipal bonds and agreed to expedite progress on these issues.

WORLD Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

www.asian-voice.com

Fake call centre employees arrested for £50 mn fraud AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Over 500 employees of several call centres in Thane, Mumbai, were detained for allegedly threatening US citizens and siphoning off their money. Police said a raid was carried out by at least 200 police personnel, most of them from the Crime Branch.

The employees would call up US citizens and demand their financial and bank details, if they failed to give any, they would allegedly threaten them with dire consequences, including legal action.

Once they obtained the details, they would siphon money from their accounts, amounting to a daily turnover of £100,000.

After they received numerous complaints, the police kept a tab on the employees and eventually raided their premises.

The accused operated from call centres in Mira Road area, which comes under the direct jurisdiction of Thane rural police.

Officials said the persons arrested, posed as officials of the US Tax Department.

"It could be the tip of the iceberg and the amount could multiply as our probe progresses," said Thane Police Commissioner

Param Bir Singh. He added that the persons would have even conned people in the UK and Australia.

Government sources said the several US federal agencies have got in touch to get details of the scam, particularly of the gang members who were in the US and helped gather contact details of the targets.

While the owners of the call centres managed to escape, a manhunt has been launched to find them. The raid saw a total of 852 hard disks, high-end servers, DVRs, laptops, and equipment worth £100,000 seized. "The three call centres; Hari Om IT Park, Universal Outsourcing Services, and Oswal House, were collectively pocketing around £100,000 to 150,000 daily.

The caller would use the VoIP technology using a proxy server and make hundreds of calls: the strike rate was anywhere around 5 per cent. But the amount they stole from the innocent people is mind boggling. In one case, one of the victims shelled out $60,000 just to escape a so-called raid on his house by taxmen," Singh said.

IMPPA puts temporary ban on Pak artistes In the light of the souring relations between India and Pakistan, the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association banned Pakistani actors and technicians from Bollywood "till normalcy returns". The board clarified that their projects and films that have already been shot, will not face any consequences.

The clarification came after the MNS issued a 48 hour ultimatum to Pakistani artistes and actors including Fawad Khan and actorsinger Ali Zafar.

IMPPA's Ashoke Pandit assured that the ban

TREASURES OF INDIA Celebrating India’s rich and vibrant history, this unique collection of 5 Fine Silver 1oz CASH coins depicts India’s most recognisable treasures, the Tiger, the Elephant, the Peacock, the Lotus and the Taj Mahal.

Presented in a bespoke gift box.

Available to purchase and view across London Kenya Jewellers Tel. 0208 902 2106

EAST LONDON

Pure Jewels Tel. 0208 470 1221 www.purejewels.com MAYFAIR

The East India Company Tel. 0203 205 3390 www.theeastindiacompany.com

will only be applicable to new projects and not for films that have already been made. The move will however still make a lot of impact as it will stall several films including Gauri Shinde's 'Dear Zindagi', where Ali Zafar plays one of the lead roles, and those signed by Mahira Khan, and Fawad Khan. Not just the actors, singers like Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan had work lined up too. Concerts of Pakistani singers Shafqat Amanat Ali and Atif, scheduled in Bengaluru and Gurgaon, respectively, were recently

HUMOUR CORNER "How's it going with that dentist boyfriend of yours?" a young woman asked her friend. "Oh, it's very casual," she replied. "I only see him every six months." *** Two American tourists are driving through Wales. At Llanfairpwllgwyn-gyll-gogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogoch, they stop for lunch and one of them says to the waitress, "Before we order, could you please settle an argument for us? Would you please pronounce where we are very slowly?" The girl leans forward and drawls, "Burrrrrgurrrrrr Kiiiiiiing." *** Two guys are admitted to the hospital. They are in the same room but too weak to speak. They sleep for days.

After two weeks, the first man gets the strength to point to himself and say, "British". His roommate says, "Canadian". Exhausted, they pass out. Two weeks later, the American summons the strength to speak again.

"Shawn", he says in a frail voice. "Dave," his roommate squeaks. They both fail back into a deep sleep. Two weeks later, Shawn rouses himself enough to speak.

"Cancer" he says. Dave clears his throat and says, "Sagittarius".

GIFTS THAT LAST A LIFETIME

WEMBLEY

21

TOOTING

Minar Jewellers Tel. 0208 767 7627

cancelled.

The move was called irrelevant by Indian film producer, and censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani. He said, "Who are these people asking for a ban? By whose authority are they asking for this ban? Not one producer member of IMPPA is working with a Pakistani

artist. The ones who stand to lsoe heavily from such a ban are Karan Johar, and Ritesh Sidhwani, who have almost completed films with Pakistani artistes."

The entire film fraternity is caught in a deadlock, with people weighing in on the ban of Pak actors and artists.

Lord Popat honoured Lord Dolar Popat, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Uganda and Rwanda was honoured by U g a n d a ’ s President Museveni during Uganda’s recent 54th Independence Day celebrations.

Lord Popat was one of sixty Lord Dolar Popat and former Vice people who were awarded President Specioza Kazibwe (R) after with an receiving Independence medals from President Museveni.

Independence the country my birth.

Day Medal for their conForty five years ago I tribution and services to never imagined that I Uganda. would return to Uganda, Speaking to Asian let alone represent the Voice, Lord Popat said, British Government here “this honour is without a and be invited back to doubt one of the most Uganda by the President cherished moments of my himself.” life, because Uganda is

22

WORLD

Ghana to remove Gandhi statue following protest Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

ACCRA (GHANA): Ghana government has announced that it would soon remove the statue of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, after a few of his "alleged past racist comments" surfaced. The move came after a group of lecturers and students demanded the statue, which was unveiled by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in June, be sent back to the country.

A petition was, however, later started, claiming Gandhi had made racist comments against black Africans. It says he had written that Indians were "infinitely superior" to them. "It is better to stand up for our dignity than to kowtow to the wishes of a burgeoning Eurasian super power," it read. The petition added that African heroes should be feted "first and foremost." The Foreign Ministry said the dissent generated by the campaign is worrisome.

Releasing a statement, the office said, "The government would therefore want to relocate the statue from the University of Ghana to ensure its safety and to avoid the controversy... being a distraction (from) our strong ties of friendship." It added, "Look beyond the comments attributed to... Gandhi and acknowledge his role as one of the most outstanding personalities of the last century."

Meanwhile, India said it would take up its concerns

over the campaign against Gandhi in a few African countries. "A decision has been taken by the Ghanaian Foreign Ministry that instead of locating it in the university which is obviously more excitable to move it to a safer place. They have issued a very, very good press statement highlighting the role of Mahatma Gandhi urging the people to focus on how the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and he as an individual were shaped over a period and not

focus on the excerpts from some of his earlier writings," said Secretary Amar Sinha.

A letter written by granddaughter of the Indian freedom fighter, Ela Gandhi, a peace activist and former South African MP, read, "The claims made that the statue is unacceptable based on opinions expressed by a few scholars who have interpreted some quotes he made in his younger days and in the context of the work he was doing at the time and the ethos in the country." She added, "If they do not want his statue then by all means remove it.

But I would suggest very humbly do not discard the notion of non-violence, of compassion of 'ubuntu' and of respect for fellow human beings and for nature and the whole of the universe simply because these were the ideals Gandhiji stood for and was assassinated for."

Sikh-American techie brutally assaulted RICHMOND: A SikhAmerican was attacked on September 25, by two white males, who started an altercation by throwing a beer at him while he was driving.

Maan Singh Khalsa, 41 year old information technology specialist, was severely beaten up by the two men who even knocked off his turban and cut his hair.

The Sikh Coalition sent a letter to the Contra Costa District Attorney's office last week, and to the Richmond Police Department, saying that the incident must be prosecuted as a hate crime.

Khalsa, who is currently recovering from the attack, has a laceration near his eye which is still bandaged, and the tip of his pinky finger on his right hand may have to be

Khalsa said he was waiting at a stop light when a truck pulled up beside him with five white males, one, who reportedly threw a beer can into his car.

At the next intersection, Khalsa got out of his car, and threw the can back into the truck.

Maan Singh Khalsa At the next amputated. "I don't know traffic light, Little, Albarado what I did to deserve such and another unidentified unprovoked hatred," Khalsa man got out of the truck and said. The two suspects, Chase began punching Khalsa Little, 31, and Dustin through his rolled-down winAlbarado, 25, were in the San dow. One of them knifed him Fransisco Bay Area on a contract assignment at a Richmond Oil Refinery.

Zuma quizzed over links to Gupta family PRETORIA: South Africa President Jacob Zuma is in news again for all the wrong reasons.

Zuma has been quizzed for four hours under oath over his friendship with a wealthy Indian family, who are accused of influencing political appointments, in the final investigation by an anti-graft chief.

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela spoke to Zuma and his lawyers behind closed doors over allegations that the Gupta family played a role in selecting cabinet members and whether he abused his power to ensure they benefited from state contracts.

Madonsela’s office said Zuma’s lawyers argued that the inquiry should be deferred to her successor, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, who was confirmed by the President earlier on October

Jacob Zuma

6th.

“The President and his advisers further advised that the President had not had time to prepare answers,” Madonsela’s office said, adding that the Public Protector wrote to Zuma about the allegations against him on March 22nd.

Her findings are due to be released by October 14th, the day before her seven-year term comes to an end.

The Guptas deny any wrongdoing and say they have been victims of a “sustained political attack”.

on his hand, slicing open his index, ring, and pinky finger.

Another yelled "cut his hair", and Little chopped off a handful of Khalsa's religiously-mandared hair. "I'm still shaking. It has been so devastating," he said. Contra Costa County Deputy Attorney Simon O'Connell said the minute police took on the case, "it has always been looked at as a hate crime."

Richmond Mayor Tom Butts issued a press statement, “I was distressed to learn about a horrible attack against Khalsa. The account of this assault has left the Richmond community shocked and seeking justice for Khalsa.”

In defiance, for the Somali presidency

MOGADISHU: Fadumo Dayib, an ex-model who fled the war-torn Somalia as a child is set to return to her ravaged land to campaign to become its first woman President. Despite death threats from warlords and Islamists, the 44-year old said: “I’m well aware of the danger. But the day comes and you have the capability to do so, you must fight for democracy.” When Fadumo fled Somalia aged 17, she could hardly read or write.

Since then she has got three university degrees - including one from Harward - worked as a model and nurse after she settled in Finland.

Sadly these qualifications will count for little in her homeland, where rival warlords and Islamists linked to Al-Qaida have turned the country into a battleground.

Fadumo’s father was a truck driver and her mother, who was illiterate made a living by selling by the roadside. As the civil war loomed in 1990, they

www.asian-voice.com

In Brief

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

UN court rejects suit against India's N-programme

AMSTERDAM: The International Court of Justice has rejected suits filed by the Marshall Islands, against global nuclear powers India, Pakistan and Britain. In sharply divided decisions, a 16-judge bench at the UN's highest court, ruled there was no evidence that the island's government had a prior dispute with any of the three nuclear powers or had sought negotiations on the issue. Presiding Judge Ronny Abraham said, "The court upholds the objection to jurisdiction" raised by each of the countries, and therefore the tribunal "cannot proceed to the merits of the case." The Marshall Islands were once ground zero for a set of nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1946-58.

Following the hearing, the government said it would "study the ruling" which remains final and without avenue of appeal. Marshall Islands lawyer Phon van den Biesen said, "Obviously it's very disappointing. It's a dispute that is clear to all of the world except for the judges here."

US allows Sikhs in forces to keep articles of faith

WASHINGTON: Complying to a long-standing demand made by the Sikh community, the US has allowed career-long religious accommodation for them to serve in the defence forces without having to give up on their articles of faith; turban and beard. Issued by the Department of Defence, the directive provides career-long accommodation for Sikh Americans and others to serve while maintaining articles of faith. "We are a stronger nation, and a stronger military, because of our respect for religious and personal freedom, and I'm pleased to see the US army once again recognise this with its new directive," said Congressman Joe Crowler, who had led the campaign on behalf of the Sikh-Americans. He added that he looked forward to reviewing the directive carefully.

Pakistan's lawmakers toughen penalty for 'honor' killings

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani lawmakers have taken the first step towards curbing the rising numbers of "honor" killings in the country. Over a 1,000 women were killed last year, often by their fathers, brothers, or husbands, who believed the victims had somehow tainted the family name.

Pak's legal code since the 1990s has allowed families of the deceased to forgive the killer, keeping in par with the Islamic Shariah law. However, the new measure imposes a mandatory 25 year prison sentence for anyone convicted of killing in the name of honour, and bans family members from forgiving them. Sherry Rehman, an opposition legislator and fierce champion of women's rights, warned the Parliament in a speech.

"Remove these clauses which allow the option of forgiveness, otherwise these killings will keep happening. We should be ashamed. We should all be ashamed. You should all be ashamed," she said. The law was objected by the conservative leaders, who said that the law is bringing Western-style independence for women.

Guterres to be next UN chief

Fadumo Dayib

put Fadumo and her two younger siblings on a plane to Bucharest. Her beauty led her to work as a fashion model.

The death of her mother, who joined the children in Finland, led her to pursue nursing.

While working with the UN in refugee camps she met Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia’s first woman president. “I thought if she can do this in Liberia why not me in Somalia?”

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council has formally announced former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres as the next UN secretary-general. Security Council President, Vitaly Churkin, Russia's UN ambassador, said the leader was approved by acclamation for a five-year term in a closed-door meeting.

Current secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, said Guterres was a "super choice" as his successor. "I am sure he will carry the torch on the full range of key challenges, from strengthening peace operations to achieving sustainable development, upholding human rights and easing humanitarian suffering," Ban said. Guterres was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, and has served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015.

Churkin said, "He has great United Nations credentials... and being High Commissioner for Refugees means traveling the world and seeing some of the most gruesome conficlts we have to deal with. And then of course, he is a high-level politician."

WORLD Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

www.asian-voice.com

Trump's lewd talk gives Hillary the edge In Brief AsianVoiceNews

WASHINGTON: The second US Presidential debate between Republican candidate Donal Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, saw the former interrupting the woman presidential aspirant numerous times, and lurking behind her as she spoke. He did everything except admit not paying taxes for more than a decade and made it evident he had no plans to improve US healthcare and basically had no strategy to deal with the ISIS. The 90-minute souldestroying debate defined the candidates' personalities, as Hillary was poised, answered questions to the point, as opposed to Trump, who was in his standard defensive mode, stiff and wooden. Clinton came on strong as she bashed Islamophobia, outlined a coherent policy about US healthcare, chalked out a clear strategy on how to deal with the IS, and making sure the public knew Trump is an open misogynist. She, however, lost her step when asked about her deleted emails and was unable

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Donal Trump and Hillary Clinton

to defend her recently leaked comments about having "separate private and public positions."

Trump was recently in the news, this time for particularly lewd comments made by him about women in the past. In tapes leaked last weak, a younger Trump was seen making offensive statements about him groping and kissing women. Bringing up the topic, Clinton said the statements "clearly represented who he is.

He says the video doesn't represent who he is. But it's clear

it does. If this were just about one video, maybe what he's saying is understandable, but everyone can draw their own conclusion about whether the man on stage respects women or not. We've seen him insult women throughout the campaign." During his turn, the billionaire attacked Clinton saying there has "never been anybody in the history of politics that's been so abusive to women," as her husband and former president Bill has been.

"Hillary attacked those same women," Trump said as he fal-

tered to put much weight into his own statement.

Clinton took up on her opponent's position on immigrants, talked about how he never apologised to a federal judge who was born in Indiana to Mexican parents, and insulted the family of a US army captain Humayun Khan who was killed in Iraq in 2004. "He (Trump) runs his campaign any way he chooses without talking about agenda.

He has never apologised to the people he insulted.

That's his choice. When I hear his statements I'm reminded of what my friend Michelle Obama said, 'When they go low, you go high'. And he's never apologised for the racist lie about Obama not being American. He owes Obama and the country an apology," she said. In return, Trump referred to her Mailgate scandal, almost threatening that if he's elected President, he would instruct the Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the emails issue.

Expats to get 'vote for life' as Tories announce plan to scrap 15-year limit LONDON: Millions of expatriates will be given a “vote for life” in elections in a move that could strengthen the Conservative Party’s grip on power. The Government is expected to announce that it would scrap the 15-year limit after which more than three million Britons living overseas lose their right to vote. The change – which will be subject to a vote in both Houses of Parliament – will apply to future general elections and give expats the right to vote in the last constituency where they lived. Giving the vote to expats is likely to provide a significant boost to the Conservatives as many of them are retired and more likely to vote Tory.

"Following the British people’s decision to leave the EU, we now need to strengthen ties with countries around the world and show the UK is

an outward-facing nation.

"Our expat community has an important role to play in helping Britain expand international trade, especially given two-thirds of expats live outside the EU.” David Cameron first pledged to abolish the 15year rule in September 2014, and it formed part of the Conservative manifesto. Prior to 1985, expats were not permitted to register to vote in UK national elections. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 allowed expats to vote in elections for the first 15 years after they left the UK. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, parliamentary adviser to Conservatives Abroad, who has campaigned for the changes for years, said: “British citizens abroad … are some of the best unofficial ambassadors that we have. It is only right and fair after a

lifetime of contributing to the UK that they in turn should be given the right to vote.”

During the EU referendum, expats launched a high court bid in an attempt to force the government to overturn the 15-year rule, which proved unsuccessful.

Many expats also remain concerned about their future migration status amid concerns that EU nations could “retaliate” for British migration curbs.

Theresa May has refused to guarantee EU migrants the right to live and work in the UK amid concerns that it could become part of the EU negotiation deal. Liam Fox, the International Trade

Pakistan MP seeks action against Hafiz Saeed ISLAMABAD: A lawmaker of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has called for action against Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed as the voice against terror groups in Pakistan begins to grow stronger. Rana Muhammad Afzal questioned the government's failure to act against Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba. "Which egg is Hafiz Saeed laying for us that we are nurturing him," he asked in a meeting of the standing committee on foreign affairs.

He questioned the country's foreign policy, and said it had become such that "we have not been able to get rid of Hafiz Saeed so

Hafiz Saeed

far." Afzal mentioned New Delhi, saying it has created such a worldwide impression about the terrorist, "that during the meetings on Kashmir, foreign delegates mention Hafiz Saeed as the bone of contention between Pakistan and India." He said Pak needed to be freed of such elements

that have "led the world to start isolating us and trying to declare a terrorist state." The MP talked about his trip to France where he had gone on a diplomatic mission to make Paris aware about alleged atrocities committed by Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. But Saeed was "brought up time and again" during his meetings.

Opposition Pakistan People's Party leader Aitzaz Ahsan told a joint session of Parliament that the country was diplomatically isolated because it gives freedom to non-state actors.

Secretary, raised concerns earlier this week that the issue could become a negotiating “card” as Britain approaches Brexit.

23

140 killed in Yemen air strike

UNITED NATIONS: Over 140 people were killed

and 525 injured last weekend, when airstrikes launched by the Saudi-led coalition hit a funeral ceremony in Yemen. A United Nations official in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick said aid workers were "shocked and outraged" by the attacks that hit a community hall in capital Sanaa. "Initial reports from health officials in Sanaa indicate that over 140 people were killed and over 525 injured," he said in a statement. The official called for an immediate investigation and said the international community must exert pressure to ensure civilians are protected.

Bangladesh kills 11 JMB men

DHAKA: Security forces in Bangladesh killed at least 11 suspected militants in three different raids conducted as part of the ongoing crackdown against Islamic extremism in the region.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said, the suspects were members of the banned group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh which the government believes were responsible for the July attack at a Dhaka restaurant. He added one of the men killed was identified as Akash, a militant who had taken over the JMB's leadership after former chief Tamim Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi Canadian, was killed in a raid in August.

Putin cancels visit to Paris in Syria row

PARIS: Russian President Vladimir Putin cancelled his visit to France in protest over the country's role in the Syria issue. The announcement came a day after French President Francois Hollande said Syrian forces had committed "war crime" in the battered city of Aleppo with the help of Russian airstrikes.

Putin was due in Paris on October 19, to inaugurate a Russian Orthodox church, however, Hollande insisted he also participate in talks with him regarding the conflicted region.

24

INDIA

www.asian-voice.com

TN looks for interim CM to replace Jaya In Brief AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

CHENNAI: As Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa still in hospital with undisclosed illness, AIADMK functionaries are in talks of putting in place a stand-in leadership to hold the reins of the government. The developments came the day acting governor C Vidyasagar Rao had a meeting with Palaniswami and Panneerselvam at Raj Bhavan.

A statement released by Raj Bhavan said the governor discussed issues relating to general administration. Chief

J Jayalalithaa

secretary P Rama Mohana Rao briefed the governor about the functions being

carried out on a day-to-day basis. Following the meeting, all the ministers went to Apollo hospital where all cabinet ministers had gathered.

Meanwhile, the state government will not be ordered to make a formal statement on the health of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

Admitted in the hospital since September 22, the AIADMK leader is on a respiratory support and is said to be responding well to treatment. With not much information being released

on her health, many demanded a photograph be released of her to confirm she is well enough to remain in charge of the state. An activist had even separately petitioned the High Court asking the government explain details of her condition along with naming an interim Chief Minister to fill in for her.

Doctors from Delhi's AIIMS hospital have joined a UK specialist in lung diseases in attending to the former movie star who is one of the country's most powerful and popular politicians.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Parents of girl who died praises Modi govt after observing fast booked KOZHIKODE: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan openly complimented the Central government for its "creative response" and support towards the state's development. Speaking at a reception organised by the CPMruled Kozhikode corporation, he said that the responses by the prime minister and other ministers to the development needs of the state were very positive.

"You all know that we have political differences, but the truth is that it has not been reflected when we raised the general issues concerning the state," Vijayan said. He said that as Kerala does not have much financial resources, aid from the Centre is important for the region's development. "There had been some differences in this regard in the past, but our experience with the present Union Government had been different." Stating Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari's example, the CM said he has promised that the Centre was ready to allot as much money that was needed

Pinarayi Vijayan

for road development in the state. "The minister said the money wouldn't be a problem if land was made available.

Accordingly, the state government has decided to fast track the land acquisition for road development." The public praise comes is a change from the usual the 'Centre is neglecting us'. Vijayan, in the speech, added that the government was hopeful of wide bodied aircraft resuming operations from Karipur airport after the completion of the ongoing runway strengthening works.

Interestingly, the CPM had in 2009 expelled former Kannur MP A P Abdullakutty for praising Narendra Modi while he was the Gujarat chief minister.

HYDERABAD: An FIR (First Information Report) has been lodged into the death of a 13 year old Aradhana who recently died after observing fast for 68 days. The FIR was lodged against Aradhana's parents Laxmi Chand and Manshi, following a complaint lodged by Balala Hakkula Sangham president Achuta Rao. The complainant alleged that the girl's parents had forced her to take up 'Chaturmas', a Jain tradition that is believed to bring good luck to the family. "Her parents Laxmi Chand and Manshi and other community members forced the girl to undergo a fasting because their jewellery business was not doing well and now they are saying their jewellery business is good because of her fast," Achuta Rao said.

Refuting the contentions, the girl's father Laxmi Chand said, "No father wants his daughter to die. She had performed this ritual earlier too, but her body reacted differently this time. She had observed a fast for 34 days last year, and it was her deci-

Aradhana

sion to fast for 68 days. This was not something done in the sly. This was her personal devotion and we did not force her to do so. If we had forced her to do this, we would not have done in front of the whole world, but silently at our home."

The girl reportedly died on October 2. Aradhana was admitted to the hospital, two days after she completed her fast, where she died of cardiac arrest. Her funeral was attended by over 600 people, all who hailed her as a 'bal tapasvi'. The procession was called a 'shobha yatra', a mark of celebration. Child Rights activists have demanded an inquiry and action against those responsible for her death.

Modi govt launches welfare After 23 years, cops jailed scheme for minorities for insulting women MEWAT (HARYANA): A week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked of empowering minorities, the Bharatiya Janata Party launched a new welfare scheme in Haryana, with plans to conduct 100 rallies across the state. Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched the scheme in Muslim-dominated Mewat, saying such a big community can't be ignored.

In the news after two sisters were gang-raped and their parents murdered by a group of four men broke into their house on August 25, Mewat has been gripped with tension ever since. "If there is an atmosphere of fear then it is our responsibility to fix that.

We cannot ignore such a huge community, and for that, we need development. That is why we have come among the people." Under the scheme, the centre will provide new schools, water connections in the state, a new rail line, and a driving school in the region.

Narendra Modi

The rally was also attended by Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh. There were also tensions recently in Mewat after a 'Gau Sewa Ayog' set up by the Haryana government had ordered biryani samples to be picked up from highway food joints to check for beef. Naqvi attributed the "sense of fear and misconceptions" among minorities about the NDA government to "disinformation campaigns" launched by its political opponents.

"This (misconception) has been created by our political opponents who never talked about the development of minorities," the Union minister said.

PATIALA: Over 23 years after a group of policemen in Amritsar tattooed the words 'Jeb Katri' (pickpocket) on the foreheads of four women, a special CBI court in Patiala recently sentenced three of them in the case, triggering widespread condemnation.

Special CBI judge Baljinder Singh awarded three years rigorous imprisonment to then superintendent of police Sukhdev Singh Chinna and sub-inspector Narinder Singh Malli, then SHO of Rambagh police station. The incident dating back to December 1993, had brought a lot of defamation to Punjab Police. Policemen tattooed the words on the foreheads of four habitual offender women who were accused of stealing a purse. It came to light when they were produced in court for a hearing, with their foreheads covered with a piece of cloth. It wasn't until one of the women showed her tattoo to the court that the story hit the news. The National Human

Rights Commission took a serious note of the incident, and had even submitted an affidavit in the court demanding a CBI probe. After hearing the counsel of the NHRC and petitioners, the high court handed over the probe to the CBI, and also directed Punjab government to arrange for plastic surgery for the victims and pay compensation of Rs 50,000 to each of them, as recommended by the rights body.

As per the petition, the victims alleged that they had gone to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar on December 8, 1993. After paying obeisance when they reached the bus stand, ASI Kanwaljit Singh stopped them and kept them in custody from December 8 to 15. Later, the ASI on the directions of the SP and SHO, got the word pickpocket tattooed on their foreheads. Police had alleged that it was the women's neighbours who had done the deed "to make people aware about their misdeeds".

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Chennai underground metro line to be ready soon

CHENNAI: Chennai will get its first underground metro rail service, in the first quarter of 2017. Running at an 8 km stretch from Koyambedu to Nehru Park, at least 70 per cent of Phase-I of the service will be operational. In a trial run conducted last week, a four-car train crossed the elevated line at Koyambedu metro station through a ramp connecting the underground tunnel. "90 per cent of the construction work is complete on the stretch. The rest would be done in the next four months. By the first quarter of next year, the line will be open to the public," said VK Singh, CGM, underground and constructions. From Thirumangalam, the line is underground till Nehru Park cutting across the Poonamallee High Road at a depth of 18 metres.

15 new judges join Madras HC

CHENNAI: Chief Justice of Madras High Court S K Kaul administered the oath of office to 15 newly-appointed judges to the high court recently. The strength of the HC has now gone up from 39 to 54, as against the total strength of 75. Nine lawyers, V Parthiban, R Subramanian, M Govindraj, M Sundar, R Suresh Kumar, J Nisha Banu, MS Ramesh, SM Subramaniam and Anita Sumanth were the ones sworn in. Similarly, AM Basheer Ahamed, T Ravindran, S Baskaran, P Velmurugan, G Jayachandran, CV Karthikeyan were sworn in in the cadre of District Judge. Advocate General of Tamil Nadu, R Muthukumaraswamy said, "This occasion is a matter of pride, as this is the second such occasion where such large number of judges were sworn-in to this high court."

Telangana CM to donate golden crown to temple

HYDERABAD: Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is planning to offer a golden crown worth ÂŁ370,000to a Goddess Bhadrakali in Warangal for helping him realise the Telangana statehood dream. The crown, weighing 11.7 kg, is designed specifically for the Goddessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dimensions and is sponsored by the Telangana government.

Chandigarh put on high alert

CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh has been put on high alert after the Intelligence Bureau warned of a possible terrorist strike. Confirming the update, the Union Territory's Home Secretary Anurag Aggarwal said, "Yes, we have got an alert from IB in this regard. We have asked the Chandigarh police to take appropriate measures. We have sought cooperation from city residents to be alert and inform police about anything suspicious." With a population of over 1.1 million, the region is also home to a number of VIPs, including Governors, Chief Ministers, Ministers, Legislators, and top civil and police officials. Border states of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat, and Rajasthan have been on high alert ever since the Indian Army's surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control.

Haryana Cong chief injured as workers clash

NEW DELHI: Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar was seriously injured following a clash between his supporters and those of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Many workers were injured in the altercation that took place near Bhairon Mandir, ahead of Rahul Gandhi's rally at Jantar Mantar. RML Hospital spokesperson VK Sinha said, "Tanwar was seriously injured and was vomiting. He has been shifter out of the ICU after initial treatment as he is out of danger." He added that 1213 Congress workers were given first aid and discharged. The supporters went to Congress headquarters later and submitted their resignation in protest against the incident. They were, however, rejected and senior leaders like Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh, Motilal Vohra, and Ghulam Nabi Azad, assured them of action against the guilty.

www.asian-voice.com

Arrival of Christianity in India AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

HERITAGE - HISTORY Asian Voice | 15th October 2016 Christian) Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee. The Education Minister in Bhavnagar State Manishankar Ratnaji Bhatt, popularly known as Kavi Kant, became Christian in 1898 and

From the Belief of 'Jesus Tomb' in Kashmir to High Class Brahmins converting in 51 AD

Dr Hari Desai

Unlike the popular belief, Islam and Christianity had come to India much before the Muslims and Christians became influential rulers in the Hindu land. Both Islam and Christianity were foreign religions whereas the Sanatan Dharma at a later stage gave birth to reformed native religions like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

The believers of Judaism (Jews) and Zoroastrianism (Parsis), who were persecuted in their own land, Middle East and Iran respectively, found solace in India as indigenous reli-

gions. Hinduism, defined as a way of life, does not believe in converting the people of other religious faith and never ever felt at risk of becoming a minority despite mass scale conversions under the State patronage during Muslim as well as Christian rules.

It is believed that Jesus survived the crucifixion and spent his remaining years in Kashmir. There is an old building known as the Rozabal shrine in the narrow alleys of Khanyar area of Old City Srinagar, where the shrine is only open on the 13th day of every month, according to lunar calendar. American author Suzanne Olson, who claimed to be a descendant of Jesus, came to Kashmir to obtain DNA from the shrine in the late 1990s.

Olson's claims increased the influx of tourists. When Olson attempted to dig the shrine to prove Jesus was buried there, it created communal tensions.

Kashmiri writer Fida Hassnain, in his book Jesus in Kashmir, claims evidence that Christ is buried

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

Maharaja Dalip Singh

at Rozabal is mentioned Kashmir's own history.

“Yuzu Asif, the name of the saint buried here, is not an Arabic name or Muslim name. It’s a Hebrew name and the prophet Jesus is buried there (Rozabal). He came to Kashmir after he faced problems there.” Due to the controversy a notice board, which quotes verses from the Quran and the Bible to disprove that Christ was buried at the site, was installed at the site.

Christians believe that the Apostle Thomas reached Muziris, Tamilakam (Kerala and Tamil Nadu in present day India) in 52 AD and baptised several people, founding what today are known as Saint Thomas Christians or Nasranis. Five of the high class Brahmin families of Namboothiris were also baptised and they are called Syrian Christians following even Hindu rituals, including wearing Mangalsutras.

The Father of White Revolution in India, Dr

Verghese Kurien, was very proud of his Namboothiri ancestors. His wife used to wear the Mangalsutra.

Christianity was as such established in India even before some nations of Europe had been Christianised. The French or Catalan Dominican Missionary Jordanus Catalani was the first European to start conversion in India. He arrived in Surat in 1320. After his ministry in Gujarat, he reached Quilon (now Kollam, Kerala) in 1323. By bringing message of Goodwill from the Pope for the local rulers, he got thousands to Christian fold.

Only the people from lower strata of the society in India were baptised, is also a myth since the high class Brahmin Hindus also opted to be Christians not only in Gujarat but also in Goa, Kerala, Bengal and even in Northern States. The first President of the Indian National Congress in 1885 was a Bengali Brahmin Barrister (converted

Ambassador to the Court at Agra during Emperor Jahangir’s period. Sir Roe had first met the Emperor at Naginawadi (Kankaria Lake) at Ahmedabad and later at Agra Court he could obtain the licence to trade for the East India Company by establishing the first factory at Surat. The rest is history.

The British rule in India saw some of the Maharajas (Kings) getting converted to Christianity. Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s youngest son Maharaja Dalip Singh became Christian and handed over the precious Koh-i-noor, colourless diamond of 793 carats, to the British Royal family. Even Harnam Singh, the Raja of Kapurthala, who married a Christian Rani (Queen) preferred to be a Christian.

His Oxford-educated Christian daughter Rajkumari Amrit Kaur was a Gandhian in the freedom movement and became Union Health Minister in the Nehru Cabinet. There is no doubt the Christian Missionaries have contributed to the field of education and welfare of poor people in India, but their dream to Christianise India has so far not been fulfilled.

Sir Thomas Roe

reconverted to Hinduism.

Though Christianity does not recognise caste system, even after converting to Christianity from so-called upper castes like Brahmins, the matrimonial alliances are not encouraged with those who are converted from the so-called lower castes i.e. Scheduled Castes.

Even among the Scheduled Caste converts, preference is given to the alliances in hierarchy of their original castes.

The Portuguese, Dutch and British came to India for trade and became rulers subsequently. Sir Thomas Roe, who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1644, was an

Mahatma Gandhi with Rajkumari Amrit Kaur at Simla in 1945.

Next Column: Raja Ram Mohan Roy: From Village Pathshala to Bristol (The writer is a Socio-political Historian. E-mail: haridesai@gmail.com)

One year subsrciption

Asian Voice Newsweekly Bumper & Trustworthy News Various informative/inspiring columns, Subscribers also receive sevaral Theme based Special issue, Diwali Magazines, Annual Calender delivered at home

Asian Voice £29 Gujarat Samachar £29 Both Weeklies (separate) £58 Both Together for Subscriber only £35-00 Total Savings £23-00 You Save 40% By adding only £6 you can subsribe Gujarat Samachar

SUBSCRIPTION FOR

One year subscription of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice is ONLY £35 (UK)

Please tick as appropriate:

GUJARAT SAMACHAR & ASIAN VOICE ASIAN VOICE

Europe and Overseas Subscription rates are being held the same as last year!

G.S.

UK A.V. Both

25

It means only 9 Pense a day

Rates Valid from 1-10-2015

EUROPE G.S. A.V.

Both

1 Year £29 £29 £35 £77 £77 £126 2 Years £52.50 £52.50 £63.50 £141.50 £141.50 £242

WORLD G.S. A.V.

Both

£92 £92 £169 £169

£150 £280

Please Note: Subscriptions are non-refundable after 30 days

Please detach this form and send it with your payment or credit card instructions to address below

GUJARAT SAMACHAR & ASIAN VOICE

12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW

Tel: 020 7749 4080 / 020 7749 4000 Fax: 020 7749 4081 E-mail: support@abplgroup.com

NAME

ADDRESS Email:

£

POST CODE

www.abplgroup.com

Click p.com rou for

abplg

e-Editio

n

TEL:

I'd like to be kept up to date by email with offers and news from ABPL

Please charge my credit card VISA / MASTERCARD / CREDIT / DEBIT CARD for Card Expiry date

Card No: Signature

Date

NOTICE: Subscribers who pay by credit or switch card, the transaction will show as made for Asian Business Publications Ltd (ABPL) on your bank statement.

Please make the cheque payable to Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice.

Apostle Thomas

Thomas Roe

NOTICE: If you are going away on a holiday and would like to suspend Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice for that duration, please notify us in advance in written via email at support@abplgroup.com or via post (see below for address). We do not take any such instruction on phone. Please NOTE we are CLOSED on Saturdays and Sundays

26

INDIA

www.asian-voice.com

Businesswoman Parmeshwar Godrej dies at 70 Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

Businesswoman and philanthropist Parmeshwar Godrej succumbed to prolonged illness, as informed by her family sources.

Suffering from a lung illness, the style icon has been cremated. Wife of industrialist Adi Godrej, Parmeshwar indulged and involved herself in several initiatives of philanthropy, with the biggest of them being the 'Heroes Project', in 2004, where she joined

Parmeshwar Godrej

hands with Hollywood actor Richard Gere, the Bill and Melinda Gates

950 million child brides by 2030, report claims As the world celebrated girl child's day on Tuesday, according to a report, today there around 700 million child brides in the world, with 15 million girls married annually before they reach 18, a rate of one every two seconds. It is said, a girl under 15 is married every seven seconds.

The report by Save the Children claims that at the current rate there will be 950 million child brides by 2030 and 1.2 billion in another 20 years. Out of the 195 independent sovereign states, seven still do not have a minimum age for marriage and in 30 countries, girls can be married aged 14 or 15 with their parent's consent.

South Asia, sub-Saharan

Africa and Central America are some of the worst affected regions.

India has the highest number of child marriages with 47% of girls - some 24.6 million - married off before they turn 18.

Kevin Watkins, chief executive of Save the Children said: “Child marriage isn't just a form of discrimination, it's a form of violence. Forcing girls to marry much older men robs them of their freedom and amounts to sexual slavery. Instead of being in school, married girls face domestic abuse and rape.”

Foundation, and the Clinton Global Initiative, in a bid to cope with AIDS. Other than associating herself with celebrities like Feroze Khan, Hema Malini, Parmeshwar had a vast network of friends from different corners.

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen spoke highly of her in a recent book, where he called her a "brilliant conversationalist" and a "wonderful company". She

and Adi have three children, daughters Nisa Godrej and Tanya Dubash, and son Pirojsha who leads Godrej's listed realty arm.

As the news of her demise came to light, Twitter filled with tributes to her, with one of the first from Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan, who said he is "devastated" by the news of death of his "close friend".

Continued from page 1 girl child, corruption, and cleanliness. The BJP-government toughened its stand against terrorism and, its tolerance towards Pakistan ever since the Uri terrorist attack on an Army base. Top level government sources recently revealed that India has warned Pak that the Line of Control will no longer be sacrosanct for if it continues to export terrorists. The country's surgical strike took the neighbour by surprise, as it later retaliated with threats of nuclear arms. India has taken a fresh attitude towards Pak. As the military improves its defensive capabilities, it also plans to take pre-emp-

compelled Pakistan to respect the LoC as inviolable. After Pakistan tried to redraw the line with its Kargil intrusion and was forced back, then US president Bill Clinton said that borders should not be redrawn in blood.

But recently, Pakistan's relentless export of terrorists across the LoC has been a breach of that understanding. New Delhi is indicating that India too reserves the right to breach

World's largest human rights authority, Amnesty International has released a statement saying the travel ban issued on leading Pakistani journalist Cyril Almeida, by government authorities, must be immediately lifted.

Assistant Editor of Dawn, Almeida has been placed on Pak's 'Exit Control List' by officials after the Prime Minister's Office rejected a report written on the growing tensions between the civilian government and the country's reigning military.

The ban came after PM Nawaz Sharif's office issued three statements in a span of four days, attacking the journalist, and the reputed newspaper for their front page article. In a recent statement, the PMO even threatened "stern

action" for the publishing of the report alleging it "risked vital state interests".

Amnesty International's Director of Global Issues, Audrey Gaughran said, "The travel ban on Cyril Almeida is a crude intimidation tactic designed to silence journalists and stop them from doing their jobs.

Journalism is not a crime.

They should be able to work freely and without fear. The Pakistani authorities must break with a longstanding practice of subjecting media workers to intimidation, threats, restriction on movements, enforced disappearances, and violence."

The agency has kept a steady eye on the attacks on journalists' freedom of expression and safety in the South Asian country.

the LoC in pursuit of terrorists, even pre-emptively. It was cemented with former president Pervez Musharraf's January 6, 2004 commitment not to allow terrorists to use territory under Pakistani control for attacks against India. The strikes were intended to ensure that terrorists in their launch pads across the LoC, watched over by the Pakistan army, would no longer feel comfortable.

That was the immediate aim. The longer term aim was to signal to Pakistan that it would have to adjust to a 'new normal' - the 'new' was established last week, the 'normal' will have to be built up over time. Pakistan will now have to factor in a possible Indian response, where surprise and speed will be the key, and unpredictability the usual, where the LoC will matter less and less.

Unite against terror: Modi

Narendra Modi at Aishbagh Ram Leela in Lucknow

tive action against terror.

"We have made our threshold a variable. We have inserted a new element of uncertainty," a source said.

The move is much needed as the intelligence tells us that there are at least 250 active terrorists in just the

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Obituary: S R Nathan, putting country before self

Amnesty International calls for lift on travel ban on Pak Journo

Will breach LoC to hunt terrorists, India tells Pak The Line of Control (LoC) will no longer be sacrosanct for India if Pakistan continues to export terrorists. This was indicated by India to Pakistan after the September 29 surgical strikes which took Indian troops into PakistanOccupied Kashmir (PoK) to strike against terrorist launch pads, top-level sources in the government said. India's current stand is different from that of 1999. The Kargil conflict

AsianVoiceNews

Kashmir Valley.

Pampore: Terrorists hole up government building: A region surrounded by terrorist conflicts, Kashmir is once again in the grip of militant tension. A fierce gun-battle between security forces

and terrorists continue in Pampore, 15 km away from Srinagar. Explosions and gunshots can be heard in regular intervals around a government institute where the group of terrorists remain hidden.

Officials said they haven't fired at the forces in quite some time, possibly to lure in soldiers.

They said the encounter continues as the building offers a "bunkerlike" protection to the militants. Seemingly wellstocked in ammunition and supplies, they offer a willingness to stretch the operation. Five soldiers and a civilian have been killed; three terrorists were shot dead.

This is in memory of S R Nathan, the former President of Singapore, whose simple and ordinary ways made him extraordinary.

He went through the trials and tribulations of a young man overcoming difficult times by sheer grit, determination and perseverance.

He was born Sellapan Ramanathan in 1924 into a family of Tamil immigrants. His three elder brothers died in childhood. A victim of the Great Depression, his father lost his job in the 1930s. He soon ran up debts and killed himself. Nathan was only eight years old then.

At 16, he fell out with his mother and left home and slept on the streets for several years. Then came the war, but he survived it and the Japanese Occupation.

After the war, he got a job as a clerk in the civil service. While working, he took up evening classes in typewriting and bookkeeping and sat for the London Chamber of Commerce exams, which he passed with distinction.

Nathan woke up at 4am daily to study for his Cambridge School Certificate before heading for work. He took a correspondence course from Wolsey Hall, Oxford, and graduated with a distinction in social studies from the University of Malaya.

Following graduation in 1955, Nathan joined the Singapore Civil Service as a medical social worker, kicking off a long and distinguished career in public service that saw him take on many roles as clerk, unionist, ambassador, permanent secretary and president.

But the defining moment came in 1974 when four armed terrorists hijacked the ferry ship Laju off Pulau Bukom in Singapore’s first major terrorist attack, and demanded government hostages to guarantee their safe passage to the Middle East. As director of the intelligence service then, Nathan offered himself as a hostage and was one of 13 government officials who flew with the terrorists to

Kuwait. There was no guarantee that any of the Singaporeans would be let off alive.

In a 2010 interview, Nathan said on that long flight, he had a moment of fear or despair that he would never see his family again. He steadied himself with these words in his heart: “Have faith and do your duty.”

When he recounted this moment decades later to reporters, he said: “Laju was nothing; it was just an instance. We all carry these responsibilities in public service.”

In between, an “incurable romantic”, Nathan fell in love with a Bengali woman – Urmila Umi Nandey – in the tumult of war. But her Bengali family initially disapproved.

The courtship, however, continued for 16 years, eventually culminating in marriage in 1958. They had a son Osith and daughter Juthika.

A Hindu who loved carnatic songs, Nathan scaled heights of success with his humility and hard work – an exceptional life spurred on by call of duty.

Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew had persuaded him to run for President in 1999.

After he took office as President, Nathan's wife stopped wearing saris to show that the couple represented all Singaporeans.

A Straits Times’ report on the launch of Nathan’s book (“An Unexpected Journey: Path To The Presidency”) launch had this introduction: “As a school dropout at the age of 16, a young SR Nathan never thought he would be anything other than a hawker’s assistant, let alone Singapore’s future president.”

Not only did Nathan go on to become Singapore’s sixth president, he also surpassed Benjamin Sheares as the longest-serving head of state (1999-2011).

After suffering a stroke on July 31, the former president died on August 22, 2016, at the Singapore General Hospital, aged 92.

He is survived by his wife and two children.

AsianVoiceNews

FOOD

FITNESS

HEALTH&WELLNESS

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Pill takers face increased depression risk

Got Kidney Stones? Try Roller Coaster Rides! cientists have found that roller coaster rides help kidney stone patients to pass stones with nearly 70 per cent success rate.

David Wartinger, urologist at Michigan State University in the US, said that some of his patients told him that after riding a particular roller coaster at Walt Disney World, they were able to pass their kidney stones. "I even had one patient say he passed three different stones after riding multiple times," Wartinger said. He then conducted studies to assess whether the stories he was hearing from patients were true or not. Using a validated, synthetic 3D model of a hollow kidney complete with three kidney stones no larger than 4 millimetres inserted into the replica, he took the model in a backpack on a roller coaster named 'Big Thunder Mountain' 20 times. His initial results verified patient reports.

"In the pilot study, sit-

ting in the last car of the roller coaster showed about a 64 per cent passage rate, while sitting in the first few cars only had a 16 per cent success rate," Wartinger said. The expanded study included riding the same roller coaster with multiple kidney models attached to the researchers.

They discovered even better results while sitting in the back of the coaster, with passage rate of nearly 70 per cent. They also found that both studies showed a 100 per cent passage rate if the stones were

Taking ibuprofen could raise heart attack risk by 20 pc A study has shown that patients who take ibuprofen and other pain killers are likely to have 20 per cent more chance of a heart failure. Research suggest that long-term use of the medication causes chemical reactions in the body which place extra strain on the heart. This can lead to heart failure in patients who have a history of previous heart attacks or high blood pressure. An estimated 900,000 adults in Britain have heart failure which occurs when the muscle becomes too weak to pump blood around the body.

It causes extreme tiredness, breathlessness and swelling of the legs and is a long-term condition that can’t be cured. The risk doubles for those who took Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) daily for a year or more. The pills are commonly taken by the elderly for long-term conditions such as arthritis and other muscular pain.

Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said: “Since heart and joint problems often co-exist, particularly

To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement it. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

in the elderly, this study serves as a reminder to doctors to consider carefully how they prescribe NSAIDs. And to patients, that they should only take the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time. They should discuss their treatment with their GP if they have any concerns. It has been known for some years now that such drugs need to be used with caution in patients with, or at high risk of, heart disease.”

Dr Tim Chico, an expert in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Sheffield, also said the risk was low for patients who only took NSAIDs occasionally and had no previous risk of heart attacks. In July the American Heart Association urged doctors to check patients were not taking ibuprofen or similar painkillers for long periods of time over concerns of their links to heart failure.

Helen Williams, consultant pharmacist for cardiovascular disease at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said the most commonly used drugs posed the lowest risk.

located in the upper chamber of the kidney. "In all, we used 174 kidney stones of varying shapes, sizes and weights to see if each model worked on the same ride and on two other roller coasters," Wartinger said.

"Big Thunder Mountain was the only one that worked. We tried Space Mountain and Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and both failed," he said. Wartinger went on to explain that these other rides are too fast and too violent with a G-force that pins the stone into the kid-

ney and doesn't allow it to pass. "The ideal coaster is rough and quick with some twists and turns, but no upside down or inverted movements," he said.

Lithotripsy, which breaks apart kidney stones that are too large to pass, is a common treatment for the problem. Wartinger said the procedure is usually used in cases where the kidney stone is larger than 5 millimetres. "The problem though is lithotripsy can leave remnants in the kidney which can result in another stone," Wartinger said.

"The best way to potentially eliminate this from happening is to try going on a roller coaster after a treatment when the remnants are still small," he said. He added that patients could even try going on a coaster once a year as maintenance, lessening the chances of future issues and minimising health care costs.

Checking smartphone in the middle of the night may seem a harmless act to you, but in reality it is very damaging. According to a Deloitte report, one in three are so addicted to our phones we check them during the night. And if you're in the 18 - 24 category, this number goes up to one in two. Sleep experts have warned that looking at our phones at night can compromise our health.

How does mobile phone affect health?

It's all about the blue light in our mobiles. This light tells our body it's daytime, which means when we do eventually fall back to sleep, that quality of sleep is not as good as it

should be. Researchers found that the blue light "shifts" people's sleep schedules by up to three hours. Other studies also showed how it prevents people from getting the most restorative sleep they need. Paul Lee, head of technology research at Deloitte said, "What smartphones enable people to do is to keep tags of what’s happening, what people are saying, what people are posting. You can do that throughout the day and what smartphones are encouraging people to do is to do that at night." So unless it's a matter of life or death, make sure you get some quality sleep.

Facebook's not worth it.

Avoid checking smartphone in middle of the night

Care Assistants Required Neem Tree Care Centre for the elderly is looking for Gujarati speaking and Hindi speaking care assistants (NVQ level 2 desirable not essential).

Please send your CV to info@neemtreecare.co.uk or call 0208 578 9537

| Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

www.asian-voice.com

LIFESTYLE

S

27

A

Danish study has found that women who take the Pill may be at increased risk of depression with teenagers facing 80 per cent higher risk.

The research found that those on the most popular type of Pill – combined oral contraceptives - were almost one quarter more likely to take an antidepressant than non-users.

Over an average period of six years, participants taking combined oral contraceptives containing a mixture of hormones were shown to be 23 per cent more likely than non-users to be treated with antidepressants for the first time.

The Danish researchers, led by Dr Ojvind Lidegaard, said: "Further studies are needed to examine depression as a potential adverse effect of hormonal contraceptive use." One British expert said the study raised "important questions" while another urged women not to be alarmed by the findings. Dr Channa Jayasena, from the Society for Endocrinology and Imperial College London, said: "This study raises important questions about

the Pill. In over a million Danish women, depression was associated with contraceptive Pill use. "The study does not prove (and does not claim) that the Pill plays any role in the development of depression.

However, we know hormones play a hugely important role in regulating human behaviour.

Dr Ali Kubba, from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, pointed out that despite known evidence that hormonal contraception can affect women's moods, the study did not demonstrate causation. He said: "Women should not be alarmed by this study as all women react differently to different methods of contraception. There are a variety of contraception methods on offer including the Pill, implants, injections, intrauterine devices, and vaginal rings and we therefore advise women to discuss their options with a doctor, where they will discuss the possible sideeffects and decisions around the most suitable method can be made jointly."

GILDERSON & SONS

FUNERAL DIRECTORS PROVIDING SPECIALIST SERVICE Worldwide Repatriation Service Scattering Ashes G Horse Drawn Funerals G Weekend Funerals G Use of Large Private Shiva Chapel Ritual Service Ritual Items Provided G Full Washing and Dressing facilities G Choice of Coffins G Priest Arrangements G Funeral arrangements at Home or Funeral Home G G

DIGNITY FUNERAL PLAN at TODAY PRICES

24 HOUR SERVICE

0208 478 0522 90/92 LEY STREET, ILFORD IG1 4BX Part of Dignity Funerals A BRITISH COMPANY

www.asian-voice.com

28

‘Pulimurugan’ set to be Lost 20 kg for ‘Baahubali’ sequel: Rana Daggubati Mohanlal’s biggest release AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

P

eople were drooling over actor Rana Daggubati's recent Twitter post. Sharing a photo of himself in a rather ripped avatar, Daggubati gave the world a glimpse of what a younger version of his 'Baahubali' character Bhallala Deva would look like in the second part.

"The older Bhallala is stronger, so I weighed around 110 kg. But here, I had to look slightly leaner.

So I have lost close to 20 kg," he said. The actor shared that he had to train for more than two hours every day for the last five months. "I've been shuttling between cardio and weight training. I eat once every couple of hours, and a nutritionist is present around the clock. He conducts regular check-ups to ensure that we are on the right track," he said.

'Baahubali: The Conclusion' is slated for release in April next year.

T

he music for Malayalam superstar M o h a n l a l ' s 'Pulimurugan' was launched last week in Kochi, and the actor was the face of the event.

Sounding optimistic about the movie, Lal was all praise for his cast. "It is a very simple movie, which everyone can understand.

And I believe everyone will like this film too," he said.

The film deals with the subject of man-animal conflict, with the veteran actor stating it was not easy to make a movie with a real tiger. He appreciated director Vysakh, screenplay writer Udayan, and lead actress Kamalini

Mukherjee.

"Let 'Pulimurugan' be a treat for everyone," Lal said. The film was given a go by the censor board with a clean U certificate. After being delayed for a couple of

times, it has finally been released along with Mammotty's 'Thoppil Joppan'.

'Pulimurugan' opened on 160 screens across Kerala and 165 screens nationwide.

and Madonna Sebastian.

Sharing how the project came under the works, Chandoo said, "Chaitu and I were supposed to team up for a thriller. It was around the same time, I watched Premam and I fell in love with the film. I shared my excitement with Chaitu and within a week's time, he was flooded with offers to star in the film's remake."

It wasn't soon before Shruti was signed up to play the role of a teacher.

"When you watch the film, you will understand why we cast her. She has amazing

screen presence. Out of the three heroines we were certain we needed a star heroine to draw the crowds, she said, admitting Shruti, who is very popular among Telugu audiences, was roped in for commercial reasons," Chandoo said.

Talking about being under tremendous pressure working on the remake, he said, "Honestly, there was absolutely no pressure, thanks to the faith my producer and Chaitu had in me. I feel this project made me a responsible filmmaker."

Malayalam movie 'Premam' being made in Telugu

Rajinikanth resumes shoot for 2.0

U

R

ajinikanth has resumed shoot for Shankar's upcoming mega-budget science fiction thriller '2.o', after a 3 month sabbatical. The filmmaker shared a latest

image of Thalaivar from the sets of the film, on Twitter. He said two-thirds of the movie was shot in 150 days. '2.o' also stars Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Adil Hussain and

Sudhanshu Pandey. Music is given by A.R Rahman.

Tipped to be a sequel to 2010 Tamil blockbuster “Enthiran”, the film features Akshay Kumar as the antagonist.

pcoming Telugu romantic-drama 'Premam' recovered its investment the day it was launched, said director Chandoo Mondeti. "On the day the film was launched, few distributors had come forward to buy the film. We recovered our investment on that day. These things helped me understand the commerce of cinema."

A remake of a Malayalam blockbuster of the same name, the Telugu version features Naga Chaitanya, Shruti Haasan, Anupama Parameswaran

What makes Vijay greater than others

K

e e r t h y Suresh's 'Remo' has hit the screens and news is, it has received positive response. Next on Keerthy's plate is 'Bairavaa', where she is paired with Ilayathalapathy Vijay.

The actress recently opened up about her role and her experience working with Vijay. She said she did not feel the pressure of working with a big star, thanks to his clam and down-toearth attitude. She

added that he used to be the one to compliment others for their good works on the sets. All praises for him, Keerthy said his exemplary dance skills make him greater and better than others.

One of the most anticipated movies of the year, big budget, star-studded Tamil movie, 'Remo', featuring Sivakarthikeyan, is a romantic comedy written and directed by newcomer Bakkiyaraj Kannan.

'Saat Uchakkey'

A comedy featuring Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher, Kay Kay Menon, Annu Kapoor, Vijay Raaz and Aditi Sharma.

29

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'KJo returns with a bang

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

Sonam finds rampant sexism in Bollywood

A

ctress Sonam Kapoor, who is known to speak out her mind, had a lot to say in an interview with Anupama Chopra, when it came to the topic of sexism. The 31 year old said she finds the rampant sexism in the industry disgusting. She said actors John Abraham and Varun Dhawan got money for 'Dishoom' was "way more than what Kareena (Kapoor) and I were getting to make 'Veere Di Wedding'. We are making 'Veere' and we are getting an okay budget, but we are not getting what we want. I have to cut my fee, and Bebo has to cut her fee to get this film there. The film is not as elaborate as we

imagined. It is sad and heartbreaking. We need to work extra hard to make it look a certain way."

Meanwhile celebrity writer Shobhaa De ended her beef with the 'Khoobsurat' actress, 6 years after calling her a "lassie who lacks oomph". Sonam had in response, tweeted, "Guys, please don't take Shobhaa De seriously.

She's a fossil who's getting no action and going through menopause. So just for her." De, now admitted she wants to make amends, tweeting, "Saw this ad #ThingsDon'tJudge but people do. Inspired to make amends, Sonam Kapoor, I got it wrong.

You are super hot."

'A

Tannishtha Chatterjee wants to go mainstream

A

fter she made news for walking out of television show 'Comedy Nights Bachao', Tannishtha Chatterjee of 'Brick Lane' fame said she now wants to get into more mainstream territory.

"Actors love to be cast against type, that's when you get the most interesting performances out of them. I am dying to dance around trees. There's a light side to me. I did the film 'UnIndian' and am now doing a play that's funny and light. I want to show them that I am not meant for only serious roles."

The actress added that

when people meet her, they realise how different she is off-screen. "They think I have a great sense of humour, but they've only seen me in serious, women-centric roles. I am sure I have missed mainstream roles because they have never even come to me. I love taking up strong roles and characters which

allow me to take risks, Sometimes they are fantastic and sometimes I fail, but that's how you learn and grow, otherwise it becomes monotonous."

Tannishtha walked out of a show recently after she faced constant jibes on the colour of her skin. She later expressed her outrage mincing no words.

Katrina Kaif plans her own clothing line!

'J

agga Jasoos' actress Katrina Kaif, who is known for having a distinct taste in fashion is planning to open her own clothing line. The update comes weeks after rumours spread after the actress was spotted attending several business meetings in London. Sources say if everything falls into place, the actress will announce her "revolutionary" project soon.

"Katrina has been toying with the idea for a long time.

While not much is known at this stage, the project seems

exciting. She has also been in discussions to tie with big brands in different spheres, where she feels she will be able to create things that reflect her personality," a source said. "She is already in talks with some of the best names in the business to launch the venture that she calls ground breaking. Since Katrina is a regular on search lists and popular ity charts, it speaks volumes for the kind of reach she has. So, her partners are confident about the project's success."

When contacted, Kat confirmed the news saying, "It's true that I am planning a label. But it's too early to give out any details right now. I will make an announcement soon."

Salman wants to work with Deepika

S

alman Khan kicked off the ninth season of reality television show 'Bigg Boss', and the first guest to star the opening episode was none other than dimpled prettiness, Deepika Padukone. Khan was himself; teasing Dippy over her Hollywood costar Vin Diesel and asked her to work with him. A source from the sets said, "They shot a power-packed opening episode with Salman taking digs at the Hollywood action star while congratulating Deepika on her global success. He then teased her saying 'Abhi toh hamare saath bhi act kar lo', and had her turn an embarrassed red."

Meanwhile, on another floor of the studio, the leggy lass' rumoured boyfriend Ranveer Singh was filming a chat show with director Zoya Akhtar. An onlooker said, the actress hung around for a while after the shoot and chatted with Salman, as she waited for Ranveer to finish. When he was finally done, he joined her and the two left for Deepika's home.

e Dil Hai Mushkil' can easily be cited as one of the many reasons why Karan Johar is the king of directorial and cinematic magic.

With a cast that borders perfection, and locations that only contributes to the glamour quotient of the movie, 'ADHM' is a gentle reminder of what we all have missed during the director's three year hiatus.

The movie holds weight, with Aishwarya Rai, Anushka Sharma, Ranbir Kapoor, and Fawad Khan in the lead. If the trailer holds any truth, 'ADHM' is set to grab major awards this year.

Ranbir plays Ayaan, a preppy boy and, Anushka is Alizeh, a fiercely inde-

pendent girl. While the tale revolves around the friendship between these two, it is Aish and Fawad, the audience has most noticed. In the trailer that lasts over a minute, it is the 'Devdas' actress who manages to make an impact with her sensual yet mature looks, and her steaming chemistry with Ranbir.

Music, by Pritam, has already hit chartbuster status, with 'Bulleya' striking the perfect chord with the masses. A simple tale of love, and the ways it manages to change us, Johar is back, and how!

Produced by Dharma Productions, 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' releases worldwide on 28th October.

I taught Jackie Chan dance steps: Disha Patani

B

ollywood actress Disha Patani, who recently appeared in 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story', is currently shooting for Indo-Chinese production 'Kung Fu Yoga' with Sonu Sood, Amyra Dastur and Jackie Chan. In a recent interview, Patani said the Chinese superstar is really fond of dancing and learnt some moves from her on a Bollywood song. "I taught him Hindi and he taught me a famous Chinese song. He sung it, he is a very good singer. I taught him 'Tu Meri' song from 'Bang Bang' along with the step. He danced on it. Because he does action, he has a very good rhythm and is a very good dancer. I think if he comes here you ask him to sing this song," Disha said. The 21 year old added that she is totally in awe of Chan. "He is an inspiration. He is amazing.

It wasn't intimidating but I was in the fan zone. First time I met him I couldn't believe it was him. When he came and talked to me, I was like 'Oh my God he spoke to me, he knows my name!' So I was in that fan zone for may be a week or more." "It is very overwhelming for me, the fact that I am doing action with him. He is not the person who would intimidate any one. He is so friendly, chilled out and takes care of artistes and his team." she said. The multi-lingual movie action-adventure comedy film has been directed by Stanley Tong.

30

UK

www.asian-voice.com

Coming Events

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

• Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies The Centre has issued its schedule for its Michaelmas Term that commenced on Sunday 9 October 2016 and will end on Saturday 3 December 2016.

Myth-History Conundrums in the Hagiographies of Satya Pīr: Hindu God and Muslim Holy Man Lecturer: Prof. Tony K. Stewart Date and Time: Thursday 27 October, 2.00-3.00, OCHS Library The monastic/ascetic tradition of India and its ramification towards the west.

Lecturer: G. C. Tripathi Date and Time: Thursday 3 November, 2.00-3.00, OCHS Library Subjunctive Explorations of Fictive Vaiṣṇav-Sufi Discourse Lecturer: Prof. Tony K. Stewart Date and Time: Thursday 10 November, 2.00-3.00, OCHS Library Influence of Kashmir on the Tantric traditions of Orissa Lecturer:Prof. G. C. Tripathi Date and Time: Thursday 24 November, 2.00-3.00, OCHS Library Śākteya Mudrās: Hand Gestures in Tantric Goddess Worship Lecturer: Janaki Nair Date and Time: Monday 7 November, 2.00-3.00, OCHS Library • The Indiabulls Home Loans London Office has organised the Indiabulls Property Show 2016 @ Wembley. Those interested, can meet reputed developers including Godrej Properties, Adani Realty, Radius, Mahindra Lifespaces, Purvankara, Wadhwa, Lodha, Kanakia, Ozone, Vivansaa, and others.

Date and Time: Saturday and Sunday 15th & 16th October, 10 am to 7 pm Venue: Clay Oven Banqueting Suites, 197 Ealing Rd, Wembley HA0 4LW. Free Entry & Free Parking

Ban God Save the Queen A student leader from King’s College London has allegedly started a campaign to stop the national anthem to be played at university graduation ceremonies. Mahamed Abdullahi, an officer in university’s student union apparently said that playing the anthem is inappropriate and gives rise to “far-right nationalism”.

King’s received it's royal charter from King George IV in 1829 and plays God Save the Queen in its bi-annual graduation ceremonies. A student's union spokesperson reportedly said: “Mahamed’s Facebook post aired a personal view that he wanted feedback on. KCLSU has a procedure to support student-led campaigns and any student can use this. KCLSU does not currently have a campaign or policy on the national anthem at graduations.”

Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Deputy Editor: Anand Pillai Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Email: anand.pillai@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Advertising Managers: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Senior Business Development Manager: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Head - New Projects & Business Development: Cecil Soans - Email: cecil.soans@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Advertising Sales Executive: Rintu Alex - Email: Rintu.alex@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4003 - Mobile: 07816 213 610 Business Development Manager: Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Journalist & Marketing Coordinator: Aaditya Kaza - Email: aaditya.kaza@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4009 - Mobile: 07702 669 453 Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com Leicester Distributors: Shabde Magazine, Shobhan Mehta Mob: 07846480220 (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar,

AMC promises a musical year ahead The Asian Music Circuit has a set of events planned for the coming months, to transport you to the best musical trip of your lifetime. The agency that brought the stage prodution of 'Umrao Jaan Ada' in English, and later, 'Tawaif' to the UK, has a fascinating set of events for the remainder of 2016.

Under its 'Sangeet Ka Safar- An Asian Music Odyssey', the AMC is set to produce a series of events which will focus on 'The Genders of Indian Music' exhibition. Commencing from 24th November, the first event is a concert at the Cadogan Hall, where one of India's most brilliant tabla players, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri will

comes your way, and showing your leadership skills works for you now. Romance and pleasure are highlighted this week. The flowing, expressive, and spontaneous energy surrounding you attracts like-minded people. Be sure to take time to enjoy yourself, preferably around others!

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Try not to be drawn into a contest of wills. Cooperation is the key to success in any dealings, be it personal or monetary. Job concerns may get you down a bit, but agreements will be reached with patience and diplomacy. You'll be able to successfully combine business with pleasure as new opportunities come your way.

Swapan Chaudhuri

Deepak Maharaj

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 A blast of personal energy

perform a solo in the first half, and the second half will feature Kathak dancer Deepak Maharaj, son of Birju Maharaj.

The evening will be compered by founder of Vatayan, Divya Mathur.

The second event is scheduled for 11th December, a Sangeeta Datta/Baithak production of Rabindranath Tagore's 'Tagore's Travelling Trunk'. Tagore's works are mostly influenced by Indian classical music, Bengali folk, and Sufi music. The production brings together the poet's musical treasures to London, combined with new music composed to his poetry. It is dedicated to Pashawar John Singh OBE, the late trustee/Director of the Asian Music Circuit Ltd.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Charm is your ally in your dealings with others. Others will be impressed by you and your personable ways. Singles are apt to meet with new romantic opportunities. A good time to spend some time researching your investment options. Rely on your own research or your intuition. You need to exercise careful judgment regarding whom you'll confide in.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 You will feel energetic and confident as the week begins. New beginnings are favoured around now, as long as you do not bite off more than you can chew. Your thinking is inspired, so listen to your thoughts. This may be a time of expansion and improved opportunity and it would be unwise to let yourself become complacent. Affairs of the heart are likely to flourish.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 You are exploring and searching now, making connections, and paying attention to your immediate environment. Socially you are very popular and your communications strengthen your connections. You will be busy with errands, paperwork, phone calls, and light socializing. Siblings, close relatives and friends may play an important role in your life during this period.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 You will meet with chances now to improve your income and status. Be ready to capitalize on opportunity when it strikes. You will be sowing the seeds today for a future success. However, don't expect immediate results. Be patient and allow sufficient time for your efforts to reap the rewards. Remain positive and the pieces of your puzzle will begin to fit soon.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

Your charisma, appearance and self-expression are to the forefront. Spontaneity of expression is what this transit is about. Increased energy and a renewed feeling of confidence is with you now, so take advantage. There's nothing wrong with achieving your personal goals, it's time to carve your own path in life.

Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad.

Tel. +91 79 2646 5960 Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar (M) +91 94266 36912 Email: nilesh.parmar@abplgroup.com Consulting Editor: Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Tel: +91 79 2630 4142 Urvashi Jagadeesan (India) Mumbai: Kanti Bhatt, Hemraj Shah (Jumbo Advertiser) Horizon Advertising & Marketing: 2012, Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad. Tel +91 79 2646 5960 Email: horizon.marketing@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Hardik Shah (M) +91 99250 42936 Email: hardik.shah@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Neeta Patel (Vadodara) M: +91 98255 11702 Email: neeta_abplgroup@yahoo.co.in Business Co-ordinator: Shrijit Rajan M: +91 98798 82312 Email: shrijit.rajan@abplgroup.com International Advertisement Representative: Jain International Tel: +91 44 42041122/3/4 Fax: +91 44 25362973 Mumbai: +91 022 2471 4122 Email: jain@jaingroup.net Delhi Office: Tel: +91 9311581597

Asian Voice Head Office

Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080, Fax: 020 7749 4081 www.abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications

Asian Voice switchboard: 020 7749 4000 Gujarat Samachar switchboard: 020 7749 4080 Advertising Sales: 020 7749 4085 asianVoiceNews AsianVoiceNewsweekly AsianVoiceNews linkedin.com/company/asian-achievers-awards

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 With Venus in your solar 1st house, this is a good time for your social as well as your love life. If you’re single you are likely to meet the person of your dreams. You could also benefit at work through a promotion. Organise your time so that it is not taken up entirely by the demands of other people.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

For those seeking amorous experience, the prospect could not be much more favourable - the fates are truly smiling upon you! Although the very practical affairs of life continue to be highlighted, this does not mean that there will be all work and no play. In fact, you will be very much in demand socially.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

The fiery planet Mars, continues to occupy your sign for some time to come. Its influence will help you to maintain a high energy level and achieve positive results in anything that requires drive and initiative. If you are involved in a fairly competitive field of activity, you will be the one who comes out on top.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

Improved productivity marks the beginning of the week, but your efforts may slacken later. You may be searching for some answers, but take care that introspection doesn't cause you to withdraw from others. With the Sun in your solar ninth house, you will be thinking of far off lands and some of you will travel.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 You will need to handle both business and personal relationships gingerly now. A close tie may be quick to take offence or could take something you say in the wrong way. Innovative moves are favoured in business. You'll make decisions about the use of joint assets. Follow through on commitments made to others and don't promise more than you can deliver.

www.asian-voice.com

Crucial role of Indian-origin players in world cricket AsianVoiceNews

Indian-origin player Haseeb Hameed who was in the news lately for making it to the England Cricket team's tour of Bangladesh makes one retrospect about the number of players of Indian-origin in International Cricket teams. The 19 year old Hameed was selected in the squad following his success in country cricket, as he became the youngest player in Lanchashire's history to score a thousand first-class runs.

India fares on the top in the Cricket world. With a record drive in the history of the sport, Indian-origin players in other teams are proof of how deep the Cricket spirit runs amongst the people. Hameed is not the first player of Indianorigin to play in the English team, and most certainly, isn't the last. The team has seen pioneer players like Nasser Hussain, former England captain, Monty Panesar, Ravi Bopara and Samit Patel. They all managed to etch their names, making

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Haseeb Hameed

not one, but two countries proud. Warwickshire offspinner Jeetan Patel won the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) Most Valuable Player award for a second time, recently. He played for the New Zealand Black Caps in all three formats until 2014, when he chose to quit international cricket and focus on county instead. He currently plays county for Warwickshire in England. Patel made his debut as a supersub for the Kiwis during their tour of

Zimbabwe, in 2005. He was a full member of the team, and replaced Craig McMillan for Zimbabwe's innings, taking 1 for 47. His first home international was the fourth ODI of Sri Lanka's 2005–06 tour of New Zealand, when he clinched the 'Man of the Match'. His Test debut was against South Africa in the second Test of NZ's 2006 tour of South Africa. Team coach John Bracewell called him a "long term investment".

Another current international cricketer of Indian-origin worth mentioning is Hashim Amla.

The right handed batsman and former captain of the Proteas, Amla was South Africa's Test captain from June 2014 to January 2016. He became the fastest cricketer to reach 2000 Runs in ODIs in January 2011, in his 40th ODI innings. He is currently ranked as the world's eight batsman in Tests and fifth in ODIs, by the International Cricket Council. Also to his name is the achievement of becoming the first South African to score a Test match triple century when he scored 311 not out against England in 2012.

Well-known cricketers have marked various teams, including West Indies, where players like Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Alvin Kallicharran, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and others contributed to the team's success; and Australia, with Gurinder Sandhu.

Injury may force Wood to miss India tour Mark Wood, the England pacer, is likely to miss India tour after it was revealed that he fractured a bone on his left ankle while bowling for Durham against Surrey in a County Championship match last month. Wood has already missed the ongoing Bangladesh tour.

This will be the third surgery on Wood's ankle in the last 12 months. He only recently returned to the national side for the home series against Pakistan, but the surgery is likely to keep him out of action for long.

"Woody showed his commitment to Durham with the way he bowled 35 overs in that Surrey game, and we know now that he also showed a hell of a lot of courage and resilience," England's National Physiotherapy Lead Ben Langley said on Sunday.

Mark Wood

"His foot and ankle swelled up hugely during the game, which was obviously worrying, and then we were perplexed when nothing significant showed up on the first scan. It was only when we got him in for a second scan that we discovered he'd been playing on

despite having fractured a bone. So it's a different injury to what he's had the previous surgery for, and there's no reason to think that when he's had this bone fragment removed, he won't be able to get back to bowling as well he has for Durham, England Lions

and England in the second half of the 2016 summer," he added.

Wood first had a surgery last November after missing the third Test against Pakistan in UAE. The 26year-old experienced pain again earlier this year during a pre-season and was forced to have his second surgery. He then made his competitive return for Durham and was mightily impressive in the Natwest T20 Blast semi-final in which he picked up four wickets to send his side to the final. He was then picked in the One-Day International squad to face Pakistan where he picked up seven wickets in four matches. He could now potentially target the limited overs leg of the India tour in January for his comeback.

SPORT

31

India bounce back in style in Kabaddi World Cup Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

After the loss in the opening game, the mighty Indians got their 2016 Kabaddi World Cup campaign back on track with an emphatic 54-20 win over Australia on Saturday. Jolted after their loss to the South Koreans on Friday, Indians showed why they are the best in the business as they outclassed the Australians by handing allouts four times before the final whistle was blown.

The famed Indian defenders seemed to have learnt their lessons as they worked like a well-oiled machine, throwing the debutants' raiders out at will. Skipper Anup marshalled his troops well, unleashing India's young and talented raider Pardeep Narwal to fetch early points and race into lead.

He then brought on the lanky Ajay Thakur and Nitin Tomar and allrounder Sandeep Narwal to extend the lead. Having acquired a sizable lead going into the second half, the Indians slowed down the pace of the game, consolidated their lead and made substitutions, bringing in local Ahmedabad lad Kiran Parmar towards the later part of the game. The Aussies were quick on their feet as they relied on bonus points to keep their score ticking but clearly lacked in the technical aspect of the game they are still learning. Anup said the win would give confidence to the boys. “The plan was to put pressure on them from the beginning and we managed to execute our plans well,” the skipper said. He said that making changes was their strategy to prepare well for their tie against Bangladesh.

Koreans, Iranians continue to rock: After surprising India on the opening night, Republic of Korea steamrolled first-timers Argentina 68-42 to register their second win. Iranians too were in no mood to spare the opposition. The men in black crushed Thailand 64-22 to notch up their second win as well. In the third match of the day, Japan overwhelmed USA 45-19. The Koreans were quickly off the blocks, handing their oppositions their first all out as early as in the third minute and thus began a long series of all outs. All the seven South Americans on the mat were sent back three more time making it a one-way traffic by the time the first half was done. The Koreans were sitting pretty on a 43-11lead going into the second half when the Argentines came roaring back on the other side of it.

Pakistan barred: The 12-nation Kabaddi World Cup kicks off last week, with a decision to bar Pakistan from competing. International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) chief Deoraj Chaturvedi said Pakistan has been denied entry because of a spike in tensions between India and Pakistan. "This is not the right time to engage with Pakistan," Chaturvedi said. "Pakistan is a valuable member of the IKF but looking at the current scenario and in the best interest of both the nations, we decided that Pakistan must be refrained from the championship."

Raina returns to India ODI squad; Ashwin, Jadeja rested

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead a squad that is a blend of youth and experience for the first three OneDay Internationals (ODIs) against New Zealand.

Several senior players, who were rested for the Zimbabwe tour in June this year, return to the ODI squad. Some of the players who performed well in the Quadrangular A-Team series in Australia recently have also been named in the team selected by the newly-formed panel, headed by former India wicketkeeper-batsman MSK Prasad, in its maiden selection assignment.

While seniors like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Amit Mishra, who were rested for the Zimbabwe series in June, return to the ODI setup, the injured Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were not picked, nor was Ishant Sharma, who is recovering from Chikungunya. The selectors also chose to rest R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, while Mohammed Shami too has been given a break.

Also returning to the team is Suresh Raina, who wasn't part of the selectors' scheme of things. The 29-

Suresh Raina

year-old left-handed batsman last played an ODI in October 2015 and was subsequently left out of the team owing to poor form.

Justifying the inclusion of Raina, Prasad said: "We had given a break to Raina in the Zimbabwe series and he has comeback as he did well in the Duleep Trophy,

got runs there. We needed a middle order batsman who can also bowl. This is a relatively young team with Jadeja, Ashwin and Shami rested. So we needed somebody who can bat and contribute with the ball."

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya was chosen over Stuart Binny for the pacebowling all-rounder's position, but it remains to be seen if he makes it into the XI considering his dwindling stocks that has followed his promising Twenty20 International (T20I) debut in Australia.

The 22-year-old, who had a forgettable outing in the

World T20 competition earlier this year, is yet to feature in an ODI. Manish Pandey, who has shown good form in limited-overs cricket, holds on to his spot. The 27-yearold right-hander scored his maiden ODI century against Australia earlier this year and was also the highest run-getter in the quadrangular series. The likes of Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav and Dhawal Kulkarni also earned themselves berths in the ODI squad following good performances in the four-team series in Australia.

There is no spot for

legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who had an impressive outing during the Zimbabwe series. Axar Patel and Mishra are the front-line spinners while Jayant Yadav too will be vying for a spot in the eleven.

In the pace department, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Dhawal Kulkarni are the options available for Dhoni.

Bumrah, whose accurate yorkers have served the team well ever since his international debut in January this year, has shown steady growth as a limited-overs cricketer.

www.asian-voice.com

32

twitter.com/AsianVoiceNews

www.facebook.com/AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 15th October 2016

Ashwin's best whitewash New Zealand

India completed a 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand as a seven-wicket haul by R Ashwin shot New Zealand out for 153 in their last innings of the series. India declared just under an hour from tea, after Cheteshwar Pujara had completed his eighth Test hundred, to set New Zealand a target of 475 and give themselves a day and a half to take 10 wickets.

They only needed 44.5 overs, as New Zealand lost nine wickets for 115 runs in the post-tea session.

Ashwin's figures of 7 for 59 were his best in Test cricket, as were his match figures of 13 for 140. He picked up his 21st fivewicket haul, his sixth tenwicket match haul, his seventh Player of the Match award and seventh Player of the Series award - fourth in a row - as well. There probably isn't a more influential cricketer anywhere in the world today.

Certainly no one has played a bigger part in India securing the No. 1 Test ranking, a feat they got to celebrate when Virat Kohli was handed the ICC Test championship mace at the end of the match, in front of a capacity crowd in Indore.

New Zealand, having

until now given India a harder time on this tour adopted an entirely different approach and collapsed spectacularly. Their two most accomplished batsmen, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, exemplified this approach. Both came out looking to attack Ashwin and ended up playing a part in their own undoing.

Williamson hit Ashwin for three fours in his first two overs, either side of tea, but in that time also gave the bowler enough of

a clue that he was looking to step across his stumps and play him with the turn as much as possible. He shuffled across again to the eleventh ball he faced from Ashwin, premeditatedly, and a flatter, quicker one turned in and trapped him in front.

In his first over at the crease, Taylor jumped out and hit Ashwin over the top for a four and a six off successive balls. As Ashwin's spell continued, he stepped out again to whip him over midwicket, and then drove

him against the turn through the covers. Having gone to 32 off 24, though, he chanced a sweep off a ball that was too full for the shot. It sneaked under his bat and bowled him.

Luke Ronchi, James Neesham and Martin Guptill all fell in the next seven overs, the latter two to Ravindra Jadeja, and it seemed almost certain that the match wouldn't go into a fifth day. BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner hinted that it just might, while putting on 24 for the sev-

enth wicket, but Ashwin came back to break their partnership, bowling over the wicket to the left-handed Santner and beating him with natural variation.

Coming forward to defend, Santner inside-edged the ball into his pad and then onto the stumps.

India didn't have to wait too long for the eighth and ninth wickets, but Watling and Trent Boult briefly raised the possibility of their having to come back on Wednesday to take the tenth, by putting on the longest partnership of the innings. They stuck around for 10.1 overs, causing India a bit of frustration and threatening to take the fourth day into an extra half-hour, before Boult came down the track to drive Ashwin and popped back a waist-high return catch.

CHETESHWAR PUJARA FINISHED WITH A CENTURY India declared halfway through the morning session, one ball after Pujara brought up his hundred by helping a short ball from James Neesham to the fine leg boundary. It was a fitting way to reach the landmark, given that the area behind the wicket had fetched him 57 of his runs

and six of his nine fours, with the lap-sweep and late cut his go-to shots against the spinners. Having gone to lunch batting on 50 off 98 balls, he had sped away to score 51 off 50 in the second session. At the other end, Ajinkya Rahane helped an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 58 hurry along at 6.44 an over, stepping out to play his favourite chips down the ground and inside-out drives.

Ahead by 276 overnight, India had only extended their lead by eight runs when M Vijay was run-out by a brilliant piece of fielding from Guptill in the eighth over of the morning. In walked Gautam Gambhir, who had retired hurt late on the third evening with a shoulder injury. His re-entry sparked an immediate upsurge in India's run rate.

The pair added 76 for the second wicket before Gambhir fell for 50 off 56 balls, chipping Jeetan Patel to short extra-cover. Kohli, the first-innings doublecenturion, fell in the sixth over after lunch, given lbw looking to sweep Patel although replays suggested the ball may have struck his pad outside the line of off stump.

Mortaza stars as Bangladesh level series with England Bangladesh put up a clinical performance to overcome England side and to win the second ODI by 34 runs at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday (October 9) to level the three-match series. Mahrafe Mortaza starred with both bat and ball to secure the victory for the home side. The Bangladesh captain crunched a cameo of 44 and then took four wickets.

Mahmudullah compiled a fine 75 while Taskin Ahmed bagged three wickets to also play decisive roles for the home side.

For a while, Jos Buttler (57) led from the front with an entertaining 50 and raised hopes of England crossing the finish line. However, once he was dismissed, they struggled to keep up with the mounting run-rate. Adil Rashid (33 not out) and Jake Ball (28) then threatened to pull off a miracle with a last-wicket stand of 45 but they had too much to do, as the visitors were bundled out for 204, chasing a target of 239.

Earlier, Mortaza ran through the heart of England's batting line-up to leave them perilously placed at 25 for 4. It all began in the fourth over,

Mahrafe Mortaza

Mortaza tempted James Vince (5) to drive at a fuller length delivery, but the Hampshire batsman could only offer a simple chance to the backward point fielder. Shakib Al Hasan then got one to turn off the pitch to befuddle Ben Duckett and shatter the stumps. Jason Roy (13), known for playing a wide array of shots, didn't last long either, as he was adjudged leg-before to Mortaza.

Mortaza continued to bowl a zestful spell and was rewarded with the scalp of Ben Stokes (0).

Buttler and Jonny Bairstow (35) then combined to share a vital stand of 80 for the fifth wicket.

Buttler, in particular, looked in fine form. With a mix of aggression and deft touch, Buttler's innings was punctuated with some

sparkling shots. Taskin broke the crucial stand by snuffing out Bairstow. The 27-year-old aimed to cut

the seamer and edged it to Mushfiqur Rashim. The turning point of the game came when Buttler was dismissed leg-before to the 21-year-old fast bowler.

The wicket-keeperbatsman tried to unsettle Taskin by walking across the stumps, but was rapped on the pads. The loud appeal from the bowler was turned down.

Bangladesh, however, reviewed the decision and HawkEye suggested that the impact was in line and would crash into middle

Buttler involved in a verbal spat with Bangla players

England captain Jos Buttler was involved in an angry spat with Bangladesh players after he was out lbw for 57 following a review. Buttler said: “People always write about me being quietlyspoken and a soft guy but maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do. I was a little disappointed in the fashion they celebrated. I don’t mind them celebrating a wicket but there’s no need to run in someone’s face and give me a bit of a send-off. I was disap-

Jos Buttler

pointed to get out, the emotions were high, but that happens. Maybe in hindsight I could have just walked away but it is what it is.” Buttler was murmuring expletives while returning to the dressing room.

and off-stump. The decision was rightly overturned and Buttler was given out.

There was also a bit of drama in the middle as Mahmudullah and Buttler had a heated exchange before the umpires pacified both the players. In the end, despite Rashid and Ball's best efforts, England slipped to a defeat.

England had started the match brilliantly with Chris Woakes and Jake Ball striking at regular intervals. The short delivery proved to be the central part to their fine efforts with the ball. It was Woakes who began the slide by nipping out both Imrul Kayes (11) and Tamim Iqbal (14). The 27 year-old allrounder mixed his lengths smartly. He then used the surprise short delivery to dislodge Kayes. England were jubilant after taking the scalp of Kayes, as the left-handed opener had crunched a noteworthy century in the first ODI. Woakes continued to leave an imprint on proceedings by bagging Tamim's wicket with another short ball. Just like his opening partner, Tamim, too, couldn't keep the pull stroke down and offered an easy catch to

Moeen Ali positioned at short mid-wicket.

Ball, England's star performer in the first game, backed up Woakes by probing away with purpose. In his first over, the 25-year-old pacer nipped one back off the seam to induce Sabbir Rahman to chop it onto the stumps.

Rahman paid the price for playing with an angled bat.

In an attempt to wrestle the initiative, Rahim also attempted the pull shot. However, just like his team-mates, the diminutive batsman skied the stroke to fine leg, where Moeen snaffled a fine diving catch to give Ball his second wicket. Shakib (3) arguably Bangladesh's best batsman, then gloved one to Buttler off Stokes. The left-handed batsman would consider himself a trifle unlucky as he was dismissed of a strangle down the leg-side.

At the other end, Mahmudullah continued to play a neat and orderly knock. He was the pivot around whom Bangladesh constructed their innings.

Mahmudullah was able to ride on the bounce to cut and occasionally pull. He also opened the face of the bat and swept the spinners to manoeuvre the field.