Asian Voice

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A M Naik is new IIM Ahmedabad chairman

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For report see page 24

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Welcome Akhilesh Yadav, Goodbye Rahul Gandhi One son rises in Lucknow while another sets in Delhi. It’s game, set & match for the Samajwadi Party which has created history in Uttar Pradesh with a landslide victory.

Akhilesh Yadav has proved that Congress should not rely only on Rahul Gandhi whose "charm" seems to have failed to impress the people of Uttar Pradesh.

Congress did not get any stand in the state where Samajwadi Party got majority. It was a personal loss to the Gandhi scion.

The 38-year-old Akhilesh Yadav, son of ‘Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, was always compared with 41-year-old Rahul and this time he succeeded to shut all his critics.

Continued on page 26

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe 17th Mar to 23rd Mar 2012

Multicultural Leicester welcomes the Royals in style Meera Majithia

Welcomed in true ‘desi’ style, the Royals were treated to Bollywood dancing and dhol players as they made their way around one of the UK’s most multicultural cities.

Royal-mania took over the streets of Leicester as the Queen kick-started her Diamond Jubilee tour in Leicester on March 8th.

To the surprise of com-

Top: Queen and Duchess of Cambridge enjoying the celebration at Leicester Below: Multicultural Leicester- as people from different ethicities gather to rejoice the Royal visit

Montfort University (DMU) where both ladies observed a fashion show while Prince Phillip met with members of a robot

club for pupils of New College in New Parks.

Many people had been queuing from the early hours in the morning to

catch a glimpse of the Royal’s as they made their way across the city.

Continued on page 4

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Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi unveils the Coffee Table Book ‘Life & Legacy of Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III’ launched by Asian Voice-Gujarat Samachar on the 150th birth anniversary of Sayajirao during the grand celebration at Navlakhi Ground, Vadodara on Sunday in presence of Nitinbhai Patel, Minister of Water Resources & Urban Development, Kamlesh Amin, Chief Executive Director, AB Publications (India) Pvt Ltd, CB Patel, Publisher/Editor and Bansidhar Sharma, retired head of the department of Hindi, MS University. (Report on page 26)

muter’s, the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Duchess of Cambridge all stepped out onto platform two at Leicester Railway Station at 11.29am. They were greeted by a group of dignitaries, which included the Queen’s official representative, and the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Lady Gretton.

Kate looked stunning in an elegant, teal LK Bennet suit, while the Queen was dressed in a cerise cashmere dress and coat designed by Angela Kelly. The trio then made their way down to De

photo copyright Ian Davis, Leicester City Council

VOL 40. ISSUE 45

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Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

Aderonke Jomo-Coco, Executive Director, Black and Ethnic Minority Diabetes Association (BEMDA) BEMDA, founded in 1995 by Aderonke Jomo-Coco, is a user-led health-focused organisation that was established to promote the health of diabetics in the community and reduce the impact of diabetes related health problems in Black and Ethnic Minority communities in particular.

Diabetes in ethnic minority communities is 4-6 times higher than it is in white communities.

BEMDA are committed to work at grass-root levels to raise awareness of diabetes and enhance individual's ability to self-manage and control their conditions thereby preventing potential life-threatening health complications.

1) Please tell us about your current position and the company you work for?

I am the Founder and Chief Executive of the Black and Ethnic Minority Diabetes Association (BEMDA).

We primarily raise diabetes awareness and the attending complications that can arise if intervention does not happen early.

We try to do that by training people from different ethnic communities. We train them and they take that knowledge back to their communi-

ties in their own language.

We work with around 12 different communities in London, including; Russian; French; Egyptian; Bengali; West African; West Indian; Polish; Chinese; and Indian.

2)What specific issues does BEMDA have to deal with?

Diabetes is perceived and treated in different ways across different communities, however in the UK treatment tends to be very narrowly focused on non-cultur-

al specific ideas.

BEMDA advocate the use of culturally specific treatment and care services for diabetics.

For example, the Chinese community tend to rely on traditional/herbal medicine to treat diabetes, the Somali community traditionally believed that diabetes is something that will only visit them and will go away.

In certain communities they have diets that include food types that are very unsuitable for diabetics but traditional eaten – such as ghee in the South Asian community and the eating of sugar palm.

BEMDA tries to tackle the cultural reasons to why certain communities are more at risk of diabetes and complications arising from diabetes.

We break down taboos.

3) What are your proudest achievements?

My proudest achieve-

ments, alongside training BME members, are also the publications, booklets and training manuals that we produce to be disseminated amongst the communities. In the past we have worked with a number of Primary Care Trusts to produce these publications with outstanding results.

4) What has been the biggest obstacle for BEMDA? The single biggest obstacle has and unfortunately will probably always be funding. We as an organisation are very handicapped because of funding.

Another obstacle is the issue of charities not working together. For example Diabetes UK the largest diabetes charity in the UK – haven’t ever recognised or even acknowledged the work that we do.

We are all fighting the same disease and should work together.

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

Just prior to c r e a t i n g BEMDA I met with a Professor from St Thomas’ Hospital. I was previously doing a lot of work with the local African and Caribbean Associations on diabetes.

The Professor had approached me with a problem: diabetics from the black community were unwilling to attend sessions with dieticians.

He described the problems as also applying to the Chinese and Philippine communities.

I sat in at a few sessions with the dieticians and it became immediately obvious. None of the food plans were culturally specific.

For example, notions of breakfast different between cultures - A

Ghanaian man traditionally eats fu-fu at around midday not porridge for breakfast !

6) What are your long term goals?

I want to work with dieticians and give them samples of vegetables that BME communities eat to work on the dietary values of traditional vegetables.

Metabolism affects people from different ethnicities in different ways.

7) If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change?

The attitude of professionals such as GPs or some podiatrists not even prepared to touch the feet of their clients to make sure they’re not having symptoms that lead to complications in the future. Also retinopathy screening at local hospitals needs to be better.

These attitudes were there before the budget cuts, so I dread to think what’s going to happen now.

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

Naturally I would rather get to know the villagers who live on that island.

I’m a friendly person by nature, I would like to find out about them and understand them.

City Hindus Network debate: Habit v/s choice Rupanjana Dutta On 7th March, at the CMS Cameron McKenna LLP the members and guests of the City Hindus Network (CHN) gathered to debate regarding the relevance and importance of vegetarianism amongst today’s Hindus. The evening started with some basics on Hinduism by Dhruv Patel, followed by arguments by speakers Hemal Randerwala, Juliet Gellatley, Madhava Turumella and Pratik Dattani, who were very eloquent and expressive, as they drew illustrations from Mahabharata, Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita.

While the supporters of vegetarianism argued about abstinence from cruelty and its nutritional

Chairman of CHN rightly pointed out, this discussion was not meant to be on veg v/s meat. It was essentially about dietary preferences by today’s British Hinduswhether it is by choice or just by habit.

It is a fact that many of us British Hindus are vegeDhruv Patel, Hemal Randerwala, Juliet Gellatley, Madhava Turumella, tarian by birth.

Pratik Dattani, Bijna Shah and others There are very few who have conother’s choice as a fundavalues leading to a healthy sciously chosen to be a life, Madhava, one of the mental ingredient of vegetarian and have speakers against the Hinduism. remained so over 5 years. I motion spoke about It was a very good inialso know of many people Mahabharata, where ‘eattiative by the organisers who despite of a total ing non vegetarian food’ and the debate was fairly strict vegetarian upbringwas supposedly mengripping with anecdotes ing, would not occasionaltioned. He also emphaand cute animal farm stoly mind to indulge in a litsised on tolerance towards ries, but as Pratik, the

tle bit of ‘white meat’ secretly or in presence of ‘mates’ without making too big a ‘deal’!

Where the moot point could have been ecological balance or environmental changes v/s choices that we are making consciously or if our forefathers were

more sensible, prudent or vigilant and compassionate towards other animals, unfortunately the speakers could not do justice to the subject proposed or the questions raised. Overall it was an enjoyable evening with some tasty food served at the end.

The engrossed audience during the debate

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

COMMENT

London Olympics and Dow Chemicals India has valid reason to oppose the involvement of Dow Chemicals with London Olympics. Indian Olympics Association and the government of India have written to the organizers of the London Olympics to drop Dow Chemicals from sponsoring the wrap around the main stadium. But the request has been rejected on the ground that Dow Chemicals was not directly involved in the death of more than 15,000 people due to an accidental release of toxic chemicals from the Union Carbide’s chemical plant in 1984 in Bhopal. Technically they may be correct, since the company has claimed that they had paid compensation to the relatives of the victims and that they have acquired Union Carbide much later in 1999 and they cannot be held responsible for the disaster. But the company has to think of the humanitarian issue since most of the victims were poor people and the effects of the chemical radiation is till prevalent and the children of surviving victims are born with physical or mental disabilities. For a company of such gigantic proportion, paying a few billions is just pittance for them.

But it will go a long way in ameliorating the sufferings of the poor victims of the disaster. Mere technicalities won’t do. The company may be thinking that since the disaster took place in India and the value of human beings in India is much less and the amount they had paid in the name of compensation is enough. Whatever may be their thinking, the value of human being cannot be measured on monetary terms alone and the company has a moral responsibility to lessen the sufferings of the

poor people.

Dow Chemicals, an American company as was Union Carbide, generates revenue of $ 50 billion a year from the sale of its thousands of chemical products to world markets, yielding a net 10 per cent profit of around $5 billion a year. Yet, the company claims that it cannot afford to pay a couple of billion dollars to help the poor who are made to destitute by the direct action of its wholly owned subsidiary, Union carbide. Contrast this case with a British company BP who after their ecological disaster in America in 2010 immediately set aside £24 billion to clean up their mess and have just paid out £5 billion in damages to American businesses for loss of earnings from the fishery industry. Yet the 15,000 deaths and other people suffering from the Bhopal disaster are being shown to have no value of life at all by this chemical giant.

Who is liable in such cases as we move to a more globalised economics? First it has to be the company and its shareholders, failing which, there must be recourse to the governments who have extracted tax revenue from the company’s profits.

It is not so much a case of legalities even but rather of humanitarian responsibility in such disasters of mega proportions. In BP’s case the damage was to the ecology, but in Dow’s case the damage is much more horrible to people themselves, and causing generational disabilities to their newly born offspring. Dow may be able to take umbrage in technicalities but it cannot run away from realities.

Match fixing rampant in cricket The lure of money is such that it can corrupt even the well-to-do. If not why are we witnessing largescale fixing in cricket matches. Since the cricketers are well off, is it not greediness and easy money that lure the cricketers to play into the hands of match fixers. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has begun an inquiry into a network of corrupt bookmakers claiming to be able to fix the results of international fixtures and England county games. The move follows an investigation into match fixing by a group of journalists, including allegations that bookmakers on the Indian subcontinent have targeted international players, including several in England, using a Bollywood actress. The investigation shows the sophistication and scale of the corruption and reveals that, despite the recent jailing of three Pakistan international players and an English county bowler for cheating, the cricketing authorities are failing to control it.

Match fixers boast of recruiting players from England, New Zealand, West Indies, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh to throw part or all of international fixtures, including last year’s World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan for a considerable sum of money. The bookies are increasingly turning their attention to English county games because “nobody monitors them.” Corruption has grown to the point where, according to Indian law enforcement officials, it has become endemic. The revelation that English county cricket is being targeted will add to concerns raised by the recent jailing of the Essex cricketer Mervyn Westfield. The

23-year-old was given a four-month prison term last month after admitting he had received £6,000 to concede at least 12 runs in his first over in a 2009 game against Durham.

A bookie in Delhi claimed that he could fix international events such as Test matches, Twenty20s, and games in both the Indian Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League, adding that “English county cricket is a good new market.

They are low-profile matches and nobody monitors them. That’s why good money can be made there without any hassle if we can get the players to play for us.”

So rife is match fixing in parts of India that cricket may be in danger of losing its reputation as a civilised sport played by gentlemanly rules.

Instead it is in danger of becoming a byword for racketeering. Cricket, or for that matter any game, depends on the support of the public for its sustenance. If there is widespread cheating, then the public will lose interest in the game and the game will suffer. A recent example is the empty stands at Test matches and matches played by lowly-placed teams. Nobody has the time to wait for five days for an uncertain result. This is a warning for the cricket authorities that they should arrange the matches in such a way that it can attract the public. Even the ICC should not hesitate to initiate inquiry into allegations of cheating and punish the guilty so that it will be a warning to other players. If the rot is not rectified at the earliest, the cricket will lose its sheen and public patronage.

Broken Britain- the story of fatherless and troubled families A child needs the care of a father as well as a mother to grow up as a responsible person. In other words, children with both parents learn more and respond better to social norms. Through their fathers and mothers, children have access to a vast network, including grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, friends of the family, work colleagues, community organisations, faith communities, and even personal histories. Both parents provide ‘bridges’ to all the aspects of the outside world, providing more experiences for their children as well as practical opportunities such as job possibilities.

The love between the parent also help to have a stable mindset for most of the children in their growing years especially the teenage.

But it is revealed buy a study that almost two-thirds of Britain’s families have no father at home. Some 72,000 of the most dysfunctional families - 60 per cent of those identified by the Government as ‘troubled’ - are headed by a single mother. An official review into what caused last summer’s riots is expected to highlight the lack of good male role-models in the lives of many of the young people arrested

for taking part in the disturbances.

The government wanted to get fathers working, earning and being a good role model to their children. Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said these ‘troubled families’ were in ‘total breakdown’. He said: ‘The absence of a positive father figure is a huge problem and often fathers who are present have severe drug and alcohol addictions and are not working. Clearly we want to work towards a situation where the fathers in these families provide stability, which means getting them back to work, so they can bring money in and be a positive role model to their children.” Another problem identified by the review was the large size of the families with having at least five children.

It is a welcome step that the Cameron government has identified the malaise afflicting the society and taken an initiative to rectify the problem. The government has launched a 448-million-pound initiative to help 120,000 such families turn round their lives. Let us hope that initiative will bear fruits and the country will become a better place to live.

www.abplgroup.com

Thought for the Week One does not worry about the fact that other people do not appreciate one.

One worries about not appreciating other people - Confucius (551-479 BC)

Cllr Rabi Martins Watford Borough Council

Spring conference Liberal Democrats activists left their spring conference with their hearts pulling one way and their heads the other.

Most delegates agreed with Nick Clegg that 2012 is momentous year for the country what with it being the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and British Olympics Year.

There was less universal agreement with his assertion that this year we should also congratulate ourselves as a nation that “treasures liberty, honours hard work and values fair play and fair chances” The truth of the matter is that that ours is a country built on privilege and patronage feature. The political classes in the main rule in the interests of the few at the top of the social strata.

That most certainly is the case within the conservative Party.

And to the dismay of most of the country was also the direction in which Labour moved in the Blair Years.

Before the last General Election Liberal Democrats were undoubtedly the Party that were unquestionably the Party that could proudly boast that it was driven by an unshakeable desire to eradicate inequality in every aspect of British lives and improve live chances for those at the very bottom.

One senses that sadly this mental of fair play has been somewhat dented under the force of power in office.

I am not fully persuaded by those who argue that as the junior partner in the Coalition Government Liberal Democrats have no

choice but to compromise.

They point to just much the Party has achieved And yes some of the things that the government has delivered would not have happened had we had a Conservative or a Labour administration.

Nick boasted that by the end of this Parliament in 2015 thanks to Liberal Democrats we will see an end to child detention, the first bank levy, the end of huge tax loopholes for the rich the first elections to House of Lords – an end to Control Orders.

All laudable and welcome achievements.

And it would be churlish not to acknowledge that thanks to pressure from Nick and his team, come April 25 million people will have more money in their pocket and over a million low-paid workers will have stop paying income tax altogether.

Laudable as all this is the fact remains that the gap between the rich and the poor is amongst the biggest in the western world.

The changes to the welfare system has been prosecuted with speed Undoubtedly there was a need to bring in measures to combat the high level of benefit fraud that costs the tax payer millions. But some of the measures being implemented will push new people towards poverty and in need of state support, thus eroding much of the savings achieved.

What irks the working classes is that nothing like the same level of urgency has been applied to those at the top end.

Continued on page 6

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Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Leicester Voice Email: majithia.meera@gmail.com

In brief

Man pleads guilty to manslaughter

By Meera Majithia

Dancer to showcase his talent in Leicester A Midlands-based performer, who is taking the British South Asian dance scene by storm, is set to debut his latest work in the city.

Twenty-seven-year-old Aakash Odedra is inviting all locals to come along and enjoy his latest choreographed work titled the ‘Rising’. The evening will showcase pieces created by renowned international choreographers Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Russell Maliphant as well as featuring a piece of Aakash’s own creation.

Aakash has been training for around one-and-a-half-years to bring the challenging piece together. As a dancer who is trained in Bharat Natyam and Kathak, the ‘Rising’ shows him in a new contemporary light.

Speaking about the intense training he’s had to undergo, Aakash said: “Akram’s piece is only 10 minutes but I feel like vomiting after it’s complete every time. It is both phys-

ically and mentally straining and is like undergoing torture.”

Describing the four pieces of choreography, he said: “They take a lot of material from me - feed of my natural instinct and then work on that and mould it.”

For Aakash, dancing isn’t a hobby it is a way of life. He started training in classical dance from the age of eight and has been training for around 20 years. In between, he has spent three years in India and spent two years dancing with Shamak Davar’s group.

However speaking about the change in dance over the past five years, Aakash added: “Dance is a big part of our culture now, whereas perhaps it wasn’t before. But dance is often associated with glamour and that’s something I’m against. When you’ve spent 20 years doing something it’s a way of life not a form of entertainment.”

The Birmingham-born dancer is

Aakash Rising by Chris Nash

currently teaching in Leicesterbased dance school Desi Masti.

Rising is currently touring across the country and you can catch Aakash at the Curve Theatre on 20th and 21st March.

University to carry out study on Bangladeshi women most disadvantaged, suffering from high rates of obesity, diabetes and other health problems associated with poor diet and social exclusion.

There are around 5000 Bangladeshi adults and children living in the Borough of Charnwood. Researchers interviewed 77 mothers and daughters in Cardiff (Wales) and 44 mothers and daughters in Sylhet (Bangladesh) to understand their eating patterns and attitudes to health. They found that compared to women of a similar age in

Loughborough University and the Bangladesh Social Association of Charnwood will share findings of a study exploring the impact of migration on the health, wellbeing and beliefs of Bangladeshi women.

Project MINA: Migration, Nutrition and Ageing across the Lifecourse in Bangladeshi Families, is a three-year project examining diet, food practices and beliefs, and experiences and perceptions of ageing of two generations of Bengali females.

The Bangladeshi community is one of the UK’s

Bangladesh, both the first and the second generation Bangladeshi women in the UK are generally more overweight and obese, which can be attributed to sedentary lifestyles combined with relatively high energy consumption.

They are also more likely to report their health as poor or very poor, having a long-standing illness and experiencing fair or poor emotional status as compared to women living in Bangladesh.

Professor Barry Bogin, a specialist in human biology and anthropology in the

University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, explains: “While migration generally improves families’ economic status and has positive impacts for second generation descendants, it may also have a number of negative implications for health and ageing.

“By gaining a better understanding of Bengali women’s eating and lifestyle habits we can provide targeted advice for health promotion initiatives to prevent long-term illness and encourage a healthier, more active lifestyle.”

Continued from page 1 Ex-DMU student Sonal Patel, 23 said: “I was excited from the moment I heard the Queen was coming to the city. I feel so proud that her very first stop of the whole tour was at my old university.”

The Royals then made their way to a multi-faith ceremony held at Leicester Cathedral where they were welcomed by Bhangra musicians, a brass band, a Zimbabwean choir and the cathedral bells as well as the loud cheers of up to 500 children from schools and scout guide groups across the city.

During their time at the Leicester Cathedral, 34-year-old interfaith manager, Riaz Ravat, from St Philip’s Centre in Evington, Leicester was given the responsibility of escorting the Duchess of Cambridge.

Describing the moment he was informed about his role, Mr Ravat said: “I was absolutely honoured yet very shocked to begin with. It was such a privilege to be

photo copyright Ian Davis, Leicester City Council

Multicultural Leicester welcomes the Royals in style

Indian dance performance to welcome the Royals

asked to do it and I was very pleased that I was given the duty and responsibility.

“The Duchess was approachable beyond belief. We are so fortunate that someone as friendly and warm as her has become part of the Royal Family.

“We spoke about many things. She asked me what the relations between different communities were like in the city and what challenges we faced. She also said that she has a personal interest and love for Africa and that she is very fond of India and hopes to visit the country

with Prince William.”

As he escorted her out of the Cathedral the Duchess is also reported to have said that she wanted to try her hand at playing the dhol.

After a light lunch at St Martin’s Square, where it is believed that the Duke requested a pale ale to wash down his dish of lamb, they made their way to the centre of the city – the clock tower.

There they met with deafening cheers and were treated to various dance performances including 61 colours, which was based on the Hindu festival of Holi.

The Duchess of Cambridge even confided in one well-wisher as she was asked how William was doing, as he is currently serving with the RAF in the Falkland Islands.

Kate kindly replied by saying that he was fine but she was missing him terribly.

They finally made their way over to the grounds of Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College, where they flew out of the city in a helicopter.

Mr Ravat added: “The whole day was just terrific.

I think Leicester was chosen as the city to kick-start the tour to send a signal to the country that this monarchy is here to serve the whole nation, not just part of it. We are a multicultural city and I saw so many people come out on the streets from different cultures, which shows that this monarchy is for everyone.

“As a Leicester person I feel a great sense of pride in what we have achieved and we’ve definitely set the bar high for other cities to follow.”

A 23-year-old man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Harinderjit Singh.

During a hearing at Leicester Crown Court Amitpreet Singh, of Linden Street, was sentenced to four years imprisonment.

Officers were called to Linden Street, Leicester, shortly after 11pm on Sunday, November 6, 2011 by the ambulance service after a report of a Amitpreet Singh man lying injured in the street.

Mr Harinderjit Singh was pronounced dead at the scene. Harinderjit and Amitpreet has been involved in an altercation which resulted in Harinderjit receiving fatal injuries.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Hewson, who led the investigation, said: “This case sends a very strong message to everyone that violent behaviour can lead to extremely serious consequences.

‘I’d like to thank members of the local community who assisted us with our investigation, by coming forward with information. “While I know the outcome today will never compensate Harinderjit’s family for their loss, I hope they get some comfort from the guilty plea which has been entered.”

Pakistani scientist to visit university

An inspirational scientist and Fellow of the Royal Society, who became the first scientist from the Muslim world to win the prestigious UNESCO Science Prize in its 35-year history, is to visit the University of Leicester.

Professor Atta-ur-Rahman, Emeritus Professor of the University of Karachi, will meet with the ViceChancellor Professor Sir Robert Burgess, Lady Burgess and members of the University as well as others from the city and county.

He will be joined by Nasser Ali Khan, Director of the Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar and member (operations and planning) of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan for the visit on March 14th.

Professor Sir Robert said: “I am delighted to welcome Professor Atta-ur-Rahman and his colleagues to the university. Their visit will undoubtedly strengthen with the university’s considerable links with Pakistan and provide an opportunity for senior colleagues to meet and discuss issues of importance to both nations.”

Professor Atta-ur-Rahman obtained his PhD in organic chemistry from Cambridge University in 1968.

He was elected as Fellow of Royal Society in July 2006 thereby becoming the one of only four scientists from the Muslim world to have ever won this honour. Since 2006, over 80 Pakistanis have joined the University for PhD research degrees sponsored by the HEC of which Professor Atta was Chair. The University has several links across Pakistan including Bahria, COMSATS, Hazara, University of Peshawar and the University of Sindh, Jamshoro.

Neighbourhoods to benefit from £400,000 scheme

The City Mayor and his cabinet have approved plans for a £400,000 programme of work that will see highway improvements carried out in around 20 city neighbourhoods.

The money will fund a new Local Environment Works Programme, which has been developed in response to issues raised by members of the public, local organisations and ward councillors.

The programme of works includes £30,000 for the removal of unsafe and diseased trees and a range of works to tackle the issue of parking on grass verges, remove graffiti and provide additional parking for residents. Other works identified in the plan a new layby to improve access to the health centre on Hockley farm, the removal of redundant road crossings in the city and improvements and repairs to subways in Strasbourg Drive, Beaumont Leys and Woodborough Road, Evington. It will also enable the purchase of 100 new grit bins at a cost of £20,000. These will be installed at locations across the city identified by the city council’s highways team and in response to local demand. Cllr Rory Palmer, Deputy City Mayor said: “These works have been developed after listening to concerns raised by local residents, community groups and ward councillors.

“It is a rolling programme of work that allows us to put right these issues in ways that meet the needs of the residents and communities most affected. It builds on pledges we delivered in our first 100 days in office and shows our continued commitment to maintaining highway improvements across our city.”

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Domestic Violence seminar organised to celebrate International Women’s Day

Theresa May’s favourite curry restaurant runs into trouble Theresa May has completely turned the country upside down with her ever changing immigration rules and now a report in the Daily Mail has revealed that one of her favourite curry restaurants in her constituency has had the visit from her officers recently for allegedly recruiting illegal immigrants as staff.

UK Border Agency staff detained five suspected illegal immigrants at Innovation, in Maidenhead, Berkshire, last week after receiving a tip-off.

Theresa May officially opened the Innovation Indian restaurant in Maidenhead in May last year (pictured). The photograph is also featured on their website. Just 18 months ago two suspected illegal workers were arrested at a nearby restaurant Mrs May also frequents.

The latest incident is particularly embarrassing as she allowed herself to be photographed cutting a ribbon for the business’s official opening last summer.

‘I know a lot of people will have very good times here to enjoy the food and the conviviality,’ she said at the time. Just nine months later Border Agency officers have raided the 175-

cover restaurant and found two people believed to have overstayed their visas and one suspected of being a failed asylum seeker. Two more people thought to be visa over-stayers were discovered in a flat on the third floor of the building.

The restaurant, which serves Bangladeshi and Indian cuisine, faces a maximum fine of 50,000 if it employed the men – unless it can show all necessary checks were done to verify their credentials beforehand. Bangladeshi-born owner Abdush Siddiquei has insisted he has done nothing wrong. ‘There are political problems in Bangladesh and they came here legally to claim asylum but their visas had run out,’ he told the Daily Mail.

‘I do a lot of charity work and was giving them food and shelter.’

He added he was ‘really upset’ about the embarrassment he had caused Mrs May, but insisted: ‘They weren’t working here. It is mainly my family that works in this place.’

Mrs May’s favourite tandoori restaurant, Malik’s in Cookham, allegedly also had a visit from Border Agency officers in August 2010. The Home Secretary also featured in a photo on the restaurant’s website.

Illegal immigration has been a hot topic for her after vital checks were relaxed at airports by the UK Border Force.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: ‘We will not tolerate any abuse of the immigration system.

‘As a result of this operation we arrested five immigration offenders and will take appropriate action.’

Gujar0at Samachar and Asian Voice with Sangam Women Association jointly celebrated International Women’s Day on 8th March at ‘Sangam Hall’ in Edgware. On that day a seminar was organised which was attended by many representatives from Barnet Counselling Service, who gave their guidance and thoughts.

Mrs Piyusha Virani, The President of Sangam Women Association, Mrs. Rupa Mistry, The Chairman of ‘Domestic Violence Section’ , Mrs. Kokila Patel, The Managing

Editor of Gujarat Samachar, Mrs. Jyotsna Shah, Consulting Editor of Gujarat Samachar, Cllr.

Vina Mithani (Harrow), Cllr. Anshuya Sodha (Barnet), Ms. Debby Walker, Ms.

Dhanesh Sakaria, Ms. Ritu Sethi, Ms. Lasley William, Ms. Julia Fellows, Ms. Atusha Nuri were amongst the speakers on Domestic Violence. Full story next week.

Asian Teen wins competition for commitment to public affairs An Asian teenager from a Pinner school has won a London-wide competition for her commitment to public affairs. Krithi Ravi, a pupil at Heathfield School, Beaulieu Drive, won the competition run

by Zonta International, which aims to advance the status of women.

The contest, which also saw students from other schools entering, is designed to encourage young women to participate in public and social life.

The 16-year-old won the award after she participated in rural health

camps in India, and supported a charity called Wings of Hope, which helps underprivileged children from poor countries.

She was presented with a 250 cash prize by Sue Mansfield, chairman of the YWPA committee for Zonta, in a special

assembly at the school.

Krithi, pictured, who hopes to become a doctor, told a local newspaper: “I was in utter shock when I found out I’d won, so phoned my parents straight away. I made them really proud, I was beaming.”

“I am so grateful that my efforts have been recognised by Zonta, and plan to give some of the money I won to Wings of Hope.”

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Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Pakistan more reckless today, Fight For Equality in Hungary Continues than before 9/11 American security expert and academicians question Pakistan’s role as an ally in the War on Terror Shweta Desai Eleven years after the United States of America launched the War on Terror and invested million dollars to hunt terrorists across the globe, the Superpower’s security continues to be far worse than on 9/11, an American academician and security expert has claimed. Dr Christine Fair, assistant professor in the Centre for Peace and Security Studies (CPASS) at Georgetown University, also said that the US’s ‘ally’ in the War on Terror, Pakistan has become more reckless in its behaviour than it was a decade ago.

Speaking at a seminar ‘Pakistan: On the horns of a dilemma’ organised by The Democracy Forum at the London School of Economics on Saturday, Dr Fair who has served as a former political scientist with RAND cooperation for her research in political and military efforts in South Asia, made some sensitively valid comments which ruffled feathers of Pakistan bureaucrats present at the seminar. Dr Fair said, following 9/11, there was a lack of American expertise in understanding the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, which resulted in a number of misunderstandings within the leadership of these three countries.

The structural factors of the War on Terror, she noticed, were built in such a way that it could not yield results.

The nation-building efforts in Afghanistan after the war failed to bring the security to the region in absence of Taliban.

Pakistan, despite being an ally to the US, had its footprints in every single terror attack after the 9/11. In fact, Taliban at present has agreed to negotiate with America as it does not want Pakistan to instrumentalise its position.

“Pakistan has been able to use the military aid for fissile production,’’ she said.

A visibly furious Pakistan High Commission’s political counsellor Khalid Majid called Dr Fair’s remarks as ‘a half-baked truth.’ “We

Dr Fair

Nigel Inkster

do not agree that Pakistan has become more reckless.

Problems do persist in relation to the aid and other security efforts but it is far from truth that the security situation has aggravated. It is not fair to analyse the issue of Taliban and Mujaheedin after 9/11 as they were cronies of the West,’’ he said referring to US government’s support to the Mujaheedin’s during the Afghan war in 1970s.

Nigel Inkster from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, UK, also noticed that Pakistan’s relationship with the US and the extremists groups has not been steady in the last ten years. While it continues to lend its support internationally to combat terrorism and assist the USA in its War on Terror, internally home-grown terror groups and activities have been on the rise. The fact that Osama Bin Laden found a safe haven right under the Pakistan’s military base in Abottabad confirms that it has been playing high-stake poker with the USA and is winning at it.’’

America has little to win without the support of Pakistan. On the other hand, Pakistan suffers from a high voltage antiAmerican support and any effort to show its alliance to the West results in hostile reaction from within the country’s extremist groups, the speakers at the seminar noticed. BBC’s documentary ‘Secret Pakistan’ showing Pakistan’s double role by pretending to help USA in bringing terrorists to justice while helping the Taliban clandestinely shown during the seminar also resulted in discomfort of views from the speakers.

The documentary highlighted several loopholes with the army, bureaucracy and the political leadership which has brought Pakistan’s democracy to be unstable in its existing condition.

“Both America and Pakistan are forced to be in a ‘contract marriage’ which both do not want in the first place,’’ said Dr Fair talking to Asian Voice. She added that while it is too early to predict America’s foreign policy post elections and the new President’s commitment to the War on terror and its affiliation with Pakistan, this ‘pause’ in the existing relationship between the two countries is for good. “Elections are due in both the USA and Pakistan. We need to wait and see what the new leadership has in store for this relationship. Hopefully it will be a change for better,’’ she said.

Shailesh Vara MP and elders from the Hare Krishna Temple at Bhaktivedanta Manor near Watford continue to keep pressure on the Hungarian Government for equality for Hindus in Hungary.

Following changes in Hungarian law on 1st January 2012, the Hindu Community no longer has equal treatment alongside other recognised religions.

Mr Vara along with Temple President Sruti Dharma das, Spiritual Commissioner of the Hindu Forum of Britain Gauri das and Senior Temple Member Pranabandhu das recently met with Mr Gergely Prohle, the Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister together with Dr Maria Eva Vass-Salazar, Hungarian Deputy Ambassador to Britain.

The delegation impressed upon the Foreign Minister that Hungary should not discriminate against Hindus and urged him to persuade his Government to change the Law. Mr Prohle was sympa-

Shailesh Vara MP; Dr Maria Eva Vass-Salazar, Hungarian Deputy Ambassador to Britain; Sruti Dharma das, Temple President; Mr Gergely Prohle, the Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister; Gauri das, Spiritual Commissioner of the Hindu Forum of Britain; Pranabandhu das, Senior Temple Member

thetic and said that talks were taking place in his country to make the necessary changes.

Following the meeting, Mr Vara said, “Whilst the meeting with Mr Prohle was encouraging, he was nevertheless left in no doubt that his Government’s actions are wrong and that every effort should be made to ensure equality of all religions. The Hindu community is not seeking any kind of special treatment

but simply to be treated equally with other religions. It is important that pressure is maintained and I await progress in the Hungarian Parliament to resolve the situation.”

Gauri das added, “It is regrettable that this situation has occurred in the first place, following a change in the law earlier this year. However, we had a good meeting with the Minister and we hope that the situation will be resolved soon.”

UKTA celebrates International Women’s Day

Continued from page 3

Watford Borough Council Talk of Mansion and Tycoon Tax all sounds good and long overdue But an unintended consequence of the proposed mansion tax is that it could catch out pensioners on low income whose property prices have risen over the threshold.

Whatever happened the Liberal Democrats commitment to Local Income Tax which they once heralded as the best and most fair option?

And as for the tycoon tax – unless this is accompanied by stringent measures which address the scope for legal tax avoidance the measure will do little help either the treasury or the under classes.

Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander owe it to the country to push George Osborne into producing a budget that begins to make the rich contribute much more than they have ever done to share the cost of making our country which genuinely “treasures liberty, honours hard work and values fair play and fair chances – and one where everyone makes contributes according to their means.

Prof Nirmala Rao, Lady Shruti Rana, Baroness Usha Prashar, Rt.Hon. Valerie Vaz with others at the celebration

UK Telugu Association held a programme on International Women’s Day on 8th March 2012, at Nehru Centre London.

Successful Indian women, who have distinguished themselves in the UK, took part in the programme which was a resounding success. The programme was the second annual International Women’s Day event organised by UKTA, the maiden event took place last year at the same venue.

Prof Nirmala Rao from the School of Oriental and Asian Studies, Lady Shruti Rana who established the Shruti Foundation, Baroness Usha Prashar, Member of House of Lords and Rt.Hon.Valerie Vaz, Member of House of Commons were among the eminent women who engaged the audience as

they discussed the topic for the evening, Asian Woman in the UK: Identity and Alienation.

Smt Sangeeta Bahadur, IFS, Director, Nehru Cenre, London was a guest speaker at the event.

In their speeches, they discussed gender issues and problems unique to female Indian migrants who are compelled to reassess and re-establish their identities. They also discussed the need for women to move forward and create opportunities for themselves or as Rt.Hon. Valerie Vaz stated: “Just do it.”

Baroness Prashar in a speech full of anecdotes emphasised the need to be more confident. Lady Shruti Rana focussed on the fact that women should consider themselves to be equal if not better in all fields of

human endeavour. Prof Nirmala stressed the point that women should overcome both the fears that of failure as well as of success.

Prabhakar Kaza, President UKTA, congratulated the organisers , UKTA’s women’s wing and said that the topic was an issue often felt but not expressed publicly and hence was chosen for the discussion this year.

The programme was organised by the Women’s wing led by Dr. Padma Killi and supported by Mamta,Pranathi,Kranthi, Rita and Himavalli.

The discussion was followed by question and answer session where audience members interacted with the speakers and shared experiences and anecdotes from their own lives as Indian women in the UK.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

7

Memorial Gates 10th Anniversary commemoration ceremony held in London on Commonwealth Day A decade of the Memorial Gates commemoration ceremony was held on the Commonwealth day (Monday, 12 March) in presence of the members of armed forces, ministers, MPs and Members of the House of Lords at the Constitution Hill, next to Buckingham Palace in central This London. memorial is dedicated to the people of the Indian subcontinent, Africa and the Caribbean who served in the Armed Forces during the two World Wars.

On 6 November 2002 HM The Queen officially inaugurated the Memorial Gates. These Gates have been erected as a lasting memorial to honour the five million men and

Rt Revd The Bishop of London speaking to the audience Baroness Shreela Flather, Chairman of the Memorial Gates Council giving a speech at the Constitution Hill

women from the Indian subcontinent, Africa and the Caribbean who volunteered to serve with the

Armed Forces during the First and Second World Wars. They also celebrate the contribution that these

men and women and their descendants, members of the Commonwealth family, continue to make to the rich diversity of British society.

After her Majesty’s guards rode by (pictured), the ceremony started with Baroness Flather’s speech, followed by Field Marshal Sir John Chapple and Rt Hon and Rt Revd The Bishop of London.

Baroness Flather, Chairman of the Memorial Gates Council said, “The Ceremony taking place today is to mark the Service and Sacrifice made in both World Wars by nearly five million Volunteers from the Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Caribbean. We are

especially pleased it coincides with the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics when the eyes of the world will be on Britain and we expect to get a very large number of visitors this year.”

Representing His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Field Marshal Sir John Chapple, who also lay a wreath said, “These Memorial Gates recognise

how much the United Kingdom and Dominions owe to those loyal members of the Empire who gave their support during these conflicts. We do honour to their Service and their Sacrifice.”

The event concluded after a minute of silence paid in tribute and the wreath laying ceremony attended by the present dignitaries.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

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Council’s £35m sick pay bill Cash-strapped Birmingham City Council spent £35 million on sick pay for staff last year, it has emerged.

The local authority, Europe’s largest, spent £34,856,713 on sick pay between January and December last year, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The council did not reveal the bill for paying agency staff to cover absences, meaning the total cost will be even

higher.

Last year, council staff took an average of 9.5 days off sick each – three days higher than the national average. The biggest cause of absence by far was anxiety, stress and depression, which accounted for 23% of days lost due to sickness from April to December last year.

Pay back or stay in jail A former Birmingham accountant who masterminded a huge tax fraud has been ordered to repay £1.2 million or face an extra six years behind bars. Parmjit Singh Rana, pictured, set up 19 “ghost” firms in a bid to reclaim more than £2.5 million of VAT on travel services. He also used two accountancy firms he ran to validate false tax returns – and set up a third false one to add credibility to his plot. Rana, 49, of Smethwick was rumbled and jailed for four years in February 2010 after checks revealed none of his travel firms were trading. The latest proceeds of crime hearing took place at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Sex in street, pair nabbed A drunken couple who had sex in a Birmingham street in front of a stunned father who was getting his children ready for school have escaped jail. Rahat Jabeen, 37, and 41-year-old Mohammed Khalil, both pleaded guilty to charges of outraging public decency after the early morning romp on Turner Street, Highgate. Resident Mr Ali opened his curtains at 7.20am to see Khalil naked and the legs of Jabeen as the pair had sex in a red car. Mr Ali raced to close his downstairs curtains, where his children were having breakfast but they had already seen the couple. The pair had drank vodka and taken cannabis. Jabeen, who suffers from a schizo-affective disorder was placed under supervision for two years. Khalil was ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work.

Hindu sports contest Scores of Indian sports enthusiasts will descend on Leicester's Soar Valley College (LE4 7GY) next Sunday (March 25) to take part in a sports competition. The annual event has been organised by the Hindu Sevika Samiti, a voluntary women's organisation which has over 29 branches across the UK. The 9am-5pm will feature kabaddi, kho-kho and ring, all traditional Indian games. For more information contact Dipvandana Shah on 07916 335 693.

New £800k training centre A new violence reduction and security training centre has opened at Rampton Hospital – one of three highsecurity hospitals in England - in Nottinghamshire.

The £800,000 state-of-the-art redevelopment will provide training in managing violence and aggression, promoting safe and therapeutic services to the hospital’s 2,400 staff.

Bus thieves put behind bars A Birmingham businessman and his teenage accomplice stole two yellow single decker buses from a depot, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Mohammed Safdar, 23, and William Wickett, 18, both of Great Barr, had taken the buses “simply for a joyride”, and had caused damage to the buses amounting to £10,130. Safdar was jailed for a year and Wickett was given 26 weeks in a Young Offenders’ Institution, suspended for two years and placed on supervision for two years.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance said: “If bosses at city hall reduce the number of days lost to sickies then they could save taxpayers’ a

chunk of change without reducing front line services.”

But a Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: “We are determined to reduce levels of staff sickness and the figures are falling on an annual basis.” More than 1,100 jobs are likely to go as a result of the cuts, but the council said it hopes most people will be redeployed.

Help restart a heart A new website that could help you save the life of your nearest and dearest has been launched. The portal, www.defibfinder.co.uk allows people to find out where their nearest defibrillator is. A defibrillator is a device that can be used to restart someone’s heart when they’ve suffered a cardiac arrest. Each year, around 850,000 adults suffer a cardiac arrest.

Should I make myself bankrupt?

In bankruptcy, “we’re far too much in favour of the debtor,” Judge Abbas Mithani QC told delegates at a seminar in Leicester last Thursday. His eloquent hour-long presentation titled ‘Should I make myself bankrupt’ covered pros and cons of going bust, with examples. Judge Mithani, pictured, originally from Tanzania, East Africa, is an honorary professor of Law at Birmingham University and a visiting professor of Law at Newcastle and Kingston universities.

Top honour for Rajeeb Dey Three cheers for modest entrepreneur Rajeeb Dey, pictured, who has been named in the latest list of Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum. Rajeeb, 26, is the founder and CEO of www.enternships.com, a portal that connects students and graduates to internships in start-ups and small companies. The honour recognises up to 200 young leaders each year from around the world for their commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

Jail term plea rejected A man who made a £35,000 profit through a scam has had his sentence challenge rejected. Harjit Singh Kalian, 35, conned frail pensioners by selling them defective burglar alarms. Kalian, also known as Bhathiara, was jailed for four-and-a-half years at Wolverhampton Crown Court last October after admitting 22 counts of fraud.

Kalian appealed his sentence with claims that it was excessive, but his case was rejected. Kalian’s partner in crime, Ajay Chopra, is serving a two-and-a-half year sentence.

Salutes to St Patrick A sea of faces of people from all race and ethnic backgrounds lined the streets in Digbeth, Birmingham, to mark the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations last Sunday.

Classic tractors, cars and a steam engine were part of this year’s attractions, as were performances by Polish, Chinese and Indian communities. Thousands of balloons were released into the skies and sounds of nattering, singing, instruments, clapping and cheering all added to the fun and vibrancy of this remarkable event.

News in Brief Reduced hours for libraries The majority of Birmingham’s 39 community libraries will open just four days a week from next month in a bid to save £2.3 million from council budgets. The total opening hours will be cut by 12% and staff reduced from 175 full time equivalent to 162.

Diversity day A Midland housing group staged a diversity day to encourage communities to recognise different cultures. The event, organised by Birmingham’s Bromford Support at the Banbury Club, Solihull, featured a wide range of activities for residents.

Workplace racism Neville, the father of race hate murder victim Stephen Lawrence was keynote speaker at a conference at the Unison offices in Birmingham last Tuesday.

Mr Lawrence, pictured, discussed and debated workplace racism.

Islam Awareness Week An interfaith get-together was held at West Midlands Fire Service headquarters in Birmingham last Friday.

The event, now in its 19th year, was held as part of Islam Awareness Week, which exists to raise awareness and remove misconceptions about Islam. To find out more visit www.iaw.org.uk

Pervert jailed A pervert, John Bedford, from Birmingham who used his mobile phone to secretly film a mum and daughter undressing in a cubicle at Cascades swimming pool in Stechford has been jailed for 20 weeks.

Bedford, 34, admitted four charges of voyeurism at the city’s magistrates court.

Police chief’s £100k salary A new elected police commissioner for the West Midlands will receive a salary of £100,000 – even if they only work part time, the Home Secretary has revealed. Some have condemned this as “barmy” and “ridiculous”. Police commissioners will be elected across the country on 15 November and will replace the existing police authorities.

Bundle of joy Congratulations to Satnam Rana, BBC Midlands Today news reader who has given birth to a new baby boy, Joshua. Since the age of ten, Rana, pictured, wanted to be a journalist.

She graduated from Lancaster University in 1999.

Money row, grandson jailed A “despicable and callous” man who threatened to set his 83-year-old grandmother alight when she refused to give him money to buy alcohol has been jailed for five years. Daniel Stevens, 25, from Walsall, repeatedly pushed the pensioner – who had offered him a place to stay at her home - then took out his lighter telling his grandmother: “Come here. It won’t take long. It won’t hurt much.” Stevens pleaded guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court to attempted robbery and theft.

Watson challenges Cameron West Bromwich East Labour MP Tom Watson has written to David Cameron saying he fears a “culture of dishonesty developing in Downing Street” – after it emerged the Premier did indeed ride the horse loaned to Rebekah Brooks by the Metropolitan Police, despite initial denials. In his letter to Number 10, MP Watson, pictured, asked: “What steps are you taking to ensure the other potential incidents of wrongdoing are investigated?”

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

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YOUR VOICE

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Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Assembly polls etc

Wonderful Kutch special

Results of recent assembly polls in favour of BJP, signals punishment for misdeeds of UPA and a potential to unseat incumbent party. Though voting percentage was discouraging it shows active democracy.

But success is a bubble that can be pricked at national elections two years away. Morarji Desai did not survive one term. Indira Gandhi was reinstated after painful emergency. BJP lost even though India was shining. After assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, Congress succeeded on crest of sympathy, that may be used to garner votes in future.

Span of two years before national elections is ample time for Congress to review strategy and regain votes. BJP with allies may repeat pitfalls, may disenchant voters. Cracks are already visible in UP in form of anarchy in name of celebration; voters will remember at next elections. Hindu party BJP became political party by shelving Ram-mandir issue, which may lose Hindu votes.

Indian voters feeling insecure with parties under religious shadow e.g.

Hindu BJP, Sikh SAD and regional Siv Sena may forgive UPA and vote for Congress. UP’s kingmaker Muslims may sway result in favour of Congress by wrenching pro Muslim promises.

Ride on euphoria may prove dangerous for today’s winners.

With our weekly Gujarat Samachar and Asian voice, surprisingly I received a wonderful and very colourful magazine of “ Asanjo Kutchhdo Nayaro” what can I say; it is wonderful magazine.

Originally I was born in Sukhpar (Near Kutchh Bhuj) so I am also from the Kutch area. Although I am from a Luhar Family (Black Smith), myself with my mother, Veluben, my elder sister Krishnaben and my younger brother Kakubhai travelled to Kenya, via Mombasa to a place called Nakuru (Kenya) in January, 1946. So our whole family life was spent in East Africa and then we travelled to London in 1975 and since then we have been in London. I must congratulate CB Patel and his team for publishing such a lovely magazine.

Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice- both the newspapers are a fantastic read!

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Reforms in India I have been to India for about one month around Delhi. All around Delhi you see lot of construction going on for multi-storied flats to be sold in lakhs and crores of rupees. Roads in and around Delhi are busy twenty four hours traffic.

Every where you see people busy rushing for their works. You see palaces of rich people and politicians are being built while poor workers on the building and road projects are living in shanties with their children. India is progressing and is visible but poverty is growing at par.

Life is tough for ordinary people and there seems to be no solution when our great leader Pratibha Patil the present President says that “While bringing about reforms and improving institutions, we have to be cautious that while shaking the tree to remove the bad fruit, we do not bring down the tree itself !” So what can we expect from such leaders?

Changes are required, show us the way you will bring the changes to improve people’s life. You have to shake the tree, it is up to you and your government to shake the tree to the right extent to make us all feel proud of you.

I wish to suggest one simple solution for all the building and road workers. The Developers must provide temporary portable cabins to their work force, failing which they should not be allowed to start the project. It might increase little cost to the projects but the buyers of these flats can easily afford them.

Dharam Sahdev Ilford

Manubhai & Jayaben Makwana Via Email

Role of public office The letter from Jaiya Shah, Chairman of the Harrow Council for Justice (10 March), served only to justify the concerns I previously raised regarding the HCJ’s passion for lambasting the Conservative Group. Instead of offering a mature response, they simply attacked us again.

The Chairman referred to the Conservatives walking out after being ignored and told to vote on an incomplete report as ‘demeaning’ to our role, yet thinks it acceptable for Labour councillors to gladly vote for something they could never have read. The letter raised ‘public concerns’ regarding the walkout, yet offers no comment on the Labour administration’s budget, which has cut a number of services for the vulnerable.

Given the letter vastly understated the number of Conservative councillors who walked out of the February Council meeting, I question whether the Chairman was present to witness it. I was, however, present at the January Cabinet meeting when scores of residents turned up to protest cuts to disability transport. The Chairman stated the HCJ will continue to highlight situations which affect ‘quality of life’, so why were they silent on this decision and the subsequent public outcry?

Councillors are accountable for every decision we make and every word we speak, and we accept this scrutiny as part of being responsible public servants. The Chairman tries to give the impression that the HCJ also fulfils a public service function, yet it operates almost entirely in secret; neither appearing to hold public meetings to obtain community feedback nor engaging with us as elected representatives. The HCJ’s present conduct isn’t simply tiresome, it’s also unprofessional.

Residents deserve better from an organisation which alleges to serve their interests than anonymous press briefings, hateful personal attacks and a complete inability to grasp decisions which will actually impact upon their lives.

Asian women’s contribution to society I enjoyed reading your page on International Women’s Day (AV 10 March 2012) which highlighted the commitment and contribution to society of various Asian women from different walks of life.

It is indeed gratifying to know that the old deep-rooted ideologies which were once manifest in the traditional Asian social classes are being gradually overtaken by a fresh insight into how successfully women have taken on new opportunities and progressed to the extent they have often surpassed the achievements of men.

Educate a man and you educate an individual; educate a woman and you educate the whole family. This quote by Mahatma Gandhi has assumed such a profound meaning that we see today how women have contributed significantly towards enhancing family cohesion and values.

I found in particular Rupanjana Dutta’s interview of Seema Anand quite sentimentally invoking. Seema looks at the epics of Ramayan and Mahabharat and says that whilst our society may be patriarchal, it is the matriarch’s narrative which becomes the voice of her children.

How true!

Having said all this, I am aggrieved when I see some Bollywood actresses romping around seductively in skimpy clothes. The same also goes for certain Indian TV soaps whose sole aim is seemingly to make huge profits at the expense of portraying women in a negative manner thereby corrupting or brainwashing the minds of innocent people who watch such programmes.

This can’t be good for our society if the family values of which women generally play a significant role in procuring them are to be preserved for our upcoming generation. Gandhiji once said: The real ornament of woman is her character, her purity. How dismayed would he be today to see that not all women wear that ornament.

Uttambhai D Mistry Bolton

Gujarat Tourism Gujarat Tourism has signed a contract to brand a Delhi Metro train to promote the Khushboo Gujarat Ki campaign. A train will be painted both from inside and outside to display various posters and pictures promoting Gujarat Tourism for a period of three months.

This will feature the still shoots of Amitabh Bachhan in a jeep with lions around, offering prayer in Dwarka and Somnath, his visits to Gandhi Ashram and Porbandar etc.

The train route is a great choice as well. The route is New Delhi Railway Station to Airport which serves both International and national passengers as well as it passes through some elite areas of the capital.

Devang Bhatt, Harrow

Cllr. Chris Mote Pinner South Ward, Harrow Council

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‘Smile Pinky’ too gets the Oscar Boyle says Mumbai dwarfed the statuette

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Cricket crazy Indians for the first time was seen so euphoric on Monday morning, as they expected a couple of Oscars. British Indians in the UK, Dharavi slums, the shanty township of Mumbai, a village in Uttar Pradesh and almost the entire Bollywood waited in expectation, glued to their TV sets. They burst into celebrations as one by one, their heroes, the actors of the British Indian film and the music maestro, A R Rahman bagged the top awards in the world of entertainment.

British actress Kate Winslett also won the Oscar after having missed it almost five times earlier.

‘Smile Pinki’, a short documentary on a cleft-lipped Indian girl in Uttar Pradesh directed

by American director Megan Mylan, won the Oscar for the Best Documentary (Short).

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The accession of Serbia to the European Union is the process by which the Republic of Serbia is being admitted into the framework of the European Union as a full-fledged member state.

After the vote of the 27 EU foreign ministers on 28 February, a recommendation for candidate status was issued with 26 votes for and 1 vote against. Thus Serbia received a full candidate status on 1 March. As a result of this, a quarter of a million Serbs will be able to come to the UK. On the one hand, the Government says it is trying hard to curb immigration and cut down on the number of immigrants, on the other hand it will have to let the EU migrants to come to the UK. The Serbs being stronger and capable for working harder for less will no doubt take away jobs from Asian manual workers. Then there are the asylum seekers; bogus university students or those who arrive here on six monthly visitors’ visa and work for a pittance as domestic help and conveniently forget to return back to where they came from. These people cause problems for the likes of us who are legitimately settled here. Gordon Brown opened the flood gates and David Cameron needs the backbone to close them.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Greatest Political Show On Earth Indian election is the greatest political show on earth, an ode to a diverse and democratic ethos for voters touching 800 million marks, albeit some names repeated several times over? This most ancient civilisation has indeed arrived, gained ascendancy on democratic front well into 21st century.

The hope, future dreams and reality, its optimism and ambition are manifested in its diversity, tolerance, ancient art, science and saintliness. Even the super rich Westerners are having their second, spiritual homes in Bharat, so often moving their families for a better quality of life. If India is not destabilized by internal strife, fifth columnists amongst their midst and corrupt to the core politicians, India could still be an example, inspiration and hope to the rest of the world.

The recent assembly election in five States, especially in the most populous UP is an eye opener. While Congress vote has collapsed, their vote-bank deserting the sinking ship, BJP has failed to make any impact, except in the tiny state of Goa. BJP is now seen as a tired flea-bag with tired, aged, tested and failed old guards still at the helm whose gravitational force has all but melted away. It seems Advani and his compatriots in BJP are literally married to their jobs until death do them part?

I do not see BJP triumphing at the general election unless the old guards make way for the younger and dynamic leaders, stalwarts soon, giving them time to establish themselves.

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

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Health Watch

Serbia and the EU

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

National Hindu Students Forum (UK)

By Written by Suraj Bhanot NHSF (UK) South Zone Coordinator

South Zone Ram Dhun The 25th February 2011 will always hold a special place in the hearts of south zone committee members and chapters a like, for it was the first time since Subrang Garba 2007 that the zone gathered for a spiritual event. The event took four months of hard work, perseverance and dedication from both south zone committee members and other National Hindu Student Forum (NHSF) UK national committee members in order to ensure the success of the first ever south zone Ram Dhun. It was a personal objective of mine to ensure that in our 20th anniversary year, a Dhun would be held for our chapters in the south and the wider community.

North and Central Zones had set the bench mark for such events and I wanted to ensure that south zone entered with a bang!

In the week leading up to the Dhun, the support NHSF received from the local community was incredible; plans were made to ensure all aspects of the day would run as smoothly as possible.

I still couldn’t believe the event was happening! It only hit me when the night before myself and Dimple Joshi along with her parents made the journey to collect our guest of honour; Shree Hanumanji murti from Nilesh ji’s house to bring him to the mandir. The murti was breath-taking and I was so proud to see Shree Hanumanji take centre stage for the first ever Ram Dhun in south zone.

I couldn’t sleep the night before;

a whole rollercoaster of emotions were running through my mind.

Will people come? Will there be enough food? Have I forgotten anything?

Pulling up at the mandir and seeing the Shree Hanumanji murti through the glass door is an image which will forever be engrained in my mind. The stage looked stunning, adorned with badani decor, fruit and the most beautiful flowers.

Sunshine poured through the windows of the mandir; it was truly a glorious day indeed.

The Punditji at the mandir initiated the day with a Havan and this was followed by last minute alterations to the hall, ensuring all was set for the day ahead. The musicians were ready for their 9 hour spectacle and the Dhun began with

a Hanuman Chalisa. I couldn’t believe it was actually happening; the event that was promised to south zone had begun.

As the day proceeded, more and more people came, it was great to see so many chapters and faces both old and new from the NHSF national committee. The Dhun was progressing wonderfully. The musicians, mainly students from south zone chapters, were magnificent.

The time had arrived for the Hanuman Abisheik. The band was electrifying and the sound of the Shanks (conch) still resonates through my body whenever I think of this moment. Goosebumps filled every inch of my body and overcome with emotion, tears poured down my face. It was a proud moment to see the hall full of students chanting at the top of their voices “Shree Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram!” As the final 30 minutes of the day dawned, the finale was set ready to climax the day’s events. 4 children dressed in all their splendour as Ram, Lakshman, Sita and Hanumanji entered the mandir, surrounded by the energy of the shanks as they resonated against the room’s natural energy. The Dhun had been a tremendous success.

I would like to thank all those involved for making the event a true success. It wouldn’t have happened without all the support from chapter committees and members, national committee, the local samaj, musicians and sponsors.

11

Queen celebrates Commonwealth Day in London The Queen led a royal delegation to celebrate Commonwealth Day in London’s Westminster Abbey on Monday, featuring performances by musicians including Canadian Rufus Wainwright and South Africa’s Hugh Masekela.

The Queen was accompanied by Prince Philip, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.

In one of the first events on her 60th dia-

mond jubilee calendar, the queen spoke in a prerecorded address about the importance of cultural connections in the of Commonwealth Nations.

“This year, our Commonwealth focus seeks to explore how we can share and strengthen the bond of Commonwealth citizenship we already enjoy by using our cultural connections to help bring us even closer together, as family and friends across the globe.”

Survey reveals 80 per cent British women don’t report rape A large majority of women in Britain- over 80 percent - do not report rape or sexual assault to police, a study has reported.

In many cases, the incidents are not even reported because women say have little confidence that their attacker would be brought to justice, the Daily Telegraph reported citing the survey by parenting website Mumsnet.

Among the 1,600 women respondents, the poll found out that 10 percent of women had been raped, and 35 percent sexually assaulted.

Almost a quarter of victims had been attacked

repeatedly, and two-thirds knew the person responsible.

But most of them - 83 percent - failed to report it to police, and 29 percent did not even tell friends or family what had happened.

About half of the women said they would be too embarrassed or ashamed of the incident to admit it, but two-thirds hesitated because of low conviction rates.

More than half of the 1,609 female respondents to the survey said the legal system, the media and society at large is unsympathetic to rape victims.

Domiciliary Home Care Workers Plan Care is a leading provider for home care services in London Borough of Brent. We provide care to elderly and vulnerable adults who require care in their own homes, so that they may continue to live independently in their homes and participate in community life.

We require people who are caring and have a compassionate nature to help elderly and vulnerable people in the community.

It is essential that you have a good understanding of Respect and Dignity with a high level of customer service and communication skills.

We are currently looking for applicants who are looking for full time positions including working at least 2 weekends in one month. If you are a student you would be required to work every weekend.

Applications are particularly welcome from Arabic, Gujurati, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Russian and Somali backgrounds as they are currently under represented in our workforce. We are equal opportunities Employer.

Due to the nature of the role it is essential that applicants live in London Borough of Brent.

In return we offer competitive hourly rates, induction training, holiday pay, on-going support, yearly appraisals, regular supervisions, a wide variety of training & job satisfaction.

If you would like to discuss this further,

please call 0207 821 1944 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday to arrange your registration.

12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Scrutator’s Two events are exercising Indian opinion. There was the state elections, the most significant of which involved Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous province and easily its largest.

Pollsters got their calculations spot on, predicting a clean sweep for Mulayam Singh’s Samajwadi Dal, with the Bahujan Samaj Party, the erstwhile government in second place and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress Party – the prime force in the United Progressive Alliance coalition at the centre in Delhi – a poor third and fourth respectively. For the BJP, which leads the opposition at the national level and the Congress Party, these results were an undoubted setback, with

UP, Bihar on new flight path

These have been the dominating themes of the Indian media.

country to ‘promote our own exports.’ He said: ‘If Europe and the US want to stop exports to Iran, why shouldn’t we tap the opportunity?’ Why ever not?

The two gurus continued: “The decision to snub US-led efforts to isolate the Ahmadinejad regime has been condemned in Washington and by officials in the Foreign Office in London, whose predecessors were content to a blind eye to the activities of the the Pakistan rogue scientist A.Q. Khan, which included stealing nuclear weapon technology in the Netherlands in pursuit of Pakistan’s search for the bomb, and the sale these secrets to a web of valued clients, from North Korea to Libya, and possibly to Iran as well.This was done in the perceived defence of America’s national interest. No threats or blandishments from Washington and London are likely to cut much ice with New Delhi. The once coolie polity of the Raj is now a fully fledged sovereign state, a reality that Nato and the West generally would do well to appreciate in all its dimensions, both in word and deed.

“Delhi has made it clear that it will abide only by UN sanctions and will not comply with more stringent measures being imposed by individual nations or groups of countries in an attempt to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” explained our scribes. They were spot on.

The Times editorial New Delhi to consider a possible British withdrawal of support for India’s membership of the UN Security Council. This surely is of less consequence than Uncle Sam’s mounting woes in Afghanistan or the crippling Eurozone economic crisis. Time to concentrate the mind (what’s left of it) on matters of moment.

Uttar Pradesh, like its ethnic and linguistic twin Bihar, is clearly ready to welcome modernity. Just as Nitish Kumar, the Bihar chief minister, has presided over the seemingly unlikely transformation of the state from notorious badland to thrusting embrace of a future that is working astonishingly well, Akhilesh Yadav may tread a similar path, which simply put will witness a reduction in lawlessness and criminality in the public space. Better education all round, greater emphasis on English, higher economic growth and industrial development will place Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on the flight path of true modernity India will no longer hobbled, as has been in past decades.

The second event alluded to will take place at the end of the week when the Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presents his much waited budget before parliament. It could energize the economy and put it back on the trajectory of 8-9 per cent growth through a raft of reforms, or it could turn out to be an exercise in clichéd populism and a return to economic stagnation. It’s the government’s last chance to end its term on a high and secure the country’s future and that of the Congress party.

India warned on Iran

Indian Science

Wonders will never cease.

Rupert Murdoch’s media empire may be in trouble, serious trouble, the American imperium may be going downhill even faster, as Uncle Sam’s woes in Afghanistan multiply by the day, but the self-proclaimed masters of our universe appear oblivious of the nemesis that awaits them.

Consider the following headline in The Times (London): “India faces backlash as it defies West to make profit from sanctions on Iran” (February 11). You don’t say, Rupert Robin Pagnamenta in Mumbai and Catherine Philp in Washington warned: “India was on a collision course with the West….after it announced plans to send a huge trade delegation to Iran to exploit international sanctions and boost its bilateral ties with the Tehran regime.

According to an extensive report

by Richard Stone and Pallava Bagla in the US Science magazine, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh deserved “high marks” for bringing about a sea change in scientific research and development iun India, they averred now enjoy access to high-tech facilities and a windfall of funds....

Referring to the recent announcement by the Prime Minister to hike R&D expenditure from around $3 last year to $8 billion by 2017, the reporters write the “world’s lasrgest democracy is aiming for status as a scientific powerhouse.”

Significant numbers of Indian sdcientitists were returning from the west, especially the US, to their homeland and their presence had clearly lifted India’s endeavours in science and technology, they said (Business Line February 26).

Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi

the coming two years throwing up evidence of their powers of recovery or its lack before the next general election in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Dal enjoyed its hour of triumph.

Mulayam Singh, who heads the party and was once UP’s chief minister, made way for his apparent Akhilesh Yadav, who is set to take the reins of office as chief minister with an absolute majority in the state assembly. This is more than a generational shift, of son succeeding father, Mulayam Singh was an old-style politician reared in the iconoclastic traditions of the populist Ram Manohar Lohia, who called for the abolition of English (Angrezi hatao). The shrewd Mulayam well attuned to evolving public mood, educated Akhilesh in a reputable English-medium school, before sending him to an Australian university for further studies.

Indian riposte Rahul Khullar, the Commerce Minister (sic Mr Khullar is Secretary to the Department of Commerce, the minister is Anand Sharma), said that he would lead a trade mission, including representatives from some of India’s top companies and the Government, to the

Putin with peace on Russia-India defence ties

ty experts in Moscow, said: “As far as joint [defence] projects are concerned, we have advanced further with India than with any other country, including China,” Mr Putin cited the fifth generation aircraft now under construction, the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, the leasing of an Akula-class submarine to India and work on a transport plane between the partners was in full swing. (The Hindu February 26) Parallel to this, was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s charge that western NGOs were behind the financing of the agitation against the Russian-built nuclear power plans at Kundakulam, near Chennai, to supply India’s energy needs. The Russian Ambassador to India, Alexander Kadokin told reporters in New Delhi that his country’s suspicions were now confirmed (The Hindu February 26).

Journalist held on terror charge An Indian journalist has been arrested by the Delhi special branch for belonging to an Iranian ring responsible for the attack on the life of a wife of an Israeli diplomat in the Indian capital. The journalist in question Syed Mohammed Ahmed Kazmi, who freelanced for Iranian radio and television and

was a frequent visitor to Tehran.

A raid on his south Delhi house incriminating evidence of his complicity in the conspiracy, including the discovery of the motorcycle from which the magnetic device was hurled at the Israeli car. The resulting explosion destroyed the car and caused severe injuries to the woman. An emergency operation at a Delhi hospital saved her life and she subsequently flown back to Israel for further treatment (The Hindu March 8).

The sequel to this development was curious, to say the least. An organization in Delhi calling itself Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD) claimed that the arrest of Mr Kazmi was a police frame up on an innocent individual. It charged the Indian government of caving into pressure from Israel asnd the United States.

Shabnam Hashmi of ANHAD attributed the arrest of Mr Kazmi to the fact that he was a Muslim. An ANHAD statement said: “Has Mr Kazmi been picked up on tips provided by by Israeli agencies? How credible can these inputs be, given Israel’s clear intent to condemn and Iran as the source of the attack?”

In this connection, reference should be made to the three Iranian bombers held in Bangkok. ANHAD was silent on the role of the Thai authorities.

A tsunami spawned by the Japan earthquake washed away houses and cars

Russia-India defence ties

Japan’s Dignity

Shortly before his election as Russia’s president, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, addressing a conference of Russian military and top securi-

This week marks the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that caused the destruction of the Fukushima nuclear power plant and much of the northern Japanese island where it was located. The dignity, discipline and stoicism of the Japanese people in the face of this catastrophe should be an inspiration for people everywhere.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Political Sketchbook Alpesh Patel’s

Commonwealth Memorial Day 26 June 1944. A fanatical assault by the Japanese on Imphal, India. If they break through here, they break into India.

Corporal Agansing Rai and his battalion are ordered to capture two vital enemy machine gun nests 200 yards apart and mutually self-supporting, with a further gun hidden in the jungle.

Pinned down without cover his company suffered many casualties.

But Corporal Rai knew any pause would only help the enemy. So he led his company on a charge, directly at the first of the machine gun bunkers - in full view of the enemy. He captured the nest, killed several of the enemy manning the guns.

But heavy artillery fired at him and his men from the jungle. Again they suffered casualties and again he led his men and charged into the jungle at this gun. Despite losing half his men, he personally killed three of the five machine gun crew.

Rai then returned to his original position and took over the rest of his platoon, and despite a hail of grenades and fire, led an assault on the final machine gun bunker. Again he killed the Japanese soldiers manning it and succeeded in capturing the post. The remaining Japanese, now demorilised, fled.

These were the fathers of the nation that would become independent India.

And if you wonder what the inscription reads on a Victoria Cross, it is this: ‘For most conspicuous bravery…in the presence of the enemy’.

‘They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe.’

Let those who speak of Empire and colonies know, we who call ourselves British Indians, do so with a proud heritage. For there was a time when India and Britain shed blood together in defence of freedom against darkness and tyranny, then from British India was born the largest democracy ever known to man. And from the blood of British Indians was saved Europe from an abyss.

The founding fathers of India were men such as Agansing Rai. Let the beneficiaries of free India, honour these hereos. Let free Britain know she too owes her independence to these self same Indian heroes.

This past week, at Constitution Hill, outside Buckingham Palace, on Commonwealth Day, we remembered Agansing Rai and all the soldiers of the Commonwealth who served in the First and Second World Wars. We remember them at a Memorial helped founded a decade ago by a British Indian Peer, Baroness Shreela Flather.

At a time when Parliamentarians are under attack, let the journalists and public know of this Parliamentarian. At a time when immigration is under attack, let the people know of this immigrant. At a time when multiculturalism is under attack, let them know of this British Indian. And if you want to know about women’s contribution to society – just look at one of our greatest monuments.

It is with immense honour I work with this lady Baroness and as a member of the Council for these Memorial Gates. I am a British Indian.

Alpesh B Patel www.PoliticalAnimal.me www.facebook.com/memorialgates

13

GMC bans three doctors from carrying out abortions A doctor filmed altering paperwork to hide the fact he was agreeing to an illegal sex-selective abortion has been suspended by the General Medical Council, while two others are facing investigations.

Dr Raj Mohan was suspended from practising by the GMC’s Interim Orders Panel pending a full investigation of his actions, which were captured on video by undercover reporters for The Daily Telegraph.

Dr Prabha Sivaraman and Miss Claudine Domoney have been told by the panel that they “must not authorise any termination of pregnancy or carry out any termination of pregnancy work, either by consultation or surgery”.

It is likely all will face GMC Fitness to Practise panels, which could strip them of their right to practise.

The GMC’s decisions come after The Daily Telegraph obtained video footage of the three agreeing to abort foetuses after being clearly told that the only reason for requesting an

Dr Raj Mohan

Dr Prabha Sivaraman

abortion was because the babies were the ‘wrong’ gender.

Doctors are allowed to carry out abortions on women if they think their physical or mental health will be at risk if made to go ahead with the birth.

However, to do so solely because the developing child is a boy or a girl is illegal, under the 1967 Abortion Act. The potential criminal penalty for flouting the law is imprisonment.

Miss Domoney, a Cambridge University trained consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, with a Harley Street private

practice, was allegedly filmed agreeing to organise a termination after being told by a third pregnant woman that she did not want the baby because it was a boy.

Miss Domoney allegedly told The Daily Telegraph at the time that she was “uncomfortable” with the situation, and so referred the case to a colleague.

Pall Mall Medical insisted that abortions were not offered on grounds of gender, while the Calthorpe Clinic declined to comment on the disclosures.

14

COMMUNITY & CULTURE

Join us for fun and frolic at the ‘Anand Mela’ Asian Business Publications Ltd have a proud history of publishing the popular Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice news weeklies - the largest sold Asian news weeklies in the UK. The publications are in its 40th year and to commemorate this special occasion we are a special organising Summer mela in London.

The mela promises to display diverse colours of South Asian Culture especially Gujarat by bringing people together in a festive ambience where everyone

can enjoy food, music, dance.

The mela will be mainly divided into seven stall zones viz. food & drink, education and entertainment, Health & Medical, Travel & Tourism, Property & Investment, Banking & Finance, Fashion & Wedding and many more. Visitors will have opportunity to have endless fun, do some shopping, enjoy the days entertainment, eat some tasty food, meet near and dear ones or dance to their favourite folk songs. The

event will attract more than 5000 visitors over 2 days period.

For exhibitors it will also be a great opportunity to engage with the focused and carefully targeted audience.

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar do not have any kind of affiliations with any other event or mela organisers.

Leaders from UK’s major faiths meet to promote organ donation

The faith leaders at the organ donation campaign launch

ties. She spoke about the distribution of leaflets in 5 Indic languages including Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali and Hindi to raise more awareness amongst the locals. However she concluded that despite of a lot of efforts and government support to spread their message extensively, the leaflets failed to grip people’s attention and there has remained a lingering gap between the spiritual advices and the necessary act of ‘sewa’.

Varsha Dodhia, representing the Oshwal Jains agreed with Bhartiben and urged people to extend their kindness beyond faith, values and superstition.

Lord Indarjit Singh

and Dr Parvinder Singh Garcha from British Sikh Consultative Forum spoke about how could Sikh temples be a source of change in believes and help in eradicating prejudices.

Sally Johnson NHSBT’s Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation, said, “This is the first time that representatives from all the major religions have met to discuss organ donation, and it is hoped this event will help develop the relationship and links between faith leaders and NHSBT and assist in dispelling any myths and concerns that people in these communities may have.”

London Asian Film Festival to bedazzle Britons

Pat Nabhan (QiComm CEO), Yasmina Dramsi (Roshan Director of International Carrier and Roaming Services), Wojciech Ploski (Roshan Chief Customer Officer) , Saj Nabhan (QiComm Head of Carrier Sales)

Vizz Mobile announced the launch of a partnership with Roshan, Afghanistan’s leading total communications provider. By inserting the custom Vizz Roshan co-branded SIM card into their mobile handset, Afghans in the United Kingdom will now be able to use their mobile phones to access unrivalled call quality, clear pricing, flexibility and reliability when calling family and friends in Afghanistan.

Leading Lights

by Rani Singh

Special Assignment Editor

Nita Nicole Upadhye, 41

Date & Time: 9th and 10th June 2012, 10am to 8pm Venue: Harrow Leisure Centre, Christchurch Avenue, Harrow HA3 5BD For more information contact Nihir Shah at nihir.shah@abplgroup.com

Faith leaders from all the major UK religions came together on International Women’s day (Thursday 8 March 2012) for the first time to promote organ donation amongst different ethnicities at the Britannia International Hotel near Canary Wharf.

Leaders representing faiths such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Jainisim and Sikhism participated in a panel discussion about the social, cultural and ethnic influences on deceased donation in the UK, at the UK’s first national Organ donation Congress held by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

They also launched NHSBT’s new religious belief leaflets. Thrust were given on improved understandings and removal of prejudices to focus on wider community needs.

Bharti Tailor, Secretary General, Hindu Forum of Britain told Asian Voice, last July the community leaders had met to discuss ‘service for the community needs’ through organ donation.

They had distributed DVDs too to pledge support from the communi-

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

The 14th London Asian Film Festival will be held between 16 to 24 March 2012 in London. Patrons Abhishek Bachchan and Meera Syal, will attend the opening night gala.

In conversation with Abhishek Bachchan, an acting masterclass will also be taking place on the 17 March at the May Fair Hotel where the famous actor will takes the participants through his experiences and teach the tricks of the trade.

The closing night awards ceremony will be at BAFTA on 24 March.

Nita Nicole Upadhye is a London-based American immigration attorney with ten years’ experience in the field of U.S. business immigration law. She was a partner in a Mayfair law firm before launching a successful solo practice. Nita represents global businesses, start-up companies and entrepreneurs across a range of industries including media, technology, entertainment, and financial services.Nita is recognized in Who’s Who of International Corporate Immigration Lawyers. She was educated at the University of California, Irvine and University of Notre Dame Law School. Prior to embarking on a legal career she served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Namibia.

Q: Where does the Nicole in your name originate?

A: I was born in Canada and became a naturalized American My citizen in 1977. mother let me choose a middle name to add to my naturalization certificate. I am proud of my Indian roots and heritage but growing up, my westernized middle name helped me feel more anchored to the United States.

Q Did your father emigrate to the US from India?

A: My father had his first taste of life abroad working in Germany as a talented engineer in the 1960s. That experience led him to pursue a job in Canada. I was born in Toronto and shortly thereafter, my father was offered a job in the midwest. Historically the area attracted immigrants from Scandinavia and Poland and I hated looking different. I wanted to be blond-haired and blueeyed like all of my classmates. My father’s career later took us to Texas and we finally settled in the melting pot of California.

The cultural diversity was refreshing.

Q: What did you find most interesting during your law studies?

A: I loved the immigration clinic. Working on deportation defence and political asylum cases stimulated me in a way that textbook study didn’t. Another highlight of my legal studies included an internship at the US Embassy in South Africa. After law school I had considered pursuing a career in government but decided to go the law firm route. I had loans to pay and at the time the dot.com world was booming so I moved into business immigration.

Q: What brought you to London, England?

A: I inherited wanderlust from my father. A few years into my legal career I landed a job in and left London California to experience life across the pond. The business culture was much more formal than my California experience but I adapted quickly and eight years later acquired dual citizenship (American and British).

My sense of adventure paid off.

Q: You have lots of high profile clients –any niche areas?

A: I‘ve worked with many successful media companies. I am also developing a clientele of brilliant, superstar technology entrepreneurs who are establishing start-up companies in the U.S. where there is more access to venture capital.

This, most certainly, is a growth area.

“In the US you are raised to believe you can do anything if you work hard.”

Q: Is there a common attitude among your clients about America?

A: The high-tech entrepreneurs I work with embrace the entrepreneurial spirit of the United States. The stumbling block is obtaining the appropriate U.S. visa.

The U.S. government is seeking to design and implement better policies and practices surrounding immigrant investors and entrepreneurs, but in my view it can’t happen quickly enough.

Q: What do you notice about British Asians wanting to settle

Nita Nicole Upadhye

in the US? A: My observation is that British Asians are business-savvy, efficient at running businesses and take advantage of existing connections in the United States to broaden their business holdings.

When you have trust within a close family network of business-minded people, why not leverage those relationships to their full advantage?

Q: Have you absorbed the American mindset?

A: In the U.S. you are raised to believe you can do anything if you work hard. The more obstacles you have the more motivated you should be to succeed. My parents were educated, sophisticated immigrants who left everything behind to start a new life in North America. Their sacrifice and courage added another dimension to my desire to achieve things.

Q: I see you have kept up your interest in humanitarian causes.

A: India has over 350 million people living below $1.25 per day, which inspired me to sign up for a volunteer vacation at an orphanage in India. The lesson that has stayed with me is that a community can be abundantly rich in culture, friendship and love without a drop of wealth.

This star-studded event will be attended by the acclaimed director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the beautiful Humaima Malick and so many more. The gala ceremony itself will be presented by the gorgeous Preeya Kalidas in the theatre upstairs, followed by a black tie sit down meal in the David Lean room.

For more details see.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

15

Corrupt solicitor jailed for six years Plans for new school in Croydon runs into controversy Plans for a new school to ease the chronic shortage of primary places in Croydon have stalled after the council has rejected the only remaining bids to run it. Oasis Community Learning and Hindu education charity I-Foundation both applied to open a school on the site of the Davidson Centre, in Addiscombe. But both bids have been thrown out amid concerns regarding their ability and capacity to run a school which will eventually cater for 840 pupils.

The school is earmarked to open in September with an initial intake of 120 boys and girls.

Now the council faces a race against time to meet this deadline and avoid saddling more Croydon schools with ‘bulge’ classes.

Oasis Community Learning’s application to open an academy in the Davidson Centre was rejected because of its poor record at primary level in Croydon.

The I-Foundation had collected 6,400 signatures in support of their plan to open a new voluntary aided school. But

the Hindu organisation, which already runs two schools and will open two more in September, were judged by the council not to have enough capacity to manage a primary which will grow into one of the second biggest in Croydon.

Chairman Nitesh Gor said he was “surprised and disappointed” by the decision.

He said: “I cannot understand the council’s rationale for turning down what was a very strong bid.

“It is crystal clear the community is crying out for an I-Foundation school but the council are just not listening.”

A third organisation, Lilac Sky, withdrew their application earlier this year.

The new school is part of an expansion programme which aims to provide 3,000 extra primary places each year.

Tim Pollard, cabinet member for children, young people, and learners, is adamant the new school will open on time.

Labour’s Kathy Bee, shadow cabinet member for children and young people, believes the collapse of the remaining

bids to run the new school proves the process was a “farce”.

Cllr Bee first raised her concerns about the suitability of Oasis Academy Learning, the I-Foundation and Lilac Sky at a council meeting last year.

The council is now allegedly working with the Department for Education on securing a sponsored academy, with ARK Schools likely to be approached.

Oasis Community Learning has yet to comment on the collapse of its bid but said standards are improving at Oasis Academy Shirley Park, a local paper reported.

Radha Mohan das, Secretary, Bhaktivedanta Manor Communications told Asian Voice, “It seems troubling that the Council would want to grant the school to an organisation with which it met prior to the bid, the organisation chose not to bid in open competition, and now the Council is looking to grant it to them outside of an open and fair competitive bidding process.

This is clearly unfair and requires scrutiny.”

A crooked solicitor who smuggled drugs and mobile phones into two prisons in his hugely oversized shoes was jailed for six years this week.

Ritesh Brahmbhatt, 31, apparently went pale as he stood face-to-face with a line of sniffer dogs as he came in to north London’s Pentonville prison.

The animals caught him with packages containing skunk cannabis, mephedrone and electronic scales inside his size 12 wide-fitting shoes.

The black, metal-buckled slip-ons were at least three sizes two big for the lawyer, Blackfriars Crown Court heard.

Brahmbhatt, pictured, bought his size 12’s in a branch of High and Mighty, which specialises in outsize menswear and was planning to pass the contraband to inmate David Sterling, 28, who was wearing a full-

length Muslim robe.

The lawyer admitted two plots between March 1 and September 17, 2009, and taking a mobile phone into Winchester prison while on bail for those offences, on February 2 last year.

He had been planning another smuggling operation just five months after he was caught the first time, when he returned to the same shop to put in an order for more massive shoes.

The smuggling racket helped fuel a lucrative black market prison trade.

Nearly £20,000 passed through bank accounts belonging to Brahmbhatt, 24year-old Danielle Porter and two others before the racket was smashed.

Sterling, fellow prisoner Desmond Brown, 27, his girlfriend Porter and 26-yearold Calvin Chance were convicted of conspiracy to

convey articles including drugs, mobile phones into jail after a trial.

Judge Deva Pillay sentenced Sterling to five years jail, Brown to four and a half years, Chance for five and a half years and jailed Porter for three years.

The judge told Brahmbhatt he abused the trust placed in him as a solicitor while showing ‘arrogance and contempt for the rule of law’.

A Tribute to Jagjit Singh, in aid of Rickshawalas A musical evening, presented by Bhavik Haria and Friends on 25th February 2012 at Watermans Theatre, London in aid of the Rickshawalas Project commemorated the extraordinary musical legacy of Late Jagjit Singh.

This evening was all about supporting young upcoming talents, the Rickshwalas Project and raising awareness for CAREducation Trust; a

charity working to better the lives of underprivileged and disabled children.

Jatin Shah welcomed the audience with a short introductory speech leading into the first part of the musical evening. A classic medley featuring Jagjitji’s most popular Ghazals was presented by multi-talented upcoming singer Bhavik Haria, accompanied by an orchestra featuring Sunil Jadav (Harmonium), Siddharth

Singh (Guitar), Robin Christian (Flute), Ghanshyam Patel (Keyboard), Shrikunj Gadhvi (Tabla), Shyam Dabhi (Tabla) and Ghanshyam Makwana (Percussion).

As the evening came to an end the audience were left cheering for an encore after the wonderful performance of one of Jagjitji’s most famous songs of all times, ‘Hoton Se Chullo Tum’.

Commercial Property Auction Thursday 29th March 2012 On behalf of The Co-operative Estates, Sue Ryder, Joint LPA Receivers at Edward Symmons, GVA, Capita Symonds, Colliers CRE, BNP Paribas Real Estate, BTW Shiells together with three major Institutional Funds amongst others.

36 lots to be offered, including: Eltham SE9 1TD 83 Eltham High Street Let to Blackheath Leisure (Carousel) Ltd t/a Quicksilver Rent £31,750 p.a.x

London N1 3PB 324 Essex Road Let until 2024 includes residential uppers. Rent £32,000 p.a.x

84 -86 High Road, Ilford

Rickmansworth WD3 1AN 121 High Street

BANK INVESTMENT

Ilford IG1 1BU

Burnley BB11 1NJ 96-100 St James St Let to Santander UK Plc. Prime pedestrianised trading position.

Rent £58,000 p.a.x

Staples Corner NW9 7BN Kwik-Fit Centre, 103 West Hendon Broadway, Hendon Let to Kwik Fit (GB) Ltd guaranteed by Kwik Fit Holdings until 2023. Fixed RPI uplifts Rent £81,227 p.a.x

SUPERMARKET INVESTMENT

Let to Sue Ryder on a new 10 year lease (no breaks) Rent £44,000 p.a.x

Biggar ML12 6BJ

OFFICE INVESTMENT

Let to Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd on a 15 year lease (subject to options). 5 yearly RPI rental increases.

Rent £45,000 p.a.x.

84 -86 High Road Let to Bank of Scotland plc t/a Halifax until 2026 (Subject to Option). Renewal of a previous lease. Approx. 1094 sqm (11,785 sq ft) in prominent town centre location Rent £177,500 p.a.x

TYRE & EXHAUST CENTRE

Romford RM7 7HL Units 1-10 Stanton Gate, Mawney Road Multi let business centre separated into 10 self contained units. Approx 500 metres from Romford town centre.

Rent £180,516 p.a.x

London WC2H 8DR Cuban Embassy, 15 Grape Street

Sainsbury’s Local, 60-62 High Street

INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT

Coventry CV6 7NS Euro Cladding Warehouse, North Side Austin Drive, Courthouse Green

Entirely let to The Republic of Cuba until 2023 (Subject to Options) Rent £81,500 p.a.x

Let to Euro Claddings Limited until 2021 (subject to option).

Established retail park location Rent £120,000 rising to £140,000 p.a.x

159/163 Eltham High Street

Wembley HA9 0HF

Iver SL0 9HX

Two retail units. Corner location with residential development potential (subject to consents) Rent £60,850 p.a.x

28A Popin Business Centre

Unit D The Ridgeway

Approx. 419.56 sqm (4,516 sq ft).

150 metres from Wembley Stadium. Vacant Possession

Let to BN Group Limited until 2022 (subject to option) Rent £95,667 p.a.x

RETAIL INVESTMENTS

Eltham SE9 1TW

John Mehtab: +44 (0)20 7034 4855

www.acuitus.co.uk

16

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Revathy wins national award for short film

Actress turned filmmaker Revathy’s short film, ‘Red Building Where The Sun Sets’ has won the national award for the ‘Best Non-Feature Film Category.’ The actress who is known for her penchant for quality ventures says, “It is a 17-minute short film on parents and how they have to bring up their children. I’m happy that I won this award; however, I must say that we made it for awareness and didn’t aim for any award. This has come as a pleasant surprise.” Revathy had earlier bagged two national awards for the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in ‘Thevar Magan’ a 1993 release and the Best Feature Film in English for ‘Mitr, My Friend’ that garnered much critical acclaim.

Sneha-Prasanna marriage on 11th May Kollywood actors Sneha and Prasanna are getting married on 11th May. There was news that they were in love and will be getting married soon. Both of them did not deny this news. They were seen together in the public functions. Recently they exchanged costly gifts to express their love on the Valentine’s Day. In between, both the parents have met and have finalized the marriage date. The marriage will take place at Sreevaru Venkatachalapathi Palace in a grandeur way. Sneha is completing her present projects since the marriage is going to take place soon. Prasanna has already mentioned that Sneha can act in the films after the marriage if she wishes.

‘Kolaveri’ fame film ‘3’ postponed It was widely reported that ’3′ featuring Dhanush and Shruti Haasan will see light of the day on March 30.

The latest is that the film’s release will take place on April 6. The film ’3′ marks the debut of Aishwarya Dhanush as a director in Tamil cinema. The film is red hot in trade, thanks to the worldwide success of ‘Kolaveri’ and will be simultaneously released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The Hindi rights of the film as well as the satellite rights of the Tamil version have been bagged by Sony and Sun TV. It will showcase three stages of love between Dhanush and Shruti Haasan.

Hot Garam masala Don’t call me a porn star: Sunny Leone The Bigg Boss contestant Sunny Leone does not like to be called a porn star. She has always maintained that she chose her profession as an actor of adult films because she wanted to. It was a choice she made and likes to stand by her profession. Sunny is outspoken. She has made it very clear that she needs to be addressed as an adult film actor and not a porn star as people mostly do. She respects her profession and makes sure this message goes across to people and journalists."

I can’t sell my film: Saif Ali Khan No frequent small screen appearances, no big jacket ads, and no filthy show of money seems to be actorproducer Saif Ali Khan’s way to promote his forthcoming release, “Agent Vinod.” “It is one of those films which have a good idea to make and I’m happy about the fact that it was my idea. So, to spread awareness about my film, I’d be happy to talk about the film rather than selling it,” says Saif, 41, who doesn’t want to overdo the promotions and fatigue the audience even before the film releases.

His promotional strategy includes a game and a comic book based on the film and a tour of 12 major cities in India.

Sonakshi Sinha can’t wait to join ‘Dabangg 2’ Sonakshi Sinha says she is looking forward to join the star-cast of ‘Dabangg 2’ and hopes that the film does better than the first part. "Dabangg 2 shoot starts. Can`t wait to get back to where it all started!

All the best to Arbaaz Khan, Salman Khan and the entire team! Abhi tak sabko nehlaya tha, chalo ab sabko dho daale ;) dabangg ho," she tweeted.

“Dabangg 2” marks the directorial debut of actor Arbaaz Khan. Starring Salman and Sonakshi, the movie is slated for release at the end of the year.

There's a story going around about two of the big Khans in Bollywood Salman and Shah Rukh. As everyone knows, Salman is the most bankable star in the Hindi film industry today with the most number of films that have crossed the Rs 1 billion mark and also that the two stars are no longer on talking terms.

But now, it looks like there's even competition in their pay scales. The rumour is that Salman called Aditya Chopra to his farmhouse when they approached him for his latest film and when the subject of remuneration came up, he allegedly said he wanted “1 rupee more than what SRK gets!”

Since the days of Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, and then Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, there has always been competition between actors on-screen and off screen.

The “one rupee more, please” salary issue supposedly existed even then and the south film industries are no different.

Actors who are seen as arch rivals on-screen apparently want to score higher than their competitors even in terms of money. And it's not large amounts but just a single rupee that can make a difference to their happiness.

At the same time, actors constantly try to woo the favourite producers of other actors. For instance, the Chopras always favoured Shah Rukh but signing on the successful Salman might have rankled the former's equation, say some industry insiders. And if Salman actually asked for a rupee more, then it looks like entertainment is all just a game of one-upmanship.

Vidya Balan wins national award for 'The Dirty Picture' There is another reason for Vidya Balan to be happy as the actress has bagged the national award in the best actress category for her performance in “The Dirty Picture.”

Vidya’s performance as the south sex symbol Silk Smitha in “The Dirty Picture,” directed by Milan Luthriya, has already received rave reviews from both critics and viewers.

Vidya has won many prestigious awards earlier for R Balki's “Paa” and Vishal Bhadrwaj's “Ishqiya.” This happens to be the hat-trick success for Vidya.

Among the other national award winners were Director Onir's "I Am." It was declared as the best Hindi film while Amitabh Bhattacharya has won the best lyrics award for the song "Agar Zindagi" in the film. Shah

Rukh Khan's superhero film "RA.One" was named for best special effects at the 59th national awards. Harry Hingorani and Keitan Yadav won the award for their work in "RA.One".

List of Winners: Best Actress: Vidya Balan, “The Dirty Picture;” Best Actor: Girish Kulkarni for “Deool;” Best Hindi Film: “I Am;” Best Choreography: Bosco-Caeser for Senorita from “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara;” Best Special Effects: “RA.One;” Best Make Up: Vijram Gaekwad for “The Dirty Picture” and Bal Gandharva; Best Costume Designer: Niharika Khan for “The Dirty Picture” and Neeta Lulla for “Bal Gandharva;” Best Children's Film: “Chillar Party;” Best Supporting Actor: Appu Kutty; Best Feature Film: “Deool” and “Pyaari.”

My whole life revolves around food: Sonam Sonam Kapoor, who is known for her wonderful styling, however, can’t resist herself when it comes to food. She claims her life revolves around food. “My whole life revolves around food. While having breakfast I think what I should have for lunch while having lunch I think what I should eat for dinner.” This glamorous actress loves feeding people. She said: “I am a Punjabi and the whole point is I love feeding people and I love getting fed.” Sonam had to lose oodles of weight before she starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansli’s “Saawariyan.” She is, however, giving a tough time to her dietitian.”

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Salman wants one rupee more than SRK

Making audience laugh is tough: Akshay Kumar He has proved to be a 'khiladi' of both genres - action and comedy. But kicking and boxing in front of the camera is far easier than making the audience laugh, says Bollywood star Akshay Kumar. "You know...you can kick your legs, punch someone very easily and do action. In fact, action can even look great through camerawork. Also, for an emotional scene, you can put glycerin in the eyes and make any artist cry, and the viewers think he is crying, so people also start crying," said the actor.

"But to make someone laugh, you have to work very hard. It's very difficult to make people laugh. So comedy is tough...the toughest," he added. Akshay became the undisputed action star of Hindi films with projects like "Khiladi", "Sabse Bada Khiladi", "Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi", "International Khiladi", "Waqt Hamara Hai" and "Mohra". In 2000, he tried his comic timing in the hit movie "Hera Pheri". It was followed by others like "Garam Masala", "Phir Hera Pheri", "Bhagam Bhaag", "Welcome", "Singh Is Kinng", "Housefull" and "Tees Maar Khan".

"Nothing has changed about comedy. People enjoy what you give from the heart. Don't try and go by the trend. Go with your heart and mind...if you do your work with sincerity, it will always work," said the actor who has done about 100 films in his 25year-old career.

Bollywood veteran Joy Mukherjee dead Bollywood veteran Joy Mukherjee, who acted in films like "Love in Simla", died at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai last week, his spokesman said.

He was 73.

Mukherjee, who was suffering from thalassemia, is survived by his wife Neelam Mukherjee and three children - two sons and a daughter. Mukherjee came from a film family - his father Sashadhar Mukherjee, who was married to legendary actor Ashok Kumar's sister Sati Devi - was the co-founder of Filmalaya Studios. He was the paternal uncle of actors Kajol and Tanisha Mukherjee.

My wax statue is incredibly detailed:

Madhuri Dixit

Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit has unveiled her wax statue last week at the world famous Madame Tussauds museum. The statue is decked in a gorgeous pink saree flashing that million dollar smile. Madhuri Dixit-Nene is the sixth BTown star to be waxed at Madam Tussauds after Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor. Last week, Madhuri flew to London with her husband, parents and manager for the launch of the actress' statue.

She said that she was approached in October for the wax statue at Madam Tussauds. We were excited by the opportunity. I was

thrilled to be here in London at Madame Tussauds unveiling my wax figure. When asked by media “Don't you feel you should have been asked much earlier since achieved greater glory and fame much before them? It does not matter to me on the timing and who's come before me. It is an honour and has made my fans very happy,” she said.

She added, “The statue has a very close resemblance and we think the creative team did a great job. My wax statue is incredibly detailed and they have captured my look very well. I feel very humbled to be included alongside other Bollywood stars and some of my personal heroes,” she said.

‘Kahaani’ emerges a blockbuster & critics favourite Vidya Balan should be one happy person for sure.

The actress, who won the national award for best performer (female) last week, is likely to have one of the biggest box office hits in her career pretty soon, since her latest film “Kahaani” is all set to become a blockbuster from the looks of it.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh who tweeted, “Kahaani had a meteoric rise over the weekend.

The weekend collection for ‘Kahaani’ has ended at Rs 138.3 million net.” Now it’s pretty much evident from the figures that the film is set to be a money spinner in the UK as well.

“Kahaani” has been earning rave reviews from the critics, and has already been declared to be a film that one should not miss. Public opinions on the film too are unanimous, and the Sujoy Ghosh directed film, would in all probability restore the faith of film makers to make female-centric films.

Released in the UK through B4U Movies and presented by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Kahaani is out in cinemas now.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Hero to set up manufacturing plant in Gujarat Dear Financial Voice Reader, I write to you straight after a lunch with the Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management to discuss the Outlook for 2012. Now some things were off the record, so I cannot repeat those…actually, I’m not a journalist, so I can – so here goes: First, Goldman Sachs expectations for US and UK growth are better than other bank’s forecasts. If Goldman’s are correct then this is good for all of us. This ties in with the latest data that retail sales in the US rose in February by the most in five months. I’ve also just read that German investor confidence has risen more than forecast. Of course the Germans are confident they export more to BRIC countries than to France.

Whereas the UK exports more to Ireland than to BRICs. Little wonder Jim agrees with the Chancellor of the Exchequer that the UK Foreign Office should be essentially a part of UK Trade and Industry to boost UK exports.

The US markets are up 10% so far this year. More good news as I write is that there will be 1000 new UK jobs thanks to Jaguar (again a benefit of BRICs) and a lower UK trade gap thanks to exports to China and Russia. In fact it is hard to find a negative story. Well there is one. The market is up 100% since 2009 – you probably didn’t notice. Now as you do, it is usually the signal of a top! Also worrying is that leading indicators – transport, railroad and trucking companies – have been falling since January.

But that did not worry Jim. He looked at stock valuations and new job reports out of the US. Both point to the market moving higher this year. The most undervalued markets based on the profitability of their companies being Germany, UK and France.

By the way, if you want to classify countries by the amount of GDP (economic size) then you would add India to Korea and Mexico – all being 2% of global GDP. China is 9%. Not big, but given they are all growing, and being chased by Indonesia too it is good news.

Russia and Brazil both sit at 3%. So the world looks better when you ignore Greece. And you can ignore Greece says Jim – it’s only 2% of EU GDP. For India followers you will want to know that India will be in 2050, where China is today in terms of global share of GDP….can’t wait. I will be twice as old as I am now!

But wait, there is more…the UK labour market may be ‘turning a corner’ says recruitment firm Manpower.

Well they would say that wouldn’t they? Of course speaking to the unemployed or unskilled youth, or even unemployed skilled youth, you would get a different picture.

And some stock names? Nike, Coca-Cola, Apple, Infosys, China Life Insurance.

For free market webinars by me: www.alpeshpatel.com/webinars

RBI cuts CRR by 75 bps, raises rate cut hopes The Reserve Bank of India last week cut the cash reserve ratio (CRR) requirement for banks sooner and more sharply than expected to ease tight liquidity, an accommodative move seen by some as raising the odds for an interest.

The RBI cut the cash reserve ratio, the share of deposits that banks must hold with it, by 75 basis points to 4.75 per cent after the close of local markets.

The sharp and accelerated CRR cut upset conventional market wisdom that the RBI's mid-quarter policy review scheduled for March 15 would see a 50 basis point CRR cut and no lowering of policy interest rates.

"The fact that they did a CRR cut 4-5 days before the policy and one day after the (RBI) governor met the finance minister

raises doubt on the question that there would be no rate cuts in March policy," said Hitendra Dave, head of global markets at HSBC India.

At the same time, a CRR cut is no longer seen as a possibility in the near future, economists and traders said.

The central bank is widely expected to begin cutting interest rates in coming months after 13 increases between March 2010 and October 2011, as both economic growth and inflation slow. However, few in the market had expected it to do so as soon as next week.

India's annual economic growth slowed to 6.1 per cent in the December quarter, its slowest pace in nearly three years.

Headline inflation, meanwhile, slowed to its lowest level in more than two years in January.

India's largest bike-maker Hero Motocorp Ltd (HMCL) is likely set up its manufacturing plant in Halol, Gujarat. HMCL, formerly known as Hero Honda Motors Ltd, is likely to invest Rs 12 billion in central Gujarat, after the US car-maker drove into the region in the mid 1990s.

Also, this will be the first major two-wheeler maker to come to Gujarat, notwithstanding the presence of a couple of e-bike manufacturers here. An announcement is likely to be made this month. The company is learnt to have

identified 300 acres of land near the GM car plant. HMCL will set up the factory in two phases.

Once fully operational, it will have a capacity to roll out up to two million vehicles a year, say sources close to the development.

HMCL plans to set up its fifth plant in Dharwad in Karnataka in over 500 acres of land. Analysts say the new manufacturing plants will help the company meet its export target of $1 billion by 2020, besides catering to the growing demand in the domestic market.

Gujarat government

officials say the company had earlier expressed willingness to set up the facility in Sanand, which has emerged as the India’s biggest auto hub, playing host to car-makers like Tata Motors, Ford India and Peugeot. A team of

MoneyGram hits its competitors for six!

Romil Patel

MoneyGram International is a global money transfer company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company's reach is vast with over 35,000 locations in India alone. Asian Voice interviewed its Senior Regional Director for the UK, Ireland and the Nordics, Mark Perryman to find out more about the company.

AV: What does MoneyGram do?

MP: MoneyGram is one of the world's largest money transfer companies.

It's a US company so our headquarters are in Dallas, Texas. We are listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Primarily, we are a money transfer company.

Now we are in 191 countries around the world including Afghanistan and Iraq.

AV: What is it that sets MoneyGram apart?

MP: There are only two global players of which we are one. We certainly try and position ourselves as the superior, value for money provider. There are a lot of money transfer companies in the UK. We would characterise ourselves as being fast and very good value for money.

So, for example, our fees to

India start from just £4.99 to send up to £100 – which is a very reasonable fee. We have very good payout rates so we try to make sure our rates are superior to our competition, we are very safe and we are also on the FSA (Financial Services Authority) register. We are regulated by two regulators: the FSA and HM Revenue and Customs.

We have the largest network in the UK with about 13,000 locations for customers to send or receive money and are available in every post office, every Thomas Cook and hundreds of independent locations. We are also in over 35,000 locations in India and that number is growing all the time. So it is fast, safe, reliable, better value for money and convenient.

AV: Has MoneyGram launched any new schemes?

MP: M o n e y G r a m online. Now you can actually send the money transfer anywhere in the world online. So you can do it from the convenience of your own home if paying with a credit card or debit card. That is a brand new service. It's all about trying to give them (the consumer) choice. We've got a fantastic bricks and mortar network,

this is clicks and mortar!

AV: How important is the Indian Corridor?

MP: Very important. It was one of our fastest growing corridors last year.

It isn't our number one corridor yet (as there are other corridors which are also doing well) but it may be this year. As we know, sending money and giving them as gifts at certain times of the year is part of the culture so it is extremely important and we want to make sure that we can offer Indian consumers a very good service.

AV: Are you still involved with the ICC cricket?

MP: Yes. We signed a multi-year sponsorship with the ICC so we are the official money transfer partner of the ICC. That means that we are the only money transfer company that can be involved in ICC tournaments – you probably saw us in the World Cup! We are going to be involved in the 20/20 tournament based in Sri Lanka in September.

This has been very positive for us and I'm very pleased to be carrying that on into the future.

For further information, please visit www.moneygram.com

senior executives from HMCL had met state Chief minister Narendra Modi some time back where it was suggested that they move to Halol.

"The idea is to have a balanced growth evenly spread across the entire state," said an official in the chief minister's office.

Besides being home to GM and a few component makers, Halol strategically falls in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). HMCL currently has manufacturing facilities in Dharuhea, Gurgaon and Haridwar.

IATA suspends Kingfisher ticket sales

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) last week suspended the Kingfisher Airlines.

It means that the international bookings of the carrier will be badly hit.

However, according to sources, negotiations between the IATA and the Kingfisher Airlines are under process.

Notably, the IATA had warned Kingfisher Airlines earlier as well.

This comes hours after the income tax department earlier freezed 19 more accounts of the Kingfisher.

Reports said that the department had recovered only Rs 230 million so far and the authorities would soon take a decision on attaching Kingfisher's properties. It is likely to freeze UB Group accounts as well.

The KFA management, however, is making all efforts to get its bank account unfrozen and cooperating with the income tax department over its pending issues, to ensure timely payment of salaries, start further recoveries of its aircraft and resume normalcy in operations, the spokesperson said.

Gujarat's famous Kutchi shawl gets GI tag

The colourful Kutchi shawls, woven with motifs in one solid colour throughout, has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, a move which is expected to benefit its hereditary weavers in Kutch region of Gujarat.

"We have been granted the GI tag for our Kutchi shawls, which is famous worldwide. The tag will provide a push to its marketing and also help check the cheap imitation being done in other parts of the nation," President Kutch Weavers Association (KWA) Gabhubhai Vankar said.

The GI registration of this shawl will convey assurance of quality and distinctiveness - essentially attributed to the place of its origin in a defined geographical locality.

"This tag will help over 1,200 weavers of Vankar and Meghwal Samaaj, in

Kutch region spread across 210 villages," he said adding that Kutch is the only regional cluster of weavers in India who can create intricate motifs in thicker yarns of wool, cotton and silk.

There are currently 1,200 weavers who work in 210 villages of Kutch of which 800-900 practice

the craft full time. Around 2,400 women are engaged in preparatory and finishing processes, the GI application stated.

The market of these shawls has been appropriated by cheap industrial imitations of their intricate designs by factories in Ludhiana, a KWA member said. The shawls made of acrylic wool are dyed and have one solid bright colour throughout.

"The shawl is woven with traditional Kutchi motifs and is processed on handlooms largely in Bhujodi, a village of Kutch," Vankar said adding that villages like Gambudi, Manukna, Bundra, Tukma also house communities of such shawl weavers.

"The Kutchi shawls are sold in domestic markets and are exported as well, to countries like US and Europe, among others," he said.

A 500-year-old history is linked with the weaving of Kutchi shawls in Gujarat, which is deftly made by hereditary skills of the craftsmen and women in Kutch.

"The weavers of shawl in Kutch, who are originally from Western Rajasthan, say there is a 500 year old history in the region linked to it. They are called Meghwal Wankars (weavers)," Vankar said.

The origin of weaving of Kutchi shawls was from the Dhadba or what the Kachchhis call the Hiragiriyu, which is a typical design style of the dhadba, he said.

These motifs and techniques along with the ones used in the traditional shoulder wear and female veils evolved into the modern day shawls that are a major tourist attractions in Kutch, Vankar said.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

19

Why the London property market is in a league of its own

Suresh Vagjiani Managing Director Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

The response I have been getting from property agents on the streets of central London is there is very little stock on the market. From what little there is no one is desperate to sell.

Central London has completely bucked the national trend. Savills prime London index grew by 8.7% in 2011, adding to the 27.9% gains it had already made since March 2009. It now stands 9.7% higher than its former 2007 peak.

According to Knight Frank average prices for prime central London property rose by 0.7% in February.

Prices are now higher by 11.6% over the past 12 months.

Prices have risen 43% from their post-Lehman collapse low-point in March 2009, and are 8.9% higher than their previous peak in March 2008.

The volume of sales has risen 85% in the year to February, prices are now 8.9% above their previous peak of March 2008, and they have risen at a rate almost double that seen in previous upturns. This has been a very strong upturn.

This is in stark con trast to the re st of t he UK property marke t. Why is this?

Where is this money coming from to ensure the central London property market remains buoyant?

Back in the boom period of 2006 the money was flowing in from Stock market bonuses, probably much of it from the back of reselling mortgages which has been blamed for the current collapse, these have now disappeared.

Over 2006 and 2007, City bonuses were a key factor in the 47% growth in prime London over this boom period. It is estimated around £8 billion flowed into the market from this source.

City bonuses are unlikely to reach this level again, although other types of equity (share capital, profits and sale proceeds) could easily replace them if the economy prospers.

In Lond on, t he old drivers of the prope rty market h ave chang ed significantly. The d omestic mone y being pu mped into Lond on pro perty is still originating largely in the f in an cial se ctor but n ot from the big bank s in the City an d Canary Wharf.

City bankers’ bonuses have been curtailed – not just by the lack of performance of the big banks but also by changing methods of remuneration and deferred payment.

It is now the small hedge funds and private offices based in Mayfair and its close vicinity that are generating the most cash to the property market now.

The difference in the London economy to the rest of the country used to be explained by the strength of the financial sector. Now top properties in the capital are clearly driven by a different set of factors to

The Real Deal WESTBOURNE TERRACE, LONDON, W2 Purchase Price: £1,200,000 – Share of Freehold 3 Bedrooms, 2 Reception Rooms, 3 Bathrooms A stunning three double bedroom apartment, recently refurbished to a very high standard forming part of this impressive period stucco fronted building. The property further benefits from three ensuite shower rooms, an impressive reception room with skylight, a beautifully fitted kitchen and its own private entrance.

Westbourne Terrace, close to the open spaces of Hyde Park We can arrange finance at a competitive rate of 4.125%, 60% LTV. This means your monthly payment will be £2475pm against a rental income of £4333pm You will need £480,000 to purchase this property. The aim would be simply to put it back on the market for £1.4m+ in the summer Currently a similar property lower ground has come on the market on the same road at £865,000 and is 1100 Sq Ft. This equates to

£786per Sq Ft. This is on the less desirable side of Westbourne terrace and is a leasehold. The one we are selling is 1800 Sq Ft and equates to £659per Sq Ft is a share of freehold, is in the more desirable end of the road and is in much better condition.

the rest on the property market.

Global East to West migration of money have boosted the London market. The London economy is an international economy and equity is flowing from the cash-rich nations.

London is now operating as a global city almost completely divorced from the surrounding nation.

London is seen as a safe haven for funds in an uncertain economic world. Funds are coming in from Europe, the Far East and increasingly India. We have had much interest from Indians living in India to invest in Prime central London. This is not motivated purely by the growth prospects London has to offer, but more from a case of diversifying their new found wealth. It also is a status symbol to own a property in Mayfair.

An important point of note is there are no barriers to entry for global investors. They can purchase as many properties as they wish without any restriction. This is not the case with say India where only an NRI or a PIO may purchase property and there is tight regulation by the RBI over repatriation of funds. London property is a transparent market in stark contrast to say the Indian Property market although with regulation this is changing.

Prime London property has developed a status of a wealth preserver. During the time of the Greece crisis one agent whom I know well had a call by an investor to purchase four properties by a certain date, the properties were to be purchased in cash and blind meaning the purchaser did not even want to see the properties. In times of turbulence people park their money in prime property stock.

W hen prope rty is being used as a st ore of wealth lik e this, its in come produc in g qualities are of little importance to th ese in ve sto rs. These are se cond ary. Wh en you look at the way t hese pro pe rties in cre ase in value it is easy to see why.

A couple of examples I have come across will illustrate this point.

Recently a prime freehold block was on sale in Victoria for £1.25m. It had been picked up for around £1m only a few weeks before it was put on the market. The property was then purchased by a second investor for £1.25m and is currently on the market for £1.5m. In my opinion the property will sell as with some work I feel it can be resold for £2m and perhaps a little over.

Another property which came on the market middle of last year comprised of two attractive inter-linking freehold Grade ll Listed period buildings located in Marylebone: 105-107 GLOUCESTER PLACE W1. The square footage was 11,500, the asking price was offers in excess of £4,000,000, subject to contract, reflecting a low capital value of £545 psf based on the net internal area.

The block was a rarity and was being sold by a Jewish charity. The interesting point here was they were happy with a six month completion as the block was occupied. This allows the purchaser to resell and apply for planning. The property not surprisingly went for well over the asking price at £5.25. This block was resold before completion for £7m.

That’s alot of profit for six months. Even more so considering only 10% was put down to exchange. This means from a deposit of £525,000 the return was £1.75m!!

A similar principle can be applied on the blocks we have on sale in Harlesden and Shepards bush. The time period involved can be used to leverage your investment. Call the office now for further details. These blocks can be sold separately to reduce the amount of investment.

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in Central London Property Sourcing

0207 313 4595 Westbourne House, 14-16 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5RH

Tips of the Week l When purchasing property to buy and sell you need to aim high, as there are too many players at the bottom of the pyramid l With property you always have the option of renting rather than reselling, you can always refinance to release money

20

financial vOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Leadership and Human Resource Management

Looking Over Your Shoulder

maria@abplgroup.com

Maria Fernandes

Snippets of news

Reported News Recently the Immigration Minister claimed that companies are “addicted to migrant workers “and need to “kick the habit” by employing local staff instead. If only it was that easy. This is in the same week that a restaurant that the Home Secretary opened in her constituency was raided by the UKBA. This week also highlighted the fact that children of immigrant parents who speak another language were outperforming their English counterparts. In the meantime the Times Higher Education supplement reported on the result of a You Gov poll commissioned by universities. It appears that two thirds of people underestimate the value of international students to the UK economy. They did not fully appreciate how much the sector received from overseas students.

They estimated the figure to be below £500 million when in fact it is £5.3 billion. More than a third incorrectly believed international students were taking places allocated for home students. And 71 per cent believed international students stayed in the country long after they graduated when only 3%t settled permanently in the UK five years after graduation.

In the meantime on

television, a recent programme “Making Bradford British”, where individuals from different classes and colours were put together in a house and spent time living with each other highlighted the fact that when communities have to live together common humanity steps in and they are tolerant of each other ‘s customs and behaviour and in general more accepting of each other than the politicians would have us believe.

One of the most poignant moments in the programme was when a white young male accompanied his Muslim housemate to a mosque and met the devotees afterwards. He noted that the values that he saw that day reminded him of the values of justice and fair play and good manners taught to him by his grandfather which he had forgotten.

As to what’s happening: Tier 2: The Migration Advisory Committee has reviewed the annual limit ( of 21,700)which was put into place last year and recommended that no changes be made to this despite the fact that the take-up was low, at 10000 and has been consistently undersubscribed since its introduction. It was also asked to review intra company transfers, which was granted to

30,000 migrants. Whilst acknowledging that these take up the lions share of these types of visas it recommended no change but more close monitoring of the use of intra-company transfers for third party contracting. It was also asked to look at an increase in skill levels but did not do so. Finally it considered that highly paid jobs and PHD level jobs should be exempt from the requirement to conduct a labour market search within the UK. Sponsor licences: A reliable source has advised that businesses who are downgraded from A to B and who agree to sign up to an action plan will face a rise in fees from £1000 to £1500 a rise of 50%.

Where else can rises like this be imposed without an outcry.

Are the Government using the UKBA to dig themselves out of a recession?

The details of changes to immigration rules will be introduced this week and will be reported in the next issue.

Maria Fernandes has been in practice exclusively in immigration for the past 25 years.

Fernandes Vaz is based at 87 Wembley Hill Road Wembley in Wembley and can be contacted by telephone on 02087330123, by email on info@fernandesvaz.com.

Azim Premji only non-American in tech billionaires' list Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft Corp, the world's largest software company, is technology's richest man.

The only person on the ranking not from the US is Indian Azim Premji, cofounder of Bangalorebased Wipro Ltd, India's third-largest software exporter.

Premji's 79 per cent stake of Wipro represents about 90 per cent of his $18.5 billion net worth.

Premji guided his father's peanut-oil processing company into software when the Indian govern-

Zuckerberg, who runs Facebook Inc, ranked second and third, respectively.

The ranking, published on Bloomberg.com, reflects how changes in markets and the economy affect the executives' stakes in publicly traded and closely held companies.

Co-founded by Gates in 1975, Microsoft wares run more than 90 per cent of the world's personal computers. Ellison helped build Oracle into the No. 3 software maker, while Zuckerberg fashioned the most popular social network in less than a decade.

ment ejected foreign corporations from the country in 1977. While Premji initially benefited from the long-revoked India-first policy, Wipro today derives most of its sales from the US and Europe.

Oracle Corp's Larry Ellison and Mark

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When a person tells you to look over your shoulder you normally think that it is a warning to ‘watch your back’, in fear that someone may be about to attack, or overtake you, or is watching you. While this is a natural defence mechanism we all have, there are those who don’t seem to care to look back. I have lost count of the number of times I have heard a winner or a successful person say that one of the keys to their success was that they focused on themselves and what they were doing, rather than worrying about what the others were doing. This is very useful advice, just do the best you can do and focus on the task at hand and leave everything else to fate.

In any aspect of life, looking back can sometimes be seen as a sign of fear, or a lack of confidence, or a touch of uncertainty of ones own position. However, there are some who will say that looking over your shoulder is actually a good thing to do. That it is necessary to

be aware of exactly where your competitors are, or to be somewhat more cynical, where the conspirators vying for your position are - and more importantly, to know what they are doing. A good example of this would be a marathon runner – for them it is vital to know where the runner behind them is so they can pace themselves accordingly. In business, one must know what one’s rivals are doing. Industrial espionage is just as deep, dark and penetrative as political spying.

So what should one do? The answer to that could lie in what you as a leader are actually striving to achieve. If you want to be a pioneer, someone who really breaks the mould and achieve things no one has yet achieved, then you need not worry about what others are doing. Steve Jobs didn’t worry about what Samsung or Microsoft were doing. He just assembled what he thought people wanted.

We all know the rest.

By Amit Patel

However if you are looking to just be ahead of the pack, then it is important to know where they pack are and what they are doing. Nokia didn’t and they released a smart phone with technology that was so behind its competitors that it was out of date before it was even launched.

On the whole, looking over your shoulder every now and then is not a bad idea. After last weeks Lib Dem spring conference, Nick Clegg would be best advised to look over his shoulder. Not to see if anyone is conspiring to oust him, but rather to see if anyone is still following him.

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Personal Development and Human Resource Management.

He has delivered speeches on People Management and Development throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. To contact Amit, email amitpatelmail@gmail.com

UK-based Booker plans 20 India stores in 5 years

The $6.5-billion UK-based cash and carry group, Booker, is looking to expand its India operations.

Even as American giant Walmart, French chain Carrefour and German group Metro are seen as the big daddies in the segment, now Booker would add to the competition.

With three stores in Maharashtra (in Mumbai, Pune and Thane), the UK chain has begun exploring options outside the state. In the next five years, it is planning as many as 20 cash and carry stores, the company’s India managing director, Zunaid Bangee, said.

In 2009, Booker had set up its first store in Mumbai, followed by a joint venture outlet in Pune in 2011 and Thane just last month, in 2012.

In fact, Walmart’s first store, along with its India partner Bharti, was in 2009, in Ludhiana. Since then, the American chain has expanded to 17 stores across India. German group Metro started slow, in 2003,

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India’s exports up 4.3% in Feb, imports grow by 20.6%

but has picked up pace, opening its 10th recently in Delhi. French retail biggie Carrefour started in December 2010 with a Delhi outlet and recently launched its second store in Jaipur. While both Walmart and Metro are looking at 810 stores a year, Carrefour has not announced any target numbers. “We are presently reviewing opportunities in and around the state of Maharashtra,” said Bangee. Adding: “In due course, we intend to expand to other states. But in the next five years, we could open up to 20 stores.”

The company has denied any interest in setting up multi-brand retail stores even when the Indian government allows foreign direct investment (FDI) in the sector. “We are a pure wholesaler. That is our model in the UK, and the same concept will be adapted here. We will support the local independent retailers (kirana shops), and not compete with them,” said Bangee.

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India’s exports grew by 4.3 per cent year-on-year to USD 24.6 billion, while imports increased by 20.6 per cent in February, commerce secretary Rahul Khullar said last week.

Imports stood at USD 39.8 billion in February 2012, resulting in a trade deficit of USD 15.2 billion.

During April-February 2011-12, India’s exports increased by 21.4 per cent to USD 267.4 billion.

Imports grew by 29.4 per cent to USD 434.2 billion during the 11 months period, taking the trade deficit to USD 166.8 billion. "We are getting a growth rate of 20 per cent.

It looks like you'll get around USD 300 billion (by the fiscal end)," Khullar said.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

21

Foreign Exchange Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

China’s trade deficit, biggest in 20 years It is not just Greece and Europe that is currently causing investors concern. More recently we saw China’s trade deficit at its biggest level in twenty two years! This has led to risk aversion across markets and US Dollar strength. There is pressure on the Chinese Central Bank to increase measures to maintain their target of 7.5% growth throughout 2012. No doubt that this will further increase China’s need to stand its ground against the US when it comes to devaluing the Chinese Yuan... Perhaps a further reason to extend its reserves in other currencies like the Euro!

It is not just Europe that is currently rallying together around Greece and pledging support, but China have also expressed that they will continue to support Europe as a whole.

This is not very surprising given they are a major trading partner!

Although providing support for a troubled Greece or to put it another way, postponing the inevitable for a further three months could currently be the right thing today as a sudden default could send markets into a sell off frenzy... This will no

doubt be taken as a template to follow by other trouble European countries, with Portugal being eyed as the next one in line! A big question that I keep asking myself now is ‘how will any of these troubled countries pay this borrowed money back?’

Taking Greece as an example, it almost feels like we are all throwing money into a black hole. I can appreciate that money needs to be invested to simulate the economy, but I also feel that very little is being done to change the mindset of the

people residing in that country...

Two hour lunches and not paying any tax is not the way forward!

Unfortunately I feel that we will be in the same situation again at some stage this year.

Will European Banks have done enough to protect themselves from a default...? Or will we again see another bailout to buy more time?

In contrast to our European Neighbours who like to hold their cards close to their chest, the Bank of England’s MPC will be talking about our monetary

policy, in particular quantitive easing this week. On top of this UK unemployment figures are also due which no doubt will all add pressure to the all mighty Pound... Again it is important to remember that the MPC are still favouring a weaker Pound to encourage exports.

Can you believe that it has been almost four years since markets really went to the wall and we saw the collapse of Lehman Brothers! Sadly we continue to see rising unemployment and struggling growth figures from the UK. It almost feels like every month we wait to see if there is any positive growth!

One positive thing that has come out of all this is that smaller companies have been given a real chance to grow...

RationalFX continues to provide support and save businesses thousands every year by providing more competitive exchange rates. The recent launch of www.Xendpay.com – our retail focused platform is now competing against the likes of Western Union and in some cases providing saving of as much as 16%!

Growing without being greedy has become our motto...

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 13th March 2012 @ 3pm GBP - INR = 78.19 USD - INR = 49.85 EUR - INR = 65.18 GBP - USD = 1.57 GBP - EUR = 1.20 EUR - USD = 1.31 GBP - AED = 4.80 GBP - CAD = 1.55 GBP - NZD = 1.91 GBP - AUD = 1.49 GBP - ZAR = 11.84 GBP - HUF = 351.87

www.rationalfx.com Information provided by RationalFX. None of the information on this page constitutes, nor should be construed as financial advice. The exchange rates used are the commercial foreign exchange rates provided by RationalFX. For a live quote or to find out more about how RationalFX can help you, call us on 0207 220 8181.

22

PakIStan-BangladeSh-SRI lanka

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Pak invites LeT, other terror groups for peace talks In Focus Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday invited Islamist militant groups including the Taliban for peace talks and said banned organisations would be delisted if they "closed down their militant wings". Pakistan has banned more than 30 militant outfits, including al Qaeda, Tehreeke-Taliban Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the group blamed by New Delhi and Washington for the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

"If the proscribed organisations assure us that they have closed down their militant wings and abandoned extremism, then we would like to meet them in next few days," interior minister

Rehman Malik told reporters.

Pakistan has faced heavy criticism for not doing more to clampdown on the groups, many of which are allowed to operate freely under new names, such as Jamaat-ud-

Dawa, a UN blacklisted charity considered a front for LeT. Despite a relative decline in high-profile attacks, there has been a recent surge in bombings in the northwest blamed on the Taliban and their accomplices.

"We have been contacted by several banned organisations that want to sit and talk. If they want to give up militancy we will talk to them as we are revising the list of

proscribed organisations," Malik said.

He did not identify any group but said that the government had "even offered the Taliban to give up militancy and join the federation".

According to an AFP tally, Islamist militants have killed more than 4,900 people across Pakistan since government troops raided an extremist mosque in Islamabad in July 2007. The military says more than 3,000 soldiers have died.

There were about 120 bomb attacks in Pakistan in 2011, up from 96 in 2010, but fewer than the 203 in 2009, according to an AFP tally.

Pak appoints new ISI chief Indians aren't polytheists Islamabad: Pakistan named a and not all Pakistanis are new head of intelligence injecting some uncertainty in extremists: Ravi Shankar America's dealings with an

agency crucial to American hopes of negotiating a peace deal with the Afghan Taliban and keeping pressure on alQaida. Lt. Gen. Zaheerul Islam replaces Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha, who had been in the post since 2008 and was due to retire on March 18th. The scion of a military family who is currently army commander in the city of Karachi, Islam was considered a likely man for the job.

As head of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Islam will be a major player in any Pakistani efforts to get the Afghan Taliban to enter peace negotiations to end the war. ISI agents helped build up the Afghan Taliban in the 1990s, and its leaders are based in Pakistan.

The ISI is believed to have some influence over them.

While there remain doubts over its loyalty, the ISI also works closely with the CIA in tracking and capturing members of al-Qaida, which retains a global command and training center close to the Afghan border.

Relations between Washington and the United

LTTE chief's son killed in cold blood

by Lankan forces?

London: The mystery around the last days of the assault on LTTE deepened on Monday after a documentary filmmaker claimed to have a "chilling piece of footage" showing the bullet-ridden body of the son of its slain supremo V Prabakaran, a report described by Colombo as "concocted". Prabhakaran's 12-year-old son Balachandran's body is shown stripped to the waist and with five bullet holes to the chest.

The footage dating from May 18, 2009 was broadcasted on Wednesday in a Channel 4 film -Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished -a sequel to the controversial investigation broadcast last year which accused both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government of war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, the authenticity of the video is unknown. The Sri Lanka high commissioner in India rejected the charges made by the filmmaker Callum Macrae.

Zaheerul Islam

States have been strained since the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden last year and have all but collapsed since November, when American troops mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani troops on the Afghan border.

Intelligence cooperation between them has continued despite the tensions, officials from both nations have said.

The ISI falls under the control of the army, which sets policy in consultation with the elected government.

As such, the appointment of Islam is not expected to immediately, or significantly, change Pakistani policy, but having a new man at the helm inevitably brings a measure of uncertainty in American dealings with the spy agency. “There is now a variable.

Except for his close relations, who knows what he believes in? When he comes under stress, how will he react?'' said Moeed Pirzada, a political commentator.

Islamabad: Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who was on a three day visit to Pakistan, has refuted the notion that Hindus are polytheists and a majority of Pakistanis are extremists.

"Majority of Pakistanis see Hindus as polytheists and majority Hindus see all Pakistanis as extremists while both these concepts are wrong, Indians are monotheists and not all Pakistanis are extremists," The News quoted Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, as saying.

"By taking away the complications associated with governmental policies and political pressures, Aman Ki Asha is not only working to clear these misunderstandings but is also achieving political and regional reformation between the peoples of these countries," he added.

He further said that although religious extremism also existed in India and the 'Senas' might portray a rather violent face, yet it had very bleak following among the people.

of Kandahar in the middle of night and gunning down at least 16 villagers, mostly women and children.

A US official said the accused soldier had suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq.

The shootings triggered a protest by around 2,000 students in the eastern city of Jalalabad, the first since Sunday's attack, calling for the US soldier to be prosecut-

Islamabad: A Pakistani court directed police to take into protective custody a 19year-old Hindu girl and her Muslim husband, amid allegations that she was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam.

Justice Shahid Anwar Bajwa of the Sindh high court, who was hearing the case of Rinkle Kumari, ordered police to take the couple into protective custody till March 26.

Rinkle's relatives have said that she was kidnapped and forcibly converted before being married off to Naveed Shah. They have asked authorities to allow the girl to go back to her family.

Pak SC directs police to trace three Hindu women Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court has directed police to trace three Hindu women who were allegedly kidnapped or forcibly taken away in the southern Sindh province and to produce them in court on March 26.

A three-Judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry directed the Sindh police chief to take "all necessary steps" for the recovery of the three Hindu women. The order was issued in response to a constitutional petition filed by the Pakistan Hindu Council.

ISI has political wing, admits minister

This is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's second visit, the first one was in July 2004, when he became the first Hindu spiritual leader from India to visit Pakistan.

Shankar believes that spirituality alone can bring the hearts and minds of people together, and mend differences.

A true example is the inauguration of The Art of Living Peace Centre in Islamabad, by Sri along with Dr Paul Bhatti, Advisor to PM for Interfaith Harmony.

He will visit places of religious significance, including the Badshahi Mosque, to send out the message of universal spirituality.

Taliban threaten to behead US soldiers over civilian shootings Kabul: The Afghan Taliban threatened on Tuesday to behead US troops in revenge for the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by a lone American soldier in southern Afghanistan, killings that sparked condemnation and Afghan calls for an early US withdrawal.

"The Islamic Emirate once again warns the American animals that the mujahideen will avenge them, and with the help of Allah will kill and behead your sadistic murderous soldiers," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an emailed statement, using the term with which the Islamist group describes itself.

A US Army staff sergeant has been taken into custody, accused of walking off his base in the volatile province

Pak Hindu girl sent to protective custody amid conversion row

ed by Afghan authorities in Kandahar.

The demonstrators chanted "Death to America" and demanded Afghan President Hamid Karzai reject plans to sign a strategic pact with Washington that would allow US advisers and possibly special forces to remain beyond a 2014 deadline for foreign combat troops to leave Afghanistan.

US President Barack Obama said the shootings had only increased his determination to get American troops out of Afghanistan.

However, Obama cautioned there should not be a "rush to the exits" for US forces who have been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001 and that the drawdown set for the end of 2014 should be done in a responsible way.

Islamabad: Pakistan's powerful spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has always had a political wing, admitted Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar. There has always been a political wing in the ISI and the prime minister and the president will be informed about the agency's policies and requirements by newly-appointed ISI chief Lt. Gen. Zahirul Islam, Mukhtar told reporters in Gujrat city in Punjab province.

The minister said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani would consider any proposal made by the new ISI chief about ties with the US, reported Dawn.

Avalanche buries 47 in Afghan village Kabul: Rescuers shoveled through deep snow last week searching for victims of an avalanche that destroyed a village of 200 people in northeastern Afghanistan, authorities said. Forty-seven people have been confirmed dead. "We hope that some people were inside their homes and are still alive," said Shams Ul Rahman, the deputy governor of Badakhshan province, where the avalanche occurred. "But if the snow was too heavy, they may all be dead." The defense ministry was sending helicopters to Dasty village to help with the rescue effort, Rahman said.

Zardari case: Gilani refuses to write to Swiss govt Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said he was firm on his stand of not writing a letter to the Swiss authorities to re-open corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The Supreme Court has given a deadline of March 21 to the prime minister to write the letter. But Gilani said: "We would not have waited for so long to write the letter to the Swiss authorities. I will follow the Constitution which gives immunity to the office of the president." "All over the world there is immunity for the president, prime minister and foreign minister. I do not have the prerogative to take a decision about the immunity issue because it rests with parliament," he added.

Saudi diplomat killed in Dhaka Dhaka: An official of Saudi Arabia's embassy in Bangladesh was killed when unknown assailants fired bullets on him.

Khalaf Mohamamd S Al Ali was found with bullet injuries in his chest on a street in Dhaka's Gulshan residential area shortly recently. Al Ali, 45, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. The motive for the killing was unclear. Junior home minister Shamsul Haque said he asked police to fully probe the death.

world

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Obama names 2 more Indian Americans to key jobs Washington: President Barack Obama, who with over two dozen appointments has more Indian Americans serving in White House jobs than in any previous administration, has named two more to key posts. While Indore educated Paula Gangopadhyay was named member, National Museum and Library Services Board, Bangalore educated Sonny Ramaswamy was named Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

"These dedicated individuals bring a wealth of experience and talent to their new roles and I am proud to have them serve in this Administration. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come," he said in making seven new appointments. Currently the Chief Learning Officer at The Henry Ford, where she is responsible for leadership, strategy, and education, Gangopadhyay has held a variety of positions in education and arts policy.

Ramaswamy is Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University and Director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station.

Previously, Ramaswamy was Associate Dean of the Purdue University College of Agriculture and directed the University's agricultural research programmes.

Indians cross 3 mn mark in US, 1 mn have voting rights Washington: They are caricatured through convenience store owner Apu in the cartoon series The Simpsons, celebrated for their victories in Spelling Bee contests and success in Silicon Valley entrepreneurship, and courted for their wealth given their status as the ethnic group with the highest per capita income in US. Sometimes they are also chastised for not being part of the American mainstream.

But Indian-Americans are getting there. A demographic snapshot of South Asians in the United States crunched out from the 2010 US Census by an NGO group shows the Indian-American population in the US (including multiple ethnicities) grew 68 per cent over the 20002010 decade from 1.9 million to 3.19 million.

Counting single ethnicity (discounting mixed race), the population grew from 1.67 million to 2.84 million in the same period.

That made IndianAmericans the third largest Asian-American group in the US after ChineseAmericans (3.79 million) and Filipino-Americans (3.42 million), but with a much faster growth rate.

People who identified themselves as Indian origin comprise the largest segment of the 3.4 million-strong ''South Asian Americans,'' a

1990s nomenclature engineered by the Washington mandarins.

According to data released by the Asian American Foundation and Saalt, an organization devoted to strengthening South Asian Communities in America, the voting age population of IndianAmericans (who are US citizens) has now crossed 1 million. It grew 100 per cent from 2000, when it was 576,000, to 1.15 million in 2010.

While the South Asian community as a whole grew 78 per cent over the past decade, the IndianAmerican growth rate, however, was the slowest in this group. The Bangladeshi community experienced the most significant growth, jumping 212 per cent to 147,300 in 2010. The combined Bhutanese and Nepali populations grew by at least 155 per cent.

Pakistani-Americans, the second largest among South Asian Americans grew 100 per cent, from 204,000 in 2000 to 409,000 in 2010, while Sri Lankans went up 85 per cent from 24,500 to 45,400. Pakistanis claim to be at least a million-strong in the US, but the data shows they are less than half-million, and voting population of PakistaniAmericans (US citizens) is only 161,000.

23

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Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

AM Naik is new IIM Ahmedabad chairman

Mr Anil Manibhai Naik, the chairman and managing director of infrastructure giant L&T, has been appointed as the new chairman of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) Society for a period of three years. He will also chair the institute's board of governors.

This is the first time that the institute has appointed its own chairman as part of the new memorandum of association (MoA) between the central government and the institute.

"Mr Naik will take charge after the present chairman Vijaypath Singhania's term ends on March 28," said IIM-A director Samir Barua.

Born on 9th June, 1942 at Surat in Gujarat, Mr Naik had his schooling in the small village of Gandevi taluka. Later, he acquired the degree of B.E. (Mechanical) from Birla V i s h w a k a r m a Mahavidyalaya affiliated to Sardar Patel University.

Joining the Larsen & Toubro as junior engineer in 1965, Mr Naik rapidly climbed the positions of increasing responsibility as he moved from General Manager to Managing Director and CEO, culminating in his appointment as Chairman, L&T on 29th December, 2003. Mr Naik has successfully led the company through some of its most challenging times.

Mr Naik infused a global perspective into L&T’s business orientation and his efforts have shown dramatic results.

The international thrust under Mr Naik has been spectacular breakthroughs into the markets of the

developed nations such as the US, Canada, UK, Norway, South Africa and Australia.

Earlier, as Vice President he kick-started the process of indigenizing the manufacture of critical equipment for process industries. This enabled L&T achieve major successes in the indigenization of critical technology in the defence and nuclear sectors. L&T is now closely associated with the nation’s defence establishment in the development of weapon and missile systems.

A concern for social and welfare issues complemented Mr Naik’s keen business interests. He provided both monetary assistance and management expertise in setting up educational institutions and a hospital in Gujarat.

He is now the chairman & president of Kharel Education Society which runs a high school with the latest educational facilities.

Under Mr Naik, L&T has brought healthcare to the underprivileged and has attached the priority to the mother and child care. Mr Naik is associated with several educational and charitable trusts to uplift the rural populace of India.

Mr Naik was instrumental in setting up the Larsen & Toubro Public

Charitable Trust. Its skill training centres have given opportunities to school dropouts and unemployed youths and thereby converting the skill training centres into the engines of social change.

He is also associated with number of national councils and has been a member of a lot of Indian delegations to international bodies.

In addition to being the CMD on the L&T group of companies in India and abroad, Mr Naik is also the Honorary Consul General for Denmark.

Mr Naik was appointed as Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog by the Queen of Denmark, Her Majesty Queen Margarethe.

Mr Naik is recipient of a number of prestigious awards, such as ‘Business Leader of the Year 2008’ by the Economic Times, E&Y ‘Entrepreneur of the Year Award’ in the professional category for 2008, “India’s 50 Most Powerful People” by the prestigious international publication “Business Week,” “Outstanding Chief Executive Award” in 2005 from the Indian Institution of Industrial Engineering (IIIE), Management Man of the Year” Award in 2005 from Bombay Management Association, JRD Tata “Corporate Leadership Award” from All India Management Association (AIMA), in 2004.

Media named him as “India’s Mr. Infrastructure” who is “building the foundations of 21st Century India” through his passion, integrity, pride in his company and his determination.

Gujarati singer Mayadipak honoured with Gaurav Purashkar Popular Gujarati singer Mayadipak has been honoured with Gaurav Purashkar by the Gujarat government at a function in Ahmedabad recently.

The award was presented by state cultural minister Fakirbhai Vaghela. The function began with a bhajan by Mayadipak herself.

State cultural secretary Bhagyesh Jha, who was impressed by her rich voice, compared her bhajan to Mira’s devotion. Jha referred the artists as gems of Gujarat. Minister Vaghela said, “Artists are the face of art and culture in Gujarat and are the ones who will take the rich legacy of Gujarat ahead.”

Dignitaries like Upendra Trivedi, P Kharsani, actor Roma Manek, poets, literati, musicians and a large gathering were present at

Singer Mayadipak receiving award from Fakirbhai Vaghela

the function. A book depicting the artists who have so far won Gaurav Purashkar was presented

by Dr Pradip Azad.

An elated Mayadipak expressed her joy and talked about her plans.

Mayadipak, who is undergoing advanced training from Rajkot-based musician Kantibhai Sonchatra, said, “Sangeet does not belong to any particular

caste, creed or religion.

Sangeet is not anyone’s property; it simply belongs to everyone who creates it.”

She will be touring London from May to August. Anyone who is interested in organizing her programmes may contact Kokilaben Patel, Managing Editor, Gujarat Samachar, London, on phone 020 77494092 or kokila.patel@ abplgroup.com

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

The Story of Yavakrit - Part 4 Earlier, we saw that the demon threw a trident or ‘trishul’ at Yavakrit. Seeing this, Yavakrit ran towards a lake to fetch water with which he could save himself. When he saw that the lake was dry he started fearing for his life and ran to his father’s ashram.

The doorkeeper of his father’s ashram, a blind man of lower caste, caught hold of him and did not let him go through. Thus, Yavakrit could not escape from the trishul, the demon had thrown at him. It pierced his chest and he fell dead on the ground. Both the demon and the female form went back to Raibya and resided in his ashram.

When his son was killed, Rishi Bharadwaj was not present in the ashram. He was a very powerful rishi and whenever he returned to his ashram, the sacrificial fires would light up on their own to welcome him. On this occasion, they did not. Bharadwaj immediately realized that something had happened to his son. He asked the blind doorkeeper what had happened. He narrat-

Close shave for 121 Air India flyers

Over hundred people aboard Air India's AI-614 flight had a miraculous escape when the tail of the aircraft hit the runway at a very high speed while landing. The incident occurred at 8.30am when the plane was flying into Mumbai from Ahmedabad with 121 passengers. An apparent miscalculation by the pilots led to the aircraft not touching down at the correct angle, leading to the tail strike.

Luckily, no one was hurt. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe into the incident. "I have sought details from the airline," DGCA chief Bharat Bhushan said. two pilots, including a woman commander, would not be flying till the report was out so that necessary correctional training (called refresher), if required, was undertaken by them before being allowed to fly again.

ed how Yavakrit had come looking for water, but he was stopped from getting in as he had not purified himself by bathing and the demon’s trishul killed him in the process.

Bharadwaj was very sad and cried in sorrow.

Even though Raibya was his friend, he cursed him that his own son would kill him. Then he realized the folly of what he had done.

He also saw that in spite of being warned, his son had gone to Raibya’s ashram, but it was too late to undo his curse. He lit a funeral pyre to cremate the body of his son and once the flames had risen, he threw himself into the fire too.

On the other hand, the king of the land invited Raibya to perform a yagna. Together with his two sons, Arvavasu and Paravasu, Raibya left for the capital to perform the yagna. During the course of the yagna, Paravasu felt the need to meet his wife and so he left for the ashram. As he was walk-

ing through the forest, he struck and killed what he thought was a deer. When he came closer to the animal, he was shocked to see that he had killed his father who was meditating in the forest covered in a deer skin.

Paravasu went back to the yagna and told Arvavasu, his younger brother, all that had happened. Arvavasu told him that as he had killed a Brahmin, he would have to perform the necessary penance to be free of the sin. Paravasu was very cunning and he trapped his brother into a net. He said that Arvavasu was not capable of completing the king’s yagna on his own, but that he was. He suggested that Arvavasu perform the penance of killing a Brahmin on his behalf, and that he would complete the yagna on Arvavasu’s behalf.

Arvavasu could not see what was going on in his brother’s scheming mind and agreed to perform the penance for him.

All past articles on the Mahabharata can be accessed from http://epaper.asianvoice.com or from http://www.3stepbreath.com/mahabharata.html

Spicy Cabbage Pakoras Cooking Time: 15min Serves: 4 people Ingredients: 1 cup white urad dal (Black Gram dal) soaked for 3 hours, ½ cup finely chopped cabbage, ½ cup finely chopped onions, 2 teaspoon ginger & garlic paste, 1 teaspoon chopped green chilles, ¼ finely chopped fresh coriander leaves, Salt to taste

Directions: Grind the soaked urad dal with salt and adding as little water as possible into a thick smooth paste. Add the chopped cabbage, onions, green chillies, ginger & garlic paste and coriander leaves and mix into the ground urad dal paste.

Heat oil in a frying pan for deep frying the dal mixture. Once the oil is well heated then adds the dal mixture using a scoop spoon into hot oil. Fry the mixture until dark golden brown to medium high heat and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or with coconut chutney or with Sambar.

Nutritional value: Cabbage contains vital substances like Iron, Calcium, magnesium and Vitamins A, B, C and E. Urad dal, is very nutritious and is recommended for diabetics, as are other pulses. Though very beneficial in limited quantities, excessive intake causes flatulence, which some sources claim can be prevented by adding a little asafoetida, pepper and ginger in the culinary preparations.

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

In Focus Mayawati files nomination for Rajya Sabha Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha. She filed her nomination papers in the Lucknow assembly. The BSP chief had earlierheld a meeting of party leaders to discuss the coming biennial polls to the Upper House. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister held a meeting with party MPs, MLAs and officebearers and discussed the Rajya Sabha elections.She gave necessary directions to them, party leaders said. Speculation had been rife about Mayawati entering the Rajya Sabha from the state.

25

Large amounts paid to ex-CJI Balakrishnan's kin: Govt to SC Former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan's tenure as chairman of National Human Rights Commission hit a bump on Monday when the government for the first time filed an investigation status report before the Supreme Court detailing large payments allegedly made to his two sonsin-law and brother when he was the CJI. A bench of Chief Justice S H Kapadia and Justice Swatanter Kumar was informed by attorney general G E Vahanvati that the income tax department's probe had

also revealed that the properties acquired by the sons-in-law and brother at this time were declared but prima facie appeared to be held benami and grossly undervalued.

Regarding the large payments to Justice Balakrishnan's son, the AG said, "Why were the payments made? Is there a link to the payments? Income tax department cannot investigate why payments were made.

This needs to be gone into at a different level."

This indicates that other agencies may be roped in to probe the charges against the

ex-CJI. It also indicates that the government is not holding back its hand any longer on the controversy.

When the controversy about the disproportionate assets of his relatives first appeared in the media, Justice Balakrishnan had told that he had nothing to hide and if his relatives were in possession of unaccounted wealth, it was for them to answer the I-T department.

The bench of Justices Kapadia and Kumar carefully stepped around counsel Prashant Bhushan's plea for a direction to the Union govern-

ment to send a presidential reference to the apex court to inquire into the misconduct of the ex-CJI and give its opinion whether the former CJI should continue as the head of NHRC. Instead, the bench asked Vahanvati, "We only want to know what further step the government intends to take in this matter." This might push Justice Balakrishnan into a tight spot, given the high degree of propriety attached to the position of NHRC chairman, even though it is only a statutory and not a constitutional post.

NDA to add Subramanian Swamy's Janata Party as ally Seeking to capitalise on the poor performance of Congress in the assembly polls, NDA decided to add another partner to the alliance by taking in its fold Janata Party headed by Subramnian Swamy. The decision to include Janata Party as an ally was taken at a meeting of NDA floor leaders ahead of the Budget session at the residence of BJP veteran LK Advani here. "Swamy was keen to join the alliance and had been meeting the NDA leaders," senior BJP leader SS Ahluwalia said. With this addition, the number of NDA allies will rise to six. The other five constituents of the combine are BJP, JD(U), Shiromani Akali Dal, Shiv Sena and Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India.

Restrict Lankan VIPs’ visit to TN, Jaya tells PM Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa has urged the PM to discourage frequent private visits by Sri Lankan VIPs to the state and allow them to come only after consulting her. She said "As you are fully aware, the people of TN are greatly exercised over the conduct of the Lankan government while dealing with Sri Lankan Tamils and their rights’. The local perception is that the Sri Lankan government has completely failed in ensuring the local Tamils' right to live with dignity, self-respect and equal constitutional status on a par with the Sinhalese," the CM said. The sharply-worded letter comes amid pressure from several political parties, including her AIADMK, on the Centre to back a US-sponsored resolution in the UN Human Rights Council on war crimes in Sri Lanka which is expected to come up for voting this month.

Vijay Bahuguna sworn in as Uttarakhand CM Congress MP Vijay Bahuguna on Tuesday was sworn in as Uttarakhand Chief minister amid high drama after a section of the Conrgess MLAs expressed displeasure over Bahuguna getting the top job. Union minister Harish Rawat wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressing his displeasure over not being made the Uttarakhand Chief Mnister. Rawat, who is minister of state for agriculture and parliamentary affairs, was unhappy over MP Vijay Bahuguna being picked up for the job. He was sworn in by state governor Margret Alva.

Sharad Pawar faints in parliament Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar fainted in the Lok Sabha. He was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital where he is stated to be stable, said his close aide. Pawar, 71, was leaving the house when he collapsed. "He was rushed to RML...he is said to be stable," he said. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief was in Mumbai and returned to the capital.

Presents

12th Asian Achievers Awards 14th September 2012 NOMINATION FORM )& 13&45*(*064 4*"/ $)*&7&34 8"3%4 *4 )045&% &7&3: :&"3 #: ;4 -&"%*/( /&84 8&&,-*&4 4*"/ 0*$& "/% 6+"3"5 "."$)"3 50 )0/063 3*5*4) 4*"/4 1"3 &9$&--&/$& ' 5)&3& *4 40.&0/& :06 ,/08 8)0 )"4 #30,&/ #06/%"3*&4 "/% %&4&37&4 3&$0(/*5*0/ '03 5)&*3 6/*26& $0/53*#65*0/ 50 5)& $0..6/*5: "/% 5)& /"5*0/ 5)&/ 1-&"4& /0.*/"5& 5)&. '03 0/& 0' 5)& "8"3%4 -*45&% #&-08 ",& 463& 5)"5 :06 '*-- */ 5)*4 "11-*$"5*0/ '03. "/% 4&/% *5 0/ 03 3 &03(& &"9 ."*- """ "#1-(3061 $0. "%%3&44 *4 3 &03(& 3061 "3." !0(" 064& 0950/ "3,&5 0/%0/

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Please tick the appropriate category Sports Personality of the Year............................................

Woman of the Year ................................................................

Awarded for excellence in sports.

The award will recognise and honour a woman who has made a significant mark in any chosen field.

Business Person of the Year ..............................................

Awarded to a business person who is a success in every sense of the word and can demonstrate a genuine passion for social issues.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year ......................................

Professional of the Year ......................................................

Uniformed and Civil Services ............................................

Professionals in the field of medicine, law, education, banking, finance and others, who have scaled the heights of their chosen profession.

For outstanding achievements in uniformed and civil services or contribution to the community through any of the above services.

Achievement in Community Service................................

Awarded to those who have acclaimed popularity internationally for his/her contribution in any particular sector and is recognised for their timeless philanthropic activities.

In recognition for an individuals service to community.

Achievement in Media, Arts and Culture ....................

Someone who has made a mark in media including print and broadcast media; cinema, art and culture.

Award for Entertainment ....................................................

For outstanding performance by Asians in the field of Dance and Music.

Awarded to an young entrepreneur (less than 35 years) with a proven track record of operating a successful business enterprise.

International Personality of the Year ............................

Lifetime Achievement Award ............................................

To honour those individuals, who during their lifetime, have made immense contributions in any given field. This remarkable individual can be marked as an example for the younger generation.

Application Form

Name of the Nominee: ___________________________________________________________________________________ Contact Details of the Nominee (Tel & email): _______________________________________________________________ Present Occupation of the Nominee: _______________________________________________________________________ Please attach your CV which includes the following information (1) Personal background (2) (3) (4) (5)

(Please do not exceed a limit of 1000 words)

Most important career achievements till date Your contribution to the community and nation Any notable obstacles in you career that has helped you to reach where you are today Future plans, ambitions and visions

Summary- (Please include a summary in not more the 150 words

why the nominee is worthy of winning the particular award in a separate sheet)

Nominators name and contact details: _____________________________________________________________________ Nominators current Occupation/Company: __________________________________________________________________ Tel/Mobile: _________________________________

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NOMINATION AND SELECTION PROCESS This is a unique event where readers nominate and an independent panel of judges comprising of eminent personalities selects the winner. Judges’ decision is final. ABPL Group will not entertain any dialogue with members of the public regarding the judging process. In order to ensure a high degree of transparency and fairness, the management and members of the staff of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar will play no role in the nomination or judging process. You may use an additional sheet if the space provided is insufficient. The winners will be announced at the AAA Awards ceremony in 14th September, 2012. Asian Voice, Gujarat Samachar will publish the names of the short listed candidates and winners after the event. The winners names will also appear in our e-edition www.abplgroup.com You can nominate yourself if you wish to. Nominations and entries must follow the prescribed format. All nomination forms must reach our offices on or before 12th July, 2012

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26

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Asian Voice –Gujarat Samachar launches Coffee Table Book on Sayajirao Gaekwad-III

The 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III - the erstwhile ruler of Baroda state – began with a grand function in Vadodara on 11th March. It is a year-long celebration. During the grand inaugural ceremony at Navlakhi Ground, Vadodara, Asian VoiceGujarat Samachar saluted this great ruler by launching a Coffee Table Book ‘Life & Legacy Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III.’ Gujarat Chief Minister Mr Narendra Modi unveiled the book. This book, an initiative of Mr C B Patel, the Editor and Publisher of Gujarat SamacharAsian Voice, explores some of the unexplored facts and incidents about the life of the great ruler.

Some of the incidents that you find in this book are not mentioned in books of history so this book initiated to document some of the untold facts.

Vadodara owes much of its present development to this visionary Maharaja.

The book proves to be a worthy tribute to the rich legacy of Sayajirao who actually laid the foundation of Baroda. The book has informative articles by some well-known writers.

Prof Lord Bhikhu Parekh, House of Lords and Universities of Westminster and Hull, inspires readers to celebrate Sayajirao’s birthday as a Baroda Day, a day when its citizens can discuss how to make their city more beautiful.

Sayajirao had brought massive changes to make the city progressive. The writer asks the Barodians

Kerala appoints non-Brahmins as pujaris in temples Kerala temples are chanting a new mantra of inclusiveness, thanks to a silent revolution inside the sanctum sanctorum of hundreds of temples in the state.

This move, powerful enough to break the last bastion of casteism, has already ushered in many non-Brahmins to preside over pujas and kriyas hitherto handled only by priests who were Brahmins by birth.

In the last two months, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) filled up 50 out of the 100 posts for pujaris (priests) with non-Brahmins, who will soon start performing rituals in shrines assigned to them among the 2,000 temples under TDB. TDB had conducted a recruitment drive six months ago and interviewed hundreds of applicants belonging to all castes and they selected 199 pujaris, out of which 40% were nonBrahmins.

A scene of Shri Sayaji Savari

to work tirelessly to so that the dream of Sayajirao can be fulfilled.

Sanat Mehta, a prominent politician and orator writes that he was perhaps only ruler who in 1892 did not hesitate to demand independence for India within the four walls of British rule and he later advised British to give freedom to India. Vishnu Pandya, political analyst and chairman of Gujarat History Research Centre gives more light when Queen Victoria in 1976 bestowed on Sayajirao the title of ‘Farzana-i-khas-iDaulat-i-Inglishai’ (own favoured son of British Empire).

Overall the book proves to be a handy encyclopedia to the life and legacy of Sayajirao. Every corner of Baroda reminds the Maharaja, who brought progress and development in infrastructure, education, art, culture, sports, social reforms etc and made Baroda as a city of culture and gardens.

The greatness and magnanimity of Maharaja was supreme, even today Baroda owes a lot to him.

Maharaja still enlivens in hearts of all Gujaratis.

There are many landmarks in Baroda that are reminiscent of his glorious era.

Chief Minister Modi was all praise for the Maharaja during his speech at the function.

Later Mr Modi flagged off a grand procession organized to celebrate the king’s 150th birth anniversary.

Modi said that Sayajirao was a true visionary and that he had experienced the effect of the king’s compulsory education rule for females. Modi recalled an incident when he was moving around Dwarka, which was under erstwhile Baroda state, for spreading awareness about his government’s Kanya Kelavani scheme. He said that there he met a group of females.

“I asked them how many from the group are educated. To my surprise, the women over 80 years of age raised their hands while their daughters-in-law didn’t. I asked them the reason for such contradiction. The older women said that they came from erstwhile Baroda state where primary education was compulsory for women,” Modi told a cheering crowd.

“I am fortunate to have come from Vadnagar that

was a part of erstwhile Baroda state. Till date, we remember Sayajirao before starting any auspicious event in Vadnagar. To be a source of inspiration for such a long period is a big thing and it speaks volumes about his personality,” added Modi.

On Sunday evening, Vadodara was caught in a time warp. Old timers, who had witnessed the grand processions that used to be organized during the royal Gaekwadi rule in the city, travelled down the memory lanes as Shri Sayaji Savari took off from Navlakhi Grounds at 5 pm. The procession was organized by the royal Gaekwad family along with Maharaja Sayaji Smarak Trust. Thousands of people from all walks of life participated in the procession that passed through old city areas.

Right from the royal families of central Gujarat to cricketers, body builders and artists, everyone lined up at the venue to participate in the procession and greet the royal Gaekwad family members.

Despite his ailing health, Maharaja Ranjitsinh Gaekwad, scion of royal Gaekwad family, turned up at the venue along with Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad, Mrunalinidevi Puar, Samarjitsinh Gaekwad and Radhikaraje Gaekwad. Decorated elephants, luxurious buggies, royal families dressed up in traditional attires, vintage cars and youngsters showing their talent in lezim, sword fight and lathi. And 150 candles were lighted at the same time by the residents.

Welcome Akhilesh Yadav, Goodbye Rahul Gandhi Continued from page 1 Party leaders and workers started celebrating Holi on Tuesday itself as the party bruised Mayawati's reign and defeated Congress, despite Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi's tremendous efforts to woo the voters.

With the victory of SP Uttar Pradesh got its youngest Chief Minister in 38-year-old Akhilesh Yadav, with the SP legislature party unanimously electing him as their leader.

Akhilesh, the parliamentarian, is to be sworn in March 15.The decision to give him the top post was finalised at an hourlong meeting of the newly elected SP legislators.

Akhilesh's name was proposed by senior leader Mohd Azam Khan.

Akhilesh's uncle Shivpal Yadav seconded the proposal, after which the former bowed to his father and touched his feet. The spadework for Akhilesh's

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In Focus Another MP IPS officer attacked

A day after IPS officer Narendra Kumar was fatally mowed down by a tractortrolley laden with illegally mined stones in Morena, another IPS officer escaped death for trying to stop supporters of a BJP MLA from breaking the law selling booze on Holi in Bhind district.

Additional SP Jaidevan escaped with injuries. The state has ordered a judicial probe into Kumar’s killing. His pregnant wife Rani Teotia, IAS, joined in the last rites in his village. DIG (Chambal region) D P Gupta told reporters on Friday that Manoj Gurjar, the tractor driver, had been arrested. The officer said Gurjar claimed the stones he was carrying were for his personal use and not for sale.

Journo held for attack on Israeli envoy

An Indian journalist Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, 50 working for an Iranian publication was arrested in connection with the terror attack on an Israeli diplomat on February 13. He was arrested from his residence at BK Dutt Colony in south Delhi where he lives with his family, is alleged to be part of an Iranian group which carried out the attack. Two computers (Samsung and Compaq), a laptop, his Maruti Alto, mobile phone and $1,250 in cash were recovered. Highly placed sources said Kazmi had helped with the logistics, including conducting reconnaissance missions of the Israeli embassy and providing his car to the bombers. Kazmi, sources said, confessed to helping the bombers andbeing partof the “conspiracy”. The investigation which led to arrest of one person is also pursuing several other leads. No conclusions can be drawn at this stage.” The case, which had gone silent, was reportedly cracked on the basis of inputs provided by Thailand, where the same Iranian group accidentally set off three blasts.

Manohar Parrikar sworn-in as Goa CM

Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi

coronation was scripted at a late night parley between Mulayam Singh, Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav.

It was at this meeting that the party supremo made "his mind clear about Akhilesh." With the newly elected party legislators already pitching for Akhilesh as chief minister and with a brute majority of 224 in the 403-seat house, leaders with a different opinion on the matter fell in line.

Akhilesh is largely seen as a game changer in UP politics and credited with the massive mandate in

favour of the party in the assembly polls.

An environmental engineer from Sydney University, Akhilesh was appointed state president of the SP in 2009. He slogged it out for the party in hostile situations, with Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati at the helm of affairs.

After his elevation as chief minister, Akhilesh would now quit his seat as MP from Kannauj and is likely to contest elections for the state assembly from Jaswantnagar, a seat for long held by Shivpal Yadav.

BJP leader Manohar Parrikar was sworn in as Goa chief minister last week. The first IITian to become Chief Minister, Parrikar's two previous terms - October 200002 and February 2002-05 - had been bumpy rides with constant pinpricks from his alliance partners. This time, BJP enjoys a simple majority - 21 in the 40-member assembly and also has a buffer of three MLAs of ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and two Independents. Goans know the 56-year-old leader for his simplicity, clean image, development initiative and his new accommodating and people-friendly side.

Maoist leader surrenders in West Bengal

Maoist leader Suchitra Mahato — one of the key planners of the Silda EFR massacre and the last person with Kishanji when he was gunned down in Burisole forest — “surrendered” before the Mamata Banerjee government. The CM claimed that Suchitra had responded to her government’s “offer of peace” but the surrender and the flash-bulb popping display at Writers’ Buildings raised questions. Mamata chaperoned Suchitra and her husband to the media stand at Writers’ and even acted as a minder, reacting angrily to any question that seemed to probe beyond the official line.

inDia & HISTORy

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

27

Disruptions mar President’s parliament speech

Disruptions on issues like Telangana, atrocities on Sri Lankan Tamils, subquota for minorities, and shortage of fertilisers marred President Pratibha Patil's address to the joint sitting of Parliament.

MPs raised slogans to press their demands during Patil's last address to Parliament before she completes her term in July.

Even Congress members from Andhra Pradesh, who are demanding Telangana statehood, disrupted her speech by raising slogans of "Jai Telangana".

Ironically, while Patil appealed to the members to work together "in a spirit of constructive cooperation" to discharge business in the two Houses of Parliament in this session, her own speech was disrupted five times.

Even before Patil began her speech, DMK members were on their feet asking the government whether it would support a US resolution to be moved in the UN against the Sri Lankan government for allegedly committing atrocities

Pratibha Patil

against Tamils living in that country when the war against LTTE was nearing its end.

Towards the end of Patil's Address, the same issue was flagged by AIADMK member V Maitreyan. Patil waved at him asking him to take his seat.

A reference by Patil to her government's recent decision to provide 4.5 per cent sub-quota within the OBC quota for minorities also led to protests.

Hukmadev Narayan Yadav (BJP) was on his feet to protest, saying the right of OBCs would be affected.

When Patil enumerated the steps being taken to increase fertiliser production, JD-U member from Jehanabad Jagdish Sharma alleged that farmers were

not getting fertiliser.

India confident of going back to 8-9 pct growth soon.India is confident of steering the economy back to a high growth path of 8-9 percent soon as its economic fundamentals remain robust, bouncing from a slower growth of about 7 percent in the current fiscal year, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil said.

"The long-term fundamentals of the Indian economy remain robust," Patil told lawmakers on Monday, adding the government plans to achieve a 9 percent annual growth target in the five-year plan period ending on March 31, 2017.

The economy grew more than 9 percent for three years until 2007/08, and at an annual 8.4 percent in the last two fiscal years.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who will present the budget on Friday, is expected to set a target of 7.5 percent to 8 percent economic growth for the 2012/13 fiscal year beginning on April 1.

Cricket star Uday Joshi jailed for sex abuse Indian cricket star Uday Joshi who came to Northern Ireland to play for a local club and convicted of sexually molesting a boy more than 30 years ago has been jailed for six years.

Joshi, 68, was also ordered to sign the police sex offenders register for life. He was convicted of sexually abusing his victim who was just 13-years-old when the offences occurred. Joshi played for Sussex in 1979 but came to NI for the summer. He is appealing the conviction. Joshi was also barred from working with children in the future.

Judge Gemma Loughran told Joshi, who still maintains his innocence and has lodged appeal papers: "one of my duties is to signal societys' abhorrence of sexual offences against children and make clear that those who exploit children for their own sexual gratification will spend significant periods in custody."

At the end of his trial in February, Joshi, originally from the Rajkot area of India but who is now an American citizen with an address at Cole Mill Drive, Charlotte, North Carolina, was unanimously convicted of three offences committed in August 1979.

During the five-day trial the jury heard how Joshi impressed the teenage fan with stories of how he played with and against the likes of former England captains Geoffrey Boycott and Tony Greig before subjecting him to bouts of sexual abuse.

At the time Joshi was a

right-arm off-spinner for Sussex, but came to Northern Ireland for the summer to play for a local club and to conduct training sessions with aspiring cricketers.

Giving evidence to the court, Joshi's victim, who is now 45-years-old, described how at first nothing untoward happened and that he even attended a test match between England and India at Edgbaston along with Joshi who got both him and his father into the team hotel.

'Humiliated and degraded' The jury heard how the first incident happened the night before Joshi was due to hold a training session.

The then teenager ended up staying overnight in the same house as Joshi.

He told the jury how he had "no concern at all" when Joshi asked him if he wanted to sleep in the same bed as he thought he would hear more stories of his cricket heroes but that having fallen asleep, he woke up to find his underpants being pulled down and Joshi touching him inappropriately.

"I told him to stop," said the 45-year-old and Joshi did but within a short time, he sexually assaulted the boy, leaving him in severe pain, feeling "humiliated and degraded"

before he then forced the schoolboy to perform a sex act on him. The following morning before the training session, Joshi told him it was their "secret".

Around two weeks later, he said he was again staying in the house and had gone to bed but that Joshi was standing at his bedroom door in vest and underpants, "beckoning" him into the bedroom.

He told the jury he only went with Joshi to avoid a scene but that once in the bedroom, Joshi sexually assaulted him again.

On another occasion when the boy stayed overnight at the house, he told the jury that he "had a strategy" and when Joshi again came to his bedroom door in vest and pants, the boy motioned to lift a shoe "to fight him off".

Married father-of-two Joshi gave evidence to the court on his own behalf, claiming that nothing untoward or sexual had ever happened between him and the victim.

The jury also heard numerous references about Joshi, written by a former Indian test player and a school principal where Joshi also coached, speaking of his "impeccable moral character".

On Friday, Judge Loughran said she accepted the incidents had been "entirely out of character" but that despite his "unblemished character" in the years between the incidents and now, he had left his victim suffering from a "chronic adjustment disorder, with anxiety" and with other difficulties not yet resolved.

By Dr Anil Mehta

B

The rise and fall of East India Company - Part II

y the middle of the 19th century, most of India was effectively under British control. However, there remained a patchwork of self-governing princely states. Some like Awadh and Jhansi were disinherited under Dalhousie’s (GovernorGeneral, 1848-56) controversial Doctrine of Lapse policy (annexation of states with no direct male heir), others had already accepted Britain’s suzerainty under Wellesley’s (GovernorGeneral, 1798-1805) clever Subsidiary Alliance scheme.

Under this scheme the states remained independent but under Company’s protection (against internal and external threats) in return for the acceptance of its authority and some tribute to meet the cost of the troops. They were to be called subsidiary allies (in other words Company’s puppets). They were ‘advised’

by Company’s political representative called resident or agent residing in the state capital. Many states had armies trained and commanded by Company officers. Wellesley thus created a two-tiered British rule; direct and indirect.

Thus the Company extended its hold over India through conquests, alliances, and annexation. Born as a trading concern two centuries ago, it replaced the Mughal Empire by its own Raj. Company reforms: Robert Clive (Governor of Bengal, 1757-60, 176567) laid the foundation of British India, but the first Governor-General Warren Hastings (1774-85) laid the foundation of British administration and introduced law, financial, and revenue reforms.

He replaced Indian revenuecollection personnel with a Board of Revenue in Calcutta and English collectors in the districts.

Lord Cornwallis (Governor-General, 178693, 1805) made further improvements in legal, administrative (called civil service), and land revenue systems. He made zamindars (landlords) the permanent owners of the land with annual land revenue fixed permanently. His administrative reforms became the bedrock of Indian Civil Service. He completed the reforms by dividing Company services into separate political and commercial branches, and

modernising administration. William Bentinck, a liberal-minded GovernorGeneral (1828-35), given the size of Company’s jurisdiction, decided to employ Indians in the lower level of administration (subordinate positions) where they were excluded since Cornwallis’s time.

East India Company brought some admirable benefits to India such as political and social stability, rule of law, efficient civil service, improved roads, bridges, the introduction of telegraph, railways and so on. These facilities brought people close to each other creating in them some sense of ‘India’ as a single entity.

On social front between 1817 and 1837 Company eliminated bands of robbers (pindaras and thugs) who roamed through central India robbing and killing people. On educational side, Company introduced English as the language of administration and education. For them this was convenient in a country with so many languages. Schools and colleges imparting western knowledge through English medium were established (we still reap the benefit of English).

India’s first three universities Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta were founded in 1857.

On the art front British residents commissioned paintings to their tastes (flora, fauna, landscapes, animal hunting scenes) from Indian artists. This gave rise to a school known as Company paintings. Besides, pictures drawn by local artists at Kalighat, Calcutta, depicting European subjects and events (Kalighat paintings) also became popular during the Company Raj. Decline and fall: The Industrial Revolution in Britain had a negative effect on India. The early 19th century marked the collapse of its vast homespun cotton industry (cotton was sent to Britain for processing) creating mass unemployment. Moreover Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse policy and westernising influence caused considerable tension among princely states and general public alike. Also the abolition of Sati ritual

by Bentinck, and allowing widows to remarry, though well-intentioned, were very unpopular among the Hindu traditionalists. It was seen as an attack on

the values of traditional Hindu society.

From the early 19th century the increase of missionaries was deeply resented by Indians who took offence at the enthusiasm with which missionaries sought to import Christianity and interfere with their age-old religious and cultural practices.

Moreover, discontent had been growing among Indian soldiers for a long time over issues of pay, overseas deployment, and the presence of cow’s (holy to Hindus) and pig’s (polluting to Muslims) fat on the rifle cartridges.

Thus, decades of public resentments suddenly burst up in the Uprising (Mutiny) of 1857 resulting in the defeat of the mutineers and thousands of deaths. It shook the Empire to its very foundations and sounded the Company’s death knell.

Meanwhile on political front, from 1773, the British Government in London, mindful of Company’s corruption scandals of Clive and Hastings eras and its evergrowing power, had been assuming more control over Indian affairs through various Acts of Parliament (India Acts). The Company was gradually deprived of its long held trading privileges in the East until in 1858 (after the mutiny), it eventually lost both commercial and administrative controls and the British Government imposed direct rule in India through an appointed viceroy who usually held office for four or five years. Under him there were governors of different provinces such as Madras, Bombay or the Punjab. Company’s servants became government administrators and military force incorporated into the British army. The existing Governor-General Lord Canning became the first Viceroy of India.

East India Company finally ceased to exist as a legal entity in 1873.

Strange it may now seem, a privately owned commercial concern and not the British Government, controlled India’s destiny for nearly 250 years.

During that time it had a long-lasting impact on the subcontinent. It also stimulated the growth of the British Empire in other parts of the world. After 1858 British rule would continue in India for another 89 years until 1947 – a year it gained independence.

28

travel & woMen

Asian voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

PuRvi’S tRAvel bAg

By Purvi Apurva Shah

women achieveRs Mrinalini Sarabhai - the founder of Bharatanatyam & Kathakali in Gujarat

By AV Correspondent

Rajkot

Ancestral home of Mahatma Gandhi Rajkot is referred as "Rangilu Rajkot" meaning colorful Rajkot. The people of Rajkot like to enjoy themselves to the fullest, no matter whatever be the season or time of the day.

There is a saying "Other places may be beautiful, but cannot stand against the beauty of Rajkot.”

“Surat is surat but Rajkot is Khoobsurat.” It is quite urban, well-planned city having its typical flavour.

It is not only an upcoming city in Gujarat but is ranked 22nd as the world's fastest growing cities. Actually Rajkot is a transit city for places like Kutch, Gir and Somnath.

It is also a favourite shopping centre for Kathiawadi handicrafts, gold, silver jewellery and its famous sari patauda.

Secondly it has few historical sights and is known for its typical snacks like fafda, chevda, penda and farshan.

One will get ice cream in flavour of chillie and ginger also. And icecreams that are made from manual sancha are just yummy. A stroll around Race Course late at night and hogging sev-mamra, ragda that ends with icegola reminds us of simple joys of life. Visitors can also enjoy the fun, frolic, foods available here.

A must visit place is Kaba Gandhi's Gate; it is Mahatma Gandhi's ancestral home (1880) which now houses the 'Gandhi Smriti'- a memorial museum containing photographs and his personal artifacts. The name of the house has been derived from Gandhiji's father's name, Karamchand Gandhi, also known as Kaba Gandhi.

Also visit Mahatma Gandhi High School where Gandhiji had his

secondary education.

Watson Museum and Library exhibits copies of artifacts from Mohenjodaro, 13th century carvings, silverware, natural history exhibits and textiles. A huge 19th century marble statue of Queen Victoria and many splendid portraits and photographs of royal princes of Saurashtra and European dignitaries, handicrafts, pottery and princely relics are displayed here.

Rajkumar College: The Rajkumar College is one of the oldest colleges in India. The college which was established for the education of royal prices and chieftains of Kathiawar in 1868 has a flourishing history of 136 years.

Rashtriya Shala: A novel idea of Gandhiji During the period of nonviolent movement to liberate India from the clutches of the British rule, Mahatma Gandhi, in the year 1920 directed Indians to boycott British institutions, including

Kaba Gandhi's Gate

judiciary and educational institutions. Side by side Gandhiji started to impart education on a new national concept; one of the examples is Rashtriya Shala.

Tips: You can also enjoy dinner at Khirashara, it is a restaurant and hotel transformed from a heritage palace. Previously the huge palace belonged to one of the kings, now the place is developed into modern restaurant with the heritage ambience. Its amazing, especially at night when thousands of diwas are lightened around the palace.

Second best place to hog and enjoy is Motel, the village and Chowkidhani where you can enjoy the Kathiawadi food with the Rajasthani dancers dancing around and the décor is so much earthy.

Do not miss to enjoy the Kathiawadi garba where the shepherd community performs Hudo Mela. Even Satam-Atham is fun, as that is the time of mela, where tribes like the Kolis, the Rabaris, the Bharwards, the Khants, the Khanbis, the Charans and the Kathis, get together to celebrate. The fair has a total local flavour to it, with food stalls, a cattle show, competitive sports and exhibitions of embroidery.

Dolls museums: The Rotary Dolls Museum gives an overview of culture and traditions of the world with a collection of over 1,400 dolls. Another

interesting place is the Lang Library and the G.T. Sheth Library where thousands of documents and books covering the history of Rajkot and Saurashtra region are housed.

Rajkot can be reached by direct flight from Mumbai or trains from Mumbai, Delhi or Ahmedabad.

Mrinalini Sarabhai, the founder of Darpana Academy of Performing Arts and Puppetry situated in Ahmedabad, is a famous classical dancer and choreographer. She was born to Dr Swaminathan & Ammu Swaminathan in the year 1908.

Dr Swaminathan was a Palghat Iyer & Ammu was from a Nair family situated in the Palakkad district of Kerala state.

Even though her parents were from Kerala, she spent her childhood in Switzerland. She received her first dance lessons in Dalcroz, a Western technique of dance movements. Later she was educated at Santiniketan under the guidance of Rabindranath Tagore where she realised her true calling. She then went for a short time to the United States where she enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. On returning to India, she began her training in the south Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam under Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai and the classical dancedrama of Kathakali under the legendary Guru Thakazhi Kunchu Kurup.

She has received many distinguished awards and citations in recognitions of her contribution to art. She has trained over 18,000 students in Bharatanatyam and Kathakali. In 1942 Mrinalini married physicist Dr Vikram Sarabhai, who is considered as the father of Indian space programme. She has a son, Kartikeya and a daughter, Mallika, who too is a famous dance and theatre artist. Mrinalini founded Darpana Academy in Ahmedabad in 1948. A year later, she performed at the Théâtre national de Chaillot in Paris where she received a lot of critical acclaim.

Kathakali and Bharatanatyam are her interesting areas. Bharatanatyam dance

Anahita, Revanta, Mallika and Mrinalini Sarabhai

is usually accompanied by the classical Carnatic music and still she managed to get a lot of admirers and learners in Ahmedabad itself. Manipravalam is the song language used in Kathakali.

Her autobiography, “Mrinalini Sarabhai: The voice of the heart,” gives the readers an insight into her life and her achievements. Some of the awards she won include Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and the Sangeet Natak Academy fellowship.

Mother’s love is unconditional Purvi Apurva Shah

Mother’s love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.

And it is true and we can come across various incidents that show the strong maternal bonds that generate an extraordinary energy to travel the unknown path. A recent incident in Ahmedabad illustrates the bond between the mother and daughter when both walked together in a marriage bureau, to hunt two eligible husbands, one for the divorcee daughter Aarti-32,-and other for her divorcee mother Pragnaben Vyas, 53.

A reflection of love between mother and daughter, both supporting each other to take a second chance to get married and move on with life.

Pragnaben does not want her daughter to go through what she has gone through after her divorce. At the same time Aarti does not want her mother to go through anymore hell, but to find a companion for

mother in her old age.

Hyderabad -based Pragnaben got married at young age of 18 in Brahmin family in Ahmedabad. She was initially happy and gave birth to two daughters, but later because of quarrels and differences with her husband, they parted ways.

For sake of her daughters, she had never ever thought of getting married again. She was too occupied in earning a living and bringing up her children. She completely forgot to spare any time for herself. Both her daughters grew up and got married to partners of their own choice.

Pragnaben was shocked when she found that her daughter Aarti was not getting along with her husband. After the quarrel multiplied, Aarti and her husband mutually divorced. And Aarti came back to her mother’s house. Now the time has come for both the mother and daughter to encourage each other to prepare themselves for second marriage. Aarti is stub-

born that she wants her mother to get married.

And Pragnaben is keen for Aarti to get married. Both of them make it sure that none of them will back out, and have approached a marriage bureau ‘Vina Mulya Amulya Sewa’ in Ahmedabad. Both have got their names registered and are regularly following the hunt. Pragnaben has agreed for her own marriage for the reason that she will be able to gift a father to her daughter and Aarti has partly agreed for second marriage because she will be able to gift a son-in-law to her mother.

They have unique gifts for the mother’s day.

Second is the case of 24-year-old Palak who persuaded her 55-year-old widower father Mahendra Raval to marry 54-year-old Aruna Dave. Palak says, “I was in search of few aunties in order find a suitable match for my father and I found Aruna aunty. I asked her to meet my father and think about the marriage.”

Aruna says, “when Palak met me, she said that she is very keen to get a companion for her father and wants to get him married before her own marriage. I was so touched by her feelings and felt inspired to take the step. I am so happy that I have not only got a good husband now but also a very loving daughter.”

HealtH WAtch

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Ambitious people have shorter lives

5 vegetables for good health While everyone knows that green vegetables are good for the body, most of us tend to still avoid eating them. Consuming veggies need not be a chore.

With the wide variety available, you can easily find one to suit your tastes. Here we suggest some top green vegetables that can do your health wonders.

Cabbage: Whether consumed raw or cooked, cabbage has many benefits. It is said to be great for the skin and eyes as it is full of vitamin A. The phytonutrients present in this vegetable help the body fight against the free radicals. It also helps with lung, stomach and colon prostate cancer. Those interested in body building may want to eat cabbage as it is full of iodine that is needed for muscle development.

Bean Sprouts: Sprinkled on salads or eaten as a between meals snack, sprouts are a great way of getting some nutrients. They are rich in vitamin C and a handful of fresh sprouts can provide you with three-quarters of your daily vitamin C requirement. In addition they also contain vitamins A, B and E as well as calcium, iron, and potassium.

Spinach: You can be sure if Popeye loved this food, you should be consuming it too. The vegetable contains carotenoid that helps prevent cancer. It's also loaded with vitamins like C and A that helps with god eyesight and glowing skin. The high level of potassium makes it very beneficial for high blood pressure patients. Further it strengthens muscles and helps those suffering from anemia.

Lettuce: Depending on the variety, the nutrients in lettuce vary. Romaine lettuce is said to be the most healthy one boasting of vitamins A, B, and C, folic acid, manganese and chromium. It makes for an excellent salad as it is low in calories.

Lettuce is also a good source of iron which helps with blood formation. It also has magnesium, vital for the brain and the nerves.

Honey is rich in health

A toast with honey. That's a perfect way to start your day. Apart from its great taste, honey has lots of health and nutrition benefits. Honey is a great natural source of carbohydrates which provide strength and energy to our bodies. If you are suffering from fatigue, then honey can help you a lot. Honey is known for its effectiveness in instantly boosting

the performance, endurance and reduces muscle fatigue of athletes.

The glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost. It is known that honey has also been found to keep levels of blood sugar fairly constant compared to other types of sugar. So, it's time to include honey in your diet.

• If you are feeling low and lethargic in the morning, don't try those energy drinks. Instead have a toast with honey or add honey to your corn flakes. It will be refreshing for you.

• One of the better known health benefits of honey is that it is able to help treat sore throats.

Honey not only soothes throats but can also kill certain bacteria that cause the infection.

• Next time before you go for a workout, take a spoon of honey to enable you to go for the extra mile.

• Its antiseptic properties inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and helps keep external wounds clean and free from infection. Honey has been used as a natural cure in first aid treatment for wounds, burns and cuts. Its antibacterial properties prevent infection and functions as an anti-inflammatory agent.

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A glass of milk a day boosts memory

Broccoli: Broccoli is considered a wonder food for its ability to help prevent cancer. The vegetable is recommended for those suffering from heart disorders and strokes. Being packed with iron it is ideal for anemia patients as well. Boil or steam your broccoli flowers lightly and eat so that they don't lose all the nutrients.

People who are considered ambitious attend the best colleges and universities, have prestigious careers and earn high salaries, but they don't necessarily lead more successful lives, say researchers.

Timothy Judge, professor of management at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, seeks to create a better understanding of ambition - a commonly mentioned but poorly understood concept in social science research and its consequences. "If ambition has its positive effects, and in terms of career success it certainly seems that it does, our study also suggests that it carries with it some cost," said Judge.

"Despite their many accomplishments, ambitious people are only slightly happier than their less ambitious counterparts, and they actually live somewhat shorter lives," he stated.

Tracking 717 high-ability individuals over seven decades, Judge uses multiple criteria to measure ambition during periods of participants' lives ranging from childhood to young adults just beginning their careers.

Their education ranged from attending some of the world's best universities to more modest educations, including high school diplomas and community college degrees.

"Ambitious kids had higher educational attainment, attended highly esteemed universities, worked in more prestigious occupations, and earned more," Judge stated.

"So, it would seem that they are poised to 'have it all.' However, we determined that ambition has a much weaker effect on life satisfaction and actually a slightly negative impact on longevity (how long people lived). So, yes, ambitious people do achieve more successful careers, but that doesn't seem to translate into leading happier or healthier lives," he explained.

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observed for those with the highest intakes of milk and milk products compared to those with low and infrequent milk intakes.

The benefits persisted even after controlling for other factors that can affect brain health, including cardiovascular health and other lifestyle and diet factors. In fact, milk drinkers tended to have healthier diets overall, but there was something about milk intake specifically that offered the brain health advantage, according to the researchers.

In addition to the many established health benefits of milk from bone health to cardiovascular health, the potential to stave off mental decline may represent a novel benefit with great potential to impact the aging population. While more research is needed, the scientists suggest some of milk's nutrients may have a direct effect on brain function and that "easily implemented lifestyle changes that individuals can make present an opportunity to slow or prevent neuropsychological dysfunction."

Drinking at least one glass of milk everyday could not only boost your intake of much-needed key nutrients, but it could also positively impact your brain and mental performance, experts suggest.

A news study has found that adults with higher intakes of milk and milk products scored significantly higher on memory and other brain function tests than those who drank little to no milk.

Milk drinkers were five times less likely to "fail" the test, compared to non-milk drinkers.

Researchers at the University of Maine put more than 900 men and women between ages 23 and 98 through a series of brain tests - including visual-spatial, verbal and working memory tests and tracked the milk consumption habits of the participants.

In the series of eight different measures of mental performance, regardless of age and through all tests, those who drank at least one glass of milk each day had an advantage.

The highest scores for all eight outcomes were

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30

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

CB Live is only a Gujarati programme in UK on MATV SKY 793 This week to celebrate the upcoming Mother's Day on Sunday, Malkit Singh, a regular performer at City Pavilion in Romford will be singing some Bollywood numbers, especially chosen for the occasion.

Ranjan Manek MBE and Chandra Sodha from Om Shakti Day Centre will also be joining Kokilaben Patel for an interview.

If you do not have a SKY, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Coming Events l Charity dine and dance: A fundraising dinner and disco event by Kishorbhai Vadhia and his son Chetan in aid of Midlands Air Ambulance. Venue: Unity Club in Newtown (B19 3 RD) Birmingham on 31 March 6.30pm onwards. Contact: Kishorbhai on 07941 373 822. l Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, London W1K 1HF. Contact: 020 7491 356 - 17th March- Illustrated Talk: Manavta Cycling for Humanity Srinivas Alluri - 20 March- Exhibition/Talk/Film: Kangra Paintings - 21 March- Film: Black (122 min) Introduced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali - 23 March- Film: Guzarish (116 min) Q&A with Sanjay Leela Bhansali l Shri Sanatan Hindu Mandir, Wembley - Ramnavmi - 1st April 2012 Sunday - Hanuman Jayanti- 6th April 2012 Friday l Shrinathji Sanatan Hindu Mandir, Leytonstone - Ramnavmi- 1st April 2012 Sunday.

- Hanuman Jayanti- 6th April 2012 Friday l Sant Nirankari Mission presents National Spiritual Convention- Leap of Faith, Sunday 18 March, Simpson Lane, Middlesex UB3 5EU, 11am-1:30pm.

Email- london.bhawan@gmail.com l Vaishnav Sangh of UK presents Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, 18 March. 12:30-7pm. Loughborough Road. Leicester LE 4 5LD. Contact Subash Lakhani 07748324092 l Bhajans By Gadhvi Parivar Group on Saturday 17th March 2012 at 8 pm to 11 pm at BSNL Community Centre, HAO 3NL. Contact Harendra K Raval 07956428050 l 108 Hanuman Chalisa on Friday 6th April 2012 from 9 am at BSNL Community Centre 128 East Lane North Wembley Middlesex HAO 3NL Contact Bijal Trivedi on 07957110593 l International Women's Day at Bochasanvasi Akshar Purshotam Sanstha (BAPS), Swaminarayan Mandir, Ashton, Manchester, Lancashire, OL6 9QS. Tel: (0161) 330 5196, Sunday, 25th March 2012.

10.00 to 15.00 l Mother's Day celebration on Sunday 18th March 2012 - Havan for all attending at 1.00pm. Bhajans from 3-5.15pm by Shree Budhdevbhai, Shree Manubhai Kotak and Various Artists followed by Arti, Farari Maha Prasad. Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple, 55 High Street, Cowley, UB8 2DX. Tel: 07882 253 540 Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Financial Officer: Surendra Patel Tel: 020 7749 4093 - Mobile: 07875 229 220 Email: surendra.patel@abplgroup.com Accounts Executive: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Advertising Managers: Alka Shah Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Mobile: 07944 151 893 Email: alka.shah@abplgroup.com Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Media Consultant: Nihir Shah - Email: nihir.shah@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4089 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Design and Layout: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500 Mercury turns retrograde in your sign for the next three weeks. Normally we expect matters to be dealt with smoothly, but not while the planet Mercury in your sign, is moving backwards. Confusion and frustration reign, so put your plans on hold. Curb your expenditure as you will spend unnecessarily.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

7pm to 8pm Every Thursday

For more information e-mail:

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Manor a washed with start of Spring On Sunday 11th M a r c h Bhaktivedanta Manor flung its doors open yet again for one of its popular annual festivals: Holi, which is a celebration of the coming spring and as part of an ancient tradition visitors had the opportunity to throw powered colours at each other! Festival goers were fortunate because the fine weather really did make it feel the dark and cold days of winter are over! Young and old participated and enjoyed the spectacle of playing colours and coming out covered multicoloured from head to toe! There was a Rang Mela, dramas and dance, music in front of the world famous beautiful shrine and sumptuous free vegetarian food was served along with a traditional Holi bonfire in the evening.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

With Venus and Jupiter embracing your sign, this should be a good time for love and relationships.

Unfortunately, Mercury turns retrograde for the next three weeks. Be patient with your loved ones as your communications are going to be garbled and misconstrued. Saturn will also prove to be frustrating.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

It's a lovely week for a romantic encounter, as Venus and Jupiter embrace your 12th house. Bear in mind that Mercury turns retrograde in your eleventh house of friends and associates as well. The next three weeks would serve you well if you spend more time listening than speaking.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 Mercury turns retrograde in your tenth house of career and status, slowing down your progress at work. It is important for you to be steadfast and focused as misunderstandings and confusion reign. Stay as organized as possible while Mercury, the planet of communications does its best to trip you up.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 Mercury turns retrograde in your ninth house of travel and adventure, slowing down your pace for the next three weeks. Your mental focus could be anywhere other than your normal routine - find a way to break up the monotony. Don't be afraid to take on extra responsibilities as it could lead to better prospects.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 The planet Mercury turns retrograde in your eighth house of joint resources, taxes, wills, legacies and alimony, creating confusion and complications for you during the next three weeks. Mars is also retrograde in your sign and this could prove to be problematic, so make sure you have plenty of focus when making decisions.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 Your closest relationships come under scrutiny as Mercury, the planet of communications goes retrograde in your seventh house of marriage and partnerships. There can be a lot of misunderstandings and confused signals. You'll need to listen carefully to what your partner is saying during the next three weeks.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

The next three weeks may bring confusion and misunderstandings at work and troubles with your health as Mercury turns retrograde in your sixth house. You'll need to pay more attention to detail and double check everything before finalising important matters. Close relationships will prove to be very successful.

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 Mercury goes retrograde in your fifth house of romance for the next three weeks. This is a good time reflect and analyse current situations. Pressure begins to build as there will be a lot of demands in your daily work. Some of you will prefer to get away and seek solitude and avoid social events.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 As Mercury turns retrograde in your fourth house, you need to watch out for extreme changes in peoples attitude and behaviour at home. Strong emotions may spill out with your loved ones, but it is alright to reveal your fears and insecurities sometimes. It's a cosmically testing time, so try not to tread on each other's toes.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 Mercury turns retrograde in your third house of communication, making it difficult to express yourself clearly for the next three weeks. Misunderstandings and confusion could waste a lot of your time. This is also a good time to read into the unspoken rather than what is being said to make any sense.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 You may need to take care as Mercury turns retrograde in your second house of finances. This is a good time to re-assess your money matters. In spite of that, all sorts of things could go wrong especially if people owe you money. Have patience as business matters move slowly or get delayed.

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

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Asian Voice - Saturday 17th March 2012

Indian cricket: A glory has departed

By Premen Addy The style is the man: Rahul Dravid, cricketer extraordinary and every inch a gentleman in the finest traditions of the game, he adorned, for the best part of two decades, decided that the moment had arrived to leave the national and international stage, to close one chapter of an illustrious career and move on to the next. He had clearly given much thought to his decision.

Having been the lone star in India's disastrous tour of England, with three Test centuries in a 4-match series, which India lost 4 nil, he was part of the side that suffered a similar humiliation in Australia. His formidable gifts of technique and strokeplay Down Under were clearly in decline - the Wall, as he was affectionately called, was crumbling. Rahul Dravid accepted Nature's message and responded with a dignified exit. He didn't wait to be pushed, as has been the wont of most Indian cricketers.

He spoke of his pride in playing for his country and the inevitable sadness of leave-taking, but it was for a younger brigade in the wings, to step up and carry the flag and achieve fulfilment.

Rahul Dravid will be remembered as one of outstanding batsmen of his generation, one who played the game as it was always meant to be played - with dignity and unselfish devotion to his team.

Whence comes another?

Dravid leaves, as the rot in Indian cricket deepens by the day. Team India carries more than its fair share of cronies and parasites and inept administrators, including selectors who would do credit to the March Hare and Cheshire Cat of Alice's Wonderland. Mahindra Singh Dhoni, the Indian captain, has presided over a calamity in England, followed by a disaster in Australia, with not a thought of retiring gracefully and taking responsibility for the debacle.Which is the habit of those cursed with thick skins down the ages.

All-round India seal 50 run win over Sri Lanka

The Asia Cup was a chance for India to wipe the slate clean after the horrors of Australia, and they began their campaign by playing to their strengths - batting the opposition out of the game. Centuries by Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli took India to 304, and though the efforts of their bowlers cannot be ignored, crucial wickets were gifted away. It was an underwhelming performance by a Sri Lankan batting line-up that stretches till No.9, which in some ways was a spin-off from their performance in the third CB Series final which they lost to Australia.

India 304 for 3 (Gambhir 100, Kohli 108) beat Sri Lanka 254 (Jayawardene 68, Sangakkara 65, Pathan 4-32) by 50 runs.

The tweaked batting Powerplay rule mandatory before the 40th over - was brought about to make captains think more. In many games since its introduction, including this one, it turned out to be the game-changer. Sri Lanka were still well-placed at the end of the 35th over, needing 109 off the last 15 overs with seven wickets in hand. The loss of Kumar Sangakkara off the first ball of the field restrictions was the start of the turnaround for India, as they picked up three more wickets for 31 runs in that period.

Irfan Pathan picked up four wickets, including Mahela Jayawardene's, to give India a fairly comprehensive win in the final analysis, though at one stage it looked a lot closer.

India owed their resurgence to their two most in-form batsmen from Australia - Kohli and Gambhir. One was recently made the vice-captain, the other had the same post taken away from him.

Any simmering tension, fictional or not, was barely evident as they added 205 to give India the kind of prolonged authority rarely seen when in Australia.

India managed only two 100-plus

struck in that period but the pair wore Sri Lanka down with singles - 53 of them - and six twos. Jayawardene went defensive, pushing the fielders back. Kohli ensured he punished the bad deliveries from the spinners and even produced a reverse sweep, which raced to third man.

Both batsmen reached their centuries in the 42nd over. Both departed in the following over, holing out to the deep.

The double-strike - in the 43rd over - didn't give Sri Lanka much respite, as MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina plundered some wayward bowling at the death.

Jayawardene's visually pleasing halfcentury gave Sri Lanka the platform to beat their previous highest successful chase against India, but his team needed him to stay on longer. His innings was aggression mixed with serenity. He showed his class by his innovativeness, forcing MS Dhoni to constantly make field changes to plug the gaps during the first ten overs. That was a moral victory for Jayawardene, seeing his opposing number gesticulating to his fielders despite the cushion of 304 runs.

McKay helps Australia win tri-series against Lanka

Game-buster Clint McKay's feats with bat and ball inspired Australia to a 16-run victory over Sri Lanka to claim the tri-series title last week.

McKay followed an invaluable batting cameo with a miserly five-wicket haul as Australia, after stumbling to 231 all out, bowled the tourists out for 215 with seven balls remaining at Adelaide Oval.

T h e Australians won the best of three finals series 2-1 ! $ ! despite the absence of cap'78 +1.'(1+ '6)+1 !+6:.)+7 tain Michael %461* %.*+ Clarke, who will miss a month of cricket with a hamstring strain. +6 McKay was the central charac6'3)-+7 ter in the decider, helping rescue % & # " ! #" Australia after a middle-order bat"448.3, ting crash cruelled 2'.1 /92(4 5'6)+1 ;'-44 )4 90 hopes of a massive " 551; total.

!+3* '6)+1 84 3*.'

India began their Asia Cup campaign with a comprehensive win

stands in the CB Series, that too in the same game, in Hobart. The common thread between the two games was Kohli. This innings wasn't as manic, but the effect was still demoralising for Sri Lanka, who took control at the start of the innings but had to wait an eternity to strike again.

The pace wasn't electric, but steady.

Gambhir and Kohli had to be watchful against packed off-side fields, typical of Mahela Jayawardene's captaincy.

Gambhir's stint wasn't flawless though.

He was dropped on 36 and survived a run-out opportunity on 94.

Apart from the late cuts, Gambhir used his feet well against the spinners, lofting over extra cover and down to the straight boundary. Hitting in the air was a method the batsmen had to employ as several drives along the ground found the fielders. Kohli kept busy at the crease, rotating the strike to ensure India didn't get bogged down against the spinners.

The period between the second and third Powerplays - overs 21 to 35 - produced 87 runs. Only five fours were

Australian team pose with the Commonwealth Bank series trophy

The Victorian then snared his best one-day figures of 528 from 9.5 overs in a matchwinning performance.

Earlier, Australia's solid batting platform built by topscorer Matthew Wade (49) and his opening partner David Warner (48 from 45 balls) was eroded by a stunning collapse of 5-36 in a dozen overs.

But McKay smacked 28 runs from 32 balls, and combined with Brett Lee for a precious 40-run union for the eighth wicket.

Lee and McKay then united with the ball to tear through Sri Lanka's vaunted top order as the tourists slumped to 4-53 in the 10th over.

A fired-up Lee snared the initial two victims â&#x20AC;&#x201C; danger men Tillakaratne Dilshan (eight) and Kumar Sangakkara (19 off nine balls).

Lee marked both wickets with gusto, prompting a warning from umpires to tone down his celebrations.

McKay picked up the theme by dismissing Dinesh

Chandimal (five) and captain Mahela Jayawardene (15) to leave the Sri Lankans wobbling.

The tourists' were placed back on track by a 60-run fifth-wicket stand between Lahiru Thirimanne (30) and Upul Tharanga, only for McKay to return and strike again and boast the figures of 3-12 from his initial six overs.

But Tharanga was then united with Nuwan Kulasekara - the pair who almost pinched the first final in Brisbane with an audacious late order partnership.

The duo cracked a rapidfire 30 runs before Lee, who finished with 3-59 from eight wayward yet wicket-taking overs, dismissed Kulasekara (15).

Sri Lanka needed a run a ball from the final six overs when Tharanga's match-high knock of 71 from 122 balls was ended when dismissed by Australia's acting captain Shane Watson (2-13).

McKay then mopped up with the final two wickets to seal Sri Lanka's fate.