AV 18th March 2023

I S B R I T A I N R E P E A T I N G A 50- Y E A R - O L D M I S T A K E ?

When a woman awakens the world awakens See 16-17

India makes history at Oscars

Shefali Saxena

Britain has perhaps learned nothing from what it has provided to immigrants and how that paid off in the long run It is inevitable to argue why this question arises every 50 years 50 years ago, Ugandan Asians came to this country and asked for refuge They had British passports or British subject passports, because at that time there was a point Uganda was a colony and therefore they came. They wanted refuge and out of hundreds and thousands that wanted refuge only a few got it. The then-British community was vehemently protesting. Not everyone was happy about the arrival of the Ugandan Asians The Leicester Mercury and The National Front were against immigrants They believed there were already too many Asians in Leicester They were afraid of becoming overwhelmed and British culture being lost. Every time one reminisces about the Ugandan Asian expulsion, the infamous incident of Leicester City Council placing an advert in a Ugandan newspaper telling them not to come to the city still leaves many in tears.

It was a day of celebration as two Indian films – the action movie "RRR," won honours for best original song, and "The Elephant Whisperers," won best documentary short film award at Oscars on Sunday night. The song "Naatu Naatu," - a fast-paced number t h a t h a s f o u n d f a n s a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d , s p a w n e d a T i k T o k c h a l l e n g e a n d h a s m i l l i o n s o f v i e w s o n Y o u T u b e - w o n a standing ovation when it was performed at the 95th Academy Awards

Indians had won Oscars previously, but no Indian film had won an Academy Award b e f o r e S u n d a y n i g h t i n L o s A n g l e s " N o words can describe this surreal moment D e d i c a t i n g t h i s t o a l l o u r a m a z i n g f a n s across the world. THANK YOU!!," the Twitter account for "RRR" posted

Continued on page 25

Little English and truly South Asian Community celebrates Holi!

King Charles and Queen Camilla attend their first Commonwealth Day Service as reigning couple

B J P, opposition members battle over Rahul’s remarks in U K

MM Keeravani and Chandrabose with their Oscars for RRR

Director Kartiki Gonsalves producer Guneet Monga Douglas Blush and Achin Jain from Team The Elephant Whisperers

‘The Elephant Whisperers’ wins best docu short film, ‘Naatu Naatu’ best song

Book launch: “Diamond Are Forever, So Are Morals” and “War of Lanka”

with Keith Vaz

YOL A N DE BA K E R

Yolande Baker is a P rod uct Owner at LessonWise She holds a Masters’ degree fro m the S ch ool of Oriental and African Stud ies (SOA S) in Internatio nal Business (M Sc) and o btained a bachelor’s degree in Mod ern Lang uages (French and Spanish ) from Durham Univ ersity As a p assionate educator and learner, she enjoys d riv ing inno vation in th e Ed tech sector

In addition to being one of the founding members of LessonWise, Yolande is a keen sportswoman and an outdoor activities enthusiast Most notably, she represented Durham University and her former secondary school, Haberdashers’ School for Girls, in numerous nationwide Gymnastics competitions She won U15 Champion at Girls Independent Schools Gymnastics Association (G I S G A ) and placed 2nd individually in Vault at British Universities and College Sports (BUCS)

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

Having grown up and spent the majority of my lifetime in London, this would be where home is for me As the saying goes, if you ’ re tired of London, you ’ re tired of life! Despite almost everything being over-priced, the rich diversity of people, food and culture makes it the best place in the world to live in

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Being part of a growing team that delivered more than 2,300 live lessons and courses to over 5,000 students on the LessonWise platform I am extremely proud of what we have achieved so far over the course of the past year (given our limited resources) and very much look forward to where the journey will take us in the future

3) What inspires you?

Working collaboratively with an extremely diverse team During my LessonWise journey, I have had the incredible opportunity to expand my knowledge and skills across all business functions, and network with industry experts to create a truly valuable product I am passionate about.

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

The only obstacle is self-conf idence When you are planning, creating and executing blueprint strategies, it is essential knowing how to navigate feelings of self-doubt since you are constantly working in the unknown However, the continuous positive feedback from our users is extremely reassuring and rewarding! - Thank you to those who have supported us so far

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

This is a shout out to the CEO & CoFounder of LessonWise, Manfred

82-year-man suffers severe face burns outside mosque

An 82-ye ar-old m an has s uffered s evere burns after being s et on f ire outs ide a m os que

A 2 2 -ye ar- o l d w o m an, claim ing falsely to be a v ictim o f an Asian g room ing g ang has been sentenced to eight and a half years for

Olbrich, who pushes me ever yday to come out of my comfort zone to learn, grow and succeed

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

The creativity and freedom to think about how to tackle long-standing worldwide educational inequalities, which have been exacerbated by COVID19.

7) And the worst?

There is no worst part about the job

The nature of working in a start-up means that everyday presents itself with new challenges and opportunities, which motivates me to work harder, learn from mistakes and make an impact in society

8) What are your long term goals?

Making LessonWise a success I am highly committed to enhancing students' learning journeys, ensuring that they reach their goals more effectively and affordably I wish to continuously expand my own knowledge in the f ield of product development and ensure that I better myself each day

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

I would deploy more campaigns to educate and encourage more women, especially from non-STEM backgrounds like myself, to pursue a career in the tech industry The world is changing rapidly with new types of roles emerging, therefore it is highly crucial to be able to adapt to new technologies, tools and trends

10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why. It would have to be an artist Someone like Turner, who is skilled at painting seascapes We would be able to sit down and pass the time painting the scenery of the desert island

p erv erting the cou rse of j ust ic e o n Tu es d ay E lea no r William s had reportedly fabricated ev idence to make it look like sh e was a victim of

The pensioner was seen having a conversation with a male as they both left the West London Islamic Centre in Ealing, west London, around 8pm on 27 January They spoke for around f ive minutes before the man doused the victim in liquid, believed to be petrol, and set him alight using a lighter He then walked away from the scene, in Singapore Road , police said

The victim, who has not been identif ied, was rushed to hospital and received treatment for severe burns to his face and arms, police said The force has launched an investigation and released pictures of a man detectives want to speak to after the "incredibly shocking" incident

Detective Sergeant Stephen Constable said: "Understandably, there is a great deal of local concern in the wake of this incident and local off icers have been car-

rying out reassurance patrols daily at the mosque We are continuing to work alongside the West London Islamic Centre who have been very supportive of our investigation and have been assisting us with our enquiries A key part of that is identifying the man in the image we have released "

Anyone who recognises the man pictured, witnessed the incident or has information that can help the investigation is urged to get in touch with police

Prince and Princess of Wales visit Muslim community centre in West London

Th e Prince and Princess o f Wales visited a Muslim community centre to thank the “ am a zi ng ” v ol u nte ers inv olv ed in aid and fundraisi ng fo r s u r v i v o rs o f t h e Feb ru ar y 6 e art h qu ake i n Turkey and Syria

Prince William and Kate, who wore an Alexander McQueen black pleated dress and a black and white headscarf, met members of the Hayes Muslim Centre in West London and heard harrowing stories from aid workers who recently returned from the disaster zone

The community raised £30,000 for families left homeless after the earthquakes, and according to the lead fundraiser Zia Rehman, they broke their own 30-year fundraising record He said, “Within two hours we were able to raise £18,000 Normally it is anything between £10,000 and £12,000 But this time the community came for ward amazingly Altogether we have raised £30,000 for

Turkey and Syria ”

Impressed by their efforts, Prince William jokingly expressed interest in recruiting the volunteers himself, saying to Rehman, “It is amazing About £100 million has been raised in the f irst two weeks ” William further asked , “When you do this community fundraising, what are you saying to the community? A lot of people have got relatives in some of these areas?”

In response to the Prince’s question, Rehman explained that their community is diverse and that their fundraising efforts are not limited to Muslims He

stated , “When we have a cause, the community comes forward regardless of their religion ” It is a testament to the strength of the community when people come together and support each other, the Princess remarked During their visit to the community centre, the couple also had a light-hearted moment when they participated in making origami cranes with two schoolgirls who had raised funds for the appeal

Dila Haya, 14, and Lina Alkutubi, 15, created 700 cranes, which are a symbol of hope, as part of a £10,000 fundraising effort by Waldegrave School in Twickenham During the activity, the royals were guided by the schoolgirls as they folded the paper birds Dila told the Prince and Princess, “It is really important to fold cranes together, because it means that the more people fold one crane together the more power they have ”

Indian-origin author’s novel nominated for Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023

g room ing by multiple m en

On Monday, at the sentencing hearing in Preston Crown Court, three men whom Ms Williams had falsely accused of attacking her said they had tried to commit suicide because of the accusations

Mohammed Ramzan was one of the accused by Ms Williams of rape and traff icking, who had tried to kill himself two weeks after being arrested, the Sky News reported that He said, "I still bear the scars to this day ”

Judge Altham reportedly said, the local community suffered a 'turbulent' period including public demonstrations targeting the local Asian community and police, after Eleanor posted on facebook claiming to be a victim

L o n d o n- ba se d a ut h o r Sh eena Patel’s debut novel is among 16 bo oks by authors from across the world to be long listed for the Wom en ’ s P ri z e fo r F i ct io n 2 0 2 3 , u nv e i led in L o n d o n l as t week to mark Internatio nal Wom en ’ s Day

‘I’m a Fan’ by Patel – of Kenyan Indian heritage – is the stor y of an unnamed narrator’s involvement in a seemingly unequal romantic relationship and will compete for the prestigious £30,000 prize, now in its 28th year The shortlist will be revealed on April 26 and the winner’s prize ceremony is scheduled for 14 June

“With a clear and unforgiving eye, Sheena Patel makes startling connections between power struggles at the heart of human relationships to those in the wider world, offering a devastating critique of social media, access and patriarchal systems,” the judging panel said

about Sheena’s novel ‘I’m a Fan’ is longlisted alongside books that span the globe – from Italy, Northern Ireland and Virginia, to an imaginar y kingdom ruled by animals, a hallucinator y old cinema and an under water world populated with extraordinary creatures Broadcaster and writer Louise Minchin, who is the Chair of the Prize’s 2023 judging panel, said: “This year ’ s longlist is a glorious celebration of the boundless imagination and creative ambition of women

writers over the past year

“Every one of these 16 books is excellent and original in its own individual way; they all offer fresh perspectives on histor y and humanity, exploring hard truths with empathy, sensitivity, directness, and sometimes infectious humour There is something here for all readers,” she reportedly said

Sheena Patel

Photo courtesy: Instagram

Woman falsely claiming to be a victim of Asian grooming gang sentenced

Photo credit: @KensingstonRoyal (video)

Government putting the house in order?

Britain's top listed and private companies were called on to meet broader voluntary targets for appointing ethnically diverse board members and senior staff by 2027

The Parker Review Committee was set up by government in 2015 and recommended ethnic diversity targets for the boards of Britain's top listed companies It is part of wider efforts to have more women and people from modest social backgrounds in top corporate and financial roles The committee said that in 2022, 96 of the FTSE 100 companies met a target of at least one minority ethnic director on their boards, with 49 having more than one minority ethnic director, effectively meeting a goal it set in 2017

Ethnic minorities now account for 190 of the 1,064 board positions at FTSE 100 companies, 31 as chairs or executive directors The next tier down of 250 listed companies are making progress towards a 2024 deadline of one minority ethnic director, with 67% meeting the target last year, the committee said The new targets call on each of the top 350 listed companies to also set a percentage target for senior management positions by December 2027

In addition, 50 of the largest unlisted companies, such as law firm Allen & Overy, auditor Deloitte, retailer John Lewis Partnership, Virgin Atlantic and Thames Water have been asked to have at least one ethnic minority director by December 2027

Sainsbury’s has appointed senior NHS director Prerana Issar, who is of Indian-origin as its new chief people officer, the Grocer can reveal She will take the reins in June and will replace HR director Angie Risley, who is leaving the supermarket to focus on her portfolio career Issar joins from NHS England where she has served as chief people officer since April 2019 Prior to that she spent six years in leading positions with the United Nations World Food Programme, and seven years at Unilever where she rose to vice president of HR for the FMCG giant’s global food category Her new role will focus on leading Sainsbury’s flexible working and pay strategy, alongside wider HR functions

In other news, Rishi Sunak’s government is understood to be planning to welcome in more foreign builders to tackle a chronic post-Brexit labour shortage in Britain’s construction industry The government is said to be ready to add construction workers to a “shortage occupation list” in a bid to boost sluggish housebuilding The building sector has suffered from an acute lack of workers since Brexit caused many European labourers to return to the EU

The government’s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has recommended that bricklayers, plasterers, roofers and other construction workers should be added to the shortage list

Citing government insiders, the report said home secretary Suella Braverman is expected to accept the idea of allowing building firms to bring in more overseas workers

It is understood that the government is planning to reveal the results of a review on the “shortage occupation list” within weeks, and changes could be announced around the time of chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Budget The shortage occupation list allows companies to get visas for staff being paid the lower threshold of £20,480 a year The salary needed to obtain a “skilled worker” visa is £25,600

The construction industry has been pushing hard for industry workers to be added to the shortage list The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has previously said it was a mistake to cut off labour from the EU after Brexit without addressing the UK’s skills shortage

The FMB trade body said that the proposal to ease immigration rules would be a huge boost for the construction sector

In the meantime, on Wednesday’s budget, taking childcare more affordable will be a top priority Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce a rise in the level of support for lowincome families and change the rules surrounding Universal Credit so families get childcare benefits in advance instead of being reimbursed

Mr Hunt will raise the sum that parents on universal credit can claim for childcare, from £646 a month for a single child to £950, and from £1,108 for two children to £1,630

The extra help for childcare costs comes after an outcry from the local government Councils across England have joined calls for more support, amid concerns that only 13 per cent of parents are claiming the falling level of support they are entitled to receive

Mr Hunt will is set to amend rules on the ratio of staff to children in nurseries in a bid to make childcare more “flexible and affordable” for families The Chancellor’s “Back to Work” Budget also hopes to address the record nine million Brits of working age who are economically inactive He will set out plans to encourage over-50s to return to work through an expansion of skills training Mr Hunt will also axe the system used to assess eligibility for sickness benefits The reform will mean claimants can continue to receive the payments after they return to employment

Russian impediment to US-Indian relations

India’s continued defense relationship with Russia poses new challenges for Washington The United States should work to deepen ties with its Indian partners and to encourage them away from Russia by helping them to meet their defense needs, especially in the Indian Ocean To solve the Russian obstacle to US-Indian relations, Washington should waive the looming sanctions on India for its procurement of Russian S400s while also focusing on building Indian anti-submarine warfare capacity to counter the threat from China India remains guided by a principle of strategic autonomy, which seeks to maximize its policy making freedom of movement The country avoids commitments like formal alliances and maintains partnerships based on issues rather than on a particular ideology As a result, India is able to maintain relationships with a diverse set of countries, including both the United States and Russia

New Delhi has maintained both political and defense ties to Moscow, stretching back to the 1970s, much to Washington’s consternation India and Russia held their first 2+2 last year, making Russia the only non-Quad country with whom India has had a 2+2 dialogue Further, a majority of Indian military equipment across the army, navy, and air force is of Russian or Soviet origin Despite declining Indian defense

purchases from Russia, the country has increased purchases of Russian oil since the invasion of Ukraine last year and has been muted in its statements about the war Washington’s approach to India has traditionally been one of “strategic altruism,” in which the United States supports a militarily strong India, despite bilateral issues, under the assumption that India is a natural counterbalance to China’s rising power However, it has long voiced a two-fold concern about New Delhi’s defense relationship with Moscow First, India’s Russian-origin systems and US systems are not technologically compatible, which makes interoperability difficult Second, and of greater concern to the United States, is the possibility that Russian intelligence-collection platforms, like the S-400, could breach the security of US systems and collect information on advanced US technology As the US-Indian defense relationship progresses into more advanced technology procurements and cooperation, India’s possession of Russian technology is a clear potential hurdle for expanding ties

New Delhi is already leveraging its relationship with Washington to achieve improved maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Going forward, the United States and India should also look for co-development opportunities that could improve India’s sea denial capacity

Indian cinema poised for greater glory

In a dream-come-true moment, India has picked up not one but two Oscars (Best Original Song and Best Documentary Short) out of three nominations, it’s not just the makers of 'RRR' and 'The Elephant Whisperers' who stand proud The electrifying feeling of joy in sync with the infectious beats of 'Naatu Naatu', composed by MM Keeravani, has spread across the country and the whisper is loud and clear - India can do it Year after year, we have lamented over why India can’t win an Oscar and reams have been written about our dismal record at the prestigious Academy Awards, often considered the hallmark of excellence and gold standard of recognition Experts have time and again rued that if countries like Iran and South Korea can take home Oscars, what stops India If India-centric films such as 'Life of Pi' could win its director Ang Lee the coveted Best Director statuette, why can't our storytellers get it right?

Often, the blame has been laid at the door of our official selections This year, too, much hue and cry was made when Pan Nalin’s acclaimed film Last Film Show was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars Objections were raised by certain sections to the film, which, after making it to the shortlist, fell out of the race In fact, similar has been the fate of our entries each year, leaving us to draw comfort in the few that have come our way Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, composer AR Rahman, lyricist Gulzar, sound engineer Resul

Thought for the week

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

The Politics of Wealth

Why is teaching wealth creation in our schools so taboo? I gave a TEDx talk this pa st w eek a t Haberdasher’s School which thankfully has no such qualm s I used my book, the M in d of a Trader (Financial Times), as the basis of the talk and it fit into m y Cam pa ign f or a M illion (www campaignforamillion com) to teach a m illion people to be better investors

All our schools should teach the elements of success This is an outline of what I said,

“Today, I come to you with a message that I believe is of utmost importance It is a message about the mindset of wealth, and the lessons that we can learn from the world's best traders about achieving success and happiness in life

Many of us have been taught to associate wealth with negative connotations We have been taught that money is the root of all evil, that the pursuit of wealth is selfish and greedy, and that financial success is something to be ashamed of

But my dear friends, I am here to tell you that this couldn t be further from the truth Wealth is not just about having money; it is about having the discipline, focus, and risk management skills necessary to create and maintain it

The lessons from top traders extend beyond the world of finance They teach us about the importance of discipline, perseverance, and a growth mindset in achieving any type of success They teach us about the habits and qualities of successful individuals in any field, and how we can apply them to our own lives

My dear friends, success is not a destination, but a journey of discipline, hard work, and perseverance It is a mindset that can be developed and honed over time The most successful individuals in any field share a common mindset of growth, learning, and continuous improvement They understand that progress is not always linear, but that setbacks and failures can be used as opportunities for growth

To be successful in any aspect of life, we must be willing to take calculated risks, and to learn from both our successes and our failures We must be willing to challenge our beliefs and assumptions, and to embrace the unknown and the unexpected

My dear friends, the road to success is never easy, but the habits and qualities of successful individuals can be learned and developed over time It is about taking action and staying committed to the journey, even in the face of obstacles and setbacks It is about building strong relationships and giving back to the community

So I urge you, my dear friends, to adopt a mindset of wealth, and to apply the lessons from top traders to your own lives Let us not be afraid to pursue success and happiness, but let us do so with the discipline, focus, and risk management skills necessary to create a life of purpose and meaning

Pookutty and legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray, who received an honorary award, are part of the select Oscar club But what makes this year ’ s win truly delicious is that, for once, Oscars are for Indian films by Indian production houses So far, our Oscar victories have been limited to India-centric films by foreign producers and directors If back in time, it was Richard Attenborough’s 'Gandhi' that fetched costume designer Bhanu Athaiya an Oscar, making her the first Indian to get it, Danny Boyle’s 'Slumdog Millionaire' gave us the chance to chorus 'Jai Ho' But 'Naatu Naatu' gives us a greater reason to rejoice and break into a hook step that has the world hooked in pure frenzy In fact, the world has been dancing to the tunes of the ebullient Telugu song for quite some time now

Prior to its Oscar win, SS Rajamouli's blockbuster 'RRR' picked up the Golden Globe award for Best Original Song, too The resounding success of the song is not hard to decode From lilting lyrics to its catchy beats and dance steps and the way it has been picturised, all elements tick the right boxes But, does the twin Oscar victory mean India has arrived on the world map of cinema? Judging by the standing ovation that the 'Naatu Naatu' performance by its singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava got at the 95th Academy Awards, one is tempted to say yes 'The Elephant Whisperers’ maiden victory too makes us nod emphatically

Thank you, my dear friends, and may we all strive for a life of wealth and fulfilment ”

Asian Voice is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd

Units 207-208, Harrow Business Centre, 429-433 Pinner Road, North Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 4HN

Tel: 020 7749 4080 • Fax: 020 7749 4081

Email: aveditorial@abplgroup com

Website: www abplgroup com

INDIA OFFICE

Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar

(BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt Ltd

207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp Jain Derasar, Nr Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad-380 015

Tel: +91 79 4601 2649

Email: gs ahd@abplgroup com ©

WORLD BOOK DAY

India and Faraway Lands: 5,000 Years of connected history

Shefali Saxena

World Book Day was celebrated in the UK on 2nd March Organisers in the UK

15-year-old Shay Sharma becomes youngest ever Dragons’ Den contestant

15-year-old Shay Sharma has written history at Dragons’ Den becoming the youngest entr epreneu r to g rab an investment from Peter Jones He was accompanied by his father Raj and he pitched an i m pres si ve foo tball board game ‘Hello Dragons,’ Shay began, 'I am the founder of a football billionaire and we ’ re here today seeking an investment of £50,000 in return of 5% equity of our company, ’ he said Deborah Meaden said,

“ 15 years old and standing in one of the hottest business places in the world and delivering a pitch like that, you must be immensely proud ” He received an offer from Peter

‘India and Faraway Lands’ is a c om pac t y et p anoram i c exploration of the story of India from a global perspective Meti cu lo us ly researched and lucidly told, the book takes the readers on a j o urney aro und th e world, in reverse chronological ord er, traci ng p ivo tal events and unravell ing intriguing connections with India starting with the present that is more visible and relatable to the readers and mo ving to ward s th e pas t that is relativel y less er known

Ashutosh Mehndiratta’s retelling of the evolution of the United States, Britain, Ireland, Russia, Germany, Japan, France, Portugal, Central Asia, China, Rome, Persia, and Greece provides a context often missing in conventional histories of India Along the way are recounted fascinating tales of travellers, the earliest accounts of the interaction between the East and the West, forgotten cities that were once glorious, and books that changed the course of history While there are many excellent works on world history as well as Indian history, there are not many books where the stories of India and the world are juxtaposed ‘India and Faraway Lands’ aims to fill that gap and will at once inform and entertain the readers Here’s our interview with the author Ashutosh

Mehndiratta How does ‘India and Faraway Lands’ paint India’s picture from a global perspective?

India and Faraway Lands takes the readers through centuries and millennia to demonstrate how India was always connected with the outside world It narrates the momentous global events that shaped the Indian subcontinent, and vice versa

Blessed with bountiful rivers and fertile lands, India has historically been a selfsufficient land able to support large populations and generate massive economic output, drawing waves of conquerors, merchants, and adventurers The Indian Ocean was the hub of maritime trade and migration for thousands of years before humans were able to cross the Atlantic and the Pacific; steep mountain passes in the north-west allowed invading armies and trading caravans to pass through How will the diaspora relate to the book?

People living far away from their homelands are better positioned because of their exposure and experience with diverse communities, cultures, and geographies Comparison between India and their chosen foreign land is inevitable, which often leads to questions in one ’ s mind as to how and why nations turned out the way they are today This book will, hopefully, help them connect the dots and

understand India’s historical trajectory to date

What kind of myths does the book bust about general perception of Indian history?

Nearly every page of this book highlights and reinforces the fact that India did not evolve in isolation and the genesis of pivotal events often lay in faraway lands This book also offers the readers a more nuanced historical view of outsiders and the outside world, helping move away from simplistic binaries like rapacious outsiders vs virtuous natives or East-good West-bad Rather than trying to bust myths, my intent is to shift the readers ’ focus to far beyond the Indian subcontinent

How difficult and important is to juxtapose India and world stories together?

Personally, it turned out to be far more difficult to narrate the story of India on a global canvas than what I

had imagined when I set out to write this book! The challenge is to draw meaningful connections and avoid getting lost in the deluge of contemporaneous events The interconnected history is much needed so that we can put together all the parts of the puzzle and comprehend the complete picture of our past

Why should our readers grab a copy?

India and Faraway Lands aims to stoke the readers’ curiosity about our intertwined past The book is unique in multiple ways –with a global narrative, it aims to fill a gap common in histories of India as they are mostly confined to India’s boundaries, thereby missing a vital component, the story of the ‘ outside’ Deviating from the standard chronological order, this book starts with the relatable modern times and moves backwards Lastly, this book recounts the history of the West from an Eastern lens

London’s Deputy Mayor f or B us i ne ss , Ra j es h A gra wal vi s i ted Ne w D el hi an d B en gal uru next between March 13 – 16 leading a trade miss i on t o promote s tr onge r tra de an d i n ves tme nt l in ks wit h India Rajesh was joined by 10 London tech compan i es i nc ludi n g E le ct ri c Miles, Guider, OneID and Softools The trade mission provided opportunities for these companies to create b us i nes s par tners hips and e xpl ore i n ves tme nt a nd g rowth oppor tuni ti e s i n I ndia Delegates met wi th representatives from Indian t ec h c ompan ie s in c ludi ng W i pro a nd HC LTec h, a s w ell a s I ndi an i nd ust ri al g ia nt Tata The De puty Mayor also met Indian venture capitalists and investors with an interest in expanding to London This is the first in-person trade mission r un by the M ayor ’ s I n ter nat ion al B usi n es s Programme to India since 2019 Indian companies continue to choose London as a top destination to expand their operations outside of India, with new data showing that London is the number one European city for Indian foreign direct investment According to figures

published by London’s business growth agency, London & Partners, the UK capital also ranked as the number two city globally for Indian companies looking to grow their footprint internationally

Over the past 10 years, investment from Indian companies has provided a major boost to London’s economy, with the data showing that Indian foreign direct investment has led to the creation of 7,853 additional jobs in the UK capital

A number of wellknown Indian companies have expanded their operation in London in recent years, including Indian IT giants Wipro and Infosys, as well as Indian unicorns upGrad, Ola and Oyo

Between 2012-2022, Mumbai and Bengaluru were the top cities for business investment from India into London

Ra j es h Ag rawa l, London’s Deputy Mayor for Business said: “London and

India have longstanding cultural and economic links and these latest figures offer further proof that business ties between our two regions continue to grow from strength to strength Indian cities rightly look to London as the perfect launchpad to grow their business internationally London and cities such as Mumbai and Bengaluru share mutual strengths in sectors such as finance, life sciences and technology – creating huge opportunities for business partnerships

“As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India is also a major market for ambitious London companies I am delighted to be joined on my visit to India by some of London’s fastestgrowing businesses

“Our trade mission will continue our work in helping London companies to maximise business and investment opportunities in India ”

“London and cities such as Mumbai and Bengaluru share mutual strengths in sectors such as finance, life sciences and technologycreating huge opportunities for business partnerships,” Agrawal told PTI during his visit

All Party Parliamentary Group on British Gujaratis (APPG) set up in the UK Parliament

The inaugural meeting of brand new APPG for British Guja r at is w a s h el d on Monday 6th March 2023, at the Hou se of Com mon s MPs and Lords from across the UK political spectrum came together to set up the APPG for British Gujaratis and will work to raise issues an d con ce rn s o f th e U K Guja r at i co mm u nit y a n d provide Parliament and the U K Gu jar a ti com m un ity with a better two-way consultation process to inform improved decision-making

For several years, the Gujarati community in the UK have had the aspiration and desire for an APPG to serve the needs of the community and to ensure that UK Gujaratis’ views are properly understood and presented to Government, Local Authorities and Statutory Bodies, Political Parties and Parliamentary representatives “Gareth Thomas MP, Co-Chair of the APPG said: “I am delighted to have set up the All-Party Parliamentary

Group for British Gujaratis in order to celebrate the vision and ambition of the Gujarati community in the UK, as well as address some of the challenges and barriers that the community faces

The APPG on British Gujaratis will provide a space for Parliamentarians to learn about these concerns and aspirations of the Gujarati community and to collaborate with them on initiatives that promote the community’s interests”

Gareth Thomas MP added “The Gujarati community in the UK has made tremendous contributions to our society and economy Gujaratis, of all faiths, have established successful businesses, created jobs, and made a positive impact in our local communities Despite these achievements, they have faced significant challenges that have not received the attention they deserve The APPG on British Gujaratis will provide the Gujarati

community with an opportunity to engage with Politicians on matters such as health and wellbeing, education, social and cultural needs, immigration, bilateral trade with the State of Gujarat in India, and economic development in the UK”

Sanjay Jagatia, Secretariat-Lead of the APPG said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as the secretariat to work with the members of the APPG for British Gujaratis, in order to shine the political spotlight on our community The APPG for British Gujaratis is a necessary and a long overdue step towards ensuring that the Gujarati community in the UK has a strong voice in Parliament I look forward to working in consultation with subject experts from the Gujarati community, together with community leaders, temples, and groups to raise issues with the APPG that matter to the community”

moved the observance to avoid clashes with Easter school holidays and with

Saint George's Day Here are some photos from the children of the South Asian community dressed as their favourite characters from books

Evelyn, 6 was Smed and Eleanor, 8 was Spaceboy for World Book Day Rudra, 4 was The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Indian cities rightly look to London as the perfect launchpad to grow, says London's Deputy Mayor of Business

Shaye Bhattessa-Sharma

APharmacist the k t s

elp n h a ou c , y harmacists y p mmunit

y communit a can illnesses What harmacist. o a p k t pea d s n n a i alk st w u ly j sual n u a ou c , y appointment

h a it ou w p y el n h a sts c Pharmaci

nd s a ye y e tch , i olds d c n s a ough s c a uch , s llnesses r i ino f m y o ariet de v wi

harmacis , p erious e s or g m somethin

inor f m e o ang e a r nag ly ma afe d s an g a

e h h t t e ou g e y ur e s mak g

revent , p ell y w a ou st p y el S h NH

est e b h e t ak , t orse g w ettin s g illnes

gain l a el t w e d g n , a ction f a e o urs

ocal r l ou o y k t pea s – s llnes r i o

dvice t a xper t e e o g st t rmaci

y way t a igh

f e o dvic t a xper e e h g t followin a

n ts i xper d e n , a rofessionals e p healthcar

nd s a ough s c h a uc s s llnesse r i ino r m fo

arache d e n s a ye y e tch , i colds

harmacist t P uperintenden , S ave a D Mon

encouraging is Surrey, Guilford, in

heir f t st o o he m e t k o ma s t sian h A Sout

nswers e a h d s n y a harmac y p communit

uestions: n q ommo st c o e m h f t me o so

e elieve y b rongl e w eopl y p Man

hey e t efor s b dicine f me e o s e u h n t i

o g t rainin l t linica t c igh e r h e t av o h als

llness r i mino v Y

n s a d c n ly a immediate

e n her E w & r A P o o a G t

pea t to s an f I w t i Wha

cro s a harmacie st p Mo

oom n r onsultatio e c hav

o a k t al o t st t eque n r ca

ealth g h rovidin d p n s a llnesse r i mino

eople p p el o h e t dvic g a ellbein d w an

ther h o it d w n s a eam e t ractic l p genera ith ly w lose k c or sts w harmaci . P ell y w ayst

he ou t e y iv o g s t rofessional h p healt

HS e N h f t t o ar s p e a ar e c ossibl st p be

team

k to a ynecessar atien st p signpo

f t r o mbeme ou e y her s w yountr e c h s t s

n a k a oo o b d t ee n n eve

o ma d t ee t n o ou do n You

n e ithi e w iv e l eopl st p Mo e a p e o s t t appointmen

11,000

naging n ma d i raine o t ls e a r d a n y a qualif a Visit

n e a ak

e a her . T harmacy f a p o

Eng in locations

eed ou n p y el g and gland round e a ar each y r as pharmacist.

eekends e w h t t d a n s a vening e e h n t i

llnesses r i ino r m o n f optio

ppointment y,

Is Britain repeating a 50-year-old mistake?

From there they got out and worked very hard, turning into one of the richest communities today

Out of that 1 7 million, approximately 800,000 were Gujarati is 500,000 were Punjabis, and many of them have come from East Africa One must not forget that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s grandparents came from Kenya British Indians and other immigrants from ethnic minorities have heavily contributed to this country's fabric of society, to its wealth, GDP and whatnot Yet, this country turns around and says no to immigrants being workers, but they're immigrants who really need shelter, who have nothing but just clothes on their backs and nothing else This is exactly the mistake Britain made 50 years ago and is perhaps making again

After much uproar, upon his reinstatement as the face of the show, Football hero and popular commentator Gary Lineker from Match of The Day at BBC, changed his Twitter profile photo with his image near the George Orwell quote by his statue outside the BBC: ‘if liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear’ With this, he made a symbolic statement without speaking out loud In a critical Op-Ed piece, Human rights barrister and author Geoffrey Robertson wrote, “There’s a statue of George Orwell outside the BBC They should heed his advice ” Linekar returned to the channel after being suspended for his tweet condemning the government’s latest “stop the boats” policy, raising an important free speech issue Lineker had tweeted that the government’s language –talking about an “invasion” by a “ swarm ” of immigrants – was akin to that used in Germany in the 1930s This was reportedly against the BBC guidelines but the rules don’t apply to him because he is a freelancer

Speaking Charan Sekhon MBE, Councillor Sharnbrook Council, Chairman SEVA Trust UK said, “I fully support the right to free speech Gary Lineker was right to air his views and BBC was wrong trying to silence his voice Any reforms must be undertaken carefully and the Govt must listen to all concerns instead of trying to rush or forcing the changes without considering all aspects but the current system needs a serious review ” However, critiquing the ongoing situation of Britain’s asylum crisis, Sekhon added, “We need to understand the difference between genuine asylum seekers and those who have been abusing the system The UK has always supported those in genuine need of help who have been uprooted On this point, I agree with the independent experts that our asylum system needs major reforms Whilst our borders need to be more secure to prevent human trafficking gangs to bring more people illegally to this country, we must not close doors for genuine asylum seekers who need our help

We have so many success stories where the UK offered refuge to asylum seekers and those who worked very hard and contributed to our economy but there are many who abuse the systems and become a burden on hard-working taxpayers This needs to be addressed ”

Former England and Liverpool

footballer John Barnes told Sky News the BBC appears to pick and choose when it wants to be impartial, and that the Lineker-BBC controversy is a 'distraction from the cost of living crisis' and other 'real issues'

A new stricter and allegedly ‘ rac ist’ policy

The UK government is proposing to adopt a new, stricter policy to deal with asylum seekers who arrive on the island via boat This step is allegedly being taken to fulfil a promise made in January 2023 by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to “stop the boats” This was on the list of the five key policy priorities he outlined at the time The proposed plan to deport to the origin or remove asylum seekers arriving in the UK by boat to a third country has been sharply criticised by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and leaders of the European Union This is an attempt at protecting jobs or shifting the focus to skilled workers arriving through legal routes However, through the recent years of the pandemic and the economic distress it has caused across developing countries, as well as the displacement of certain communities in countries such as Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, ever greater numbers of asylum seekers have been arriving on the shores of the UK , prompting closer scrutiny of the policy

It is being argued that the new policy is incompatible with international law, specifically the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) While the Illegal Migration Bill (IMB) is yet to be passed by the Parliament, once that happens it will have retrospective applicability from March 7, 2023 However, Labour’s attempt to block the illegal migration bill was defeated in Commons

Labour’s amendment seeking to block the Illegal Migration Bill was defeated by 249 votes to 312, a majority of 63 It will now pass to its second reading The vote followed a debate in the House of Commons which lasted just over four hours Earlier in the debate, home secretary Suella Braverman said: “Despite our reasonable concerns that we have raised on several occasions, like [Tory former home secretary Priti Patel] before me, I am subject to the most grotesque slurs for saying such simple truths about the impact of unlimited and illegal migration

”The home secretary also said the duty to remove “will not be applied to detain and remove unaccompanied asylum-seeking children” She told MPs: “Given the mischaracterisation of the bill from members opposite, I would like to make a few things clear The home secretary’s duty to remove will not be applied to detain and remove unaccompanied asylum-seeking children

”Shadow home secretary Yvette

Cooper told the Commons there needs to be urgent action to “stop the dangerous boat crossings that are putting lives at risk” and undermining border security But she said: “This bill is a con that makes the chaos worse It won’t do the things the prime minister and the home secretary have promised, it won’t stop the criminal gangs or dangerous crossings and, in fact, it makes it easier for those gangs as well

Hundreds of people have gathered in Parliament Square to protest against the government’s controversial new asylum and migration law as MPs debated the measures in the Commons The crowd, which first congregated around the Winston Churchill statue, chanted “What do we want? Safe passage When do we want it? Now”, and “Who built the NHS? Migrants built the NHS ” Many held placards, which read “migrants and refugees welcome here: blame austerity, not migrants”

Addressing the immigration bill, Former CEO, of Equality Trust, Dr Zubaida Haque told us, “This is the most draconian immigration bill ever introduced in this country It is an assault on British values and an assault on British human rights We have always had a proud and noble tradition of taking in vulnerable and desperate asylum seekers fleeing persecution from their country It's important to be clear: we do not have a problem with "hundreds of thousands" of asylum seekers seeking sanctuary here Most asylum seekers prefer to go to other countries - like Turkey, Germany, and Pakistan

“And of the few who do come to the UK through irregular means (because there are no safe routes for them to come), three-quarters have successful applications For people from Afghanistan, it's well over 90% of successful applications But right now under this bill if an Afghan woman – say a judge, a Professor, an engineer – who is fleeing persecution from the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, arrives in the UK through an irregular route, she will not be allowed to apply for asylum in the UK In fact, she will be detained Under this Bill, if a vulnerable woman, young man or child is trafficked to the UK through an irregular route, they will not even be allowed to plead their case under Modern Slavery Act This is a barbaric bill It is a brutal attack on the most vulnerable migrants– and it will increase hate crimes against refugees and migrants in our country I hope the Lords take it to pieces

In alignment with the sentiment, Kanwar Singh, a volunteer aid worker told the newsweekly, “I have been working with people who have been displaced due to war, poverty and economic migrants for years who are just looking for a better life just as my

grandparents did in 1947 First when they were forced to leave their land in west Panjab (now Pakistan) and then to the UK to look for better opportunities for my family What disturbs me the most is that we have senior brown cabinet members who use hateful rhetoric to deny others the same opportunity We are living in a dangerous populist time where brown people are used to furthering the right-wing agenda by scapegoating refugees and distracting their failed national and economic policies We have forgotten our history ” Th e

living c risis

The Yew Lodge Hotel in rural Leicestershire boasts a luxury spa, health club and a Marco Pierre White restaurant but it has become the latest of more than 200 hotels to be shut down with staff laid off to make way for 250 asylum seekers It has pushed the number of migrants being housed in hotels past the 50,000 mark, a 20-fold increase in less than three years It means that at least 42 of the 48 English counties now have hotels accommodating migrants, according to an analysis by The Telegraph

The number has risen by more than 10,000 in less than three months after the Home Office emptied the Manston processing centre in Kent and dispersed thousands of Channel migrants to hotels across the country By November last year, the Manston centre, on a former RAF base, had become dangerously overcrowded with 4,000 migrants, more than double its capacity, after a surge in crossings that saw 30,000 reach the UK in the last five months of 2022 It was compounded by warnings from Kent council leaders that services in the county were at “breaking point” because of the rise in local demand and the cost-of-living crisis In face of threats of legal action and massive compensation claims from migrants illegally held longer than the law allowed, it prompted an emergency operation to disperse them from Manston to hotels, sometimes with little notice to councils or MPs

From 37,142 held in hotels last September - a figure dwarfing the 2,577 in March 2020 - it grew to 40,000 in December before hitting the latest high of 51,000 costing the Home Office more than £6 million a day, according to official figures

Speaking to us, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion consultant in Property and Real Estate, Priya Shah said, "It is an unfortunate situation when asylum seekers need to be housed in hotels, as this can result in cancelled bookings, not just for room and experiences, but conferences and events too, which many hotels offer as a service Arguably, hotels aren't the right sort of accommodation for asylum seekers, many of whom will be traumatised and need medical support Alternative and appropriate solutions need to be explored, and

the real estate sector has always been instrumental with this - from providing homelessness support through multiple charities and stepping up when we had Ukranian refugees, there is an opportunity for the sector to help again "

In the latest development, twothirds of London’s councils have signed a letter to the home secretary calling for a major shake-up of the government’s hotels policy for asylum seekers The unprecedented joint action follows the removal of 100 asylum seekers from a hotel in Greenwich against their will last month, a move that has generated concern across the capital’s councils About 40 asylum seekers refused to move from the Greenwich hotel to one in Dunstable in Bedfordshire and are still there Both hotels have been targeted by far-right protests

The letter, led by the Royal Borough of Greenwich, has been co-signed by 21 other London borough councils including Barnet, Lambeth and Westminster It calls on the Home Office to treat asylum seekers with care and compassion and not to uproot them at short notice from communities where they are settled, have established support networks and may be studying or volunteering It urges the government to improve communication with councils, ensure asylum seekers’ basic needs are met, and find longer-term housing solutions for asylum seekers rather than using hotels

Meanwhile, a popular hotel in Birmingham quashed rumours of it closing to the public to provide accommodation for asylum seekers There had been suggestions

The Mount Hotel Country Manor in Tettenhall may be turned over to housing those seeking refugebut the family-run business confirmed it had "no intention" of doing so Speculation about the future of the hotel, which has a 4 5 rating on TripAdvisor, had been rife on social media But it said that, while there were "big and exciting developments" afoot, none involved closing to the public

Does the UK have more asylums eekers than most countri es?

No, it does not In the year ending September 2022, the UK received 72,027 asylum applications from main applicants only This is double the number of applications in 2019 This is likely linked in part to the easing of global travel restrictions that were in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to a sharp increase in small boat arrivals to the UK, of which almost all claim asylum

According to UNHCR statistics, as of November 2022, there were 231,597 refugees, 127,421 pending asylum cases and 5,483 stateless persons in the UK The war in Ukraine drove a large increase from the previous year 1,391 people were granted protection through resettlement schemes in the year ending September 2022 This is 25% of the number of people resettled in 2019 1,101 were resettled through the UK Resettlement scheme (UKRS), 4 arrivals under Pathway 2 of the ACRS, 6 under the Mandate Protection Programme and 280 under the Community Sponsorship Programme (The Home Office does not provide figures for the

Priya Shah Charan Singh Sekhon Dr Zubaida Haque

Paramita Purkayastha

I n th e p as t co u p l e o f d ecades, British Indian films like Bend It Like Beckham a nd S lu m d o g M i ll i o nai re h av e not o nly created a lo t of b u zz i n th e S o u th A s i an d iaspo ra bu t have also sw ept u p top award s in the international arena A nd yet, the British Asian comm unity in p e rf o rm i ng a rts rem a i ns thorough ly underrepresented, even more so behind the camera and on th e stage

But Pravesh Kumar

MBE, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Rifco Theatre Company, has used his creative magic to bring in thousands of viewers with interests in South Asia to the theatre which is mostly white, middle-class, and high-brow Speaking about his particular feat, he told Asian Voice, “You feel represented and valued if you tell authentic stories from our lens I think this has been the key to really resonating with audiences When I was an actor, everyone in the audience was also predominately white I started to think, why do we not go to the theatre? This changed very quickly when we made theatre based on stories that felt like our own Now at Rifco Theatre Company, we have a large British South Asian audience who come to theatres in their thousands across the country Also, I’m from a working-class background and tell stories about us from inside the community, working with brilliant creatives and actors I make musicals and plays (and now films too) that are often entertaining, but also talk about serious issues without alienating us, so that what we are watching feels like it belongs to us And I love music It’s a natural part of my storytelling I think Desis like musicals too, so this is a big win! Growing up, I watched so many Bollywood musicals that I find it hard to tell a story without music driving the narrative ”

His contribution to theatre not only earned him an MBE in 2022 but also continues to make Rifco Theatre Company one of the most successful touring theatre companies in the UK The British Asian romantic comedy film Little English, directed by Kumar, is set to hit the screens

Little English and truly South Asian

across the UK on 17 March

Featuring a full Asian cast, it is based on the Rifco Theatre Company’s 2007 hit play There’s Something About Simmy and is Kumar’s first feature film

His short film Gods on Mountains was nominated for the Satyajit Ray Short Film Award in 2008

According to Kumar, the transition from short film to feature film was so difficult that it felt impossible “In Britain, we South Asians are doctors, lawyers and accountants - we can even become Prime Minister, but very few of us are in the media Even though we may represent more than cent of the populati have little or no repre tion or voice in the ar after all this time W community, access music, films, books, word, and theatre - bu back it I wish we value art and artists a as we value religion British media is r mostly white peopl they choose what is missioned, and very gets through that ne often have you seen with a British South cast in the cinema? once every decade? H this allowed to happen are we not shoutin about this? I want ev to go to the cinema an port Little English s we can prove that film this work, and pave the for more films and th productions about di communities in the fut

Considering Bollywood is a top even for white actors models, as a person of S Asian origin, Pravesh venture into Bollywoo his early years “I went t in Mumbai with wide e learnt a lot, especially not to tell stories I wo with many great people some brilliant filmma but I didn’t feel represe or that I belon Bollywood is a family ness, and especially wh was there in early 2000 could not get in witho family connection I back to England and st to write and make my p immediately this felt home, and there wa looking back ”

Little English is ab young woman (playe Rameet Rauli) wit

much English imported f b h h unwilling to let her be for ’ ke, a secret

(played by Viraj Juneja) who has his struggles This is the big-screen debut for both Rauli and Juneja and is a testament to Kumar’s commitment to promoting young South Asian talent in the performing arts in Britain Regarding the Rifco Associates program, Kumar said, “Rifco Associates is a vital scheme that we run, to give a real opportunity to British South Asians with bespoke mentorship and genuine support for their natural next step in their chosen art form We already have so many success stories, Ameet Chana (also in the film!) is now our Associate Director and will

and she is now a force in the stand-up scene Yasmin Wilde wrote and performed Glitterball, which we toured last year and was nominated for ‘Most Promising New Playwright’ at the Off West End Awards, and Karim Khan recently rocked the Edinburgh Festival with his new play Brown Boys Swim These artists are just the tip of the iceberg; we are excited about so many others ”

And so are we! Kumar promises Little English to be an authentic British South Asian story that will resonate deeply, especially with Desi audiences “It's funny and heart-warming and also asks serious ques-

Chamak Craft, Art & Décor: Mina and Bhagirath Thakkar

Sunetra Senior

Con tri b uti ng to a war m a nd s triking home is the central aim of Chamak, Craft, Art and Décor The ornamental company parti c ular ly c han nel ti me- honour ed c raf ts that form a cul tura l br id ge between traditional Indian ancestry and modern-day Britain The first of its kind, the expansive predominantly on line marketplace off ers an unrivalled, wi de range of locally made South- As i an art i sa n pr oduc ts (pi ctured): from grass-roots fine art and garden furniture to vintage fixtures an d s tun ni ng dec ora ti ve pi ec es or eve n sc ulpt ural na i l- etc he d ar t Founders, Mina and Bhagirath Thakkar, who are happily married, sell roughly 900 individual produc ts whi ch hav e be en borne out of trading relations hips st ruc k purel y ‘ on the ground’ Each piece is unique and an original; guaranteed to add a touch of charming glamour to one ’ s house

“We took the time to talk and bond with each local artist in India before selling and providing them the exposure on

Holi Celebrations at Neasden Temple

Hol i is one o f t he mo st col our ful fe stiv al s in t he Hindu cal enda r and w elcomes the onset of spring and celebrates the new life and vitality of all that fol-

murtis which were adorned with vibrant colours to mark the occasion

our vast platform,” the couple shared Indeed, Bhagirath personally travelled out to India to scout the vendors of an impressive array of beautiful items from every corner of the vibrant subcontinent Furthermore, the artisanal partnerships formed within Chamak Craft, Art and Décor are fiscally equitable with the creators receiving the same payment as they would selling to native national stores The motto of our company, Bhagirath shared, is: “May Everyone be Happy!” The business is also proud to donate to local charities and has started helping burgeoning independent vendors here in the UK as well Not only then are Chamak’s wares authentic but so too is the mindset behind the business

Indeed, the philanthropic enterprise was launched as somewhat of a passion project which gradually resulted in commercial success Mina told us: “During a trip to India in 2021, we noticed a lot of impressive local craftsmanship where the vendors deserved wider appreciation Much love and hard work goes into the pieces and that constitutes these people’s livelihood It is wonderful to be able to now benefit many talented families, such as being able to facilitate education, by supporting them to make a living through doing what they love ” Interestingly, the concept of general communal connection emotively drives the couple: “We love the idea of bringing people across generations together and stoking intimate conversations around culture and

life ”

In fact, the dedicated business hopes to offer buyers the chance to physically sample the products from their London-based warehouse after spying the precious digital finds in the future

“We understand that the touch and feel as well as the look is important with special pieces We are very social people too so if we'd get to meet our customers and create a hospitable vibe that’s a big plus!” Chamak Craft, Art & Décor have definitely put in the gritty graft and energy themselves, working tirelessly to launch the ambitious business since its exciting inception

“We have taken huge risks and worked adaptively to bring people quality creative product We even think about the materials as well as the product itself, always sourcing innovative Indian ambience e g , one craftsman produces pieces comprised of castor oil, creating his own Rogan art, which

received the third highest honour from the current Indian Prime Minister Modi who has gifted pieces to dignitaries such as Barak Obama, the President of Denmark and much more! This tradition commonly utilises vegetable oil There are also local metals and wood that have been greatly admired amongst our diverse indigenous collection ” Finally, at the heart of this ebullient thriving business emerges the desire to emotionally conjure a sense of home Transcending the material arena Chamak Craft, Art and Décor highlight cultured interconnectivity as the ultimate treasured part

lo w s It a lso ce lebrates the triumph of good over evil and the saving grace of God, symbo lis ed by t h e lighting of the Holi bonfire

The beauty, energy and profundity of Holi were celebrated at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan

Mandir, London – popularly known as ‘Neasden Temple’ – on Monday 6 March 2023

Devotees and visitors arrived at the Mandir throughout the day and paid their respects to the

The ceremonial activities of Holi commenced on the grounds of the S w a m i n a r a y a n School opposite the Mandir, where the traditional bonfire was lit shortly after 6 pm Devotees placed newly harvested grains and coconuts in the bonfire as an offering made in thanksgiving to Agni, the Deity of Fire The celebrations also provided an opportunity for members of the local community to come together and enjoy hot snacks and refreshments

Community celebrates Holi!

The Heritage Bengal Global Holi 2023 bid a very colourful farewell to the old buildings of the Harrow Civi c Centre which go into demolition on 1st April this year The chocolate colour building in the background is the ac tual coun ci l w here the elected councillors met and had the sessions

Adda celebrated its 11th

Holi celebration at Stoke Green cricket club in Slough town, outskirts of London

The whole Indian community in the vicinity participated with full fervour Apart from colours, music and dance celebration we also organised lip-smacking Indian food, stalls for snacks & sweets, jewellery and apparels

What is a unique selling point of your business?

Compared to other online platforms, we are able to swiftly deliver: products are efficiently shipped to us at home beforehand

What has been a highlight moment?

A physical pop-up shop we set up during Diwali was a huge hit People were really drawn to the products and were genuinely interested

Tell us more on the ethos of your business?

We believe in horizontal growth rather than vertical If people around us are happy – friends, family, and buyer and supplier – that energy will yield bigger growth But if it’s vertical and just one person ’ s profit, you might as well be on the Himalayas alone and freezing You’ll be high up but terribly unsatisfied This philosophy has been inherited from grandparents and we have chosen to carry it on!

W: https://chamak uk/password

BHAGIRATH THAKKAR

“We have taken huge risks and worked adaptively to bring people quality creative product. We even think about the materials as well as the product itself, always sourcing innovative Indian ambience e.g., one craftsman produces pieces comprised of castor oil, creating his own Rogan art"

MINA THAKKAR

The strength of believing in yourself

Paramita Purkayastha

B ei ng a w oma n in s p o rts i s unqualifiedly ch allenging, even in the hyped ones like tennis Not only is there lesser pay than their male counterparts, physical sports demand subverting every expectation heaped on women a cro s s s o ci eti es - do i ng h eavy work, making th e body break the conventionally feminine mould, being competitive, and making their own choices sp ortswomen battle the consequences every moment of their existence And being a South Asian woman in sports is a different ballgame altogether, as even male ch ildren are discouraged from playing too much in aspiring middleclass families

But Dr Amna Khan, Senior Lecturer in consumer behaviour and retailing at Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, is a superwoman (though part of her point today is to insist that other women could do it too) Because after giving up on her love for sports like zillions of South Asian children to focus on her studies, she returned after a prestigious corporate PhD and motherhood (among many, many other things) as a confident woman to give a fresh breath of life to those old feelings, this time in powerlifting But it still wasn’t easy, of course As she told Asian Voice in an interview, “I was a non-gym goer who went to the gym to lose pregnancy weight as I had broken my right shoulder in a road accident I discovered a passion and love for lifting heavy weights which resulted in a disciplined process of training Generally, people don’t associate heavy lifting with females – even less so with Asian females, and people did discourage me and ask questions ”

Battling Long Covid

What made her return to sports even more remarkable was that she achieved her sporting glories after battling long Covid In July 2022, she became the first British Pakistani to become the British Champion Powerlifter She achieved a British deadlift record at the British Championship by lifting 158 kilos whilst being under 52 kgs body weight In her journey towards that, she competed in two competitions, with two wins and a record deadlift at each, also securing the regional and national deadlift record “Long Covid impacted me – it reduced my strength by 40 per cent It was a real shock I had to believe in myself, focus my mindset, treat each training session as a building back journey and trust the process that I would be strong if I remained consistent ” That her efforts paid off is an understatement

Over the years, achieving well and achieving a lot has only become second nature Talking about balancing her profes-

The future of Work 3.0

sion (which she loves by the wayher foray into retail began after falling in love with studying consumer behaviour in her shop job after school) with a passion as demanding as powerlifting, she told us, “It is a juggling act Strength sport is competitive and you constantly have to challenge yourself and stay committed I am very fortunate to have the support of my family, but I also focus on time management to ensure that I can deliver on all of my commitments ” Patriarchy did catch up once with this fighter of a woman though- she could not return to swimming

“I loved physical education at school, my favourite sports were running and swimming – I taught myself to swim in the school lessons and as I grew older, running became my go-to exercise,” she told us But being an immigrant Muslim in Britain meant in her time, she could not choose a swimming costume aligning with her religious beliefs In as recently as 2021, the Norwegian beach handball women ’ s team was fined for refusing to wear the mandated bikini bottoms and turning up in shorts instead Women as famous and successful as Serena Williams and Sania Mirza have been in trouble for exerting their clothing choices while playing For the young Amna Khan, it simply meant giving up swimming But Khan believes that things are looking up: ”The sporting narrative is changing, we have just witnessed leading brands developing their versions of hijab and focusing more on the religious identity of Muslims There is also a growing desire to represent more inclusive gym wear for women who prefer to show less skin and wear looser gym wear ” Today, her body is her own Talking about her reason for choosing strength sport specifically, she said: “I was intrigued to see what my body could do and ventured to the weight room and discovered an exciting challenge I quickly learnt about stereotypes of women in strength sports and Asian cultures All I want now is to continue challenging the status quo and pave the way for future generations!”

So, is there hope for South Asian women venturing into sports?

Definitely, she says “We need to have more inclusive gym spaces where women feel comfortable to train, more support on lifting and using gym equipment so they know they won’t get hurt, and a community of support – which encourages fitness, health and wellbeing ” But her best advice is an expected one from a woman of her calibre: “Find your passion and give it your all - anything is possible! Whatever you do, be consistent and disciplined and your hard work will bear fruits ”

Vital services at your fingertips, NHS urges the use of NHS 111 online

NHS 111 online connects you with medical advice quickly, conveniently, and with the s a me expe rts , you ca n expe ct t o re ac h through the telephone service

That’s the message being delivered by the NHS this year, with the service adding that you can get advice on self-care, and even receive a call back from a nurse, doctor or other trained health professional if needed

It’s available to everyone over the age of 5 and it can direct you to the most appropriate medical care for your needs in as little as 90 seconds, such as an urgent treatment centre, GP surgery, or pharmacy

Dr Henna Anwar is one NHS GP promoting the service

“I know from listening to my patients in my surgery that many people are worried about getting ill If you are ill, deciding which support you might need, whether it be a GP appointment or over-the-counter medicine from a pharmacy, can be difficult

Using NHS 111 online first will ensure everyone who needs medical advice knows exactly what service is best for their symptoms

“So, if you think you need care fast, but it’s not life-threatening, visit 111 online first By answering just a few questions, it can direct you to the best treatment for you ” New survey data showed that:

w Almost 2 in 5 people (39%) didn’t know that NHS 111 online can assess and direct you to the right care in as little as 90 seconds

w A third of people (33%) didn’t know NHS 111 online could direct you to A&E

w More than half (57%) didn’t know that NHS 111 online could direct you to a pharmacist

NHS 111 online is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week Go to 111 nhs uk to get assessed and directed to

w the right healthcare in your area

w a call back from a nurse, doctor, or paramedic

w advice on self-care

Dr Henna says, “Knowing that NHS expertise is accessible online hopefully brings reassurance to many people ”

Shefali Saxena

Work 3 0 tackles one of the most pressing and complex questions o f t he p re se nt a ge , h ea d -on What will the worker, workplace and work itself, look like – in the future? And the other key questions that follow from this

What technological and behavioural competencies are needed today and in the future? Are inequalities in access to education and lack of the ‘right skills’ increasing global inequality and lead ing to nationalist agenda tha can shrink our boundaries? Ar employers rising to the chal lenge of growing mental ill health? How has Covid trans formed working as we know i and is it fuelling existing dis parities? Is Metaverse blurrin the difference between the vi tual and the real? To addre these questions, Avik Chand and Siddhartha Bandyopadhya have combined academ research with reports on indu try applications, business ca studies, expert interviews, ane dotes, their personal experti and insights, into a rich multi-disciplinary brew that spans economics, statistics and public policy, history and sociology, psychology, law, political science, literature and philosophy The result is a book that is ambitious in scope, rich in analytical detail, and far-reaching in its conclusions

We live in a volatile and uncertain world and a pressing question for all of us is: What will the worker, workplace and work itself look like in the future?

Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay told Asian Voice, “Work 3 0 tackles this and some of the other most pressing and complex ques-

tions of the present age, head-on We (Avik Chanda and Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay) synthesise rigorous research supplemented with industry reports, business case studies, expert interviews, anecdotes and our personal expertise and insights, to present a rich multi-disciplinary offering that spans economics, statistics, public policy, history, sociology, psychology, law, political science, literature and philosophy The book will change the way you think about e future and how the past nd present still shape it

“Conceived as the ultiate future of work preparaon guide, this book is essenal reading in our rapidly hanging world On reading his, the reader’s key insights ill be:

Gain a better undertanding of the trends round emerging and eclining sectors, domains, obs, skills and competenies, to be successful in the mergent workplace Develop a deeper undertanding of the dual specialism of skills, especially the behavioural skills needed for success, and how to use them optimally at work

“Appreciate how government agencies, firms and individual professionals can work cohesively for mutual benefit, enhanced focus, job satisfaction, meaning and productivity Gain a working knowledge for understanding and developing workplace resilience, enhancing mental health in the workplace and honing one ’ s skills at an individual level To be successful Apply the insights, techniques and learnings to thrive in a globalised milieu ”

Sanj ay i is a p politic al l leader c arryin g a g great l legacy o of be nevolenc e s ser vice i in t the public e eye H He i is a an e engaged c itizen c curren tly s ervi ng a as a c ounc illor f for N North E Evington, Leic ester

Sanjay’s life story is that of a humble beginning in Gujarat, Indiaand eventually he has risen to power in Britain.Sanjay used his intelligence, wit and determination to become one of the most beloved councillors in Leicester. He is an example of how a person’s life story can inspire someone with its combination of struggles and successes.

Early years of his political career during university’s days in India, he played a key role as a leader of student solving concerns and issues of student life. He moved to the UK and started his professional career as a factory manager, and then joined First Buses where he was again identified for his leadership qualities and got elected to a Union leader. In due course of time, he became a successful business owner based out of Leicester, a momentous achievement.

Internally Sanjay was always contemplating how he can serve the people of Leicester. This motivated him to study political manifesto of labour party and conservatives. He became well impressed by the ideologies, beliefs and policies of Conservative Party. His decision to be a leader in the Conservative party shaped the course of his political career as a local councillor at Leicester.

Sanjay can recognize opportunities and challenges and has the ability to align people and resources to deal with the change.In recent ripples of unrest in the

friendly city of Leicester, he jumped straight in and started meeting with people across communities to uphold peace in the city. He pulled up his socks and reached out from police commissioner, head constable to community leaders, and general public. If Sanjay feels for anissue, he has the abilityto bring his personal charisma to the forefront in achieving political objectives.

Politics is an ever-changing and dynamic field, but the life stories of many of its most influential figures are often just as fascinating. So is Sanjay’s, a man who will continue to represent his

people. Sanjay is full of energy and has great amount of enthusiasm to do something for his community, for his city, no holds barred when it comes to serving his people. He upholds high social values; he is a dynamic leader and has strong hold in the city of Leicester.

Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay

Carrying forward a great legacy of philanthropic service, Cllr Sanjay Modhwadia

Sanjay Modhwadia

Sanjay Modhwadia with PM Rishi Sunak

Vision of PM Modi

‘Infrastructure push to make India developed by 2047: PM Modi’ in AV dated 11-17 March 2023 shows the determination and vision of Narendra Modi Gati Skakti Master plan as mentioned in the newspaper will change the face of India’s infrastructure and multimodal logistics

A strong infrastructure is the backbone of any country

How fast and efficiently stock can be moved from one destination to another is very important for industrial development, especially for a large country like India We have abundant resources and the ability to produce but sometimes due to a lack of cold storage and fast-moving transport facilities products like fresh produce and fruits are wasted

The development of infrastructure is a long project which requires a clear vision, direction and adequate resources Fortunately, we have a visionary leader in India like Narendra Modi who is totally committed to developing a strong infrastructure for the future of the country

Sometimes it is difficult to understand the importance of bridges and why we need speedy links among major cities but for business development these are prerequisites Foreign companies look at the stability, infrastructure and long-term plans of a country before investing money into the country

The benefits of the above may not be visible within one or two years but for long-term prosperity, the development of the right infrastructure is very vital

Hitesh Hing u London

BBC documentary

Recently so many controversy, debate and discussions are going on in media, in British parliament, and all over the world regarding BBC’s handling and operation which created protest and unrest within

Also few weeks ago it produced documentary on PM Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat about Godhra riots It adopted the old British regime’s tactics of divide and rule and creating tension, brain washing to hamper otherwise a peace loving and very progressive state of Gujarat

Why doesn’t BBC produce documentaries about Britain’s ‘Dark Past’, about the atrocities committed by the British Empire? You don’t need research as these are historical facts with tons of documents to support claims It was the most brutal, inhuman colonial power where residents were subjected to forced labour, systematic torture, sexual assault, starvation and murder

British mismanagement led to famines They placed more emphasis on the cultivation of cash crops rather than growing food crops that would feed India’s huge population They imported food from other part of the empire to feed its citizens Under the policies of British colonialism people around the world subjected to mass starvation, atrocious conditions like in concentrated camps, and brutal massacres at the hands of imperial troops The Brits also played a role in the transatlantic slave trade

When people of colonial countries protested for independence they were tortured, jailed with hard labour, murdered, hanged, separated from their loved ones, and their properties were taken by force and list goes on

If they produced documentaries on British Empire, thousand episodes will not be enough to tell the dark history on which lies the prosperity they are enjoying now

S uresh and Bhavna P atel

M arkh am, Canada

Sunak is superb

I like the way Britain's prime minister Rishi Sunak performs at press conferences He answers every question to the best of his ability, is always pleasant and polite and obviously enjoys the opportunity of interacting with reporters He is rapidly building a reputation as a charmer - a trait that has been lacking in many of his predecessors

As for American president Joe Biden, he simply says his piece at press conferences, then turns and walks away, ignoring a flurry of questions shouted by reporters

Ash Gupta

RIP Satish Kaushik

Actor Satish Kaushik's roles in movies like 'Mr India' and 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro' are still remembered till today His pairing with Govinda yielded some of the biggest hits of the 1990s These include 'Swarg', 'Saajan Chale Sasural', 'Deewana Mastana, 'Pardesi Babu', 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan', 'Aunty No 1' and 'Haseena Maan Jayegi', to name a few

May his soul rest in peace in the abode of the Almighty Jubel D'C ruz

Death of comedians

Comedians dying young is a tragedy We have lost in a short span Tamil actors such as Mayilsamy, Vivek and Raju Srivastav They made us laugh till the last minute and used humour to highlight many social issues prevailing in society Their humour will live for ever!

TS K arthik

King Charles and Queen Camilla attend their first Commonwealth Day Service as reigning couple

Th e pi llars of th e Me mori al Gate s, in a u gu r at ed b y t h e Q u e en o n No vember 6, 2002, are dedicated to fi ve million people from th e Indian

S u b - Co n ti n en t, Af ri c a a n d th e Carib bean who served o r lo st thei r lives in th e two World Wars

They also celebrate the contribution that these men and women and their descendants continue to make to the rich diversity of British society The pillars are made from Portland Stone and are carved with the names: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Africa, the Caribbean, Kingdom of Nepal

They are topped by a bronze urn and gas flames, which are lit on special occasions such as Remembrance Sunday, Armistice Day and Commonwealth Day The names of holders of Victoria and George Crosses are engraved on the inside of the domed pavilion and the major campaigns are listed on two stone benches The great stone arch, just outside of the park, is the Wellington Arch It once stood and marked the northern gate to Buckingham Palace It moved to its present position in 1882

Since the opening of the Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill in 2002, a wreath-laying ceremony is held every year, which is organised on Commonwealth Day and this year on Monday 13 March there was a special focus on the service and sacrifice of the Windrush Generation, as 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of

the HMT Empire Windrush Lord Karan Bilimoria on behalf of the life President of the Memorial Gates Council, Baroness Shreela Flather and in partnership with the Royal British Legion, hosted the event

The Commonwealth represents a global network of 56 countries, having been joined by Gabon and Togo in 2022 Working in collaboration towards shared economic, environmental, social and democratic goals, the Service seeks to highlight a vast community which spans every geographical region, religion and culture, embracing the diversity of it its population of 2 5 billion people, of which over

60 per cent are under 30 years old

King Charles and Queen Camilla attended their first Commonwealth Day Service as the reigning couple

The King, 74, and Queen Consort, 75, joined members of the royal family at Westminster Abbey on Monday for the annual event honouring the 56 countries and nations that make up the Commonwealth Others members of the royal family in attendance included Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Edward and Sophie (the new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh) and Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence During the event, King Charles gave his Commonwealth Day address from the Great Pulpit at Westminster Abbey, in which he remembered his mother, Queen Elizabeth

‘Save, Sustain & Shine’ – Conference by BAPS to celebrate International Women’s Day 2023

BA P S S wam inarayan Sanstha in th e U K , h ead qu ar ter ed at B A P S S h ri Swaminarayan M andir, Lo nd on - popularly known as ‘Neasden Tem ple’o bs erv ed th e U N ’ s I nte rna ti o na l Wom en ’ s Day (IWD), with an inspiring co nference o n Sunday 12 March 2023

BAPS’s celebration of IWD represents its on-going commitment to women and matters of importance to women, as inspired and guided by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader and inspirer of BAPS activities across the world

The conference, titled “Celebrating Women: Save, Sustain & Shine”, focussed on three key themes – saving and budgeting, ways in which we can contribute to a sustainable environment and finding time to develop knowledge and skills to achieve personal excellence

The programme highlighted the importance of becoming more financially aware, especially during a cost of living crisis, and urged participants to make sustainable choices in order to act on climate change while also prioritising personal and professional growth for a more balanced life

These topics were explored through various mediums, including a panel discussion, uplifting video presentations, and inspiring testimonies of women who have overcome adversity

and achieved remarkable success in various facets of their lives

Addressing the gathering, Sonia Morar (Deputy COO - Tax & Legal Services, KPMG) said, “I encourage you all to make the most of this afternoon by sharing and learning new experiences, by reminding yourself of what you already know but also by being excited about being able to focus on your skills, aspirations and continual development There has never been a better time to be a woman – we should all relish that and take pride of what we have collectively achieved and the prospects ahead of us Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to celebrate this day with you all”

The live panel discussion welcomed Lavina Mehta MBE (leading wellness coach), Dr Sundhya Raman (healthcare professionals trainer for NHS), Drishti Mae (Head of Operations for Earth Charitable Foundation), Riya Patel (Fitness Trainer for ‘Pilates By Riya’) and Nupur Gadkari (key marketing

campaigner for ICC Cricket and FIFA in South Asia) who all shared insights from their incredible journeys demonstrating that it is never too late to learn and grow, enabling us to help those in need and make a positive impact

Rena Amin, a BAPS leader and one of the volunteers helping to organise the event, explained, “His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj regularly reminds us that we should always be striving to improve ourselves and serve others Leading by example, he teaches us that with unity and kindness, we can all make a positive contribution towards a happy, healthy and harmonious society In celebration of International Women’s Day this year, we hope this programme empowered women to feel motivated to commit time for personal development and in turn enrich communities and protect the environment ”

Similar conferences will also be held at over 20 other BAPS mandirs and centres around the UK

Leicester thief stole statues of Hindu Gods

Four s tatues of Hindu gods were stolen f ro m a busi ness i n Leicester and the po lice want to fi nd out wh at happened to th em Th e burglary too k p lace back in January and a man has been arrested in connecti on with th e crime i n Lunsford Road, Northfi el ds, Leicester But Leicestershire Police

have not managed to track down the stolen goods The force has released images of the items in the hope that someone might recognise them Anyone with information or who has been offered the items for sale is asked to get in touch Leicestershire Police said in a statement:

"Police are appealing for the whereabouts of a number of ornaments stolen from a business in Leicester Overnight between 18 and 19 January, a business in Lunsford Road was broken into, and four religious ornaments were stolen

"As part of our investiga-

tion, a 33-year-old man has been arrested in suspicion of burglary and remains in police bail pending further enquiries If anyone knows of the current whereabouts of these statues or have been offered similar items for sale, please contact police on 101 quoting 23000037027 "

High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami attended and laid a wreath at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates Commemoration Ceremony organised by the Memorial Gates Committee

King Charles and Queen Camilla attend their first Commonwealth Day Service

Spotlight speaker Sonya

Are South Asians getting the right opportunities and infrastructure to nurture their artistic talent ?

As we witness waves of protest all over the world and specifically in South Asia with the failure of the global economy and government administrations, there is a need to return to the question of the ‘popular’ on an urgent basis

Shefali Saxena

The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in collaboration with the Sharjah Art Foundation is delighted to announce the opening of the new exhibition, Pop South Asia: Artistic Explorations in the Popular, presenting the works of around 50 artists from different parts of the world

Organised by Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and Sharjah Art Foundation, Pop South Asia is curated by lftikhar Dadi, artist and John H Burris Professor at Cornell University, and Roobina Karode, Director and Chief Curator of KNMA Initiated and displayed first at the Sharjah Art Foundation, the exhibition is now presented at KNMA with additional works and parallel projects located in both the Saket and Noida spaces of the museum

We spoke to Roobina in detail about the importance of art and culture in the ethnic minority community What makes South Asian art and artists relevant and important to the art and culture community?

Today, art and culture have become more ‘global’ than ever, where, paradoxically, western idioms and lifestyles still dominate contemporary mass culture At the same time, as a reaction to the contradictions of our globalised world, we also find different appeals to regress to a jingoist and hyper-nationalistic identity, narrowing down the scope of truly collective life and the vastness of human imagination It is in this context that the transnational and cosmopolitan notion of ‘South Asia’ provides an opportunity to look at the present moment beyond the two extreme options of the global and the national, as well as the trite opposition between the west and the east Artists from South Asia, with their perceptive reading of and intervention into the cosmopolitan and syncretic traditions of the subcontinent and the region’s dynamic and complicated popular culture, encourage us to rethink the contours of our civilizational legacy and the shared future For instance, in the context of the exhibition, we find surprising parallels between Indian painter-entrepreneur Raja Ravi Varma’s reinterpretation and popularisation of Hindu icons and Sri Lankan artist Maligawage Sarlis’s similar take on Buddhist themes at the very beginning of the twentieth century, inspiring the later generations of artists to delve deeper into the intersections between the sacred and the secular, the classical and the popular, while remaining sensitive to the intricacies of the subcontinental culture

Do you think South Asians are getting the right opportunities and infrastructure to be able to nurture their artistic talent and also make decent monetary gains?

I would say, yes My experience mainly relates to the Indian scene and speaking from that vantage point, I can say that here one of the turning points happened during the liberalisation phase in the 1990s wherein we adopted a more open approach to the global market As a result, many new players, both national as well as international, commercial as well as non-profit, entered what was earlier a highly limited art domain restricted to primarily governmentfunded organisations like the Lalit Kala Akademi which dispensed with fellowships and awards as well as educational institutions like Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, founded by Rabindranath Tagore in West Bengal Government fellowships and awards did allow artists to explore western institutions and move-

Who Cares?

First National Care Careers Conference For School And College Students

Thousands of young people

ac ros s t he c ount ry j oin ed Who Cares ?, the fi rst-ever national care careers conference for students in schools and c olleges, organis ed by H al lma rk Founda ti on a nd W or ki ng Opti ons i n Education on 7 March

The event in London attracted hundreds of students aged 14-18 who are looking at career opportunities in care and the wide variety of roles and jobs available Thousands more joined the event by live streaming from their schools and colleges

ments but these were few and far between Tell us a bit about the idea behind this exhibition. What goes into putting it together?

The exhibition, which evolved from my conversations with Dadi, had its first iteration at the Sharjah Art Foundation the last year Over the months before the Sharjah exhibition as well as its Delhi edition at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, we painstakingly developed a list of around fifty South Asian and diasporic artists and their works, developed a research database on their practice and philosophy, and co-ordinated over logistical means with numerous art collectors, museums and galleries spread all over the world A massive exhibition such as this had to be divided into subsections and categories So display-wise, we created separate galleries within the exhibition, thematically devoted to the visual culture of the bazaar, popular prints, cinema, urbanisation, the questions of identity etc

How can the UK and India cross-promote artists so that their work is recognised and travels across the globe?

I believe there is a well-developed ecology in place wherein cross-cultural exchanges between UK and Indian artists are shaped and promoted In fact, for Indian artists, the UK presents the maximum number of scholarships and fellowships in the form of the Commonwealth Grant, Charles Wallace Fellowship, or the Chevening Scholarship along with residences offered by London-based non-profit independent outfits like the Delfina Foundation and Gasworks British artists travel to India and work with various art organisations across the country, whether in the form of workshops or residences If we look back at what was happening in India post-independence, a lot of prominent artists from the Fine Arts Faculty at the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, was travelling to the Royal College of Art, London on scholarships in the 1950s and 1960s While artists like Gulammohammed Sheikh and Vivan Sundaram went to Britain, there were art practitioners like the figurative painter Timothy Hyman and painter-printmaker Howard Hodgkin who came to Baroda and travelled across India in the 1970s and 1980s Recently, there have been major showings of Indian contemporary artists in galleries across the UK Jitish Kallat was invited by the John Hansard Gallery, part of the University of Southampton, to develop an exhibition out of objects from their archives which culminated in the show, Tangled Hierarchy in 2022 The show has now travelled to India and is presently being exhibited at KochiMuziris Biennale One of the artists who is now being shown along with the India iteration of the Pop South Asia exhibition, Nalini Malani, has her works on view at the National Gallery, London as the first recipient of the National Gallery contemporary fellow award So, I would say that at the present moment we have generated and developed a good network of artist cooperation and experimentation However, I also look forward to the future to see how these networks are maintained and if they become stronger or are eroded in the long run

Who Cares? featured a line up of speakers and interactive performances – from broadcaster Ed Balls to Deborah Sturdy, chief nurse for adult social care at the Department of Health and Social Care, to Jermaine Harris, the UK’s fastest growing inspirational speaker, and UpFront Theatre Company’s latest production on ‘What makes a good carer ’

Ed Balls talked about his experience working in a care home and with a home care company for a BBC documentary: “I did so many things I had never done in my life ”

Talking about the critical role care plays he told students: “We need to do better as a society to support the way we provide and support careers in care This is a sector that will grow and the demand for people will increase The only way is up and we will only continue to value the work social care workers do If you ’ re thinking of a career with prospects, care is one where your value will be increasing significantly over the next 5-20 years ”

Four younger Hallmark Care Homes team members talked about their journey into care and career development When asked what key values are needed to work in care, they said: “Kindness, courage, dedica-

tion, quality, individuality and dignity

”

To meet the growing care needs of our ageing population and to increase the care workforce by 500,000 people over the next decade, shadow Care Minister Liz Kendall MP called on government to develop a ten year plan for the care workforce

Hallmark Foundation trustee Anita Goyal, who chaired the conference, said:

“We were delighted to have hundreds of people in the hall, some who travelled a long way to London, and thousands who joined us from across the country through livestreaming Many others will be able to access a recording of the event and a range of video resources

“There are lots of opportunities and those opportunities are only going to increase in the coming decades as care needs grow in the UK Young people felt very positively that #YouCanCare and that there are opportunities for everyone in care – from frontline caring to nursing, IT to HR, marketing to finance, hospitality and catering to gardening ”

Avnish Goyal, chair of the Hallmark Foundation and Hallmark Care Homes, said:

“This was the first national care careers conference for students in schools and colleges Clearly there is a huge appetite amongst young people and their tutors and teachers for more information, advice and hands on experience in caring We will be working with partners to provide more opportunities for students to find out why care is a career with a great future ”

The event was sponsored by Advinia Care, Precious Homes, Regent Group, Sahara Care and Hemraj Goyal Foundation, together with a wide range of exhibitors

Ed Balls, Anita and Avnish Goyal

A Tribute to our culture, community and motherland with a visionary leader

As part of the 50-year celebrations of Gujarat Samachar, a prestigious event, "Diamonds are Forever, So Are Morals" was organised on March 6, 2023, at the House of Lords to honour Shri Govindbhai Dholakia, a visionary leader, diamond baron, and philanthropist from India The event was held to unite the Asian communities across the UK and understand each other in a better way to recall our culture, values, and morals

Shree Govind Dholakia is the founder and chairman of Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt Ltd (SRK), a global diamond company with more than 7,000 team members His contribution has touched several thousand people’s lives through selfless social welfare work over five decades Under his various trusts, over 3 million people have received financial support for educational scholarships and medical exigencies

The event was hosted by Lord Loomba CBE Subhash Thakrar was the master of the ceremony Among the distinguished guests were: Lord Parekh, Lord Ranger, Lord Dholakia, Lady Dholakia, The Mayor Cllr Sunil Chopra, Mayoress Varsha Chopra, Shailesh Vara MP, Virendra Sharma MP, Gagan Mohindra MP, H E Nimisha Madhvani, Ms Ovessa Iqbal, FS, High Com of India, Amish Tripathi, Dr M Nandakumar, Anand Dhamecha

and Mr Sriram

Dignitaries from International

Diamo nd Sector: Marwan Nicolas

C , Sarah Kuijlaars, Nigel Simson, Abhinav Gattani, Melanie Grant, Neil Philip Holness, Neil Anthony J , Rinat Rakefet J , Thomas

Stephen D, Rohit Gupta, Vivek Khandelwal, Aviel Simon B and Sanjay Khandelwal

A c a d e mi cs : Prof David

Dabydeen, Dr Karam Marwah, Simrat Marwah, Dr Keshav Singhal, Dr Varun Uberoi, Prof

Parag Singhal, Dr Neha Singhal and Dr Nitin B Parekh

C o mm u n i t y m e m b e r s i nc l u d e d : Mukeshbhai Patel, Dilipbhai Mithani, Dr Jayshree Mehta, Krishna Pujara, Kantibhai Nagda, Vinod Thakrar, Mavji bhai, Ms Shika Soni, Amit Raja and Keisha Shah

F r o m D h o l a ki a F a m i l y : GovindBhai Dholakia, Champaben Dholakia, Shreyans Dholakia, Sweety Dholakia, Minaxi Sojitra, Anil Sojitra,

Sweta Kevadia, Krishiv Kevadia, Dhruval Dholakia, Dhyey Sojitra, Hill Seliya, Arpit Narola, Pearl Sojitra and Kamlesh

Yagnik

Editor-in-Chief, CB Patel, spoke about Shree Govindbhai

Dholakia’s book “Diamonds Are Forever, So Are Morals and welcomed the eminent guests present at the event

Sol idif ying our comm unit y and cultu re

In the welcome speech, host Lord Raj Loomba said, "Tonight is part of the Golden Jubilee celebration of Gujarat Samachar

We are recognizing and honouring entrepreneurs and philanthropists from India This recognition will not only inspire

others, but it will also strengthen our community and our culture Culture, as we all know, serves as a bond that brings people together

He continued saying, "At the same time, giving back to the community is very important I always believe that the secret to a happy life is giving When you give back, you help the needy Giving back does not mean that you give money In fact, you can help people by giving your time, your expertise and your moral support, which will improve and make the lives of people better in our community, our country, and possibly around the world "

Special Honour from ABPL to Govind bhai and Shreyansbhai: Visionary Leader and Philanthropist, Young Entrepreneur

LtoR: Sweta Dholakia Lord Loomba Lord Ranger Lord Parekh CB Patel Govind Dholakia Champaben Minaxi Sojitra Anil Sojitra

Lord Dholakia Shreyans Dholakia and Mahesh Liloriya

Govindbhai Dholakia addressing at the House of Lords

CB Patel addressing the audience

Lord Bhikhu Parekh

(Brochure Unveiling) L to R: CB Patel, Lord Loomba, Lord Parekh, Govindbhai Dholakia, Lord Navnit Dholakia, Shreyans Dholakia

Honour Champaben from ABPL: The honour of Champaben Dholakia, Minaxi Sojitra and Sweta Kevadia by Gujarat Samachar Managing Editor Kokilaben Patel and Manager Business Development Pooja Raval

The identities of the two countries are interwoven

In the keynote speech, speaking about the history and relationship between Britain and India, Lord Bhikhu Parekh stated, "Britain created India by giving us distinct civic and political culture, political institutions, and economic institutions It created India whenever it needed to be defended against the Russians and others; the whole of Britain was involved in it, which was involved in this exercise of hands over India For all of these reasons, India was one of the most significant causes that led to Britain being a single country with a shared past and a sense of identity So that is the first thing we need to keep in mind The

identity We are at the heart of what it is to be British, and we are an integral part of Britain's selfunderstanding And one consequence of that is something we tend to remember sometimes and forget other times That means to be a part of the empire Indians were free to go anywhere When Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of nonviolence, was recruiting soldiers for the army in the First World War, people said,

"Why are you doing this? Then he said that because Britain has protected me, given me the chance to go throughout the empire, I must fight for it when it’s in danger "

"India has shaped Britain, and now Indians are shaping Britain Indians, not only in the shape of

to the principles in the Holy Book in all aspects of my life, including my business "

identities of the two nations are also extremely intertwined because India contributed to the creation of Britain and Britain had created India You could not define Britain without understanding India, and you cannot define India without understanding Britain "

He added, "My first important point, to all of you, is to remember; we cannot be wished away by the bridge We are proud of our British

the present Prime Minister, but also in the shape of you and me and lots of other Indians, through medicine, the law, and others in their own ways, are shaping the country So, we should not feel any kind of inferiority complex This country is ours, not because we are staying here; it is ours because we have helped create it, just as the British can come and say we are India because we created it First India created Britain; now Indians

are creating Britain," he said India-UK relations and Indian values

Talking about trade relations between the UK and India, the Guest of Honour, Shri Govindbhai Dholakia said, "India and the UK have longer-standing, deeper trade ties as well as a stronger relationship For both nations, it has resulted in significant financial gain We have prospered and found employment as a result of this association Prime Minister Narendra Modi supported the idea that the slogan "One Earth One Family One Future" or "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" under India's G20 presidency will enable every nation to benefit Partnership in the areas of culture, society, and economy has long existed between India and the UK By utilising the advantages that both nations can provide one another, we can build a better future India has infrastructure, buildings, IT, and services, whereas the UK leads in innovation And because of these goals and our creative

collaboration, we can foster a successful economy "

Speaking about incorporating Indian values into his life, he said,

"By the time I was 16 years old, I had memorised every shloka in the Bhagavad Gita, which I had been reading since I was 11 years old

After that, I began living according

He added, "I live by the advice of my Hindu saint and preacher, Dongreji Maharaj, who once remarked, "Don't strive to make a difference; if you change your perspective, the world will change itself "

While addressing the event, Lord Rami Ranger said, "We are tremendously proud of folks who not only shine in India but also around the world as a result of their work I remember that CB Patel was the one who made us do community services, and he is the biggest believer in dharma He is an institution in itself "

The vote of thanks was presented by Group Editor Mahesh

Liloriya

(photo credit: Raj D Bakrania, PrMediapix)

Left to Right: Mahesh Liloriya, Amish Tripathi, Govind bhai Dholakia, Shivani Sethia, Owessa Iqbal, Shreyans Dholakia

Honour of Champaben from G 100:

L To R: CB Patel Krishna Pujara Champaben H E Nimisha Madhvani Lord Loomba, Govindbhai, Lord Rami Ranger

Dholakia Family in the House of Lords L to R: Dhyey Pearl Sweta Kevadia Krishiv Hill Govind bhai Dholakia Champaben, Anil Sojitra, Minaxi Sojitra, Sweety Dholakia, Sri, Ish, Shreyans Dholakia, Dhruval, Arpit Narola, Aan

L to R: Minaxi Sojitra, Shreyans Dholakia, Lord Loomba, Champaben, CB Patel, Govind bhai Dholakia, Lord Dholakia, H E Nimisha Madhvani, Mayoress Varsha Chopra, Kishor Parmar (Business Manager ABPL), The Mayor of Southwark Cllr Sunil Chopra, Anil Sojitra

L To R: Dr Karam Marvah Lord Parekh Jayshreeben Mehta CB Patel Sriram

Team ABPL: Jignesh, Dipam Bhachech, Nidhi Bhachech, Kokilaben Patel, Kaushik bhai Desai Subhash Patel Pooja Raval

Anand Dhamecha and Shreyans Dholakia

Subhash Thakrar and Shailesh Vara

“What makes your life is family” - Govindbhai Dholakia

Subhasini Naicker

Gujarat Samachar's golden jubilee celebration included a “Meet and Greet” event, which took place on March 8, 2023, at the

Dhamecha Lohana Centre

Amish Tripathi and Shri

Govindbhai Dholakia were honoured and their books were unveiled at the event

Shri Govindbhai

Dholakia, a diamond baron and philanthropist from India, was honoured and his book, "Diamond Are Forever, So Are Morals: An

Jayendra Patel & Harshad

Patel - (Shree Sattavis gam

Patidar Samaj), Jagdishbhai

P Patel - (Federation of Patidar association), Chandresh Patel - (BAPS, Shayona), Dineshbhai

Sonchhatra - (President, Lohana Community North London), Deepakbhai

Jatania - (Trustee, Lohana Community North London), KalpanaYogeshbhai R Patel (Treasurer, Anand overseas brotherhood), Rashmika T Patel (Secretary, Anand overseas brotherhood), Sonal Patel (Social Secretary, Anand overseas brother-

Book launch: “Diamond Are Forever, So Are Morals” and “War of

Saibaba Temple)

The event was flagged off with a spiritual prayer by Nandakumarji Talented artists, including Pritee Varsani and Kalpesh Patel (KZ Garba Group), joined the event

Lord Dolar Popat presented Govindbhai Dholakia and Amish Tripathi with mementoes Lord Dolar Popat and Amish Tripathi received diamond-made Indian flag brooches from Govindbhai

hood), Ntin Mehta (Young

Autobiography of Govind Dholakia" was unveiled

Shri Amish Tripathi, Director of Nehru Centre London and Minister of Education and Culture at HCI (High Commission of India in the UK), known for his bestsellers the Shiva Trilogy and the Ram Chandra series, was honoured and his latest book "War of Lanka" was launched Both of them have been spreading the ideologies of Sanatan Dharma globally by keeping Indian morals and values on top

Smita Joshi was the master of the ceremony Many dignitaries and community

Indian Vegetarians Society), Dilipbhai Mithani (Navnat Vanik Association, UK), Meenaben Jasani (Lohana

During the opening cer-

know the autobiographies written by APJ Abdul Kalam, such as Wings of Fire, and we know an individual who actually worked with APJ Abdul Kalam, just like Ram and Hanuman He worked for almost 33 years In fact, today I am acting as his proxy In fact, he should have been here today to talk about this book I am not competent enough to talk about this book He is a

members were present during the book launch; among them were Lord Dolar

Popat, Lady Sandhya Popat, Subhash Thakrar, Dhirubhai

Gadhvi - Gujarat Cultural Society, Briton, Manubhai

Makwana -(Hindu Council

Brent), Mahendrabhai

Pattni - (Hindu Council

Brent), Cllr Bhagwanjibhai

Chauhan -(Shree Sorathia

Prajapati Community

Hounslow), Vinodbhai

Thakrar - Trustee, Bharatiya

Vidya Bhavan, Kishorbhai

Pattni - Parajiya Pattani

Samaj, Girishbhai MashruShree Jalaram Jyot Mandir, Pratibhaben Lakhani –VYO, Kanteshbhai Popat – VYO, Kamleshbhai D Patel - Shree Baavis Gam Patidar Samaj,

Community North London), Prafula Chotai (Lohana Community North LondonLadies group), Nandakumar - Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Varsha Bavishi (Harrow women's), Jaswantbhai

Nakar, Krishnaben Pujara (Enfield-Saheli), Kishan Rali, Dipikaben Desai , Kaushikbhai Desai- (Food For Life Vrindavan), Jayendra Patel (Shree sattavis patidar samaj), Mr Manjit Khinda (Sikh community), Harpreet Singh (Panjabi language awareness board UK), Cllr Mina Parmar, Vinodbhai Kapashi OBE (Institute Of Jainology), Niraj Sutaria (Mahavir Foundation), Mr Darshan Nagi (Shree

emony of the event, Publisher and Editor-inChief, CB Patel, said, "I wanted to show our Asian population what a genuine

scientist, just like APJ Abdul Kalam, and he is none other than Arun Tiwari He is the co-author of Wings of Fire He wrote this book as well "

Talking about the book

diamond Govindbhai is He and his family are adept at making money, using it and investing it "

He added, "I read Govindbhai’s book under the influence of Lord Bhikhu Parekh and I ended up reading it till 2 a m That book contains important principles on how to live successfully and happily for everyone "

Govindbhai’s book is based on three main principles

Speaking about how the book started, co-author Kamlesh Yagnik said, "We all

"Diamonds Are Forever, So Are Morals" Yagnik said, "This is not just a book, that tells us something to do or a book like a conventional autobiography, where, you know, things are put in a very different fashion The narratives that are in the book definitely need to be read in order to understand It is cited mainly on the principles on which this gentleman Dholakia built his empire, a person who has only studied up to class seven " He continued, "The three principles of the book, which are mentioned, are: number one, whatever you do, and he had umpteen opportunities to not do things in an honest manner But despite everything, you know, he said that I would stick to my principles from a very early age So honesty is the first principle in life we must maintain Second, do you believe there is something you are aware of that governs all of us? And that it is an unseen force We call it fate; we call it God; we may call it by any name that exists, and those blessings, you know, we must always acquire That is the second principle in his life Third and the most important profound statement, he said “Those who cannot see God

Book Unveiled: Diamonds are Forever, so are Morals and War of Lanka were unveiled in the event L to R: Loveena Tandon, Subhash Thakrar, CB Patel, Lord Popat, Govindbhai Dholakia, Amish Tripathi, Shreyans Dholakia, Dinesh Shonchhatra, Mahesh Liloriya, Vinod Thakrar

CB Patel, Lord Popat honouring Govindbhai Dholakia with ABPL’s Strengthening Community Awards

Govindbhai Dholakia Lord Popat honouring Amish Tripathi with ABPL’s Strengthening Community Awards

Govind Bhai signed on the book for Bhavanisingh Shekhawat, CEO of the Akshaypatra Foundation UK Europe The amount raised from the discounted book was donated to Akshaypatra Foundation Champaben, Govindbhai, Lord Popat, Lady Popat

Govindbhai and family were warmly welcomed by all guests

Garba vibes

Kamlesh Yagnik

Krishna Pujara Govindbhai Dholakia Dr Chandni Pujara

Pritee Varsani’s vibrant and energetic performance

Lanka”

in their fellow beings they can neither serve the Nation nor the God ” This is a statement, you know, which he clearly indicates not only his own family, he talks about the extended family, which is going beyond not only his employees, he has almost 7000 employees He goes beyond you know, like his suppliers, his buyers, every one, his community is his state, his country ” Book is a beacon for those who are frustrated in life

While introducing Govindbhai's book "Diamond for Ever, Show

you need to work faster and harder ”

“This leading resident of Surat is a staunch Hinduist Bhagavatacharya Dongreji is his spiritual guru He named his company Surat Shree Ramkrishna (SRK) Export Pvt Ltd Explaining the purpose behind that name, Govindakaka says that Sri means Lakshmiji and RamaKrishna means Lord Sri Rama and Lord Sri Krishna In his family Harikrishna Export is his Nephew’s firm,

ously, we worry about talking about women across the world who go through real suffering Actually, when I was having a conversation with a senior member of the Indian cabinet two weeks ago, he mentioned that your country and India have comparable GDPs I responded by pointing out that India's population is only 5% of ours You are 20 times bigger than us And we are at par because our women

Are Moral", Managing Editor of Gujarat Samachar, Kokilaben Patel said, "I have read this book of Shri Govindkaka His life story is not only worth understanding but also highly inspiring for all of us He writes that a problem leads to a solution and ultimately to success

The life story of this farmer who was brought up on a farm in a small hamlet called Dudhala of Saurashtra region’s Amreli district is interesting This book is a beacon for those who are frustrated with life and a must-read for everyone The son of a common farmer came to Surat from Dudhala in 1964 and worked continuously for 14 hours and started grinding diamonds In this book, his struggle in

Surat is presented ”

She says, “He talked about education without culture, cultivation without diligence and life without understanding are useless

Don't listen too much to intellect, intellect should be used only to the extent of discretion Whatever decision you take in life should be taken from the heart If you want to get respect, you have to respect others first One has to work hard to maintain good health He who works hard is able to gain inner joy Never underestimate staff members They should be paid according to their skills Even a driver should be given a substantial salary Employees are the members of the family If you want to get ahead of competitors in business

Balakrishna Export belongs to his cousin and Sri Krishna Export belongs to his brother-in-law Two years ago, each employee was gifted a new car from his nephew s Harikrishna Export,” she added Govindbhai is a philanthropist

Lord Dolar Popat said, "I'm extremely pleased just by reading the book Can you imagine a farmer from a village travelling to Surat in search of work, which led to creating a compelling story? So going back, thank you for what you do He has a quote in which he tells us that God is great, and he is quite right that people, who get the blessings of God, can do good work Apart from being a good businessman, Govindbhai is a philanthropist And you know that behind every successful man, there is a woman, and behind this successful man is our Champaben "

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Lord Popat said, "What a success for the UK There is still a lot to be done for women to enable them to accomplish more But obvi-

make amazing contributions to our economy 84% of women in the UK go to

Govindbhai Dholakia said, "I think it comes to us at birth

The environment in which we live can occasionally have an impact on it The second factor is the time of day that you are in, and the third is the type of work you conduct Time and work in our lives have an impact on our value and sense of self "

Talking about the values for the children, Govindbhai said, Happiness is life I always tell my family's young members to never be attached to materialistic things; they can make your life easy, but they do not make your life happy What makes your life is family And I have never given any advice to young children, and whenever I go out, I

can never flip the coin if you consider the reward If you focus on the job rather than the money, you can succeed "

Speaking about the core values that are still relevant in his interpretation of mythological stories, he said, "Lord Ram was called as maryada puroshattam and if do the English interpretation, they call it the ideal man That term is not fully interpreted Because the translation of purshottam is the ideal man and if you add the word maryada it would become an ideal man who follows the rules And this was how Shree Ram was he walked in the path of rules And if someone follows that route, they are beneficial to society and rise to become its leader Yet if they choose that course, they will confront multiple personal issues So in my interpretation, you can learn about where the problems they face "

take 2 to 3 youngsters with me, and I listen to them "

work It is something to be proud of "

Q&A with Loveena Tandon

In the Morals Unwrapped part of the event, there was a Q & A session with Loveena Tandon, Foreign CorrespondentIndia Today Group (Aaj Tak & India Today)

Speaking about how one comes to have self-confidence and values,

Talking about his early life situation and believing in himself, Amish Tripathi said, "During 2010, my first book, "The Immortals of Meluha," was rejected by every publication, so I decided to publish it myself Thanks to God, it did well Speaking of selfbelief, every coin has two faces, one of which is foolishness and the other of which is self-belief If I toss a coin, maybe I'll know whether it is self-belief or foolishness Because of what you did, if you succeed, people will credit you with faith; if you fail, they will criticise you for being foolish You

Talking about the east vs west debate on female equality, he said, Those who believe in equality between men and women are actually being truly Indian We are not being westernized in any way Our oldest scriptures, the Rigveda hymns, were written by Rishi, which is equivalent, so in addition to prophets and messiahs, there are hymns written by women Rishis in the Rigveda as well There was a university named Vallabh University, which was destroyed by the invaders but was actually founded by women There was a quote by Shree Ram that said any male, female, or transgender person, as well as any living plant or animal, can come to me You are all equal to me He never differentiated between men, women, and transgender people This is our culture "

The vote of thanks was given by Group Editor Mahesh Liloriya

(photo credit: Raj D Bakrania,

PrMediapix)

LtoR: Loveena Tondon Subhash Thakrar, CB Patel, Govind bhai Dholakia, Lord Popat, Amish Tripathi, Shreyans Dholakia, Dinesh Shonchhatra

Shreyansbhai Dholakia honoured Amish Tripathi by presenting an Indian Flag made of diamonds

CB Patel, Govindbhai, Dr Jayshreeben Mehta, Kalpnaben S Patel, Amish Tripathi, Subhashbhai Patel, Shreyans Dholakia

Amit Mehta, Rajkumar Shah, Sunil Gandhi, Kalpana Shah, Chandrakant Shah, Govindbhai Dholakia, Niraj Sutaria, Rajen Shah, Vinod Kapashi, Nilesh Mehta, Kirti Mehta

Kokila Patel

Govindbhai and Manjitsingh

Nandakumarji offering prayer for world peace

Shreyans Dholakia

Govindbhai Dholakia and Amish Tripathi

Book signing: Nidhi, Kokilaben, Dr Pravin Patel

When a woman awaken

Appreciation of women's achievements driving progress in transformative technology and digital education.

Kokila Patel

As part o f th e s eries of celebrations of Gujarat S amachar's 50 years jou rney, ABPL Grou p organised a sp eci al event o n Women's Day to celebrate women's u np aralleled contri bu tio ns and ach ievements in th e field of transformative technology and digital educatio n T he event was held under the leadershi p of Conveno r Krish na P ujara, Gu jarat Samach ar Managing Editor Kokila Patel, Manager Business Develop ment ABPL Group )

Po oja Raval With the co-o peration of Sh ree Sattavis Gam P atidar Samaj (E urope) and u nder th e guidance of Mah eshbhai Lilori ya (Group Edito r, ABPL), the International Women's Day celebratio n was held on March 8th at Sattavis Patidar Centre, was an unp recedented success

On a snowy Wednesday, March 8, women from all corners of London flocked to Wembley's Sattavis Centre with great enthusiasm More than 500 women from more than 36 active women's organisations in London participated in and celebrated

International Women s Day

On this occasion, the High Commissioner of Uganda in the UKH E Nimisha Madhvani, High Commissioner of Bangladesh in the UK- H E Saida Muna Tasneem, Beauty Product Entrepreneur and contributor to the upliftment of women in need

Sushma Bhanot MBE, CEO of Enfield Saheli & Chairperson of All Ladies' Living in the UK, Krishna Pujara, Mayor of Harrow - Cllr Janet Mote, Conservative Councillor of HarrowMina Parmar, First women President of Indian Medical Council - Dr Jayshree Mehta, the visionaries of a leading firm of the diamond industry in Surat, 'Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt Ltd’, respected Govindbhai and Mrs Champaben Dholakia and their family, CB Patel, Editor-in-Chief of Gujarat Samachar & Asian Voice, Maheshbhai Liloriya, Group Editor and Brahma Kumaris' sisters were present

Smita Joshi was the Master of the Ceremony Kokila Patel greeted everyone and presented her speech and said, "International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 every year The fact that you all have enthusiastically joined in such chilling weather shows tremendous public support for our publication "

Cllr Janet Mote, Hon’ble Mayor of Harrow, said, "The Socialist Party in New York began celebrating Women's Day in 1909 by campaigning for women's equal rights and fighting against sexual exploitation and oppression of women In 1977, the UN declared acceptance of women's equal rights and declared 8th March as International Women's Day Women have made significant contributions in many fields, including economic, political, cultural, science and technology Harrow had famous women like Dame Vivienne Westwood, Dame Barbara Windsor DBE, Diana Ebert, and Nina Pradhania ”

The High Commissioner of Uganda to the UK, HE Nimisha Madhvani said, "Today is the day for us to celebrate Rangotsav along with Women's Day As in Uganda, it is not as cold as here in the UK, we celebrate Rangotsav by spraying colours on each other I will

be honoured and happy if you all come to Uganda Things are safe under the government of President Museveni

The Global Lohana ConferenceGlobal Lohana Get-together Ceremony is being organized in Uganda on March 20 Uganda is now safer for everyone even more than London, Chicago, and New York When Idi Amin's government kicked out Asians - Indians, our entire Madhvani family, including my maternal grandmother Meenaben, Manukaka, Jyotikaki, and Mayurkaka, had to leave the country and migrate to Britain However, we all have played a leading role in strengthening the economy of this country Women in Uganda have enjoyed special rights

Apart from the first lady minister of education and women vice president, women are leading football, netball, and tennis ball teams "

As the daughter of a famous industrialist Jayantbhai Madhvani, she specially invited Mr Govindbhai, who was present at the event, to visit Uganda

Greeting all the guests present at the event, CB Patel, Editor and Publisher of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice, announced in a towering voice, 'Nari Jaage Vishwa Jaage’ He thanked everyone for making the celebration a grand success in spite of the chilling weather Maheshbhai, Krishnaben, Kokilaben, Pooja and the entire ABPL team have worked hard for organising this International

Women s Day event

While introducing the Chief Guest Mr Govindbhai Dholakia, his wife Mrs Champaben, he said, "Govindbhai Dholakia's life has aptly proved that behind every successful man, there is a woman Champaben has successfully kept Govindbhai’s large family under one umbrella through love and good deeds "

CB Patel expressed his gratitude to Bhavnaben, wife of Mukeshbhai Patel, Chairman of Shree Sattavis Gam Patidar Samaj and to Jayendrabhai Patel for supporting the event

Mr Govindbhai greeted the large number of women who were present and said, "I am very happy to see that you are maintaining our Indian culture while living abroad I am a villager from Dudhala, a village in Saurashtra, Gujarat I started diamond works at the age of six We started the diamond polishing industry and worked hard, but later we ventured with a firm named Shree Ramkrishna Export Pvt Ltd Today, by the grace of god, we are named among the top three diamond firms in the world Diamonds above three carats are our mastery It is a pleasure to see the special woman's power here 15 of my family members are visiting London My autobiography "Diamonds are Forever, So Are Moral" was launched in the House of Lords describing my journey from village to Surat I have slept in a field cot and

scorpions have bitten me in mud pits Snakes used to roam around in our house every day I did not have shoes to wear until I was 11

together When the Director of CBI came to one of my events, he honoured Champaben with a doctorate degree The whole of Gujarat

years old I came to Surat at a very young age and polished diamonds for six years Our business is net worth $1 8 billion, and my wife

Champaben’s contribution is most valuable I was 20 years old and she was 16 years old when we got married We have never fought in our 52 years of marriage Champaben has never visited the school but knows how to keep the whole family

including Surat and the CM know me as Govindkaka Today, two of my daughters Minaxi, Sweta, Smita and Granddaughter Pearl are present along with my wife are present here "

The discussion panel on women's issues included Women Empower Enfield Saheli CEO, Chairperson of All Ladies League, UK, and Trustee of North London Asian Tax, Krishna Pujara

Sweta Kevadia was honoured with Strengthening Community Awards by Kokila ben Patel, Krishna Pujara, Pooja Raval

Mrs Champaben Dholakia was honoured with Strengthening Community Awards by Kokila Patel, Krishna Pujara, Pooja Raval

Minaxi Sojitra was honoured with Strengthening Community Awards by Krishna Pujara, Kokila ben Patel, Pooja Raval

Govind Bhai Dholakia honouring Fire Fighter of London Fire Brigade Ameesha Bhudia

Honouring High Commissioner of Uganda to the UK L to R: CB Patel, Krishna Pujara, Nimisha Madhvani, Govindbhai Dholakia, Mahesh Liloriya

Garba Vibes

the world awakens

mother Champaben has proved it

When a daughter goes to her in-law’s house she gets adjusted to unknown people - mother-in-law, father-in-law, and brother-in-law among others Only a woman can do this "

As Women's Day is celebrated globally, it has been a tradition of "Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice" to honour Indian women who bravely perform their duties as well as a man in the UK Ameesha Bhudia, a Kutch woman who serves as a firefighter in the London Fire Brigade, and Manisha Patel, who serves as a bus driver in Middlesex County for 20 years, were honoured with a memento Ameesha Bhudia is a Black Belt Judo Champion and European Powerlifting Champion, and Gold Medallist Apart

entiation between son and daughter A daughter is not given a chance to progress When a daughter is born, they call her Lakshmi, but, later a daughter is seen as an unnecessary weight Differences are also kept between brothers and sisters Today, in fighting for equality, differences and arguments arise for equal rights even among brothers and sisters Nimishaben recollected the words of Baroness Clarke during an event at the House of Lords where she said that ago 100 years ago there was not one single woman who could step into this House and here we are today, a room full of 200 women, that is breaking the glass

along with Sushma Bhanot

MBE who has devoted more than 15 years to helping thousands of women in Essex, London and across the UK Sushmaben is credited with single-handedly and proactively organizing hundreds of online workshops for British Indian mothers to take immediate action to improve their mental, physical and financial health

Discussing the subject of Equal opportunities, Embracing Equity, Sushmaben said, "This year's global campaign theme is Embrace Equity for the 2023 International Women's Day Equality is everybody getting a pair of shoes; equity means everybody gets shoes that fit I would even take this a step further by saying that equity is everyone getting the kind of skills that they need to excel and reach their fullest potential Giving them a pair of shoes is an idea of equality and if it fits them then it's equity that in other words means the right thing for the right person We all strive for positive change You all have contributed something in your lives Remember these principles in life: Educate everyone, Evaluate your own discrimination, Establish Policies, Encourage diversity, Elevate people and show work-life balance "

Cllr Minaben Parmar said, she is an HR Director and has more than 20 years of experience in both public

and corporate sectors

Passionate about employment rights and fair representation, she runs a consultancy service for small and medium-sized businesses

She also acts as a consultant to business enterprises in the third sector Minaben says that 70 out of 90 nurses in NHS are women Similarly, in air-service,

more women stewards are on duty than men She said

“I am really proud that through digital innovation we are empowering women and supporting more women to come to the UK We all shine not just today, we shine every day ”

HE Nimishaben

Madhvani, who participated in the panel discussion, said that many of our sisters in Britain have achieved success by working very hard

According to our Indian tradition, there is a huge differ-

ceiling in the UK in the House of Parliament decision-making process

In the Q & A session, Krishnaben said that we all have gathered to discuss on equal rights, but if we really look at it, women do not get equal pay in some jobs There is also a difference in the toys given to a baby boy and a girl to play with Why are women not allowed in some places where men are allowed? Digitally, Facebook or WhatsApp videos humiliating women can be said to be a kind of disrespect to women!

During rapid fire session, Govindbhai's two daughters Minaxi Sojitra and Sweta Kevadia said, "Today

we were able to participate in Women's Day celebrations in London because of our dad It is nice to see so many sisters wearing sarees in such cold weather in the UK My mom Champaben has a substantial contribution to my father's success Mom has kept our large family together It is the mother who takes care of the child and builds the life Let's talk about Indian Prime Minister Modiji, and how much his mother Heeraba sacrificed for the upbringing of his children Grandmother can help nurture the child even more than mother "

Minaxiben said, "Dad taught us to live life by being positive and sticking to the truth Our scriptures say 'Naari tu Narayani', a woman not only brings up children, but she also has the power to keep the family together My

from this, Champaben who kept the home and family together and her two daughters Minaxiben and Swetaben were honoured

Pooja Raval gave the vote of thanks and expressed her gratitude to the Chairman and Trustees of Shri Sattavis Gam Patidar Samaj Europe

Also on behalf of Gujarat Samachar & Asian Voice, she expressed sincere thanks to Sanjaybhai Kantibhai

Amlani of "Express Ice Cream" for their support for the event

The event ended with a special garba programme organised by garba specialist Satishbhai Shah It was a very vibrant moment to see all the women who participated in this event dancing to the tunes of garba songs

(photo credit: Raj D Bakrania, PrMediapix)

Dance by Chinoo Kishore

All enjoying Garba on the tunes of Satish Shah

Kokilaben Patel Managing Editor Gujarat Samachar Kamlesh Yagnik

Panel Discussion: LtoR Cllr Mina Parmar, H E Nimisha Madhvani, Krishna Pujara Shushma Bhanot MBE

Govind Bhai Dholakia, The Mayor of Harrow Cllr Janet Mote, Champaben, Cllr Mina Parmar

LtoR : Hill, Anil Sojitra, Minaxi Sojitra, Govindbhai, Champa ben, The Mayor of Harrow Cllr Janet Mote, Mayor s Consort, Pearl, Sweta Kevadia, Dhyey CB Patel

Shri Govindbhai interacting with the audience

Audience at the event

Dear Financia

Voice Reader Alpesh Patel OBE

If you wa tch my weekly market updates on my YouTube channel or on TikTok with some 100k+ followers you will know I have been expecting recent market falls

When it comes to falling stock markets, there are few better investors to turn to for advice than Warren Buffett As he has said many times before, "Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful " This simple but powerful philosophy has served him well over the years, and it can serve you well too

First and foremost, it's important to remember that stock market downturns are a natural part of investing They happen from time to time, and they can be scary and unnerving, but they are also opportunities They present a chance to buy great companies at lower prices than you might normally find them, and if you're patient and willing to wait for the market to rebound, you can reap significant rewards

But don't just jump in blindly As Buffett himself has said, "Price is what you pay, value is what you get " In other words, just because a stock is down doesn't necessarily mean it's a good buy You need to do your research, understand the company's fundamentals, and make sure you re getting a good deal

Warren Buffett s investment philosophy has been the subject of extensive academic research, and many studies have confirmed the effectiveness of his approach For example, a 2013 paper by Andrea Frazzini, David Kabiller, and Lasse Pedersen found that stocks with low volatility and high quality characteristics, which are key elements of Buffett's investment strategy, have historically outperformed the broader market

Moreover, a study by AQR Capital Management found that Berkshire Hathaway, the company run by Buffett, outperformed the S&P 500 by an average of 9 1% per year from 1976 to 2011 This is a remarkable achievement, considering that the stock market is widely considered to be efficient and that most active managers fail to beat their benchmarks over the long run

Buffett's approach to investing in falling stock markets is also supported by academic research For example, a study by Elroy Dimson, Paul Marsh, and Mike Staunton found that buying stocks during bear markets can be highly profitable over the long run They found that global equity markets have delivered average annual returns of 4 8% above inflation in the five years following a bear market

One lesser-known aspect of Warren Buffett's investment strategy in falling stock markets is his use of cash reserves While Buffett is known for his long-term approach to investing and his emphasis on buying and holding high-quality companies, he also maintains a significant amount of cash reserves in his portfolio

Buffett has said that he likes to keep a "margin of safety" in his investments, which includes having cash on hand to take advantage of opportunities that may arise This cash reserve allows him to make strategic purchases of undervalued stocks or even entire companies during market downturns, when many other investors may be forced to sell their holdings

For those following my weekly market updates and profiting from them, will know how much of the above we implement ourselves and reveal with our picks You can find all the free resources at www alpeshpatel com/links

NHS director Prerana Issar to become Sainsbury chief

Sainsbury’s has appointed senior NHS director Prerana Issar as its new chief p eop le officer, the grocer revealed Sh e will take the reins in June and will replace HR director Angie Risley, who is leaving th e supermarket to focus on her portfolio career

Issar joins from NHS England where she has served as chief people officer since April 2019 Prior to that she spent six years in leading positions with the United Nations World Food Programme, and seven years at Unilever where she rose to vice president of HR for the FMCG giant’s global food category

Her new role will focus on leading Sainsbury’s flexible working and pay strategy, alongside wider HR functions “I am delighted that Prerana is joining our team She brings a multi sector background and a strong and broad HR experience to our business, especially with her focus on purpose as both a unifying force and a driver of business results,” said Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts

Roberts thanked Risley for her efforts over the last decade ”She has been a committed member of the Operating Board throughout her time with us and I am hugely grateful to her for everything she has done,” he said

Hunt says his budget will get more people to work

M eas u res to b oo s t workforce participation will tar get th e o ver- 50s , th e long-term sick and disabled, and benefits claimants i n the Chancellor’s upcoming budget While employment le vels h ave re ma in ed s igni f ic antl y bel ow th o s e p ri or to th e ep ide mic , damaging the UK's already troubled economy, tackling ec o nomi c ina cti vi ty i s a c rit ic al p art of J ere my Hunt s objectives

The process is expected to be replaced with one that asks claimants to demonstrate what job they

might be able to take, prompting disability equality charity Scope to warn that “disabled people shouldn’t be forced into unsuitable work”

The Resolution Foundation think tank recently stated that although people aged 50 and over accounted for 75% of the increase in economic inactivity, which increased by 830,000 between 2019 and 2022, efforts to persuade elderly retirees to "unretire" were unlikely to be successful

Hunt will detail an

overhaul of the Universal Credit system aimed at encouraging claimants to move into work or increase their hours

The Chancellor has faced pressure to act on childcare, after it was shown to be among the most expensive in the world

He will announce a rise in the maximum universal credit childcare allowance –which has been frozen at £646-a-month per child for years – by several hundred pounds, the Treasury said, without providing the exact

Jeremy Hunt

amount

Also, the government will begin paying parents who receive childcare assistance through universal credit immediately rather than in arrears That will assist people who, because of the exorbitant upfront costs under the current system, find it difficult to start a job or risk going into debt

BoE rate-setter against hiking Interest rates further

Bank of England rate-setter Swati Dhingra said that it would b e pruden t not to raise interest rates further, as previous increases in borrowing cos ts are yet to feed t hro ugh in to an a lr ea dy weak economy

Despite recent signs that Britain's economy may be holding up better than some economists had feared, Dhingra stuck to her view that the BoE risked harming the economy unnecessarily by raising

rates too high "In my view, a prudent strategy would hold policy steady amid growing signs of external price pressures are easing, and be prepared to respond to developments in price evolution," Dhingra said a speech to the Resolution Foundation think tank "This would avoid overtightening and return the economy sustainably to our 2% inflation target in the medium-term," she added, in her first major speech

UK housing market expected to stabilise

The U K ho usi n g m ark e t remains in decline but there are some sig n s o f sta bili sa tion , wi th a n improvement in new buyer in qui ri e s a nd sa le s la st mon th, a cco rd in g to surveyors

Many told the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) that a return of optimism, and lower than expected interest rates, had given the housing market some hope for the coming months after a sluggish start to the year

The Rics monthly survey measures the proportion of surveyors who reported a rise in new buyer inquiries from those saying they fell It showed a net balance of -29% last month – up from -45% in January While this still points to a drop in demand, and is the 10th consecutive negative reading, it is the smallest decline since July

The new sales indicator also improved in February, from a net balance of -36% to -26% However, the average time taken to complete a transaction continues to rise and is now approaching 19 weeks

Mortgage rates rose to about 6 5% in October after the Liz Truss government’s disastrous mini-budget but have since been reduced to between 4% and 5%

The Bank of England last month raised its base rate for the 10th consecutive time, to 4%, but its governor, Andrew Bailey, last week signalled

they may have peaked

Financial markets are still pricing in two more rises to about 4 5%, however, in contrast with last autumn’s forecasts that borrowing costs would peak between 5% and 6% this year

In the mainstream housing market (covering prices up to £500,000), about 60% of surveyors said that prices were being agreed at below the asking price For properties priced between £500,000 and £1m, the share jumped to just over 70%

since joining the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee in August

Along with Silvana Tenreyro, Dhingra voted last month to leave interest rates on hold at 3 5%, while the other seven members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted through an increase to 4%

Financial markets now fully price in a further 0 25 percentage point increase on March 23 and see a greater than 50% chance

that BoE rates will reach 5% later this year after Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell signalled further interest rate hikes in the United States were likely Dhingra - an associate professor at the London School of Economics who specialises in trade issuessaid her analysis of supply chains suggested more of Britain's inflation overshoot was due to global factors than domestic pressures than previously thought

Shareholders displeased with Boohoo’s bonus plan

Boohoo's shareholders have voiced their displeasure at its new £175m bonus plan after a vote to approve it saw significant opposition As announced last month, the new plan will see bonuses handed out over a period of time if Boohoo's market capitalisation reaches £5 bn After a general meeting held on March 8, a vote to approve the new plan was passed by just over 62% to 37%

In a statement, Boohoo said: "The Remuneration Committee will reflect on feedback gathered throughout the consultation process regarding the growth plan, and will continue to engage with shareholders with regard to the group's remuneration policy to ensure that shareholder views are considered " When the plan was unveiled on February 16, Boohoo said it had been forced to rethink its bonus plan after a "unique and unprecedented set of macroeconomic and market headwinds experienced over the last three years" The Manchester-headquartered group said there is now "little or no value" in the existing Growth Share Plan or the current Management Incentive Plan after its market capitalisation "significantly decreased"

At the time, Boohoo's market capitalisation stood at £591 67mn after its shares closed at 46 65p each on February 15 That was a rise of more than 33% so far this year but from a historic low of 33 89p reached on December 28, 2022

HSBC buys Silicon Valley Bank UK

HSB C ha s b oug ht the e mb a ttl e d UK ar m of Si lic on Va lley Ba nk (SVB UK), securing the deposits of more than 3,000 c ustomers worth £6 7 billion C on fi r mi n g a s tor y, the B a nk of Eng la n d, w hi c h had been preparing to bring the bank i nto an insolvency process, said all depositors' money with SVB UK would b e s af e a nd s e c ure a s a result of the purchase

All SVB UK services will continue to operate as normal and customers should not notice any changes, a statement said There were fears that tech companies

and start-ups banking with SVB UK would be unable to meet costs, including payroll, as they could not access their money

"A number of our most promising and important technology and life science companies had their money with Silicon Valley Bank in the UK branch,"

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said

"When you have very young companies, very promising companies, they're also fragile They need to pay their staff And they were worried that as of 8:00 this morning, they

might literally not be able to access their bank accounts," he said

"This acquisition makes excellent strategic sense for our business in the UK," HSBC said "It strengthens our commercial banking franchise and enhances our ability to serve innovative and fast-growing firms, including in the technology and life-science sectors, in the UK and internationally," Noel Quinn, HSBC group chief executive said

A statement from the Treasury highlighted that no taxpayer money is involved in the sale

Prerana Issar

PM Modi urges pvt sector to step up investment like govt

In order to enhance output and exports, Prime Minister Na ren d ra Modi u rg e d the pri va te se cto r to ra i se in v e stme n ts a n d a sk e d busi ne s se s to j oi n gl oba l supply chains He did this by citing the rise in government capex that was promised in the Union Budget

“Today, I would call upon the private sector to increase their investments just like the government so that the country gets maximum benefit from it,”

Modi said at a post Budget webinar He highlighted how the government

Reliance group to reintroduce Campa Cola in India

R el ia nc e C ons umer

Products, which is part of t he Rel i anc e Gr oup, ha s reintroduced Campa Cola in India and is hoping to eat into Pepsi and Coca Cola’s market share with attractive pricing this summer

Campa Cola, which is now part of Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance group, will also come in lemon and orange flavours and will be initially available in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with a national rollout planned in

Getting the edge

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

earmarked over £100 billion towards public spending during the next financial year

The PM's remarks come despite signs that private sector capex has been slow to start up as inflation; the global economy, the Russian war, and consumer demand have all been negatively impacted According to the government, there are indications that private

sector investment is increasing its production capacity, at least in a few industries

He claimed that after being on the verge of collapse eight to ten years ago, the banking sector is now strong The PM urged the banking system to reach out to as many sectors as possible, saying that it was urgent for the advantages of India's banking system's strength to help as many people as possible

Adani prepays £2.04 bn worth share-backed loans

the coming months

While the pricing was not revealed, sources said that the drinks will be priced lower than what comparable products from Pepsi and Coke are priced For instance, a 200ml bottle of Campa is priced at Rs 10 as against Rs 20 for a 250 ml bottle of Coke or Pepsi The introduction of Campa portfolio "is consistent with the company's aim to promote domestic Indian brands," it was stated

Govt brings crypto under money laundering law

Th e Ce ntr e ha s br ought crypto trading, safekeeping a nd re la ted f i nan c ia l services under the ambit of t he Pr even ti on of Mone y Laundering Act The Union f i nan ce mi ni s try i ss ued a gazette notification to this effect Crypto exchanges and intermediaries dealing with virtual digital assets (VDA) will now be required to perform KYC of their clients and users of the platform Besides, exchanges will have to report suspicious activity to the Financial Intelligence Unit India

The notification states that organisations dealing in VDA will be regarded as "reporting entities" under PMLA; currently, "reporting entities" include banks,

financial institutions, companies active in the real estate and jewellery sectors, as well as casinos Every reporting entity is required by this legislation to keep a record of every transaction

In accordance with a gazette notification, "exchange between virtual digital assets and fiat currencies, exchange between one or more types of virtual digital assets, transfer of virtual digital assets (VDA), safekeeping or administration of virtual digital assets or tools enabling control over virtual digital assets, participation in and provision of financial services related to an issuer's offer and sale of a virtual digital asset" are now all covered

The Ga uta m A da n i fam ily ha s fully re p a id " ma rgi nlink e d" sha re -back e d loa n s totaling £2 04 billion well in advance of their due dates La st week, they settled £188 5 mil lio n o f sh are - bac ke d fin a n cin g W ith thi s, the family has repaid the entire sha re -ba ck e d loa n s a t the sponsor level, the group said

They had already returned share-backed loans totaling £1 65 billion over two phases Together with the aforementioned, the family last week also paid off a £409 8 million bridging loan that was taken out for the acquisition financing of Ambuja Cements The repayments comes after the family raised £1 54 billion from Australia-listed USbased asset manager GQG Partners Since Hindenburg Research published a damning assessment on the conglomerate's business

operations, the actions are intended to restore trust in the conglomerate's financial health report

For £5 33 billion, the family has purchased Ambuja Cements and its subsidiary ACC in September 2022 About 69% of the total consideration was financed through foreign borrowings At that time, the promoters also announced an infusion of £2 billion in Ambuja Cements by way of warrants over and above the purchase cost of $6 5 billion

According to the media, Adani is looking to sell a share in Ambuja Cements that he purchased from Holcim of Switzerland last year According to the article, he has formally asked international financiers to purchase 4-5% of Ambuja Cements for roughly $450 million

Small finance banks offer up to 9% interest on deposits

Customers are now able to earn fixed deposit rates of up to 9% for the first time in mor e tha n t hre e y ea rs Small finance banks (SFBs) are giving more than 8% on sp ec i a l de pos i t programmes, whi ch have a durati on of about two years, whi l e l ar ge c om me rc i a l ban ks hav e b een y iel di ng 7 5-8% The increase in rates is the result of the banking sy s te m' s ex c es s li q ui di t y

Pearls Group director detained after his deportation from Fiji

Harchand Singh Gill, a director of the Pearls Group who was deported from Fiji, has been taken into custody by the CBI in relation with an alleged multibillion-dollar ponzi scheme that his business reportedly engineered The In t er po l ha d iss ued a re d a le r t o n G ill

According to sources, a special CBI team had already been to Suva in Fiji to retrieve Gill

According to CBI, over £6 billion was siphoned by the company which Gill was associated with as a director The agency had started the investigation against the Pearls Group and its founder Nirmal Singh Bhangoo on February 19, 2014 on the allegations of cheating over 50 million investors by offering them land in return of

their investments

According to CBI officials, a special court had issued a non-bailable warrant and red corner notice against Gill Gill was reported to have attended all of the crucial board meetings because he is a director and shareholder of PGF, a Pearls group subsidiary "Gill allegedly conspired with other directors of the company to operate the collective investment scheme illegally without any statutory approval These schemes were running illegally and both the companies were allegedly engaged in fraudulent activities including forgery in their day-to-day operations," A CBI spokesperson said

It’s not easy to find a margin in property deals, as information is abundant and there are no barriers to entry On top of this, there is a strong faith in the UK property market, more so than most countries

Everyone is looking for an edge; one segment doesn’t even want that they are just desperate to close on a deal, having been unable to get their hands on one When these people enter the auction market they tend to over bid, then you throw in the builder who wants to keep his team busy, perhaps launder some cash at the same time as well; this results in a pumping auction market, which is what you have been seeing over the last few months

There are certain numbers which you cannot really squeeze, such as what a property will sell for, the finance costs etc Despite what some borrowers think, that you can go to the bank and negotiate the rates of finance You cannot They are set in stone I’m of course speaking about the BTL rates set by the mainstream lenders, not a bridging deal

Therefore, the angles remaining are things like the build costs, and the rentals If you ’ re a builder you can save on the margin Another way to enhance your return is by upping the rentals One way to do this would be by converting the property into an HMO, offering short lets Depending on the post code, this can be a very lucrative proposition

By focusing on what actually can be tweaked we have managed to fine tune the parameters to obtain a rental yield of 8-9% in a strong location in London, this is by converting properties in this particular location into HMOs, in a very basic functional manner We have found a segment whose requirements are not being satisfied and therefore are willing and able to pay a premium above market levels What this means for an investor, is instead of a deal which simply washes its face, and you need to wait for a 5 year period for the capital growth to kick in, you have a situation where there is cash flowing in month on month, putting the investor in an enviable position Very important for the coming times, where cash will be King

Like all trends this will not stay around for ever If there is an edge to be had in the market, as knowledge spreads money will be attracted to this idea, and the initial high demand will come down This is not the stock market however, and the property market is notoriously slow in responding, and innovating Therefore, the first to move on this advantage will gain, and the rest will snooze and lose

becoming scarce For 1,001-day deposits, Unity Small Finance Bank (SFB) is providing 9% for the general public and 9 5% for elderly citizens For deposits for 999 days, Suryoday Small Finance Bank is offering 8 51%

Interest rates from 8% to 8 5% are offered by several SFBs

The RBI had started its rate hikes in May 2022, but the transmission to customers was largely on the lending side with deposits being slow to move This was because of the surplus liquidity in the system, due to which banks did not find the need to mobilise deposits

One reason the SFBs can offer higher returns on their deposits is that most of these banks lend to the microfinance segment, where the rate of interest is very high Also, these banks do not have the same reach as regular commercial banks and have to offer higher rates to attract depositors

The numbers are there, in stone, you’ll have a fixed rental, and you can hedge against a fixed BTL interest rate The only variable is what is the likelihood of the rent being paid and on time We are endeavouring to obtain an insurance policy to hedge this variable as well Leaving you with a deal where all the likely variables have been nailed down

If you wish to receive a cash flow on how this will look in practise, please get in touch with our office

SVB collapse sends shock waves

As ia ’ s te ch le a de rs, ha lf a world away from the chaos that’s e ngulfed Silicon Valley, are scrambling to assess the potential ramifications for an industry that’s always relied he av ily on US cap ita l an d connections to supercharge growth

Financiers and entrepreneurs packed the ShangriLa’s ballrooms during a global Wharton alumni gathering in Singapore, huddling in groups and tables over gourmet buffet meals with the latest news on Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB’s) spectacular implosion on Friday a main topic of conversation

In Mumbai, startup founders and investors at a conference talked about

nothing else, exchanging rumours about which fledgling company might be the first to fall In Shanghai, SVB’s local partner and joint venture issued memos within hours of each other, seeking to calm worries about their stability

In the past days, the region’s tech luminaries and family offices have watched with a mix of fear and fascination at the meltdown that engulfed a decades-old bank that once carried over $200 billion of assets The collapse sent shockwaves through Asia as major investors and sovereign funds rushed to check the exposure of their portfolios and investees to the failed lender, according to people familiar with the matter

22 killed in Bangladesh building blast, building owners detained

DHAKA: The death toll from the power ful explosion at a co mm er cial b ui ldi ng in Ban gl ades h 's cap it al D h aka has hit 22 and is expected to rise

Rescue workers recovered the body of another victim from the five-storey commercial building in old Dhaka's Siddikbazar area

"With this, the death toll in the explosion rose to 22," Assistant Director of Fire Service Aktaruzzaman told journalists, adding that the death toll may rise further as 30 more critically-injured

patients are undergoing treatment at different hospitals

Afghanistan is world’s most repressive country for women: UN

I S L A M A B A D : Ac c or di n g to U n i te d Na ti on s , s i nc e t he T al i ba n ta ke ov er of A fgha ni sta n, the c ountr y ha s become the most repressive in the world for women and girls, deprived of many of thei r basic rights

In a statement made public on International Women's Day, the UN mission claimed that Afghanistan's new leaders have demonstrated an almost "singular concentration" on enforcing laws that essentially lock the majority of women and girls within their homes They have outlawed women in public places like gyms and parks as

well as girls education past the sixth grade Also, women are required to cover their entire body when working for local, national, and international nongovernmental organisations

“Afghanistan under the Taliban remains the most repressive country in the world regarding women ’ s rights,” said Roza Otunbayeva, special representative of the UN secretarygeneral and head of the mission to Afghanistan “It has been distressing to witness their methodical, deliberate, and systematic efforts to push Afghan women and girls out of the public sphere,” she added

Pak foreign minister stutters after calling India ‘friend’

NEW YORK: Pakistan’s foreign m in i st er s trug gle d bri e fl y to define his country’s relationship with India at a news conference Bilawal Bhutto Zardari settled for “ neighbouring countries” after using the word “friends” during a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York Bilawal was talking about the long-gestating Kashmir issue on the sidelines of the Commission on the Status of Women when he found himself in a spot

A comparison between the Palestine problem and the dispute between India and Pakistan, two longtime adversaries and nuclear-armed nations, who both claim the Kashmir territory as their own, was made to him He said Pakistan faces an “uphill task” in getting the UN to focus its attention on Kashmir

“And whenever the subject of Kashmir is raised, our friends within, with our friends our neighbouring countries, vehemently object, vociferously object, and they continue to push a post-fact narrative in which they attempt to argue that this is not a matter for the UN and that this is not a territory that is disputed and recognised by the international community,” Bilawal said They have revoked of a seven-decadelong privileged status for

Kashmir by India in 2019 further exacerbated tensions Bilawal said drawing parallels between Kashmir and the Palestinian conflict was “ very justified” as there are “ many similarities between the plight of the people of Kashmir and the plight of the people of Palestine” “I think it’s fair to say that both issues remain unaddressed by the United Nations, and we’d like to see an extra focus not only on Palestine but also on Kashmir,” he said

Fire officials said the explosion took place around 4:45 pm local time The cause

behind the huge blast is still not known, but officials suspect that accumulated gas might be a likely cause

Detective Branch of Bangladesh Police detained three people, including the two owners of the five-floor building, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police

KN Roy Niyoti told journalists

"We're inquiring to know whose negligence caused this incident, he said and added they want to know why there were shops set up in the basement flouting regulations

Crackdown on Imran supporters; one killed

LAHORE : In a crackdown on s upporte rs of oust ed Prime Minister Imran Khan who gathered outside hi s residence in Lahore despite a government prohibi ti on on gatherings in the city, on e Pa ki st an T ehre ek- eI n sa f (PTI ) pa rty a cti v is t was slain PTI activists were scattered by police using water cannons and tear gas

The party, however, claimed that its “peaceful” workers were arrested after reports emerged that the provincial capital had been placed under Section 144, banning public gatherings

More than 100 Khan's party activists were detained by the police Senior PTI leader Shireen

INDIAN ORIGIN WOMAN DIES IN US PLANE CRASH

An Indian-origin woman died while her daughter and the pilot instructor were injured with severe burns in a plane crash in New York area when they were on a demonstration flight The small plane carrying Roma Gupta, 63, and her daughter Reeva Gupta, 33, crashed nearby Long Island homes as the pilot reported smoke in the cabin Roma was killed when the four-seater single engine Piper Cherokee plane went down in flames as it was returning to the Republic Airport on Long Island from where it had also taken off The pilot had all necessary certifications, according to Oleh Dekaylo, attorney for Danny Waizman Flight School and the aircraft had recently passed two inspections, the most recent of which was last week

MAN DIES AFTER BEING HIT BY TRAIN IN US

A passenger train struck and killed a 39year-old man of Indian descent in the US while he was crossing tracks in New Jersey

Mazari said, "PTI worker Ali Bilal, 40, died after suffering a head injury during the baton charge Additionally, she said that PTI women employees had been attacked "using toxins in the water" discharged by water cannons The PTI later claimed that once victim Bilal was arrested, police brutally tortured him until he died

IMF deal imminent after China pledged support: Lanka prez

CO LO MBO: Sri Lankan president Ranil Wic kr emes in ghe sa id h is country may soon receive approval for its $2 9 billion bailout plan as China has provided critical debt restructuring promises

According to Wickremesinghe, the Central Bank governor and he promptly issued a letter of intent to the IMF for final approval after receiving a letter from China's Exim bank with the assurances Now that we have completed

Ram Chandra Poudel becomes new Nepal president

KA T HM A ND U : Ram Chand ra Poud el of Nepali C ong ress was elected as the new president of Nepal, amid increasing political instability in the country ruled by a fragile coalition headed by PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ Poudel got the support of 214 members of parliament and 352 members of the provincial assemblies as the common candidate of the eight-party coalition, which included the N epali Congress and the Prachanda-led CPN (Maoist Centre)

“Congratulations to my friend Ram Candra Poudelji for being elected as the president,” Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba tweeted With the support from eight parties, 78-year-old Poudel’s victory was certain His rival Subas Chandra Nebmang had support of former PM KP Sharma-led CPNUML On March 12, President Bidya Devi Bhandari's term will come to a close Nearly 882 people, including 332 members of parliament and 550 representatives from each of the seven provinces' regional assemblies, are registered to vote in the presidential election The Election Commission said 518 provincial assembly members and 313 MPs cast their votes The outcome of the election could impact the stability of the government Oli led CPN-UML, Nepal’s second largest party in parliament, withdrew its support to the ‘Prachanda’-led government following a rift over backing Poudel

our portion, he predicted that the IMF will finish its contribution by the third or fourth week of this month

China owns 10% of Sri Lanka’s foreign debt, which exceeds $51 billion Its delayed assurances were seen as the last hurdle in securing the bailout deal after India and other creditors gave early pledges

After the IMF agreement is struck, Wickremesinghe predicted that financial support from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank will begin to flow But, he underlined that challenging economic changes must be implemented as agreed with the IMF and that Sri Lanka cannot afford to ignore them as it has with 16 prior accords

“We don’t repay foreign debt at the moment, we only repay loans to the multilateral financial institutions If we break the agreement with the IMF, we will be compelled to repay loans to foreign countries and private banks,” Wickremesinghe said “We have approximately $6-7 billion to repay every year until 2029 We don’t have foreign currency to do that, and therefore it is imperative that the IMF keeps engaging with our creditors on the agreements reached on debt sustainability

On February 28, a news portal stated that a pedestrian was struck by an Amtrak train as it was travelling from Washington to Boston He was pronounced dead at the scene A GoFundme initiative identified him as Sreekanth Digala from Andhra Pradesh, a resident of Plainsboro, New Jersey

According to the fundraiser, Digala, the only breadwinner of his family leaves behind his wife and a 10-year-old son His old parents and in-laws in India were also his sole responsibility

INDIA AID HELPS LANKA BUY BOOKS FOR 4 MN STUDENTS

Sri Lanka has used over $10 million from India s assistance of $1 billion to print nearly half of the textbooks for its four million young students, the Indian High Commission said India announced a $1 billion line of credit to Sri Lanka last year as part of its financial assistance to help the country deal with its economic crisis “A concessional credit facility of $1 billion was extended to the government of Sri Lanka by the government of India in March 2022 for supply of essential items including food, fuel, medicines, industrial raw materials Out of this facility over $10 million has been used by SPC and private importers to procure printing paper and material from India,” the High Commission said “This is being used to print 45% of textbooks required by 4 million young students of Sri Lanka for the academic year 2023, it said in a statement

4 IN FRAY FOR NEPAL’S VP POST

Four candidates, including three women, have registered their nominations for the post of vice president of Nepal ahead of the election scheduled to take place on March 17, the election commission said Ashta Laxmi Shakya, vice chair of the CPN-UML, Ram Sahaya Yadav, Pramila Kumari Yadav, and Mamata Jha members of the Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP), are the four candidates fighting for the position Jha and both Yadavs are from the eight-party alliance and are members of the Madhesi community According to a clause in the Constitution, the vice president must belong to a different racial or ethnic group than the president The vice president candidate should be diverse in terms of gender and ethnicity, as President Ramchandra Poudel, who was elected, is a man from the Khas Arya

BALOCHISTAN HC SUSPENDS WARRANT AGAINST IMRAN

The Balochistan high court (BHC) has suspended the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against former PM Imran Khan in a case of hate speech against state institutions after his PTI party filed a petition against the move The non-bailable arrest warrants were issued on behalf of a citizen for “spreading hate” against state institutions and their offices following his recent speech Khan’s party filed a petition in the BHC against the orders of a judicial magistrate in Quetta, urging it to cancel the arrest warrant and also quash the FIR filed against him BHC s Justice Zaheer-ud Din Kakar suspended the arrest warrant and adjourned the hearing for two weeks

EX-PM OF MALAYSIA CHARGED WITH CORRUPTION

Muhyiddin Yassin, a former prime minister of Malaysia, was accused of abusing his position and laundering money for projects that were carried out while he was in office He claimed that the accusations were politically driven The charges come just three months after Muhyiddin lost a closely fought general election to Anwar Ibrahim After relinquishing his position, Muhyiddin became the second Malaysian leader to be accused of crimes The prosecution said that Muhyiddin exploited his position as prime minister to accept bribes totaling 232 5 million ring it ($51 44 million) in a bank account owned by his party Bersatu He was charged with four counts of abuse of power and 2 counts of money laundering Muhyiddin, 75, pleaded not guilty to all six charges

GERMANY SET TO BAN PARTS MADE BY CHINESE FIRMS

Germany plans to ban telecoms operators from using certain components made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in 5G networks, a government source said in a move to address security concerns According to sources cited by media, the prohibition might apply to network components that are already installed, forcing operators to replace them The administration remained silent As managing editor of the China practise at research firm Rhodium Group, Noah Barkin stated, "This is an indication that the German government may now be taking dangers to national security related to China seriously

MICRONESIA ACCUSES CHINA OF BRIBERY, THREATS

Micronesia s president has accused China of bribery, harassment and “political warfare , in an explosive letter to his country s legislature David Panuelo the outgoing leader warned parliamentarians that "political warfare" was taking place in the nation while outlining claims of Chinese espionage, pressure on government figures, and "direct threats" against his personal safety Panuelo had previously voiced concerns about Beijing s growing power in the South Pacific, most notably opposing a security deal that could allow Chinese troops to be deployed to the region China, he claimed, had "demonstrated a sharp capability to undermine our sovereignty, opposes our ideals, and utilises our elected and senior officials for their own reasons"

ISRAEL KILLS 3 PALESTINE ULTRAS IN WEST BANK

Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinian militants who opened fire on troops in the occupied West Bank, the military said The AlAqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party, claimed the men killed were its members

The Palestinian health ministry said the men were killed by Israeli fire near the city of Nablus

The military said it confiscated three M16 rifles from the militants after shootout and that one gunman turned himself in and was arrested The deaths on Sunday bring to 80 the number of Palestinians killed since the start of the year as Israel has stepped up arrest raids in West Bank

President to inaugurate the Lohana International Business Forum

Subhash V Thakrar BCom FCA

FRSA, Convenor

of LIBF

The President of Uganda His Excellency Yoweri Musoweni will inaugurate the Lohana International Business Conference on 20th of March at Speke Resort, Munyonyo Uganda

The LIBF is the first global business gathering of Lohana business people from over 27 countries and 110 cities of the World The registrations have far exceeded original estimates

Over 700 delegates will participate and there will over 110 exhibitors

The theme of the gathering is Africa Calling and will showcase the medium and long term

Uganda High Commissioner to the UK and Ambassador to Ireland

(Speech at the House of Lords)

economic potential of Africa, especially East Africa Over 70% of Africa’s 1 3 bn population is below age of 30 With this young digitised population as well as vast mineral resources will put Africa on the economic spotlight in years to come Uganda has been chosen for its unique political stability as well its increasing business friendly environment Lohanas have been doing business in Uganda for over 150 years and for the community it is coming back to home! There are less than 2 5 m Lohanas worldwide They hail from the warrior class who protected the old India in the

North western frontier and later migrated to the Multan region of today's Pakistan and later in to the Kutch and Saurastra districts of the today's state of Gujarat of India Lohanas then became the Vaishya class where they entered the fields of Commerce and industry Business runs in the veins of Lohanas and it is this value that will get highlighted at this unique Forum

There are numerous speakers lined up from senior Government ministers of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania Rwanda and DRC will also be showcased Delegates will have a specially designed App to

Uganda’s economy also offers high returns on investment thus making it the should be your preferred investment destination

Subhash Thakrar

connect with other delegates for one to one meetings There will be presentations from old established Lohanas in East Africa sharing their experiences and contacts Various investment, trade and consulting opportunities will be highlighted during this gathering lasting 4 days from 19th March

The whole event will be live streamed on YouTube Media contact: Ms Dipti Kotak at dipti kotak@terentia co in (+91 98202 12160)

It’ s a prou d mo me nt tha t the Wo rl d s Largest Lohana Corpora te Event is going to take place in Uganda As you are all aware, the Lohana International Business Forum (LIBF) will start on 19th March 2023 The venue will be the Speke Resort & Confere nce Centre, Munyonyo, Kampala, Uganda The 2023 Summit will encourage cross-border business, investment and services

As our Honourable President H E Yoweri Museveni said during all his international and local visits, “Uganda is the safest place for any investor to inject their money and offers immense business opportunities If there is a place where you can easily make money, it is Uganda The place is secure Uganda hosts 1 4 million refugees from the neighbouring countries because of its peacefulness and a friendly refugee policy, despite its history of turmoil including the dictatorial leadership of Idi Amin who because of selfish interests expelled Asians from the country

THE PEARL OF AFRICA Uganda enjoys a unique location along the equator, in the heart of Sub-Saharan Africa within the East African region There are countless reasons to invest in Uganda Uganda is rich in agriculture and endowed with vast mineral resources (Oil, gold, iron, cobalt etc) and has been an economic success story in recent decades Uganda’s land-linked position gives it a strategic commanding base for regional trade and investment and is readily open for business

The people of Uganda are warm, the friendliest and make up a highly entrepreneurial community you are set to come across within the next decade

The African Development Bank strongly suggests that one should look into retail, construction, and telecommunications ventures Due to the discovery of oil reserves, potential investors such as yourself should look towards a country whose mining, transport, and hospitality sectors will grow in leaps and bounds Similarly, rapid urbanization and commensurate public investment in urban development mean that the country's service sector will grow faster

Interestingly, a 2015 global survey established that Uganda was the world's most entrepreneurial country – one that would only see an upward trajectory given further clustering of skills and technology, proximity to financial services, and further progress made on improving the regulatory environment According to the 2020 World Investment Report, the volume of foreign direct investment being infused into Uganda grew by 20% over the previous year, to a record high of US$ 1 3 billion Investors from Kenya, Germany and Belgium mostly ostensibly agree with the viability of the country's major oil fields, an international oil pipeline, and the coffee and mining sectors

While the 2020 Index of Economic Freedom clarifies that Uganda is the 102nd freest economy in the world, it is the 10th freest in sub-Saharan Africa It intends to become an upper-middle-income country by 2040 The expectation is that Uganda will achieve upper-middle-income status through ambitious infrastructure expenditure within an economic environment where property rights are guaranteed by law, and government spending and budget deficits are efficiently

Biden appoints 2 Indian origin to trade policy and negotiations body

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has named two Indian-Americans - Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex, and Manish Bapna, C EO of the Natural R esources Defe nce Council - to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

The Advisory Committee, which offers general policy guidance to the United States Trade Representative on issues relating to the establishment, implementation, and administration of US trade policy, was to receive 14 new members, as stated by Biden

The White House stated that some of these include negotiating goals and bargaining positions prior to entering into trade agreements, the effect of their implementation, questions pertaining to how any trade agreement will function once it has

been signed, and other issues arising in connection with the creation, administration, and implementation of American trade policy

Revathi Advaithi is CEO of Flex, “the global manufacturing partner of choice that helps a diverse customer base design and build products to improve the world" Since assuming the role in 2019, Advaithi has been responsible for architecting the company ’ s strategic direction and leading Flex through a transformation that is defining a new era in manufacturing, the White House said Manish Bapna is president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC), which has been behind many of the most significant environmental milestones of the last half century - from the

managed In the World Bank's 2020 Doing Business report, Uganda gained 11 places to be ranked 116th out of 190 countries

The notable improvement in ranking was premised on a more aggressive regulatory regime around power outages, a remarkable development of the country's financial services sector, and further privatization of the banking sector Relatively, Uganda is a shareholder in regional institutions such as the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB) and the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) TDB is on hand to intermediate both regional and global capital to its Member States, and ATI provides risk mitigation services such as the provision of political risk insurance (PRI)

Invariably, one cannot deny Uganda's strategic location within the Great Lakes region On top of the country's capacity to become a regional hub of trade and investment, the Pearl of Africa is an integral party to the functional East African Community customs union Likewise, one can expect that when the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is fully implemented, Uganda will play a critical role in further boosting and facilitating intra-African trade I invite you all to explore the historic opportunity of investment through LIBF 2023, and also visit our tourist sites such as the second largest freshwater Lake in the world, Lake Victoria – the source of River Nile, national parks like Mgahinga impenetrable National Park where you will be able to see our ancestors the Gorillas

Revathi Advaithi & Manish Bapna

creation of bedrock environmental laws, to landmark legal victories, and foundational research, the White House said

With his leadership positions over the course of his 25-year career, Bapna has worked to provide equitable, long-lasting, and scalable solutions to the problems of poverty and climate change Most recently, he worked for more than 14 years as the World Resources Institute's Executive Vice President and Managing Director, a research group that focuses on the relationship between the environment and human development

H.E. Nimisha Madhvani

Nimisha Madhvani

“Uganda is the safest place for any investor"

BJP, opposition members battle over Rahul’s remarks in UK

S i nce BJP and op p os iti on MPs in both Houses were i nvol ved in a c ontro versy o ver C o ngres s M P Rah ul Gand h i' s com m ents that Indian "democracy is under th reat" wh ile i n th e U K, P arli ame nt was ad jo urned on the first day of the postrec ess Bu d get ses si on w i tho ut co ndu cti ng any b usi ness I t caus ed a significant outcry as treasury benches members demanded Rah u l's apo lo gy and o pposition members asked f or a j oi nt p arli amentary c om m ittee ( JP C ) investigation into the AdaniHindenburg matter

Leading BJP figures brought up Rahul's comments as soon as the Houses' sessions got underway Rajnath Singh,

Day before his bail hearing, ED arrests

Sisodia after quizzing

the deputy leader of the House and minister of defence, brought it up in the Lok Sabha, but Piyush Goyal, the leader of the House, did so in the Rajya Sabha despite raucous objections from the opposition benches

Charging the Congress leader for trying to defame India by making such remarks on foreign soil, Singh said, “Rahul Gandhi,

who is a member of the Lok Sabha, had gone to London and tried to ‘discredit’ India and said the democratic system in India is completely crumbling He also said that foreign powers should save India’s democracy He tried to ‘deeply hurt’ India’s honour and prestige ” PM Modi attacks Rahul for London remark

It was a disgrace that

Defence ministry finalising deal for 200 more BrahMos missiles

In another mega deal for the BrahMos supersonic cruise m is s i les , t he d ef enc e mi nistry is now fi nalis ing the acquisition of over 200 m ore s uch mi s s il es for f ron tli n e Na vy wa rs hips

The procurement proposal f or th e mi s si le s a nd a ss oc ia ted eq ui pment wi ll s oon b e ta ken up for c ons i de rat ion by the Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC)

“It will be sent for the final nod to the PM-led cabinet committee on security,” a source said The exact contours of the deal, which will include deliveries over a long period, are being fine tuned “The actual cost will depend on the BrahMos numbers and configurations that finally get cleared but it’s likely to be upwards of £1 5 billion,” a source said

Among other warships, these missiles will also be for the four Project-15B destroyers (two INS

Visakhapatnam and INS Mormugao have been commissioned) as well as seven Project-17A frigates (five ‘launched’ in water till now) Ten frontline warships are already armed with the BrahMos missiles jointly developed by Russia, which fly almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2 8, while its vertical launch systems have also been installed on another five warships The Navy had tested the air breathing BrahMos with “ an indigenous seeker and booster designed by DRDO”

from a warship in the Arabian Sea on March 5

The armed forces are also progressively inducting the upgraded BrahMos missiles, with an extended range of 450-km from the original 290-km A 800-km range variant of BrahMos has also undergone its maiden test, while a couple of more are slated this year BrahMos has emerged as the “prime conventional (nonnuclear) strike weapon ” for the armed forces, with contracts worth over £3 8 billion already inked till now

India and Oz PMs play a friendly game of cricket diplomacy

Pr im e Mi n is te r N aren dra Modi a nd hi s Australi an c ounterpart Anthony Albanes e a tte nde d the f our th Tes t mat ch of th e Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Narendra M odi s ta di um toge ther on the hi s tori c occasion of celebrating 75 years of cricketing friendship

Cricket played the role of a great unifier as the PMs of both countries walked a shared lap of honour around the stadium amid loud acclaim from cheering crowds, despite the fact that both countries have been involved in an exciting cricketing rivalry over the last decades The two premiers met players from both sides and stood alongside their respective teams as the national anthems were played Befittingly, a specially minted coin to mark 75 years of friendship between both nations through cricket was tossed up to get the Test underway

Posting a picture of himself with PM Modi, Albanese tweeted, “Celebrating 75 years of friendship through cricket with

Prime Minister @narendramodi ” PM Modi responded to his tweet, “Cricket, a common passion in India and Australia! Glad to be in Ahmedabad with my good friend, PM @AlboMP to witness parts of the IndiaAustralia Test Match ”

Thousands came stadium that was abuzz with celebrations

The two PMs were welcomed at the stadium with framed pieces of art The Australian PM was congratulated by BCCI president Roger Binny, and PM Modi was congratulated by BCCI secretary Jay Shah A cultural show including dancers to a song by Grammy-winning artist Falguni Shah aka Falu was presented after that

Even as both PMs handed over caps to the captains of their respective teams, and the captains proceeded for a toss, the two PMs were walked through the ‘Friendship Hall of Fame’

a pictorial compilation of the rich cricketing history between India and Australia

"some people sitting in London have the guts to put on trial the mother of all democracies and humiliate 1 3 billion fellow Indians," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an apparent jab at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in the state of Karnataka, which is going to the polls Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Karnataka and the rest of the nation to be vigilant against anyone questioning their commitment to democracy, stating that "Indian democracy has a heritage that dates back several centuries No nation-state can undermine its democratic foundations Despite this, some individuals continue to challenge it

Manish Sisodia was interrogated twice before being taken into custody by the En force me nt Dir e ct or at e in T iha r Prison as part of its investigation into Delhi s excise policy

A day before a court was to hear

Sisodia's bail request in the case the CBI had filed against him and for which he had been placed in detention, the ED took action When the AAP leader is brought before the court, the agency plans to ask for custody of him so that he can be questioned further Sisodia is “Accused No 1 ” in the case, according to the CBI FIR which has been the basis for the ED to register an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) The former deputy CM was earlier arrested by the CBI on February 26

The CBI questioned Sisodia both before and after they arrested him, but before the ED started interviewing him In court, the CBI asserted that Sisodia had been evasive and uncooperative during the interrogation His secretary, other associates and party functionaries have already recorded their statements with both the CBI and the ED Sources said the ED seeks to question Sisodia in custody as he remains evasive in his answers despite being confronted with the statements of other accused in the case that could be crucial in determining the trail of “proceeds of crime”

ED claims proof found of £60 mn payoffs after Lalu kin searches

The E D a ss er ted i t has seized documents revealing "proceeds of crime" worth £60 mn a day after searches we re c ar ri ed out at 2 4 l oc a ti ons i n D elhi - NC R, Patna, Mumbai, and Ranchi on premis es connected to former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his son, Bihar deputy chief minister Te ja shw i Y a dav, and his daughters in the context of the lan d- for -r ai lwa y j ob probe

The searches were carried out as part of a money laundering investigation in the matter, which goes back to Lalu's time as the UPA government's minister for railways and involves

allegations of land extortion from individuals in exchange for Group D posts in various railway zones “It has been revealed during the investigation that in many railway zones, more than 50% of the recruited candidates were from the constituencies of Lalu Prasad’s family,” said ED

The property, according to the ED, is listed under the name of AB Exports Pvt Ltd, a business that Tejashwi owns and controls Tejashwi was discovered to be residing in and using this home as his primary residence during the searches, according to the ED

“The investigation

conducted so far has revealed that several pieces of land at prominent locations in Patna and other areas were illegally acquired by the family of Lalu Prasad Yadav, in lieu of jobs provided in railways The current market value of these land parcels is more than £20 million,” the ED stated in a press note

“It is suspected that a huge amount of cash/proceeds of crime has been infused in purchasing this property and a few Mumbai-based entities dealing in the gems and jewellery sector were used to channel ill-gotten proceeds of crime in this regard,” the ED further said

63 NRIs attend medical tourism meet

To promote medical tourism and medical education tourism under the auspices of Sar dar Pate l Un i ver si ty an d Guj ar at Touri s m Cor porat ion Ltd , B hai ka ka University, Karamsad hosted the NRI meet on March 4, 2023 There were about 63 NRI f ans and we ll -w is her s who s ig ned up, mostly from the US and the UK

Atul Patel (President, Bhaikaka University, and Chairman, Charutar Arogya Mandal), Jagrut Bhatt (Hon Secretary, Bhaikaka University, and Member, Governing Body, Charutar Arogya Mandal), Dr Utpala Kharod (Provost, Bhaikaka University), Dr Niranjanbhai Patel (ViceChancellor, Sardar Patel University), and Surendrabhai Patel (Leader NRI Patrons) shared the dais

According to Jagrut Bhatt, with the cooperation of Gujarat Tourism and Sardar Patel University, we were able to organise an NRI meet We also appreciate the support of the Dharmaj society of London, an NRI patron in the UK and the US, which has consistently assisted us in generating money

Dr Nirajanbhai Patel said, “Sardar Patel University receives Rs 75,00,000 grant from the Gujarat Government for developing tourism in the periphery of Sardar Patel University Every year, approximately 2 million patients visit India for medical treatment Among the visitors are citizens

of Turkey, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Oman, Iraq, the Maldives, Nigeria, and Kenya

These counties have subpar healthcare facilities NRI patients from industrialised nations also favour receiving medical care in India due to the lengthy wait times and expensive prices of care Shree Krishna Hospital, Karamsad, is providing the best medical treatment at a subsidized rate The hospital has modern facilities and an efficient team of doctors "

India continues to be world’s largest importer of arms

Des pite the government's on go i ng e mph as i s o n "Made in India" in defence p rod uc ti on , I nd i a c onti nue s to l angui sh i n the strategically risky and e mb arr as s in g pos it ion of b ein g the world's l arges t arms i mporter, accounting f or 11% of all worldwi de imports in 2018–22

Russia continues to be India s top weapons supplier, accounting for 45% of all imports during the 2018–22 period, according to the most recent data on foreign arms transfers published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), despite a diminishing percentage France accounts for 29%, displacing the US from the second position by riding on deals like the £5 9 billion for 36 Rafale fighters The US, in turn, notched up 11% of the total weapon sales to India India is followed by Saudi Arabia (9 6%), Qatar (6 4%), Australia (4 7%),

China (4 6%), Egypt (4 5%), South Korea (3 7%) and Pakistan (3 7%) among the top 10 arms importers

In order to achieve "atmanirbharta" (selfreliance) in defence production, India, the third-largest military spender in the world after the US and China, has adopted a number of actions They include announcing four "positive indigenization lists," raising the FDI ceiling, creating "a favourable climate" for Indian vendors, and allocating a record 75% of the 2023–2024 defence capital

India to supply 20,000 mt more wheat to Afghanistan

At the first meeting of the

procurement budget to local companies

Junior defence minister Ajay Bhatt told Rajya Sabha that the expenditure on defence procurement from foreign sources has reduced from 46% of the overall expenditure in 2018-19 to 36 7% as per data till December 2022 due to the various policy initiatives But a lot more clearly needs to be done if India has to meet its oftrepeated ambitious target of achieving a domestic turnover of £17 5 billion in the defence and aerospace sectors, including exports of £3 5 billion by 2024-25

SC refers pleas for same-sex marriages to five-judge bench

The Supreme Court said it i s a seminal issue and an " i mpor ta n t s ub jec t " an d submitted a number of petitions for same-sex marriage legal recognition to a fiveju dge c on st i tut i on b e nc h f or de c i si o n N ot wi th s ta nd in g t he C en t re 's c ont en ti on tha t P ar li a me nt a lon e s hou ld decide on the issue whose c om pl ex i ti e s co uld af f ec t "how our society develops h en ce for th," the S C t ook the action

A bench of CJI D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala decided to invoke the apex court’s powers

under Article 145(3) to directly refer the issue to a five judge bench on finding the petitions demanding legalisation of same-sex marriage had raised important constitutional questions The hearings will commence from April 18

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged people not to shortchange anyone's arguments as the petitioners' attorneys presented a 32-hour argument timetable, or a little over two weeks The entire society will be impacted by this problem Please include the full scope of the problem

The SC has the enormous

burden of determining how society will progress moving forward It will need to be done in a few days or weeks, not just a few hours

The Navtej Johar judgment decriminalised samegender sexual relations, but the much-discriminated LGBTQ members of these communities have not reaped the benefits of legalising the right to love a person of any gender without also receiving the corollary "right to marriage" as part of their right to dignity, claimed a group of senior advocates led by N K Kaul, A M Singhvi, and Menaka Guruswamy

US agencies project El Niño this year

The third month in a row the US government weather a gen ci es ha ve hi ghl ig hted t he prob ab il it y of E l N io c ond it i ons de vel opin g i n late summer this year and it will be a bad indication for t he m ons oon s ea s on i n India

The March update of US agencies linked to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on conditions in the Pacific Ocean, released, reiterates the model projections of the previous two months on the possibility of an El Niño forming around July-August this year

Although experts, including IMD officials, have stated that a clearer picture will

emerge only by next month (in April), when spring conditions in the Pacific are taken into account, the fact that the signal for El Nio has lasted in weather models for three months supports the forecast

El Niño is an abnormal warming of surface ocean currents in the east and central equatorial Pacific that corresponds with changes in wind flows, affecting weather patterns across many regions of the globe An El Niño generally leads to poor summer monsoon rains over India, although there have been exceptions to this in the past

The most recent bulletin stated that after three

tives from India and Central Asia emphasised the importance of Afghanistan's territory not being used to harbour, train, plan, or finance terrorist attacks They also rei terated the fact that no terrorist groups, inc luding those named in UNSC resolution 1267, should be given sanctuary or be permitted to use Afghanistan's territory

Moreover, India said that it would provide 20,000 MT of wheat to Afghanistan through Chabahar Port in cooperation with the UNWFP Using the land route with Pakistan, India has already given Afghanistan close to 50,000 MT of wheat

According to a joint statement, the meeting highlighted the significance of creating a governmental framework that is really

inclusive and representative, respects the rights of all Afghans, and guarantees equal rights for women, girls, and members of minority groups, including access to education It discussed regional threats of terrorism, extremism, radicalsation and drug trafficking and also deliberated on the possibilities to coordinate efforts to counter these threats

“Country representative of the UNODC in Afghanistan highlighted the partnership of India and

UNODC in fighting the menace of narcotics in Afghanistan and thanked India for providing humanitarian aid for the Afghan drug user population,” said the government in a statement “Upon their request, India offered capacity building training courses for the relevant stakeholders/partner agencies of UNODC and the relevant officials/stakeholders of Central Asian Republics in the field of countering illegal drug trafficking,” it added

PM Modi raises temple attacks in Australia with Albanese

Amid a spate of attacks on Hindu temples in Australia, Pri me Mi ni s ter N are ndr a Modi raised the issue with hi s vi s it in g c ounte rpar t An thony Al ban es e s ay i ng that such attacks were disturbing and had naturally c aus ed anx i ety i n I nd ia Albanese assured him that the s af ety of t he I nd ia n c ommuni t y was a spe c ia l priority for his government

While highlighting how the Indian community was making a significant contribution to the society and economy of Australia, Modi said it was a matter of regret that attacks on temples had been regularly reported over the past few weeks

“It is natural that such news worries the people in India, and disturbs our

Narendra Modi & Anthony Albanese

mind I have shared these feelings and concerns of ours with PM Albanese And he has assured me that the safety of the Indian community is a special priority for him,” said Modi in his remarks at a joint press meet with Albanese “Our teams will be in regular touch on this topic, and will cooperate as much as possible,” he

added India has repeatedly taken up with Australian authorities the attacks on temples by pro-Khalistan elements who are also carrying out, like in Canada, a Khalistan referendum Australia, however, has assured India that the referendum has no legal standing

Nirav Modi borrowing

£150, 247 to pay back fine

years, La Nia circumstances have finally subsided El Nio's opposite, La Nia, causes a cooling of the seas in the eastern and central Pacific La Nia has gone, and ENSO neutral conditions are anticipated to last until the spring and early summer of 2023 in the northern hemisphere

The projections predict that El Nio will arrive quickly later this year The most recent projection, however, indicates an El Nio forming only by August, when the February forecast had forecasted a higher possibility of El Nio (than neutral circumstances) by around July this year

Nirav Modi, a former bill ion ai re d ia ma nt ai re , h a s reportedly been force d to pay fees for the appeal of his extradition and is now taking out loans to pay back a fine of £150,247

Nirav (51) appeared via video link from HMP Wandsworth at Barkingside Magistrates' Court in east London and represented himself without a lawyer due to the fact that he had not paid the fees of £150,247 for an unsuccessful appeal against his extradition The costs order was made by the extradition proceedings judge on January 9, the court heard, and he was ordered to pay it within 28 days and had not done so

Instead, he made a payment offer of £10,000 every month, which the fine team refused; as a result, he was brought before the court When the court requested his UK address, he responded that he did not have one Nirav responded, "All my assets have been blocked and I am unable to afford my legal bills," when asked why he hadn't paid He was asked why his

assets were frozen and he replied: “Most of my assets are in India where I have been living and working for the past 30 years, and my assets have been frozen for the past four years in India because of bogus allegations against me ” When asked where he would get the £10,000 per month, he said: “I am borrowing and have been for past two years I have been in prison for four yearsand after my first two years ’ funds dried up so borrowing since then (sic) ” The bench ruled Nirav can pay £10,000 per month for six months and then a review hearing would be held

Nirav Modi

PM Modi holds massive roadshow in poll-bound Karnataka

NE W D ELH I: Ahead of inaugurating the B eng alur u-M ys uru E xp res s way project, and dedicating II T D harwad and the "longest" railway platform in the world to the nation, Pri me Minis ter

Na ren dra Mod i hel d a ma ss i ve roadshow in poll-bound Karnataka on Sunday Hundreds of people lined up along the streets of Karnataka's Mandya c it y an d wel come d PM Modi by showering flowers on him

He also picked up the shower petals which got piled up on the bonnet of his car and was seen throwing them back at the crowd Standing on the 'running board' of his moving car, he greeted by waving at the crowd gathered on the sides of the roads and on nearby buildings, many of whom were seen chanting 'Modi, Modi' slogans and shouting loud cheers

He also got out of his car and greeted folk artists who staged a performance in his welcome

PM Modi was in Karnataka to dedicate and lay the foundation stones of projects worth around £1 6 billion, during his sixth visit to the state this year

According to an official release, Prime Minister also dedicated and laid the foundation stone of key road

EPS booked after AIADMK men rough up Sasikala ‘aide’

MA DU RA I: Former Tamil Nadu Chie f Ministe r E Palan iswami and AIADMK MLA PR Senthilnathan have been booked for allegedly attack ing a protesting passenger at Madurai airport The pa ssenger allegedly share d a Facebook live stream in which he can be heard a ccusi ng EP S of “ betrayin g ” VK S asi ka la , a clo se confidante of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayala litha

ILLEGAL ELECTRIC FENCE KILLS 3 JUMBOS IN TN

projects in Mandya, and thereafter, he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development initiatives in Hubballi-Dharwad

In what is being seen as the high point of the visit, Modi dedicated the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway to the nation The project involves 6-laining of the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta-Mysuru section of NH-275

The 118-km-long project has been developed at a total cost of around £848 million and will reduce the travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from around 3 hours to about 75 minutes, the release said, adding that it will act as a catalyst for socio-economic development in the region The PM will also laid the foundation stone for MysuruKushalnagar 4-lane highway Spread over 92 Km, the project will be developed at a cost of around £413 million

BJP serves ultimatum to Punjab govt over law and order

B A T H I N D A / A M R I T S A R : Upp ing the ante against Chief M i ni st er Bh agw ant M ann and AAP natio nal c onvener Arvind

K ej ri w al, th e P u nj ab B JP on Sunday served a 15-day ultimatum o n th e s tat e go vern ment to i mp rove law and order in the state It also sought registration of an FIR against pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh regarding the Ajnala police station incident

Addressing reporters, state BJP vice-president and former minister Raj Kumar Verka, accompanied by local leaders, said the party would launch an agitation, which would include ‘gherao’ of the Chief Minister, his ministerial colleagues and AAP MLAs, should the government fail to take action against Amritpal Singh within the given timeframe “Mann and Kejriwal have a direct nexus with Amritpal Singh and anti-social elements,” alleged Verka The BJP would not let the law and order situation deteriorate and allow the state to

be overwhelmed by the drug menace and anti-national sentiments, he said

With regard to the liquor policy, the BJP made it known that it was keeping a close watch on the issue “The state’s excise policy has imprint of the controversial Delhi’s policy,” he said

Meanwhile, in Amritsar BJP leaders Manoranjan Kalia and Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi said the Central Government was closely watching the law and order situation in the state Addressing mediapersons on Sunday, they said CM Bhagwant Singh Mann was holding the home portfolio yet no case had been registered against proKhalistan activist Amritpal Singh and his supporters who had stormed the police station at Ajnala and assaulted police officials on February 24 They said gangs of criminals had been striking at will since the government came to power in the state

KOLKAT A: In a key judgment, the Calcutta High Court (HC) ordered the cancellation of appointment of 842 Group C employees in West Bengal schools Earlier, the HC had cancelled 1,911 Group D and 618 secondary level teachers who were illegally appointed through the School Service Comm ission (SSC) scam

With the list showing that relatives of several Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders got back-door entries, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched an attack on the ruling party In its defence, the TMC has alleged that 55 of the 842 were recommended by BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari

Kunal Ghosh, TMC spokesman and general secretary, said, “It is to be noted that 150 candidates were recruited as per the

The incident occurred at Madurai airport As per reports, the Sasikala supporter identified as Rajeswaran was allegedly beaten up by AIADMK supporters for raising slogans against EPS and calling him a “betrayer” inside a bus in which they were being ferried from the tarmac to the terminal building of the Madurai airport He is a cadre of AMMK, a party being run by Sasikala Rajeswaran’s Facebook live has gone viral where he is seen calling Palaniswami a “traitor” “I am here with Edappadiyar The Leader of Opposition who is a betrayer He betrayed Chinnamma (Sasikala) He betrayed the people of south Tamil Nadu by providing 10 5 per cent reservation (to Vanniyars),” he stated before being overpowered by the security staff of the former chief minister who snatched his mobile phone Subsequently, a case was registered against Rajeswaran for “breaching airport rules and using abusive language against EPS” following a complaint lodged by former AIADMK minister RB Udayakumar

A police official said Rajeswaran was manhandled by AIADMK men outside the airport He said Rajeswaran was detained and that he later filed a complaint at Avaniyapuram police station

After controversy, Punjab govt cancels Teacher Eligibility Test

CHA NDI GA RH : Following a c ont rove rs y on Sunda y, the Pun j ab gove rnm ent ha s c a nc ell ed the Pun ja b Sta te Te ac her El i gi bi li ty Tes t (PSTET)

Education Minister Harjot Bains in a series of tweets said, “To maintain complete fairness in our examination process, a PS level probe has been ordered to look in to PSTET exam conducted by a third Party with GNDU Accountability will be fixed & those found guilty will be booked for criminal negligence

“Further, GNDU has regretted & will re-conduct the exam without any fees In future, have ordered my department to have a suitable clause for compensation in the MOU’s signed with third parties for compensation of the candidates in such a scenario

Why should candidates suffer ”

2 GNDU professors suspended

Taking swift action against

instructions of Leader of Opposition

Suvendu Adhikari Of these, 55 lost their jobs as per the court’s directives These candidates are from various areas, including Khejuri, Kanthi-1, Bhupatinagar, Patashpur, and Ramnagar We demand that these 55 candidates, along with Adhikari, should be called in for investigation to determine how did they get these jobs?”

A considerable number of TMC leaders has been arrested in connection with the scam, including former education minister Partha Chatterjee and TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya Feeling the pressure, the TMC has started to attack Adhikari, and even giving out names of candidates who have lost their jobs

“One of the candidates on the list,

irregularities in the Teacher Eligibility Test exam, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has suspended two GNDU professors allegedly found guilty in the case and ordered their immediate arrest

They are Dr Hardeep Singh, professor, Department of Computer Science and Dr Ravinder Singh Sawhney, professor, Department of Electronics Technology at the Guru Nanak Dev University They have been placed under suspension with immediate effect

Mann also directed the Police department to immediately arrest the perpetrators of the irregularities He has asked the police force to take exemplary action against the guilty so that it acts as a deterrent for others

The Chief Minister said that the irregularities in this exam is a fraud with the careers of the youth which can never be tolerated

Three adult elephants were electrocuted when they came into contact with an illegal electric fencing at a farm in Kendenahalli village of Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu Of the three, two were female elephants and another was a 'Makhna' bull elephant They were moving in a herd and two calves were saved by a team of forest officials The incident happened in the night The elephants were electrocuted after they stepped on a wire at a farm which illegally tapped power into the live wire One person has been arrested in this connection," Dharmapuri District Forest Officer K V Appala Naidu said The incident occurred near the reserve forest area when an anti-depredation squad was tracking a herd of elephants in Marandahalli

KCR'S DAUGHTER QUESTIONED IN LIQUOR POLICY CASE

K Kavitha, Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader and daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, was questioned for nine hours by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi liquor policy case She has been summoned again on March 16 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is already under the ED's custody in the same case He was also arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for alleged corruption in framing Delhi s new liquor policy which was later scrapped A key focus of the investigation into the Delhi liquor policy case is on an alleged network of middlemen, businessmen and politicians which the central agencies have called the "South Group" The ED alleged the liquor policy was tweaked to help companies of the "South Group and Sisodia diluted the policy in their favour without any consultation

JALANDHAR LS BY-POLL: CONG NOMINATES LATE MP'S WIFE

The Congress on Monday announced the nomination of late Jalandhar MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary's wife Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary as the party candidate from the Lok Sabha seat that fell vacant after her husband's death Santokh Singh Chaudhary died of a heart attack in January "Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the candidature of Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary as the party candidate to contest the forthcoming by-election to the Lok Sabha from 4-Jalandhar-SC parliamentary constituency of Punjab," according to a statement issued by the party The two-time member of Parliament was walking with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the yatra in Jalandhar s Phillaur when he fainted according to senior party leader Partap Singh Bajwa The Election Commission is yet to announce the date for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll

BID TO END CHILD MARRIAGES IN BENGAL

Sanjib Sukul (sometimes referred to as Shukla), with serial number 569, is Adhikari’s close aide The entire Medinipur knows who Sukul is Who recruited Sukul? He should be interrogated to know who recruited him ”

Reacting to the allegations, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said: “Go and ask the Chief Minister what happened? Our allegation was that each MLA gave 70 names, she must know her Minister’s recommendation The problem is they can’t forget that they lost Nandigram, which is why they are attacking Adhikari They have Adhikari syndrome, they should see a doctor ”

Ahead of the panchayat elections, the allegations and counter will only increase

West Bengal government and UNICEF have unveiled plans to give impetus to their joint programme focusing on ending child marriage, gender inequality and gender-based violence on the occasion of International Women s Day West Bengal State Rural Livelihood Mission (WBSRLM), under the aegis of the ‘Anandadhara’ project, has engaged Self-Help Groups (SHG) since September last year to form child-friendly sanghas (clusters) with a view to end child marriage and other deprivations meted out on the children in the state Speaking at an event Vibhu Goel CEO of WBSRLM said various state government departments and UNICEF have been working together to finish these malpractices forever “Without community participation, it is difficult to make a headway Promotion of better practices by SHG members their families and their extended families and introduction of a community-based monitoring system are key to achieve success in child protection and child development issues,” an official release quoted him saying

War of words between BJP, TMC as HC cancels appointment of 842 SSC candidates

India makes history at Oscars

‘The Elephant Whisperers’ wins best docu short film, ‘Naatu Naatu’ best song

Continued from page 1

The first one was a small, handcrafted gem: an emotionally nourishing, wildlife-friendly tale almost lyrical in its tenderness and quietude The second one arrived in a swaggering action packed, anti-colonial extravaganza also showcasing some of the most frenzied dance moves ever seen on the big screen A documentary (“The Elephant Whisperers”, Tamil) and a Telugu film song (“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”) of contrasting styles and temperament, but united by a common Made in India stamp, created history on Sunday evening in America and left India gushing and rejoicing all Monday

At the glitz glam 95th Oscar awards, producer Guneet Monga and director Kartiki Gonsalves’s “The Elephant Whisperers” was declared winner in the documentary short film category India’s delight doubled as composer M M Keeravaani and lyricist Chandrabose received the coveted statuette in the original song category for the infectious “Naatu Naatu”

Indians have won Oscars in p ast, but no t in h ome producti ons

Indians have won Oscars in the past But they were not in home productions A R Rahman, Gulzar, Resul Pookutty were winners in Danny Boyle’s 'Slumdog Millionaire ' Bhanu Athaiya’s Oscar came for best costume design in Richard Attenborough’s 'Gandhi' Satyajit Ray had received an honorary Oscar for his “ rare mastery of the art of motion pictures” On Monday, Delhi-based film director Shaunak Sen’s “All That Breathes” lost out to “Navalny” in the documentary feature category The prize-winning film is based on the life of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny

Deep ika introdu ces RRR ‘Naatu Naatu’ in Oscars

Deepika Padukone has made heads turn at Oscars 2023 Before RRR's 'Naatu Naatu's' live performance, the actress, who looked absolutely beautiful in a velvet black gown, took over the Oscars platform alone She accurately conveyed the essence of the music that had convinced the world to abandon salsa and flamenco in favour of desi naach, also known as naatu, amidst loud applause and hooting

Singers Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj took over the Oscars stage and sang the song live Dancers set the stage on fire with their energetic performance Actress and dancer Lauren Gottlieb was one of the dancers on stage It was so enigmatic that it also received a standing ovation from the audience

Asian repres entation had historic ni

ght

The 95th Academy Awards marked a significant night for Asian representation in film with a number of firsts, including the first Asian woman to receive best actress and the first Oscar wins for Indian productions

PM Narendra Modi congratulated the winners Referring to the makers of “The Elephant Whisperers”, he tweeted, “Their work wonderfully highlights the importance of sustainable development and living in harmony with nature ”In another post, he congratulated Kreem and Chandrabose “The popularity of ‘Naatu Naatu’ is global It will be a song that will be remembered for years to come India is elated and proud,” Modi said

First O scar for a n Indi an women production

The Elephant Whisperers by director-producer duo Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga bagged the Best Documentary Short Award at the 95th Academy Awards

This makes it the first Indian production to win under the category While receiving the award, Kartiki said, “I stand here today to speak for the sacred bond between us and our natural world, for the respect of indigenous communities, and empathy towards other living beings we share space with and finally, for coexistence,” Gonsalves said in her acceptance speech ” She then

song, which is a sort of a trial version to confirm that everything is right musically The music director thereafter gets the song sung by a singer of his choice But MM Keeravani decided he would get the song sung by Rahul himself The rest is the stuff of magic Some of the Oscar glitter also lends a different sheen to Dhoolpet - a locality known for artisans sculpting Ganesha idols in multiple hues that had achieved notoriety due to dealers of arrack and ganja Now, it finds itself on the movie map thanks to its very own ‘gully boy’

Before the show, Rahul tweeted in typical Hyderabadi style, “Today is going to be my big dayyyyy! Bless me chichaasss Love you all ” Later, posting a photo with Keeravani, he wrote, “Congratulations to my guru Shri M M Keeravani sir on winning the Oscar He believed in me and made me hold the prestigious award ” ‘Whi spere rs ’ a loud ovation for I ndi a ’ s un sung elephan t wa rriors

thanked the Academy, the producer of the short, Guneet Monga, and her family before dedicating the win to her “motherland India”

“Thank you to the Academy for recognising our film, highlighting indigenous people and animals To Netflix for believing in the power of this To Bomman and Belli for sharing their sacred tribal wisdom To Guneet, my producer To my entire team and finally, to my mother, father and sister who are up there somewhere and you are the centre of my universe, to my motherland India,” she said

The last time an Indian-born woman won an Oscar was in 1983 A costume designer named Bhanu Athaiya won for the Hollywood production 'Gandhi ' For the first time in 40 years, not one, but two Indian women have taken home an Oscar, and India has also won an Oscar for a film that was totally filmed there

‘Gully boy’ from Hyd erab ad w as n ot fi rst choice as s ing er Oscar luck must be written in the stars Or else how do you explain a 33-year-old from the Old City of Hyderabad wowing the Oscar stage when he wasn ’t even supposed to have originally recorded the song that has taken the film world by storm? Rahul Sipligunj’s musical journey began in the lanes of Dhoolpet when he was barely out of his teens And now he has not only seen 'Naatu Naatu' bag Oscar glory but also got to perform the song along with cosinger Kaala Bhairava on arguably the film world’s biggest stage

Rahul began by posting song videos on YouTube before he got to sing for the film ‘College Bullodu’ in 2009 and earned rave reviews with ‘Ranga Ranga Rangasthalana’ from the Sukumar-directed ‘Rangasthalam’ He would go on to find fame with his victory in the Telugu ‘Bigg Boss’ and also sing for several music directors

But when the makers were ready with 'Naatu Naatu', Rahul was asked if he would sing only the track for the

There are many poignant accounts of orphaned elephant calves being rehabilitated by tribal mahouts in the Theppakadu Camp at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris, a hill district in Tamil Nadu One such tale is that of Raghu and Bommi, calves orphaned in the years 2017 and 2019, respectively, who were assigned to K Bomman, a tribal mahout, and Bellie, a tribal assistant in

the elephant camp The Oscar winning documentary short film, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ celebrates the dedication of the mahouts and the calves and the subsequent human-animal bonding

It was a joyous moment for India when Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga’s ‘Elephant Whisperers’ bagged the award for Best Documentary Short Film Film director Kartiki Gonsalves thanked the Academy, producer Guneet Monga, her family, and dedicated the award to her motherland She thanked the Academy and video-streaming giant Netflix for believing in the power of the concept, and Bomman and Bellie for “sharing their sacred tribal wisdom”

It is not an easy task to take care of elephants when they enter the camp as a wild adult or a calf “It was, however, easier for me when I took charge of Raghu in 2017 and Bommi in 2019 because I had grown up with elephants,” said K Bomman, the hero of the film

Normally, when an abandoned calf is brought to the camp in the nursing stage, the forest department assigns a mahout couple to rear it In 2017, Raghu, an abandoned one-and-a-half-month-old calf from Hosur Forest, was handed over to Bomman for caretaking His wife Bellie was roped in by the forest department to help Bomman as the calf had to be fed milk Thus began the journey of Gonsalves and Monga’s ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ They hadn’t imagined winning an Oscar when they started the short film inspired by the native wisdom of the mahout couple taking care of the two abandoned calves The short film was produced by Netflix and it was widely watched and applauded

Director Kartiki Gonsalves producer Guneet Monga Douglas Blush and Achin Jain from Team The Elephant Whisperers

MM Keeravani and Chandrabose with their Oscars for RRR

Live performance of Naatu Naatu at Oscars 23

Deepika Padukone presenting Naatu Naatu at Oscars 2023

Ram Charan, SS Rajamouli, Guneet Monga with her husband Sunny Kapoor

SCRUTATOR’S

18-month-old crowned youngest ‘prodigy’ in fluid arts

without the use of a conventional brush The World Book of Records gave the title to Arhaan Sai Gourishetty, from Hyderabad.

records. The London-based organisation also accorded him with other titles such as Prodigy of Fluid Arts and Youngest Art Prodigy by the Super Kids Telugu Book of Records. This achievement is notable since Arhaan completed it all without formal instruction in the usage of paint tools He used 43 techniques, including the innovative use of toy car wheels as tools to create unique textures, which were both aesthetically stunning and emotionally engaging. (Agency)

Annoyed with son, man ‘gifts’ assets to governor

An 80-year-old man in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, gave the state governor his immovable property, which is estimated to be worth £150,000 The man, Nathu Singh, a farmer, claimed that his son and daughterin law had not been treating him well and hence, he did not want them to inherit his property Singh , currently lives in an old age home He also has three girls and a son Having "submitted an affidavit to hand over the property to the UP governor with a request that after his death, the government opens a school or hospital on the site," he claimed he does not want any of his children to inherit his property (Agency)

Teach babies sanskar in womb: RSS wing to docs

Samvardhinee Nyas, a wing of RSS

shifted to a foster home in Bareilly city, said police (Agency)

Barodian owns rare Tulsi plant

Manoj Tripathy, a Vadodara resident, didn't even notice the 'wild' plant growing in his backyard until it became so tall that it caught his attention His attempts to uproot it earlier did not succeed At about the same time, Tripathy realised he was taking care of a rare Tulsi (basil) plant “I didn't put any seeds I just allowed the plant to grow organically Today, at seven feet, it is one of the tallest Tulsi plants in the state It just grew itself in my backyard and about one and a half years ago I noticed it to be a Tulsi plant and also of a rare species For the first few months, its quick growth went unnoticed and then I saw the plant flourishing,” Tripathy, a retired income tax employee, said (The Times of India)

Mumbai

youth completes tough Oceans Seven

Kapoor on two bonds of Rs 10,000 each He was let out of jail that evening According to Kapoor's solicitor, the police were unable to provide any evidence in court against the martyr's father The barrister stated, "The court also admitted that the FIR was filed prior to any investigation in the case (Agency)

Lifer for key accused of 1992 Bihar caste massacre

After 31 years of bloodshed and a trial that lasted more than two decades, the main suspect in the 1992 Bihar massacre that resulted in the killings of 35 members of the Bhumihar caste received a life sentence Kirani Yadav was also fined Rs 300,000 over the killings in Gaya in what has come to be known as the Bara caste carnage The attackers were alleged to be members of the CPI (Maoist) For the incident that happened in the district's Bara village on February 12, 1992, Kirani is the 13th defendant to be found guilty Almost 100 people were initially considered suspects in the case Of those convicted so far, some had been awarded the capital punishment but a few of these men were spared the gallows by President and their sentences were commuted to life terms, special public prosecutor Prabhat Kumar said (Agency)

Afghan woman wins gold medal in MA

women ’ s section, has started a campaign titled ‘Garbha Sanskar’ (pregnancy culture), under which gynaecologists will reach out to pregnant women and teach them how to adopt practices that ensure the child learns about Indian culture even before birth In order to understand more about the exercise, various gynaecologists gathered at a body event conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru University About 70 to 80 doctors, predominantly gynaecologists and ayurvedic practitioners, from 12 states attended the event Madhuri Marathe, national organising secretary of Samvardhinee Nyas said, “Garbha se hi sanskar laana hai (the culture needs to begin in the pregnancy phase itself) The child needs to be taught that the country is the priority ” (Agency)

Dumped in

Afghan woman Razia Muradi has given a

cap the required attendance for women at 73% to account for menstrual leave, announced up to six months of maternity leave to girl students over 18 A student who goes on maternity leave for up to six months can resume classes without having to take admission again, the university syndicate decided According to the syndicate, it would be up to each college's president to check applicants' medical records and grant permission for them to re-enroll without first obtaining permission from the school The university has already reduced the minimum required attendance from 75% to 73% for girl students, as specified by the higher education department while extending menstrual leave to college students (Agency)

HC lets 13-year-old to decide on custody

The Calcutta high court recently stated that a 13-year-old child in the middle of a contentious family custody dispute was "educated and mature enough" to make the decision on his own The boy was allowed to return to his father, who lives in a joint family, and stay with his grandparents and uncles The mother was granted a month s custody annually, twice-monthly visiting rights, and authorization to communicate with the child over the weekend via phone or video call The child had told the judges, in an informal interaction, that he was “ very happy” at his father’s place, in the joint family whereas at his mother’s place in Malda, he felt lonely after returning home from school (Agency)

First Woman in Air Force to command combat unit

The Indian Air Force has selected Group

a

pond, baby found floating on hyacinth

At Khataua village in UP's Bareilly district, a two-day-old newborn girl was discovered alive with her head protected by water hyacinth, which also prevented her from drowning in a pond A former village head Vakeel Ahmad called the police saying a baby had been found in the local pond He saved the baby, and as word spread, many residents flocked to the area to see the "miracle" A video of the girl, who was covered in hyacinth, went viral Subinspector Sumer Singh along with lady constable Mausam Devi took custody of the child and admitted her to a community health centre in Nawabganj She was then referred to the district hospital for further checkups The baby was eventually handed over to the child welfare committee and

Prabhat Koli, 23, the most successful open water long distance swimmer in India, has achieved the rare honour of completing the Oceans Seven challenge at a young age The Mumbai resident swam across Cook Strait in New Zealand, clocking 8 hours and 41 minutes to cross the 28 km distance amid bad weather Oceans Seven is touted as a decisive open-water swimming challenge Prabhat, a recipient of Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award (India's highest adventure award), said, “It was the best moment in my swimming career spanning over 15 years to embrace the ultimate challenge of Oceans Seven, which has been a dream for many professional swimmers across the globe I can feel the magnitude of happiness by completing the task My years of training under different circumstances have paid off finally ” (Agency)

Court frees Galwan martyr’s father on bail

A Hajipur court granted bail to Raj Kapoor Singh, the father of Galwan Valley martyr Jai Kishore Singh The bail was granted a day after the opposition BJP brought up in the Bihar Assembly the subject of Kapoor's arrest and subsequent police abuse for encroaching on village land to build his son's memorial The case was lodged by a co-villager belonging to scheduled caste Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a high-level probe into the incident The court granted bail to

fitting reply to the Taliban with a gold medal in MA (public administration) from a Gujarat university She criticised Afghanistan's leaders for prohibiting female students from attending colleges and universities as part of their extensive assault on women s rights and freedoms I want to inform the Taliban that given an opportunity, women can thrive in any subject," she added Muradi got 8 6 cumulative grade point average, the highest score in her subject, and she was the toast of the convocation at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University in Surat, where she has been for the past three years She completed her MA in 2022 and is currently doing her PhD in public administration Besides the gold medal, she won the Sharda Ambelal Desai Prize (The Times of India)

Kerala University offers maternity break for students

State-run University of Kerala after the state government informed institutions of higher education in the state that they could

Captain Shaliza Dhami to take over command of a frontline combat unit in the Western sector, shattering the proverbial glass ceiling

For the first time ever in the IAF's history, a woman officer has been given command of a frontline combat unitin this case, a missile squadron in the Western sector Earlier this month, the Army began assigning women officers to command roles for the first time, outside the medical stream Around 50 of them will head units in operational areas, including forward This will happen in both the Northern and Eastern Commands Group Captain Dhami was commissioned in the year 2003 as a Helicopter pilot and has over 2,800 hours of flying experience She was a Qualified Flying Instructor and served as Flight Commander of a Helicopter Unit in

Safer alternative found in treating prostate cancer

Scientists have found longt erm e vi den ce t hat i s a ct i vel y mon it ori ng localised prostate cancer is a s af er alt ern ati v e to s urg ery or ra di ati on A prostate cancer specialist at NYU Langone Health, Dr Stacy Loeb, who was not i n volve d i n t he r es ear ch, said the study results are encouraging for men who want to avoid treatmentr el ate d s exua l a nd incontinence problems

The study compared the three approaches - surgery t o r e m o v e t u m o u r s , r a d i a t i o n t r e a t m e n t a n d monitoring Most prostate cancer grows slowly, which is why, it takes many years t o l o o k a t t h e d i s e a s e ’ s outcomes Loeb was quoted b y a s o u r c e a s s a y i n g , “There was no difference in prostate cancer mortality at 1 5 y e a r s b e t w e e n t h e groups ” The study results were p u b l i s h e d i n t h e N e w

E n g l a n d J o u r n a l o f Medicine and presented at a E u r o p e a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f U r o l o g y c o n f e r e n c e i n M i l a n , I t a l y B r i t a i n ’ s N a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e f o r Health and Care Research p a i d f o r t h e r e s e a r c h

Prostate cancer survival for all three groups was high97 per cent regardless of treatment approach

Lead author Dr Freddie Hamdy of the University of Oxford said men diagnosed w i t h l o c a l i s e d p r o s t a t e cancer shouldn’t panic or r u s h t r e a t m e n t d e c i s i o n s

T h e y s h o u l d i n s t e a d “ c o n s i d e r c a r e f u l l y t h e possible benefits and harms c a u s e d b y t h e t r e a t m e n t options ” He added that a few men with high-risk or m o r e a d v a n c e d d i s e a s e s need urgent treatments R e s e a r c h e r s s t u d i e d o v e r 1 6 0 0 U K m e n w h o a g r e e d t o b e r a n d o m l y a s s i g n e d t o g e t s u r g e r y , r a d i a t i o n o r a c t i v e monitoring The patient’s cancer was confined to the p r o s t a t e , a w a l n u t - s i z e d g l a n d p a r t o f t h e reproductive system Men

i n t h e m o n i t o r i n g g r o u p had regular blood tests, and some underwent surgery or r a d i a t i o n D e a t h f r o m prostate cancer occurred in 3 1 per cent of the activemonitoring group, 2 2 per cent in the surgery group, a n d 2 9 p e r c e n t i n t h e radiation group At 15 years, cancer had spread in 9 4 per c e n t o f t h e a c t i v emonitoring group, 4 7 per cent of the surgery group a n d f i v e p e r c e n t o f t h e radiation group L o e b s a i d , “ W e h a v e m o r e w a y s n o w t o h e l p c a t c h t h a t t h e d i s e a s e i s p r o g r e s s i n g b e f o r e i t spreads ” Hamdy said the r e s e a r c h e r s h a d s e e n t h e difference in cancer spread at 10 years and expected it t o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e i n survival at 15 years, “but it did not ” He said, “This is a n e w a n d i n t e r e s t i n g f i n d i n g , u s e f u l f o r m e n when they make decisions about treatments ”

Maternal behaviour may reflect in a child’s epigenome

A n ew stu dy ha s lin k e d mothers’ neutral behaviour towards infants to a stressrelated epigenetic change in c hil dr e n E pig en e t ics a re m olecula r processes independent of DNA that influence gene behaviour In this st ud y , r ese a rch e rs f ou n d that a mother’s neutral or a w k wa r d be h av iou r wit h their babies at 12 months corre lated with an epigenetic change called methylation, or the addition of m e t ha n e a n d ca rb on molecules, on a gene called NR3C1 when the children were seven years old

The gene has been associated with regulating the body’s response to stress E l i z a b e t h H o l d s w o r t h , a W a s h i n g t o n S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y b i o l o g i c a l

highprotein vegetables to your diet

Vegetables, pulses and legumes are primary prote in s ourc es f or vegan s and vegetarians A meatl ess di et ca n provi de all the nutrients one needs if planned well Protein play s a n im porta nt role i n the gr owth, repair, and maintenance of our body tissues and is made up of amino acids - the building blocks of proteins It is an important macronutrient for the body as it works from building and repairing tissues and hormone production to properly functioning the immune system

While animal products are rich in protein, it is about time we break the myth that vegans or vegetarians lack nutrients Getting all the protein one may need from a plantbased or vegan diet is possible However, it takes some planning to ensure you get essential amino acids and vitamins and minerals, particularly B vitamins and iron

This article discusses seven plant-based protein sources one must add to their diet

Edamame

Protein: 11 gm per 100 gm

Talk about the healthiest appetiser ever - simply delicious to eat as a snack or thrown into soups or vegetable stirfry

Lima Beans

Protein: 7 8 gm per 100 gm

Lima Beans contain not only protein but also the amino acid leucine, which plays a big role in healthy muscle synthesis among older people

Soybean sprouts

Protein: 9 gm per cup

a n t h r o p o l o g i s t a n d l e a d author of the study publ i s h e d i n t h e A m e r i c a n Journal of Human Biology, said, “There is evidence of a r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n t h e quality of maternal-infant i n t e r a c t i o n a n d m e t h y l ation of this gene though these are small effects in r e s p o n s e t o a r e l a t i v e l y small variation in interaction ” H o l d s w o r t h e m p h asized that the small difference indicated by this study m a y i n d i c a t e n o r m a l human variation, and it's hard to determine if there are any long-term effects

The authors analyzed a subsample of 114 mother-infant p a i r s f r o m t h e A v o n L o n g i t u d i n a l S t u d y o f P a r e n t s a n d C h i l d r e n , a

project that tracks a cohort of children born in 1991 and 1992 in Avon, UK They focused on mothers because they are often infants’ primary caregivers Most of the women in this sample were white, collegeeducated and from middlei n c o m e h o u s e h o l d s T h e range of warmth they displayed only varied slightly, w i t h t h e “ c o l d e s t ” behaviour classified as awkward or neutral, but this is e x a c t l y w h a t t h e researchers hoped to testif even small differences in social interaction could be l i n k e d t o a n e p i g e n e t i c c h a n g e T h e o b s e r v e d behaviour was then compared against data from an epigenetic analysis of the children's blood samples at

age seven The researchers f o u n d t h a t t h e m o t h e r s showing awkward or neutral behaviour toward their i n f a n t c o r r e l a t e d w i t h a small increase of methylation on the NR3C1 gene This gene encodes a receptor regulating the HPA axis -- the interaction between t h e b o d y s h y p o t h a l a m u s , p i t u i t a r y a n d a d r e n a l glands This axis plays a role in stress response, including the production of the body's primary "stress" hormone, cortisol

“Within developmental biology, we know humans grow to fit the environment that they're in, which contributes to normal human biological variation It's not n e c e s s a r i l y g o o d o r b a d , " Holdsworth said

Nerve-immune cell interactions in the lungs cause allergic asthma

A lle rgic as thma, characterized by breathing d if fic ulti es tri gge red b y inhaled allergens such as p ollen , m ould a nd p et d an de r, i s the mos t c ommo n di se as e amon g c hildren and can persist i n to ad ultho od New r es ear ch led b y i n ves tig ator s at M as sa ch use tts Gen e ral H os pita l (MGH ), a founding member of Mass General Brigham ( MGB), revealed the relationship b e twe en n e rves an d

immune cells in the lungs

The study, published in the Journal of Allergy & C l i n i c a l I m m u n o l o g y , g e n e r a t e d u n i q u e newborn mouse models of a l l e r g e n e x p o s u r e t h a t reproduce the progression o f a l l e r g i c a s t h m a f r o m c h i l d h o o d t o a d u l t h o o d T h e w o r k i n v o l v e d t r a c k i n g a l l e r g e n - s p e c i f i c i m m u n e c e l l s c a l l e d T helper 2 resident memory cells (Th2-TRMs) that are known to be the central m e d i a t o r o f r e c u r r e n t

a l l e r g i c i n f l a m m a t i o n i n the lungs

“Since human lungs are s i m i l a r l y i n n e r v a t e d b y d o p a m i n e r g i c n e r v e s i n e a r l y p o s t n a t a l l i f e , t h e dopamine-DRD4 axis may p r o v i d e a t h e r a p e u t i c target to modify allergic asthma progression from childhood to adulthood,” says senior author Xingbin Ai, PhD, an investigator at M G H a n d a n a s s o c i a t e professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School He added, “Dopamine

signaling is likely one of many age-related factors that regulate Th2-TRMs in t h e i m m a t u r e l u n g Moving forward, it will be i m p o r t a n t t o f u r t h e r d e l i n e a t e t h e m o l e c u l a r and functional features of the pathogenic Th2-TRMs generated in the immature l u n g A b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e mediators of the early life Th2-TRM program could identify new therapeutic targets for the treatment of allergic asthma ”

Soybean sprouts are crunchy and hefty doses of protein to plant-based plates If you are tired of beans and sprouts, let you switch things up without sacrificing protein

Green peas

Protein: 5 1 gm per 100 gm

Peas are a fantastic natural source of protein They are flavourful, protein-rich and adaptable So, you can add them to a variety of foods to create delectable dinners and snacks

Peanuts

Protein: 7 gm per 1 ounce

Yes, peanuts are technically vegetables You can also integrate peanuts into unexpected recipes, from protein-packed pancakes to tacos

Spinach

Protein: 5 8 g per 200 grams

Besides being very good, it offers extraordinary nutritional values and health benefits Even better, it's easy to throw into pasta, salads, smoothies and bowls

Fava beans

Protein: 7 6 g per 100 gm

Also known as broad beans, fava beans should be a bigger staple of our daily meals since they work in anything from soups, salads and even dips

Expert busts myths related to epileptic seizures

Epilepsy affects 10 million peo ple i n I nd i a wi t h a prevalence of about 1% of the population There are num e rous m y ths a b out

epi l ep s y Con s ult an t

Neurol og is t a t R ub y Ha ll

Clinic in Pune, Dr Santosh

Son ta kk e, e xp la i ne d,

“Epilepsy is characterised by a tendency to get recurrent sei zures, which are basically l o s s - o f - c o n s c i o u s n e s s epi s od es A se i z ure i s c har ac t er i se d by s ud de n los s of c on sc i ou sn e ss or aw ar en es s , wi th je rk y mov em en ts , a b nor ma l mov em en ts o f l i ps an d fi n ge rs , a n d s om et im e s even involuntary urination

and tongue-biting ” H e s a i d , “ I f t h e s e s y m p t o m s o c c u r t o s o m e o n e , t h e y s h o u l d i m m e d i a t e l y c o n s u l t a n e u r o l o g i s t E p i l e p s y patients can live a normal life with regular follow-up v i s i t s w i t h n e u r o l o g i s t Turning the patient to one side in a comfortable space is first aid, whereas putting keys in the patient's mouth or attempting to open their locked jaw are not Epileptic patients should not be in s i t u a t i o n s w h e r e t h e r e i s p o s s i b i l i t y o f i n j u r i e s b e c a u s e o f l o s s o f c o n s c i o u s n e s s d u e t o seizures ”

Rani Mukerji says Aditya Chopra was shocked on watching ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway’

Mukerji’s upcoming vie ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs way’ is set to release on ch 17 Directed by ram Chibber, the movie is ut the journey of a her’s battle against an e country The film is on the true story of NRI

e Sagarika Bhattacharya

nurup Bhattacharya that children and human nternationally ni said while she had met Sagarika during the king of the film, her erpretation of the character is based on her mother, Krishna Mukherjee "As an actor, I wanted to being my interpretation to the haracter I didn't want oo much of baggage and have people find similarities between my role and the real person

"Ashima had many tapes recorded of Sagarika, and I saw se for some references, the rest of the

character is actually based on my mum She's the most Bengali person I know Be it feeding us with her hands, putting a tikka on us I drew strength and inspiration

Actor Satish Kaushik dies at 67, Bollywood pays tribute

Veteran Bollywood actor Satish Kaushik has passed away at the age of 67 While the cause remains unknown, his death is a shock for the Indian movie industry Several actors and celebrities took to social media to share their grief

from my mother," Rani said at a promotional event of the movie last week

Rani recalled how her husband, Yash Raj Films' head Aditya Chopra, was "shocked and moved" after seeing the film "Adi was shocked after seeing the film He was deeply moved and I don't think I have seen him so moved in any film Last time, he was so moved, is when Yash uncle passed away ”

"He is a parent today, so it hit him He was very sweet and gave me a side hug as if I am his child He said, 'Well done,' and I said, 'Thank you ' It was a moment because Adi praises me behind my back I think he could not stop himself and he was moved by the film," she said ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway’ is produced by Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Nikkhil Advani of Emmay Entertainment and Zee Studios

Ranbir calls Alia’s leaked pics controversy 'ugly'

Ranbir Kapoor recently addressed the recent photo leak of his wife-actor Alia Bhatt A paparazzi clicked her from across her home. The actress reacted strongly to the breach of privacy.

Alia had posted a collage of pictures of herself taken inside the house without her consent She wrote in the long note, "Are you kidding me? I was at my house having a perfectly normal afternoon sitting in my living room when I felt something watching me I looked up and saw two men on the terrace of my neighbouring building with a camera right at me! In what world is this okay and allowed?”

In a new interview, Ranbir called the entire episode ‘ugly’ and said they were pursuing the matter legally "It was invasion of privacy You cannot shoot inside my house and anything can be happening inside my house, that is my home It was totally uncalled for We are going through the correct legal ways of dealing with it I don’t want to talk much about it, but it was something which was very ugly," Ranbir said in an interview

"We respect the paparazzi I think the paparazzi is a part of our world It’s a symbiotic relationship ‘they work with us, we work with them’ But stuff like this is something which pushes your back to the wall and you feel very ashamed of somebody doing something like that," Ranbir added Many actors came out in support of Alia Anushka Sharma, Arjun Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor and Karan Johar took to Instagram to slam the paparazzi

In support of Alia, Anushka Sharma wrote on her Instagram story, "This is not the first time they are doing this About two years ago we called them out for the same

Kaushik’s friend and actor Anupam Kher confirmed the news on Twitter He wrote, "I know "death is the ultimate truth of this world!" But I never thought in my dreams that I would write this thing about my best friend #SatishKaushik while alive Such a sudden full stop on a friendship of 45 years!! Life will NEVER be the same without you SATISH! Om Shanti!”

reason! You'd think it would have made them more respectful of people's space and privacy Absolutely shameful! They were also the only guys posting photos of our daughter despite repeated requests!”

Filmmaker Karan Johar was also furious at the incident Venting his fury in an Instagram post, he wrote, “There is no justification for this absolutely disgusting invasion of privacy!!!! Everyone from the entertainment industry is always for the media and the paparazzi and is accommodating but there HAS to be a LIMIT This is about anyone's right to feel safe in their own homes! This is not about actors or celebrities it's a basic human right!!!”

Actress Kangana Ranaut also tweeted about the deceased actor “Woke up to this horrible news, he was my biggest cheerleader, a very successful actor and director #SatishKaushik ji personally was also a very kind and genuine man, I loved directing him in Emergency He will be missed, Om Shanti,” she wrote Madhur Bhandarkar wrote, “I am so shocked to hear the demise of actor-director Satish Kaushik ji, who was always vibrant, energetic and full of life, he will be missed immensely by the film fraternity & millions of admires, My deepest condolences to his family members ”

Two days before his death, Satish celebrated Holi at Javed Akhtar's home He even shared photos from the same on Twitter Richa Chadha, Mahima Chaudhary, Ali Fazal and others joined him at the party Satish Kaushik, born on April 13, 1956, was an actor, director, producer, comedian and screenwriter He graduated from Kirori Mal College and was an alumnus of the National School of Drama and Film and Television Institute of India He has acted in films like ‘Ram Lakhan,’ ‘Saajan Chale Sasural,’ ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ and became the household name for his portrayal of Calendar in Shekhar Kapur's ‘Mr India ’

He has also directed multiple films such as ‘Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja,’ ‘Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain,’ ‘Tere Naam,’ ‘Kyon Ki,’ and most recently, ‘Kaagaz' with Pankaj Tripathi He was last seen in ‘Chhatriwali' with Rakul Preet Singh He also features in Kangana's upcoming ‘Emergency,’ where he plays Jagjivan Ram

Zeenat Aman turns showstopper at LFW, walks the ramp at 71

Veteran

actor Zeenat Aman turned manya-heads at the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai as she returned to the ramp for fashion designer Sharon Mannan Pictures and videos of her from the show did the rounds on the internet, with fans praising her for flaunting her natural hair

In a video shared on the official Instagram handle of the fashion week, Zeenat is seen walking towards the centre stage in a statement outfit She wore a red and black abstract-printed blazer top paired with black pants She wore it with black sunglasses and fashioned her grey hair

Reacting to her appearance, a fan wrote in the comment section, “Such a heartwarming moment ” Another one wrote, “Legend " While many went ‘ wow ’ upon

seeing the veteran actor’s confidence as she walked the ramp; one more commented, “Amazing ”

Zeenat said about the show in an interview, “I started my career as a model, and over the years have walked on many runways

It’s exciting to be doing so again, while representing older women Some would say I’ve come full circle, and that fits in beautifully with Shahin’s concept I enjoy Shahin’s quirky designs, and had faith that she would create a striking look for me ”

Zeenat began her career as a model She gained recognition when she participated

in beauty pageants such as Femina Miss and Miss Asia Pacific International in 1970 She was only 19 She forayed into films in the same year and some of her early movies were ‘The Evil Within’ (1970), ‘Hulchul’ (1971), followed by her breakthrough in ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ (1971)

The actress is slated to make her OTT debut soon with ‘Showsttopper,’ a series about the taboo subject of lingerie fitting Zeenat joined Instagram last month and, ever since, remained in the news for her posts and pictures, which often win the hearts of her fans

Kareena says the biggest taboo for female actors was getting married

Ina recent interview, Kareena Kapoor was asked about ageism in Bollywood The actress said that earlier, for female actors, the “biggest taboo was to get married ” However, she said times are now changing The actor also opened up about how she makes choices as a working mother, saying no to things when she does not want to leave her children alone.

Kareena married actor Saif Ali Khan in 2012 They became parents to Taimur Ali Khan in 2016 and younger son Jehangir Ali Khan in 2021 Bebo recalled how marriage was considered the end of a female actor’s career When asked if Bollywood was finally changing its approach to ageism, she said, “I think so You have to wear your age proudly Today, women have become brave For female actors, the biggest taboo was to get married but now you marital status doesn’t affect your career Filmmakers are now taking risks and willing to work on off-beat scripts, and give different people a chance In the end, it is all about feeling and looking confident ”

Kareena also spoke about achieving “work-life balance” as a working mother She said, “I don’t think there is a formula to achieving work-life balance, there’s no secret to it It is up to you to decide what you will or won't do I want to be able to say no to the things that I don’t want to do, because I don't feel like leaving my kids alone or because I don't want to be seen at some awards show I want to be able to choose because I'd rather sit at home with my husband and watch a show or have a glass of wine That’s one of the biggest changes I have gone through, personally It is up to me to strike a work-life balance ”

On the work front, Kareena is working on her next, ‘The Crew ’ The film also features Tabu and Kriti Sanon, backed by Rhea Kapoor Kareena's upcoming projects include Hansal Mehta's next Meanwhile, ‘Devotion of Suspect X,’ which marks Kareena's OTT debut and is directed by Sujoy Ghosh, is also expected to be out this year It is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Japanese author Keigo Higashino Vijay Varma and Jaideep Ahlawat also star in the Netflix project

Harsh Varrdhan 'getting nightmares' ahead of Oscar 2023

Ahead of the Oscars, actor Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor tweeted about this year’s best actress nominees and said he was “having nightmares” because of the possibility of Cate Blanchett losing to Michelle Yeoh as a result of a “PR campaign ” The tweet garnered mixed reactions from Twitter users, who called him out for targeting and undermining one performance over the other

Kat, Vicky invite neighbours

Anushka and Virat

It’s no secret that actors Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal are neighbours to actor-cricketer couple Anushka Sharma and Viral Kohli In a recent interview with a magazine, Anushka revealed that Kat and Vicky had invited her and Virat to their home for dinner

Amitabh pens long note postinjury on the sets of ‘Project K’

Kapoor’s tweet read, “I’m getting nightmares about Cate Blanchett losing to Michelle Yeoh at the Oscar’s how can a PR campaign centred around race put one of the best performances of all time in the shadows? Any opinions guys ” He referred to Blanchett’s performance in ‘Tár’ and Yeoh’s performance in ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once ’ Both actresses are considered frontrunners in the best actress category

After Michelle’s triumph at the recently concluded Screen Actors Guild Awards, many consider her a tough contender to beat If she clinches the best actress at the Academy Awards, it would make her the first Asian actor to have won the Oscar in the category Kapoor’s tweet received negative reactions from a section of Twitter users

A person said, "It's okay to love an actor's performance over another, but to downplay another actor's performance as a PR campaign is so disingenuous Like you really have to be biased to think michelle yeoh's performance isn't great, if not one of the greatest of all times " To this tweet, Harsh wrote back, "She’s clearly trying to use it and do everything she can to edge forward in the race and not let it be only about the merit of the performance ”

One user wrote, "I eat, sleep and breathe Bollywood Half of my pop culture knowledge is defined by it Focus on the colourism/racism of your industry instead of downplaying a veteran asian actress’ achievements It’s not cute And I bet you your dad and sister won’t like it either " Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor replied,"If my opinion doesn’t matter why are you responding to my tweet ? Yeoh on her instagram posted an article about how she should win because of diversity when Cate has publicly been so supportive of her really a low blow I felt She later deleted it after the backlash ”

Speaking about the dinner party, Anushka recalled she had told Katrina they eat dinner at 6 pm She said, “Katrina and Vicky have invited us to their home, but we eat dinner at 6 and we sleep at 9:30 So I said, for you we’ll eat at 7-7:30 but we have to leave soon So she’s like okay, you’ll have dinner and Vicky and me will have snacks ” C

m e a l s She shared how she h a s “ n e v e r b e e n t o someone who enjoys l o u d , n o i s y p a r t i e s ” S h e a l s o m e n t i o n e d a c t o r S h a h R u k h K h a n , w h o understands her just like Katrina “The two o f t h e m r e a l l y understand that I’m socially awkward and they accept me that way That’s the nicest thing

On the work front, Anushka recently appeared in the Netflix film ‘Qala ’ She will be next seen in her first project since her daughter Vamika’s birth - ‘Chakda Xpress

star Amitabh Bachchan was injured while shooting for ‘Project K’ with Prabhas in Hyderabad. In his blog last week, he shared that his “rib cartilage popped broke,” and there was a “muscle tear to the right rib cage ” He added that it was “painful ” Updating his fans about his health, he noted how “the body mechanism heals as rapidly as it injures ”

Veteran

Amitabh wrote, "One can sit back and lament lost opportunity or get up, retrieve it and beat it Yes, defeat, loss, suffering is painful, but the body mechanism heals as rapidly as it injures Get up, get going, and g e t i t n o p h i l o s o p h y h e r e , n o g r a n d proclamations of adamant bravery or the incline to demonstrate line of work for p r a i s e a n d w i l l t h o s e f o r w h o m w o r k b r i n g s f r e s h s t a r t , s h a l l e v e r d o , i n t h e interests of the self, teach yourself a lesson doing it to reflect in teaching to others is a f a k e , a f a l s e h o o d t h a t n e e d s t o b e abandoned it is my body, my mind, my will, my desire ”

Amitabh also spoke about how he has 'not known peace and quiet' and was willing to work on his 'shortcoming' He wrote, "Your own limits of physicality, limits of your cerebrum, shall ever remain as the build on birth What we treat it to is the condition that we build for ourselves -indulge in the unwanted and be prepared for the dive, indulge in the wanted and be prepared for the dive to swim out Tough But there for us all I have known not peace, there be some shortcomings within, some without But I have determined myself to rid me of both shortcomings for I have not known peace and quiet Proclamations are worthless, proclaim and be defeated because t h e y w e r e n o t f u l f i l l e d i s a h e a d d o w n embarrassment Say yes, but to thyself; do y e s , b u t f o r t h y s e l f ; r e p a i r y e s , b u t f o r thyself For when the ‘thy’ thrives, so does the rest I thrive because I wish you to keep in my join ever ”

The actor often shares updates about his life and work in his blogs After updating fans about his injury on ‘Project K’ sets, the actor shared his health update on his blog He also mentioned that Holika was lit at his Mumbai bungalow Jalsa on March 6 Earlier, he had detailed his accident on the set in his blog and written, “And it needs to be told, not be held In Hyderabad at the shoot for Project K, during an action shot, I have got i n j u r e d , r i b c a r t i l a g e p o p p e d b r o k e a n d muscle tear to the right rib cage, canceled shoot, did Doctor consult and scan by CT at the AIG Hospital in Hyderabad and flown back home "

‘ P r o j e c t K ’ i s a f a n t a s y d r a m a t h a t features Prabhas with Deepika Padukone for the first time Amitabh Bachchan plays a key role in the C Ashwini Dutt-backed movie It is expected to be released in 2024 Ashwini Dutt had earlier said that the film was 'about t h e m o d e r n - d a y a v a t a r o f V i s h n u '

that anyone can do in the world ”

’ The film is based on the life of cricketer Jhulan Goswami

Sai Pallavi shares her take on the MeToo movement

Actor Sai Pallavi is the latest guest on the Telugu chat show ‘Nijam’ with Smita. In the latest promotional video of the new episode, she opened up about the MeToo movement. She said even verbal abuse is a form of abuse and can’t be taken lightly.

In the promotional clip, she talks about her journey from being a medical student to becoming an actor and how it changed her life She also shared a refreshing perspective on the challenges and joys of being a successful woman She also mentioned one co-star among Jr NTR (Tarak), Bunny (Allu Arjun), or Ram Charan that she would want to dance with

When asked about the MeToo movement, she said, “You don’t have to be physically abusive Even verbally abusing a person and making them uncomfortable is a form of abuse ”

The chat show Nijam with Smita, which currently streams on Sony Liv, is hosted by singer-writer Smita Previous guests on the show included actors Nani and Rana Daggubati The complete episode will be streamed soon On the work front, Sai Pallavi is said to have landed an extended cameo role in Allu Arjun’s ‘Pushpa 2 ’ The grapevine is that she will be paired opposite Fahadh Faasil in the film, which is currently on the floors She will join the sets in the next schedule and finish her portion in a week

Naresh, Pavitra Lokesh marry in an intimate ceremony

Telugu actor Naresh has tied the knot with his long-term girlfriend, Pavitra Lokesh, in an intimate ceremony Naresh took to Twitter to announce a video of the nuptials He wrote, “Seeking your blessings for a lifetime of peace and joy in this new journey for us.” In the video, Naresh and Pavitra perform marriage rituals as per Hindu traditions.

While the groom was dressed in a white ethnic outfit, the bride wore a red saree with heavy traditional jewellery After Naresh tweeted their wedding video, fans wished the couple on the special occasion Several of their tweets read, “Happy married life ”

However, one user asked if Naresh was setting the right example by marrying again without even being legally divorced from his earlier wife The Twitter user wrote, “If this is real, what message do you want to give to the society as a responsible citizen? You are not legally separated from Ramya Ragupathi The divorce case is open I'm sure Ramya can take care of her son and be a proud single parent You should have waited till your official divorce " A few also wondered if the couple really are married or if all of this is part of some film’s promotional campaign

Not long ago, Naresh and Pavitra's relationship made headlines when Naresh’s wife Ramya Raghupathi levelled

allegations against

reportedly staying with Pavitra As per reports, Naresh and Pavitra Lokesh met on the sets of ‘Sammohanam’ and fell in love They have worked together in films such as 'Andaru Bagundali Andula Nenundali, 'Middle-Class Abbayi,' 'Happy Wedding' and 'Ramarao on Duty ' This is Naresh’s fourth marriage, while Pavitra has been divorced once She was in a live-in relationship with actor Suchendra Prasad till 2018, but they eventually parted ways

Ram Charan, wife Upasana visit Priyanka Chopra at her LA mansion

The second annual South Asian Excellence at the Oscars event occurred on March 9 It saw celebrities such as Nick Jonas, Preity Zinta, Jacqueline Fernandez, Jr NTR and others in attendance at the bash co-hosted by Priyanka Chopra Telugu star Ram Charan and his wife Upasana, who is pregnant with her first child, was also present at the event, which took place at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles Upasana took to Instagram to share photos of herself and Ram from the event The couple also posed with Priyanka Chopra in one of the pictures Upasana also thanked Priyanka for hosting them as she shared photos from LA, including one of herself with Ram and Priyanka and Priyanka's mother, Madhu Chopra The photo taken at Priyanka's LA mansion, also featured her in-laws, Denise and Paul Kevin Jonas Ram and Upasana s pet dog was also a part of the group photo, in which everyone wore casuals While Priyanka and Upasana were all white, Ram wore white trousers with a blue T-shirt Sharing their photos, Upasana wrote in her caption, "LA familia (family) Priyanka Chopra thank you for always being there for us "

The pre-Oscars bash was hosted by Priyanka Chopra and celebrity manager-entrepreneur Anjula Acharia, with co-chairs Malala Yousafzai, Mindy Kaling, Kumail Nanjiani, Kal Penn, Aziz Ansari, Bela Bajaria, Radhika Jones, Joseph Patel, Shruti Ganguly, and Anita Chatterjee

This year, three Indian films are competing for the 95th Academy Awards 'RRR's song ‘Naatu Naatu’ is nominated for Best Original Song, Shaunak Sen's ‘All That Breathes’ has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film and Guneet Monga's ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ for Best Documentary Short Jr NTR and Ram Charan have been in the US for some days now to promote ‘RRR’ ahead of the Oscars

Rana Daggubati finds it difficult to swear at uncle Venkatesh in ‘Rana Naidu’

Daggubati’s new web series ‘Rana Naidu’ has finally been released on Netflix The actor recently spoke about how it felt to swear at his real-life uncle Venkatesh in the show In a promotional interview ahead of the release, Rana said swearing at his uncle made him feel uneasy

Rana

Rana Naidu’ is the maiden collaboration of Rana with his uncle Venkatesh, a seasoned actor in the Telugu industry In a recent interview, Rana was asked about the experience of cussing at his real-life uncle in the show

“There was a nervousness because he was my uncle I mean I play bad characters, man So, by the time we came together (for the series), the characters were well-defined and we were in the character individually already Also, it was in Hindi, and it was not our language of communication So, it was the actors doing it But it got really crazy while dubbing it in Telugu because I felt like I was discovering another show I was like ‘Oh, God, this I would have never said to him because it was too close to home ’ So, we did well in Hindi as we didn’t know the foul words and anything enough, I guess, ” Rana said

On teaming up with his uncle for the first time, Rana said, “It is completely different from what both of us have done in our careers so far I am extremely happy to work with a crew and a platform that knows this format the best It will be new, challenging and fun We are looking forward to filming soon ” Venkatesh, too, expressed his excitement and added, “I cannot wait to work with Rana I am sure we will have a blast on sets I am a huge fan of Ray Donovan and the team is pulling out all the stops to ensure we do justice to it ”

Created by Karan Anushman and directed by Suparn S Varma, the show also stars Surveen Chawla, Abhishek Banerjee, Adithya Menon, and Priya Banerjee

Deepika wows in a goth-glam look at Paris Fashion Week

Ram Charan meets American filmmaker JJ Abrams

Padukone stunned at the ongoing Paris Fashion Week last week Dressed in Louis Vuitton from head to two, she wore a leather stud button coat and paired it with black long boots, laced stockings, and a black bag She fashioned wavy hair and kohl-rimmed eyes

Deepika

Beforethe 95th Annual Academy Awards in the US, Telugu actor Ram Charan shared pictures with renowned Hollywood filmmaker JJ Abrams and thanked the latter for hosting him Charan captioned the images, “Had the privilege of meeting JJ Abrams today Thank you sir for inviting me this evening I’m a big fan of your work @jjabrams ”

Priyanka reveals she was fat-shamed, cried in front of husband Nick

The look was much loved by fans online Deepika shared pictures of her look on Instagram A social media user commented, “The temperature has gotten high ” Another wrote, “Awestruck ” Before marking her presence at Nicolas Ghesquiere’s show in Paris, Louis Vuitton dropped a video of Deepika on Instagram

Meanwhile, on the film front, Deepika has already started the shoot of ‘Fighter ’ In this movie, she will be seen opposite Hrithik Roshan for the first time Helmed by Siddharth Anand, the movie also stars Akshay Oberoi, Karan Singh Grover and Anil Kapoor in pivotal roles and is set to hit the theatres on January 25, 2024 She also has ‘Project K’ with Prabhas and megastar Amitabh Bachchan Fans will also see her in ‘The Intern’ remake with Big B

Anew

Actor

Priyanka Chopra recently addressed how she was subjected to body shaming and how she handled the situation She revealed how she cried in front of her husband, singer-actor Nick Jonas, and other family members when someone told her she wasn’t “sample-sized ”

In an interview, Priyanka said, “I’ve been told many things that are difficult to hear I arrived feeling crappy because somebody told me yesterday I wasn’t ‘samplesized ’” She continued, “I was hurt and I discussed it with my family, and I cried to my husband and my team, and I felt really bad about the fact I’m not sample-sized and that that’s a problem, apparently Most of us are not Sample-sized is a size 2 Who’s a size 2? I don’t see a lot of hands ”

A few months ago, Priyanka opened up about being called a ‘black cat ’ In an interview with BBC, the actor said, “I was called ‘black cat’, ‘dusky’ I mean, what does ‘dusky’ even mean in a country where we are literally all brown? I thought I was not pretty enough, I believed that I would have to work a lot harder, even though I thought I was probably a little bit more talented than my fellow actors who were lighter skinned But I thought that was right because it was so normalised ”

On the work front, Priyanka will next be seen in the streaming series ‘Citadel,’ opposite Richard Madden The first trailer for the spy-thriller was recently released, and Priyanka will portray the role of Nadia Sinh

Nick Jonas releases his version of ‘Maan Meri Jaan’

version of the Hindi hit

‘Maan Meri Jaan’ is out much to his fans’ delight, featuring English vocals from singer Nick Jonas Titled ‘Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife),’ the song was released on March 10 and is getting a lot of love from Nick’s Indian fans

While much of the lyrics in Hindi are the same and sung by King, Nick has lent his voice to some steamy English lyrics “Yeah this is how it starts, your body in arms/ Runnin right through my veins, all the way up to my heart,” sounds Nick's portion in the song Nick even sings a tiny ‘T Maan Meri Ja at one point in the

song King praised the new rendition and wrote, “TRUE STORY!! I’ll never forget this day!

I’ve been a huge fan of Nick’s music since a decade now When Becon was released I was not even oing music that time but i started ifestating to work with Nick even e i started doing music officially

This is a personal win for me and my dreams Now the song/emotion is all yours #nickfans & #kingsclan let’s make it go every corner of this planet And thanks brother much love and more power to you ”

Fans of the two singers were happy with the new version “Ngl hearing Nick say ‘TU MAAN MERI JAAN’ just gave me goosebumps,” wrote one “Wow!! Wasn't expecting this The love Nick has for Priyanka's culture is just amazing,” wrote another “Despite difference in language, their voices compliment each other flawlessly,” read another comment

Nick Jonas is married to Indian actor Priyanka Chopra The two got married in 2018 and have a daughter named Malti Marie Nick has been to India a couple of times, first for his engagement and then for his wedding King, whose real name is Arpan Kumar Chandel, has delivered several hit songs in his career, including ‘Tu Aake Dekhle’ and ‘Maan Meri Jaan,’ which received a lot of love from the listeners

Looking at Charan’s pictures with JJ Abrams, the actor’s fans hoped that the two creative minds would come together for a film One of the users commented on the post, “Hollywood project on cards ” , while another one wrote, “Excellent I wish to see u both work together a treat for fans all over ” Another comment read, “He said in an interview that he would like to work with @jjabrams today he met him ”

Recently, on the podcast Talk Easy, hosted by former film critic Sam Fragoso, Charan talked about his Hollywood debut He said, “I am open to working in any country where cinema is appreciated and there’s an audience who appreciate your work Wherever the camera rolls, I want to be there You can plan toward it and let it happen We are in talks definitely The talks are happening but how it would transcend into a movie and me walking into sets there’s definitely going to be news, and it will come out in a couple of months ” Ram Charan is currently in Los Angeles promoting his film ‘RRR ' The SS Rajamouli directorial is in the Oscar race as its song ‘Naatu Naatu' is nominated in the Best Original Song category

India, Australia to clash in WTC final

Th e 4th t est b etw een I ndi a and Australia at Ahmedabad ended in a draw an d In dia wi n th e Bo rderGavaskar Series 2-1 and the two team will clash again in the WTC final This is the fo u rth co ns ecu ti ve ser ies w in f o r Indi a against the Aussies As a result, the Rohit Sharma-led side have also won their 16th consecutive Test series at home

The two teams will clash again in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final

The WTC title contest will take place at The Oval in London from June 7 With New Zealand having defeated Sri Lanka on the last ball of the first Test in Christchurch, India have qualified for the WTC Final this June alongside Australia Sri Lanka needed to win both of their matches against the Black Caps to have a chance but a century from Kane Williamson denied them one on Monday

The bat continued to hold sway with Australia declaring their second innings at 175 for 2 The declaration came 10 minutes and two overs before the final hour Both captains then decided to call off the match

Opener Travis Head (90) and his overnight partner Matthew Kuhnemann (6) were the two batsmen dismissed The former was cleaned up by Axar Patel and the latter was leg-before to R Ashwin, who took his series’ tally of wickets to 25

Marnus Labuschagne belatedly, helped

himself to his first 50 of the series (63) He and stand-in skipper Steve Smith (10) were the not out batsmen There was hardly any interest left in the match once news broke about India qualifying for the World Test Championship Final The rest of the final day’s play resembled more than anything the fourth day of a domestic match with nothing at stake There were more security personnel patrolling the Narendra Modi Stadium than fans

That said, there were many takeaways from the 2-1 series win for India The biggest plus was Virat Kohli scoring his long overdue 28th Test ton The premier India batsman showed great powers of concentration to bat for 516 minutes for his 186 in testing conditions to help his team take the first-innings lead It augurs well for India as they eye the WTC crown and the ODI World Cup at home later this year Another performance that would have gladdened the team is the quality shown by

Shubman Gill The 23-year-old has answered the doubting Thomases by scoring a classic 128 after almost spending two days in the sun chasing leather “It’s been a really exciting 4-5 months for Shubman, just breaking into the T20I side and scoring a hundred Doing the same in One-day cricket and then capping that off with good performances in the last two Tests It is really exciting for a young player to come through,” said coach Rahul Dravid India, riding on the back of six 50-plus partnerships, finished their first innings at 571 for 9 after Shreyas Iyer did not bat due to a recurrence of a lower back injury

The visitors, having conceded a 91-run lead, were 3 for no loss at close of play on Day 4 – with Travis Head (3) and night watchman Matthew Kuhnemann (0), who opened the batting in place of an injured Usman Khawaja, at the crease They trail by 88 runs on a wicket which still looks worth a thousand runs Kuhnemann had a lucky escape when wicket keeper KS Bharat failed to grab a snick in the penultimate over of the day bowled by R Ashwin

The other notable feature of the day was 79 runs scored by all rounder Axar Patel The left-hander added 162 runs for the sixth wicket with Kohli He hit four massive sixes and five boundaries in his innings that has further enhanced his reputation as a quality batsman

RCB slump to fifth consecutive defeat in WPL

The Royal Challengers Bangalore slumped to their fifth consecutive defeat, going down by six wickets to the Delhi Capitals in an exciting WPL encounter at the DY Patil Stadium on Monday night Failing to live up to their reputation, the star-studded RCB are now almost out of the inaugural season of the league The Capitals, meanwhile, recorded their fourth win in five games, and look to be the favourites to end up in the top 3 Chasing 151, DC needed 9 in the final over, but Jess Jonassen (29 not out) smashed Renuka Thakur for a six and then down the ground off the third and fourth ball to seal her team’s victory with a couple of deliveries to spare With DC at 109 for 4 in the 15th over, the game hung in balance before Marizanne Kapp (32 not out) and Jonassen added 45 for the fifth wicket in 31 balls to seal the chase For a change, DC lost their in-form openers Shafali Verma (0), coming off a blazing 28-ball 76 not out in the last game, and skipper Meg Lanning (15 off 18 balls) early However, their middle order came good as Alice Capsey (38) and Jemimah Rodrigues (32) too chipped in with useful runs

Mighty MI brush aside UP

The Mumbai Indians cantered to their fourth win on the trot on Sunday night

in brief

INDIAN SHUTTLERS LOOK TO END TITLE DROUGHT

Indian shuttlers will look to end the 22-year title drought at the All England Championships which begin in Birmingham on Tuesday Chief coach Pullela Gopichand was the last Indian to win this title in 2001 21-years after Prakash Padukone did it first Lakshya Sen came close to winning last year and Saina Nehwal was the runner-up in 2015 Saina, however, pulled out of the event this year Meanwhile, a tough draw coupled with indifferent form may make things difficult for the Indians in Birmingham With Saina pulling out, PV Sindhu is the only Indian in women’s singles The world No 9 Indian begins against Zhang Yi Man of China If she gets past Zhang, Sindhu is likely to face Chinese fifth seed He Bing Jiao in the second round and Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the quarters HS Prannoy, the top ranked Indian in men’s singles, faces Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei in the first round and may clash against Anthony Ginting of Indonesia next

BHAVINA WINS SILVER MEDAL IN SPAIN

when they drubbed the UP Warriorz by eight wickets Looking unstoppable, Mumbai are now on the cusp of booking their spot for the final at this venue on March 26 After another fabulous spell by left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque (3-33 in 4 overs) restricted UPW to 159 for 6, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (53 not out) and Nat-Sciver Brunt (45 not out) put on 106 for the second wicket in just 61 balls to help MI romp home While NatSciver pulled Shabnim Ismail for a four and a six to finish off the chase and stamp MI’s domination, it was Kaur’s second halfcentury which stood out for its sheer elegance and pure class Shafali, Kapp help DC win big Fired by sizzling performances from pacer Marizanne Kapp (5-15 in 4 overs) and the explosive Shafali Verma (76 not out), the Delhi Capitals romped to a thumping 10wicket win, with as many as 77 balls to spare, over Gujarat Giants at the DY Patil Stadium It was the second consecutive night the WPL produced a10-wicket result, after the UP Warriorz hammered RCB by the same margin 24 hours earlier Roaring back in style after losing to MI in a one-sided encounter at the same venue, DC have now recorded three wins in four games and, with

6 points in the kitty, are placed at the No 2 spot behind MI In a massive blunder, the Giants left out opener Sophia Dunkley, who had smashed a 28-ball 65, including an 18ball 50, the fastest 50 of WPL, in the last game for the sake of ‘team combination,’ and paid dearly, suffering their third defeat in four games They are now sitting just above the bottom-placed RCB in the table, and are in danger of being knocked out at the league stage itself

Warriorz romp home over RCB

It doesn’t take too long for champions to find their groove on the big stage Having got out for 7 & 24 in her previous two outings, Alyssa Healy was yet to arrive in the Women’s Premier League, but when the Australian wicket-keeper-batter finally did fire, the world was left in awe of her explosive powers After the UP Warriorz’ high class spin duo of Sophie Ecclestone (413 in 3 3 overs) and Deepti Sharma (3-26 in 4 overs) skittled out Royal Challengers Bangalore for 138 in 19 3 overs at the Brabourne Stadium on Friday night, Healy, playing a captain’s hand,turned the chase into a picnic, blasting an unbeaten 96 off 47 balls in a fearsome knock which contained 18 fours and a six

Mary Kom wants to represent India once more

Boxing legend Mary Kom has expressed a desire to represent the country for one last time bef ore the six-time world champion is f orced to retire in November this year af ter attaining the upper age limit to compete in amateur events

Mary Kom, a London Olympics bronze medallist, will turn 40 in November and won’t be eligible to compete thereafter in international championships, including the Paris Olympics in 2024 She has been targeting the Hangzhou Asian Games in September-October 2023 For that, she is eyeing a comeback to the national set-up in April Her last international appearance was at the Tokyo Olympics Mary Kom is recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which she had sustained during the Birmingham CWG trials last June “I want to play for India before I am forced to retire I am recovering well from my ACL injury and I am eyeing a comeback at the Asian Games Hopefully, I will be fit,” she said at a media gathering where she was unveiled as one of the

brand ambassadors of the IBA Women’s World Championships to be held from March 15-26 The other brand ambassador is actor Farhan Akhtar

While Mary Kom has been targeting an Asiad return, it may not happen due to varied reasons The Asiad will act as a qualifier for the Paris Games Even if Mary Kom manages to make the cut for the Indian team and goes on to win a quota place, she won’t be able to compete at the Olympics because of the noneligibility due to her age, which will mean the Indian quota in her flyweight division will go waste

Besides, she isn’t part of the national camp and injury has kept her away from the boxing ring for almost 10 months If selected, she will first have to go through the newly-envisaged ‘evaluation test’ process which could pit her against the likes of Nikhat Zareen and Nitu Ghanghas for a place in the 51k g division Therefore, the India Open in July could be Mary’s swansong

Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Bhavina Patel won a silver medal in women’s singles Classes 4-5 at the ITTF Costa Brava Spanish Para Open 2023 last week Bhavina was pitted against Germany’s Sandra Mikolaschek in the final but failed to get into any sort of rhythm in the match and was beaten 2-11 4-11 6-11 Earlier Bhavina had started her group engagements with an easy 11-3 11-6 11-3 win over Spain s Cristina Rubio The next group clash proved tougher but the Mehsana-born para paddler fought back after losing the opening game to beat South Korea s Kyoung Shin Mi 5-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 Bhavina then dominated her quarterfinal opponent France s Flora Vautier to triumph 11-5, 11-2, 11-6 She sustained the momentum in her 3-0 semifinal victory over Joyce De Oliveira of Brazil

BHYAN QUALIFIES FOR PARA WORLDS WITH ASIAN RECORD

Ekta Bhyan qualified for the World Para Athletics Championships as the Indian team returned home with six medals from the Dubai World Para Athletics Grand Prix The Indian contingent which had several youngsters making their international debut in Dubai won four silver and two bronze medals There were altogether seven world records and 45 regional records making the event a great success

A month after surgery, 10-year-old Kanak wins gold in Egypt

Th e 10 -y ea r -ol d p ow er lif t e r Ka n a k Gurjar, who had smashed her way to a go ld m ed a l in de a d lif t a t th e powerlifting meet in Florida last year, underwent endoscopic adenoidectomy and tonsil resection to treat enlarged ad e n oid, w hich ha d h a mp e re d he r breathing

With little time for recovery post surgery and no practice a head of the Amateur World Powerlifting Congress (AWPC) powerlifting championship 2023 in Egypt’s Hurghada, Kanak had little hopes of lifting the barbell, let alone win a medal

Leaving aside her physical travails and lack of training, Kanak, however, stunned the powerlifting field in Egypt on March 9 by winning a gold medal in 44 kg category The 10-year-old, who

weighs 38 kg, lifted a total of 132 5 kg, comprising squat of 50 kg, benchpress of 20 kg and deadlift of 62 5 kg She competed in below 11 years category Unable to hold back her elation after winning the medal, the 10-yearold said, “I feel proud to represent India and win a gold medal for the country This event was much better than the Florida meet of last year because I competed in full powerlifting and not in an individual event and bagged a medal ” The pain she was under after the surgery left Kanak with only time for recovery and meant she had to participate at the meet in Hurghadawith very little practice Dr Minesh Khatri, who operated on her, said, “She tolerated the pain very well She was quite good and stubborn

Mary Kom