Asian Voice

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

VOL 40. ISSUE 28

VOICE

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

80p

Modi showcases ‘Brand Gujarat’ in China

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, during his fourth visit to China, on the invitation of Communist Party of China (CPP), held a wide range of discussion with top Chinese leadership. In a rare gesture, China’s top leadership hosted his delegation at Great Hall of People and had a free and frank discussion and exchange of ideas on a range of subjects including trade, industry, socio-economic development, investment, and prevailing global economic scenario.

Modi emphasized about the shared heritage of India and China, and common vision for improved quality of lives of their people.

In his meeting with the Mr Wang Gang, Vice Chairman of the China People’s Political Consultative Conference, (and a member of the politburo of Communist Party of China), Modi showcased Gujarat as a destination with a conducive environment to

Wang Gang, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference shakes hands with Narendra Modi

invest and work. He also explained Gujarat becoming a major tourist destination. He brought out the richness of Buddhist culture in Gujarat which solicited very keen interest among Chinese leadership. He also dwelled upon the ancient Indian and Chinese ethos, relationship, friendship, cultural and business ties.

While showcasing Brand ‘Gujarat’ – which is equated with Guangdong of China, he invited Chinese business commu-

nity and public enterprises to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit- 2013.

He highlights Gujarat’s special investment regions as areas where Chinese companies could invest. He called on China to invest in infrastructure and power projects in the state, wooing potential investors with a sales pitch that showcased Gujarat as a state with levels of “governance, transparency and stability” that they could not find else-

where in India. He declared that “the two great countries will make Asia the centre-stage of the global economy.”

Learning of Chinese language in Gujarat He also announced plans to open a Mandarin school to promote learning of Chinese language in Gujarat. “To boost economic interaction, we must focus on cultural exchange. I am keen to start a Mandarin language school. We have a number of Buddhist places which can be the driver of cultural exchange,” he said.

In his speech, he said while “India has emerged” is the buzz word all around the world, China’s emergence is already an established fact. India and China are set to play a major role in global politics.

While population is strength, “inclusiveness of our people with our fast growth is our biggest challenge. Whatever India and China do, affects one third of the humanity.

Continued on page 26

19th November to 25th November 2011

Kingfisher to keep afloat, despite of heavy debts Kingfisher Airlines is going through troubled times as over 100 pilots have quit after they were not paid their salaries even as the company cancelled over 80 flights in the last two days.

The cancellation of 80 flights in the past couple of days left thousands of passengers in the lurch prompting the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to demand an explanation from Kingfisher.

The cash-strapped airline claimed that it had to drop flights as the company was trying to reconfigure its aircraft. There was chaos at several airports after passengers complained that they were not intimated about the Kingfisher cancellations.

As the airline was passing through rough times, Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya has asked the government to speak to banks for helping the airlines. It was misunderstood later that Mallya had asked for bailout.

The airlines may finally get some help from the Government even as civil aviation Minister Vayalar

Vijay Mallya

Ravi ruled out any bailout package for the company.

Sources say that union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee may speak to banks to bailout the airlines which is floating in the red.

"There is problem with aviation industry as a whole. The fuel price hike and the continuous sales tax imposition by the states is one of the major problems. Mallya complained to me and told me that HPCL had refused to give Kingfisher fuel last week," said Ravi.

Ravi suggested that the finance minister may ask the banks to give loan to Kigfisher Airlines to help it tide over the financial crunch.

Continued on page 26

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

Rajesh Agrawal, Chairman & CEO, RationalFX Mr. Rajesh Agrawal (34) is the founder of RationalFX, Europe’s leading online foreign exchange and international payments company.

RationalFX was started as a two-man business in 2005, and is now one of the fastest growing businesses in the UK. With offices in UK, France and Italy, it provides foreign exchange and international payments services to thousands of businesses across Europe.

RationalFX recently launched its online money transfer service called Xendpay which enables users to send money to almost any bank account in the world, for no fees and great exchange rates. RationalFX is also the principal sponsor for Birmingham City Football Club for the season 2011-2012.

Rajesh has over ten years of experience in IT, currency risk management and commercial foreign exchange. He has been nominated for several awards including Asian Achievers Awards and Lloyds TSB KPMG Awards for Business and Commerce. Rajesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance & Marketing, and an MBA in IT & Marketing. Rajesh is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragements of Arts, manufacturers and Commerce (FRSA) and a Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE).

Rajesh is also an adept speaker and writer on foreign exchange markets, work philosophy and entrepreneurship.

1) What inspired you to begin your career in your chosen field?

As a student I never thought I would work in financial services. After finishing my education, I was working in the internet industry when I got an opportunity to work for an FX risk management company in Mumbai. At the time, they were developing some web based systems for corporates. That was my first introduction to the FX industry. With time, I became fascinated by the FX markets where no two days are the same.

2) What are your proud-

est achievements?

I came to the UK with ￡ 200 in my pocket and didn’t know anyone. I set up RationalFX in 2005 and since then have handled over $2 billion in transactions. My greatest achievement is the trust of people that I have earned. I am also proud of the fact that as a company we have saved our customers millions of pounds, which otherwise would have lost to bank charges and poor exchange rates.

3) Please tell us about your current position?

I am the Chairman and CEO of RationalFX, UK’s leading foreign

exchange and international payments company. We have thousands of customers across Europe and turnover about ￡500m a year. We also are the main sponsors of Birmingham City Football Club.

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

Well, I see obstacles as challenges, and there are challenges in everyone’s life. Without them we won’t value our achievements and life won’t be as interesting. The challenges I face in our business are the same as any other entrepreneur – funds, getting people to trust you, attracting talent to work for you etc. All of these are important so I wouldn’t say that one was bigger than the other.

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

I don’t think there is any one person who has been the biggest influence on me. I come across several people in my day to day life that make an impression on me. There are flashes of brilliance all around.

When I was growing up in India, there was this street cleaner who I used to talk to now and again. I was so influenced by his attention to detail and tendency of not to give up. There was nobody measuring his performance, but he would do his job with utmost dedication. Everyday the street will be dirty, but he

would still clean it with full attention. He never gave up. He never got annoyed with people for making it dirty – he said he can only control what he does and not what others do.

He really impressed me.

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

I enjoy the variety. Within the same day I could be dealing with ten totally different things. I also like the fact that we are a truly international organisation. Within our London office we have people from over 15 different nationalities. It is great to have a team with so many different backgrounds and cultures, but all working towards the same big objective. I am also enjoying our shirt sponsorship of Birmingham City Football Club. It is amazing to see our company name on the shirt of a major English football club.

7) And the worst?

Worst has not happened

yet and I am an optimist!

8) What are your long term goals?

I want to make RationalFX a major global brand and Xendpay the world’s largest online money transfer service. We are also doing a lot in terms of giving back to the society. But you can never do it enough.

Gradually, I want to spend more of my time on social projects.

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

Actually, there is a long list of things I would like to change.

However, one thing that I find really silly is that much has been talked about entrepreneurship and supporting small businesses, but very little has been done about it. I would immediately waive the Employers National Insurance for start ups (or less than 5 employees), scrap the employer’s compulsory pension contribution from 2012 and lower the national minimum wage for under 21 years for small companies.

Small companies are the back bone of any economy and we need to encourage people who want to start businesses, not suffocate them with regulations.

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

There are so many of them, but if I had to choose, I would say Winston Churchill. I have similar interests as him so it would be fun and there will be a lot to talk about.

Celebrating Diwali with Liberal democrats strong families, The Liberal Democrats have responsibility to celebrated Diwali for the community and first time at a national level, country, have forged with chief guest speakers very deep bonds that Simon Hughes MP and will always benefit Baroness Ros Scott, at the both communities.

Bombay Palace in central Simon Hughes London. The occasion was MP congratulated also attended by special the Hindu communiLiberal Democrat guests ty on their peaceful Lord Loomba and the celebrations of Mayoral candidate Brian Diwali and successPaddick with his team of GLA candidates.

L to R: Brian Paddick, Baroness Ros Scott, Simon Hughes, ful integration that To start off the celebrathe community has Anuja Prashar, Lord Loomba, Dr. Raj Pandit tions Dr. Raj Pandit, demonstrated, within Welcoming all the speakers President of the Hindu priests the UK. He suggested that we all and dinner guests, Anuja Prashar need to invoke the force of association and Chairperson of (Chair of Beckenham Liberal ‘Laxshmi’ (Prosperity), which is National Council of Hindu Democrats) explained that her urgently needed today with the Temples, asked Baroness Ros Hindu values resonate best with ever increasing threat of recesScott, Simon Hughes MP , Brian Liberal Democrat core values of sion. Simon Hughes asked that Paddick and special guest Lord pluralism and Individualism. members of the business commuLoomba to light the customary “The sense of individual responnity, who may have innovative ‘Jyoth’ which he explained, symsibility and commitment to a and creative ideas for managing bolises the pursuit of higher conhigher purpose, which is at the the financial crisis, should come sciousness and knowledge, which heart of Hinduism, is proportionforward and contact him and the is the very purpose of life itself. ate with Liberal Democratic prinChancellor.

Dr. Pandit also reminded the ciples of Individualism and fairassembled politicians and guests At the end of the evening, ness to the whole of society.” that their role in society was to Pranav Bhanot, President of Baroness Ros Scott told the National Hindu Students serve the community and to do so dinner guests, that shared British Association (NHSF) said “We with selfless conviction and and Hindu values – those of too want to encourage our memhumility.

bers to engage with the political process at every level and therefore wish to invite Liberal Democrats to have a stall at our annual fair next week.”

Brian Paddick wished all guests a Happy Diwali and reiterated his commitment to becoming Mayor of London in order to fight to keep London safe and secure for all members of society, regardless of faith or ethnicity. He discussed the key issues for London and later focused on particular issues for faith groups. As an ex-Police Commissioner and second time Lib Dem Mayoral candidate, Brian continues to meet with communities across London, pledging his support and listening to their concerns.

Lord Loomba thanked all the guests for attending and stated his support for Brian Paddick and the GLA candidates, for the mayoral elections in May 2012.

Lord Loomba called upon all communities to follow the Liberal Democratic commitment to pluralism and work for cooperation and peace for the benefit of all of British society.

People ■ Bestways celebrated their 35th anniversary at a glittering dinner in Grosvenor House Hotel. They announced that they had now taken the majority stake holding in the biggest bank in Pakistan. Amongst the guests was the Minister for Children and Families, Sarah Teather, who is the local MP of the Bestways HQ. ■ Entrepreneur Rami Ranger MBE has just been awarded the Queens Award for Enterprise in International Trade for the third consecutive year.

■ Conservative MP Priti Patel is turning out to be quite a rebel.

Elected to the powerful 1922 committee Priti, the Conservative party’s first Asian origin MP, is one of the 81 Tories opposing the PM on Europe.

Paul Boateng’s son jailed for sex assault

The son of a former Brent MP who sexually assaulted a woman at a party has been sent to jail Monday.

Benjamin Kwahu Boateng, (pictured) 27, whose father Lord Boateng was the Labour MP for Brent South between 1987- 2007, attacked his 22-year-old victim in September last year.

Kingston Crown Court heard Boateng, who spent his childhood in Brent, met the woman in a nightclub in Mayfair and the separately went on to a private party in Battersea, south west London. The woman fell asleep on a sofa and woke up to find Boateng sexually assaulting her.

Boateng, who lives in Marylebone, was convicted of one count of sexual assault by penetration at his trial last month.

Lord Boateng, whose full name is Paul Yaw Boateng, become the country’s first ever black minister when he was made the Chief Secretary to the Treasury while serving as a Brent MP. He stood down in 2002 to become the British High Commissioner to South Africa and was made a Lord last year.

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

COMMENT

Cameron’s wake-up call to EU Prime Minister David Cameron’s speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet posed some interesting questions for the movers and shakers of the European Union to consider. His remarks were also addressed to the wider European public, and to those in Britain most committed to the European project. The thrust of Mr Cameron’s argument, that the EU had swallowed more than it could hopefully digest, that its utopianism was giving rise to unworkable schemes, will resonate well with the Euro-sceptic wing of his Conservative party, not to speak of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) which holds for a British withdrawal from the EU, even as it maintains an array of critical commercial, cultural and institutional links with the continent in their mutual interest. With the EU and its eurozone deep in economic and political crisis, the European project is being questioned as never before. The problem for mainstream Conservatives including the leadership is their general preference to run with the European hares, but when the going gets tough, to hunt with Euro-sceptic hounds. Falling between two stools brings no lasting advantage to the fallen.

It’s simply an aspect of mood music bearing some resemblance to a game of musical chairs.

The British economy is caught in the cleft stick of austerity and rising unemployment and minimal growth. Ministers are much given to pointing their fingers of blame to the stricken eurozone, concealing the uncomfortable truth that the British ailment antedates the eurozone crisis. So, while Mr Cameron agrees that there is much that is wrong

with Europe, he recoils from the notion of a UK referendum to ascertain the wishes of the British people on whether they wish to opt out of Europe or stay with the EU. But with German Chancellor Angela Merkel promising a referendum to her people on whether they would accept her government’s plan for closer political ties with the EU, Mr Cameron’s refusal thus far to withhold a similar exercise from the British punlic would surely become untenable. We live to cope with uncertainties. Greece and Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ireland have hit the buffers. Whether this derails the European project in the long or medium term only time will show.

If the UK chose eventually to plough a lonely furrow how would its relations with the rest of the world be designed?. What would be the political architecture of these relationships? Would the dilution of British sovereignty continue so as to make room for the country’s ‘special relationship’ with the United States? How would Nato shape up?

Would the Commonwealth have any meaningful role to play or would its members be better off without it? To none of these very pertinent questions do we receive clear and honest answers. Politicians of every hue can no longer postpone the day. They must start responding to the concerns and anxieties of their constituents. The sooner they do so the better. Ad hoc arrangements, when the time comes, will compound the confusion and diminish the chances of Britain’s recovery to full economic health.

Sounding the alarm in India The World Economic Forum’s India Economic Summit in Mumbai has sounded an alarm about a declining levels of skill among young Indians seeking job opportunities of improving career prospects with foreign and domestic companies. Schools, colleges and universities were struggling to keep pace with the growing market demand for skills allied to business enterprise, according to Jeffrey Joerres, the Chief Executive of Manpower, warned that India’s competitive advantage in this area was being slowly eroded.

“In the past. India was where you went for outsourcing,” he said, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the conference. “Many companies have been using India’s global talent pool. But now some challenges are appearing especially in education.

What many companies are saying is the next level of really available in India?” Mr Joerres acknowledged that of India’s 17,000 colleges and universities, some were clearly world class but others were deficient in educating their charges in the necessary skills . Companies were increasingly looking to Argentina and the Philippines to fill their vacancies.

Because of this skills shortage in India, labour costs in the country entailing qualified people, especially in the sciences and technology, were rising, reducing India’s attractiveness as an investment destination. These concerns were echoed by India’s

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Shama, who expressed alarm at the numbers of Indian graduates considered unemployable by India’s highgrowth global companies. There is clearly a crisis in Indian education that needs urgently to be addressed. The industrialist Mukesh Ambani has suggested that the country’s business houses be empowered by government legislation to fund and oversee new world class educational institutions to meet the nation’s rising demand. The government in New Delhi should lend him their ears and come up with a response. Taking counsel with informed sections of the polity is the surest wisdom to engage the future.

Another proposal that is doing the rounds in the corridors of power in the Indian capital relates to the possible involvement of British and American universities setting up Indian campuses complete with stringent academic standards. This may well be the subject of discussion in the coming winter session of the Indian parliament and will be a test of responsible government and opposition.

Xenophobia butters no parsnips. Professor Lord Bhikhu Parekh, speaking recently in the upper chamber, listed closer educational cooperation in his agenda for a deepening India-British relationship. His voice deserves respect and close attention.

We hope it will be heard in the right quarters.

Myanmar’s door to democracy widens Winston Churchill once said that democracy was the least defective of all competing political systems open to humankind. Myanmar’s generals have ruled the roost with an iron fist and in the process have reduced their once flourishing country to ignoble penury. Internal strife and repression led to a sanctions regime from the US and EU. Hopefully the first light of a new dawn may lead to a more enlightened political order.

Following a flawed election the iconic human rights campaigner and leader of the National League for Democracy Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest. Her party didn’t register and so could not participate in the poll, but the reconsideration of this stance in the aftermath of the dialogue she is engaged in with the present government could augur well for the nation’s democratic future.

Happily India played a constructive role in the wings, urging and persuading the Myanmar military junta to alter course in the national interest.

Meanwhile, New Delhi promised to help in whatever way it could. There was an exchange of visits at the highest level between the two countries and increased trade and economic aid from India.

Andrew Mitchell, the British Development Minister, on a visit to Myanmar, has met with Aung San Suu

Kyi and appealed to the Myanmar government to quicken the pace of democratic reform by releasing all political prisoners and permitting unrestricted democratic activity within the country. Myanmar spells hope, Which is more than can be said of China, much admired in Western financial circles as the coming global superpower. Allied to its booming economy is a political system of rotten and pocket boroughs, which Britain discarded way back in 1832!

Considerr the following passage in a report by The Times Correspondent, Leo Lewis, in Beijing: “With elections in the local people’s congress only hours away, voters in Yinmajing village received a knock at the doorr and the offer of cigarettes or bottles of fiery baiju grain spirit.” These were inducements to vote against the increasing number of independent candidates seeking election against the Communist Partyapproved officials ensconced in power.

Appropriately, “Bribery and menace: this is Beijingstyle democracy” is the title of the piece.

US ‘sorry’ The United States has apologised after former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam was frisked at a New York airport, following a complain by the Government of India.

www.abplgroup.com

Thought for the Week “Never bend your head. Hold it high.

Look the world straight in the eye.”

- Helen Keller

“Our London” CIIr Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

Red is the Poppy I Wear Upon My Heart” The Remembrance Sunday tions from the ‘Youth The scene outside the Remembrance Poetry Harrow Civic Centre last Competition’ by the Sunday summed up the pupils of Harrow’s importance of the occaschools.

Four poems sion - the modern ‘enviwere read out were from ronment’ we live in. Only pupils from primary, juna few years ago Harrow built a war memorial of contemporary design in front of the Civic Centre and this was the place where I found myself stood in the unexpected (for the month of November) but welcome warm Navin Shah with members of the and bright sunGurkhas shine to pay my respect and lay a wreath ior and high schools. I in the memory of the war thought ‘Red Poppies’ was most impressive, heroes. describing the signifiAs I stood facing the cance of poppies, by memorial for the service Lareib Gul Azim a 10 to commence I was year old from Stanburn struck by the contrasting Junior School. One of the surroundings. First the lines I’ve used for the title dominating typical 1960s of this article goes to the built Civic Centre heart of the importance Building on one side and of poppies as a symbol: on the opposite side the unfinished Harrow “Poppies for the men Central Mosque filling who had no tomorrow!” the landscape. What also Later in the day I parstruck me was the people ticipated in Brent who had gathered.

Council’s Civic Mostly local community Remembrance Service at members but on this Queen Elizabeth occasion they added a Gardens, Barham Park. very different signifiIn contrast to Harrow, this was in a traditional cance. park-setting for the wonThe silhouettes of derful occasion reprepeople highlighted by the sented by the richly bright sunshine gave an diverse community, exextra special prominence service organisations and to who they were. And faith groups. The interthey were the local esting readings by faith Gurkha (Nepalese) memgroups varied from the bers in their uniforms and present with their readings from faith scripfamily members, and ture to wider interpretathere were the Sikh memtions and comments on bers of the community, the issues surrounding people in wheelchairs Remembrance Sunday. and the pleasing sight of Outside this Northa large number of young West part of London students and families which I represent, the gathered with one puryear will be remembered pose alone and that was for a big controversy about displaying the to salute the war heroes poppy emblems on the and pray for peace. But England Teams’ shirts what hit me the hardest during the England and and gave me immense Spain football friendly pleasure was not the game at Wembley diversity of nationalities Stadium. The initial and faiths but the unity strong refusal by FIFA they depicted. saw high profile intervenWhilst the Remembrance Service tions at the level of David witnessed the worships, Camron and Prince prayers and readings by William and the eventual faith groups and other resolution (compromise!) essential ceremonies to of poppy’s on players’ mark the occasion the black armbands. The highlight and change question is, does this from the ‘routine’ for me concession set precewere the selected narradent?

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Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

In brief

Email: majithia.meera@gmail.com

Leicester Voice

By Meera Majithia

BAPS event celebrates the lives of women across generations Around 1,000 women gathered at the weekend to celebrate stories of inspirational female icons at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Leicester.

On Saturday, 12th November the temple hosted a spectacular free ‘Divya Darshan’ show, featuring music, dance, acting and audio visuals, all organised by the women of their community for those from all over the city to enjoy.

Sushilaben Pancholi, head of BAPS women activities in Leicester, said: “In total from start to finish the show took around one year to organise. Around two to three years ago we had organised the Sharan Tihari show at the Shri Prajapati Community hall, but things were so much easier this time since we had our own premises and resources.”

The event was specially marked to coincide with the grand opening of the temple a few weeks back.

There were over 150 female performers on stage in total ranging from

Actors performing ‘Divya Darshan’ to celebrate inspirational female icons

the age of 7-70, and close to 200 volunteers pitched in to ensure the smooth running of the show.

The main hall was completely packed, with additional ladies having to sit in the gym where extra chairs and a big screen was put in so they could watch from in there.

Mrs Pancholi said the Swaminarayan community is very active when it comes to encouraging women. They have a range of different events running, from sports and yoga, help with careers, groups for new mothers and their babies, music and dance groups to other cultural and religious activities.

She said: “Our oldest member is 97 years old

and is still going strong.

She is very active and still manages to teach us a thing or two.”

‘Divya Darshan’ traced the history of some of the most iconic women from the Hinduism scribes, who despite their circumstances showed immeasurable love.

In addition to other song and dance routines there were specific acts on Shabri, to demonstrate a life of determination and focus on a goal, Draupadi, to demonstrate unwavering faith and the refuge of god, and Jivubaa to demonstrate the purity of heart and sincere devotion.

Chief guests at the event included Lady Gretton, Lord-Lieutenant

of Leicestershire and Assistant City Mayor Manjula Sood.

Speaking after the show, Lady Gretton said: “It was amaing – absolutely wonderful. They have worked so hard and the costumers were so lovely.

There was so much thought that went into the whole production and I just want to say thank you for allowing me to join in with this evenings celebration and for sharing your culture and friendship with me.”

Cllr Manjula Sood added: “It was spectacular. I am very proud to see these young girls with so much wealth of tradition and I’m grateful to their parents for keeping the culture alive.”

Star winner collects his prize Belgrave Road Diwali star prize winner receives a 42” television screen donated by a local family-run company.

The Golden Mile shopping festival which ran from the 12th to 26th October, saw most of the shops on Melton Road and Belgrave Road offering discounts and a raffle ticket with every purchase of ￡20 or more.

During this time a raffle draw took place daily, the winner of which was announced on the Sabras Radio drive-time show. On the 9th of November, Ashok Kaviya of Leicester came forward to receive his prize of a 42” television, donated

by Anand Internatioal Ltd. Mr Kaviya said: “I was shocked when I found out that I was the lucky winner of the 42”LCD TV. I feel

Star Prize winner Mr Ashok Kaviya with Dimple Sethi of Anand International Ltd

honoured to be receiving this great prize from Anand International Ltd; a company were I have been shopping for years.

“It is a privilege to be receiving this prize from Dimple, the daughter of Mr Anand himself. Mr Anand was a great man and on

many occasions used to take me up to his office from the shop floor for a chat. He was a true gentleman who knew the meaning of humanity.

His family and the staff are so friendly and offer a great service.”

Vic Sethi, of Anand International said: “I would

firstly like to thank the local businesses and the residents on the Melton Road for their trust and support in me.

“Our parents and elders have worked hard on these roads to survive and turned them into the Golden Mile ages ago, so let us try to work together and maintain what they have created for us.”

Anand International Ltd are the oldest electronics retailers on the Golden Mile.

The company, established by Mr and Mrs Anand of Leicester today has a turnover of around ￡30m, with a big international presence. They also play a major role in contributing back to the community through various methods as part of their corporate social responsibility.

£16m school project well on its way An ancient Persian ceremony was conducted to mark the progress of a new £16million school construction project.

Being built by Miller Construction, Rushey Mead is the first school in the second phase of the successful Leicester BSF (Building Schools for the F u t u r e ) programme. Miller Construction chief executive Chris Webster was joined by Leicester assis-

tant city mayor responsible for children, young people and schools Councillor Vi Dempster, along with the council’s strategic director for children Rachel Dickinson, Rushey Mead’s head of school Matthew Parris, and Rushey Mead student Sarbjeet Binning, for the event which created a ceremonial brick to mark the occasion. The ceremony was also attended by school governors, staff

and pupils, and representatives of the Leicester Miller Education Partnership. The topping out was commemorated by an ancient Persian ritual, believed to be 500 years old, in which symbolic elements are added to liquid concrete to ensure the prosperity and success of the development.

Councillor Dempster began by adding wine, representing fertility and

wisdom.

Rachel Dickinson then added oil, meant to preserve liberty at the school. Corn was added by head of school Matthew Parris, to enable the property to ripen in abundance - representing the continued success of Rushey Mead and its staff and learners as they move into their new school. Chris Webster added salt, symbolising Miller Construction’s hospitality and the purity of

Man sentenced for conning friend of hundreds of thousands of pounds

An Indian-origin man has been jailed for three years for conning a colleague with learning difficulties of nearly £130,000.

Rajesh Karadia, 48, of Pocklingtons Walk, Leicester, persuaded his colleague Michael Tubbutt to open a joint bank account with him and then withdrew money and deposited it into his own account.

Karadia also pestered Tubbutt to sell his house.

Speaking after Karadia was sentenced to three years in jail at Leicester Crown Court, Tubbutt told the media: “I thought he was a friend but he used me and betrayed me. I feel so ashamed he tricked me like he did. I am glad he has got what he deserved.”

During the hearing, prosecutor Jonathan Cox recalled how Karadia persuaded Tebbutt to open the joint account in November 2004, shortly after he had received 10,000 pounds in an uncle’s will.

Three weeks after the account was opened, Karadia had taken out the cash and put it into one of his own bank accounts.

Karadia then persuaded Tubbutt to sell his mother’s house after her death, and then to sell his new house to Karadia’s cousin for 119,000 pounds.

Karadia reportedly pestered him to sell his house, telling him he could live rent-and-bills free at a house he owned. Tebbutt was told it would make sense as it was next door to the cornershop where he worked for Karadia’s mother. Tubbutt was then persuaded to put 119,000 pounds into the joint account in December 2005, and by April 2006, Karadia had bled the joint account of all but 650 pounds.

Karadia pleaded guilty to the theft of 10,000 from Tebbutt between 22nd November and 3rd December 2004, and also admitted to the theft of 119,000 from Tebbutt between 21st December, 2005 and December 2006.

New study recalculates obesity definitions amongst South Asians A major study calling for levels of obesity among South Asians to be recalculated has been published by researchers from the University of Leicester.

A team from the University’s Departments of Health Sciences and Cardiovascular Sciences have put the case for the point at which South Asians should be classed as obese to be redefined. Their study has been published in PLoS One, a journal of the Public Library of Science. South Asians around the world are at increased risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

They also get these chronic diseases at an earlier age.

The study concludes that significantly lower BMI and waist circumference cut points for defining obesity are needed for migrant South Asians.

Dr Laura Gray and Professors Kamlesh Khunti and Melanie Davies led the research utilising data from over 6,000 participants screened for Type 2 Diabetes from Leicester. The research was funded by the Department of Health and the analysis was done as part of the work of the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (NIHR CLAHRC) in Leicestershire, Northampton and Rutland (LNR). Professor Khunti who is Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester said: “Our study shows that the conventional definition of obesity (BMI 30 kg/m2) needs to be lowered in migrant South Asians to detect equivalent levels of cardiovascular risk, based on levels of glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol.

Our study suggests that migrant South Asians should be classed as obese and therefore at high risk of developing diabetes based on a BMI of between 23-28 kg/m2.”

Professor Khunti added: “This is the first study to reassess obesity definitions in a migrant UK south Asian population and could have important clinical implications. their partnership with Leicester City Council.

Finally, student Sarbjeet Binning added a yew branch to complete the ceremony. The £16 million design and build project, due for completion in May 2013, involves remodelling and a major rebuild of the school campus. The new school, built on the existing playing fields, will benefit from 8,600 square metres of new build, a six-court sports hall and enhanced teaching facilities.

Matthew Parris said: “Today’s event has been an exciting milestone in Rushey Mead’s building project. Having four students play a key role in today’s topping out ceremony is a particular highlight for me.

“As a learning community we are determined to make sure the new Rushey Mead remains an outstanding provider of education to all, opening doors to our students for future opportunity and success.”

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

Gurkha settlement fund to aid Rushmoor council

By Spriha Srivastava

Rockstar – What’s the story?

Ever since Rockstar released last Friday there are reports everywhere stating how the film is Ranbir’s biggest hit, people going crazy on Facebook posting status messages about the awesomeness of the film.

And so with so much praise around the movie, I decided to watch it too.

I am not a Ranbir Kapoor fan but I am definitely a Bollywood fan.

However, what was coming next was unforeseen. Three hours of cinema with absolutely no sense of a storyline is something which happens quite often in bollywood these days. But given the fact that it is an Imtiaz Ali film, I expected a lot more from it. While Ranbir has acted very well in the film and is a true saviour of the drowning storyline and direction, the latest in the list of foreign-born-joiningbollywood actress Nargis Fakhri tries way too hard to act but sadly cannot come too close to it.

Rockstar is not modeled on rock stars like Jim Morrison or Kurt Cobain. It’s rather about two curious people in love. Is that the reason why Imtiaz stayed away from the stark areas which are supposedly part and parcel of a truly ‘Rockstar’ flamboyance?

I wonder why he played so safe? What’s with the desperate need to create a neat plot?

The film is a story of an uncouth Delhi lad Janardhan Jhakhar ()who idolizes Jim

dent life in D e l h i U n i v e r s i t y, the second half of the film gets extremely monotonous and the narr a t i o n becomes a little weak.

Ranbir Kapoor A n o t h e r drawback in Morrison but doesn’t Rockstar is the ‘realism’ have in him what it takes part. Many sequences in to make a cut. Pain, he’s the film are hard to told by a stocky canteen believe and one cannot manager (Kumud help but opine that Mishra), is the grist of Imtiaz could have dealt creativity. So he seeks with it more realistically. pain in the heartbreak by last cameo by Shammi proposing the most beauKapoor was absolutely tiful girl in the college, wonderful and brought a tear to everyone’s eyes during his time onscreen.

The beautiful moment of having two Kapoors sharing the screen together was worth ticket price and the soulful jugalbandi between the two was such a special moment for Indian cinema.

The background score by AR Rahman is extremely good and uplifts your mood.

The music and songs are capable of drifting Heer Kaul (). But pain, you to another world. like joy, is hard to come While the performby. And it takes a long ances were good, the and outstretched relafilm’s story line was tionship — beginning extremely confusing and with hate, turning into it strayed awat from its friendship and blossomoriginal platform again ing into love — before and again. Coming from our hero Jordan and his a director who has given much married Heer are wonderful hits like “Jab left with a shattered We Met” and “Love Aaj heart that keeps playing Kal”, “Rockstar” is a disback and forth in the appointment. It’s evident movie. that there is something While the first half is amiss with the characterstill tolerable since the isation of this love story. film depicts a typical stu-

Kathak Rangmanch Pravesh in London The third Kathak Rangmanch Pravesh, a special milestone for a student and her dance Guru is set to take place in London on December 4th at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan presenting the first ever solo performance of Neesha Radia.

It is the third Rangmanch Pravesh that Padmashri Pratap Pawar will present, during his 55 years of working in the Kathak field, after internationally acclaimed theatrical phenomenan Akram Khan and respected Balbir Singh.

Neesha, a disciple of

Pratap Pawar, has performed extensively throughout the UK in a variety of spaces and has independently led several teaching workshops on the art form. With a full-time career in Banking, Neesha is trying to balance her dance career and a solo performance will be a significant boost to her confidence levels. ‘ R a n g m a n c h Pravesh’ means to enter the stage and is a Kathak student’s first solo performance of a full repertoire in a customary format, raw and with live musicians, as per the

legacy found in North India.

According to Neesha, “Personally, this evening is about raising the profile of high quality Indian classical forms and culture in the UK and exemplifying how Classical forms have a unique strength to dissolve the often debated British-Asian push-pull conflict. Training in Kathak has helped me to harmonise cultural, spiritual and personal values into my manic day to day banking life and it continues to enrich other lives - the key is awareness.

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com

A Hampshire town is to receive the “majority” of a £1.5m fund set up to ease the pressure on resources amid an influx of former Gurkha soldiers. Up to 10% of the population of Rushmoor Borough Council, whose area includes Aldershot, is now Nepalese after a legal ruling allowing them to stay.

C o m m u n i t i e s Secretary Eric Pickles said ministers wanted the veterans and their families “to feel welcome”.

Pro-Gurkha campaigners said the money was not enough to ease local problems.

In 2009 the government allowed Gurkha soldiers who had retired before 1997 to settle in the UK, which followed a high-profile campaign lead by actress Joanna Lumley.

Following the announcement of the fund, the British Gurkha Welfare Society warned that, although the funding boost was welcome, it was no more than a short-term measure that “fails to address the root cause of the welfare problems facing Gurkha veterans”.

Its chairman, Major

Major Tikendra Dal Dewan

Tikendra Dal Dewan, said: “We need to be realistic: this new funding is essentially like trying to plug a leak in a dam with your finger. This group of veterans is going to get older, and will face new and more demanding care needs that this funding will not provide for meaning that we will just be back in the same situation in a year or two’s time, if not sooner.”

He said it would be better for the government to resolve the root causes of Gurkha welfare problems and put measures in place that mean veterans “do not have to leave friends and family in Nepal and come to the UK

out of financial desperation”.

The fund, which is made up of equal contributions from the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Ministry of Defence and the Gurkhas, will be directed at Aldershot and other areas with large Gurkha populations.

Nearby Farnborough has also seen an increase in the number of former Gurkhas, and other local authorities will receive a share of the money to help manage future integration of retired veterans and their families.

H o w e v e r , Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: “These brave British Army veterans have given our country loyal service over many years. It is their bravery that has helped protect our way of life and our traditions and it is right that their dedication is honoured. They have a right to live here and we are determined to see that they and their families are treated with dignity and respect and are made to feel welcome.”

Celebrating Children’s Day

The children who participated with their certificates

A record number of children took part in an event organised by United Kingdom Telugu Association (UKTA) on the occasion of India’s first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday popularly known amongst the Indians as Children’s Day. The event was held at London Mayfair’s Nehru Centre, a cultural wing of Indian High Commission in the UK. About 50 children of various ages dressed as India’s heroes enthralled the audience with their performances.

Dr. Nanda Kumara, Deputy Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan was the chief guest.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Kumara shared the reminiscences of his childhood as a student with the spectators and applauded

all the children for their gifted talent and their parents for their support in moulding them as future citizen of the country.

Prabhakar Kaza, President of UKTA specially thanked all the childrens parents, teachers as well as the events sponsors for their efforts for making the event a grand success.

The event kicked off with Divya Venkatesh’s students’ Bharatanatyam performance followed by Vinjamuri Ragasudha’s “Pragna” student’s spell bound performances “Blending Colours, Patriotic Songs and Bollywood dance”.

Master Sangnik Mondal stole the show by playing Pt. Nehru’s favourite “Saare Jahaan Se Achcha” on his flute.

Tabla performances by

Master Ajit Narayan & Master Shreshto Bhowmik and Jugal Bandi by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan students stood were the highlights.

Master Vivek Guntupalli’s foot tapping performance of Punjabi Dhol was highly applauded.

The event was brought to an end by Guru Prakash Yedugude’s students’ “Pushpanjali”.

Dr. Vayu Naidu Company’s Ruby Sahota’s “Story Telling” got every child involved into it.

Master Keerthi Killy hosted the show and the event was fully organised and run by children which was highly appreciated by everyone. Master Vivek Guntupalli presented the vote of thanks and concluded the afternoon with the National Anthem.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

A Muslim hate preacher had his home raided last Thursday just hours after Theresa May made supporting his extremist group a criminal offence.

Anjem Choudhary dismissed the search of his house in east London as a ‘fishing expedition’ following the ban on the militant Muslims Against Crusades.

Police also raided a nearby community centre where the radical group Preaching hatred: Extremist Anjem Choudhary dismissed held meetings and one the police search of his house as a ‘fishing expedition’ other address close to his Whitechapel outrage when they home. threatened to spoil ‘It’s a fishing Remembrance Day expedition at the events with a fresh end of the day, ‘Hell for Heroes’ they’ve got nothprotest. They also ing on me’ said provoked serious Choudhary.

‘I concern over the haven’t done past fortnight by anything illegal. posting threatening Obviously it’s messages about inconvenient, Tory MP Mike but that doesn’t Freer in their webstop me propasite. gating what I Extremists believe.’ stormed a conA police stituency surgery spokesman said: held by the politi‘At 11pm last cian chanting night, officers ‘Jewish homosexufrom the al pig’, not long C o u n t e r after MAC urged Te r r o r i s m supporters to tarCommand exeget the Finchley cuted three and Golders Green search warrants MP. under the Police warned Terrorism Act 2000 at address- Thwarted: Muslims Against Crusades caused an of possible clashes es in east outcry with their poppy-burning protests last between the Muslim and the London. These year, but disbanded last week after Theresa May group English Defence searches condeclared supporting the group illegal League and British cluded at 5.30 National Party, who one they held last year. a.m. this morning.’ held a ‘Protect the Poppy’ Then, MAC fundamentalNo arrests were made, overnight vigil outside the ists torched poppies and police said.

Royal Albert Hall last chanted ‘British soldiers The now-defunct Thursday. burn in hell’ as the nation group had planned to disBut after the Home honoured the two-minute rupt last Friday’s Secretary’s ruling, MAC’s silence to commemorate Armistice Day ceremonies website said the group the war dead. with a poppy-burning had disbanded and its The extremists caused demonstration similar to demo over British foreign policy was cancelled.

Choudhary said: ‘’The planned Hell for Heroes demonstration has undoubtedly struck a raw nerve in Parliament by exposing the blunt truth behind the poppy. I think that the objective has been achieved, which is to show that the poppy and Armistice Day is a fig leaf which has been used to cover the crimes which have been committed.

Our message has gone viral and global really because of the pronouncement of Theresa May so I don’t see there’s any point LtoR: Rajiv Katechia and Padmini Patel (Winners), (of holding the protest).’

Ranjeeta Sookha (Air Mauritius) and Ritesh Patel Mrs May said MAC (Honeymoon-Specialists/Shiv Travel) was the latest incarnation of earlier banned organiRajiv Katechia and Padmini Patel were the lucky sations linked tothe outwinners of the Mauritius Honeymoon Prize draw at spoken cleric, including al the Asian Wedding Exhibition which took place at Muhajiroun, Islam4UK Alexandra Palace on 13th November 2011, The and Al Ghurabaa.

Honeymoon prize draw was sponsored by Air The hate preacher Mauritius, Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Le pledged to start up a new Meridien Ile Maurice) and Honeymoon-Specialists is group describing Britain a new division of Shiv Travel, They specialise in taias a ‘terrorist regime’ that lor-made honeymoon’s and weddings abroad. For is ‘worse than the Nazis’. more information please email: or call 020 8684 6822.

Honeymoon Prize draw winners

Honey Kalaria launches global quest for ‘Peace and Unity’ A new, exciting project called “The Unite Us Project” has been created

by The Honey Kalaria Foundation and was launched on 11th November at Mint Leaf Restaurant in Central London where Honey Kalaria, Bollywood Ambassador to the UK invited special VIP guests and friends to find out details and celebrate the global initiative.

This project is all about bringing people of different faiths, beliefs and cultural backgrounds together to celebrate cross-cultural friendship and support various worthwhile causes,” said Honey Kalaria, founder of the charity. Honey is a dancer and choreographer who runs UK’s leading Bollywood dance institution, Honeys Dance Academy, and her whole team believes that ordinary people united, can make extraordinary changes!

The guest panellists at the launch, included Terry Chimes, Founder member of the legendary rock band, The Clash; Allan Kleynhans, a peak performance coach from South Africa and David Wing, a charity and fundraising management consultant who are all sup-

causes.

The proceeds will help to fund the foundation’s long term ambition to provide and help to sustain an international meditation & holistic retreat centre, open to people of all faiths who wish to learn how to lead more balanced, satisfying and peaceful lives.

The international meditation centre will be located in the UK, in tranquil surroundings.

“We are living at a time where, although there is global unrest, there is also a new generation emerging that believes in unity, that respects people’s individuality, encourages people to follow whatever path they choose, to help one find inner peace! Individuals from across the globe are developing a spiritual outlook towards life, with a positive attitude that displays tolerance, understanding, compassion, kindness, a non-judgemental attitude and unconditional love. I invite every single person in the world to use these qualities to help raise the consciousness levels of Humanity, and be part of our journey by supporting the Unite Us Project,” Honey Kalaria, Bollywood Ambassador to the UK. To find out more join log on to

Photo courtesy: Raj Bakrania

Home of hate preacher Anjem Choudhary raided

7

Honey Kalaria, Bollywood Ambassador to the UK, at the launch event

porting Honey’s vision.

Honey has created a charity single called “Unite Us” featuring prayers from different faiths of the world with an aim of sending a strong message of: unity, peace and harmony across the globe. The Unite Us song was produced by Bollywood music producer Siddharth Kasyap, and can be downloaded with a donation of just £1 (or more if they wish) from 1st January 2012! Supporters can not only donate, but also share download links with their friends and family throughout the world, and in collectivity support, peace, unity and harmony whilst raising the £1million that the foundation wishes to raise to help fund various worthwhile

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Dee Katwa

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

Midland Voice Contact: Dhiren on 07970 911 386 or dhiren.katwa@abplgroup.com

Role model Muslims celebrate Eid at Downing Street British Premier David Cameron threw a party at 10 Downing Street last week to mark Eid-al-Adha, the annual Muslim celebration, which coincided with Armistice Day. Over 70 guests, donning their finest attire, and each carrying an e-invitation and photo ID, walked through the famous black door, then upstairs to a huge room where everyone had congregated.

Hugs and handshakes were exchanged, as were business cards. A team of catering staff offered guests canapes including mini samosas, onion bhajis, and a selection of drinks.

The two-hour event began with a recital from the holy Koran, and opening remarks, by Imam Asim Hafiz, Muslim chaplain to HM Armed Forces.

Then, Mr Cameron stepped on to the raised platform to give his address. “You are all extremely welcome,” he began. “As well as celebrating what Eid means, I think it is also a time to celebrate the contribution that British Muslims make to our society.” In his five minute speech, Mr Cameron turned to Imam Hafiz and joked: “Thank you for giving a rather part-time Church of England member a proper lesson in generosity.” In addition, he paid homage to Lance Corporal Jabron Hashmi, the first British Muslim soldier to be killed in Afghanistan in 2006,

Birmingham.

The youngest attendee, aged 11, black suit-clad Maaz Bin Saud, the youngest kick-boxing whose mother Imtiaz champion in England, had Bano and sisters Absa, travelled to this event with Tajalla and Zoubia had his father Saud Bin Jawad. travelled from Mr Cameron, unfortuBirmingham to be at the nately, overlooked young event.

Maaz and gave credit to boxer Amir Khan, who couldn’t make it.

It was great to see so many young British “role m o d e l ” Muslims.

However, it PM gives Maaz Bin Saud, the youngest was interesting to note the guest, a pat on the back absence of so Also present were Sir many Muslim leaders and Gulam Noon, Tory coinfluencers. For example, chairman Sayeeda Warsi, Wajid Shamshul Hasan, Mohammed Iqbal, a the High Commissioner of prominent medic from Pakistan, was not here.

Manchester, Fahmida Nor was his junior Begum, Shaheen Ali and Birmingham colleague Wazeeha Laher from the Saeed Mohmand, who RAF, Siraj Datoo, a stuhad got into trouble with dent from Warwick police some weeks ago University, MPs Steve after being found driving Baker, Simon Hughes and with no insurance. Also Richard Graham, Islamic missing was Tariq Jahan, theatre company boss father of Haroon, the Conor Ibrahiem, Yasmin young man killed in Jetha from Bupa, banker Birmingham during the Malik Karim, August riots, whom Mr Communities Secretary Cameron had at the time Eric Pickles and civil serpraised. Apparently, Mr vants Ishtiaq Hussain and Jahan is these days chargNaveed Khan, the latter ing a “disturbance who made an unexpected allowance” to attend any dash when I recognised event, which might him, and asked if he was explain his absence. originally from This event, for some

HIV ambassador honoured Congratulations to Professor Laura Serrant-Green from Wolverhampton University who was crowned Mentor of the Year at The 2011 Precious Awards. The awards recognise and celebrate black and Asian women in business and leadership. Laura, pictured, was recognised for her work with black African and Caribbean youths aged 15 to 25, raising awareness of HIV, AIDS and its prevention.

Couple face fraud charges A couple from Wolverhampton charged with submitting fraudulent applications for illegal immigrants and keeping the fees are due to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on January 17. Duman Singh, 55, and Gurdev Kaur Nagra, 48, of Riley Crescent, Penn, have yet to plead.

Jewellery stolen A woman’s collection of Asian gold bracelets, necklaces, rings and headwear from her wedding have been stolen. Offenders struck at her house in Hillwood Road, Halesowen, Birmingham, last Monday. Anyone with information should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Martyr: Lance Corporal Jabron Hashmi

was probably a once-in-alifetime experience, hence the craze, naturally, for a photograph with Mr Cameron. No names mentioned. But it was interesting to observe how one man attempted to stay behind the camera. He was 29-year-old Moawia Bin Sufyan, a member of South Wales Police Authority. “I’m privileged to be invited, but I’m an ordinary man, serving ordinary people,” he explained.

Like all major faith groups, Islam too has a plethora of denominations – Ismaili, Dawoodi Bohra, Ahmaddiyya, Pakistani, Mirpuri, Pathan – to list just a few. There are an estimated 1.3 billion Muslims in the world. In the UK, the Muslim population stands at two million. As for the number of Muslims who entered the country in the last 12 months, stressed out Border Agency officials are still doing the sums.

And of my one million fellow citizen Brummies, 16% are Muslim.

‘Speeding’ diplomat returns to Pakistan The highest ranking Pakistani diplomat in the Midlands, Dr Saeed Khan Mohmand, has returned to Pakistan for “personal reasons”. However, mystery surrounds an incident involving Dr Mohmand, pictured, which took place on August 8 – on the eve of the rioting in the UK – in which he was allegedly stopped by police for speeding. Also, it is claimed that he was driving without insurance. According to a report in The News, a Pakistani newspaper, Dr Mohmand was “detained and humiliated” in the back of a police car. It adds: “The Counsel General gave his address to the police and requested them to send proof of the over speeding – camera flash photos or any other evidence showing the speed limit was being violated – but two months have passed and the diplomat has not received any correspondence from the police or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In a letter of 17 October 2011 from Nasir Awan, of the Masjid Faizul Islam Mosque in Perry Barr to Chris Sims, Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Mr Awan asks Mr Sims to “clarify your side of the events”.

The letter, which has not had a response to date, was copied to the Home Secretary, leader of Birmingham City Council, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and ten others.

During his two years in office, Dr Mohmand, described in the letter as “a highly distinguished member of our community” had ignored, unlike his Indian and Bangladeshi counterparts in Birmingham, repeated requests from Asian Voice for an introductory meeting.

News in Brief Drug dealers jailed A pensioner drug dealer from Birmingham has been jailed for five years for possessing with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin. Fazal Raja Ali, 69, (pictured left) of Small Heath, has also been ordered to hand over the £35,660 seized from him by police during a raid. Separately, police have seized £120,000 of assets from a second drug dealer. Hemant Patel, 35, (pictured right) from Handsworth, was jailed a fortnight ago for six years after being convicted of possession of Class A and B drugs with intent to supply.

Life behind bars for murder Four men have been convicted of stabbing Birmingham shopkeeper Suppiah Tharmaseelan to death during a brutal robbery witnessed by his children. Twin brothers Ian and John Meenan, both 27, Liam Ryan, 19, and Anthony Bayliss, 25, were convicted of murder following a monthlong trial. Father-of-four Mr Tharmaseelan, 48, pictured, was murdered on November 27 last year.

Assaults on NHS workers There were 3,468 assaults on NHS workers across Birmingham and its neighbouring towns, latest NHS Protect figures have revealed. That equates to nearly ten attacks a day. In the West Midlands, 60% of assaults took place against mental health workers, 24% in hospitals, 11% on community health workers and GPs and 5% on paramedics.

‘Man of God’ on sex charge The former chaplain of Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital has appeared in court charged with sex offences.

Stuart Charrington, 54, is charged with making indecent photographs of a child and secretly filming a girl undressing. Mr Charrington, pictured, who was serving as chaplain at Blakenhurst Prison in Redditch, and once worked for the London Ambulance Service, will appear in court again next month.

Couple in legal battle over baby death A Birmingham couple’s legal battle for answers following the death of their baby daughter has led to a hospital admitting that they should have carried out more ante-natal checks. Rupa and Minex Jagatia, both 32, from Warstock, were left devastated when baby Amelia was declared dead at Birmingham Women’s Hospital. The couple, pictured, who got married two-and-a-half years ago, are now taking legal action. They said they had suffered every parent’s worst nightmare and have been left too frightened to have another baby. Hospital bosses in Edgbaston carried out an internal inquiry and have now admitted that blood tests taken early during the pregnancy showed warning signs of problems, which were not acted on or written in Rupa’s patient notes.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

One year on. . . .

Remembering Anni

By Meera Majithia

used to get her way by talking too.

“I remember when she was studying Her story is one that touched thousands for example, when she would run out of of hearts from across the globe and to money she would call me and ask if I mark the one-year anniversary of her could lend her money. I would always death, candle-light vigils were held in ask what she needed it for etc and then I London, Bristol, Cape Town and her would just end up giving double of what hometown of Mariestad in Sweden. she asked for.”

Hundreds of people attended the Ami and Anni were very close as sisevent on Sunday 13th November at the ters and used to share everything togethShree Kadwa Patidar Samaj in Harrow, er. Ami revealed that their favourite where in addition to the vigils, the comthing to do when they got together was munity payed their respects by singing to take the largest packet of ice cream prayers, while pictures of Anni were disout of the freezer, grab a bowl and just played on a huge projector screen. sit and talk.

One of the hardest things for her sister is to watch her two children, William aged five and Alicia aged four, missing their masi. She said: “Anni loved them more than anyone else in this world.

Her relationship with them was so special.

They loved her more than anything and still do.

“Only yesterday my husband and I were asking Sneha Hindocha at the candle-lighting vigil in Harrow Picture credit: Associated Press/Steve Parsons William, who’s your favourite, A number of family members spoke mum or dad? And he replied saying of their fond memories of Anni at the Anni masi is my favourite.” end of the prayers and a video message She added: “The other day William from her father Vinod Hindocha was was making Christmas presents and he also shown. made a present for Anni masi so I said Speaking at the event, her cousin you won’t be able to give that to her, and and best friend Sneha Hindocha said: he started shouting at me.

“Anni was a person who always put oth“They understand that she’s dead ers before herself. She always said she and they were there when we spread the wanted to be close to me and we could ashes but it’s heartbreaking for me to not bear the thought of not spending our hear that they miss her so much.” lives together. We used to imagine being Ami has given both children a photo close even after we both got married, of their aunt, so they can talk to her and for our kids to play together and be whenever they want to and she spoke as close as we were.” about how the other day, her daughter With only one year separating the Alicia came down the stairs saying ‘I’ve two, Sneha and Anni both went to the just told Anni masi that I love her and I same school and university in Sweden, miss her, and she said she loves me too’. and even shared a flat in Luton when Though it’s been one year since her they moved to the UK two years ago. death, the fact that there has been no She spoke about a particular time closure in the case of her brutal murder, when Anni cancelled all of her 28th mean the family just haven’t been able to birthday celebration plans in the UK, to grieve. take care of Sneha because she was feelAmi said: “Every morning when I ing unwell, telling her friend that there wake up, the first thing on my mind is would be plenty more birthdays.

Anni. It’s really difficult because we She added: “Anni always liked peodon’t know what the truth is. She was a ple to be happy. Whenever we went out wonderful person both inside and outfor a meal she used to pretend to go to side and I really miss her. I just want to the restroom and instead go and pay for say thank you for the enormous support everyone. we have received from people all over “Throughout her whole life she has the world.” touched the lives of many hearts. Even Her uncle Ashok Hindocha after she has gone, her story continues described his relationship with his niece to touch the hearts of thousands of peowas more of a freinship. He described ple. I know that Anni is watching us her as being so full of life that when she from above and would be so touched entered the house it felt like a 100 peothat so many people have come here ple had Just walked in. today.”

Describing this past year, he said: Earlier on in the week, the Asian “It’s like torture. Everyday you wake up Voice caught up with her relatives in and you think what will happen today.

Sweden to speak about the fond memoWhat is hurting us the most is that we ries they have of their beloved Anni. can’t even start the grieving process There was a five-year age gap until the case is closed. There are so between Anni and her sister Ami many questions we need the answers Denborg, who is married with two chilfor.” dren aged five and four.

Anni’s husband, Shrien Dewani, Ami spoke about how Anni loved who has been accused by the South fashion, make-up and clothes and has African authorities of his involvement in always been interested in modelling. But Anni’s murder, is facing extradition and her real special quality was the way she will be lodging his appeal at a London interacted with people.

High Court hearing due to take place on She said: “She had a way of talking the 13th and 14th December. that I’ve never seen in any one else. She Mr Dewani is currently being would talk to you as if you were the most detained in the Fromeside mental health special person in the world. She always unit in Bristol.

9

Baroness Uddin may return to Lords despite owing expenses Suspended Labour peer Baroness Uddin is set to be allowed back into the House of Lords without repaying the £125,000 she owes in wrongly claimed expenses.

It is understood she claims she cannot afford to make the repayments demanded.

A House of Lords committee banned her from the Lords in October last year until April 2012.

When the ban ends she can return to the House of Lords and claim expenses again without having repaid the money she was told to by the committee.

The decision to allow peers to return even if they have not repaid money owed comes despite a warning it risks bringing the Lords "into further disrepute".

A House of Lords spokeswoman says allowing peers to return after being found guilty of wrongly claiming expenses and forcing them to repay what they owe are "separate issues. We have not received a payment from Baroness Uddin, but we are in dialogue with her."

Baroness Uddin was criticised for designating a house owned by her

Baroness Uddin

brother in Essex as her "main home" for four years - and for a further five years saying her main home was a flat in Maidstone, Kent.

During that period her family home was a threebedroom house in Wapping, east London, rented from a Housing Association.

The Lords Privileges and Conduct Committee said last year that the claims for these two homes were "made wrongly and in bad faith" and

called for £125,349.10 to be repaid. But the House of Lords has no effective powers to force a peer to repay expenses or to maintain a ban until money is repaid.

The Lords can only issue a ban until the end of a session of parliament and the present parliament is due to end next April. Banning Baroness Uddin beyond then would infringe her right to attend parliament which is conferred by the Queen. She will also be able to start claiming expenses again of up to £300 a day from next Easter.

House of Lords sources say Baroness Uddin's case is an unprecedented one and there may be moves to curtail the expenses she can claim until the outstanding cash she owes is repaid.

Celebrating the success of the UK's Sikh community The British Sikh Association celebrated its annual gala event recognising the success of the Sikh community in the United Kingdom and India on Monday.

The event, which was organised by entrepreneur Rami Ranger, honoured distinguished dignitaries from the field of arts, politics, banking and law for their invaluable contribution to the society while keeping their religious identity as a Sikh intact.

Full story will be published in next week’s issue.

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YOUR VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

India’s prosperity

Two sides to every story

As a person of Indian birth, I’m naturally happy to witness India’s apparant prosperity, but what I find difficult to accept is the gloating of ‘Indian Indians’—-they boast that there are more billionaires in India than in the UK, they boast that it’s Indian companies that are buying up UK companies, & they boast a higher rate of growth than in the UK. All true, no doubt, but my question is IF India is to be compared with the UK, then India needs to come up to scratch with what can loosely be described as ‘infrastructure’ issues.

India needs to improve its roads & rails, its health & education for the masses (yes, private medicine & private education are first class, but these are only for a privelaged few), India needs to address ‘health & safety’ issues, as also ‘green’ issues. Power supplies (electricity etc) should be reliable, sanitation should be of an acceptable level, slums should be cleared. Why, consider the foreign visitor landing in Mumbai, & what with all the hype, thinking he’s arriving at a rich & prosperous destination, until he views the Dharavi slum from the air—-& Dharavi is apparantly NO longer the largest Mumbai slum either!

Now if India were to implement the above, & more, to standards currently enjoyed in the UK, it would cost the country billions (maybe even trillions), something India could never afford, but IF it WERE to ‘do’ this spend, its deficit would make Greece’s look like a ‘teddy bear’s picnic’.

Asian voice’s advice to the Hindocha and Dewani families to remain “united” was probably the wisest.

There are always two sides to every court case and in many cases (just look at Amanda knox or Sian jenkins) what seemed like the truth really was not. Just imagine that Shrien is ultImately found not to have convinced the first taxi driver he met on his first trip to cape town to, within half an hour of meeting him, help him kill his new wife. Just imagine that tHe total time of under thirty minutes that the two of them spent together (all caught by CCTV) wAs not discussing a murder but maybe plans to give his wife an exciting honeymoon (like the surprise private jet to Paris). Just imagine that the successful tycoon Shrien was able to negotiate a discount not only with the hotel but also the murderer (he says Shrien offered him 5000 rand or 350 pounds but only paid him 1000 rand or 70 pounds). And that he bargaines interest free credit terms by paying the taxi driver three days after (when both were treated as victims by the south African police who were increasingly becoming uncomfortable with the world’s media descending and highlightIng tHeir appalling crime rates) Just imagine this ... Then imagine the irreparable damage that a lack of unity has brought.

Harish Dave By email

Make food banks a reality Food banks as suggested by Mr. Doshi (AV 12.11.11) for boxed non-perishable vegetarian food, by community or temple, must be implemented immediately.

Non profit making, Lunch Club of Elderly Centre of Vishwa Hindu Parishad – South London, cooks vegetarian food.

Customers from far and near eat at the centre or are able to take away tiffins. It has also benefited those members of society who are confined to their home as they are also able to get tiffins delivered.

Generous customers and members of V.H.P., donate cash or kind towards this service. Taster items from menu - which is displayed a week ahead - can be enjoyed at nominal donation. Visa Oshwal Community Centre also caters vegetarian meals.

Interested person may rapidly get in touch, with these organisations, to create food bank for vegetarian lunch-boxes.

Such an effort would need transport to reach distant areas and food-thermos to keep items fresh and warm. Mr. Doshi mentioned donations of uncooked items from charitable persons. The campaigner must canvass donations to meet overhead expenses like cooking equipment / gas, heating, light, petrol, driver etc incurred by organisation.

Ramesh Jhalla By email

Mark Watson By email

Do something for the less fortunate I read your piece about India being poorer than Pakistan with great interest.

Not because India is poorer than Pakistan or Bangladesh but because it is as poor as it is when the rich now are rich beyond normal comprehension.

At every meeting I unpopularly harp on about this issue that the rich are getting richer but the poor are still as poor as ever.

Everybody seems to be so proud of India today as being a booming economy with so many billionaires or trillionaires.

Is this what it is all about when the poor are still as poor as they ever were? Is it still alright that so many women should die in child birth? Is it still alright that the second largest number of child deaths in the world are in India? Is it alright that the largest number of malnourished people in the world are in India? What good is the booming economy and what good are these multi billionaires when unlike the British rich in this country they do nothing for the less fortunate?

Baroness Flather House of Lords

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

Be wise when donating to charities

Importance of staying unified

Every day our media is bombarding us with pictures and photos of starving, mutilated children in most graphic detail, trying to browbeat us, playing on the caring nature of the British people to extract every penny they can get away with.

What infuriates me is that such adverts are shown when people are having their dinners. These are ruthless tactics that may backfire on these charities and put off donating for ever.

British people have donated more for the starving Somalis than the rest of Europe put together, more than the industrial giant China has donated in a decade. Yet very few of us know that at best 50% of the money donated goes to deserving causes. The rest is utilized in paying huge salaries, advertising and administration. It is not unusual for the top brass in well known charities drawing salaries approaching that of the PM and hardly any charity gives the assurance that all the money donated by us will go to alleviate the root-cause we donated for in the first place.

There are many rogue charities where 99% of the money donated goes into the pockets of the people running them. Now that the festive season of Christmas is right round the corner, we will all have the opportunity to indulge ourselves in a giving frenzy, even at a time when most can not afford to be generous.

Then our own government is setting a bad example by borrowing some ￡8 to ￡ 10 billion so that we can maintain our overseas aid budget. The old and the infirm who die of cold and patients left in trolleys in hospital corridors deserve our sympathy.

With our falling living standard, high unemployment and sky high energy bills, it is time to give to our local charities that look after our own, run soup kitchens and give shelter to homeless, especially at the festive time.

So be generous but be wise and look after your own before trying to alleviate sufferings of the masses in distant land, as so often they bring these miseries on themselves through civil war, corruption and high birth rate that is a burden to mother earth. So often it is better to be cruel to be kind, although it is easier said than done.

I want to thank Asian Voice for providing the best advice to the two families torn apart in the tragic Anni Dewani case: stay unified.

Just think of the consequences if it was eventually found that Shrien was not actually able to convince the first taxi driver he met in Cape Town to kill his wife. That the total 29 minutes he spent with the taxi driver alone was not to plan a murder but rather to plan exciting surprises for his new bride on honeymoon. That the payment of £90 three days later to the taxi driver was not for a murder but to what Shrien and crucially the police at that time believed to be another victim of a hijacking ?

In this situation I am sure many will look back and say that they wish that they had listened to Asian Voice ...

Kumudini Valambia By email

Too much salt As an eager consumer of sweet and savoury Indian snacks, I cringed when I turned over a packet of spicy chewra and a thick residue of salt greeted my eyes.

Fuming, I put the chewra in a colander, shook out the salt and crunched my way through the highly edible purchase.

Why do Indian fast-food manufacturers pile in vast quantities of salt (and sugar too) into their products? If they drastically reduced salt and sugar, and advertised the fact on their packets, their snacks would fly off the shelves and be snapped up by other communities as well.

Rudy Otter By email

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

E-mail: support@abplgroup.com

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

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

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

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

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False Horizon When David Cameron’s close advisers came up with an idea of e-mail petitioning, a genuine dose of real democracy where voters indeed would have a say, many considered it a new dawn, a say in how the country is governed.

But in common with most good intentions which rarely proceed beyond preliminary stages, this was nothing more than a gimmick, a false hope, false horizon that would confine to dustbin at the first hurdle.

By obliging Parliament to debate any motion that attracts the support of 100,000 on the official website, the voters have the enviable power to bring up the burning issues to the forefront.

With Euro in the melting pot, economy in permanent decline in most EU countries, China economically rampant, what issue could be more relevant than our EU membership itself, a drain on our economy, as we have poured in billions, the only net contributor besides Germany to support the pampered workforce of countries like Greece, Spain, Italy and of course French farmers, a strong lobby, a force to be reckoned with.

Yet, the PM, instead of supporting the motion, gagged his MPs by imposing a three-line whip, making it a trial of strength between the government and the back bench MPs, although the motion had no hope in hell to succeed. Thus MPs were denied to express the wish of their constituents they represent in HOC. The result, even a defeat for the government would not have been binding but it would certainly have strengthened the hands of the PM when the time came to renegotiate the terms, mass repatriation of powers surrendered by previous governments without a referendum, without a say by the voters.

What a missed opportunity for the PM to stamp his authority and carry the weight of the Parliament with him if renegotiation could ever become a reality.

Then we all can live in hope if not expectation?

Bhupendra M Gandhi By email

Visit our website: www.abplgroup.com

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Health Watch

Amit Karia London

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EDUCATION

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

Reading with child ‘highlight of the day for parents’

National Hindu Students Forum (UK)

By Chirag Patel & Kartik Bharadia (NHSF (UK) Vice Presidents)

NHSF (UK): Paving the Way For Hindu students, NHSF (UK) provides a social and support network which connects the vast majority of the country’s University Hindu Societies over 35 today. For these chapters, the national team (NatCom) hosts many events; two Chapter Committee Training Days, an annual National Conference attracting around 350 students, a national Sports Competition drawing over 800 students, an entire ‘Sewa Week’ where all of our chapters get involved in active sewa and fund raising. Any monetary funds raised by NHSF (UK) chapters are split 50/50 for a local charity and a national charity, which is supported jointly by all affiliated Hindu Societies. This 50/50 split enables NHSF (UK) to make an impact at a community level and collaboratively on a national level. National events happen alongside our Zonal (North, Central and South) events which include Garbas attracting at least 300 students, Sports Competitions attracting close to 400 people and a spiritual event that attracts around 600 – 700 people.

Today, NHSF (UK) is proud to be involved in many areas of the British community. Our latest achievement was marked by the launch of Hindu Lawyers Association (HLA) on 27th October 2011, whose primary aim is to support Hindu commu-

nity groups. Furthermore, two objectives of HLA will benefit the wider community as well as Law students who are looking to break into the Legal industry, through mentoring and networking. Three years ago we initiated a Sixth Form and Schools Project. One aspect of this project is designed to guide students from sixth form and college into university and the other is to go to schools and do presentations on Hindu Dharma. Another project which has had huge success is ‘Roots’. This project takes students to India every year to help them learn about different aspects of Hindu culture and identity through real life experiences, something which you simply cannot get in the UK. Through the national Public Relations and Politics Teams, our Current Affairs campaigns have progressed from article writing to petitioning, protesting, government consultations and even a speech in the House of Lords.

Much of our efforts are formed around specific projects, but one part of our support structure is to help students spiritually. ‘The Dharma Initiative’, gives committees the resources and guidance on how to run successful Hindu educational events. ‘HUM’ magazine is an NHSF (UK) learning publication which is released in September and February each

academic year with hard copies being distributed to all of our student members. In September 2010, a first-of-its-kind music CD called ‘Sangeet of the Soul’ was an exclusive freebie placed in every member’s fresher pack.

The CD is a collection of bhajans, shlokas and aartis which are regularly sung on a weekly basis at university campuses.

‘Sangeet of the Soul’ was a yearlong project which sourced all of the talented artists and singers from student members of NHSF (UK).

Many of our efforts also have an international purpose. We are involved in the Bhumi Project, a United Nations Development Project which is aimed at reducing the amount of carbon emissions emitted by Hindus. We are an executive member of the European Interfaith Youth Network and an active founding member of the World Hindu Youth Conference, due to launch in 2013.

On our 20th Anniversary, we hope you can take pride in celebrating the gains of Hindu youth who have demonstrated their desire to understand and embrace Hindu Dharma, driven by deep-rooted Hindu principles.

NHSF (UK) has provided a unique platform for students to channel their energies into something positive for the betterment of themselves and the wider samaj (society).

Parents in England and Northern Ireland are spending more time reading to their children for pleasure, a survey for the reading scheme Booktime suggests.

The poll found parents spent an average of one hour and 26 minutes a week reading with their children in 2011, up from one hour 18 minutes in 2009. For the majority (71%) reading with their child is one of the highlights of their day.

But the poll of over 1,000 parents found 18% felt too stressed to do so. Two-fifths (41%) said that a child’s tiredness stopped reading together being fun, while 30% cited their own tiredness as a problem. More than a third (36%) of the 1,011 survey participants said they were too tired to spend longer reading.

The research found 60% of parents and carers of children aged four to six read daily with their child for fun, getting through an average of 46 books per child per year.

While 51% said they also read daily for school or educational purposes.

The research also highlighted how parents valued being read to when they were a child, with 64% saying this was a treasured childhood memory.

The poll suggests that daily reading rates have increased rather than decreased over the generations.

MPs call for delay in plans for competition for university places Plans for universities in England to compete for some student places should be delayed, a Commons committee says.

Under the changes, universities which offer cheaper degrees can bid for extra places, while all will be able to take unlimited numbers of top students.

The Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committee said the cap on places should not be lifted

“overnight”.

The government has argued that its plans will mean a better deal for students from poor backgrounds. In a report on the government’s changes to higher education, the crossparty committee said the market mechanisms should only be brought in at least 12 months after tuition fees rise.

Fees in England are due to rise up to a maximum of £9,000 a year from next autumn.

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MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

Scrutator’s The trial of the accused alleged in the telecom scam, the largest in India's history, represents the dark side of the country's economic and political life, yet parallel to this the country's endeavours in science and technology are attracting the attention of global brands. The Economic Times (November 4) produced a report by Writankar Mukherjee entitled “R[esearch] & D[evelopment] roads lead to India”. He cited the case of the Korean electrical giant Samsung's software research base in India, which early this year “emerged as the company's largest in terms of manpower outside its homeland. It underpinned Samsung's message that its

J.S. Shin

Korean electrical giant Samsung's software research base in India

interest in India transcended sales. “Today, Samsung's two research centres in Bangalore and New Delhi are working on global projects,” Mr Mukherjee writes.

He explains: “The company employs 5,500 for research and plans to hire another 1,100 techies next year. And, it wants to grow its headcount at a similar pace year on year..” Samsung President and CEO, J.S. Shin, says: “The immense intellectual power that India possesses makes it a perfect destination for carrying out research activities from the standpoint of technology and innovation.”

Mr Mukherjee notes that “The Samsung story is another example of India's growing prowess in the global R&D field.

With India becoming a destination of choice due to its cost competitiveness, hiring by multinationals is at an all-time high.

There is a literal talent war for engineers and technical professionals.......recruitment went up by 28 per cent [financial year 2010-11] over the previous year. It is expected grow by 15 per cent this fiscal......operating cost in India is still 25 per cent lower than in China. Multinational companies (MNCs) saved a cumulative of $44 billion for their parent organization over the past three years.”

Iun an interview with the Hindu newspaper (November 3), the legendary Bill Gates, Founder and Chairman of Microsoft, apropos of science and technology, remarked: “India is kind of a special case because it fits the Brazil and China case...... I cite specifically the low-cost vaccine ......the first [institution] globally to develop the Meningitis-A vaccine but there is a lot of deep technical expertise in India.”

Japan takes similar route

Avoiding a mid-life crisis

Japanese corporations are also beefing up their R&D expansion plans for India. Car maker Maruti Suzuki will be increase its research and development manpower by over 20 per cent to more than 1,300 in 2011-12 as it looks to become the research hub for its parent Suzuki back in Tokyo. Ranbaxy, the Indian arm of Japanese drug major Daiich Sankyo, has plans to expand its generic medicine research unit in India comprising 1,300 employees.

Japanese electronic giant, Panasonic, set up its first R&D centre in India. Facing a talent shortage, the company has decided to work with Indian universities and companies to collaborate as well as to ease this problem.

The Economist (November 5) dwelt on the efforts of India's IT sector to reinvent itself..

The magazine related how it was able to ride its previous times of trouble through ingenuity and innovation, so it would not be surprising if it rode out problems of the eurozone and the vicissitudes of the American market. One way to move forward was to be sensitive to the needs of overseas clients and communities. Follow the Tata example, the Economist says. What may this be? Travel to the beautiful American town of Milford, Ohio, and “you reach what appears from the outside to be a luxury ski lodge.

Inside, large windows with front views are a constant reminder of the surroundings

of the American heartland.

Tata leads the way

Chennai Apollo and was declared brain dead. With her family's consent, she underwent a heart, liver transplants in four different hospitals.

There is both a humanitarian and medical aspect to organ donation , said Paul ,Ramesh, Senior Consultant , Cardiothoracic Surgeon, one of the doctors who performed the heart transplant.

“The donor's eyes were donated Sankara Nethralaya thereby helping two more people,” said Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group.

could keep pace with demand.

BrahMos Aerospace CEO Dr A. Sivathanu Pillai said two more regiments would be commissioned in the near future including the most advanced BrahMos Block III, which will be deployed along the Arunachal Pradesh border with China in North-East India. BrahMos Aerospace had an order book of $5 billion, said Dr Pillai. Indian and Russian scientists were now working on a hypersonic Mach 7 version, having jointly produced the earlier types of the missile. Only when the Indian and Russian market needs were fully met would exports to third parties be considered, although enquires had been made by prospective foreign buyers, he told reporters (The Hindu November 10, Business Line November 11).

This is Tata Consultancy Services' new American facility.....Bought in 2008, the Ohio facility is a symbol of TCS's efforts polish its brand and move to higher-margin services.

“One reason for choosing a satellite of Milford, Cincinnati, was the proximity of Midwestern clients: ten Fortune 500 500 companies are based in Cincinnati alone.....it is one of the cheapest among America's main cities and has plenty of land on its fringes. A third reason New BrahMoss unit for choosing Ohio is the prescommissioned ence of decent universities nearby. Most of TCS's new Defence has high priority with coders in Ohio are fresh from every Indian government, the nearby universities of given that the country is locatKentucky, Cincinnati, Purdue, ed in the most combustible Ohio State and others. T hey region in the world and faces are cheaper than Ivy League two unpredictable neighbours Operating in Ladakh graduates and TCS offers in Pakistan and China The them interesting work with a commissioning of a second According to a Zee News booming company. The faciliBrahMos regiment sends a online report (October 30), ty has 450 employees now, signal of India's determination doctors of the Indian Army nearly all American, thanks to and capability to face up to have preformed 34 cataract the difficulty of getting visas possible security challenges. surgeries above 14,000 feet at for Indians, and the plan is to The BrahMos supersonic sub-zero temincrease their peratures in number to 1,000. e a s t e r n They are a fracLadakh, not tion of the of far from the TCS's 215,000Tibet border. strong workforce “It was a but represent the unique chalbridgehead of its lenge and an ambitious to go a t t e m p t beyond being never made merely an outbefore in the sourcing backfield of ophoffice and coding t h a l m o l o g y. shop and take on We persuch consultancy Latest sBrahMos supersonic cruise missile handed over to the army f o r m e d giants as IBM, stitches, Hewlett-Packard cruise missile is the only bloodless and painless (HP) and Accenture on their weapon of its type in exiscataract surgery,” said home turf. tence, with firepower that is Brigadier J.K.S.Parihar, “Having pleased clients truly awesome. The Army and Consultant and Head of with its work for them so far, Navy have their separate sysOphthalmology, Army TCS should have a decent tems, with the submarine variHospital Research and chance at getting them to to ant under construction and Referral in New Delhi. “We buy fancier and pricier servicthe one for the air force underdid not try the the conventiones. David Johns, chief inforgoing integration in frontline al method as chances of failmation at Owens Corning, a warplanes. ure of surgery are too high. building materials maker, is Minister of State for The temperatures there could full of praise for TCS; his comDefence M.M. Pallam Raju lead to a lot of post-surgery pany has doubted its overall congratulated the manufacturinfection. Hat is why we carspending with the firm in ers for producing the system ried our machines .....We had recent years.” That is how it on schedule and on budget. to modify settings of the goes.

He called for a greater machine, which resulted in The postscript is the sucinvolvement of industry in the safe, accurate surgery and cessful bid made by Tata production process so that it early recover,” he said.

Consultancy Services (TCS) for a Friends Life tender that will add $2.2 billion to TCS coffers. Friends Life is a UK pension provider. The deal is calculated to bring in at least $150 million of guaranteed annual revenue to TCS, said an analyst at Angel Brooking (Hindustan Times November 10).

Third Antarctica station coming up

Medical advances A Hindu report (November 4) told how vital organs recovered from a 53 -ear-old victim of an accident victim saved the lives of four separate patients suffering from different states of organ degradation, said doctors at different Apollo Hospitals in a number of south India.

In the middle of October, the victim was brought to the

Indian’s first Antarctic research station Maiytri

Almost 28 years after India had set up its first research station in the South Polar region, the country is gearing up to set up and operationalise a third such station by March next year.

India will thus join a group of select nations with multiple stations in this rarefied area. It's all in the noble cause of science.

COUNCIL & UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

Mayor Boris Johnson Supports Brent & Harrow GLA Candidate Councillor Sachin Rajput On the 8th of November, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, visited South Harrow as the headline speaker at a dinner taking place in honour of the Conservative candidate for the Greater London Assembly (GLA), Councillor Sachin Rajput.

The dinner was hosted at Dil Se Lounge in South Harrow, with 250 guests in attendance, including a host of Conservative councillors from Harrow and Brent and the Conservative Member of Parliament for Harrow East, Bob Blackman MP. Mayor Johnson, who will be seeking re-election next May, spoke to the audience on the achievements that have been made since he came to office in 2008: including the cutting of crime by 8%, a ban on alcohol on buses and tubes, the creation of 450 new green spaces and a freeze on City Hall’s share of council tax.

Johnson told the crowd who had gathered to listen to him and his Conservative colleagues, that “London is the financial and cultural capital of the world”, and he is proud to serve the diverse population as their Mayor and will work hard to be re-elected in 2012 to continue the good work that has already been achieved.

The evening also acted as a fundraiser for the GLA election campaign for Brent and Harrow candidate, Councillor Sachin

Political Sketchbook Alpesh Patel’s

Religion and The Politics of The Next Generation of Hindus

Boris Johnson speaks to the guests on the achievements made during his first term as their Mayor. Seated to his left is Brent & Harrow GLA Candidate Cllr Sachin Rajput

him in City Hall to ensure that we can work hard to create and support local businesses, create jobs, wealth and opportunities for local people, and build a society where our families and our communities can create secure foundations on which to build their lives”.

One of the many Conservative Party members in attendance on the evening, Narinder Mudhar, summed up his experience of the dinner by saying “The gathering was a most enjoyable one. The seating plan gave me an opportunity to develop fond acquaintances. The timings, catering and the overall management of the event were presented flawlessly.

The highlight of the evening was listening to Boris Johnson, whose policies were backed up by substance such as the Mayor’s £50m Outer London Fund. He certainly proved himself a Mayor difficult to equal, leaving the opposition miles behind.”

Rajput, who addressed the audience to thank them for attending and for the hard work that has taken place in the campaign so far, led by the individual Conservative Association Chairmen. He commented that the campaign was ahead of the game compared to those in other boroughs having started earlier. He also thanked the staff and management of the Dil Se Lounge where the event was held, and his Campaign Manager, Gary Markwell, who had organised the evening.

Councillor Rajput, stressed the importance of the Conservatives winning back the GLA seat of Brent and Harrow and for Boris to remain as Mayor.

“Under Ken Livingstone, the outer London Boroughs didn’t receive the attention they deserved.

Boris has proven himself to be a Mayor for all Londoners, and Brent and Harrow needs a Conservative representative to work with

Free nursery places for 140,000 disadvantaged toddlers As many as 140,000 disadvantaged two-yearolds could have free nursery or childcare places under a scheme planned to be rolled out in England.

Plans to give 15 hours of free “early education” a week to all two-year-olds from poor homes were announced last year but details have now been set out.

A pilot scheme, first started under Labour, is due to be extended nationwide from September 2013.

Children’s charities have welcomed the news but say more investment is needed.

At the moment, all three and four-year-olds are currently entitled to 15 hours of early education for 38 weeks a year.

This can be in nursery schools and classes, children’s centres, day care nurseries, play groups, pre-schools and with accredited child minders.

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Under the new plan, which is out for consultation, parents will be able to use their allocated time flexibly, between 07:00 and 19:00.

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So for example, they could have seven-hour slots for two days a week, to make it easier for them to work.

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This past week was Remembrance Sunday. The politicians and the religious leaders aligned with the warriors past and present. I write this as I prepare for a Meeting of the Memorial Gates Committee Chaired by Baroness Flather. It is the Memorial Gates next to Buckingham Palace which commemorate the Commonwealth soldiers who served in the two world wars.

The vast majority of the readers of this paper will be Hindus. But what I am about to write is relevant to us all, just as the teachings of the Holy Book the Guru Granth Sahib were very much relevant to me as when this week I was privileged to be an Honourary Sikh for an evening at the British Sikh Association Annual Dinner courtesy of Dr Rami Ranger MBE. I write to you as I also collect my thoughts to address the National Hindu Students Forum at the launch of the Arise Arjun exhibition. What do you humbly say to such an honour? So I share some thoughts: Dear National Hindu Students Forum, Hindus are warriors. They are fighters.

Whether it is in the Mahabharat, the Gita, or Ram, Krishna or Arjun – our stories and legends are of war. Pray and wish that your lives may be filled with troubles, as a soldier wishes in battle to prove his mettle. It is in such conflict you will keep the Lord close to your hearts. It is with troubles around you, you will always remember the Lord.

But ours is not a faith that is about

war against other peoples. It is about fighting for ideas. For justice. For doing right. Following Dharma. But it is also about standing firm against all foes and injustices. To show strength in the face of struggle. That is duty. And to fulfil these duties you will follow as the children of Ram and Sita.

There will come in your lives three great battles. Three great wars.

So as you leave being a student, dedicate to a great cause. This is your first war. A great war to right wrongs. They are all around you. Look for those conflicts. For this be political – in the best traditions of politics. Not petty, but to right great wrongs. Fight them with righteousness at your side and arise Arjun.

The second war you will fight: know you will time and again find foe dressed as friend as did Arjun. You will be fighting to do right, to do duty. It may not be a great cause, but it will be your everyday life.

Fight these persons. Fight those who will put you down, try to destroy you, make life difficult for you. Fight and arise Arjun.

The third war you will fight all your lives is against yourself. For where there is fear and worry, there can be no faith in God. God resides within, just as Krishna and Arjun were the same person – you.

Overcome fear, and find the God within.

With discipline and mind controlled – do you see Him now? Then show courage above and beyond the call of Hindu duty.

Arise Arjun then. Now you know what life holds.

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COMMUNITY & UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

Fauja Singh awarded Pride of India Award by IIF

Fauja Singh a centenarian World Champion in running, has been awarded the Pride of India award by The India I n t e r n a t i o n a l Foundation, a Londonbased Organisation promoting worldwide science, art & culture of India and charitable causes.

At the 7th Annual awards – 2010, held at the Marriott Heathrow Hotel here, the Acting High Commissioner of India, Rajesh Prasad, presented the award to over 100 years old Fauja Singh for his outstanding achievements.

Born in Village Bias in Jalandhar on 1 April 1911, Fauja Singh, a marathon runner of Indian descent, is a world record holder in his age bracket. His current personal best time for the London Marathon (2003) is 6 hours 2 minutes and his marathon record for age 90-plus, is 5 hours 40 minutes at the age of 92 at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2003. He holds 11 world records for men over 90.

In his brief address, Fauja Singh said, “I avoid negativity in life and try to be positive.” Referring to secret of his success, he said “I eat to live. Not live to eat. Running is my passion and I won’t stop running until I die.”

Addressing the gathering, Acting High Commissioner Rajesh Prasad complimented the Foundation for promoting people of Indian-origin worldwide for their outstanding achieve-

Fauja Singh receiving his award from Acting High Commissioner of India Rajesh Prasad. Also pictured are Hardyal S Luther (l) and Rajan K Sehgal (r) President and Vice President of the India International Foundation

ments and also promoting the India-UK friendship.

Referring to bilateral relations, he said the Indian community in the UK has done a great deal in strengthening the bilateral relations into an enhanced partnership, and continued, “The India-UK relations are the best so far and we have a very good interaction across the spectrum.”

Hardyal S Luther, President of The India I n t e r n a t i o n a l Foundation, said “The awards, when chosen fairly and impartially, go a long way in recognising the recipients’ ability, intelligence and perfection. Our awards were independently decided by the Panel of Judges, consisting of Mr Rajesh Prasad, Deputy High Commissioner of India,

Mr Virendra Sharma, MP, Mr Sarosh Zaiwala, a lawyer, Mrs Teji Singh, a journalist, and myself.”

Luther said “the contribution of the Indians worldwide is so immensely valued apart from the speedy development of India in different sectors. To honour these Indians worldwide, who have attained achievements in different fields, is the step we feel proud to take. Not only individuals, but also organisations and business houses, run by the Indians worldwide, are amongst the top. At the India International foundation, we feel ourselves humbled to honour these great achievers.”

He said that India has done remarkably well during the last 60 years and the bilateral relations between the UK and India are “strong and

well established.”

He continued, “The contributions of India towards the global humanitarian development and peaceful coexistence is openly recognised by the world power countries, but the Indians, settled anywhere in the world, have made great and worthy contributions towards the industrial, economic and humanitarian developments of the countries of their residence. The relations between Britain and India, amongst the world’s strongest democracies, are already going fast for global peace and security.” Addressing on the occasion, Lord Navnit Dholakia, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords and Patron of the Foundation, also referred to the rapid progress India has made.

Referring to the progress made by NRIs in the UK, he said that he was happy to see a turbaned Sikh in the House of Lords soon.

Cautioning the NRI community he continued, “Let’s not parade our wealth. What matters is what we put back to the community. The concept of giving is very much amongst us.”

Gurucharan S Charak, former Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, India, also addressed and said that Kashmir, once known as heaven on earth, has become a victim of terror attacks and it was unfortunate that even teenagers are being brainwashed to turn into human bombs.

British Asian student designs Olympic coin The hosting city for next year’s Games has been celebrated on the official London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic coins. The two coins – one for the Olympic Games and one for the Paralympic Games - were designed by two British students and will soon be in the hands of Games enthusiasts around the world, ahead of next Summer’s Games.

The official London 2012 Olympic coin captures the London skyline including iconic buildings such as Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s cathedral and the London Eye, as a backdrop to the iconic River Thames. Embodying London’s involvement with the Games, the official Paralympic coin design incorporates the clock face of Big Ben between the spokes of a wheel and a stop watch.

Since the Helsinki summer Olympic Games in

Saiman Miah holding his Olympic Coin

1952 it has been tradition for commemorative coins to be struck in celebration of the Games. London last hosted the Olympic games in 1948, making these the first official Olympic and Paralympic coins with London at the heart of the design. Now, 24 year old architectural student Saiman Miah from Birmingham, and mature graphic and media design graduate Pippa Sanderson from Worcestershire have joined the artistic elite creating two £5 coins set to become permanent and much-treasured mementos of London 2012.

The winning designs were selected following a Royal Mint competition for art and design students attending higher education colleges and universities across the UK. Students were challenged to create a design celebrating the capital’s role as host city of London 2012, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games logos.

Designs were requested that could be symbolic or literal and could involve the use of emblems or lettering.

Saiman Miah, the designer of the official Olympic coin, is currently studying for his Masters degree at the Birmingham School of Architecture.

The inspiration for his design came from his love of architecture and includes a detailed impression of London’s iconic skyline.

Saiman has also incorporated pictograms of athletes around the edge of the skyline to create a clock face referencing another

London icon, Big Ben. The Royal Mint was established over 1,000 years ago and has a long and distinguished history of commemorating important national events. With the Olympic and Paralympic Games and Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee both taking place next year, the eyes of the world will be upon London and the UK; and both Saiman and Pippa have created coins that will be treasured reminders of the global celebration.

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic coins, both of which are legal UK tender, will go on sale this month and are expected to be collected by thousands of Olympic enthusiasts around the world. To purchase a coin or for further information on the Royal Mint’s full London 2012 collection, please visit www.royalmint.com/london2012

Pushtimarg explained: Dr Sodha’s new book aims to inspire

Pujya Shree Jeje at the unveiling of ‘Pushtimarg - A Primer’ with author Dr Lalit Sodha looking on

By – Roopa A Suchak It’s a book which answers some of the fundamental questions about Pushtimarg, one of the largest sects of Hinduism.

The book, authored by chiropractor Dr Lalit Sodha, was officially launched last Monday by one of the most respectable spiritual leaders of Pushtimarg, Pujya Pad Goswami 108 Shree D w a r k e s h l a l Mahodyayshree from Kadi, Ahmedabad.

Both spiritual and community leaders joined the 450 strong crowd at the Advait Centre in Wembley, London, including Pujya Ram Bapa, Rajubhai Shastri from Mathura, Shree Shruti Prabhu, President of Iskcon Hare Krishna Temple Watford and Rakeshbhai Dhamecha.

Dr Sodha DC wrote the book as a result of more than 10 years worth of research and searching for answers about the Pushtimarg faith. His inspiration was all of the challenges he faced during his life, through which his faith in Shreenathji bhagwan grew stronger. ‘’In 2002 , I was faced with some very testing times. I felt lost. It felt like I had no where to turn to.’’ said Dr Sodha. ‘’However, through every challenge my faith in my Shreenathji bhagwan grew stronger and stronger and this increased my desire to find out more about Shreenathji bhagwan.’’

This led to a long spiritual adventure.

Numerous and frequent trips to Nathdwara, Mathura, Vrindavan and Gokul in India followed.

As his quest to learn got stronger, he began to compile information and noted from reading different texts about Shreenathji Bhagwan, through association with senior Vrajvasis, and by speaking to Vallabhkul

Acharyas, like Dwarkeshbawa of Kandivali Vrageshbawa of Kamwan, and our family Gurudev, Vrageshkumar of Borivali in Mumbai.

His notes grew and grew, and slowly turned into his first book, Pushtimarg... A Primer!

Keen to spread the word about the faith, Dr Sodha has written the book in English - enabling people both young and old who do not read Gujarati, Hindi or Sanskrit to understand who is who in the faith. The book also boasts a fantastic colourful, pictorial display.

Pujya Shree Jeje flew in from India specially for the launch of the book following a personal request

by Dr Sodha. After the grand unveiling of the book, Pujya Shree Jeje addressed the crowd, commending the dedication and faith he saw in Dr Sodha.

The evening concluded with an opportunity for followers to meet Pujya Shree Jeje, whilst a lavish meal was being served simultaneously.

Books were being sold, and many took the opportunity to have their copies signed by the author. ‘’Let me say that I am in no way qualified to write anything about my Shreenathji bhagwan, it is only through the grace of Shree Vallabh, Krupa of my Thakorji, blessings of my grandparents, and my parents, Amratlal and Bhanuben Sodha, that I have been able to accomplish such a task. This book is a tribute to my parents.’’ said Dr Sodha.

Some of the proceeds of the book will go towards the Shreenathji Haveli Project in Leicester. For more information about the book, or to purchase a copy, please contact Dr Sodha on 0208 868 5020 or 07950 516040 or you can email him on. Pushtimarg...A Primer! is priced at £20 + p&p.

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

f ashionista

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by Debasree Ghosh For more stories visit www.scribbledesk.com

Be a Fashionista, Be You! If you have any questions or a story or a new style to share with us, please write to Shree at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Short Story by Neha Garg

The Perfect Wedding (part 3) The story so far: June is getting married but is really scared because everything is going perfectly.

June believes that you cry in life as much as you life and she would prefer a disaster during her wedding than a disaster during her life. She has decided to sabotage her own wedding. She has already tried a few things, including cancelling Mark (her husband’s) taxi to the chapel.

A few hours later she stood arm in arm with her father at the door of the chapel waiting, with a beating heart, for the ceremony to begin.

I love you sweetheart’, whispered her father.

Dad, I am scared’, admitted June suddenly. ‘What if my relationship with Mark is not strong enough?’

Mark is a fine young man June. I am sure the two of you will be very happy together.’, said her father.

Yes, but ..’, began June when the organ started playing the wedding march and Sophie nudged them in.

Walking down the aisle though, she forgot all her concerns. Mark looked handsome as ever and she knew that she could not wait to start their lives together. She did not even care that he had had to take a cab and then a bus when the cab had broken down, all the way across town and had still managed to make it to the wedding in time, thus foiling her plans.

As she stepped up to the altar and took Mark’s arm, he smiled down at her and whispered, ‘You look beautiful darling. I am a very lucky man.’ She smiled and was about to reply, when the priest said, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here, to join this man and this woman, in holy matrimony.’ With a beating heart, she turned around to face the priest. ‘This is it’, she thought.

Do you, June Evans, take Mark Anderson ….?’ In the front row, Sophie was sobbing quietly into her lace handkerchief. A sound like a trumpet from the back of the chapel announced that

June’s old uncle Bill had followed suit.

Can we then have the rings please?’, the priest asked Steve, Mark’s brother and best man.

June looked at Steve with trepidation. Unknown to either him or Mark, earlier that day she had stolen into Steve’s room and hidden the rings. Now she watched the growing confusion on his face as he dipped his hand into first one coat pocket, then another. She smiled with satisfaction. Her plan had worked. She was about to open her mouth and suggest that someone go look for the rings in Steve’s room, when Steve produced the rings from his wallet.

Sorry mate’, he said to Mark, ‘This morning i could not find the rings. I must have put them in my bathroom cabinet by mistake and forgotten having done so. So for safekeeping, i put them in my wallet.’

Don’t worry about it Steve.’, said Mark as he took the rings from him.

June was crestfallen. All her plans had failed. She will now have a perfect wedding, just as she had had a perfect engagement to Mark who was the perfect guy. His family even loved her as much as her own parents did. Nothing seemed wrong at all, but so much happiness was too good to be true.

Something was bound to go wrong at some point. The thought frightened her.

Rise of fashion bloggers I am addicted to The Sartorialist.

And Gofugyourself. And seaofshoes.com (the clue is in the name). For the uninitiated, these are fashion blogs. Well, technically gofugyourself is a scathing and super-funny commentary of the dressing ups and downs of contemporary celebrities, but Both are voyeuristic and therefore, very addictive. Along with Facebook, these two sites eat away at my lunchtime. And I am not alone.

Alongside fashion editors, designers, celebrities and high-profile buyers, fashion bloggers can now be found front and center at most runway shows, easily identifiable by the sleek laptops that are carefully balanced on their laps, with digital cameras in hand. In an age when most people refuse to pay for information, and opt to get their news from a range of sources, fashion blogs have become increasingly popular, boasting almostimmediate coverage of events for anyone with internet access.

For years fashion was something written about by a small number of publications whose writers guarded their access to shows and designers as fiercely as their Celine handbags. Even those whose sartorial experience amounted to a trip to the High Street to replenish their wardrobes with essentials will be aware of the fashion bibles such as

Find Your Feet - helping those who struggle The charity Find Your Feet lit up the Cinnamon Kitchen and Anise bar in London on Tuesday evening for a special Diwali celebration. This unique event was held to pay tribute to the communities the charity works with in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and raise vital funds to support families build a future free from hunger and poverty. Over 100 guests were treated to delicious canapés and bowl food from Vivek Singh the Executive Chef at the renowned Cinnamon Kitchen as well as fantastic bollywood dance performances from Honey’s Dance Academy, magic by Bharat Patel and henna art by the world’s fastest henna artist, Pavan.

Despite all the entertainment on the night, the evening had a serious intention. The guest of honour for the evening was Savitri Sharma, Find Your Feet’s India Director who has worked with the charity in Lucknow for over 11 years.

She spoke about the rural

Savitri Sharma, Find Your Feet’s India Director, addressing the audience

communities she works with; people who struggle to feed their families every day and she explained how, with just a little support and training, these communities can find ways to improve their harvest, set up small businesses and access their rights so they can build a future free from poverty. Her speech was a timely reminder to all the guests that a small contribution from people here in the UK can make a huge difference to communities in India.

On the night, the event raised over £6,500 from a raffle and an auction of money-can’t buy prizes such as a cookery master class at

Cinnamon Kitchen as well as prizes donated by Andaz hotel, BMW, Market Sports, One Aldwych, Ayurveda Pura and many more. This is a fantastic amount when you consider that £1,000 could provide long-term training and support to 150 women in India, empowering them to transform their communities by accessing basic government services such as clean water, education and healthcare.

Guests at the Diwali event were also welcomed by Cinnamon Kitchen’s Executive Chef, Vivek Singh, who is a keen supporter of Find Your Feet. Vivek visited the work that the charity

does in Chhattisgarh a few years ago and said of the event “I am proud to support the work that Find Your Feet does and the communities they work with. I was impressed with the amount that Savitri and her team are able to achieve with communities that face hunger and poverty on a daily basis.”

Find Your Feet is a small charity that focuses on enabling poor communities to stand on their own two feet. Instead of unsustainable handouts, they provide training and support to build on the existing knowledge and skills of people living in South Asia (India, Nepal) and southern Africa (Malawi, Zimbabwe) to help them develop their own lasting solutions to hunger and poverty. Working in rural areas where other sources of support are scarce, they currently work with 50,000 vulnerable people to help them find their feet. If you would like to know more about their work you can visit their website at or contact Laura at or call on 020 7326 4601.

Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar. These glossies were the ultimate bastion of fashion and were revered by the fashion-forward and the fashionfraught alike. And then, time changed.

Tavi Gevinson, Scott Schuman, Susie Bubble and Bryanboy maybe almost household names now, but bloggers have been chipping away at the mainstream media for years as more and more people wanted to hear about fashion from people who apply it to everyday life.

Fare relying less and less on magazines and more on bloggers to tell them what they’ll be wearing come spring. It’s no accident that women are increasingly looking to style bloggers for fashion advice. Bloggers are regular people and unlike the high priestesses of the design world, haven’t lost all perception of reality.

They help the average person understand how high fashion is applicable to them. People see these gorgeous clothes on the runway, but they are never going to be able to buy a ￡ 7000 dress. The blogs help

show women how they can apply high fashion to their daily wardrobe.

The blogs that have stood out from the crowd tend to be chatty - short on analysis, long on opinion - and confessional. But the secret to their success is a quirky individual voice and distinct sense of style.

Even YouTube is awash with videos of teenagers showing off their haul of clothes and cosmetics to their peers. The phenomenon, known as “hauling”, has been big news in the US for the past year and is now going global. It’s not gone unnoticed by brands eager to capitalise on the apparently independent recommendation from the sort of person they want to buy their clothes.

The explosion in the popularity of personalstyle blogs, often featuring high-low mixes and anonymous labels, forces viewers to consider that it’s not what you wear that counts, but how you wear it. And those who wear it best are emerging as fashion’s new stars. The fact that bloggers are real girls with normal clothing shopping budgets is probably more inspiring than looking at pictures of celebrities with seemingly endless resources which is a reasonable and enduring way of approaching fashion.

Stephen Timms MP honours spiritual leader at House of Commons The Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Labour MP for East Ham hosted a private reception for His Holiness Brahmrishi Shree Kumar Swamiji, one of India’s most Stephen Timms Brahmrishi Shree leading and MP Kumar Swamiji respected Spiritual from various organisaLeaders, at the House of tions for the Commons on Tuesday Humanitarian work that 15th November. he is doing, included the His Holiness highly acclaimed Brahmrishi Shree Kumar Ambassador of Peace Swamiji has dedicated Award by the Universal his whole life to freeing Peace Federation. the world of suffering His Holiness also and misery and his received the Mahaveer vision for society is conAward by The Young tinually being delivered Indian Vegetarians by his Trust – Bhagwan Society in recognition of Shree Lakshmi Narayan His Holiness’ vegetarian Dham’, one of the lifestyle and compassion world’s largest spiritual towards all living beings organisations.

His as well as citations from efforts in improving a number of MPs includhuman welfare for peoing Rt Hon Stephen ple of all faiths and reliTimms MP, Rt Hon gions have inspired milVirendra Sharma MP lions. and Rt Hon Stephen During the reception, Pound MP amongst othHis Holiness was preers. sented with citations

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BoLLywooD

Asian Voice Saturday 19th November 2011

Will Katrina or Kareena win the Khan race?

Sneha to wed actor Prasanna!

It’s official… Sneha, the smile queen of South cinema is going to marry another talented actor Prasanna soon.

Sneha was paired with Prasanna for the first time in “Achamundu Achamundu.”

Since then, there were numerous reports in media on their affair. Both have honestly accepted the fact

and announced the same officially. The engagement between Prasanna and Sneha will be held very soon.

Says Prasanna, “Yes… me and Sneha decided to marry soon with the blessings of our parents.

The engagement date and marriage date will be announced soon.

Katrina Kaif seems to be fast becoming the next Kajol. After being cast opposite the King Khan, the actress has been offered yet another project with SRK in the lead. According to sources, Rohit Shetty has approached Salman Khan's ex-girl for his next action film starring SRK. Katrina will, however, have to fight it out with Kareena Kapoor, a Rohit Shetty favourite, before she bags the coveted project.

A source close to Rohit revealed, "Katrina Kaif is at an all time career high. Currently, she is working with the three biggest Khans - Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir.

Rohit Shetty's action film that goes on floors in May next year will be her fourth consecutive film with a Khan."

Though, Katrina would surely set a record if she bags the role in question, it wouldn't come easy. According to another source, Kareena Kapoor, too is in the running to be cast opposite her G.One. "Kareena has worked with SRK in ‘Asoka’ and ‘RA.One.’ She shares a good on-screen chemistry with him. Also, director Rohit Shetty is very fond of her. She has been his chosen one for the successful ‘Golmaal’ franchise. She is the obvious choice for the project," said the source.

Despite Kareena being a strong contender for the role, a section of the industry believes that Katrina's friendship with Rohit Shetty might just pay off. "Katrina is working with SRK in Yash Chopra's film. She has become good friends with the actor as well. She might have been recommended by him as well," added the source.

entertainer. The director revealed that he is yet to finalize on the leading lady for his film. Sources close to the director say that Krish is on the lookout for a tall actress opposite Rana. Even as he decides on a suitable actress, there is tremendous excitement about his next film.

Prabhu Deva & Nayantara to settle down in Chennai

There was speculation that Nayantara would either settle in Mumbai as Prabhu Deva has established himself as a bankable director in Bollywood or set up a dance school in Singapore and settle there.

But now, the couple has bought a plush property in Boat Club Road, Chennai, and the actress is setting

He is a hardcore commercial actor and, as a producer too, he has produced potboilers, but Akshay Kumar says given a chance he would love to experiment.

He also reveals that he will always be a 'desi' boy, be it preferring Hindi to English or eating paranthas at home.

"I want to produce commercial films. But if I get a good script, I would love to make a National Award-winning movie," Akshay, 44, who has spent two decades in Bollywood, said.

The actor is all set to put a lid on 2011 with "Desi Boyz".

Releasing on Nov 25, the film will see him teaming up with John Abraham as a co-star. Directed by Rohit Dhawan, the son of director David Dhawan, "Desi Boyz" also has Deepika Padukone and Chitrangada Singh in the female leads.

Akshay, a Punjabi who has spent many years in Delhi, says he has always been a "desi" at heart and his recent decision of communicating in Hindi shouldn't be taken as a marketing gimmick.

"I have always tried to speak in Hindi. It is because in real life I am a real 'desi' boy. All my life I have believed that the day should start with touching the feet of my parents, that home cooked food is always better than outside food. I have always preferred ghar ka parantha to anything from outside," he said.

"Even if we go out for a movie, I prefer to watch Hindi films over English. So it was there in me, always. I am very grounded that way," he added.

up her home. Nayan is now having this place furnished and wants to have it ready by February, the month their wedding is scheduled to be held.

Sources close to Prabhu say that he wants to be close to his children through his first marriage and hence decided on making Chennai his home.

Riteish Deshmukh to produce Marathi film Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh will soon be producing his first Marathi film and is expected to begin work on it by early next year. And contrary to buzz that he won’t be acting in it, the actor has confirmed that he will in fact be starring in it as well. This will also mark his debut as an actor in Marathi films. “I haven’t locked on a script as yet, but I want to do a Marathi film for quite a while now, so I thought why not do it with your own film,” he says.

There’s also speculation that several of his Bollywood friends are expected to make cameo appearances in his maiden venture, a la Om Shanti Om, but Riteish prefers to remain tightlipped about it.

Nicole Kidman to dance in a Bollywood song?

See who is coming to Bollywood!

We have seen the renowned pop singer Kylie Minogue doing chiggy wiggy with Akshay Kumar in the movie “Blue,” and now we hear that another international beauty may make an appearance in a Hindi film. The beautiful Nicole Kidman is expected to do a Bollywood number soon! The actress has been approached by script writer, director Rumi Jaffery for a song in his film, “Gali Gali Mein Chor Hai.” Rumi says that this is not an item song and is keen on Nicole to do this. “We’ve approached Nicole to do a song, but I wouldn’t call it an item song. We have mailed Nicole the song and her response is positive, just her dates are awaited,” Rumi Jaffrey is quoted as saying.

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Gemma Atkinson to make Bollywood debut British actress and lingerie model Gemma Atkinson is all set to debut in Bollywood with film “Fever.” The modelturned-actor, who’s football star Cristiano Ronaldo’s ex flame, has replaced Kites star Barbara Mori in the movie, which also stars actors Rajeev Khandelwal and Ayesha Takia. Though the film will be entirely shot in Switzerland, her Indian admirers will get to see Gemma grooving to a desi item number. The model exclaims, “I love watching Shah Rukh Khan, the King of Bollywood, perform on screen!”

I never dated Ranveer: Anushka

Ekta Kapoor

Farah Khan

Chanda Kochhar

Vandana Luthra

Filmmakers Ekta Kapoor and Farah Khan, apart from VLCC founder Vandana Luthra and veteran designer Ritu Kumar, feature on Fortune India`s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list, topped by ICICI CEO Chanda Kochhar.

Ekta, joint managing director of Balaji Telefilms, grabbed the 31st spot on the list, while choreographer-turned-filmmaker Farah is on the 42nd position. Kumar, who has been in the business of fashion for over 25 years, is on the 36th place, and Luthra has been named the 38th most powerful Indian businesswoman.

The list, featured in the November issue of the magazine, has been made considering the changes the women brought in and the way they transformed businesses, said a statement of Fortune India.

I'm a real desi boy: Anil Kapoor signs Akshay Kumar deal for remake of American serial

Rana Daggubati in Krish's next film

After the success of films like "Gamyam" and "Vedam," director Krish is hoping for a hattrick, with his upcoming film, "Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum." Rana is playing the lead in the film set to hit the floors next month. Krish is producing the film, touted to be an out-and-out commercial

Ekta, Farah in Fortune India`s powerful businesswomen`s list

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

In a deal that is valued at Rs.1billion, 20th Century Fox has licensed Anil Kapoor Films Company to remake “24,” one of the most popular television serials in US and other western markets.

Anil Kapoor’s company will be adapting the serial for Indian market. Anil Kapoor had acted in the recent season of the US television serial.

It's a first of its kind deal where a studio has licensed the remake of a serial to an actor. Anil Kapoor is planning to make it into a high budget television serial which will be shot on a big canvass.

Speaking about this development, Anil says, "It will be a great honour for me to play Jack Bauer. Kiefer has created an iconic character which has inspired me to bring the franchise to India.

This will be my first foray to Indian television and I look forward to duplicating the standard of excellence Fox has so successfully created."

"Anil's passion for the serial goes back to his time as a guest star on the show, and we're excited to enable him to realize his vision of creating a new version of the serial for his native India," commented Fox International President Marion Edwards. "We think this could pave the way for many more iterations of this brilliant serial in other international territories down the road."

Putting an end to all speculations about a romantic liaison, Anushka Sharma recently revealed in a recent interview that she had never dated her “Band Baaja Baaraat” co-star Ranveer Singh. The svelte Sharma also added that though they were quite fond of each other, it was not possible for them to date, as they were very different from each other. "I am a very restrained person and Ranveer is the absolute opposite. We are two very different individuals and as such, we have a very volatile friendship," said the actress.

Priyanka recording her music album Priyanka Chopra, as we know it, is busy recording her music album in the USA. The actress is having a blast exercising her vocal chords in the process of creating some kick-ass music.

The actress tweeted, "Serious studio sessions for the last two days. Tooo amazing.

Teaching double shifts to everyone here...haha! BTW @Bagelmafia ure a slave driver" Further she even posted this pic and tweeted, "Late night magic...@esjayjones in da house with her dazzling body art... Show it off girl!!" Looks like our Desi Girl is having a blast in the international market as well.

SRK becomes face of Los Angeles Times

Now, Rajini to work with Aamir Khan

Shiney Ahuja to make Bollywood comeback

After making a minuscule cameo in Shah Rukh Khan’s “Ra.One,” Rajinikanth is now set to work with Aamir Khan, though not in a m o v i e .

Rajinikanth and Aamir will be seen in an advertisement.

Reportedly, the two superstars are coming together for a cause and will be seen in an advertisement film aimed at creating awareness about child health in India. Well, it is a known fact that Rajinikanth does not feature in advertisements. His last stint with advertising was 20 years ago, and that too was for a social cause! When Rajini was informed about the aim of this advertisement, he gave a nod.

Actor Shiney Ahuja, who was convicted in a rape case, is making his comeback to Bollywood after almost three years with a new film 'Ghost'. The horror film, produced by Bharat Shah and Puja Jatinder Bedi, will hit cinema houses on December 16. 'Ghost', written, edited and directed by Puja, who had earlier co-produced films like 'Mangal Pandey', 'Guru', stars, Shiney and Sayali Bhagat in lead roles.

"The film revolves around the city hospital as it witnesses a chain of blood curdling chilling murders... uncanny happenings at the hospital. Today, audiences are intelligent and mature and they need to see some real horror. I aim to scare them," Puja said.

Despite getting mixed reviews from the critics on his pet project “RA.One,” Shah Rukh Khan has made his presence felt globally. Khan has become second Indian actor to grace the cover page of Los Angeles Times Calendar section. His latest sci-fi flick RA.One and 2010 release “My Name Is Khan,” both were super hits, hugely noticed and appreciated by the American media. The only other Indian actor to have appeared on the cover page of the LA Times is, none other than India's global face Freida Pinto, who shot to fame with her Academy Award winning film, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Imran Khan joins ‘akhaada’ to gain weight Imran Khan recently replaced Ajay Devgn in Vishal Bhardwaj's “Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola.” However, the actor has now been told to gain weight and undergo an image makeover for the film.

Though the actor has to undergo this massive change, Imran being the experimental actor that he is, has decided to adopt a novel technique, that of joining an akhaada.

The akhaada is basically a free style old world gym where people built their bodies working in mud without using machines. For this training process, Imran has found an old akhaada in Juhu and has started working out there with pehalwaans. Vishal Bhardwaj, who is known for making his actors go through a complete image makeover, is looking into every minute detail.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

Anupam, Mitsubishi form JV for two mfg units in Gujarat Indian crane manufacturing company Anupam Industries has formed a joint venture with Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to manufacture port cranes and material handling equipment for domestic and global markets. The new, Anand-headquartered company, Anupam-MHI Industries Ltd will invest Rs 280 crore in two units at Tarapur and Mundra in Gujarat as part of its first phase.

Mehul Patel, managing director, Anupam Industries and chief executive officer of the new company, said, “The two JV partners will invest equity capital of Rs 188 crore in Anupam-MHI industries with Anupam holding 51% and MHI owning 49% stake.”

The Rs 300-crore Anupam Industries

expects to grow in the port crane and equipment market through the JV with MHI brand, a leading heavy machinery manufacturer with a global customer base.

The JV is expected to commence operations in the first half of 2012 and will target an annual production of 60 units.

The JV has bagged two orders with a total worth of Rs 300 crore. Once the facility is in place, Anupam-MHI will have a manpower strength of 2,000 people. The first phase is expected to generate sales worth Rs 800 crore, a company statement said. Anupam-MHI has arranged for a 120,000 square metres of land at Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone (MPSEZ) along with a load out jetty and commissioned equipment for onward dispatch to customers.

DLF Brands to bring US retailer Claire’s to India DLF Brands, a subsidiary of real estate major DLF, has struck an agreement with Claire’s Stores Inc, one of the world’s leading fashion jewellery and accessories retailers, to bring the brand to India.

The $3-billion Chicago-based value retailer, owned by global private equity firm Apollo Management LP, is largely present in North America and Europe but is now looking to expand its footprint in the Asian market with a big push in India.

DLF Brands, which retails brands like Mothercare, Alcott and DKNY, plans to open 75 stores of Claire’s over the next five years starting with the first one in New Delhi by December this year, said a DLF Brands official. Claire’s is a specialty retailer which caters to girls in the ages of 3 to 27 across more than 3,000 stores globally. The NYSElisted Claire’s also operates another brand Icing for older girls which is not a part of the 10-year licensing deal with DLF Brands. In 2007, Apollo Management had signed a

$3.1 billion deal to buyout the retail chain. Around 50% of Claire’s Stores around the world are franchised while rest of the them are company owned.

“The organized accessories market is growing exponentially in India but there are not enough players to cater to this demand.

Claire’s with its depth of merchandise, trendy styles and affordable price points is a very relevant brand for Indian consumers,” Timmy Sarna, MD, DLF Brands, said.

UK-based Accessorize, a fast fashion accessories retailer, which also operates the famous clothing chain Monsoon internationally, franchised

by Planet Retail has been growing rapidly in India and will be the biggest competitor for Claire’s as they both play in the value retail segment. Along with Accessorize, brands like Aldo and Charles & Keith make up the organized fashion accessories market.

The retailer’s merchandise, which targets young girls, includes earrings, necklaces, bracelets, handbags, hair and fashion accessories.

Tata Consultancy wins $2.2 bn order from UK firm Tata Consultancy Services, India’s leading software services exporter, said it won a $2.2 billion order from a UK firm.

The 15-year order from UK-based pensions and insurance provider Friends Life for TCS unit Diligenta comes as the Indian IT sector looks to overcome stiff competition and a gloomy economic outlook.

TCS will start to see revenue inflows from a $2.2 billion order during the current quarter to endDecember, Chief

Executive Officer N. Chandrasekaran said.

TCS and local rivals Infosys and Wipro provide a host of IT services to Fortune 500 firms, but face stiff competition from global players including IBM and Accenture for large outsourcing deals.

Country's showpiece $76 billion IT industry gets more than 90 per cent of its revenue from providing technology services to overseas clients and counts the United States and Europe as its biggest markets.

India wins two awards at world travel fair

India has won two prestigious awards – “Best Destination” and “Best Marketing Campaign award” - at the inauguration of the World Travel Market 2011 in London.

While accepting the awards, India’s minister for tourism Mr Subodh Kant Sahai also announced the launch of India’s first ‘Global Travel Mart’ on 12th December 2012.

Mr Sahai also announced plans to double the number of tourists visiting India by 2013.

Tourism in India is already on the rise with the country seeing the number of visitors increasing by 10% between January and October this year alone.

India has chalked out grand plans to ensure that 1% of all global tourists are in India by the end of 2016. To make this plan a reality, the Indian

Mr Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Minister for Tourism, India, opens the India Pavilion in London recently.

Government has estimated that it will require an additional 400,000 hotel rooms to meet the demand which it proposes to do through a range of public private partnerships. The increased tourist flow would create an additional 25 million jobs in the country.

Mr Sahai also opened the India pavilion. At the

inauguration, in addition to media and trade, tourism ministers from different states of India were present. The minister also visited the incredible India Stand, which boasts 21,000 square feet, the largest area at this year’s WTM. There were more than 178 tour and travel related companies participating in India pavilion

Jaguar Land Rover to create 1,000 jobs at Solihull plant Tata –owned Jaguar Land Rover is recruiting over 1,000 new hands at its Solihull plant. It’s progressive to hear that the plant that was once under threat of closure, is now expanding and has ambitious product plans," Business Secretary Vince Cable said.

Des Thurlby, human resources director at Jaguar Land Rover, said: "This is great news for Solihull. We shall be increasing the plant workforce by more than 25%. We have a loyal and committed workforce at Solihull.

These jobs are well paid with great benefits. We provide high-quality training and development for all our employees and we expect to receive many thousands of

applications."

Jaguar Land Rover employs nearly 20,000 workers in the UK, including 5,000 in Solihull. The new posts in the West Midlands are being created in support of its ambition to deliver 40 'significant product actions' over the next five years under a multibillion-pound investment in product creation.

The news comes just weeks after the firm made known it was creating 750 new jobs at a new engine plant in Wolverhampton.

Both announcements have been greatly received by industry, with the government, unions and business leaders commenting that it demonstrates the commitment of global investors to the UK.

Car sales in India suffer sharpest monthly fall in 11 years Car sales in India suffered their sharpest decline in over a decade in October as rising interest rates, high petrol prices and pinching inflation dampened sentiment, leading to a 24% fall in volumes.

Adding to the gloom was the crippling strike at Maruti Suzuki, the country's biggest carmaker.

The fourth consecutive month of decline for the car industry and the sharpest fall since December 2000 – when volumes had plummeted 35% – has prompted Society of Indian A u t o m o b i l e Manufacturers (SIAM) to start lobbying for a reduction in excise duty in addition to measures such as scrapping all vehicles manufactured before 2000. Sources said SIAM

would seek a reduction in excise duty from 22% to 16% in the budget. It is also seeking an end to the Rs 15,000 additional excise duty on vehicles above 1500cc engine capacity. The industry body feels the measures will help reduce vehicle cost and stimulate demand in the market.

The move comes in the wake of data that showed estimated car sales in

October at 138,000 units against 181,000 units in the same month last year.

Industry biggies Maruti and Hyundai both saw volumes go down. While the drop was 52% for Maruti that also battled huge production cuts due to a labour strike at its Manesar plant, for Hyundai the decline was 5%, surprisingly even after the company added a new model in entry-level car Eon. The industry appears nervous as consumer sentiment remains weak and the negatives hold firm.

RBI has raised key lending rates 13 times since March 2010 in order to tame high inflation. Companies say a turnaround in demand is possible only when interest rates cool off and inflation gains normalcy.

alone. Hoteliers participating include The Leela Group, Taj hotels, ITC Hotels, Lalit and Park Hotels.

The minister later met the tourism minister of Israel, Stas Meseznikov.

Both countries discussed visa issues, connectivity and also agreed formation of joint working group (JWG). The first meeting of JWG will be held in Tel Aviv in February 2012.

Besides Mr Sahai others present at the inauguration function were Mr Chhagan Bhujpal, tourism minister of Maharashtra; Mr Nawang Rigzin, tourism minister of Jammu and Kashmir; Mr AP Anil Kumar, tourism minister of Kerala; Mr Vasant Kumar Vatti, tourism Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Mr P Rajavelu, tourism minister of Pondicherry.

ICICI Bank offers gold bar to its customers ICICI Bank UK has promoted its money transfer service to India with a gold bar and assured gift offer to make the festive season even brighter. Anyone who transferred money to India for the offer period was automatically entered into a daily lucky draw to win a gold bar and for all those who transfer over £750; the bank offered to send a free gift to the near and dear one in India. The promotion was from 17th November to 18th November.

Over the past few months ICICI Bank UK has been making an effort to offer added convenience, speed and value to customers transferring money to India. The service has been enhanced with such features as transfers to ICICI Bank India accounts in 4 hours, and a service assurance of a return of 5p for every 10p transferred if the money does not reach India in time.

ICICI Bank UK is also the only Indian Bank to offer a ‘Rate Blocking’ feature. Customers can specify the minimum exchange rate at which they wish to transfer to India and the money is sent only at that rate or at a higher rate.

Regarding the promotion, Mr Anubrata Biswas, head of ICICI Bank UK’s Retail Banking division said, “We call our branch banking ‘Community Banking’ so we purposefully enhance our products and tailor our offers keeping the values of the Asian community at heart. We hope that they see that we will always do our best to identify and meet their financial needs.” ICICI has 11 branches across the United Kingdom.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

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Best of Both Worlds Suresh Vagjiani Managing Director Sow & Reap A Property Investment & Financing company.

My first job connected to property was in an estate agent in Paddington, W2, this was in around 2003. This was when Paddington was still seen as, and actually was, a slightly dodgy area, meaning street prostitutes would loiter daily down Sussex Gardens. The area and in particular this street was renowned for being a bit of a red light district.

The location however was very key, being next door to the W1 postcode with only Edgware Road separating the two in terms of distance, they were only minutes away from each other. In terms of connectivity to Heathrow Airport it is the strongest in the UK, with a Heathrow Express running from Paddington getting you there in 15 mins.

You therefore had this strange mix of a very strong location combined with the seedier elements you would find in a slummy part of London.

At this time there was much talk of the Paddington regeneration scheme and cleaning up the canal side, with expensive new properties and pretty shops coming up by the canal and if you walk down you come to quaint Little Venice with its canal boats and flowers, like a world within another world.

Since then the scheme has bee n imple mente d, the stree ts have be en c lean ed u p and t he pric es have g one up and u p defying the eco nomic down t urn .

A similar parallel can be drawn of Wembley and areas such as Chalk Hill estate. These were some of the worst areas in London with monstrous concrete tower blocks, places where your postman or the milkman would not go into, so you would have to go down to the shops to pick up your milk. This was of course in the days when the milkman would come around daily to give you milk freshly delivered to your door. Here were flats which would be set up as drug dens and these flats would be regularly raided. I remember once, many years ago, when I ventured in Chalk Hill with a friend and we were fired upon with fire work rockets!

The regeneration scheme has pulled down these blocks and built more integrated communities instead. Wembley Park station can now handle the same amount of traffic as Oxford Street station in Central London and prices for two bedroom properties by Quentin developments are upwards of £300,000! An unheard of amount only a few years ago.

Th e reaso n why t hese areas are not expl oited in advan ce is that f or man y people se ein g is believing, and so unt il the bu il dings come up and stare the m in the face they d o not re act . Ho wever by t his time they will h ave missed the boat. It is also human n atu re to read , think an d procrastinate rather t han act.

The above two areas are waves which have already started to rise, and therefore in the past. What is more important is where this will occur in the future and to draw parallels with what has happened in the past.

We believe one of the strongest areas to invest is in and around Kings Cross.

Investing in central locations is what we recommend with good solid reason. These locations will hold in value regardless of whatever happens economically to the rest of the country. As mentioned in a previous article the concept of a ripple effect starting from central London and spilling over to the rest of the country is an outdated concept and no longer holds true. As the driving factors of property prices are no longer the same as they used to be. One of the biggest buyers for central London property are foreign purchasers, which historically never used to be the case.

On top of this key reason, there are many reasons why Kings Cross will be a solid bet well into the future. £2bn is being pumped into this region.

Pract ically a new city is be in g built within a city.

This is going to be the largest single-owned site to be redeveloped in central London for 50 years and even has its own new postcode, N1C. The new community is being built on a 67-acre brownfield site.

The scheme is to create 20 new streets and it is due to be completed in 2020 and will include Granary Square.

The 67- acre site is behind the station, luckily all the land is owned by the same owner and was key in providing a well planned and comprehensive development.

The statistics for King’s Cross Central come thick and fast: there will be 20 new streets, 10 major public spaces and 50 new buildings.

20 historic buildings and structures are being restored and refurbished. There will be an 8m sq ft of mixed-use space and 22 per cent of King’s Cross Central has even now been “taken”, with staff and students from Central St Martins College of Art and Design having already moved in.

The effect of the regeneration will stretch around half a mile along Pentonville Road, Gray’s Inn Road and Euston Road, and overlap with upmarket neighbours Bloomsbury, Islington and Camden.

The rental market is driven by the impressive transport links. Six

Specialists in: l Property Sourcing l Mortgages l Commercial Finance l India Properties

underground Tube lines meet at the station and it is possible to reach Cambridge, Leeds and Edinburgh by train, while the Eurostar service from neighbouring St Pancras means you connect to Paris and Brussels on the continent. www.kingscrosscentral.com will provide more information of the area.

Camden is one of the areas which will benefit from the regeneration.

We have many repossessed properties coming up in this location most notably one with a high rental yield which we present today: Often we are asked by clients who are parents to purchase properties around central London close to universities. Of course what these parents are thinking is ‘why pay someone else rent.’ Here you have this option of a great investment with the possibility of providing accommodation for your son or daughter at university.

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Cash producing flat & strong capital growth prospects l Superbly located 4-bedroom flat in Camden at £355,000 worth £380,000 minimum l The most desirable student location – short walk from University College of London and University of Westminster, which means high demand for accommodation from foreign students. l Comes with the benefit of existing tenants until August 2012 at £30,000pa – leaving over £11,000 net income after all expenses l After that period, rent can be reviewed or new tenants found at a higher rent. August/September is the hottest time in lettings! l Open green spaces of Regents Park are another benefit that students love. l Ongoing King’s Cross regeneration project, worth £2bn, will have a strong impact on capital growth in the area.

Call us now on 0207 096 1083 to receive more information

Sow & Reap Central London Property Seminar - In Delhi!

We are pleased to announce our next seminar on Central London Property in New Delhi, INDIA, on 21st November 11.

Do you know anyone who would like to attend our seminar in Delhi?

If so please do let them know. Alternatively, if you can provide us with their email addresses and phone numbers, we will send them an invitation.

The Speakers: Mr. Suresh Vagjiani (MD Sow & Reap) - will provide insights into property investment in Central London.

Mr. Alpesh Patel (Financial commentator and aut hor) - will be speaking about the overall investment environment.

Book Now! If you, or your friends and family would like to attend this event, please call on 0207 096 1083 (U.K)or +91-9724283138 (India).

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Tips of the Week

UK Sales 0207 313 4595 India Sales 0203 384 5323

l Keep investments as pure BTL investments, look at what the market requires not what are your likes

Westbourne House, 14-16 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5RH

l It’s cheaper to remortgage your residential property then raising on the BTL property.

Contrary to belief the risks are the same

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financial voIce

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

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

Maria Fernandes

maria@abplgroup.com

Border control fiasco And so the battle rages on over the fact that robust checks were dispensed in certain cases. The politicians blame each other and the civil servants and the media engage in scare mongering. I have no statistics to hand but I would have thought that entry into Heathrow Airport by illegal entrants would be rare as it is accepted that it is a secure point. Those who have visas have already been checked for criminal records. Various countries are risk profiled and therefore any additional checks are conducted in advance.

In terms of EU nationals, there is in any event

very little scope for checks to be made. EU applicants have a right of free movement and passports are I believe very rarely scanned. Those on a warnings index and wanted for specific offences would I suppose get in but somehow I doubt it if their entry would be through a major port.

The main issue is not whether or not there was a relaxation but whether this was done in a random fashion which would then minimise risk.

Fees for appeals: As of the 19th December fees will be introduced for appeals relating to

applications to enter, vary status or remain in the UK. From this datenew legislation will also come into force, which will allow appellants to pay for and lodge an appeal on-line. There are some exemptions for those on legal aid, for compassionate circumstances and where asylum seekers are receiving support.

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

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

Speed up economic reforms, business honchos urge govt India Inc on Sunday urged the government to speed up stalled economic reforms, warning that policy paralysis threatened to derail the India growth story.

Speaking at the opening session of the annual India Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani called upon both the central and state governments to "align and move a lot faster", remove the mismatch prevailing in their approaches, and speed up the decision making process.

He also called for a dramatic shift in the governance model for better partnership between the government and the private sector in delivering more value to each other, and the society at large.

"There is a need for a shift in governance from 20th century to 21st century decision making... We need to get a minimum agreement in terms of saying that at the end of the day we are there working for all people and we have to have a pathway to move into the 21st century governance so that the rules are redefined and we can meet the aspirations of the millions of our young people," he said.

What Do You See In The Mirror?

Those of you who keep up with European politics will know that last week Silvio Berlusconi, the third longest serving Italian Prime Minister since the formation of modern Italy, resigned.

Having garnered a reputation as someone akin to a sleazy old man, he was recently under immense pressure to step down over an alleged sex for money scandal. Widely reviled and continuously criticised, he nevertheless refused to do what most dignified leaders would do and walk away.

Instead, he belligerently held onto power and defiantly challenged anyone to move him.

However, despite his immense personal wealth and bravado, moved he was. But not due to the sex scandal or the possibility of being tried in criminal court, his undoing came about because of the deepening debt crisis and the concern that Italy was heading in the same direction as Greece.

Aside from all the criticism and ridicule, Berlusconi is no fool – he has built a huge business empire, according to Forbes he is the 118th richest man in the world, with an estimated personal fortune of close to $6.2 billion. Here is a man who had everything, money, fame and power.

So how did this media titan become little more than a satirical cartoon character?

It can be said that when you have that much money you really do not need to care about what others think of you.

However, if you want to reach the pinnacles of politics you have to completely care about what others think of you – or at the very least you have to make it seem that you care. And herein lies Berlusconi’s mistake. The arrogance of his success eventually smothered the dignity of his office. He was no longer able to distinguish between how he saw himself and how he

Moody's downgrades Indian banking system to negative Minister for Commerce and Industry, Mr Anand Sharma, flanked by the CMD, Reliance Industries, Mr Mukesh Ambani, and the MD and CEO, ICICI Bank, Ms Chanda Kochhar, during a session at the World Economic Forum India Economic Summit in Mumbai on Sunday

Other businessmen, investors and experts too similarly expressed frustration over the policy paralysis that has set in after a series of scandals dented the government's ability to push ahead measures needed to sustain growth. There was near unanimity that political parties should rise over partisan issues and approve key legislations which would help boost confidence.

"There is nothing moving in the government. The opposition parties should rise above partisan issues and enable policies to move ahead," said Ashok P Hinduja, chairman, Hinduja Group India.

"In the last six to eight months, nothing has moved due to corruption issues. We need political

parties to forge a consensus to enable things to move," said Sanjiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Finserv.

"The intention is very clear that it (the government) wants to move ahead (with reforms). But finding a common ground is where difficulties come.

It is because of coalition and conflicting agenda (of political parties that are part of the coalition,)" said Jamshyd Godrej, chairman and managing director of Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd. He is also one of the 14 industry chiefs who has been writing to the government.

"It's almost becoming impossible to do business in India," said Niranjan Hiranandani, managing director, Hiranandani Constructions.

Moody's Investors Service has changed its outlook for India's banking system to "negative" from stable citing concerns of increasingly challenging operating environment that is likely to adversely hit asset quality, capitalisation, and profitability.

"A "negative" outlook is one that is characterised by volatility and uncertain conditions," Moody's said in the statement.

"With asset quality, given the tightening environment, we anticipate that it will deteriorate over the next 12-18 months, thereby causing an increase in provisioning needs for the banks in FY2012 and FY2013," Vineet Gupta, Moody's vice-president and senior analyst, was quoted as saying.

The ratings agency said monetary tightening and a slowdown in the economy would cut bank loan growth, while a recent liberalisation of savings

deposit rates by the central bank would pressurise lenders' profitability.

"For those banks with weaker capital ratios on average and higher asset quality pressures relative to their individual rating levels, their standalone ratings are likely to come under pressure," the

Moody's statement added.

Questioning the need for such a rating change, banking veteran Deepak Parekh said he doesn’t see any significant risks for Indian banking system going forward.

"I expect PSU banks to be recapitalized by FY12end," he said.

India’s trade deficit hits a record high of $19.6 billion

India’s trade deficit touched a record $19.6 billion in October as exports fell below the $20 billion mark for the first time in a year and imports maintained their momentum.

According to preliminary data released by the commerce department, export growth moderated to 12.4% in October with the value of shipments out

of the country estimated at $19.9 billion. “In any sector, it is the lowest in the last three months, deceleration is uniform,” commerce secretary Rahul Khullar said while warning that the “picture is not going to be rosy for the next six months”.

In contrast, imports surged 36.7% to $39.5 billion on account of a steep

rise in oil, gold and coal imports. According to numbers compiled from the commerce department and Bloomberg database, trade deficit in October is significantly higher than the previous monthly record of $15.7 billion seen in August 2008 and May this year.

Khullar, however, said that trade deficit over the

next few months is going to narrow as local producers adjust to the changing demand situation and lower import of inputs.

According to data available with the commerce ministry, export volumes have continuously declined from $29.4 billion in May, although imports have not seen a decline of same magnitude. From a peak of 82%

in July, export growth has been slowing every month.

It moderated to 44.25% in August, 36.36% in September and is estimated at 12.4% in October.

But given the high growth rates witnessed in the first half of the financial year, exports in AprilOctober are estimated to have increased around 46% to $179.8 billion.

By Amit Patel

was seen by others.

He is not the first, nor undoubtedly the last leader to fall victim to this. Gordon Brown thought he was a crusader while many thought he was a curse. The ability to recognise how we are perceived by others while still being able to stay true to who we are is a subtle skill. There are many pitfalls along the way – the most common being when people fail to follow the age old adage - ‘don’t believe the hype’. It is all well and good to be confident in ones ability but not to the point wherein you start believing that you are anything more than human. Because as human beings, we all have our limitations, but just as human beings we sometimes forget to see them.

Monkeys are superior to men in this: When a monkey looks into a mirror, it sees a monkey. Malcolm de Chazal.

Pakistan allows more imports from India

Pakistan removed restrictions on the import of 12 goods from India as part of measures to normalise trade between the nucleararmed rivals, Pakistani officials said on Saturday.

Pakistan has long been reluctant to open up trade with its neighbour because of long-running political disputes, particularly over Kashmir. But both countries have been trying to boost their trade following a recent thaw in ties.

Lasting peace between the rivals is seen as essential to South Asian stability and to helping a troubled transition in Afghanistan as NATO-led combat forces plan their military withdrawal from that country in 2014.

Pakistan last week said it would grant India mostfavoured nation (MFN) trade status that would help normalise trade by ending huge restriction.

India gave MFN status to Pakistan in 1996.

Pakistan's commerce ministry recently requested the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), the top decision-making body on economic affairs, to increase the number of items that can be imported from India. "The ECC met on Friday and approved the addition of 12 goods in the positive list of items that can be imported from India," a ministry official said. Another official said the goods included machinery and raw materials for the leather and textile industries.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

21

Foreign Exchange Rajesh Agrawal is the Chairman & CEO of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

For any further information call 020 7220 8181 or e-mail info@rationalfx.com

Euro Crisis Enters Danger Zone When the Greek crisis started to emerge in early 2010 we recognized the possibility of contagion and the potential threat to the global economic and financial system, although it was generally dismissed as a manageable problem by the investment community.

Following is an excerpt from our comment of February 11, 2010. .

"The Greek fiscal crisis is just a symptom of world-wide credit problems that was signaled by the emergence of subprime loan disclosures as early as August 2006. The importance of subprime lending was not recognized until much later, but nevertheless evolved into a continuing series of economic and financial crises that continue until this day. The problem has now extended to sovereign debt, and, as usual, the weakest links are exposed first (Dubai and Greece) only to spread to stronger entities later. Not far behind are Portugal and Spain, then perhaps Italy... It's not just a localized minor problem to be solved by some sleight-of-hand by the EU, but a debt crisis that could envelop the globe. It therefore seems to us that investors are making a big mis-

take if they assume that Greece is too small and unimportant to matter and that the rest of the developed world is somehow isolated from the turmoil.

Greece is to sovereign debt what subprime was to private debt. It's the possible start of a vast tsunami that threatens to overwhelm the global economic and financial system.

Investors should take heed."

From the beginning it should have been obvious that if the Greek problem was not contained the other nations along Europe's southern tier as well as Ireland were potentially at risk. That is why the acronym "PIIGS" came into being at that time. Despite the necessity to deal with the budding crisis in early 2010, Europe has dithered for almost two years with so-called plans that were too little and too late.

Despite dozens of high-level meetings, pronouncements and inadequate plans put forward by various European entities, the crisis has now entered a new phase with the loss of market confidence in Italian bonds. Italy is the third largest economy in the EU and the eighth in the world. Its 2.6 trillion Euro debt is the fourth largest in the world. As many

have previously noted, "Italy is too big to fail and too big to save."

From the outset in early 2010 it was clear that there were no good solutions. The troubled nations could undertake severe austerity measures, default on their debts, be bailed out in some manner or leave the EU. Unfortunately, each of these solutions has highly negative consequences both for the nations needing help and the stronger nations that would bear the brunt of the costs. If a palatable solution were possible it would have been accomplished relatively early in the crisis.

Instead the EU has continually "kicked the can down the road".

We see no easy way out of the current turmoil. The result of enough fiscal austerity to relieve the debt pressures is a severe recession or depression.

Historically, independent nations undergoing austerity have accompanied the policy with monetary ease and a devaluation of their currency.

This is something EU members cannot do as they share a common currency and therefore do not run their own monetary policy. Default would cause

havoc in the EU banking system that holds a significant share of the sovereign debt. A bailout would require at least two trillion euros, a sum that no one wants to pay. And breaking up the EU would cause major turmoil in global financial markets and economies.

So far the market has rallied strongly on every announced plan for the last year and a half only to decline again when it became clear that the crisis was not over. In our view, a solution is still not in sight. At best Europe will likely fall into a severe and prolonged recession with the potential for major global consequences. At worst, the global economic and financial system could completely unravel, leading to worldwide chaos. Even assuming the best, the U.S stock market, at current levels, is discounting a far better outcome than is likely to be the case. The strong rallies we see on any glimmer of hope indicates that investors are just as fearful of missing the next bull market as they are of a major downside break. We think the risks at this juncture are far greater than the possible rewards.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 15th November 2011 @ 3pm GBP - INR = 80.20 USD - INR = 50.71 EUR - INR = 68.63 GBP - USD = 1.58 GBP - EUR = 1.16 EUR - USD = 1.35 GBP - AED = 5.81 GBP - CAD = 1.62 GBP - NZD = 2.05 GBP - AUD = 1.56 GBP - ZAR = 12.85 GBP - HUF = 367.71

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

22

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Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

India, Pakistan declare 'new chapter' In focus Afghan mother, daughter stoned and shot dead in ties, agree on 26/11 justice Addu (Maldives): Seeking to put past acrimony behind, India and Pakistan talked about writing "a new chapter" in their tense ties, with Islamabad assuring New Delhi that the terrorists behind the Mumbai carnage will be brought to justice soon.

Marking a forward movement in their ties that have languished since 26/11 attacks nearly three years ago, the two sides agreed to push a host of initiatives, including the revival of the joint commission, a preferential trade agreement and liberal visa regime.

India conveyed to Pakistan the imperative need to punish perpetrators of 26/11 carnage, that dipped ties between the neighbours, and underlined that terror should not be allowed to spoil improving relations between them.

Pakistan on its part promised to conclude the trial of the Mumbai terror accused in its custody and declared that Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving 26/11 terrorist, should be hanged.

In a sign of the new spirit of mutual accommo-

Pak Taliban brand Imran Khan as 'American slave'

Islamabad: The Pakistani Taliban have described cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan as a "slave of the US and Europe" after he called himself a liberal. Tehrik-eTaliban Pakistan spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan made the remarks in an interview with BBC Urdu.

Ehsan noted that Khan had said he was not a Taliban supporter and remarked: "We also think Imran Khan is not our sympathiser." The Taliban spokesman advised Khan to talk in Urdu, the language of the Pakistani people, if he considers himself the representative of the people. In a recent interview with the BBC, Imran had said that he was a liberal and does not support the militants.

Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani at Adu

dation and positive progress in dialogue, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani vowed to open a new chapter in ties and hoped the next round of talks will be "more productive and constructive."

Meeting on the sidelines of the 17th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit here, the two leaders held delegation-level talks for around half an hour in a seaside beach cottage at the idyllic Shangri La resort hotel and followed it

up with nearly 45 minutes of one-on-one talks.

Coming out after their meeting, the two smiled and made brief statements before the media in which they virtually echoed each other in their desire to start a new phase in relations.

Describing Gilani as "man of peace," Manmohan Singh said that the dialogue process, which the two countries resumed early this year, have yielded positive results, but stressed that "more needs to be done. We will review the dialogue with the expectation that all the issues which have bedev-

illed the relations will be discussed with all the sincerity the two sides can bring to the table," Manmohan Singh said. "We have wasted a lot of time in acrimonious debate in the past. The time has come to write a new chapter in relations between India and Pakistan," he said.

He said the next round of talks "should be far more productive and result-oriented and bring the two countries closer to each other."

Gilani, too, struck an upbeat note. "We had a good meeting. I hope the next round of talks will be more constructive and open a new chapter in relations between the two countries." "We openly discussed all issues, including core issues related to water, terror, Sir Creek and Siachen," Gilani said.

Briefing reporters after the talks, foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai stressed that the talks signaled an end to the period of "accusations and counter-accusations" and stressed on key initiatives that emerged from the talks. "The joint commission, which have not met since 2005, will be revived," he said.

Pak minister demands death for Kasab Addu (Maldives): Demanding death for "terrorist" Ajmal Kasab, Pakistan interior Minister Rehman Malik said the proposed visit of a judicial commission to India would help quicken the trial of 26/11 accused in his country." Ajmal Kasab is a terrorist. He is a nonstate actor. He should go to gallows," Malik told Indian journalists. Malik said that Pakistan government was awaiting a visit of the judicial commission to India and get some evidence that will help in prosecuting the accused in his country if we have "credible evidence."

"Once that commission will go to India, its findings are important for the judicial process in Pakistan. When the find-

Ajmal Kasab

ings are there, they will be covering all the legal sides.

Then there will be some judicially-satisfactory statement," he said.

Asked how long the judicial commission would stay in India, Malik said it would be there for threefour days as long as "you can accept them as guest."

To a question on when the trial would complete,

the minister said as soon as the report comes, the process will begin "but it is too early to say how long it would go on."

Asked about Pakistan removing Jamat-ud-Dawa from the terror list, Malik said, "Information is not evidence and there is need for concrete legal evidence for keeping them in the terror list".

On the release of JuD founder Hafiz Saeed, he said, "He was bailed out by the highest court of Pakistan and the government can't do anything about it".

He reiterated Pakistan's stand that it was not aware of Osama bin Laden's presence in the country. He said bin Laden was trained by intelligence agencies like CIA and ISI and he knew how to hide.

Pak schools teach Hindu hatred: US commission Islamabad: Text books in Pakistani schools foster prejudice and intolerance of Hindus and Christians, while most teachers view religious minorities as "enemies of Islam," according to a study by a US government commission. The findings indicate how deeply ingrained hardline Islam is in Pakistan and help explain why militancy is often supported, tolerated or excused in the country.

"Teaching discrimination increases the likelihood that violent religious extremism in Pakistan will continue to grow, weaken-

ing religious freedom, national and regional stability, and global security," said Leonard Leo, the chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Pakistan was created in 1947 as a homeland for the Muslims of South Asia and was initially envisaged as a moderate state where minorities would have full rights. But three wars with India; state support for militants fighting Sovietrule in Afghanistan in the 1980s; and the appeasement of hardline clerics by

weak governments seeking legitimacy have led to a steady radicalisation of society.

Religious minorities and those brave enough to speak out against intolerance have often been killed, seemingly with impunity, by militant sympathisers. The commission warned that any significant efforts to combat religious discrimination, especially in education, would "likely face strong opposition" from hardliners.

The study reviewed more than 100 textbooks from grades 1-10 from

Pakistan's four provinces.

Researchers in February this year visited 37 public schools, interviewing 277 students and teachers, and 19 madrases, where they interviewed 226 students and teachers.

The Islamisation of textbooks began under the US-backed rule of army dictator General Zia-ulHaq, who courted Islamists to support his rule. In 2006, the government announced plans to reform the curriculum to address the problematic content, but that has not been done, it said.

Kabul: A group of armed men have stoned and shot dead a woman and her daughter in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, security officials had said. The officials blamed the Taliban, who they said had accused the women of "moral deviation and adultery". The police said two men had been arrested in connection with the murder. The attack was only 300m from the governor's office in Ghazni city, which is on a list of places to be transferred to Afghan security control. In much of the region, the Taliban are taxing people and banning girls from schools. Joint weddings have been banned - the bride and groom are not allowed to be together as it is thought the woman makes too much noise walking to the wedding hall, disturbing the men.

Pak authorities arrest 27 Indian fishermen Islamabad: Pakistani authorities have arrested 27 Indian fishermen on charges of fishing illegally in the country's waters. Several Indian fishing boats entered Pakistan's Exclusive Economic Zone during the Eid holidays but a MSA vessel cleared the area and detained the five boats, he claimed. The boats had intruded 40 to 50 nautical miles inside Pakistan's territorial waters.

The Indian fishermen were later handed over to the Docks Police in Karachi and an FIR was lodged against them. "Well over 100 Indian fishermen have been arrested by the Pakistani maritime authorities during the current year," Pakistan Fisher Folk Forum president Muhammad Ali Shah said.

60 Taliban fighters killed in Afghan clash Kabul: More than 60 Taliban fighters have been killed in an attack on a Nato outpost in Afghanistan's eastern province of Paktika, local officials said last week. Nato confirmed aircraft and ground forces had repelled attack on the Bermal outpost but it could not give any specific casualty details. The local officials said there were no coalition or civilian casualties. Separately an Afghan soldier seriously injured three Australian troops after firing on them in Uruzgan province.

Guru Nanak birth anniversary: 8,000 Sikhs visit Pakistan Islamabad: About 8,000 Sikh pilgrims from various countries, including India, Afghanistan and Britain, visited Pakistan and participated in the celebrations marking the 543rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. Among the 'yatris' or pilgrims are over 3,000 Sikhs from India who travelled across the border in three special trains.

The pilgrims visited Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Panja Sahib at Hasanaadal, Dera Sahib and other holy sites.

Hindus observe shut down in Sindh Karachi: Angry over killing of three Hindus, the community members observed a shut down in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh as part of an indefinite strike to protest the deaths, as police arrested 13 people in the case. The Pakistan Hindu Council which had initially said that four Hindu doctors were gunned down on Eid day later clarified that three Hindus were killed in the attack. "It is now confirmed that those killed included a doctor, Dr Ajit Kumar and two of his relatives who were businessmen, Naresh Kumar and Ashok Kumar," Dr Ramesh Kumar, a former lawmaker and chief patron of the PHC said. He said a fourth person, Dr Satia Pal, was badly wounded in the attack and is now under intensive care in a Karachi hospital. "He is still struggling for his life," Kumar said.

Pakistan kite-flyers to be booked under terrorism act Lahore: Kite-flyers would now be booked under Terrorism Act if they were found deliberately endangering lives of people by using dangerous strings. Lahore's police officer has directed a complete ban on kite-flying and asked all SHOs to ensure indiscriminate action against the usage of prohibited elements, such as dangerous strings, to ensure safety of innocent lives. He also warned of strict action against anyone found involved in aerial firing and those indulging in the string-making and kite-flying for which all divisional superintendents (SPs) will be held responsible for their respective areas. A 30-year-old man died in Lahore after a stray kite's string cut his throat.

Former Pak minister quits PPP Islamabad: Former Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has announced his resignation from the membership of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). 'I am leaving the Zardari league,' Dawn News quoted Qureshi as saying at a press conference on Monday. He criticized prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and said the government failed to revive the country's economy. Qureshi also urged other lawmakers to resign from the parliament. He said the PPP, led by president Asif Ali Zardari, was losing its popularity in Sindh.

world

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

In focus

The Prince of Wales honoured with Masai stick Masai (Tanzania): Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, was presented with a traditional Masai stick during his recent visit to Masai village in Tanzania. At a ceremony, the Prince was bestowed with a new honour by a tribe for whom nothing is more important than cattle. Now the heir to the British throne will be known as Oloishiru Ingishu, or "he whom the cows love so much they call for him when they are in times of distress". With the title, given by Mathayo Rimba Olemirai, the senior elder at the village of Majengo, came a three-legged "olorika" stool fashioned from baobab wood and a bead-wrapped knobkerrie called a rungu, handed only to revered elders.

Lord Boateng's son jailed over sex assault London: Benjamin Boateng, the son of Britain's first black Cabinet minister Lord Boateng was on Tuesday awarded four-year jail term for sexually assaulting a woman. Benjamin displayed "arrogance" towards women and a "proprietary right" to sexual gratification as he assaulted the 22-year-old after she had fallen asleep on the sofa at a party on August 19. He was jailed for three years and 10 months after a judge ruled the assault at a Battersea flat was pre-planned. The court heard he had "taken the opportunity to satisfy his own sexual gratification after identifying a vulnerable female". The former actor, who has appeared on The Bill and Grange Hill, also has a caution for harassment from March last year after he sent "unpleasant" text messages to an ex-girlfriend who eventually called the police.

'Kidnapped' boy rescued from flat London: Three men were arrested on suspicion of kidnap of a 10-year-old boy who was rescued from a flat in Oldbury, West Midlands, on Sunday. The boy was tied up and wrapped in a sheet, after apparently being snatched from a street. Police surrounded the building after a passer-by heard a child’s voice screaming, “I’ve been kidnapped,” and raised the alarm. It followed a frantic twohour search of local streets led by members of the boy’s family. The young boy had been found naked apart from the sheet and tied to a radiator. The police refused to comment whether any of the arrested men were sex offenders or known to officers in another way. The boy was returned to his family unhurt after his ordeal.

Indian maid jailed in Singapore Singapore: An Indian maid Kirandeep Kaur, 25, was jailed for 50 months for stealing more than 400,000 Singapore dollar worth of cash and jewellery from her employer. She waited till the family had left for a holiday before raiding the drawer full of cash and jewellery with a spare key that had been entrusted to her by the employer. Kirandeep was arrested when she returned to Singapore in August to look for work. Not all the stolen items were recovered.

Violence flares in Syria after Arab suspension Damascus: Syrian forces were accused of pressing their deadly crackdown on protest even as thousands of regime supporters vented their anger a day after the Arab League suspended the country. Governments of France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey issued strong condemnations of president Bashar al-Assad's regime after his supporters attacked their embassies in the wake of the suspension. Arab League foreign ministers on Saturday voted 18-22 to suspend Syria over its failure to comply with an agreement to end the crackdown on a nationwide protest movement calling for Assad's resignation. It called for the withdrawal of Arab envoys from Damascus and agreed on sanctions while inviting all Syrian opposition to meet at Arab League headquarters in three days to draw up a joint vision for the coming transitional period.

Gas leak kills 19 in China mine accident Beijing: Hundreds of rescuers were working to save two dozen Chinese coal miners trapped underground by a gas leak that killed 19 others. It comes less than a week after dozens of miners were pulled safely from a cave-in at another Chinese coal mine. Eight died in that accident. Thirty firemen, 100 rescuers and 300 medical workers were on site at the Sizhuang Coal Mine. The accident happened. at the mine in the city of Qujing in Yunnan, southwest China. China's coal mines are the deadliest in the world, although the industry's safety record has improved in recent years as smaller, illegal mines have been closed. Annual fatalities are now about one-third of the high of nearly 7,000 in 2002.

26 killed in fresh Turkish quake Van, Turkey: At least 26 people were killed when a second earthquake hit eastern Turkey last week. Rescuers recovered the body of a second journalist missing underneath the damaged hotel. Colleagues and friends wept as rescue workers pulled out the body of Sebahattin Yilmaz from beneath the debris of the Bayram Hotel - one of two hotels that fell apart when the 5.7-magnitude quake hit the eastern city of Van.

23

Australian PM calls for uranium exports to India Canberra: Australian prime minister Julia Gillard on Tuesday called on her ruling party to overturn its ban on Australia exporting uranium to India for peaceful purposes, describing the prohibition as "all pain with no gain" for the national economy.

The center-left Labor Party government came to power in 2007 and immediately ended Australia's negotiations with India on starting nuclear trade because India has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Gillard said she wants Labor to change its policy at its annual national con-

Julia Gillard

ference next month because the United States lifted a "de facto international ban" on nuclear cooperation with India in 2005 by signing a bilateral deal with New Delhi to

trade uranium and work together on civil atomic power generation.

"Given that change in diplomatic circumstances around the world, for us to refuse to budge is all pain and no gain, and I believe our national platform should recognize that reality," Gillard told reporters.

But a policy change would not lead to uranium sales to India's nuclear rival Pakistan or Middle Eastern nuclear power Israel. "When you look at other nations ... whether it be Pakistan or Israel, they are not in the same class," she said. India welcomed Gillard's decision.

"We attach importance to our relations with Australia, which are growing across the board.

Energy is one of the key areas of bilateral cooperation," Indian external affairs minister S M Krishna said.

"We understand that prime minister Gillard proposes to seek a change in the Australian Labor Party's policy on sale of uranium to India, in recognition of our growing energy needs, our impeccable non-proliferation record and the strategic partnership between our two countries. We welcome this initiative," he said.

Nepal apex court comes to crusading sister’s aid Kathmandu: After four governments failed to punish a powerful Maoist lawmaker convicted of murdering her brother and the present cabinet decided to grant amnesty to the tainted MP, Nepal's apex court finally came to the aid of the slain man's sister, who has been carrying out a oneman crusade for justice.

Sabitri Shrestha, who had knocked on the door of the Supreme Court last week seeking to stop the Maoist government of prime minister Baburam Bhattarai from issuing a pardon to lawmaker Balkrishna Dhungel, received a boost on Sunday when justice Tahir Ali Ansari ordered a stay on the amnesty move.

The legal twist is the latest to a gripping tale of war-time tragedy that has seen Nepal's civil society

start to grow disenchanted with the new prime minister who came to power pledging austerity, efficiency and justice.

Shrestha's brother Ujjan Kumar was killed in 1998

by Dhungel and his aides, according to rights watchdog Advocacy Forum.

Subsequently, Ujjan's brother Ganesh was also killed by the then guerrillas for daring to file a complaint with police and his daughter Rachana, who had witnessed her father's killing, committed suicide.

Though a district court found Dhungel guilty and sentenced him to prison for life and the Supreme Court upheld the conviction, the Maoists fielded Dhungel during the 2008 election and refused to take action against him.

Last week, the cabinet

Economist Mario Monti gets nod to form next Italian govt

decided to grant a pardon to Dhungel and formally asked the president Dr Ram Baran Yadav to proclaim amnesty as head of state. The president, faced with a contentious issue, has begun consulting legal and rights experts, most of whom have advised him not to issue the pardon.

Fearing that Dhingel would never be brought to justice, Shrestha filed a writ in Supreme Court last week, asking the court to make the president, PM and cabinet scrap the recommendation. She also said the recommendation was guilty of contempt of court since two courts had found Dhungel guilty of murder and asked for a stay order till the case was decided. Ansari said the next hearing would be heard on Nov 21.

Republican prez hopefuls divided over Pakistan policy Washington: Republican presidential hopefuls appear bitterly divided over Pakistan, with some openly demanding scrapping of US aid to Islamabad for its "double game" in the war on terror while others advocating engagement fearing that its nuclear weapons may fall into the hands of alQaida.

Pakistan "is clearly sending us messages that they don't deserve our foreign aid ... because they're not being honest with us.

American soldiers' lives are being put at jeopardy because of that country," Texas governor Rick Perry said participating at the Republican presidential hopefuls' debate on foreign policy. "It is time for us as a country to say no to foreign aid to countries that don't support the USA," he said, accusing Pakistan of not being honest with the US. The Texas governor charged Pakistan with playing a double game with the US. "They've been doing this for years.

Their political people are not who are in charge of that country. It' the military. It' the secret service.

That' who is running that country. I don't trust them. And we need to send clear messages. We need to do foreign aid completely different."

Perry was supported

by Newt Gingrich, former speaker of House of Representatives, who has surged ahead of others in the latest polls of Republican presidential candidates. "The fact (is) that the Pakistanis, and think about this, hid (Osama) bin Laden for at least six years in a military city within a mile of their national defence university. And then they got mad at the people who turned him over to us. And we think those are the acts of allies? I think that's a pretty good idea to start at zero, and sometimes stay there," Gingrich said.

Two other Republican candidates Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann - spoke quite different language of the

need to have a policy of engagement with the nuclear-powered Pakistan. "I would not agree with that assessment to pull all foreign aid from Pakistan. I would reduce foreign aid to many, many countries.

But there's a problem.

Because Pakistan has a nuclear weapon," Bachmann said, "We have more people affiliated with al-Qaida closer to that nuclear bomb than in any other nation. This is an extremely important issue," she added.

Santorum said Pakistan must be a friend of the United States.

Rome: Italy's presidential palace says economist Mario Monti has agreed to try to form a new government as the nation tries to avoid financial disaster.

Palace officials announced that the former European Union competition commissioner received the formal mandate from President Giorgio Napolitano. Monti must now draw up a cabinet, lay out his priorities and see if he has enough support in Parliament to govern effectively.

Hours earlier, Silvio Berlusconi's party gave its crucial approval for Monti to assemble a government, but insisted that it last only long enough to implement urgently need economic reforms.

Earllier, Berlusconi, Italy's prime minister of 17 years, resigned on Saturday after parliament's lower chamber passed Europeandemanded reforms, ending a political era and setting in motion a transition aimed at bringing the country back from the brink of economic crisis. Amid a chorus of "alleluia" and chants of "buffoon, buffoon" and celebrations in downtown Rome, Berlusconi's motorcade entered and exited the presidential palace where the 75-year-old billionaire media magnate tendered his resignation to president Giorgio Napolitano.

In scenes reminiscent of the departure of his mentor, Socialist prime minister Bettino Craxi in 1993, a pale and isolated Berlusconi was harried by angry crowds hurling insults and coins at his limousine as handed his resignation.

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24

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

India, China planning joint army exercise in 2012

With India and China resuming their bilateral military exchanges four months ago, the two nations are planning to revive their joint military exercise in 2012.

The planning for the exercise will be done at the next round of annual defence consultative talks that the two sides will hold in mid-December when they will also chalk out their bilateral exchanges and interactions, a top Indian Army official said.

The dates and the scope of the joint exercise will be chalked out during the talks, which are essentially to finalise their yearlong bilateral programmes, he said. If this exercise comes through, sometime late next year, it will be the first such in four years. It will also be the third such war game since the first bilateral exercise in Kunming in China in December 2007.

The second 'Hand-inHand' exercise, as war gaming is called by the two sides, was held at Belgaum in Karnataka in December 2008.

Since then, the joint exercise could not take place, first due to celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China in October 2009 and second due to the suspension of bilateral exchanges by India after Lt. Gen B.S. Jaswal, its then Northern Army Commander of troops in Jammu and Kashmir, was denied visa

by China in mid-2010.

The bilateral military exchanges resumed in April this year after prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Sanya in China for the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit.

India then sent its first military delegation to

China in over a year when a team led by then Jammu and Kashmir-based Rashtriya Rifles' Delta force commander Major General Gurmeet Singh went to Beijing, Shanghai and Urumqi in June this year.

The reciprocal visit by a Chinese military delegation led by Lt.Gen. Lang Youliang from the Tibet Military Command of Chengdu Military Region was in India for four days last week.

The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) delegation visited New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai when it got to see various establishments of the Indian Army and held interactions with their counterparts.

'The visit by the PLA delegation has put the defence exchanges between the two countries back on track,' was how the Chinese visit was described by the Indian Army.

Speculation over Rahul’s ascendancy into his mother’s party post

Sonia Gandhi with Rahul Gandhi

party general secretary and spokesman, declined to say when Mr Gandhi would replace his mother, but indicated that he would be given greater responsibilities.

“There is no suspense about it. He has a role, which is increasing constantly. In natural course, his role will go on increasing.

This is what Congressmen want,” Mr Dwivedi said, stressing that the decision would be made by Mrs Gandhi.

D H Pai Panandiker, president of RPG Foundation, a New Delhi-

(Courtesy: The Times of India)

Congress president Sonia Gandhi recently cancelled her scheduled visit to Uttarakhand after being diagnosed with “viral fever” giving speculation about the ascendancy of her son Rahul Gandhi to the top party post.

There has been mounting speculation over the future of the Congress party since Mrs Gandhi, 64, flew to New York in August to be treated for what was believed to be cancer.

Mr Rahul Gandhi was appointed to a key committee running the party while his mother was away receiving treatment.

Despite criticism that he has failed to impose his personality and leadership on the party, the scion is seen as the natural choice to replace his mother.

Indian media reports last week speculated that Mr Gandhi, 41, may be appointed working president of the party soon. Mr Digvijay Singh, a senior party leader said last week that Mr Gandhi now “has to look after us all”.

Janardan Dwivedi,

based research group, was more categorical: “It is an absolute certainty that he will be the next leader of Congress, it is just a matter of when. He is from the right family and has been groomed for the prime minister’s job in the last few years.”

Mrs Gandhi’s address had been designed to launch the party’s campaign for elections in key states next year including Uttar Pradesh, where both Mr Rahul Gandhi and Mrs Gandhi have their constituencies.

Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state with a population of 200 million and extreme levels of poverty, is a key electoral battleground and likely to be crucial to the party’s reelection hopes for the general election, due in 2014.

The Congress party, which rules in a coalition in New Delhi, has been hit by a series of corruption allegations, allegedly involving top-level ministers, two of whom were forced to resign amid escalating public anger.

Polls suggested that Congress’ popularity may have fallen by a third in urban areas.

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

Chyavana and Sukanya (Part 2) The word Chyavana comes from ‘chyu’, meaning fall or slip. Even after years of tapas, the rishi’s attention was seduced when he saw Sukanya; sitting within the ant hill he tried to communicate with her. Even after years of hard work, he allowed his consciousness to be hypnotized by an external event. Thus, he fell from the heights he had achieved. The result was that he lost his eyes, symbolic of falling from light into darkness. As we progress in the story, we will see how once one falls from a great height of austerity, it takes a long and arduous cycle to come back.

We saw that Rishi Chyavana agreed to forgive the king if he could marry Sukanya. The king immediately realized the gravity of the situation and married his young daughter to the very old rishi.

The king’s soldiers, suffering from stomach cramps, were instantly relieved and the king left his daughter with the rishi and returned to his capital.

Sukanya was virtuous and the sudden turn of events did not disturb her.

On the contrary, she was very happy to have a husband who was a great rishi. She started serving her husband with deep love and spent the rest of her time in tapas. Without any thought of negativity, she looked after the guests who came to meet the rishi and dutifully lit the ‘Agnihotra’ fires every

day. The old rishi was very pleased with the actions of his young wife.

One early morning, Sukanya went to the river to have a bath. Co-incidentally, Ashwinikumars, the twin gods, had come to the river too. They saw Sukanya, without clothes, in the water and were infatuated by her beauty.

They ran to her and said “O one with most shapely thighs, are you anyone’s wife? What are you doing all alone in this forest?

The two of us want to know you so please tell us who you are.”

Sukanya replied, “Know me as the daughter of King Sharayati and the wife of Rishi Chyavana”.

The Ashwinikumars started laughing and said, “O beautiful one, what made you marry this old man?

In this dark forest, your beauty is like a flash of lightning that has over-

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

2G case trial begins; Raja’s plea dismissed A plea by former India telecom minister A Raja that he be allowed to crossexamine prosecution witnesses after the CBI probe is over in 2G spectrum case was dismissed by a Delhi court which began formal trial in the matter.

Mr Raja made the plea minutes before Special Judge O P Saini commenced formal trial, beginning it with the recording of first prosecution witness, Reliance Capital Ltd vice president Anand Subramaniam’s statement.

“As soon as the investigation in this case, which started on October 21, 2009, is complete and all the statements as mandated in section 244 of the Cr PC as supplied to the applicant, the right to recall the witnesses for cross examination will be exercised,” Mr Raja said in an application to the court.

Appearing for Mr Raja, senior advocate Sushil

whelmed us completely.

Even though you are without clothes and jewels, your beauty is unsurpassed. You are wasting your youth tied to an old husband. Leave him and come with us.” To this, Sukanya told the twins that she loved her husband deeply and would not leave him for anything.

The twins then told Sukanya that they were the physicians of the gods; that they could make her husband young and full of vigour again.

Once they had restored his youth to him, all three of them would stand in front of her and she then could choose one of them as her husband.

Sukanya was thrilled with the idea that Chyavana could regain his youth and ran to tell her husband about what had happened.

A Raja

Kumar told the court that the CBI has apprised the Supreme Court that their investigation in connection with Loop Telecom is going on.

Mr Raja’s counsel said the court should ask the agency if the investigation as far as all the 17 accused is complete. He said the investigation in the case is going on as only one FIR has been registered by the CBI. The court, however, dismissed Mr. Raja’s plea and began recording the statement of the first prosecution witness.

Mamata warns UPA against another hike in petro-products Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee last week gave a reprieve to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), but served a fresh ultimatum of walking out if petro-products prices were raised again.

At the same time prime minister Manmohan Singh ruled out a rollback of the recent petrol price hike and remained non-committal on future price revisions of cooking gas, diesel and kerosene.

“We will wait. If the price of petroleum products and cooking gas is increased again we will not stay with this government... The day the prices are increased we will sever all ties,” said West Bengal chief minister Banerjee after her meeting with union finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Kolkata.

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

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Akali Dal activists hurl eggs at L K Advani BJP leader LK Advani's rath yatra had a bumpy start in poll-bound Punjab on Sunday, when the former deputy PM was greeted with black flags and eggs. In a state where BJP is a partner in the government; Shiromani Akali Dal-Amritsar (SAD-A) supporters threw eggs at his 'rath', waved black flags and held banners saying "Advani go back."

There were anti-Advani slogans during his rally too.

The protestors were enraged over Advani's remarks in his autobiography-'My Country, My Life'about him 'instigating' former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to launch the Army attack on Darbar Sahib in 1984.

SAD-A supporters lay in ambush and sprang into action barely five hours after Advani's 'Jan Chetna Yatra' entered Punjab.

While black flags were waved and there was slogan shouting in some villages in Barnala district, it was in Mehelkalan village near Bathinda where about six of them managed to reach close to Advani's bus and threw eggs at it.

They were later arrested.

At Barnala's Court Chowk, the moment Advani started addressing the gathering, an SAD-A activist Malkit Singh got up and started shouting slogans against the BJP leader.

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

Mayawati proposes division of Uttar Pradesh into four states Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Tuesday announced that she would table the proposal to divide UP into four smaller states in the winter session of the state assembly starting on November 21.

The four parts will be Poorvanchal (East UP), Paschhimanchal (West UP), Bundelkhand and Awadh (central UP).

Mayawati got the proposal of dividing UP into four parts approved from her cabinet on Tuesday morning and later annouced it at a press conference.

The move is being seen as Maya's trump card for upcoming assembly elections. The move, political observers, believe has

been taken to compensate for anti-incumbency, divert public attention from corruption charges against Mayawati and will put opposition parties on the back foot. But opposition parties described the move as political stunt.

Mayawati said that the decision to divide UP in four parts had been taken after hectic deliberations and threadbare analysis of its pros and cons. She said that smaller states could be managed in a better way in comparison to bigger ones. She said UP was backward mainly because of its huge size. She said she had created smaller districts in UP for better management.

The chief minister said UP had given maximum number of prime ministers to the country but none of them contributed to development of the state. She said that as per the constitution, re-organisation, division and renaming of states could only be done

by Parliament. She said that governments at the centre should have taken the decision of division of the state. But, she said, unfortunately neither BJP led NDA government, nor Congress led UPA government took any decision.

Mayawati said that soon after taking charge of UP in 2007, she had asked the prime minister to consider division of UP.

31 get life term in Gujarat riot case A Gujarat court has convicted 31 people for the 2002 riot case in Sardarpura in Sardarpura in north Gujarat and sentenced them to life imprisonment for the carnage.

Thirty-three people were killed in the violence for which 42 of the 73 accused were acquitted by Judge S C Srivastava.

Initially, 76 people were arrested but one was juvenile and two died in jail.

The judge, however, refused to accept the prosecution argument that the accused had hatched a conspiracy to kill the victims. This meant the vio-

lence, in her opinion, was a spontaneous reaction by the villagers.

The Supreme Courtappointed special investigation team (SIT) had said that it was a preplanned conspiracy where a mob had gathered near a temple in the village before attacking the Muslim victims. It was also alleged that trishuls (tridents) were distributed to the mob. The violence took place on the night of March 1, 2002, when a mob gathered and torched a house in which terrified Muslims had taken shelter.

Among the 33 killed were

five men, 17 women, eight boys and three girls.

The court ordered all convicts to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation under section 257 of the Criminal Procedure Code to families of the victims.

The court imposed an additional penalty of Rs 21,700 on the accused after holding them guilty of murder, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder and arson.

The judge said she had sentenced the accused to life imprisonment because the SIT could not attribute any specific act to particular accused in the incident.

Modi showcases ‘Brand Gujarat’ in China

Continued from page 1

Therefore, our responsibility gets enhanced. We in Gujarat understand it fully.

We are working hard for ‘Gujarat’s growth to ensure India’s growth’. We are committed to contributing immensely to India’s faster growth,” he said.

Gujarat is globally preferred place At the same time, Modi said, Gujarat represents “a very different model of growth.”

“The bigger success is that Gujarat has an amazing mix of the big and small; robust and inclusive; fast and sustainable.

It has done wonderfully well on both the macro

and micro indicators,” he said. “We are making a paradigm shift in our strategy for development. Our dream is a Gujarat which is a globally preferred place to live in and to do business,” he said.

Many of the representatives, from power and engineering to infrastructure companies, said their interest in Gujarat had been sparked by stories they heard about the experiences of Chinese companies in the region, who had found the state’s infrastructure a pleasant surprise.

Pakistan is making use of you: Modi tells China "I told them - whatever your intentions, Pakistan

is making use of you," Modi said after his meeting with three Chinese leaders including Wang Gang, a politburo member of the Communist Party of China and vice-chairman of the China People's Consultative Conference.

There is a lot of concern over Chinese troop presence in PoK in India, and particularly in Gujarat as it was a border state, he told them.

Over 50 Chinese firms eyeing Gujarat After attracting investments from Japan, it is ‘Mission China’ for Gujarat government. The state government is hoping for an impressive show

by Chinese companies

during 2013 Vibrant Gujarat business meet.

The government said that over 50 companies have already expressed interest in setting up manufacturing units here under joint ventures with local firms.

“China’s budget for investment in India is $100 million dollars this year and we expect Gujarat to corner over 10% of this.

Four local companies have already signed MoUs with Chinese entities,” said principal secretary, industries, Maheshwar Sahu.

Sahu talked about possibilities of a Chinese township on the lines of the one for Japanese firms coming here.

Kingfisher to keep afloat, despite of heavy debts Continued from page 1 Government of India has never asked for a package.

Even he (Mallya) had never asked for it, he never discussed it. The banks have to help him. We want them to fly. We hope the banks to help them," added the civil aviation minister.

Banks had stopped giving loans to the Kingfisher which has suffered a loss of Rs 10.27 billion in 2010-11 and has a debt of over Rs 70.57 billion. The airline also owes more than Rs 2 billion to three

oil companies in dues. The oil companies have stopped granting credit to Kingfisher for lifting jet fuel and put it on a cashand-carry payment mode.

But later on Tuesday Mallya said he has not asked for a bailout from the government but wants the lenders to help with Rs 7 to 8 billion working capital as short-term need and interest concessions.

Facing all-round attack from political parties which are opposing any bailout for his airline, Mallya said, "We have not asked for any

bailout from government.

We have not asked the government to dip into the taxpayers' money. We have never done it, we will never do it."

After announcing the second quarter results, which showed a loss of Rs 4.68 billion, he told a press conference that "we are in dialogue with banks to open Letters of Credit which can help us recover debt and repay our high cost rupee loans."

"We have not asked for a concession. We have not asked for a hair-cut. Our

demands with the banks are mainly two-folds. One is to meet short-term capital needs which have gone up and concession on interest," he said.

The banks have not told him formally that "we should infuse capital. If there is requirement of recapitalisation or infusion of additional equity, we will consider it."

Mallya also said he has not sought any restructuring of the loan. He said that Kingfisher was not shutting down and there would be no layoffs.

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In focus Visa to Modi: No change in US policy The US on Tuesday said that there was no change in its visa policy with regard to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, but asserted that the state has a very welcoming environment for American business to flourish. "No, there are no new developments on that," assistant secretary of state for south and central Asia Robert Blake told reporters in Washington when asked if there is any review of giving visa to Modi.

SC seeks report on Pakistanis in Indian jails Expressing "shock" over large number of Pakistani nationals languishing in various Indian jails without trial, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to file within two weeks a comprehensive report on them.

A bench headed by Justice RM Lodha also asked the government to explain as to why four women among the jailed Pakistanis should not be repatriated without any delay. "You should take certain things seriously. Give us entire picture so that we could pass order. Complete information is not forthcoming. Let there be a comprehensive exercise and complete information be provided about foreign nationals in Indian jails," the bench said.

Anna denies link with RSS Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare last week said he had no links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and he was being targeted. "I have no links with the RSS. I don't care what everybody is saying as people know what Anna is. I don't need RSS," Hazare told reporters in his village. RSS chief Vishnu Bhagwat earlier said they supported the anti-corruption movement launched by Team Anna. "We support Anna. Many of our workers have joined his movement. We haven't asked them to support neither have we stopped them," Bhagwat said.

Kolkata girl wins top Cambridge prize Mahima Khanna, a 23-year-old from Kolkata, has become the third Indian to win one of Cambridge University's highest honours - the Stevenson Prize.

Khanna topped the 2010-11 MPhil class of economics at Cambridge. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen was the first Indian to win the award in 1956. Sir Partha Dasgupta, a Cambridge professor emeritus, won it in 1967. Dasgupta was knighted by the queen for his contribution to nutrition and developmental economics.

Now, fly from Surat to Delhi for 2,700 Air India (AI) has slashed its minimum passenger tariff on the Surat-New Delhi route from November 7.

Earlier, the minimum one-way fare on the Surat-Delhi route was Rs 6,700-Rs 7,500, which now is Rs 2,700Rs 4,300. Passengers wanting to fly Surat-Delhi-Surat can avail of these low fares, provided they book the tickets 14 days in advance. This is the groundwork for the launch of flight services between Surat and Mumbai by the year end. AI is the lone operator from Surat airport since May 2007. Despite the high fare of around Rs 7,500, AI was getting about 75 per cent flight occupancy six days a week.

Probe into Chandrababu Naidu's assets The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday ordered preliminary investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other agencies into the assets of former chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supreme N Chandrababu Naidu. A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Ghulam Mohammed and Justice N Ramamohana Rao asked the CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to submit to the court reports within three months in sealed covers.

travel & HISTROy

asian voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

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PuRvi’s TRavel bag

By Purvi Apurva Shah

By Dr Anil Mehta

Winston Churchill : A Prime Minister for War

Pushkar fair is the biggest camel fair in the world Pushkar camel fair is one of India’s most highlyrated travel experiences, a spectacle on an epic scale, with more than 20,000 camel at a time. The Pushkar fair is the biggest camel fair in the world and it also showcases the vibrant culture of Rajasthan. It is the biggest tribal gathering, worth a look. It is held in the month of November every year on the Kartik Purnima full moon day.

For visitors it’s a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the colour, spectacle and carnival of one of the last great traditional melas, which brings livestock, farmers, traders and villagers from all over Rajasthan.

Camel Race: The camels on display are sure to enthrall foreigners and tourists, as these majestic beasts can make heads turn due to their studied nonchalance. There is also camel competition which is fun for everyone to watch. We get easily engrossed seeing the differ-

simply an experience to roam in the terrain of the Great Indian Desert on the back of camel. Best of all, is the camel race, where camels compete and reach the finish line.

Cricket match: At the event there is also a cricket match between team of visitors and local club.

Cultural shows, games, contests, overall a very

Tourists enjoying Pushkar fair

colorful and pulsating event that helps you enjoy its typical tribal flavour.

Men and women, attired in their colorful best (in the local clothes), throng here to visit the temple and the fair.

Amusing contests like ones for ‘The Biggest

Camel Race

ent decoration of animals.

The camels were washed, scrubbed and cleaned before being decorated with jewellery and finery.

Cattle is also brought, they are adorned with bells which tinkles all the time.

Other attraction to Pushkar is piercing of camel nose and the unforgettable camel safari. It is Traditional Dance

place which is now popularly known as Pushkar.

Pushkar as a town was known for almost 12 more local fairs and festivals that spread over a period of 10 to 15 days in a year.

Hot air balloon ride: A hot air balloon ride is one of the best ways to take in the sights and the kaleidoscope of colours at the camel fair. There are two

Moustache,’ ‘Matka Phod’ and ‘The Best Bridal Dress-Up’ are held to entertain visitors.

The colourful umbrellas, animals on exhibit, the sand and the beautiful costumes of people everything was beyond imagination. This is one of the holiest cities of India.

It is popularly believed that Gods were on a lookout for a place on earth where Brahmatheir lord could perform a holy yagna. At that time, a holy swan was released with a lotus in its beak.

Gods were of the opinion that the place where this lotus would fall will be identified as the place for Brahma to perform the yagna. As luck would have it, the lotus fell in a

one-hour flights a day.

Pushkar is among the five dhams or pilgrimages that are held in high esteem by Hindus, the others being Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram, and Dwarka. According to legends, Pushkar Lake was surrounded by 500 temples and 52 palaces. The Brahma temple is the most important temple here and is, in fact, the only Brahma temple in India. It is 14th century temple, it is said that Savitri, Brahma’s wife, declared in a fit of anger that Pushkar was the only place where Brahma would be worshipped.

The closest airport to Pushkar is Jaipur. There are daily domestic flights to Jaipur from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and other places.

The Greenhouse Resort, because it is ecofriendly boutique resort, located five km outside of Pushkar village, is nestled amongst gardens and serves food cooked with on-estate vegetable garden.

Decorated Camel

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965), British statesman and PM (1940 – 45, 1951 – 55) was undoubtedly an inspirational wartime leader who led Britain to victory against Nazi Germany in WW II. Born into an aristocratic family at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, he was the eldest son of a prominent Tory politician Lord Randolph Churchill.

After studying at Harrow and Military Academy, Sandhurst, he worked as an army officer in India, the Sudan, and as wartime correspondent in South Africa during the Boer War where he was briefly captured but escaped.

Churchill entered politics as a Conservative MP of Oldham in 1900 and quickly rose to prominence. Not only did he held many Cabinet posts but also change the parties twice to the annoyance of his colleagues; in 1904 (Liberal) and 1924 (Conservative again). He served as President of the Board of Trade, Home Secretary, and First Lord of the Admiralty in the Liberal government. At the Admiralty, expansion of the navy was his important contribution to the war effort (WW I). He resigned from the Admiralty post after the failure of the Gallipoli Campaign (Turkey) during WW I for which he was blamed.

The collapse of the Liberal government in 1922 put Churchill out of Parliament, but in 1924 he returned as a Conservative MP for Epping and was promptly appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Conservative government.

With the fall of Conservatives in 1929, he was out of office for the next 10 years (his ‘wilderness years’) though retaining his seat as an MP. As a backbencher during the 1930s Churchill’s repeated warning about the rise of Nazi Germany and the need for rearmament went unheeded, while his support for Edward VIII during the Abdication Crisis of 1936 and his outspoken opposition to the Indian nationalist movement made him unpopular. In February 1931, when he saw the picture of Gandhiji with Lord Irwin (the Viceroy) in Viceroy’s House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan) in Delhi, he found it ‘alarming and also nauseating to see Mr. Gandhi, a halfnaked fakir striding up the steps of the Viceregal palace while he is still

organising and conducting a campaign of civil disobedience, to parley on equal terms with the representative of the King-Emperor’.

(Gandhiji though, took it as a ‘complement’).

In 1939 when war (WW II) broke out, Churchill returned as First Lord of the Admiralty, and in 1940 became PM of a coalition government with all-party support. As a wartime leader he came into his own. He promised the nation only ‘blood, toil, tears, and sweat’. His contribution to victory was his inspirational leadership, courage, determination, and his defiant, uncompromising and moraleboosting speeches during the war. For five years he worked tirelessly round the clock ignoring his own health, travelled ceaselessly at home and abroad and formed alliances with the USA and Russia. He did everything possible to win the war. Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum in central London (King Charles Street, SW1) are secret underground HQ (restored to their wartime condition) where Churchill conducted the wartime business when German bombs were falling on London. The adjoining museum illustrates Churchill’s life and times (entrance by ticket).

After the allied victory Churchill was rejected by a reform-hungry electorate in 1945 election which Labour won by a landslide and which gave India independence.

Though he was wellrespected, the voters felt that he was not the appropriate choice for post-war reconstruction of the country. As the leader of the opposition he now

warned the West against Russia’s expansionist policy in Eastern Europe and the so-called ‘Iron Curtain’ which was descending over Europe.

There was no retirement yet. In 1951 he returned as PM for the second term. Apart from denationalising steel industry he kept most other measures of the previous Labour government in place. He was now 77 and failing in health. He resigned from the premiership in 1955 at the age of 80, in favour of Anthony Eden, but remained as an MP until 1964. He died of a stroke at the age of 90, and was given a state funeral.

Churchill was married with five children. He was a prolific writer of a high calibre (awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1953) and even painter in his own right. During his long career he saw Britain’s decline as a world power and disintegration of British Empire, developments he bitterly resented. A staunch imperialist, he was unpopular among Indians because of his strong opposition to granting India independence.

His response to Gandhiji’s Quit India Movement of 1942 (he was a PM then) was sharp and swift ‘I haven’t become the king’s first minister to preside over liquidation of the British Empire’. Perhaps, he had failed to appreciate the strength of the Indian nationalist movement.

Nevertheless, for Britain, he was an inspirational wartime leader, and is still regarded by many as Britain’s greatest PM – the saviour of his country. His statue adorns Parliament Square in London.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

Indian Wedding Lingayat community marriage

The traditions of the Lingayat community of Karnataka during the wedding are a shade different from the other communities of Karnataka. They are an orthodox and conservative community who believe in following their traditions and passing it down the generations as well. The Lingayats are one of the respected and powerful communities in Karnataka.

Pre-wedding rituals Nandi: In this ritual the wedding card is placed before the Lord so that the marriage takes place without any hitch.

Kashi Yatra: This is a traditional and playful ritual where the groom announces his renunciation of the worldly life and pretends to leave for Kasi on a pilgrimage like a true sanyasi. But his maternal uncle stops him and convinces him to marry the girl chosen for him.

Dev Karya: This ritual is conducted on the day of arrival of the groom's family to the place where

the marriage is being conducted. The goods used for the wedding are placed before Lord Ganesha and blessings sought. Haldi is applied on the bride and the groom.

When the groom and his family reach the venue, the married women from the bride's party perform an aarti and lead the bridegroom to the wedding hall.

Wedding rituals: Mandap Puja: This is the first ritual that is performed on the wedding day. This is a puja performed to make sure the mandap or the marriage hall is made fit for the wedding.

The Var Puja is a ceremony performed when the bride's father brings the groom to the mandap.

The ceremonial washing of the groom's feet by the parents of the bride takes place and a silk dhoti is offered to the groom.

Garlanding ceremony: The bride is escorted by her uncle to the mandap. The bride and the groom stand facing each other with a white cloth

between them as the wedding mantra is recited.

The white cloth is now removed and the bride and the groom garland each other amidst the chanting of mantras.

Giving away of the bride: 'Dhare Herdu' symbolizes handing over of the bride to the groom.

The bride's father takes the groom's hand and places it on the hand of the bride. The groom then holds the bride's hand along with coconut and betel leaves while her father pours water into the groom's hands signifying 'dhara' that now she belongs to the groom.

Saptapadi is the wedding ceremony where the bride and the groom walk seven times around the holy fire 'sapta padi'. The groom's angavastram and the bride's pallav are joined with a nuptial knot during the ceremony.

In Kannada weddings, five women tie the Mangalsutra or the holy thread while the bride groom holds it around the neck of the bride. The couple bows before the elders and seek their blessings.

Post-wedding rituals Vidaai ceremony refers to the tearful and ceremonial departure of the bride from her maternal home to her in-laws house. The bride's parents shower her with a lot of gifts.

Graha Pravesh is the ritual of the bride entering her new home. She kicks a kalash full of rice kept at the entrance of the groom's house with her right foot. This ritual signifies that her arrival is bound to bring prosperity and she enters a new phase of her life.

Develop a relationship with style: jacqueline fernanDez “It’s not for investment I buy jewellery, but am simply cherishing a relationship with gold, diamonds or platinum. I have a relationship woven with style and fashion,” says Bollywood actress and Miss Sri Lanka Universe 2006 Jacqueline Fernandez, who was in Ahmedabad for a jewellery launch.

Out of all Bollywood beauties why is Jacqueline selected as style icon for precious platinum jewellery.

Because she is the beauty who has always believed in style statement that spells simplicity with lot of class. She says, “only when you have a relationship, can you understand fashion and jewellery better. There is shopper inside every women, you just need to pick it right.

As now women are busier and always on the go, practical, comfortable and functional fashion should be put hands on.

One that is simple yet looks apart,”she said and added that “trends are fun to follow, but it is most important to know which one works for you.”

Jacqueline is a former beauty queen who won

the Miss Sri Lanka Universe in 2006. She has received an international Indian film academy award and Stardust award for best female debut for her role in the Indian film ‘Aladin.’ She is the first Sri Lankan beauty who made a mark in Bollywood.

Her upcoming films are “Housefull 2,” “Race 2” and “Murder 2.” She is the hottie with perfect face and hour-glass figure.

Her fitness regime is full of variety. While she used to be a gym person at one point, she also did yoga which did wonders for maintaining weight and lending that unprecedented glow.

However, she believes that the best way to lose weight is to just break into a sweat, be it in the gym or by jogging or by doing anything else one likes. What is important is to get your heart into whatever you are doing.

Dedication is the single most important factor, no matter what the fitness regimen.

“I believe our bodies will do anything that we train them to do. If in my mind I know I have to work out next morning,

my body will wake up at a time when it is finished with its quota of sleep automatically and push me out of bed,” she says.

“I was working as a journalist writing for an international newspaper and was also involved with broadcast journalism, have studied mass media from Australia,” she says. She is beauty with brains. She adds, “never in my dream did I think of Bollywood, it was that eventually I got involved in modeling and one fine day an offer from Bollywood changed my destiny. I did not even know the Hindi language, so doing films without knowing the language was sounding very odd, but I had always been receptive to learning languages, so I started working on Hindi.”

“With time I do not know if I will progress to Hollywood. My dream role is to act in historical and epic movies. I do not have any five year plans, but I am just going as life takes me. My ideal man is not this or that, I can get married to a Gujarati man also provided if our relations click,” she said.

–Purvi Apurva Shah

Live-in-relationship among seniors multiplying in India It is not a vagabond attitude nor is it a sign of a loose character if a senior citizen opts for a live-in relationship. Agreeing to live-in relationship is surely bold step in India but certainly not a wrong idea.

Nowadays, the scenario is changing when more and more people are getting ready for live-in relationship. Not only the youngsters but even the old aged people are opting for this.

It is the changing attitude of senior citizens in India.

They are ageing and do not have anyone to beat the loneliness blues. Not to spend the remaining years in isolation but have someone to share the last few years of their life.

The demand for live-in relationship are growing among seniors. Thus marriage bureaus dealing in senior citizens’ live-in rela-

tionship have started in the country. The first ever livein relationship match-making fair is going to be held in Ahmedabad soon, where 400 senior men and 75 senior women will interact with each other to find a suitable live-in partner.

The organizer of this fair Natubhai Patel says, “senior citizen in the age of 45 to 85 have got their names registered for this fair, some of them are going to come from USA, UK, Tanzania to attend this fair. Many of them are coming from far away places in India. Even men and women from old- age homes are attending the event. Previously the organizer had arranged a 'swayamvar' for senior citizens where live-in relationships and even contract marriages got a sanction from many candidates.

“It is like life starting at 60, it is the second inning,” says a Vadodarabased businessman who believes in understanding live-in relations in the right sense. He says, “I need someone to share my life.”

One of the oldest candid a t e s searching for a livein partner is 85-yearo l d Chennai b a s e d stockbroker Shashibhai. He says “I have travelled abroad more than 200 times, I have got a big house, fat bank balance but what I miss is someone by my side, to share my every day talks. I lost my wife 5 years back, my three children are married and happily settled, though they are busy they

have always taken out time for me, but they have their own life to fall back on. I want a companion to be on my side.”

‘I have taken so much pains going through the divorce procedures in my first marriage”, that now I feel it is better to have livein mate than marriage, as we can also get a chance to know if we click with each other,” says Airline Captain Laxman who keeps his fingers crossed for the eyebrows to be raised with his decision.

In fact, many elders in their 70s say they want partners with whom they can travel around the country and abroad and

live the twilight years in style! "I don't believe that I am ageing. I still work for over eight hours a day as a financial advisor and earn well. I am on the lookout of a likeminded partner who is lonely in her old age and would like to move in with me. My plan is to work for 11 months and then take off on a month's vacation with her," says another senior citizen who concedes his sons are okay with his decision. On an average with every 1,000 senior citizens applying for remarriages, more than 200 are ready for live-in relations, says Natubhai Patel of Vina Mulya Amulya Sewa (VMAS), a marriage bureau especially for the old. He has recently settled one live-in couple to move together.

He says, "old people

taking steps to build their lives in the last years of their life is heartening."

Interestingly, even old women are opening up to the idea of finding a partner to hold hands in the sunset years of their lives.

They prefer to go for livein relationship than marriage where ties may tend to gag more than bind after some time.

Never married Reba Mukherjee says, “I have seen my parents fight and that’s why I never wanted to go for marriage commitment and had remained single. But now at the age of 61, when my brother and sister are busy in their lives, father and mother not there to take care of me, so in order to have someone to share my life, I am ready for live-in relationship.

–Purvi Apurva Shah

HealtH WATcH

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

New research calls for lower limit to be set for South Asian obesity level A new study has called for levels of obesity among South Asians to be recalculated.

A team from the University of Leicester’s departments of Health Sciences and Cardiovascular Sciences have put the case for the point at which South Asians should be classed as obese to be redefined.

Their study has been published in PLoS One, a journal of the Public Library of Science.

South Asians around the world are at increased risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. They also get these chronic diseases at an earlier age. The study concludes that significantly lower BMI and waist circumference cut points for defining obesity are needed for migrant South Asians.

Dr Laura Gray and Professors Kamlesh

and the analysis was done as part of the work of the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (NIHR CLAHRC) in Leicestershire, Northampton and Rutland (LNR).

The NIHR CLAHRC – LNR brings together all the major commissioners and providers of health-

Khunti and Melanie Davies led the research utilising data from over 6,000 participants screened for Type 2 diabetes from Leicester. The research was funded by the Department of Health

care services in the region in a partnership with the principal academic institution. This unique collaboration between NHS trusts and the University of Leicester is funded by the NIHR and is part of a

Professors Kamlesh Khunti

five- year programme to ensure that the lessons learnt from research studies are rapidly and effectively implemented, and develops research capacity and capability within local healthcare organisations.

Professor Khunti, Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester, said: “Our study shows that the conventional definition of obesity (BMI 30 kg/m2) needs to be lowered in migrant South Asians to detect equivalent levels of cardiovascular risk, based on levels of glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol.

“Our study suggests that migrant South Asians should be classed as obese and therefore at high risk of developing diabetes based on a BMI of between 23-28 kg/m2.”

The researchers also define similar lower cut points for waist circumference.

Professor Khunti said: “This is the first study to reassess obesity definitions in a migrant UK South Asian population and could have important clinical implications.

“This research has huge implications globally for screening strategies for South Asians based on BMI and waist circumference cut-points. We need to lower these cut-points when screening for diabetes and cardiovascular disease in these groups."

For more information, please contact Professor Khunti, University of Leicester, on 0116 252 5445 or email University of Leicester pressoffice on pressoffice@le.ac.uk

Carrots are delicious, steeped in health

There's something about the carrot. Eat it raw, and it gives you refreshing energy. You can also cook it. Full of Vitamin A, they are easily available. On a winter afternoon, it's blissful to curl up with a book and a piece of carrot cake.

And if you love your share of Indian sweets then nothing can beat a plate of gajar ki halwa. You would be surprised to know the number of dishes and desserts that you could make with this vegetable.

Saute carrots, cauliflower, spinach in olive oil and enjoy your share of vegetables.

Carrots are considered a goldmine of natural vita-

mins and nutrients.

Among other raw vegetable juices, carrot juice is a sure shot winner.

Carrot juice is known for its excellent cleansing effects and, in addition, it was considered a good remedy for constipation and fatigue.

As we all know, no other vegetable contains as much beta-carotene as carrots. In our body, betacarotene is converted into Vitamin A, which assists in improving our eyesight and the functioning of our immune system, strengthening our bones and teeth, preventing possible problems with the functioning of the thyroid glad.

Carrot juice has very good anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous and antiaging properties. Carotene is a known anti-oxidant, which can prevent degenerative processes in the cells and has great antiaging effects. Also, drinking raw carrot juice can be helpful for lowering the symptoms of stresses and normalizing the function of your digestive system.

You can mix carrot juice with beetroot juice and spinach. Wake up in the morning to this tonic and it will be a joyful health ride for you.

29

Any quest ions writ e to m amta @thinkspalon

By Mamta Saha don.com

Psychologist

How to cope with the death of someone you love - Part 1 Nobody lives forever and the one certainty in life is death.

We know these facts very well, so, why is it so incredibly difficult and painful to cope with the loss of someone we love?

Surely the logic and philosophical concept of death can help us cope with accepting that a loved one is no longer with us? But, its not that easy is it?

Especially when there is a strong presence of the individual through memories, possessions, smells and an aura of energy that serves as a constant reminder of that person - despite their absence in our lives. Read on for some simple yet practical tips that can help you cope constructively to heal the pain that is experienced by loosing somebody you love.

The first and most important step toward healing is accepting the fact that you will experience and go through an array of feeing’s. You may have to deal with emotions such as shock, anger and guilt.

It may feel as though the heaviness of emotion is just not going away and this can be frightening and weighty to absorb. There is no right or wrong feeling and there is no perfect way to grieve, you have to find a way that is comfortable for you and this is the healthiest way to cope with the pain.

How you grieve depends on many factors including your personality, religion and the nature of the loss.

Regardless of these factors facing up to the grief and the emotions you are feeling is a good start.

Running away (physically

or mentally) will only bring the emotions on stronger at a later stage. It is like pushing a beach ball under water – when you let go it comes back up very quickly with a splash. Stare your emotions in the face and decide how and what you need to do to work through them Once you have acknowledged how you are feeling seek comfort in turning to friends or family and get the support you need. The help that others can give you should not be underestimated.

Ultimately, if you have people around you that care for your well being and betterment your grief can be shared and this will make the heaviness of loss easier to carry over time.

You may feel incredibly uncomfortable doing this for many reasons, however work hard to draw loved ones close – not push them away. Often people want to extend their hand to you because they care but don’t know how to, so do not be shy when you tell people what you need to help you heal. If you do not want to speak to friends or family, join a support group or draw comfort in your faith by visiting your local place of worship. Meditation is also very effective, find a local meditation centre and pop in to see what courses they have running.

Ultimately, reach out and do not suffer in silence.

The grief you feel will only magnify and get bigger.

Take the first step, pick up the phone or reach out to a group that can help. You will not regret doing this.

Lastly, take care of yourself. The heaviness of grief can eat away at your energy and strength and if you look after your physical and emotional needs you enable yourself to get through this difficult time.

Eat, sleep and live in a healthy way. When you are overwhelmed with sadness you can easily start to neglect your basic needs – this will only make things harder for you. Going for walks, sleeping a good 8 hours and eating balanced healthy meals may not sound like a rocket science formula, but adhering to these common sense disciplines will serve you well when dealing and working through the pain of loosing someone you love. If you are nourished in every possible way you will see, hear and act and think clearly. If you are not, your consciousness will suffer and this will impact your morale and well being as a result.

If you know of anyone who may benefit from reading this article please do share it with him or her.

Additionally, if you like my articles and want to be inspired on a regular basis remember to ‘like’ the Thinkspalondon page on Facebook and register on the website for free articles. For your information - early next year I plan to run another personal development day course.

To qualify for an early bird discount register your interest by emailing me directly on mamta@thinkspalondon.c om. May you live always with peace, harmony and happiness.

Simple jogging test may reveal risk of heart attack Are you middleaged and worried about having a heart attack? Well, a simple jogging test could reveal your risk, says a new study.

Researchers at the University of Texas have carried out the study and found how fast a middleaged man could run a mile may determine their risk of heart attack or stroke

over the next 10 years.

For the study, researchers collected information from 11,000 men who underwent a clinical exam and a treadmill exercise test at Cooper Clinic in Dallas between 1970 and 1990.

They found that 1,106 of them died of heart attack or stroke before 2006. After analysing the

data they were able to predict a man's risk of developing heart disease based on his running time.

The study found a 55year-old man who took 15 minutes to run a mile had a 30% lifetime risk of dying from heart disease.

In contrast , a 55-year-old who could run a mile in eight minutes had a risk of less than 10%.

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

CB Live is only a Gujarati programme in UK on MATV SKY 793 Miss Mayuri Parmar (Public Relation Co-ordinator of National Hindu Students Forum, UK) and Mr. Pranav Bhanot (President at National Hindu Students Forum, UK) will discuss about the activities and the roll of the NHSF which has been providing valuable service for last twenty years.

Mr. H.P. Joshi, a well known teacher, writer & community worker, in Uganda will reminisate his experiences in Uganda, India as well as recollect the fund memories.

If you do not have a SKY, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Dr Teepu Siddique to receive CCN’s Ibn Sina Award 2011

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500 The need to push ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 ahead with personal inter-

ests and to assert yourself with added force will take precedence over everything else for some time to come. Mentally you will be in top form, perhaps feeling quite passionate about expressing your ideas and views. Indeed, a goal you have been striving towards will at last be reached.

7pm to 8pm

For more information e-mail:

cblive_matv@yahoo.co.uk

Coming Events l The Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture by Professor Lord Bhikhu Parekh on ‘The Crisis of Indian Democracy’ is taking place on Monday 21st November 2011 at Chatham House, 10 St James’s Square, London, SWIY 4LE at 6.30pm. It is sponsored by India Advisory Partners Limited and generously supported by Trinity College, Cambridge, The Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Trust. Admission Free Subject to personal registration with asia@chathamhouse.org.uk or 0207 314 2761 l THE LITTLE STARS IN CONCERT: Saturday 19th November 2011 from 8pm to10 pm For more details contact Shree Jalaram Mandir Greenford on 0208 578 8088 / 9285 l CHILDREN BHAJAN PROGRAMME: Sunday 4th December 2011 from 1pm to 5pm For more details contact Shree Jalaram Mandir Greenford on 0208 578 8088 / 9285

Each year Compassionate Care Network (CCN) chooses to recognise at its Annual Banquet an individual or organisation for their outstanding services in the medical field. This award is given in the name of Ibn Sina a renowned Muslim physician and philosopher, whose towering figure in the field of medicine dominated the stage of science for centuries throughout the Middle Ages.

This year CCN presented the award for Humanitarian Service and Pioneering Medical Research to Dr Teepu Siddique, MD from the Fineberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, for

his pioneering research in the field of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS aka Lou Garret’s Disease).

ALS affects an estimate 350,000 people around the world, with about half of people dying within three years of its onset. The breakdown occurs in the recycling system in the nerve cells of the spinal cord and the brain. In order to function properly, the protein building blocks in the cells need to be recycled.

Dr Siddique and his team found a protein which should be directing the recycling process within nerve cells does not work in people in people with ALS.

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l FREE yoga class on every WEDNESDAY between 7.30.P.M. TO 8.30 P.M. conducted by Swami Ramdev's teacher Surbhi Khona at International Siddhashram Shakti Centre, Palmerston Road, Harrow, Wealdstone. HA3 7RW Tel 020 8426 0678 l Shree Jignyasu Satsang mandal are holding a 108 Hanuman Chalisa Mahayagna in the presence of Param Pujya Rambapa on 20 November, 2011 at Social Club Hall, Northwick Park Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow from 11am till 5pm, Sponsored by Batukbhai, Deepika Thakrar and family. Telephone: 020 8459 5758/ 07973 550310

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 This week you will be mentally alert and have the ability to sort out any practical problems. Matters of the heart are not favoured this week, so expect some setbacks. Plan ahead for the long term where finances are concerned as this is a good time to invest. The atmosphere at home is likely to be convivial and joyous.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Domestic and home matters are disturbed and a source of concern to you. You could find family members hostile and difficult to reason with. It is a period of handling matters with utmost diplomacy and calmness. Mercury in your opposite sign ensures that you are extremely communicative and that people will listen to what you have to say.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 Mars and Saturn placement in your chart sets a rather challenging theme. Although this gives increased potential for tension and conflict with other people, it also means that you are able to confront issues and sort any problems out. If this involves a close relationship, you can now resolve your differences.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

The accent’s very much on relationships. The opening up of a more diverse social life is a point in favour of romantic attachments.

You will achieve a lot more, especially when you're motivated by your own desires. The general pattern of things continues on a progressive and buoyant theme.

You are endowed with a level of determination that others sometimes find formidable. Once you set your mind on a goal you stay the course no matter what obstacles you encounter. Saturn's placement in your Solar 2nd house often denotes a phase of restriction, sometimes frustration, in one's working life.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 You will begin this week with positive attitude towards life and will have good communication skills. This will also make you feel very confident in all areas of your life. You will continue to wield power and authority in whatever you do.

You will also spend a lot of your free time helping charitable institutions.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 This is a good time to cut back on extravagant spending and consolidate your finances. Your social calendar is likely to keep you very busy and you will have lots of opportunities to promote yourself. For some of you this is also a good time to meet like-minded people which could lead to romantic liaisons.

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 You have everything to gain by following creative inclinations. If you have new ideas, now is the time to put them into practice. Whatever your present interests you are likely to find that new doors open and the way ahead offers increased scope for expressing your real self. A great time to meet and interact with people.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 With Saturn in your solar 10th house, your career and home life needs to be balanced. Some of you will be in a reflective mood and taking stock of your lives and working out the best direction to take. This is a good time to take up yoga and meditation or even take time out for a while.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 With Mercury and Venus in your solar 11th house, you should enjoy a very popular phase in your life where everyone wants to invite you to parties. You will meet people of your own calibre and pursue any romantic liaisons. Your communications are extremely high making it easy to to make friends.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 There may be a discrepancy between the energy you put out and the actual result achieved. You can do much to minimise this effect by avoiding distractions and concentrating on only what is most essential at a day-to-day level. Try to take things in your stride rather than anticipating what might happen.

Sport worLd

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman ensure victory for India in first test

India’s third-highest successful run chase in Tests wasn’t as easy as it was made to look by the Big Four. Though the bleak, winless past few months of away cricket can’t be brushed under the remains of the Ferozeshah Kotla turf, the clinical precision with which Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman crafted a chase of 276 was proof of India’s batting domination at home.

This one might not have come against a top-class attack but it was a tricky low pitch on which only the supremely patient and skilfull had succeeded.

India have now not lost at Kotla since 1987, when the shoe was on the other foot and the West Indies won by an identical margin of 5 wickets.

The seamless finish to India’s first Test win in six outings masked the topsy-turvy nature this contest had acquired over the past three days. After India’s mighty came undone in the first innings and gifted a 95-run lead to West Indies, Virender Sehwag seemed at pains to emphasise, “We got out to soft dismissals. We will not make the same mistake again.” His comfort talk couldn’t hide the jitters.

The inevitability of the win as Tendulkar and Laxman went about their task on would have come as big relief.

In the end, the West Indies came

VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar added 71 for the fourth wicket

away disappointed but knowing they could punch above their weight in these conditions. Spin proved to be their undoing, as expected. A more assured approach from the other batsmen was needed in the second innings to support Chanderpaul and Sammy’s fine efforts. As MS Dhoni hinted, India had only themselves to blame for having to pull off a rescue act.

For a while, the looming prospect of Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th international century nearly overshadowed the proceedings. India had needed 124 at the start of play on the fourth day, with Tendulkar (76; 148b, 10x4) batting on 33. Ten runs into the day’s play, a peach of an incoming delivery from Fidel Edwards, who had got the reverse

swing going early, sneaked past Dravid’s defences to leave India at 162/3.

Enter fourth-innings specialist and miracle man VVS Laxman (58 not out; 105b, 6x4), from whom a big innings was overdue.

Laxman got going with a trademark flick to the boundary off a loose one from Edwards. With Tendulkar too holding firm, the Windies gradually relinquished all hopes of a turnaround. At one stage, with the result of the match a foregone conclusion, Laxman slowed down.

Tendulkar had entered the 70s and the 100th ton seemed as inevitable as the win.

That was to be the only twist in the day's play as a Bishoo goggly, and the low pitch, contrived to change the script. Amid gasps of disappointment, it was left to Laxman to finish the job.

With the scores level, there was some minor drama as Yuvraj fell to a shooter from Sammy but the target hadn’t proved big enough to challenge India.

This has been a smooth end to a bumpy ride for MS Dhoni’s men and they will be hoping the rest of the series goes easier. There have been some important gains: the return to form of Laxman and Sehwag, and some wickets in the bag for the new spin duo of Pragyan Ojha and Man of the Match Ashwin.

Heartbreak at Eden as Sachin misses elusive 100th ton West Indies players Devendra Bishoo and Marlon Samuels turned villains for the Eden Gardens crowd which had begun to swell hoping Indian little master Sachin Tendulkar would complete his much-awaited 100th international ton on day one of the second Test on Monday. Tendulkar, a ton away from achieving the milestone, departed on 38 (71 balls, 5x4) after a 75-minute stay in the middle.

The batting genius, who earlier survived a strong leg before appeal off Bishoo while on 25, got out to an ordinary delivery from the same bowler.

Tendulkar tried to pull the rank short ball that was turning away from him, and offered a simple catch to Samuels

at mid-wicket, as a hush descended on the stadium.

It was the Tendulkar magic that had seen the crowd count soar to around 10,000 in the afternoon session as he seemed confident but cautious, after having to wait over eight months for the elusive mark. He got his 99th ton on March 12 at Nagpur against South Africa.

Earlier, Tendulkar had walked out to a rousing reception at 12-07 pm after Gautam Gambhir got out.

The spectators clapped and shouted 'sachin', 'sachin' as the master batsman made his way to the 22 yards.

The first ball he faced was a loosener of sorts from pacer Phil Edwards

wayward down the legside.

As Tendulkar unleashed some good shots, in between picking up runs in singles and twos, the excitement soared, and every run resulted in a countdown by the fans.

There were some anxious moments in the 44th over when Bishoo's delivery rapped Tendulkar - then on 25 - on the front foot, and there was a strong leg before appeal. Umpire Rod Tucker's decision to turn down the appeal came as a big relief for the crowd.

But all that finally ended in disappointment in the 52nd over of the day as the one century the cricketing world is waiting for months remained elusive once again.

Awards launched to honour outstanding Asian footballers The Asian Football Awards (AFA) has been launched to recognise the outstanding contribution to both professional game and grassroots initiatives by individuals and groups across the UK with South Asian heritage.

The awards are to be held at London, Wembley Stadium on the 24th January 2012 and is being supported by The FA and Kick It Out. A number of exceptional UK Asians and those from the South Asian diaspora will be honoured at the first ever awards function.

This event is expected to attract an exceptional list of guests to gather, support and celebrate Asians in football.

The awards will ensure that those working or investing in the professional game or community sport have the opportunity to receive acclaim for their achievements in developing Asians in football.

Initial nominations include Michael Chopra (Ipswich Town), Zesh Rehman ( Muang Thong Utd

), Anwar Uddin (Barnet FC), Dr Zaf Iqbal (Liverpool FC), Rimla Akhtar (MWSF), Permi Jhooti (FIFA Ambassador), Lakshmi Mittal and Tony Fernandes (QPR FC). Imran Hassan, co-founder, Asian Football Awards said: “We have seen positive movement within the development of Asians in the game. We feel that recognition and acknowledgement of individuals and organisations is a fundamental part of developing more individuals in the professional game. I am delighted to be involved in the Asian Football Awards and look forward to celebrating all aspects of the game from investors, players, coaches and those involved behind the scenes.”

FA equality manager,

Funke Awoderu, said: “The FA is delighted that the inaugural Asian Football Awards will be held at Wembley Stadium early next year. We are committed to football for all and look forward to welcoming the Asian football community to one of the world's most iconic stadiums for an evening that will not only celebrate success and high achievement across all areas of the game but act as an inspiration to younger generations."

Danny Lynch, head of communications Kick It Out, footballs equality and inclusion campaign said: “Initiatives like The Asian Football Awards encourage greater involvement from groups and individuals that have sometimes been marginalised from the game in the past. Kick It Out are proud supporters of the Asian

Football Awards”.

Baljit Rihal, co-founder Asian Football Awards said: “The first Asian Football Awards promises to be a fantastic opportunity to network with influential personnel from the football industry. We are proud to be hosting this event and are sure that Asian participation in UK football will benefit its inception.” Nomination categories are open. To nominate a person, group or organisation for the Asian Football Awards or book your tickets simply visit www.asianfootballawards.co.uk.

Asian Football Awards will recognise and honour outstanding achievements across 14 categories that include pro/semi pro players, coaches, managers investors, backroom staff and grassroots. The AFA are open to nominations for individuals with heritage from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and indeed those dedicated to increasing Asian Participation in UK football.

31

Federer wins maiden Paris Masters title

A resurgent Roger Federer swept past local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1 7-6 to clinch his maiden Paris Masters title on Sunday and send a deafening warning to his rivals ahead of the ATP World Tour finals. Swiss third seed Federer, who moved to one shy of Rafa Nadal's record of 19 Masters titles with a stunning display of sheer brilliance, became only the second player with titles in Roland Garros and Bercy - the two men's Paris tournaments.

"I'm very happy with my performance today," Federer, who captured his 69th career title from 99 finals, said at the courtside. "I'm amazed by how well I play. "I don't think Jo played a bad match. It's good to complete the tournament so solidly." Tsonga brushed aside suggestions he was tired after spending almost three hours on court in Saturday's semi-final victory over American John Isner and said Federer had deserved to win.

Bopanna-Qureshi win doubles crown

India’s Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan’s Aisam-ulHaq Qureshi captured their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title when they outclassed Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut 6-2, 6-4 in the BNP Paribas Masters final on Sunday. The Indo-Pak Express were too strong for the French wild cards. This has been an eventful week for the duo as this win comes close on the heels of them becoming the seventh team to qualify for the prestigious Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. “This win gives us a lot of confidence, it is our biggest title by far,” said Bopanna. “All the hard work over the years has paid off.”

Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 25 runs, level series Opener Upul Tharanga made 77 and fast bowler Lasith Malinga claimed three wickets on Monday to lead Sri Lanka to a 25-run win over Pakistan to level the one-day international series at 1-1 with three matches left. Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene (50) ensured Sri Lanka reached 235-7 in the second match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan spinners Saeed Ajmal finished with 3-61 and Shahid Afridi 2-35. Malinga took two wickets in his first over in capturing 3-31 as Pakistan was bowled out for 210 off 46.3 overs, with Umar Akmal (91) the only Pakistani batsman to score more than 30.

Pacemen Thisara Perera took 2-30 and Dilhara Fernando 2-54 while Sri Lanka's fielders also supplied three fine run outs. Pakistan's chase was quickly derailed by the fiery Malinga, who removed Mohammad Hafeez (4) and Younis Khan (0) by catches from wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara. Hafeez was Malinga's 150th ODI wicket, while Younis' removal was via a brilliant one-handed grab away to Sangakkara's right.

Graham Gooch gets honorary doctorate England batting legend and batting coach Graham Gooch has received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of East London, despite leaving school early to do an engineering apprenticeship and admitting that he was "never particularly academic as an youngster". He said, "My favourite book is Lord of the Rings although I have not read it, just watched the films. I don't read books, but I read a lot of magazines about cars, health and general interest."

32

Asian Voice - Saturday 19th November 2011

Joe Frazier was truly awesome

Test cricket alive and well

By Premen Addy

The news that former heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier had died from a cancerous liver ailment brought tributes from all corners of the sporting world, most emanating in his native United States. The incomparable Muhammed Ali fought Frazier thrice, winning twice after losing the opener, the most brutal bout being the “thriller in Manila,” which reduced both men to utter exhaustion. Frazier was the worst for wear and threw in the towel at the end of the 14th round, with only one to go.

Professional boxing is a pitiless occupation. It often scars its practitioners for life – think of Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and the Parkinson-crippled Muhammed Ali and their travails with body and purse – and you'll see what I mean. The courage of Joe Frazier was truly awesome. He was a true boxing great.

Apropos of injuries in the sport, retirement at the right time from the ring is doubly important. Britain's light-welterweight champion Amir Khan has called on his friend and stablemate world champion Manny Pacquiao to retire following his gruelling encounter with Manuel Marquez, which he edged. Khan said: “Manny did win it, but he doesn't have to keep taking these fights.” How often has one heard such advice before, and how often has it been ignored, alas.

By PA

Australia to host 2018 Commonwealth Games Australia's Gold Coast was chosen ahead of the Sri Lankan city of Hambantota to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The 70 members of the Commonwealth Games Federation voted 43-27 to award the 21st Commonwealth Games to Gold Coast in southeast Queensland state.

Australia has hosted the games four times previously in the event's 80 years history while Sri Lanka was bidding to host the games for the first time.

Gold Coast's bid was based largely on the use of existing facilities while Hambantota, a city largely devastated by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, promised to deliver brand new stadiums, an international airport and other infrastructure by 2016. "The hard work has paid off," said Anna Bligh, Queensland's premier. "The Commonwealth Games is one of the most significant sporting games in the world."

About 90 km (50 miles) south of Brisbane and with a population of around 540,000, Gold Coast is the first regional Australian city to host the games, following the state capitals of Sydney in 1938, Perth in 1962, Brisbane in 1982 and Melbourne in 2006. "It was a close contest. A lot of delegates I talked to were really torn," said Mark Stockwell, a former Commonwealth Games swimming champion and Gold Coast bid chairman. "I hope that Sri Lanka will put their hand up again." New Delhi hosted the 2010 games and Glasgow is due to stage the event in 2014. The competing bids made their final, 30-minute presentations to delegates immediately before last week’s vote.

If proof were needed that Test cricket is the sport's truest benchmark of skill and character you need look no farther that the recent South Africa-Australia contest at Cape Town, which the home side won by a resounding 8 wickets. Thereby hangs a tale of uncertainty and self-doubt, of commitment and skill beyond the call of duty. Those present on the ground – too few, alas – will talk about the fantastic things they saw, embellishing these with many an after-thought, while those who watched from the farthest reaches of the South African veldt, for example, will no doubt claim they were present in the flesh to witness a cricketing miracle. Allow them their respective indulgences, all to flaunt the glorious uncertainties of a genre sceptics were happy to consign to oblivion. You are welcome to the inebriations of the Twenty/20 format, but Test cricket at its best can be likened to the choicest wines, improving with age, in thrall to the powers of recall.

Australia were given first use of the wicket and made heavy weather of the moist conditions. The South African pace trio of Dale Steyn, debutant Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel were clearly a handful on a surface responsive to seam in an atmosphere conducive to swing. It was a struggle from the very first ball. The fall of early Australian wickets told their tale, but just when it seemed the narrative was to be cast in stone, than the gods took a hand.

Captain Michael Clarke (151) played an innings of a lifetime; he was aided by rookie Shaun Marsh (44). Without their heroics Australia would have been dead and buried on the opening day. Instead, they reached a creditable 284 all out at something approaching four runs per over, a far cry from the early funereal strike rate.

The South African innings was a calamity from the start. The brisk military medium of Shane Watson reaped a rich harvest (5 for 17), with his colleagues chipping in with useful contribu-

Graeme Smith has a word with Hashim Amla in South Africa v Australia, 1st Test at Cape Town

tions. South Africa were 96 when their agony ended, 188 runs adrift of their opponents. The game seemed as good as over. How premature we were.

We were still in the middle of the second day when Australia were bowled out for a scandalous 47 in 18 overs (Philander 5 for 15, Morkel 3 for 9). The visitors were 21 for 9 at one stage, but were rescued from the looming disgrace of the lowest score in Test history by the last pair who dragged their side to within sight of 50. Would South Africa collapse a second time?

Assuredly not, as captain Graeme Smith and his No 3 Hashim Amla took charge with a fluent counter-charge.

Stumps were drawn with South Africa 102 for 1. The wicket had dried out in brilliant sunshine and both batsmen were in prime form, Amla in particular.

The pair were scintillating as they took heavy toll of the Australian attack on the third morning. Runs flowed from exquisite strokes; Amla fell for 112 as victory loomed ever larger. Smith took

them past the required 236 - in 50 overs, as it happened - with some lusty blows which left him unbeaten on 101.

Australia were traumatised and looked it.

Clarke was scathing about their poor shot selection, but all credit to the South African bowlers. Their movement off the pitch, never extravagant, made them lethal because it was within range of groping bats. Excessive seam or swing frequently takes the ball past bat and wicket, modest deviation more often than not lands the killer blow. The South Africans bowled to an exacting line and length and the deviation they extracted was measured and hence lethal.

A three-day Test it was, but what a magnificent match.

There was a tragic postscript. Peter Roebuck, the former Cambridge blue and Somerset player and captain, and more recently, an Australia-based cricket writer and commentator of high pedigree, plunged to his death from the sixth floor of his hotel in Cape Town. Police said it was a case of suicide. Mr Roebuck was 55.

Chappell regrets fallout with Sachin Tendulkar India's former coach Greg Chappell claims the biggest regret of his three-year stint in India was the fallout with Sachin Tendulkar with whom he simply failed to "communicate" properly.

Chappell, who served as India coach from 2005 to 2007, admitted in his new autobiography ‘Fierce Foucs’ that he tried to push hurried improvements in the team which led to his downfall, especially after his relations with the senior players soured.

"My biggest regret was falling out with Sachin over him batting at number four in the one-day team. It was a shame because he and I had some intense and beneficial talks together prior to that.

My impatience to see improvement across the board was my undoing in the end," writes the former Australian captain.

"The mistakes I made were not particularly 'western' but the same kind of mistakes I'd made as a captain in my play-

ing days. I didn't communicate my plans well enough to the senior players. I should have let guys like Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag know that although I was an agent of change, they were still part of our Test future."

"When I did communicate with them, I was sometimes too abrupt. Once in South Africa, I called in Sachin and Sehwag to ask more of them, I could tell by the look on their faces that they were affronted," he said.

"Later Rahul Dravid, who was in the room, said 'Greg, they've never been spoken to like that before'."

Chappell admitted that during his tenure, he got to understand the kind of pressure the Indian cricketers lived with, especially Tendulkar.

"A glimpse of them was a life-changing event...We were playing an unrelenting amount of cricket to satisfy the demand, at least 50 per cent more than Australia were playing and the pressure was beyond belief."

"Nobody was carrying that pressure more than Sachin.

Not even Don Bradman carried expectations like this, and Sachin had been bearing it since 1989," he said.

"When the team travelled,

he would snap on his headphones, not look sideways, and shut it all out. There was a constant frenzy trying to get in at him. The energy it would have taken for him to let that kind of excitement in would have drained him dry."

Chappell also revealed that he had asked Tendulkar to have a day off but the veteran batsman never wanted to, because of the expectations of him.

"If he didn't train and then performed badly, he'd have been blamed. People would notice. And there was no relief for him going out onto the streets either. He just couldn't get any rest," he explained.

Chappell wrote that once he asked Tendulkar that it would be hard to find time to keep in touch with his friends due to India's tight schedule, to which Tendulkar replied 'Greg, you would have more friends in India than I've got.'

"This is how it is to be Sachin Tendulkar."