AV 19th August 2017

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Vol 46 | Issue 16

INDIA IS ABOUT SHANTI, EKTA AND SADBHAVANA: PM MODI TM

19th August to 25th August 2017

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

India celebrated 70 years of independence from British Raj, and Prime Minister Modi, who unfurled the tricolor for the fourth time at the Red Fort in the Capital, called for a new dawn.

He called for a nation that is healthy and clean that fulfils swarajya's dream

“Na gaal, na goli se, parivartan hoga gale lagane se,” (Neither with abuses, nor bullets, change will come from embracing each other), said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he addressed the nation from the Red Fort in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion of India's 71sr Independence Day, Modi kept his speech short as promised.

He, however, unfailingly hit all the right notes.

In his fourth speech, dressed in his signature half-sleeves kurta, churidar pajama, and a Rajasthani headgear, Modi appealed to the people to put their heart and sinew in building a “new India”. He said Indians today need to replicate the kind of effort invested by preceding

generations in the five-year period between 1942- launch of the Quit India Movement, and 1947- when the country achieved independence. He said that the message was 'Bharat Chodo' in 1942, now, it should be 'Bharat Jodo'.

Vying for a better India, Modi said, “If each one of us, irrespective of where he belongs to, strives with a new resolve, a new energy, a new strength, we can change the face of the country with our combined strength in the 75th year of our independence in 2022. It will be the New India – a secure, prosperous and strong nation. A New India where there is equal opportunity for all; where modern science and technology play an important role in bringing glory for the nation in the global

arena.”

The Red Fort, which saw the presence of senior ministers, top bureaucrats, foreign dignitaries, and the customary massive turnout during Modi's address, was guarded by thousands of security personnel, including 9,100 personnel from the Delhi Police who were deployed in and around the infrastructure. Two dozen Parakram Vans manned by quick reaction teams of NSG-trained commandos had been stationed in areas with high footfall to thwart any attempt by terror groups to disrupt peace. As many as 11 such vans were deployed in the area around the Red Fort.

At the Red Fort, a special team of NSG snipers and commandos formed Continued on page 14

Short-listed candidates announced for the 17th Asian Achievers Awards Friday 22nd September will witness another history in the making.

Asian Business Publications Limited (ABPL) will host its 17th annual Asian Achievers Awards at the prestigious Grosvenor House. The event will be attended by over 800 guests, including business tycoons, entrepreneurs, company directors, senior professionals, members of Parliament and the uniformed services. Last year the total networth of the guests who attended were over £40 billion.

Please see page 6 to read about this year's short-listed candidates.

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

AsianVoiceNews

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Keith Vaz, MP

Satish Kanabar Satish Kanabar is a retired Banker having worked in Corporate Banking all his life. He retired from the role of a Corporate Director after 41 years with one of the major High Street Banks. During his career he led a number of Corporate Teams and assisted hundreds of Medium sized businesses realise their ambitions of successfully growing their businesses.

Satish also believed very strongly that organisations that are successful have a duty to put something back into the community. Over the years, his Team raised substantial amounts for a number of local children's charities. To him this was as satisfying as helping clients becoming more successful!

Having retired in 2014, Satish is busy pursuing his life outside of the Corporate world by not only utilising skills gained over the years but also things that provide a varied balance in life. He is a Trustee of Michael Sobell Hospice and also sits on the Finance Committee as well as chairing the Banking and Investment committee. He is a volunteer for Contact the Elderly. Satish also runs his own Consultancy business that seeks to help businesses grow.

Retirement gives an opportunity to take on fresh challenges and Satish is an keen walker having undertaken many climbing and walking expeditions including 3 times the London to Brighton Walk for various charities. A keen golfer, spiritual learning, Yoga and travel add variety although his Bucket list seems to be getting longer as his thrust for learning continues. He is well known in the community having also written articles for Asian Voice in the past.

Which place or city or country do you most feel at home?

Whilst I have been fortunate to have had an opportunity to travel widely, having spent 45 years in London, I definitely count London as my home...a city with much diversity and tolerance which is well respected around the

world.

What are your proudest achievements?

Due to circumstances at the time, I had to leave school at the age of 16 and start full time work.

Either directly or indirectly hundreds of people helped me during my career and I feel a sense of satisfaction that I

reached such a senior position with a Global Bank. The journey taught me so much and took me to places I would never have done otherwise. I feel eternally grateful to all those that gave me a helping hand along the way.

What inspires you?

Kindness. Especially from those I least expect. In my life I have come across many situations where those with little are the first ones to help those in need. I see it here in UK where whenever there is a catastrophe somewhere in the world ordinary people who are not well off are the first ones to put their hands in their pockets to help. I have also seen, when travelling in India, how quickly the poor people willingly offer their beds to their overseas guests whilst they sleep on the floor.

What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

Initially in my career I felt that not having had a University Degree was holding me back. However I soon realised that actual experience and perseverance was of equal importance and so I was able to progress regardless. I did however study in the evenings and obtained my Banking Degree. When

Redhill teenager Haider Ahmed faces terror charge trial A teenager accused of plotting a terror attack in the UK is to go on trial.

Haider Ahmed, who turned 18 last week, appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from Feltham prison.

The defendant, from Redhill, Surrey, is accused

over an alleged plot to carry out an attack between 1 September 2016 and 11 July 2017. He is charged with preparing terrorist acts and three further charges of disseminating a terrorist publication, between March and August 2016.

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Mr Ahmed spoke only to confirm his identity as Mr Justice Holroyde set a timetable for the case.

A plea hearing was ordered on 8 December before trial judge Peter Lodder QC and Kingston Crown Court.

A provisional twoweek trial at Kingston Crown Court was also fixed for 22 January.

Mr Ahmed, who was studying at Reigate College, was remanded in custody.

occasionally I came across any difficult bosses, I had learnt from my experience how to work around them.

I soon realised that there was something to learn even from bad leaders...if nothing else I learnt how not to behave!

Who has been the biggest influence in your career to date?

These have mainly been people outside of my work environment. Firstly my immediate family who supported me by sacrificing so much as I was making my way up the Corporate ladder, a special mentor and a very decent human being who was with me most of the time and guided me on many occasions and still does (he is now a true friend and I still look up to him as my mentor and who would be embarrassed if I say his name here). Finally two very special people...Morari Bapu and Pragjibhai Ladwa who whilst influencing my life outside of my career, helped instil in me certain values that helped me in my career especially when I came across challenges where I needed more than just normal "business solutions" taught in text books.

What is the bet aspect of your current role?

Being able to choose where and how I spend my time. For example I can choose which clients I want to deal with, which charities to w o r k

for and leisure and learning areas that give me most satisfaction. As I learn more, I am finding that there is much I do not know and with little time, it is good to have the opportunity to choose what I believe to be right for me.

And the worst?

Wish I had more time to work on my "bucket list".

What are your long term goals?

To continue to do things that make a difference to others, become a better human being and not have any regrets when my time is up.

If you were Prime Minister what one aspect would you change?

Create genuine opportunities for those with aspirations to improve their

Family 'really lucky' after arson attack on garage

lives so they too can have a better lifestyle and thus contribute by way of taxation. The huge division that we currently seem to have between the "haves" and the "have nots" is not good for the future of any nation. This does not mean that the rich have to become poor to make the poor rich. There has to be fairness in society to enable all to improve their lives.

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

Most probably Jiddu Krishnamurti who was one of the greatest thinkers of our time. He had a great skill in letting others think for themselves, question everything and work towards one's own mental freedom.

A mother of two from Bristol who was the victim of an arson attack in the early hours of Saturday morning said she no longer feels safe.

Aaliyah Hussain and her two young sons were asleep in their house in Bradley Stoke at about 3.45am when the garage was set alight.

A passer-by alerted Mrs Hussain who fled the house with her children and police and fire crews were called.

Mrs Hussain said:

"It was extra scary because my husband was away for the night.

"We were really lucky in one sense that the main house is not touched, but everything that was in the garage was destroyed.

"I can't sleep I'm really scared. I really thought I was a strong person. It's the worst thing not feeling safe."

Avon and Somerset Police has launched an investigation. A 17year-old youth who was arrested has been released.

Grenfell fire: Inquiry to examine council actions

The actions of Kensington and Chelsea Council are to be considered in the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry, the government has announced. It will also look at the adequacy of regulations, the tower's recent refurbishment, and the response of authorities in the blaze's aftermath.

It comes after the judge heading the inquiry previously said its scope could be much more limited. Broader questions on social housing will not be in its terms of reference.

However, Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "determined" these questions would not be left "unanswered" and said further proposals on social housing would be set out "in due course".

At least 80 people are thought to have died in the fire in North Kensington, west London, on 14 June.

Sir Martin, the retired judge leading the inquiry, suggested in a letter recommending the scope of the inquiry that wider consideration of social

Hundreds marched silently on Monday to mark two months since the fire

housing policy should not be included, despite the protestation of survivors.

Mrs May said: "It is vital that there is justice for the victims of this appalling tragedy and for

their families who have suffered so terribly.

"I am determined that the broader questions raised by this fire - including around social housing - are not left unanswered."

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COMMENTS

India’s chosen path; difficult yet durable & dignified Located as it is in a turbulent arc of crisis, every Independence Day for the past 70 years has been, is, and will continue to be well into the future, an occasion to rejoice but also to ponder on what hidden traps lie ahead for the country Indians. Looking back to the stroke of the midnight hour of August 15, 1947 when India that is Bharat awoke to a new life of freedom as a sovereign state, Partitioned and bleeding, yet secure and brimming with optimism of a better life under the rule of law irrespective of faith or ethnicity. The journey to modernity has been hard, with many reverses along the way but the gains achieved were once viewed as improbable by many and utterly impossible to not a few at home and abroad. In hindsight one must surely marvel at the scale of the country’s economic and social transformation against the odds.

There were doomsayers aplenty in the West and elsewhere who foretold India’s collapse into anarchy and oblivion. An English cricket tour in the 1990s was almost called off because Afghanistan was ablaze and the spreading flames, it was believed, would soon engulf India in Balkan-type chaos and thence to disintegration.

This was matched by the alternative scenario of famine and endemic want as the endgame. The Anglo-American media choreographed the funeral dirge from to time. It was the fashion to do so.

That fraught period is behind us. Science and technology have have redefined Indian agriculture, industry and the services sector. Millions of Indians have emerged from dire poverty. Much still needs to be done before India can be described as a fully developed nation, but the platform created should witness the generational leap to abundance for all However, there is no room for complacency. The willful negligence in Gorakhpur hospital, leading to the deaths of 60 children is a wake-up call, a tragic reminder of how far India has still to go to reach the sunlit uplands.

Governance in States such Uttar Pradesh and Bihar remain a throwback to the Middle Ages, and hence remain the country’s enduring shame.

Externally, a troubled geography keeps throwing up fresh challenges. Tibet was invaded by a militarized, resurgent China in November 1950, the karmic consequences have cast a shadow on Indian security problems ever since.

The Great Powers for reasons of realpolitik had accepted the sanctity of the Old Manchu Empire, and hence withheld recognition of an independent Tibet and Mongolia, kin in religion and race. Russian power prized Mongolia from China’s imperial grasp; Tibet, alas, was not so fortunate, trampled underfoot by Han Chinese occupiers, transformed into an armed encampment for an expansionist China.

Vietnam is leading the charge against its overbearing, bullying neighbor to the north and looks to India to do likewise. The present Sino-Indian standoff at Doklam trijunction of Sikkim, Tibet and Bhutan with its accompanying farrago of insults, threats and falsehoods must awaken India to reality of enduring Chinese hostility. Sino-Indian friendship was a myth seeded in fear and forlorn hope. It needs to be cast aside for the gutter.

The Sino-Indian treaty of April 1954 granting Indian recognition of Tibet as part of China must now be withdrawn as an unequal treaty from which India has lost much and gained nothing.. Tibet’s future should be decided by a UN plebiscite, as was the case with Mongolia’s in 1945 in the aftermath of the Second World War. China has armed Pakistan with nuclear weapons and jihadi-exported terror into India has Beijing’s covert support. Ducking an unpleasant reality by burying one’s head in the sand is the mark of an ostrich. For any human to replicate the habit would be akin to euthanasia.

Whatever happens at Doklam, Sino-Indian relations will be scarred for as long as the present regime in Beijing endures.

Narendra Modi’s mettle will be tested in the coming weeks and months (and possibly years), as was Indira Gandhi’s in 1971. It was to prove her finest hour as she faced down China, the Nixon administration in the United States and Pakistan. The failure of the BeijingWashington axis to contain and cripple India was robustly exposed. Thus far, India has called Beijing’s bluff. But the game of chicken is far from over. Regional powers and the world beyond are watching the unfolding contest. It promises to be a long haul, calling for Indian resolution, courage and ingenuity. The barbarians shall not pass.

A startup conceived in the IIT-Madras Incubation cell has bagged a $1 million order from a Singapore firm to transfer technology used in its first two products. The two products – ‘Laparoscopy Surgical Simulator’ – are designed to change the way are trained to increase the safety of patients.

Touch Lab at the Applied Mechanics Department of IITMadras is India’s first lab working in touch sense; Merkel Haptics is a IIT-Madras startup transferred to IIT-Madras Research Park; the Laparoscopy Surgical Simulator with Haptics Feedback enable surgeons to hone their laparoscopic skills. The home grown technology was developed in the Touchlab at IIT-Madras in collaboration with CMC Vellore, and funded by the Department of Electronics & IIT resulting in two patents owned by IIITMadras:: In-Vitro Fertilization Training Simulation with Haptics Feedback enables clinicians to practice artificial insemination skills. This product is developed in-house in Merkel for the Singapore company. The transfer of technology to Innov4Sight health and Biomedical Systems Private Ltd cost $R1 million, with 10 per cent of sales to accrue to IIT-Madras.

Softbank has invested a staggering $1.1 billion in a biotech company founded by 32 year-old Vivek Ramaswamy. Roivant Sciences Group consists five subsidiaries cover a variety of areas, from neurology, women’s health, dermatology and urology.Ramaswamy, a graduate from Harvard and a doctorate from Yale

University was the top student of his year and has gone places in a short career The best clearly is yet to come.

Tata Steel in UK pensions deal Tata Steel has signed an agreement with the Trustees of the 15 billion pound sterling British Pension Scheme which will allow the company’s Pension Scheme to be independent of its business, thus reducing the company’s risks. That clears the way for a possible merger of Tata Steel’s European operations with Germany’s ThyssenKrupp.

‘Considering the continued challenges in the global steel industry as well as the uncertain global politicoeconomic environment Regulated Apportionment Arrangement presents the best possible structural outcome for the members of the British Steel Pension Scheme and for the Tata Steel UK business,’ said Koushik Chatterjee, Tata Steel’s Group Executive Director, referring to the mechanism that permits a company in the UK separation from its pension fund scheme to avoind insolvency under strictly defined criteria.

‘Now that this choice is being delivered, the company and the trustees must step up to provide the necessary information and guidance to enable every member to make an informed decision in their best interests, the Community Unite and GMB unions said in ajoint statement. A fraught chapter for all parties can now be closed.

Indian startups creating waves

UK for Indian realty investment

Britain is keen to secure Indian investment in th realty sector in order build more affordable housing across society. ‘We have a diverse set of opportunities for inward investment from India. We are particularly keen on getting investment beyond London – there are opportunities in real estate infrastructure, particularly energy infrastructure,’ said Greg Hands, Minister of State for Trade and Investment.

I think Indian investors could play a big role in our affordable housing agenda. With the exception of the Lodha Group, which is engaged in luxury residential projects in London but has expressed a desire to broaden his field, the Indian presence in the market, apart from hotels and private investment in housing has thus far been

limited.

The UK Department for International Trade held a promotion event at the House of Lords for delegates of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India assembled in London for their annual conference, at which it highlighted infrastructure and property development opportunities cin northern England and the Midlands including Birmingham and its environs.

Real estate trends across the UK displayed continuing strength from London-based offices, according to Minister Greg Hands. ‘Investors from across the UK are seeing stable and profitable opportunities and we are determined to see businesses seize these opportunities as we move forward towards Brexit,’ he told the gathering.

Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

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Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

- Isaac Asimov

Manoj Ladwa

Strategic Advisor - Global Business & Government

Bilateral relationship between India and UK is changing

In the 70 years since independence, the UK’s bilateral relationship with India has undergone many twists and turns, but the biggest change can be seen in India. India’s technological and economic transformation in recent decades has been enhanced by liberalisation.

India now has its first Prime Minister born after the Partition – Narendra Modi – whose reforms have put India on a trajectory of taking its proud place as a modern, global nation with a pioneering, innovative economy. Such has been the transformative impact, that the balance of power between the UK and India has rapidly shifted and India is now exercising its prerogative to set the terms of its bilateral partnerships with its major allies.

The UK can no longer take the UK-India relationship for granted. To enhance UK-India ties, the UK must do all it can to be a part of that transformation. The country’s bilateral relationship with India relies on a great deal more than facilitating trade across our borders.

There are larger goals to pursue, like the enhancement of ties across our financial markets, the exploration of new technologies – particularly the new digital technologies that have done so much to boost business growth in both countries – and expanding our joint military exercises and defence partnerships in a world where security challenges are changing rapidly on a global level.

After Brexit, the UK’s growth depends on trusting India with a stronger partnership.

(On India’s 70th Independence Day, India Inc. CEO and Founder Manoj Ladwa spells out the contours of what a more proactive UK-India partnership could look like) Editor: CB Patel

Asian Voice is published by

ASIAN BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS LTD Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 • Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com Website: www.abplgroup.com INDIA OFFICE Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad-380 015. Tel: +91 79 2646 5960 Email: gs_ahd@abplgroup.com

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18 people convicted over Newcastle child sex network

Bungling armed robber who held up Paddy Power had applied for a JOB there

When a gambling addict failed to get a job at a Birmingham bookies, he held it up at gunpoint instead, making off with £17,000.

But bungling Umar Mirza was rapidly collared – because he had left his CV, containing all his personal details, with the boss.

Mirza, 26, of Arden Road, Aston, walked in to Paddy Power in Hurst Street at 8.25am on March 27 this year, wearing a hood and mask.

Police later recovered a betting slip, on which he had written ‘I have got a gun.

A court has convicted eighteen people of abusing girls who were plied with alcohol and drugs before being forced to engage in sexual intercourse. Seventeen men and one woman were convicted of rape, supplying drugs and conspiracy to incite prostitution.

Those prosecuted largely belong to the Asian community, including from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Iraq. The rest will be sentenced next month. The court also heard that the police paid a convicted child rapist £10,000 as an informant.

Over the course of four trials held from 2011 to 2014, 20 young women testified. They were known to have first been flattered by the attention of the men who befriended them, they lured them to parties, known as “sessions” with promises of alcohol and drugs.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that bags of M-Kat were left on coffee tables for the girls to help themselves.

A teenager said she was raped three times, at parties which were held at premises around the West End, including the top floor of tower block Todd's Nook.

Some described their condition “too intoxicated” to defend themselves, and others said they had become addicted and committed sexual acts in return for drugs.

A victim said she had attended about 60 parties and another told of going to an address where there were two older men and a woman who looked “frightened and scared, like a slave.”

Homeless man launched hammer attack on bus after refusing to pay fare

“They told us what she would do for them for money and drugs or she'd get battered.”

Another victim said, “I knew that if we wanted drugs or alcohol we would have to do something. (He) had us too intoxicated to fight him off. One time, (he) locked the door. I was told I would only be allowed out if I had sex.”

The prosecution said the girls became the “vulnerable victims of an organised, cynical, systematic organisation in which they were passed between their abusers.”

Operation Sanctuary was set up by the Northumbria Police in 2013, to investigate claims of sexual abuse against girls and young women.

The investigation continues and has resulted in 461 arrests to this date.

About 278 victims have been identified, and 703 potential complainants talked to.

Given the potentially massive size of the investi-

gation, it was split into several spin-off operations.

This led to four separate trials, with the first held in September 2015, and the final one concluded most recently.

A 19 year old victim who was regularly abused by older men, had grown extremely vulnerable and unable to look after herself.

In 2014, she informed the police that she had been raped by Abdul Minoyee.

A detective later took her on a tour of the West End to help identify the suspect's house and car, and other places where the “parties” were held. It was her information that raised the alarm of the abuse being held on larger scale.

The doubt was strengthened when two other girls aged 14 and 15 described being driven into Newcastle and plied with alcohol and cocaine before being raped and beaten by several men.

Council leader Nick Forbes said, “These were vile

Cllr Patel calls for restriction on number of places of worship in 'secular' Leicester

every citizen as of right.

Places of worship can cause “Every time one of those conflict within communities buildings is sold to a commuand there should be a restricnity there are people in this tion on their numbers in city who lose the use of this ‘secular’ Leicester, a councilspace. For me, people’s faith lor has said.

Rita Patel raised the issue is very important and spiriin a recent meeting to distuality is very important but cuss the city council’s planwhat is really very important ning policy, where she said in a diverse city like this, is she was concerned that that all people feel they have council-owned buildings access to open spaces and were being sold off for relibuildings that belong to Cllr Rita Patel gious use. them as citizens.

Coun Patel, said: “How “That is why we really ning permission has been many more religious buildneed to think because plangiven historically for buildings are we going to ings that are inherently give permission to causing conflict for build in the city? I those local communihave nothing against ties.” religious buildings However council being built, but I do head of planning Grant feel really strongly Butterworth said relithat in a secular city gious buildings fell we are now in the posiunder community and tion of getting rid of leisure use in current city council properties planning policy and it - which are civic The former Guild for the Disabled building would not be possible to spaces that belong to in Colton Street has become a Hindu temple cap them.

(Image: Alex Hannam)

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crimes committed by evil men. The victims have been brave beyond belief and undoubtedly have made our city safer.”

Chief Constable Steve Ashman said, “We have not and will not stop. There has been no political correctness here. These are criminals and there has been no hesitation in arresting them and targeting them using all the means at our disposal.”

Meanwhile many are complaining about how the media in the UK is portraying Muslims.

When an article or story depicts a person in a positive way then they are said to be ‘Muslim’ but when it comes to issues such as these horrific rapes then the term ‘Asian’ is loosely banded around making it appear as though all ‘Asians’ are guilty rather than just a small minority within a faith or religion. Maybe it is time to differentiate between ‘Asians’ irrespective of behaviour.

A homeless man who went berserk with a claw hammer on a Birmingham bus filled with passengers has been sent to jail.

Majid Sami carried out the terrifying rampage on the bus in Digbeth just a week after been given a suspended prison sentence for another offence.

Sami, 41, who is homeless, had been convicted by Birmingham magistrates of using threatening words or behaviour, causing criminal damage and possessing an offensive weapon. But he was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court because the incident was just a week after the suspended sentence.

Ex-chair of governors at Islamic school banned

The former chairman of governors at an Islamic school in Birmingham has been banned from managing schools. Waseem Yaqub, who served on the governing board of Al-Hijrah School in the city, was found to have engaged in inappropriate conduct which made him "unsuitable to take part in the management of an independent school".

Mr Yaqub can appeal against the direction to the First Tier Tribunal within three months of being informed of the DfE's decision. AlHijrah School was placed into special measures following an inspection in December 2013. It was rated inadequate again after an Ofsted visit in March this year.

Dad 'caused death of wife and teenage son by driving too fast in torrential rain' A father caused the death of his wife and teenage son by carelessly driving too fast in torrential rain, it is alleged.

The tragedy happened when Rashminder Singh Gill allegedly lost control on the A50 between Groby and Markfield, in Bradgate Hill – just 500 metres from the family home.

Gill’s Mercedes C250 was allegedly seen to zig-zag on the unlit county-bound side of the dual carriageway, before veering across the central reservation on to the opposite side.

It collided with an oncoming Audi, with a pregnant woman passenger inside.

She was seriously injured and lost her unborn child, due to be

born the following week.

Gill (41), of Forest Edge, Bradgate Hill, denies causing the death of his wife, Amrit Gill, and 14-year-old son, Taran, by careless driving on the evening of January 29 last year.

Gregor Purcell, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court: “The defendant drove at a speed excessive to the road and weather conditions that night, driving through an area of running water. It travelled onto the opposite carriageway and resulted in a fatal collision.”

It happened at 9pm on a 50mph stretch, which has since been reduced to 40mph, the court was told.

Mr Gill - whose daughter was injured

Rashminder Singh Gill

but survived the collision - was driving his family home after a meal at Pizza Hut, Fosse Park.

Mr Purcell told the jury that, at the scene, Gill allegedly said he lost control of his car due to heavy rain and his passenger grabbed his arm, or steering wheel, when he started to skid.

The prosecution allege other road users had negotiated the same stretch by adjusting their speed in the heavy rain.

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Asian Voice |

UK

19th August 2017

First-ever Freedom Run marks India's independence day in London SEIZE THE DAY OFF AN ND ENJOY OUR BANK HOLIDAY O OFFERS

FLIG GHT OFFERS RS High Commissioner of India to UK HE Y K Sinha with wife Girija Sinha, Deputy High Commissioner of India to UK Ambassador Dinesh Patnaik with wife Poonam Patnaik gather at Parliament Square for the Freedom Run with the Indian community

Rupanjana Dutta The Parliament Square resonated with loud 'Vande Mataram', 'Jai Hind' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' chanting, as hundreds of Indians gathered to walk till the India House, to celebrate India's 70th anniversary and commemorate the UK India Year of Culture.

Passer-bys gathered to cheer, with many people shouting 'Chak de India' and 'India Zindabad' from cars and taxis.

The High Commission of India was behind this organisation of this first ever historic Freedom Run at the stroke of the midnight hour of 15 August 2017. The Freedom Run commenced from the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, passing through iconic locations like the Westminster (British Parliament), Big Ben, London Eye, Westminster and Millennium Bridges, Scotland Yard, Strand, etc, and concluded at India Place, which was lightedup with colours of the National Flag for this special occasion.

This event was full of colour and joy with all the runners displaying India@70 logo on their chests and carrying tricolour beacons whit great

Poonam Patnaik. Also joined them the former Deputy High Commissioner of India to UK, Mr Rajesh N Prasad Mr Patnaik told Asian Voice, “The idea was to celebrate India's diverse culture and varieties. We plan to make this run an annual event and hope to have thousands of people next year. Representatives from different religions and communities such as Tamils, Gujaratis, Punjabis are participating today, to mark this iconic occasion.”

This Freedom Run was

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Freedom Run in progress

not only to celebrate India's freedom achieved 70 years back but also to take forward Prime Minister Modi's pledge to the nation to achieve freedom from poverty, corruption, terrorism, communalism and squalor and achieve all this by the year 2022. It is also a matter of pride for the Indian community in UK which welcomed this Freedom Run

Aseem Vohra and India House staff serve samosa, gulab jamun and tea to runners

enthusiasm. Over 500 runners participated in this historic run that was flagged off by the High Commissioner Mr. Y. K. Sinha and wife Girija Sinha, along with Deputy High Commissioner Dinesh Patnaik and wife

for joining in the Freedom Run at the stroke of midnight beginning at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and ending at Indian Place. He spoke of the great strides India has made over the past seven decades. He said, “We started at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at Parliament Square and have come over a mile to India House to commemorate this historic occasion – 70 years of Indian independence… we celebrate the massive achievements and great strides

AHMEDABAD D BHUJ GOA DELHI MUMBAI CHENNAI

with great enthusiasm.

On their arrival at India Place, the runners were welcomed by the High Commissioner Mr. Y. K. Sinha who wished all Indians in the UK, Independence Day. He thanked all participants

that India has made in the last seven decades...

“We wanted to do something symbolic and different to mark this milestone. And, what could be more symbolic than a run from Parliament Square opposite Big Ben to the Indian High Commission with such a large crowd of enthusiastic Indians,” he said, adding that the ‘Freedom Run’ symbolises India’s fight for “freedom from corruption and freedom from poverty”.

This was a unique occasion as it was supported not only by the High Commission of India and the Indian community organisations, but also by the office of Mayor of London and India Tourism Office, London. The runners were treated to hot samosas and gulabjamuns along with tea at the India Place, after the run finished.

Photo courtesy: Raj D Bakrania, PrMediapix

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AsianVoiceNewsweekly

And the shortlists for the 17th Asian Achievers Awards are ....

Friday 22nd September will witness another history in the making. Asian Business Publications Limited (ABPL) will host its 17th annual Asian Achievers Awards at the prestigious Grosvenor House. The event will be attended by over 800 guests, including business tycoons, entrepreneurs, company directors, senior professionals,

members of Parliament and the uniformed services. Last year the total net-worth of the guests who attended were over £40 billion.

The Asian community, as an integral part of the British life, plays an increasingly important role in shaping the country’s future.

The awards more popularly known as

Achievement in Community service

Akeela Ahmed, Founder, She Speak We Hear

Saba Nasim BEM, Cricket Coach / Lawyer

Vanita Patel MBE, Anti Slavery International

Tanya Nadarajah, Sivakumar Ramasamy, Taekwondo Coach Paralympian

Haseeb Hameed, Cricketer

Davinder Kaur BEM, Chief Executive, SWEDA

Sports personality of the Year

Neethu Haridas, Footballer

Business Person of the Year

Shahid Sheikh OBE, Clifton Packaging

Surinder Arora, Arora Group

Zuber Issa & Mohsin Issa, Euro Garages

Entrepreneur of the year

Lisa Sohanpal , Founder, Nom Noms World Food

Jagdeep Rai, Head of Corporate Banking, Barclays

Alick Varma, CEO, Osper

Madhuban Kumar, CEO, Metafused

Woman of the year

Dr Faiza Shaheen, Director, CLASS

Shivvy Jervis, Digital Specialist

Poonam Gupta OBE, PG Paper company Ltd

Arjuna Gihan Fernando MBE, Founder, Freeformers

Dr Tara Swart, Neuroscientist

The People’s Choice Awards celebrate the outstanding work of South Asian individuals from across a spectrum of backgrounds and professions. Like many other areas, British-Asian representation in areas like Media, Arts and Culture has increased over the last few years, though there remains ample scope to improve it in the coming years.

This year’s theme is Media, Arts and Culture, to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of people in these fields and their contributions to the community. It resonates with the theme of the UK-India Year of Culture, that the two nations are celebrating to mark India's 70 years of independence. The awards are therefore attended by the top echelons of the British Asian society.

CB Patel, Publisher/Editor, ABPL Group, said: “Asian Achievers Awards aims to recognise and reward genuine

high achievers in the Asian community.

The nominations come from the community and the readers of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, and an independent panel of judges choose the winner. This makes it 'The People's Choice Awards'.

“Given the record number of nominations that we received this year I am filled with awe and respect for the daunting process that the judges must have endured to select the very best from a galaxy of superstars.”

Since its launch, Asian Achievers Awards has helped to raise millions of pounds for various charities and this year, the chosen charity partner is the Akshayapatra Foundation.

Professional of the year

Sir Shankar Balasubramanian FRS, British Chemist

Coco Khan, Journalist, Guardian

Nainita Desai, Composer

Fayyaz Afzal OBE, Barrister

Maneesh Juneja, Digital Health Futurist

Prof Sanjay Sharma Cardiologist

Tina Daheley, Broadcast/Journ alist, BBC

Tanika Gupta MBE, English Playwright

Amrit Kaur Lohia, Sarangi Player

Ryan Chetiyawardana, International Bartender

Sharan Ghuman MBE, UK Home Office

Lieutenant Brijinder Singh Nijjar, ARMY

Achievement in Media

Angela Saini, Science Jounalist & Author

Achievement in Arts & Culture

Paul Sinha, Comedian

Uniformed & Civil services

Kulbir Pasricha, Kent Police

Anuja Ravindra Dhir QC, Judge

UK

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Hindu spiritual leader Morari Bapu brings messages of hope and unity to London

Rudra talking about his joy at attending the katha

Pujya Morari Bapu watching the flag raising

Morari Bapu, the Hindu world renowned spiritual leader, is hosting a 9 day religious discourse in London.

In a Britain more divided than ever, Morari Bapu’s messages of integration, respect and unity

Attendees watching the flag ceremony

feel timely and relevant.

He appeals to both older

and younger audiences, the latter who connect

Britons urged to sign petition to stop BoE using animal fat in £5 and £10 notes

Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Vegans and Vegetarians have launched a petition along with Dough Maw to stop the Bank of England from using animal fat (in form of tallow) in the new £5 and £10 notes. The petition has reached almost 150,000 signatures so far.

For many Hindus Sikhs and Jains, and for vegans and vegetarians as well, the spirit of all mon-

etary transactions will be varying to tainted degrees and the donations and monetary activities of Hindu Temples will be now be felt to be polluted on a moral and emotional level.

To sign the petition to: go https://www.change.org/ p / b a n k- o f- e n g l a n d r e m ove - t a l l ow - f r o m bank-notes Meanwhile Hindus

have also been upset about the recent news from Kelloggs in which the cereal company has admitted to using pork gelatin in some of their cereal snacks including Pop-Tarts, Frosted Mini-Wheats Frosted cereal and Rice Krispies Treats, and the company's fruit flavored snacks and Krave Treat Bars contain gelatin that is derived from either beef or pork.

Watford temple hosts biggest international festival for Lord Krishna’s birthday On Sunday 13th August and Tuesday15th August 2017, tens of thousands of people visited Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna temple in Watford, for the largest celebration of the advent of Lord Krishna, outside of India.

The joyous and exuberant festivities transforms the usually picturesque and serene temple grounds, into a resplendent festival site brimming with tents showcasing thought-provoking plays, interactive multimedia displays, traditional music and dance performances and a Veggie Steady Cook showcase cook-off for visitors to compete in!

The family-friendly festival promises something for everyone including a designated children’s area full of fun-filled activities including face painting, henna, arts and crafts and games.

Visitors will also be provided with a complimentary delicious vegetarian food and the opportunity to browse the bazaars selling an eclectic array of books, handmade jewellery, music and local and organic produce.

Visitors will be able to walk through the recreation of the beautiful

Vrindavan forests where Krishna played as a young boy, on the way to the temple’s exquisitely decorated deity altar.

The festival promotes the importance of love and togetherness in what is today a very diverse society and is only made possible with the help of 1,500 volunteers.

One of those who is sure to attend the festivities is 86 year old volunteer Kantaben is motivated by her goodwill towards all people and her curiosity about what goes on in the world and watches the news and even votes in the local and general elections. She also like to watch quiz shows like the Chase and Pointless.

Kantaben loves modern technology and uses

her smartphone daily to check her SMS/Whats App messages as well as take pictures including the Deities at the various temples she goes to.

Since 1983 Kantaben has been a volunteer at the Bhaktivedanta Manor and receives emails informing her about training etc. She started in the kitchen and has moved on to the Japa garden.

Even at 86 Kantaben still makes delicious farsaan and mithai and does the hoovering around

Kantaben with devotee Anand Jatania

the house and when out shopping she keeps an eye out for modern contraptions to make house work easier and faster. She really enjoys herself. She plays garba and dandia during Navaratri and enjoys Ranjanio.

with a his balanced, modern messaging that is free from traditional gender stereotypes or religious divides.

Just as he refers to the Ramayana, Bapu draws on teachings and wisdom of other religious texts including those from Christianity, quoting Islamic poets, delving into the life of Buddha and quoting from Socrates, Plato and other great thinkers. The purpose of this event in London is for Morari Bapu to shed light over the darkness of falsity, hatred and indifference,

by bringing people together, irrespective of ethnicity, age, faith, or social class and to find the common ground that unites us all.

Morari Bapu has also set up a relief fund during this Katha following the worst floods of a century in the Indian State of Gujarat. Many have lost their lives and the death toll is rising.

Donations are being accepted online at www.justgiving.com/ramk athafloodappeal and in just the first two days over a £100,000 has been raised – and this figure is steadily rising.On August 15th, the Indian High Commissioner joined to celebrate the 70th anniversary of India’s Independence on August 15th. He hoisted the Indian flag in London, especially significant

because this year has been declared as the year of cultural exchange between India and England by the British Government.

Rudra, one of the children who attended the Katha, gave a speech about his joy at being at the Katha and said: “My heart is dancing today. I am so thrilled that Bapu is here!

This is my first proper London Katha as last time I was only one years old! I have been to a few kathas and while I don’t understand everything that Bapu says, I feel like I am transported to this magical world where I can listen to Bapu’s voice, to the music and to the Ramayana, in peace.

“My favourite person in the Ramayan is Hanumaji and I think Bapu’s is too!! When my Papa and Mummy first told me about London katha last September, I wanted the katha to happen there and then. The wait has felt like a very long time for me. Its been seven years since Bapu has done a katha in London so I can’t even imagine what the wait has felt like for you all of you. I am so excited for the next 9 days to begin, to join together as one family that is united by truth, love and compassion.”

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SP

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

TLIGHT

AsianVoiceNews

Sonali Shah

THE FRESH FACE OF PRESENTING The new series of the BBC's Escape to the Country is set in dreamy Derbyshire

Was it a requirement to have prior experience in property development before Escape to the Country, or was it more important to be a good communicator?

Actually, I do possess a GCSE in Design and Technology which incorporated the building of my own family home when I was growing up!

But really property has been a national obsession for decades, and we primarily draw on that. Escape to the Country can be really relaxing for that reason. It comes on at 3pm in the afternoon and can be very addictive viewing for the pure aesthetic pleasure! People just love watching it.

I’ll be following the live feed on Twitter and everyone has an opinion.

We are actually on the 19th series, which we’ll begin shooting in Derbyshire tomorrow!

What would your ideal property be?

I’m not sure just one could do it! But I do have one envisioned in my head: the colours, the details of the kitchen etc. I think I imagine it the same way a lot of people might be passionately planning for their wedding.

Sunetra Senior There's an alluring quality about but we are affected by what we see Sonali, and it's not just limited to around us as a society: from whom we her radiant, good looks. As the see representing us on television to current host of BBC’s Escape to the the binary gender colours of pink and Country – a much loved property blue splashed throughout big programme which introduces maternity stores.” As well as being an prospective couples to their dream Ambassador for the British Asian and homes across rural England – her Prince’s Trust, Sonali became part of presenting style is subtle yet very the Crimewatch team in 2015, sincere. Breaking the mould of the carrying on the show’s reputation for traditional female presenter, Sonali strong presenting. She was also part does not just represent British of the BAFTA award-winning show, Asians but appears her forthright, Newsround, for five exciting years in petite, and warmly welcoming which she filmed special self: “I certainly enjoy international reports, including chatting,” she told us. the Beijing Olympics and a “Whether it’s about documentary called new homes, sports, “Growing up in a or international Warzone”, where she 'As well as being a issues, I really spoke with conflictgood TV show, we want to discover mired children in the genuinely want to the particulars of region of Afghanistan. people’s stories, The latter actually won help people find and delve into their her a 2011 AIB good homes' worlds. The (international storytelling drives me. broadcasting award). But I’ve possessed this as prestigious as Sonali’s innate inquisitiveness since I career is, she initially followed a was a little girl to the point where my very instinctive and humble path: parents would even ask: “Sonali, why “growing up, I was never really are you asking?” Indeed, Sonali is gosurrounded by journalism or the sort to lady for the BBC’s coverage of of commentative career I wanted, but trending household pieces: the I sought it out. My parents were Queen’s 90th birthday, the Royal actually in the medical profession, Wedding, Wimbledon, the London and what I would do is go round the Marathon and the 2011 Cricket World wards and take music requests to play Cup to name but a few. on the Hospital Radio Station after school! Later, I began thinking, ‘why *** shouldn’t I make this into a career?’ I This pure – if insatiable - curiosity is later threw myself into a journalism mandatory in good broad-casting; a course at Nottingham Trent talent often obscured by playing the University from where my hard work passive or overtly bubbly woman. On and passion swiftly moved into the the topic Sonali specifically BBC. I’ve been there, for the most commented: “more than being Asian, part, ever since.” Approaching life as the professional roles that are an organic extension of her advertised as being available to profession, Sonali exudes the power women really should be expanded: of self-belief and confidence over from television to within Asian what’s socially prescribed and families themselves. There is a pretence. tendency to - for example - assume that women can only do the cooking What’s your favourite part of and boys are only capable of the more being on the BBC's Escape to physically demanding work: we’ve got the Country? princesses and heroes. I’ve two Looking at lovely properties for a children - a son and daughter - and I living; it’s really the same reason always make sure to expose them to people watch the show. I’m able to the same wealth of ideas and explore and immerse myself in idyllic influences. We don’t like to admit it parts of the beautiful countryside.

You produce shows too: how are the presenting skills combined on Escape to the Country; what have been some of your most memorable conceptual projects in the past?

We have a fantastic team of researchers in-house so it’s very much a team effort. The first interaction with the team is very much through the researcher who talks to the couple and determines their exact specifications. As well as being a good TV show, we genuinely want to help people find good homes. We actually have a re-visit series –I Escaped to the Country – because we so enjoy seeing people after they’ve settled in. It’s about more than just moving house; it’s an area, a lifestyle change perhaps.

In terms of my own work, I was very proud of the documentary I did on children growing up in a war zone in Afghanistan. At Newsround, when going abroad, there were smaller teams and as a result I did get to be more hands-on. At Radio 5 Live, I also enjoyed talking to top businesses about how they were run which was revolutionary within the BBC. And on a separate note, when Businesses are successful in Britain, it really is a blessing for everyone.

Do Asian families do enough to encourage professional diversity?

I think so. I was never discouraged, and if I was it was for a very specific pragmatism. Actually, ironically, my mother told me to be careful of choosing a career as a Paediatrician because of the frequent night shifts which might have interfered with raising a family. But that’s still very much the case with journalism and TV! All of these industries have become more traditional in society, and the Asian community generally accepts that. I had a working mum and was always encouraged to follow my dreams. We are progressing in the right direction, if not at an ideal pace.

Finally what’s one misconception about TV presenting that simply isn’t true?

It certainly isn’t as glamorous as people might think!

W

Website: //www.sonalishah.co.uk/

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

UK Keith Vaz re-elected to top Labour body

Rt Hon Keith Vaz has been re-elected to the National Executive of the Labour party as Its Black Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) representative defeating his opponent by 72.2%-28.8%, a record margin. Mr Vaz has served on the NEC for 10 years and is now the longest serving MP of ethnic origin to serve on the body in its history. His term is for a further 2 years.

The election was seen as part of a wider struggle for control of the party between far-left Jeremy Corbyn supporters and more established figures in the Labour hierarchy.

Grassroots pro-Corbyn campaign group Momentum made a video supporting Asghar Khan, a Labour councillor in Leeds, for the role representing BAME Labour on the NEC, The Daily Mail reported.

Rt Hon Keith Vaz in a statement told Asian Voice, ‘‘I am delighted to have been re-elected to the Labour NEC with over 70% of the vote. I am looking forward to continuing the vital work that I have been carrying out in the position for the last decade.

“Labour is the party of diversity and has a good record but we must do more. Over 12% of the PLP is represented by BAME MP’s and it is essential to build on this.

“During my campaign I pledged that Labour will work towards having one BAME MP in every major city. I will work tirelessly as BAME representative to ensure that this happens.

“I would like to thank all those who voted for me and I am greatly humbled at my election. I want to see even more ethnic minority people on the governing bodies of all major parties.’’

Leading TV actor, Nakuul Mehta supports Public Health England’s Be Clear on Cancer Campaign Nakuul Mehta, Star TV Actor supports Public Health England’s (PHE) national ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ awareness campaign which prompts people with symptoms of some of the leading causes of death in England to see their doctor.

Lung cancer, heart disease and lung disease cause more than 150,000 deaths in England each year. Early diagnosis can save lives and improve the quality of life of those living with conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a common form of lung disease that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Nakuul Mehta, Star Tv Actor, comments: “Knowing the signs of these diseases is important for our community. If you get out of breath doing everyday tasks you used to be able to do or you’ve had a persistent cough for 3 weeks or more, it could be a sign of lung disease, heart disease, or even cancer.

Finding it early makes it more treatable and could save your life. So don’t ignore it, I urge you to please tell your doctor.”

The campaign is prompting anyone with these symptoms to see their GP and also calls on people to look out for each other and encourage friends and family to act.

Watch Nakuul Mehta’s films on persistent cough and breathlessness here: http://bit.ly/2vW7Q1U http://bit.ly/2gZ4usC

UK

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Aritra Sarkar; Media Princeling Becoming a Force for Good How can you turn a privileged upbringing into a mechanism for effecting change? Aritra Sarkar, CEO of Wedoria Technologies, former Vice president and Strategist at ABP Pvt Ltd, one of India’s premier media conglomerates, is doing just that. Aritra’s family runs the ABP group. He is now an author-philosopher and a technologist by training.

Aritra has just written 'Goliath of Shenzhen,' the world's first 'dual-facing' novel. Â It is a book with two front covers. Â Read from one end, it's in prose. Â Flip it around, and the same story is told as a graphic novel. Â Set in contemporary China, it is about the battle between a village and the Chinese Army, hell-bent on its eviction and raises the question of how to bring about change the right way.

Early Life Aritra Sarkar attended the St. Xavier's Collegiate School in Calcutta where he says he “Received a strict; albeit; secular education from European Jesuit priests.  I used to read a lot; particularly comic books such as Amar Chitra Katha, Marvel/DC.�  He also devoured science fiction and fantasy stories by HG Wells, Arthur C Clarke, and Tolkien etc. Additionally, Aritra loved anti-establishment fiction popu-

larised by George Orwell, Kafka and the French existentialists.

Aritra was different to his peers. “More idealistic and averse to authority.� He also sought change at all levels.  His grandmother exposed him early to spirituality through Swami Vivekananda and Shri Ramkrishna. “I used to go to Belur and Sarada Math where I interacted with the swamis and attended Sunday school,� he says.

Aritra also went with his family to Shantiniketan, Tagore's haven, every winter. Â While there, he played cricket and carom with the sons of farmers and working classes, which helped shape his belief i, and desire for, equal opportunity. Â

Heir to the Family Business.

Aritra Sarkar was a marketing strategist at the ABP Group, where he ran and created different business units. Â He developed the award-winning ABP One, a marketing consultancy service for the eastern region. Â

Developing a Writing Career Aritra has always felt stifled by people in positions

objective while answering the question?  To remove all biases I chose a setting that was alien to me; China.�

It took Aritra a year to write and edit. Â Then, another year for graphics and post-production. Â He decided to start his own publishing label, a companion business to his digital venture. Â It would focus on literature that would shape society. Â The story was published under the banner of Wedoria Chronicles.

Maintaining a writing discipline Aritra Sarkar

of authority. Â Particularly when he worked at Dow Jones; his first professional experience. Â It set him on a path to seek change in a cerebral manner.

Aritra Sarkar turned to writing.  “I kept a diary where I penned basic questions and answers.�  This led to more complex questions, such as, “How to bring about change the right way?� To address this, Aritra decided to create a story. Here he shows that change can come from the wisdom and ideas of the masses, instead of traditional hierarchies. “I faced a fresh challenge.  How to remain

Tata fined ÂŁ1m after Scunthorpe Steel staff exposed to toxic gas

Tata Steel has been ordered to pay ÂŁ1m after it exposed five people to toxic substances at Scunthorpe Steel Works.

The firm admitted releasing a quantity of benzole, exposing five workers to risk of death from flammable vapours coming off it, in June 2011.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation showed it failed to take appropriate safety measures.

Tata Steel was fined ÂŁ930,000 and ordered to pay costs of ÂŁ70,000, at a hearing at Hull Crown Court.

At a previous hearing, the company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

More stories from around East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire The HSE said two of the workers involved in the incident were exposed to the chemical and suffered coughing and

The hardest thing for many writers is creating a structure in their daily schedule to write. Without an immediate deadline it can be tough.

Aritra writes late in the day. “I write at night, winding down my day.  After my work-out, dinner and channel-surf-

ing.  After the cries of street dogs and birds subside.� He says that the only things that he hears are

I hear the silent voices in people’s dreams the silent voices in people's dreams.

Creating a double facing novel “The story was a simple narrative that didn't require too many subplots, detours or inner sequences.  The story arc is like a Western film; such as 'High Noon' or 'Magnificent Seven' where a community fights for its survival against a sinister force.

'Goliath of Shenzhen' adds fantasy, technology and crowdsourcing.

Even a clumsy fellow like me managed to stay close to the plot. Â Once the graphic artist was hired, I

needed an editor to manage the show.  Thankfully, I had someone capable on my team.�

How would Aritra Sarkar go about changing China? “Change is needed everywhere.  But, possibly, there's an urgency about it in China.  This is because the country has grown too fast in too short a time, disregarding various norms of social justice and environmental protection.  It's only a matter of time before the sins of the past revisit themselves.  So China should look on this book as a cautionary tale.

In China, the government should focus on improving people's happiness; instead of trying to control.  It should enhance the freedom of its citizens.  First, by holding d e m o c r a t i c elections.  Then, by loosening restrictions on business and enterprise.  And, finally, by providing liberty to free expression; mobility; assembly and consumption.�

Join us at Karuna Manor M

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Healt a t h & Wel l being montt h breathing difficulties.

They were sent to hospital and discharged the next day.

Jury were told that workers described a "thick, grey fog" and some of them had to be taken to hospital with a low pulse.

The court heard that alarm levels were also "wrongly set".

A report by contracting engineers ABB in 2007 identified 81 "hazardous events" and said there could be the potential for "vapour cloud eruption and operator fatality".

It said the release of benzole could have caused

serious injury or death had it been ignited.

HSE inspector Stephen Hargreaves said: "It was extremely fortunate no one was seriously affected by this incident. Had the flammable vapour cloud ignited this could have resulted in multiple fatalities.

"This incident highlights the need for all duty holders to implement and address all concerns and potential risks which have been identified.

"Tata's failure to do so in this case put a number of workers at risk of serious harm."

With re egular eye care we have the opp portunity to maintain good viision and health.

Specialist service for diabetic eye exa amination by leading optome etrist Chirag Patel.

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Change over due regarding bereavement

When a death occurs, we pay a visit at the home and also go to funerals to offer support, help and condolences. In reality, in majority cases, we go because it is has been a tradition rather than really caring or sharing the grief of the family.

We rarely talk about the person who has passed away but are busy chit chatting and gossiping all the way, sit with the grieving family for a few minutes if there is any space left in the room or are huddled in small groups outside the house or corridors again chatting and joking and in some cases , cause parking problems for nearby residents. The same happens on the way to and back from funerals.

A few weeks ago, an Indian shop keeper had to ask the customers as to who had died as a number of people had come into his shop after the funeral to do shopping.

I can recall that when one of my cousin sisters husband passed away, I visited her 3 times at the house and also went to the funeral but did not get a single chance to sit with her or even speak to her because day and night she had visitors.

After a few months, when we met, I expressed my feelings of not been able to speak to my cousin sister and my brother in law, whose house my cousin was living, said that “you were coming from outside but I was living with her and rarely got a chance to speak to her as visitors started coming from morning till late night”. He felt so sorry and upset that she could hardly speak to her own son and daughter due to constant visitors.

Many will have experienced that the visitors start from morning till very late at night and give very little chance for family members .

So is the current practice giving any support or help to the grieving family? We all need to think seriously and now visit only the nearest family and friends and start sending sympathy cards and give the families some more time to themselves.

Mukesh S Patel, Croydon

Anomalies in GP Surgeries

Further to my letter of above heading, (AV 15th July) highlighting shortages of GPs and unacceptable delays in getting appointments, resulting in various comments from friends and readers, especially about work of PPG. (Patients Participating Group) As a result, few have joined their respective PPG, thus becoming active in shaping their GP surgeries. This is indeed tribute to the influence and drawing power of AV/GS, most widely read ethnic newspapers.

Recently NHS published informative booklet, Choosing Wisely. NHS wants to know our views how to reduce plausible prescription medication bill by removing certain freely available medicines like pain killers, creams, cold remedies, laxatives and vitamins, few among long list of medications which costs NHS three times more than what we pay at the Counter, especially in supermarkets and drug stores.

This was main topic of discussion at our last PPG meeting, GP wanted to know our opinion, as GPs could not refuse prescribing these medicines without patients consent and what effect this could have, especially on elderly patients if GPs are forced to stop prescribing these medicines under dictate from plutocratic NHS. On average it costs £17 million to NHS London Trusts. These savings could help enormously, if spend wisely, to reduce waiting time for cataract, heap replacement and other such surgeries. Although these savings are desirable, it is still drop in the ocean considering overall marathon NHS budget. Answer lies in stopping “Health Tourism” and drastic reduction in ever-rising “Overseas Aid budget”.

Kumudini Valambia By email

Jobs are vanishing

Robots are steadily replacing humans. As we know, there are already robot trains, robot cars and robot vacuum cleaners plus many more such examples of automation invading our daily lives and workplaces.

Would you be brave enough to step on a plane at Heathrow bound for India knowing that a robot pilot, in the next few years, will be taking off and hopefully landing the aircraft in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai or Chennai? How will people earn a living if robots are taking over their jobs?

Rudy Otter By email

Two festivals - one day

Indians are lucky to have two festivals on 15th August 2017. Such confluence of two auspicious days is rare.

Both these events cheer Indians in India and abroad, irrespective of caste, color, creed or religion.

Though Janmastami commemorating birth day of Lord Krishna is purely a vedic/ sanatan religious celebration, Lord Krishna’s message of Gita has reverberated around the globe for thousands of years. Not a single philosopher, government or prophet has been able to make any addendum or corrigendum in Gita.

Mr Alpesh Patel has rightly stated that we are celebrating just a blip of British domination, in 5000 years of Bharatiyal history. We have forgotten Sardar Patel. We have also forgotten Subhash Bose, Bhagat Singh, Dhingra, Bhikaiji Cama, Bagha Jatin, Rana Pratap, Shivaji, Rani of Jansi etc.

Celebration must be toned down as it reminds us of painful, traumatic, and thankless partition of Akhand Bharat on the whim of few Muslims. Sowing seeds of enmity between Hindu and Muslim hurts more, has lasted for 71 years; with no signs of abating, in spite of incredible tolerance by India, which is takn as cowardice by onlookers..

Yet India has progressed, in spite of traitors and antinational politicians at home and abroad.

Ramesh Jhalla By email

Fake news Thanks to controversial but determined President Donald Trump’s campaign against “Fake News” we are now aware how British media manipulates, distorts certain news items, especially when minorities are involved, in particular tarnishing law-abiding British Indian community with the same tainted brush as real perpetrators.

Gang of eighteen people from Newcastle convicted of sexually exploiting venerable teenage white girls that dominated newspaper headlines is the prime example of how such news are distorted. Most newspapers, in their front page news, described abusers as members of “Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Iraqi, Iranian and Turkish” communities, conveniently burying name of one member in the middle pages, who lured these girls into the gang, was white British girl, indeed femme fatale.

Only one member was from Indian community. He was involved in supplying drugs, inciting prostitution rather than abusing these girls, although he was rightly prosecuted with rest of the gang, as he was guilty by association and should have known better.

Few prominent writers like Trevor Philips have put these facts in print, called spade a spade. It is up to our leading community members, especially politicians like MPs and Lords to protest and draw attention of the public. These, along with “Abandoned Indian Wives”, as highlighted in AV/GS are real issues they should be concentrating on, not fake caste issues, pet project for certain British Indian politicians who would like to climb political ladder at community’s expense. Our thanks should go to MP Bob Blackman, real friend of Hindu community.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Fasting is good for health

Fasting is a practice of abstaining from food and drink for a specific period of time, whether it is a few hours, a whole day, or even longer. Fasting is frequently associated with repentance. It is a way of outwardly expressing the inner quality of repentance. Fasting should always be God-centred, not self-centred. Only then does God see it as a reflection of the inner quality of repentance and obedience. When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance.

They disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting but to your eternal Father who is in heaven.

The National Flag is symbolic of one’s respect for the nation. However, there has been a new trend to sell flags, made of paper and plastic, as Independence Day or Republic Day approaches. With a sense of national pride, people buy such flags but the very next day, we find these flags being trampled on roads, in dustbins and elsewhere. By allowing this to happen, people forget that they are insulting the National Flag of the country. This disrespect towards our flag must come to an end.

Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai, India

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Welcoming young readers to write in our Diwali issue Dear Readers, Diwali is now just over two months away. The New Year is knocking at the door waiting to bring in colours and light to our lives with fervour of joy and ever lasting happiness. Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar will once again be publishing the ‘Diwali Special’ Magazine for our fabulous and supportive readers like yourself. This year we are once again inviting our young readers to send in their articles for the English section.

1. If you are between 5-25 years of age, write an article in English on either of the following topics in no more than 350 words, along with a suitable photo: l how do you celebrate your Diwali every year OR l Your most memorable Diwali with friends and family OR l how do you celebrate Diwali in your school'.

2. If you are 2-25 years of age, you can also draw/paint a picture of what Diwali means to you or your memorable Diwali, with a suitable photo caption, your full name, age; scan and send the picture to the the below address, by the mentioned deadline.

3. If you are within 9-25 years of age, you can also write a short story within 350 words or a poem within 150 words for our Diwali special.

4. If you are a part of an organisation, which has a youth wing or support youth activities, please tell us how your young members or youth wing celebrates Diwali in 300 words with 2 pictures (in no less than 300dpi).

Send your articles/stories/poem with your photo and/or painting/picture to aveditorial@abplgroup.com.

Last date of entry: 30th September 2017.

- Asian Voice

Stop and Search

As if the knife crimes by violent people seeking revenge or looking to make a fast buck are not causing enough concern, there has recently been a spate of acid attacks on people for the sake of minor material gains. These attacks have to be sopped and curbed for good. These crimes have to be nipped in the bud at the stem.

A debate is continuing in the media on whether giving more power to the police to stop and search suspicious characters could be a deterrent. Acid attacks in this country have risen at an alarming rate.

Between November last year and April this year, 408 cases have been reported in London alone. Imagine yourself being confronted by a man carrying a container of acid and threatening to spray it on you. It must be a very frightening experience, worse than being stabbed with knife. People who are victims would probably live the rest of their lives on a knife edge, being jittery and afraid to go out any time of day or night. These recent increase in violent crimes do indeed make a case for giving more power to the police to stop and search people who seem to act in a suspicious manner. The do gooders seem to argue that only people belonging to a minority group may be stopped and searched this way. However, If these simple measures could be instrumental in preventing harm and suffering, then so be it.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

MAKE YOURSELF HEARD

Write to our ‘your voice’ section about what you think regarding the various ongoing issues all around the world. Please send your letters to rupanjana@abplgroup.com. Make sure they are NOT more than 350 words. Any letter longer than the limit may not be published. Do not send letters for ‘your voice’ section via post or fax.

Note that all your letters are subject to being edited by our team for valid reasons.

- Asian Voice

EDUCATION

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Research from Leicester academic says Brexit vote could have flipped if more people went to university

Research by a L e i c e s t e r- b a s e d academic suggests Britain may have voted to remain in the EU if more people were university educated.

A new study by Dr Aihua Zhang, from the University of Leicester’s mathematics department, argues that a three per cent increase in the voting public accessing higher education could have reversed the Brexit result.

It also concludes that the outcome of the 2016 referendum could have been different if turnout across the UK had been lower.

His paper states: "Higher education is found to be the predominant factor dividing the nation, in

particular in England and Wales, between remain and leave.”

"This analysis demonstrates highly significant evidence that universityeducated British people tend to vote consistently across the UK for remain.”

The research analysed voting data from the EU referendum and statistics from the 2011 census.

It took into account factors such as sex, income level, education, age and employment.

It found that around a three per cent increase in the proportion of British adults going on to study for a degree could have reversed the referen-

dum result.

The study, published in World Development journal, also concludes that a decrease in turnout in England and Wales of around seven per cent could have altered the outcome of last year's vote.

It added that a decrease of about seven per cent in turnout in England and Wales could reduce the Leave votes by circa four per cent.

This could have resulted in a remain victory.

Fewer pupils expecting to go to university The number of secondary school pupils in England and Wales expecting to go on to university has fallen for the second year in a row, a survey has found.

While a high proportion of 11 to 16-year-olds (74%) do plan to study for a degree, this figure is the lowest since 2009, the Sutton Trust survey suggests. It is down from 77% last year and 79% in 2015, from a high of 81% in 2013.

The government said the reality was that entry rates for 18-year-olds had been rising every year since 2012.

Figures from the university admissions service, Ucas show that 32.5% of 18-year-olds in England and 29.5% in Wales went into higher education last year - the highest recorded entry rate for both countries. The Sutton Trust said its findings were an important indicator of pupils' plans before they took their GCSEs. The annual poll, which this year quizzed 2,612 children in Years 7 to 11 across the two countries, found: n one in seven (14%) said they were unlikely to go on to higher education, com-

pared with 11% last year and 8% in 2012 n of these, seven in 10 said they did not like the idea of going to university or did not enjoy studying n nearly two-thirds (64%) of those unlikely to go cited financial issues, such as wanting to start earning as soon as possible and concern over debt n more than two in five (44%) thought they were not clever enough, or would not get good enough results n a similar proportion (42%) did not think they would need a degree for the jobs they wanted to do

Manchester Arena attack victims to get extra £180k Families of the 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena attack could benefit from a further £180,000 from the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.

The families have already been able to claim £70,000 from the fund which has raised £18m following the 22 May bomb.

Its trustees have decided the victims' relatives could be eligible to receive a further £180,000 from the fund.

The total payments mean more than half of the money raised will be paid out with no conditions attached.

Trustees must now decide how and when to distribute the rest of the money, including awards to those who were seriously injured in the attack.

"We will now spend some time looking at how we will distribute the rest of the funds. This will be a complex and sensitive process as we will need to assess the long-term impacts of the attack," said

Councillor Sue Murphy, chair of the trustees.

She said: "The city and the world responded with such extreme kindness, generosity and solidarity in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena attack."

Ms Murphy added: "We have raised more than £18m and we were conscious that we had to get some of this swiftly to those with immediate needs.

"We have therefore given around a third of the total to the bereaved families and £3.5m to those who were hospitalised after the attack."

The decision follows an earlier announcement

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from Manchester City Council about a second charity, set up to pay for victims' memorials.

The authority said it would complement the existing We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.

An advisory group of civic and business leaders is being formed to advise the council on all memorial-related issues and will include consultations with the victims' families.

The council said this advisory group would be "crucial in determining the form and location of any permanent commemorations". Its first meeting will be in early September.

'Segregation' in students' university choices There are warnings of a lack of "ethnic mixing" in the UK's universities, in a study from the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath.

Ethnic minority students are more likely to be concentrated in new universities in London and big cities. But white students are more likely to attend predominantly white institutions, says the study.

The report warns of "segregation" as a result of students' choices of university.

There are also ethnic divisions within subjects, with only 25 black Caribbean students entering medicine or dentistry courses in 2014-15.

The study, Diverse Places of Learning?, shows that black and Asian students are not spread evenly within the university system, but tend to be concentrated in big, multicultural cities.

Almost two-thirds of students in the UK from Bangladeshi families go to a relatively small number of "super-diverse" London universities.

There are some universities where almost three-quarters of UK students are from ethnic minorities - and there are others where more than

95% of students are white.

There are about 20 universities where a majority of undergraduate students are from ethnic minorities - with these figures not including overseas students.

Researchers found some students from multicultural parts of London were worried they could face racism if they chose universities in less diverse parts of the country. Young people from ethnic minorities told researchers they were concerned about "feeling uncomfortable or thought they might be stared at" if they went to places with few other minorities, said Dr Donnelly.

White students, particularly those who have grown up in areas with a low proportion of ethnic minorities, were more likely to go to universities with a high proportion of white students.

The researchers said it raised questions about

integration and social mobility. Subjects were "even more segregated than universities" said researchers and some have "huge problems with ethnic diversity".

For medicine and dentistry courses, the study found only 0.3% of the intake were from black Caribbean families - representing 25 students.

This was the lowest proportion of any ethnic minority group - compared with almost 3% who were black African, 11% Indian and 5% Pakistani and 2% Chinese. For veterinary sciences, almost 95% of students were white, meaning that "fewer than 50 students starting out on new veterinary courses for 2014-15 came from non-white backgrounds".

Dr Matt Dickson, from the University of Bath's department of social and policy sciences, said that the study showed that more needs to be done to ensure that "students from different classes and ethnic backgrounds learn together in the same institutions".

He warned it should not be a system that "funnels" ethnic minority and poorer students "into certain institutions and the white middle class into others".

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MEDIA WATCH

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing the Nation on the occasion of 71st Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, in Delhi on August 15, 2017.

‘It is the economy, stupid,’ said former US president Bill Clinton, when discussing the agenda for his re-election campaign. On the occasion of India’s 70th Independence Day, it would be more appropriate to start with an economic item than waste column inches on the music hall antics of Indian politicians.

The government’s net receipts from corporate and personal income tax rose 19.1 in the April to July period of the current financial year to Rs 1.9 trillion, faster than the growth estimate in February for the entire year ending March 31, 2018, according to data released by the Central Board of Direct Taxes.

Gross corporate tax collection in the period alluded to grew 7.2 per cent, while gross personal income tax grew 17.5 per cent.

However, after adjusting for refunds, the net growth in cvoporate tax receipts is 23.2 per cent and the same for personal income tax 15.7 per cent.

Direct tax revenue for the government is likely to be robust at the end of the current fiscal, with evidence that the tax base is widening. Considering the surge in tax filings, it will be fair to assume that direct tax growth will be robust, said Abhishek Goenka, leader of direct tax at PricewaterhouseCoopers Private Ltd (Mint August 10)

China blows hot The threats and vituperation emanating from China may be likened to a jet stream. The coarse language bears comparison with that of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany when it struck Czechoslovakia, Poland, and ultimately, the Soviet Union.

The latest statement by the government mouthpiece, China Daily says the countdown to war with India has begun. In face of such bellicosity, the Indian government has displayed admirable restraint.

Cautionary words However, Chinese voices of moderation are giving vent to anxieties of a possible military conflict with India and its unforeseen consequences for China. Macau-based military expert Antony Wong Dong told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post that, ‘China is playing psychological warfare… but it should realize that even if it defeats India on land, it would be impossible for PLA navy to to break India’s maritime containment.’ China is 80 per cent reliant for its oil supplies on the South China Sea route through the narrow Strait of Malacca. Antony Wong Dong possibly had in mind interdiction from the air from Indian bases on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

India impervious to blandishments Antony Wong Dong went on: ‘Unlike Southeast Asian countries, India has never succumbed to China’s carrotand-stick strategies. India is located at the heart of China’s energy lifeline…offending India will only push it into the rival camp which Beijing belies is scheming to contain China by

blocking the Malacca Strait and the Indian Ocean.’

Sun Shihai, Adviser to the Association for South Asian Studies, and Zhou Chenming of the Knowfar Institute of Strategic and Defence Studies, a non-government institution in Jiangsi province, called for Chinese restraint in the national interest. (Economic Times August 2).

Self-perception as second Superpower The Hindu newspaper’s resident Correspondent, Atul Aneja, in a forthright interview on an Indian TV channel, warned that Chinese menaces should be taken with the utmost seriousness in India since they originated from the highest official sources in Beijing. The present Chinese leadership, he averred, was much taken by its self-image as the second global superpower after the United States. As such it was playing to the domestic and foreign galleries: the first, rabidly nationalist and hence fascist in outlook, the second, principally in Southeast Asia, to be overawed by Chinese military power.

Khrushchev berates Mao in 1962 Brief reports on the encounter between the former Soviet Leader, Nikita Khrushchev and Chairman Mao in 1962 in the aftermath of the Sino-Indian War were published without comment in The Times of India and The Hindu recently (August 6), the original having appeared in the South China Morning Post. The Post saw fit to take the story from a Cold War Studies archive of an American academic institution.

What does it tell us? It tells us that India was at the heart of the Sino-Soviet dispute, which had less to do with ideology and more with realpolitik, Mao having laid territorial claim to Russian territory up to Lake Baikal.

Second, when China and the Nixon administration lined up against India in the IndoPakistan war over Bangladesh, the Soviet strategic posture deterred both parties from a misadventure. Fast forward, the strategic quotient for Russia’s Putin remains the same. Moscow has invested too much in its Indian relationship to take a Chinese attack on India with equanimity. Russia is the beating heart, the sword and shield of the Eurasian heartland, India is

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its fulcrum. Neither party would take kindly to hegemonic intrusion from west or east.

Russia fought and defeated Nazi Germany and its ally, Imperial Japan in the Second World War in defence of these red lines.

Kissinger’s revisionism Henry Kissinger in his latest book, Global Order, was fulsome in his praise of Nehru’s foreign policy architecture and warmly approving of Narendra Modi’s

and adjacent areas, while the Bhutan Government has issued a strong rebuttal to the Chinese claim that Bhutan had recognized the Doklam plateau as Chinese territory. It also reaffirmed its refusal to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.

India’s refusal to blink could simply strengthen the already strong Indo-Bhutan relastionship.

As the BRICS Summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa is scheduled for early September in China, Beijing may not do anything drastic until then.

That supposition is based on rational calculation.

The Chinese leadership’s penchant for irrational behavior means nothing is off the table.

Urgent appeal for emergency funds

Henry Kissinger

pursuit of a similar policy paradigm. As senior aide to President Nixon, Kissinger bitterly hostile to India; in retirement, he has revisited the subject minus his previous jaundiced myopia and now sees reality in a refreshingly clearer light.

India moves up troops to Sikkim Troops of the Sukna-based 33 Corps are being moved to forward positions of SikkimTibet border, within easy distance of the current Dokalam standoff between Indian and Chinese troops. Sukna is located near the north Bengal town of Siliguri in the Himalayan foothills. This troop deployment has been taking place for the past three weeks. A Corps consists of three divisions, and hence numbers around 40,000 men. It can be interpreted as a precautionary move. (Bloomberg Quint August 9).

Postscript The Indian Army’s head of Northern Command has made a tour of frontline bases in Ladakh

The Ministry of Defence has issued an appeal for emergency funding to the Finance Ministry to cover military modernization.

Rs 20,000 crore was urgently required in addition to the Rs 2.74 lakh crore allocated to for defence in the defence budget for 2017-18. The armed forces want defence expenditure to rise to 2 per cent of of the GDP for their operational requirements.

(Times of India August 9).

Tata Steel back in profit Tata Steel has returned to profit in the first quarter of the current fiscal (April-June), aided by the ramp up of its Kalinganar plant in Odisha. The company posted a net profit of Rs 921.09 crore compared with the Rs 3, 183 crore loss for the same period last year. Tata Steel’s domestic performance was boosted by a robust 19 per cent rise in the sales of its retail and branded products. In Europe Tata posted 7 per cent sequential growth (Telegraph, Mint August 8).

Bullish Tim Cook US Tech giant Apple has ramped up its presence in India. It has set up an accelerator in Bangalore, a software development centre in Hyderabad and started assembling iPhones. This follows declining sales in China and the

Islamic clerics denounce Hafiz Saeed More than 1,000 Islamic clerics at a meeting in Mumbai passed a resolution denouncing Pakistani terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed in the assault on Mumbai, November 26, 2008. The resolution was passed onto Abdellatif Aboulatta, Chair of the Counter-terrorism Committee at the UN Security Council, a copy of which was sent to Prime Minister Modi’s Office in New Delhi (Times of India August 9).

Mamata’s delusions Bengal Chief Minister Mamat5a Banerjee always has her head in the clouds without her feet touching. While calling for a crusade to defeat the BJP in the 2019 general elections, six of her Trinamool party MLAs in Tripura have defected to the BJP with 25,000 of their following (Times of India August 8).

Tim Cook

United States. India is now its bi bet. Apple CEO Tim Cook told a reporter: ‘ I am very bullish on India because of its people, its culture and the leadership. I love the culture and warmth of people. Every time I meet Prime Minister Modi and listen to him and then see his actions, including GST, I see bold things that I don’t see in any other place. I am super impressed and optimistic. So what we are doing in India is to ramp up. We just got started on local production of iPhones and it’s very successful so far….’ (Hindu August 9).

Long may this love affair endure.

UK

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Tariq Jahan vows to continue fight for justice after son was killed in riots

India and Brexit – On the ground feedback I write having hosted at the House of Lords the largest delegation of property developers from India ever to visit the UK. All the major construction firms and also financiers were there and just a few days before Independence it was good to point out that in this Parliament on 18 July 1947 they passed the Independence of India Act. How ridiculous! How can a Parlament give Independence to a 5,000-year-old civilisation?

Speaking to dozens of Indian entrepreneurs – the real ones who have startups not the multi-nationals, the ones most likely to be affected by Brexit, the ones without political connections – this is what I found from my trip to Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad…just a selection of comments: Of course, the funniest were the ones questioning the intellect of the average Brexit voter. My Indian guests found it hilarious how stupid the Brexiters could be. My guests from India were not shy or diplomatic in their language.

They then asked my views on a host of matters. Here is what I said:

Immigration My view as a businessman, not in any Government role or statement, was that leaving the EU was about stopping unqualified immigrants to the UK from the EU. So surely that means more numbers from India. That was just what logic told me. I did explain that does not mean open borders for India but the rules remain open for quality candidates.

Business The whole point of Brexit I said was to reduce red tape and make doing business easier. I will go by what Anand Mahindra said about it being good for Indian com-

panies no longer hampered by entering the UK market because of some regulation to protect, say, the Romanians from the competition.

I explained in my experience Indian companies were coming to the UK, not for the access to the EU alone, but the ease of doing business and going global from Britain.

Access to EU I explained I see it inconceivable that a bunch of capitalist free trading countries decide to suddenly become restrictive. It would be irrational. Britain does not have a union with America, but both manage to trade openly.

Economy I explained to the British Deputy High Commissioners and others that the windfall has been unexpected from the vote in some regards. The cost of borrowing for the British government has dropped to the lowest level ever. So it presents a great opportunity for the Government to borrow for 30 years fixed at zero percent cost and invest that money in infrastructure, so we get a return on that investment.

Those were the top four questions and my answers to them.

Importance of India Brexit makes Independent India more important than ever to Britain. That is obvious. But Britain with its capital markets makes it more important than ever to India with its growth needing funds to build roads, railways, power station. Do not for one-moment lecture either side.

They both know what needs to be done and do not need patronising commentators on the sidelines lecturing them in the press.

Man charged with murdering Sajad Hussain in Moseley aA man has been charged with the murder of a father stabbed in Birmingham.

Sajad Hussain, 40, was hurt on Sunday in Tenby Road, Moseley, where he lived with his family. He died a short time later from stab wounds.

Haroon Rafiq, 23, of Moseley, is due at Birmingham Magistrates' Court later over the stabbing.

Mr Hussain's family has paid tribute, describing him as a "devoted dad to his daughter". They said the death had left the family "shattered".

In a tribute released

by West Midlands Police, the family added: "There are no words that express our pain right now. He is deeply missed by everyone who knew him.

"His sudden loss has left our family shattered.

There are no words that express our pain right now. He is deeply missed by everyone who knew him.

'We ask all family, friends, local community and the public to keep Sajad in their prayers.

Sajad Hussain was described as a "devoted dad to his daughter"

"Please share any information anyone may have, so that justice is served."

Det Insp Paul Joyce said: "Even though we have charged a man, our investigation is very much ongoing and I would still like to hear from anyone who witnessed this brutal attack."

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A dad who became a national symbol of peace after losing his son in the Birmingham riots has repeated a call for a public enquiry - six years on from the tragedy.

Haroon Jahan 20, Abdul Musavir, 30 and his brother Shahzad Ali, 31 were killed by a speeding car as they defended their Winson Green community from looters during the 2011 disturbances. Hours after cradling son Haroon as he died in the street, dad Tariq Jahan called for calm with his now famous words: “Step forward if you want to lose your son.

Otherwise calm down and go home”.

There were no further riots the following night.

A trial saw eight men acquitted of murder over the three deaths.

Mr Jahan has now repeated a demand for a public enquiry into the tragedy. In a Facebook update he said: “6 years

Tariq Jahan holding up a pic of his son Haroon and called for calm during riots

on...3 lives lost...still no justice!

“Feels only like it was yesterday. Such a shame that everyone’s efforts have come to no avail as of yet, still struggling to get answers as politicians say it costs too much for an enquiry.

“Nonetheless, we shall keep the fight ongoing and use our energy in doing good through the charity ‘Haroon Tariq Jahan Foundation’. Mr Jahan spoke to the

Birmingham Mail on the fifth anniversary of the tragic deaths of the three men. He said he had taken strength from Doreen Lawrence, mother of murdered Stephen Lawrence, who waited 19 years to see his killers jailed.

The Haroon Tariq Jahan Foundation was set up following an aid trip to Syria in 2012 and has since sent containers packed with donated clothes, toiletries, food and blankets to refugees in Lesbos, Greece.

Speaking about the work of the charity, Mr Jahan said: “Just putting your arm around someone and them knowing a fellow human being cares makes a huge difference to them.

“We’re also helping the homeless here in Birmingham. This is something, a legacy I want to leave in my son’s name. A positive legacy after all that’s happened.”

Sikh TV channel accused of encouraging victims to take vigilante action A Sikh TV channel has been accused of encouraging victims of grooming to take vigilante action instead of reporting it to the police.

Broadcasting regulator Ofcom said it had received a complaint about a film titled "Misused Trust" and aired on the Birminghambased cable TV Sikh Channel.

The 50-minute drama was produced by Sikh Youth UK and tells the story of the sexual grooming of a young Sikh female student called Japneet by a Muslim man called Abdul.

In a letter to the Sikh Channel, Ofcom said the film, made by Sikh Youth UK's Kaldip Singh, suggested sexual assaults against Sikhs should not be reported to the police "but rather should be referred to the Sikh community for action."

It added: "The com-

plainant felt this advocated retaliatory violence as acceptable."

The regulator also raised concerns about a post-film discussion in the A scene from Misused Trust - aired on CREDIT: BPM MEDIA studio which the Sikh Channel made referpening." ences to members of the Commenting on the Muslim community being absence of any advice to involved in sex attacks on victims to go to police Sikh women, labelling first, Mr Singh said he did them "potentially offennot include such a scene sive." because "it would have Last night the film's cost an extra £5,000 to producer Kaldip Singh, of make it."

Birmingham, said the film "Of course if the victim was fiction and neither is underage or has been encouraged encourage raped then they should go violence or sectarianism. to police but our experiHe said: "It is just a film ence shows that in the past with people acting. We are the authorities have not saying people should ignored the problem of take the law into their own Sikh girls being groomed hands but we are telling

by Muslim men in this them to contact us if they country for more than 40 suspect grooming is hapyears," said Mr Singh.

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India is about Shanti, Ekta and Sadbhavana: PM Modi

PM Modi inspects the guard of honour Continued from page 1 the inner layers of the security cordon while anti-aircraft guns were deployed to thwart any aerial intrusion by objects like drones and projectiles, senior police officials said. Delhi Police have already prohibited aerial activities, including para-gliding, flying UAVs and hot air balloons, across the city.

“New systems are emerging,” Modi said. “Today roads are being built at twice the speed. The railway tracks are being laid at double the speed.

More than 14,000 villages that were hitherto shrouded in darkness even after Independence, have been provided with electricity. Bank accounts of 290 million people have been opened, more than 90 million farmers have got Soil Health Card. More than 20 million poor mothers and sisters are no longer using the fuel wood and using LPG gas stove now. The

poor tribals have gained faith in the system. The person at the last mile of development now joins the mainstream and the nation is marching ahead.”

Speaking on the thriving issue of terrorism, he said, “India today has gained in stature across the globe. You will be happy to know that we are not alone in our fight against terrorism. Many nations are proactively supporting us. Be it Hawala, or any inputs related to terrorism, the global community is supporting us with critical information. We have joined hands with other nations in the combined fight against terrorism. We shall take strict steps against terrorism. There is no question of being soft on terrorism or terrorists. We have been asking the extremists to join the mainstream.”

Modi found himself overwhelmed by the response he received especially from children. On his way out, he stopped

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with school children

his motorcade only to break protocol and security cover to enter an enclosure where he was welcomed by children with loud

cheers. Children from different schools in New Delhi had formed a 'Bharat' formation in Hindi in front of the fort. Some

had reached the venue dressed as young Lord Krishna. The PM met them all and interacted with the children.

Messages from Peers and MPs The 70th anniversary of Indian Independence Day, celebrated in a considerable display coordinated by the formidable Indian Army, offers the chance for us all to reflect on the UK’s special relationship with India, one of our closest allies.

The Indian Army, combined with the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, show us that there is huge scope to build on our special relationship beyond just trade. Indian and British officers train at each other’s colleges of defence studies and staff colleges; the British and Indian armed forces employ a very similar regimental system, and already the two Armies conduct a large number of joint exercises, but there is scope to greatly expand this.

- Lord Karan Bilimoria I wish the people of India, the Indian Diaspora in the UK and Indians across the world a happy and celebratory Independence Day. As India celebrates its 70th year of independence, it can be proud of the remarkable developments driven by the incredible passion and

spirit of its people. India has grown into the world’s largest democracy, engaging people across the country in great political debate and securing India’s place as a global leader in the 21st Century. Britain will continue to stand with India and support it to fulfil its potential as a leading world power.

For everyone who has a connection to India, Independence Day marks not only a momentous date in our history, but it is when we feel inspired by our rich history and take pride as we look forward to our future. I offer my warmest wishes and sincerest congratulations to all Indians as we celebrate our Independence Day. -Rt Hon Priti Patel Secretary of State for International Development India turns 70 this year and it is worthwhile asking what are its achievements and failures have been. The former are obvious and include Indian democracy, economy and diaspora.

The latter include poverty, higher education and weak pub-

lic morality. As in all, India has much to be proud of but also quite a bit to be ashamed of.

One hopes that things will improve under the current administration.

- Lord Bhikhu Parekh Independence Day marks the birth of the newly independent India. It records the will of millions to be free, and the desire to live in a better world.

India was founded on principles of equality, tolerance and secularity, a country where one could be free to live as they wish and practice their religion as they wish. We remember this day the promise India had and future it has, those that gave their life for freedom and the children that have their lives left to live.

Happy Independence Day. - Virendra Sharma MP Chair, Indo-British APPG I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to all the British Indian families who are celebrating India’s Independence Day this year.

Independence Day is a time to celebrate both our roots and also the life that we have here.

It is a day we feel proud to be the bridge between two magnificent democracies. It is a day we feel proud to be both British and Indian. This year many of us celebrated Independence Day in Wembley Arena for Bapu’s Katha, where he proudly raised the Indian flag. Twenty years ago Pujya Bapu celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Indian Independence at Mount Kailash and was granted special permission to raise the Indian tricolor on Chinese Soil alongside the Chinese Flag. On the 70th Anniversary of Indian Independence Pujya Bapu led the celebrations with all of us in London to symbolise that all 1.5 million British Indians are proud of both their countries.

- Lord Dolar Popat This year India celebrates the 70th Anniversary of Indian Independence. I wish all of your readers a wonderful Independence Day. I am proud that across India and in the global diaspora community, the

achievements of India are a matter of pride and a beacon of encouragement for other emerging nations. India is today a global economic power with a strong base in culture, medicine, education, science and industry. Developing strong economic ties with neighbours as well as nations across the world is vital for a strong foundation for the future. India is also the world's largest democracy and has the opportunity to show the power of engaging with people in politics for a purpose and a vision of a powerful and prosperous future.

- Seema Malhotra MP MP for Feltham and Heston I am delighted that India continues to celebrate its independence and I am proud to represent constituents for which this is of great importance. This day is a day where Indian culture can be celebrated in all its glory, including the many benefits it has brought to the United Kingdom.

- Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP

www.asian-voice.com

Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

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70 years of freedom, 109 glorious years of service in India.

60 years of Glorious Service in United Kingdom.

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FORGOTTEN VOICES: UNTOLD STORIES OF LIVES TORN APART DURING PARTITION OF INDIA

16

India @ 70

www.asian-voice.com

EXCLUSIVE

Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Rupanjana Dutta

The UK and India are celebrating the Year of Culture to observe a growing closeness between the 2 countries.

Whether it is trade, defence, business or cultural exchanges the two countries are rejoicing a new era of their over 300 year old relationship. But for many, these new relationships fostered between the two countries cannot take away the horrors of separation and bloodshed of partition that their families have gone through.

Everybody knows the Independence of India was not given on a plate. It would have never happened without the sacrifices of thousands of freedom fighters. Imperial power will never relinquish its authority willingly and voluntarily. Indians have fought and many have paid the price. Today when India celebrates its 70th Independence, all the sacrifice has not gone in vain.

Since the Second World War, in 1945 nearly 70 countries have gained their independence. India is one of the few, who have remained democratic and is developing within the free market environment.

BBC Radio 4 had a special commissions to mark the 70 years since the Partition of India in 1947, including an ambitious dramatisation of Salman Rushdie’s multiaward winning Midnight’s Children and a three part factual series with remarkable first-hand accounts of British Asians and the British who lived through the Partition, which concluded on 14 August.

The Times has done a spread on the stories of surviving partition victims who live in the UK such as Swaran Singh Rayit, who lives in Berkshire, Bashir Mann in Glasgow, Raman Bannerjee in Essex, Raj Daswani in London, Gurbaksh Garcha in Lewisham, Abdul Hafeez

Swaran Singh Rayit with grandson Manveer Singh (left) and son Tejpal Singh (right) Photo courtesy: The Times

dawood in Luton, Mohinder Kaur Matharoo in Essex, Surjit Singh Sandhu in Wolverhampton, Rajkumari Bowri in Leicester- many candidates interviewed by BBC's documentary. Called the Partition Voice, the British Library is archiving these testimonies.

Many know the story of Shaheed Nanak Singh, father

along with the pivotal role played by his mother, who worked as a teacher and was responsible in shaping him into a fine upstanding individual. In 1971 he emigrated to England and overcame prejudice to achieve success on a scale that he could hardly have imagined in his wildest dreams. He has been honoured by Her Majesty a

Dr Rami Ranger CBE with wife Renu Photo courtesy: Lopa Patel

of Dr Rami Ranger CBE, who was assassinated during India's partition. The hardship Rami faced during his childhood is documented

record eight times. No other Briton can claim this accolade.

For Swaran Singh Rayit the summer of 1947 should

summon happy schoolboy memories of growing up in Indian Punjab. Instead, he recalls being chosen, at the age of 15, to take part in a raid against Muslims in a nearby village. As the eldest son in his family, it was his duty to take part in a revenge attack for the slaughter of Sikhs, although in the event his sword was taken from him by a man whose own weapon was damaged.

Rayit reportedly watched Muslims butchered, the streets full of blood- a scene he does not want to remember. Arriving in the UK, Rayit worked in quality control for a manufacturing company in Southall, west London. Being involved in mundane things of life, he never got a chance to tell his family the full story about the bloodshed and partition. Now he lives in Berkshire, and have three generations of family love, but he still remembers those days of pain and heart break.

However Rayit's is not the only story. Many of those whose experience was as traumatic as Rayit’s never spoke about it with family and friends. But now some-

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AWARDS

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thing is changing. Urvashi Butalia, a celebrated writer on partition and author of 'The Other Side of Silence', told The Times that there is “a sense that people now feel if they don’t speak it will be lost for ever”.

Bashir Mann has lived in Glasgow for nearly 65 years.

He was involved in Scottish Politics for more than three decades, and has been politically active his whole life.

When he lived in Punjab he was a member of the Muslim League and campaigned for a separate homeland for India’s Muslims, but he never imagined the violence that would break out.

Raman Bannerjee, as a young man in Dhaka, now in Bangladesh, was reportedly a part of the Quit India movement (1942). He came to Britain in 1966 to study for the Bar exams. He now lives in Essex and remembers the growing tensions as partition neared. He threw petrol and nail bombs as Muslim attackers came to the Hindu compound where he lived. One time he threw 17 of them.

Bannerjee expresses regret for his actions, but explains, “It was just for self-defence.”

Asian Voice interviewed a few people and gathered such stories, where people living in Eastern India experienced horrors that are untold of.

Dr Soumitri Chakraborty from Solihul spoke about her grandparents who were affected by this biggest ever man made tragedy of humankind. She said, “Both side of my grandparents got affected badly My grandfather was working in Kolkata as a bank manager during 1947. He was well aware if the tense situation going on back home in Dhaka where his family lived. But in those days transport was not so easy and accessible to all like now.

“The print media did not have access all around the Indian subcontinent and so the newspapers were very

: Venue don

l Lon Cenndtra tember p 22 Se017 2

much localised. One day my grand father got a telegram from his father which said ''everything is gone, hope we can reach Kolkata alive''. They were influential landlord in their own village in Faridpur, Dhaka but still religious divisiveness did not spare them.

They were rioted out from their own house and all their properties were looted by people belonging to another community.

“My grand father lived his whole childhood and teen age in the same village but he never experienced any such extreme hatred between communities before. The telelgram left him shocked and he did not know where to go to get any further information about his own parents and family. The whole family split up. My great grand parents managed to come to Kolkata to my grand father. But his other siblings had to move to different parts of India. A wealthy extended family broke down in pieces and left to being homeless refugees. They were fortunate enough that they could survive and as all the siblings were very highly educated, they got jobs in different parts of India. But they saw their devastated father die in few days because of mental trauma, they could hardly meet each other through out their lifetime because of distance and lack of affordable transport.

“My great grand father could not bring her sister from that ancestral house as she decided to stay there in spite of knowing she can be murdered any time. She later died and after her death when my grand father reached Dhaka to do the cremation, he found the whole house has been dug up by the neighbours because they thought the widow lady might have inherited lot of wealth from her wealthy family and she hid those wealth under the ground.

“My grand father died at

AsianVoiceNews

the age of 82 years in a small state in India where he worked as chief judicial magistrate and then as public legal prosecutor. He had dementia before his death and during those days he only used to talk about his ancestral house, his childhood and his friends and siblings and the happy family he was forced to leave behind because of partition.

“I always think where do we belong to? Where was the beginning or end of the journey? My grand father belonged to undivided India and then he belonged to India, my father thankfully always belonged to India, I belonged to India, but then moved to UK- so this makes me think are we the global citizens or just uprooted immigrants? The painful experiences I heard from my grand father and few of our relatives are not easy to compile in writing because it is too sad to be written. People got killed, became homeless, families got split up and separated forever and could never re-unite! My grand father always used to tell me through out his life how much he missed being with his siblings who were living far off and could not connect to each other in spite of spending the childhood and teen age under the same roof and being brought up in the same family.

“When I see the extreme tragic story of Syrian refugees in news, I can easily connect with them as a fellow human being , because just one generation back my grandparents went through the same amount of grief and struggle and tragedy. People say till now the Kali temple established by our ancestors remain there in Bangladesh though neither my dad nor me would have had any idea even how it looks or ever looked!”

Annie Dey Sarkar told Asian Voice, “I would like to share the story of my grand-

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

India. “I was little over 5 years, when “Quit India” campaign was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in Mumbai on 8th August, 1942', he said.

I was at that time living in the large household of Kalidas Dada, my mother’s maternal uncle. In the household was Dada, his wife, their son, his younger brother/ his wife/ s o n , Shantamasi(Shankuntalaben ’s young windowed mother),

Lives after partition Source: Dalrymple (2015) Partition of India: Online Exhibition

father Shyam Sundar Paul.

They lived a good life in Bangladesh (Dhaka), but after partition they lived for quite sometime in Ranaghat Refugee camp. From where he was almost kidnapped but was saved. His brother and him shared only one pair of trousers between them, while the other covered in a towel (gamcha). From then to now being a successful business man, he has been through a lot.”

Poppy Dey told the newsweekly, “We had an unique tragedy. Jassore Khulna were on the map of independent Indian side of Bengal and then within few days Gandhi accepted to give it to other side in place of

Bohoram pore/ Murshidabad on this side of map. One of my father's cousin (flourished & affluent advocate of Khulna) was over the moon as he learnt that Khulna would be in India, but soon he went into depression when he heard that Khulna and Jessore were to be given to East Pakistan and he had to leave Khulna as a refugee to make his journey to Kolkata to settle there. He couldn't bear this and leaving his young family & retired parents behind, he committed suicide.”

Asian Voice Editor C B Patel shared a story from his life about many sacrifices involved in lives revolving around the independence of

Shankuntalaben, myself and some 3 other cousins. It was a much extended joint family.

“Kalidas Dada’s story is worth retelling. His father Kalyanjibhai belonged to an average Patel household in Nadiad. The family land holding were inadequate in view of the increasing younger people and Kalyanjibhai with 2 other friends migrated to present day Dhulia in Khandesh. At that time the imperial power was encouraging development of cotton cultivation for supply to the Manchester mills, and Khandesh was an ideal phase for going that staple.

“In 1880, Kalyanjibhai with 2 other friends started a

India @ 70

ginning factory for cotton in Dhulia and became successful. There was a train service once a day from nearby place in Khandesh to Surat then to Nadiad. It took a day or sometimes day an half to travel. The postal service during those days used to take a week to reach the destination. The 3 partners of the ginning factory used rotate turns on regular basis to visit their family for 3 to 4 months each.

Once when Kalyanjibhai was in Nadiad for his extended holiday, he got a postcard from Dhulia announcing about the fire in the ginning factory, due to which all the stock and other machinery were destroyed.

Consequently the business went bankrupt. Some said that it was a conspiracy by other 2 partners.

Ultimately, Kalyanjibhai who was in his early 40’s had to return from Dhulia empty handed and completely broken. He had 3 sons and 1 daughter, Kalidasbhai, Chunibhai, Chottabhai and Kashiben (Kashiba is my mother’s mother). When Kalyanjibhai passed away, the family had to go through worst financial crisis.

“At the age of 12, Kalidasbhai was compelled to look for a job to support his family. In those days, there was a cotton mill in Nadiad which belonged to Mafatlal Gagalbhai Sheth, the founder of Mafatlal Industries Ltd. This is important to know that a 12 year old boy, completely exhausted with scattered clothes, entered the mill and was eager to meet the manager for some employment. Obviously, his plea was rejected and he was asked to return. The boy had no other option but to seek for some employment to feed up the family, so he stood some feet away outside the entrance gate for hours in the scorching sun just to get a chance to meet the manager.

“By his good fortune, the owner’s son saw this boy

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PLATINUM SPONSORS

standing when he was entering the office, and he asked the reason for why he was standing there. The boy shared the pitiable condition of his family and pleaded for some employment. The warm hearted owner’s son accepted his request and at the age of 12 Kalidasbhai was appointed as the peon of the mill. He was paid some 8 Rs. per month which was bear enough minimum for the household. Kalidasbhai sincerely served the mill very well. Along with that, he self educated himself in various subjects. Due to his hard work he was promoted as a clerk then head clerk and eventually he became the manager in a particular department and finally the General Manager of the entire mill in 1910.

“During this period Kalidasbhai well established himself, bought property and got his sister Kashiben married and took the responsibility not only by helping this family but also paid for the weddings in due course of the 3 daughters of Kashiben.

He also helped his elder brother to get along through life. Moreover he was also influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India in 1915 and joined the freedom struggle. In 1932, he was a leader of Congress party in Kheda district and Mayor of Nadiad. He was known as “Lion of Nadiad” as he was fearless, confident and warm hearted. By the time, he retired from the textile mill and was reasonably well off with some agricultural land but his life style was very generous. He used to support the freedom movement. In 1930’s when a large number of people were imprisoned for taking part in the freedom movement, Kalidasbhai would supply food and other necessities to the imprisoned as well as their family members. Even he borrowed money from money lenders to support the freedom fight...”

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FORGOTTEN VOICES: UNTOLD STORIES OF LIVES TORN APART DURING PARTITION OF INDIA

16

India @ 70

www.asian-voice.com

EXCLUSIVE

Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Rupanjana Dutta

The UK and India are celebrating the Year of Culture to observe a growing closeness between the 2 countries.

Whether it is trade, defence, business or cultural exchanges the two countries are rejoicing a new era of their over 300 year old relationship. But for many, these new relationships fostered between the two countries cannot take away the horrors of separation and bloodshed of partition that their families have gone through.

Everybody knows the Independence of India was not given on a plate. It would have never happened without the sacrifices of thousands of freedom fighters. Imperial power will never relinquish its authority willingly and voluntarily. Indians have fought and many have paid the price. Today when India celebrates its 70th Independence, all the sacrifice has not gone in vain.

Since the Second World War, in 1945 nearly 70 countries have gained their independence. India is one of the few, who have remained democratic and is developing within the free market environment.

BBC Radio 4 had a special commissions to mark the 70 years since the Partition of India in 1947, including an ambitious dramatisation of Salman Rushdie’s multiaward winning Midnight’s Children and a three part factual series with remarkable first-hand accounts of British Asians and the British who lived through the Partition, which concluded on 14 August.

The Times has done a spread on the stories of surviving partition victims who live in the UK such as Swaran Singh Rayit, who lives in Berkshire, Bashir Mann in Glasgow, Raman Bannerjee in Essex, Raj Daswani in London, Gurbaksh Garcha in Lewisham, Abdul Hafeez

Swaran Singh Rayit with grandson Manveer Singh (left) and son Tejpal Singh (right) Photo courtesy: The Times

dawood in Luton, Mohinder Kaur Matharoo in Essex, Surjit Singh Sandhu in Wolverhampton, Rajkumari Bowri in Leicester- many candidates interviewed by BBC's documentary. Called the Partition Voice, the British Library is archiving these testimonies.

Many know the story of Shaheed Nanak Singh, father

along with the pivotal role played by his mother, who worked as a teacher and was responsible in shaping him into a fine upstanding individual. In 1971 he emigrated to England and overcame prejudice to achieve success on a scale that he could hardly have imagined in his wildest dreams. He has been honoured by Her Majesty a

Dr Rami Ranger CBE with wife Renu Photo courtesy: Lopa Patel

of Dr Rami Ranger CBE, who was assassinated during India's partition. The hardship Rami faced during his childhood is documented

record eight times. No other Briton can claim this accolade.

For Swaran Singh Rayit the summer of 1947 should

summon happy schoolboy memories of growing up in Indian Punjab. Instead, he recalls being chosen, at the age of 15, to take part in a raid against Muslims in a nearby village. As the eldest son in his family, it was his duty to take part in a revenge attack for the slaughter of Sikhs, although in the event his sword was taken from him by a man whose own weapon was damaged.

Rayit reportedly watched Muslims butchered, the streets full of blood- a scene he does not want to remember. Arriving in the UK, Rayit worked in quality control for a manufacturing company in Southall, west London. Being involved in mundane things of life, he never got a chance to tell his family the full story about the bloodshed and partition. Now he lives in Berkshire, and have three generations of family love, but he still remembers those days of pain and heart break.

However Rayit's is not the only story. Many of those whose experience was as traumatic as Rayit’s never spoke about it with family and friends. But now some-

ASIAN ACHIEVERS

AWARDS

The people’s choice awards

thing is changing. Urvashi Butalia, a celebrated writer on partition and author of 'The Other Side of Silence', told The Times that there is “a sense that people now feel if they don’t speak it will be lost for ever”.

Bashir Mann has lived in Glasgow for nearly 65 years.

He was involved in Scottish Politics for more than three decades, and has been politically active his whole life.

When he lived in Punjab he was a member of the Muslim League and campaigned for a separate homeland for India’s Muslims, but he never imagined the violence that would break out.

Raman Bannerjee, as a young man in Dhaka, now in Bangladesh, was reportedly a part of the Quit India movement (1942). He came to Britain in 1966 to study for the Bar exams. He now lives in Essex and remembers the growing tensions as partition neared. He threw petrol and nail bombs as Muslim attackers came to the Hindu compound where he lived. One time he threw 17 of them.

Bannerjee expresses regret for his actions, but explains, “It was just for self-defence.”

Asian Voice interviewed a few people and gathered such stories, where people living in Eastern India experienced horrors that are untold of.

Dr Soumitri Chakraborty from Solihul spoke about her grandparents who were affected by this biggest ever man made tragedy of humankind. She said, “Both side of my grandparents got affected badly My grandfather was working in Kolkata as a bank manager during 1947. He was well aware if the tense situation going on back home in Dhaka where his family lived. But in those days transport was not so easy and accessible to all like now.

“The print media did not have access all around the Indian subcontinent and so the newspapers were very

: Venue don

l Lon Cenndtra tember p 22 Se017 2

much localised. One day my grand father got a telegram from his father which said ''everything is gone, hope we can reach Kolkata alive''. They were influential landlord in their own village in Faridpur, Dhaka but still religious divisiveness did not spare them.

They were rioted out from their own house and all their properties were looted by people belonging to another community.

“My grand father lived his whole childhood and teen age in the same village but he never experienced any such extreme hatred between communities before. The telelgram left him shocked and he did not know where to go to get any further information about his own parents and family. The whole family split up. My great grand parents managed to come to Kolkata to my grand father. But his other siblings had to move to different parts of India. A wealthy extended family broke down in pieces and left to being homeless refugees. They were fortunate enough that they could survive and as all the siblings were very highly educated, they got jobs in different parts of India. But they saw their devastated father die in few days because of mental trauma, they could hardly meet each other through out their lifetime because of distance and lack of affordable transport.

“My great grand father could not bring her sister from that ancestral house as she decided to stay there in spite of knowing she can be murdered any time. She later died and after her death when my grand father reached Dhaka to do the cremation, he found the whole house has been dug up by the neighbours because they thought the widow lady might have inherited lot of wealth from her wealthy family and she hid those wealth under the ground.

“My grand father died at

AsianVoiceNews

the age of 82 years in a small state in India where he worked as chief judicial magistrate and then as public legal prosecutor. He had dementia before his death and during those days he only used to talk about his ancestral house, his childhood and his friends and siblings and the happy family he was forced to leave behind because of partition.

“I always think where do we belong to? Where was the beginning or end of the journey? My grand father belonged to undivided India and then he belonged to India, my father thankfully always belonged to India, I belonged to India, but then moved to UK- so this makes me think are we the global citizens or just uprooted immigrants? The painful experiences I heard from my grand father and few of our relatives are not easy to compile in writing because it is too sad to be written. People got killed, became homeless, families got split up and separated forever and could never re-unite! My grand father always used to tell me through out his life how much he missed being with his siblings who were living far off and could not connect to each other in spite of spending the childhood and teen age under the same roof and being brought up in the same family.

“When I see the extreme tragic story of Syrian refugees in news, I can easily connect with them as a fellow human being , because just one generation back my grandparents went through the same amount of grief and struggle and tragedy. People say till now the Kali temple established by our ancestors remain there in Bangladesh though neither my dad nor me would have had any idea even how it looks or ever looked!”

Annie Dey Sarkar told Asian Voice, “I would like to share the story of my grand-

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

India. “I was little over 5 years, when “Quit India” campaign was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in Mumbai on 8th August, 1942', he said.

I was at that time living in the large household of Kalidas Dada, my mother’s maternal uncle. In the household was Dada, his wife, their son, his younger brother/ his wife/ s o n , Shantamasi(Shankuntalaben ’s young windowed mother),

Lives after partition Source: Dalrymple (2015) Partition of India: Online Exhibition

father Shyam Sundar Paul.

They lived a good life in Bangladesh (Dhaka), but after partition they lived for quite sometime in Ranaghat Refugee camp. From where he was almost kidnapped but was saved. His brother and him shared only one pair of trousers between them, while the other covered in a towel (gamcha). From then to now being a successful business man, he has been through a lot.”

Poppy Dey told the newsweekly, “We had an unique tragedy. Jassore Khulna were on the map of independent Indian side of Bengal and then within few days Gandhi accepted to give it to other side in place of

Bohoram pore/ Murshidabad on this side of map. One of my father's cousin (flourished & affluent advocate of Khulna) was over the moon as he learnt that Khulna would be in India, but soon he went into depression when he heard that Khulna and Jessore were to be given to East Pakistan and he had to leave Khulna as a refugee to make his journey to Kolkata to settle there. He couldn't bear this and leaving his young family & retired parents behind, he committed suicide.”

Asian Voice Editor C B Patel shared a story from his life about many sacrifices involved in lives revolving around the independence of

Shankuntalaben, myself and some 3 other cousins. It was a much extended joint family.

“Kalidas Dada’s story is worth retelling. His father Kalyanjibhai belonged to an average Patel household in Nadiad. The family land holding were inadequate in view of the increasing younger people and Kalyanjibhai with 2 other friends migrated to present day Dhulia in Khandesh. At that time the imperial power was encouraging development of cotton cultivation for supply to the Manchester mills, and Khandesh was an ideal phase for going that staple.

“In 1880, Kalyanjibhai with 2 other friends started a

India @ 70

ginning factory for cotton in Dhulia and became successful. There was a train service once a day from nearby place in Khandesh to Surat then to Nadiad. It took a day or sometimes day an half to travel. The postal service during those days used to take a week to reach the destination. The 3 partners of the ginning factory used rotate turns on regular basis to visit their family for 3 to 4 months each.

Once when Kalyanjibhai was in Nadiad for his extended holiday, he got a postcard from Dhulia announcing about the fire in the ginning factory, due to which all the stock and other machinery were destroyed.

Consequently the business went bankrupt. Some said that it was a conspiracy by other 2 partners.

Ultimately, Kalyanjibhai who was in his early 40’s had to return from Dhulia empty handed and completely broken. He had 3 sons and 1 daughter, Kalidasbhai, Chunibhai, Chottabhai and Kashiben (Kashiba is my mother’s mother). When Kalyanjibhai passed away, the family had to go through worst financial crisis.

“At the age of 12, Kalidasbhai was compelled to look for a job to support his family. In those days, there was a cotton mill in Nadiad which belonged to Mafatlal Gagalbhai Sheth, the founder of Mafatlal Industries Ltd. This is important to know that a 12 year old boy, completely exhausted with scattered clothes, entered the mill and was eager to meet the manager for some employment. Obviously, his plea was rejected and he was asked to return. The boy had no other option but to seek for some employment to feed up the family, so he stood some feet away outside the entrance gate for hours in the scorching sun just to get a chance to meet the manager.

“By his good fortune, the owner’s son saw this boy

HEADLINE SPONSOR

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standing when he was entering the office, and he asked the reason for why he was standing there. The boy shared the pitiable condition of his family and pleaded for some employment. The warm hearted owner’s son accepted his request and at the age of 12 Kalidasbhai was appointed as the peon of the mill. He was paid some 8 Rs. per month which was bear enough minimum for the household. Kalidasbhai sincerely served the mill very well. Along with that, he self educated himself in various subjects. Due to his hard work he was promoted as a clerk then head clerk and eventually he became the manager in a particular department and finally the General Manager of the entire mill in 1910.

“During this period Kalidasbhai well established himself, bought property and got his sister Kashiben married and took the responsibility not only by helping this family but also paid for the weddings in due course of the 3 daughters of Kashiben.

He also helped his elder brother to get along through life. Moreover he was also influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India in 1915 and joined the freedom struggle. In 1932, he was a leader of Congress party in Kheda district and Mayor of Nadiad. He was known as “Lion of Nadiad” as he was fearless, confident and warm hearted. By the time, he retired from the textile mill and was reasonably well off with some agricultural land but his life style was very generous. He used to support the freedom movement. In 1930’s when a large number of people were imprisoned for taking part in the freedom movement, Kalidasbhai would supply food and other necessities to the imprisoned as well as their family members. Even he borrowed money from money lenders to support the freedom fight...”

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BEST PRIME MINISTERS TO SHAPE INDIA

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It is not easy to govern a country as diverse as India. It is the world's second-largest populated country, with over a thousand languages- including 20 major ones. There is diversity in all forms. The people are all divided into hundreds of ethnic groups who follow different religions, and vary from the world's poorest to the richest.

Ever since its independence in 1947, India has been served by 14 prime ministers, all who have given justice to their responsibilities in their own ways. While it is easy to point fingers at the least popular leaders, this Independence Day, we pay respect to the ones who are loved the most.

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the multi-ethnic democracy we see today. He served for a collective 17 years, at a time when India was fresh out of British rule and was taking baby steps, and the outside world was recuperating from the Second Great War. The most prominent controversy circling Nehru was his role in the partition of India, something for which he is often criticised even to this day.

While many believe both, Pakistan and Bangladesh should have remained a part of the country, Nehru's decision seems wise in retrospect. Both the countries in modern India's boundaries would have been rife with violence and steady civil war.

India is one of the few nations that maintains good relations with both, the US and Russia. It was under Nehru's Non-align-

populist or nationalist governing, Nehru made sure India walked on a steady path of democracy.

He made sure our country received a western-style constitution – making it one of the few “free” countries in Asia.

He strongly emphasised secularism, and often called it a necessity for a modern, multi-confessional country.

ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE India's tenth prime minister, Vajpayee was the first from outside of the Indian National Congress to serve a full five-year term. From the Bharatiya Janta Party, he served from 1996 to 1998-2004.

His term is considered of vital importance as it saw a change in the face of India's several foreign and JAWAHARLAL NEHRU domestic policies.

The one who shaped While the Indian econour country and pioneered omy abandoned socialism and opened up in 1991 under the C o n g r e s s , Bajpayee welcomed development and modernisation in a way the previous government could not.

Follwoing years of pro-poor and development policies, it was only under the new government that the country Prime Minister Jawaharalal Nehru delivering his famous 'Tryst with began to establish Destiny' post India's independence itself.

The Vajpayee government also ment Movement that its evolution. Nehru was a introduced the 86th allowed India to pursue its charismatic leader. He amendment in 2002, proown strategic autonomy became the first Prime viding mandated primary and sphere of influence in Minister of Swatantra education for all Indian its backyard. Not a fan of Bharat and turned it into

GST digitises Indian economy Widely seen as the most important and far-reaching indirect tax reform that will eventually impact almost all industries and businesses, the Goods and Services Tax was launched after a long and dramatic drum roll. Brought in as a solution to the country's indirect taxation law that crippled business environment, GST was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to subsume all taxes and create just one rate for the entire nation.

The new tax regime had a profound effect on the way business is being conducted, and the way prices are determined. It affects supply chain optimisation, accounting and tax compliance systems, as also the tax structure, tax incidence, tax computation, tax payment, etc. The automation of compliance procedures, that come under the government's Digital India reduces errors and increases efficiency.

Earlier this year,

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Finance Ministry Arun Jaitley said that once the GST is implemented, the “combination of a more digitised economy with a more efficient tax system, I am sure will make India look much better. It will make our economy look much cleaner and bigger.”

Businesses need to upload their invoices to the GST Network (GSTN) on a regular basis, under the GST. They also need to upload and download various forms from the GSTN thrice a month, every month. This format makes it necessary for the regime to employ technology to run their business and accounting process. It also fares well with the government's efforts to promote digitisation to unlock efficiencies, compliance and growth in the Indian economy. With more businesses coming online, new business opportunities will be created and a vibrant digital economy will be formed. The new GST makes it necessary for

businesses to organise themselves better.

Compliance requirements under the regime are welldefined and require almost real-time compliance.

Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel called GST a part of the digitisation move, which, he said, along with the reforms on the information tax side in terms of the processes and operations, have the potential to broaden the tax base considerably. A recent report suggested that India has entered its strongest growth phase and a full blown bull market is yet to play out.

India's steady transition towards a formal economy and digital economy may have been been a result of demonetisation and digitisation. GST has only boosted companies, economy, and jobs, and is set to impact the Indian economy in the next 5-7 years, converting India from a developing economy to a developed economy.

Vajpayee taking oath as Prime Minister in 1996

children. Almost half of India's road network constructed in the past three decades was built by the same administration, connecting major Indian cities.

A few years into power, Vajpayee pursued Indian

nuclear-armed powers.

NARENDRA MODI A champion of 'development', and the architect of achche din, Narendra Modi's vision has remained visibly different from the others who governed before him. After being

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Make in India scheme, foreign investment has increased by 40 per cent in the country.

His handling of security threats and issues of terrorism remains the most fierce yet.

Infiltration bids have been noted to have drastically fallen under the Modi Sarkar. India has also entered joint partnerships with France, USA, Russia, and Israelmostly in nuclear capable submarines, F-16s, rockets and choppers.

Modi has also been reasonably successful in his dealings with West Asian countries. His engagement with the UAE, Qatar, Saudi

Modi addresses over 60,000 people during his maiden speech in the Wembley Stadium

foreign and defense policy, ordering nuclear tests and helping India emerge as a nuclear power. He also expertly handled the first confrontation between South Asia's two

voted to power in 2014, Modi brought about several initiatives including Jan Dhan Yojana, Start up India, Make in India, and others. It has been revealed that following his

Arabia and Iran, and Oman reveals New Delhi's tactic to wean the countries away from Pakistan.

To read full article, visit our website www.asian-voice.com

Pak-India anthems brought together into beautiful mash-up

Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day, just a day before India does. This year, pro-peace Facebook group 'Voice of Ram' shared a beautiful, soulshaking rendition created by uniting both the countries' national anthems.

The finished product garnered positive response on the internet, and was praised by social media users from both countries.

A series of artists are seen singing Jana Gana

Mana, and Pāk Sarzamīn.

The video begins with the words, “When we open our borders to art, peace comes along”, and ends with, “Let's stand together for peace”. Filmmaker and activist, Ram Subramanian, who heads the group, said he made the videos “because a lot of people are afraid to speak about peace, and it's an illogical fear.” He added, “To me, these videos mean a new beginning, another

small step towards peace.”

The video features Indian a capella group Voxchord singing Pak's national anthem.

The monochrome video put up last weekend has already garnered more than 120,000 hits on YouTube. Pakistan media appreciated the gesture, with a source describing it as a “surprise offering”. It said, “Free of any instruments, the song is quite a treat to listen to.”

REAL ESTATE VOICE

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THE INDIAN AND THE JEW AsianVoiceNews

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I met a broker last week, who has performed for us on several large deals previously. He always manages to pull something out of the bag when it’s required.

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap London Property Investment

Appearances are very deceptive; he mostly comes to meet me and clients in jeans and a tshirt, in short his appearance makes me look good.

He's a Punjabi lad from Birmingham, but don't let appearances fool you. The size of deals and quantity of deals he does with lenders is more than the whole of Savills do together. He earns seven figures year on year.

In short, he punches well above his weight. The community his business comes from is almost exclusively the Jewish community, which he has

dealt with for over a decade. They operate in a very old school way, are commercially minded, their word is their bond.

He had dealt with one Indian previously, besides myself, and he said this will be probably the last time he deals with them.

Being an Indian he can get away with saying this.

I mentioned to him that our clients are almost exclusively Indians. I can sympathise with his sentiments. Many of the Indians I have dealt with have a tendency not to want to pay fees. They do not value advice or the value of having a partner.

They value objects more.

So, they will happily negotiate and even re-negotiate fees, and profit shares.

Not knowing a fruitful

AGONY AGENT IS HERE TO HELP! Following on from last week's question regarding flooring, I thought it would be best to cover all areas in the property.

It can be tempting to decorate your investment in your own colour choices, however, this is a mistake many people make, and it can cost you prospective tenants. Instead, create a blank canvas and make it easy for your tenants to personalise the space. If they can make themselves feel at home, they’ll be more likely to stay. Your choice of paint colour doesn’t have to be all white or magnolia; these colours are great when

you’re on a budget and won’t be charging a lot of rent, however, if you’re trying to attract a different kind of tenant, or want to charge a little more, there are many other neutral colours you could try.

If you like a certain type of paint but don’t want to break the bank, why not paint the walls in magnolia, with a different neutral coloured feature wall?

Or paint the space above a dado rail magnolia and save the other colour for the bottom half?

Whatever you decide, I would recommended you try and stay away from

BUY TO LET OPPORTUNITY

bright colours and wall paper, as these could put a perfectly good tenant off renting your property, if it’s not to their taste.

When choosing your paints, if you have the budget, try and buy types that will provide the most durability with a long-life span for your tenants.

For kitchens and bathrooms, especially in apartments, it’s a good idea to buy paint with added mould protection and this is a common area where condensation can build up. For the rest of the house a silk paint is nice, or try using a specialist paint that’s more

Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

relationship can yield a lifetime of good and easy business deals. They concentrate on the deal and do not tend to honour the relationship. Not all are like that, but unfortunately a large majority.

Contrary to belief, this doesn't make you a good business man, it means you lack in integrity and it just makes you predictable, and short sighted.

One of the issues is that Indian money is relatively new money. They have just come into it, meaning it is either first or second generation money, and there’s a difference between new money and old money.

One Jewish lender I met, and do business with, his family has been lending money since at least the

time of his grandfather; he has his roots from Iran. I visualised that it was probably his ancestors whom Jesus threw out of the temple! The money they lend is money which is offshore earning a paltry rate of interest.

They focus on investments, which even in a downturn will not go down. When they invest into property they are mindful of areas which have capital growth but their focus is on yield, so whatever the weather they are earning money every month, if the underlying asset goes down. The other investments they look at is freehold investments. Here the ground has to be paid regardless, if someone refuses to pay, or there is a delay, the mortgage lender will pay

on their behalf and add it to the mortgage bill.

These two activities along with money lending means their money will not be diminished, even during a downturn. This is the mindset which will ensure wealth lasts for generations, and their history speaks for itself. In summary, long term business is all about maintaining relationships. Deals may come and go, but a strong relationship will yield a continual harvest.

easily wiped clean.

Skirting boards and woodwork will be fine in a white gloss emulsion.

For the ultimate in durability, look for paints that contain latex or acrylic, they take knocks and scrapes better than other varieties, and with so many people moving furniture in and out of rental properties, it’s likely there’ll be a few of these.

Once you’re done painting, save any leftover paint, buy extra tins, or make a note of the brands and colours of the paints you’ve used, including which rooms you used them in, as this makes it much easier to repaint after a tenancy or allow your tenants to touch up

any scuffs themselves.

Remember that no matter what paint you choose, you will never meet everyone's taste, and you will still get the odd comment that they do not like it. But, keeping the colours neutral will help eliminate decoration take

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as a reason not to take your property.

For any further advice on this please contact me for more free helpful tips.

Richard Bond Lettings Manager Sow & Reap

India @ 70

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REACHING FOR THE STARS, INDIA’S QUEST FOR THE OUTER SPACE: ARYABHATA TO MANGALYAAN Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Pallava Bagla

India has a rich tradition of using outer space as a tool for national development. The poorest of the poor have always been the beneficiaries of India’s space technologies, from farmers to fisher folk Indian satellites touch the lives of almost the entire 1.3 billion population. As India celebrates its seventieth birthday it has already entered the golden era of space technology, sectors like satellite television, banking, smart city development, weather forecasting, smart phones, e-governance, satellite aided navigation are all catering to India’s unending appetite to deploy high technology to ease the life of the common man.

India’s quest for space has been pioneered by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) set up in 1969 and today has an annual budget of about $ 1.4 billion. The country has a constellation of 44 satellites in orbit and can now on its own launch up to four tons of communication satellites into orbit.

This gives India end to end capabilities in space technology from making its own satellites to launching

its own rockets and has even sent an Indian made satellite Mangalyaan or the Mars Orbiter Mission all the way to the Mars travelling a distance of over 200 million kilometres.

The journey for ISRO began from the humble fishing village of Thumba on the coast of the Arabian Sea where the scientists used the premises of a church to set up the first rocket launch facilities and

the first rockets were carried on bicycles and first satellites pulled in on bullock carts. Today India’s heaviest rocket the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III (GSLV MK III) also lovingly named `Bahubaali’ weighs a whopping 640 tons or the weight of more than 200 fully grown elephants.

This elegant rocket had its maiden launch on June 5, 2017 when it launched a communications satellite

ities.”

While the concept of “first responder” has generally been interpreted quite narrowly, focusing on humanitarian disasters, a broader definition illustrates how India has played a crucial role in assuming these “global responsibilities” by responding to a variety of crises in its neighbourhood and beyond. This is particularly apparent in several issueareas.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescue team. Over the next days, India lead on the ground, landing 32 flights with 520 tonnes of relief and more than fifty medical, Army engineering and other rescue operation teams. In 2014, the Indian Navy was the first to arrive in the Madives to provide fresh drinking water to more than 150,000 of its citizens facing an acute supply crisis. More recently, in response to Cyclone More (2017), India was the first to respond to the devastating floods in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. As reflected in relief provided to Pakistan in 2005 and 2010, Indian support transcends political considerations and is driven by a deep humanitarian drive.

GSAT-19 into orbit and promises to become the mainstay for all heavy lifts.

The first satellite to be launched by India was way back in 1972 when the 360 kilogram Aryabhata satellite named after India’s legendary mathematician was lifted into orbit from the erstwhile USSR. This space science satellite paved the way for ISRO to reach for the stars.

In the next few months this year India hopes to launch its heaviest ever satellite GSAT- 11 that will weigh about 5725 kilograms.

By launching `Bahubaali’ the Indian space agency entered into a bold new world muscling its way to make its mark in the world’s heavy weight multi-billion dollar launch market.

India already has two operational rockets the workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) that can hoist satellites of 1.5 tons into space and was the preferred vehicle for India’s maiden mission to Moon and Mars. The second the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II can hoist 2 ton class of satellites. Between them, ISRO has done fifty launches and recently even

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earned a world record by successfully placing 104 satellites in orbit beating an old Russian record of hoisting 39 satellites in a single mission.

This year India embarked on space diplomacy like never before. For the first time New Delhi flexed its prowess of space technology by embarking on an unprecedented and un-chartered `stratospheric diplomacy’ through a special Rs 450 crore gift for south Asians. India carved a very unique place in the universe, when New Delhi `gifted’ a heavy weight bird in the sky to its neighbours through the `South Asia Satellite’.

In 2013 India launched the Mangalyaan the country’s first mission to Mars and it hit Bulls Eye when on September 24, 2014 it entered the orbit of Mars and India created global history by becoming the

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first country to reach the orbit of Mars on its maide n attempt a fact that eluded global giants like USA and Russia.

Made for a nominal mission life of 180 days this year the Mangalyaan completed 1000 days in orbit and continues to beam back data and some its images like those of the full disc of Mars are so good that they featured on the cover of the venerated National Geographic magazine.

Early next year India plans to hoist its second mission to the Moon, Chandrayaa-2 which will include landing its flag on the lunar surface on an indigenous rover.

Continuing with interplanetary exploration missions are also planned for Venus and a re-visit to Mars.

To read full article, visit our website www.asian-voice.com

Responding First as a Leading Power

Constantino Xavier

The emerging concept of India as a “first responder” reflects the country’s growing capability and increasing willingness to assume the role of a leading power. By contributing its resources to prevent or mitigate regional and international crises, India is demonstrating its commitment as a responsible actor in the international order. Beyond narrow selfinterest, such contributions help project India’s soft power abroad and portray India in a positive light. They also reflect India’s expanding sphere of influence and capacity to shape events abroad.

As the Indian economy surges on and the country emerges as one of the key actors in the international order, expectations are consequently growing about India’s capacity to provide such support as a first responder to crises beyond its borders.

Commenting on this rising role, Foreign Secretary Dr. S. Jaishankar thus emphasizes that India’s foreign policy dimension is “to aspire to be a leading power, rather than just a balancing power ... (and) a willingness to shoulder greater global responsibil-

Natural disasters When the forces of nature unleash their fury on South Asia, the Indian government and military forces have played a critical role in supporting neighbouring countries in relief operations. After the 2004 tsunami, India deployed 14 Navy vessels, nearly 1,000 military personnel and several dozen helicopters and airplanes to Sri Lanka.

In 2007, in the aftermath of cyclone Sidr, India was one of the few countries allowed to provide relief to Myanmar and provided critical rice supplies to address food emergencies there.

In 2015, less than six hours after Nepal was rattled by a tragic earthquake taking almost 9,000 lives, the Indian Air Force flew in

Expatriate evacuation operations When crises erupt abroad, India is often the first on the ground to protect the lives and assets of its nationals. By mobilizing its consular officers, New Delhi has also provided safe evacuation to citizens from other countries. In 2015, for example, India extricated almost 2,000 nationals from 48 different countries, including many from the European Union,

the United States and neighbouring countries.

The Ministry of External Affairs, Air India, and the Navy and Air Force have emerged as key actors in conflict zones, especially in the Indian Ocean and Gulf region, normally operating as first responders coming to the rescue of thousands of foreign nationals in distress.

Non-traditional security challenges The Indian Navy has emerged as the Indian Ocean’s default first responder to non-traditional security challenges.

To combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden since 2008, it deployed almost thirty warships that have escorted more than 1500 ships and thwarted around thirty piracy attempts. India was a founder-member of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) and has taken a lead role in coordination efforts among different naval forces in the region.

When airplanes or ships go missing in its extended neighbourhood, India has often been among the first responders to participate in search and rescue missions. In 2014, the Indian Coast Guard deployed around the Andaman and

Nicobar Islands in initial efforts to locate the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

Post-conflict relief and rehabilitation India has often taken the lead in supporting countries going through post-conflict processes which require expert resources and significant funding. After the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, in 2009, India provided more than USD one billion worth in lines of credit and grants for projects in education, health, transport connectivity, and training. Focusing on relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction, India’s early efforts played a crucial role in facilitating Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan’s return to normalcy years of violent conflict. As one of the largest contributors to United Nations peacekeeping missions, India’s “blue helmets” have also served as first responders to mitigate dozens of conflicts around the world, leading efforts on the ground to facilitate stabilization and reconstruction.

Regime support Whenever friendly governments face the risk of a

coup or instability threatening regional security, India has often stepped in as a first support responder. In 1988, for example, in response to a request from the Maldives, India activated Operation Cactus to deploy its military and ensure regime continuity in Male.

Located in one of the world’s most conflict-ridden regions, whenever requested by neighbouring countries, India has also played a constructive role in offering its mediation services to ensure peaceful and inclusive settlements.

New Delhi is also a democratic first responder, deploying expert technical support to assist transitioning democracies to design their new constitutions and hold free and fair elections.

This first respondent tradition must be further studied and promoted, because it reflects India’s deep commitment to assume a driving role in the international order.

And it will also have to be endowed with adequate resources and capabilities for India to move even quicker and farther beyond its borders.

To read full article, visit our website www.asian-voice.com

CURRENCY VOICE

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Foreign Exchange

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Bank of England cut growth forecast Paresh Davdra is CEO and Co-Founder of RationalFX

Brexit negotiations initially got off to a shaky start as it seemed that British cabinet ministers were unable to reach an agreement on the best course of actions and the government also seemed at war with itself over the divorce terms.

The pound suffered losses mid last month after inflation rate slipped to 2.6 percent in June, the first drop in the annual rate since October. With economists having forecast the figure to hold at a four year peak of 2.9%, doubts were raised over whether the Bank of England would be raising interest rates at its next policy meeting.

Later in the month the ONS also revealed that that GDP grew by 0.3% in the second quarter of the year, up from 0.2% growth in Q1, with the services sector performing particularly well. However the positive data rather than buoying the pound cemented expectations that the Bank of England would be keeping interest rates on hold at their record low level.

With the Bank of England "Super Thursday" looming, many investors sought rhetoric over whether interest rates could be hiked in coming months.

Economists were expecting the Bank to push up its inflation forecasts slightly but to lower its projection for growth after the weak start to the year. However sterling fell sharply following the meeting as the bank announced that interest rates would remain unchanged at 0.25% and also cut the growth

forecasts to 1.7% to 1.9%.

The dollar struggled against various major currencies amid doubts over the future of President Trump’s economic agenda after Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare derailed in the US Senate.

The failure to deliver on healthcare reform dealt a major policy blow to the Trump administration and indicated that other reforms such as overhauling the tax code and implementing fiscal stimulus could face difficulties.

Recent weak US inflation data and the prospect that other major central banks such as the ECB and the Bank of England may join the Federal Reserve in normalizing monetary policy, have also fed weakness in the dollar.

During July the dollar slumped to a thirteen-month low against a range of major currencies on Friday amid a fresh wave of political uncertainty after newly published reports revealed that president Trump’s private business is also set to come under scrutiny.

Special counsel Robert Mueller is currently looking into the business dealings of the president and major Republican associates and is now set to expand investigations into allegations that Russia influenced the 2016 US presidential election. The reports follow from developments earlier in the week after Republican lawmaker’s intercepted efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, dealing a

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major policy blow to the Trump administration.

With continued aggravation between North Korea and the US China moved to tighten economic pressure on North Korea on Monday by implementing a new package of U.N. sanctions, but simultaneously had a warning for the Trump administration: don’t spoil our new-found unity by starting a trade war. The Commerce Ministry announced a ban on imports of iron ore, iron, lead and coal from North Korea effective Tuesday. The Chinese customs agency said it will stop processing imports of North Korean coal, iron and lead ores and fish at midnight on Sept. 5. "After that, entry of these goods will be prohibited," said an agency statement.

The announcement follows an escalating exchange of angry words between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim's government. Trump declared the U.S. military "locked and loaded" while Pyongyang threatened to fire four missiles into waters near the U.S. territory of Guam. The latest U.N. sanctions are intended to block North Korean exports worth $1 billion — a significant share of total exports valued at $3 billion last year. At the same time, Beijing warned President Trump not to split the international coalition over North Korea by provoking a trade war between China and the United States.

Eurozone inflation figures fell

in June, the European Commission confirmed, easing pressure on the European Central Bank to start tightening monetary policy.

The stubborn refusal of inflationary pressure to pick up towards the ECB’s two per cent target, despite the continued fall in unemployment in the Eurozone, has made the central bank wary of raising tightening conditions either by stopping quantitative easing (QE) or raising its key interest rates. Speculation has mounted since the ECB’s last meeting in June that the central bank might be readying markets for tighter policy.

Greece made a successful return to the financial markets, spurring some confidence in the embattled economy. Selling €3bn worth of its new five-year Government bond, at an interest rate of 4.625%, lower than the 4.95% that Greece last sold fiveyear bonds for, in 2014.

A government official says the sale was an “absolute success” also adding that “It reaffirms the positive trajectory of the Greek economy which is making steady steps to exiting crisis and bailout programmes.” There is already talk of further sales in the months ahead.

Greece’s current bailout programme expires in summer 2018.

Athens is desperate to avoid a fourth rescue deal, so is hoping that yesterday’s deal could be the first step towards gaining further market access.

Weekly Currencies

As of Tuesday 15th August 2017 @ 2.25pm

GBP - INR = 82.61

USD - INR = 64.27 EUR - INR = 75.24 GBP - USD = 1.29 GBP - EUR = 1.10

EUR - USD = 1.17 GBP - AED = 4.72

GBP - CAD = 1.64

GBP - NZD = 1.77

GBP - AUD = 1.64

GBP - ZAR = 17.19

GBP - HUF = 334.47

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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.

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22

FINANCIAL VOICE

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Consultant Editor Financial Voice Alpesh Patel Dear Financial Voice Reader, It’s Your Financial Independence Too That Matters, I created the Financial Voice section of this paper many years ago because I know as a community we are very savvy when it comes to money. I also wanted our readers, our community, to be financially independent.

When we speak of Indian Independence, there is no Independence for a country or a citizen without wealth, or at least income.

I felt a community, campaigning paper of such importance should have a vehicle for its advertisers that was as relevant to its audience as is the financial content.

So in my capacity as Consultant Editor of these pages, do let me know what you would like to see. I want our community to be financially literate and strong – not just our accountants and investment bankers, but young and old too in all fields or at school or retired.

Financial literacy, financial education is so very important to me that my very first book was written specifically for the Indian community.

My dedication to ensuring the community is financially literate then became a mainstream crusade as I started a weekly Financial Times column and Bloomberg TV show. After all, are our needs any different to those of the mainstream? We may, of course, have a heavy gold portfolio, but are we otherwise different? Sure, we may save more than most, but that is just a sub-group of the mainstream.

So after all these years what is the best advice I could give my community in the best traditions of a campaigning newspaper – in this case campaigning for the best financial education and literacy in our community – because wealth brings independence and choices and opportunities and freedom.

First, teach your children about stocks and finance from a young age. Schools will not do this. Our schools are poor educators of finance. I have been asked to speak at Eton College on financial literacy – I want the readers of this paper to have the wisdom Eton College is going to get from me.

Second, give them some money – even just £100 – and let them invest it through an online account – in shares. Nothing will increase their appetite to learn, than doing. They will be excited, intrigued, fascinated and teach themselves better than you ever could.

Third, teach them about the differences between assets – between bonds, and stocks and index trackers and commodities and what is diversification and why it is good, and when it fails.

Fourth teach them why clever people recommend index trackers and Exchange Traded Funds over individual stock picks.

Fifth, teach them why fund managers although experts should not be revered as better than a ten-yearold child when it comes to performing well on the stock market.

Some of my favourite sites: www.propertypartner.co, www.pensionbee.com , nutmeg.com, ishares.com.

Finally, give them confidence in finance that they treat the language of money as something they own – they are the experts because in finance there are no experts. If there were there would never have been a credit crunch or economic cycles and crashes. There are guesses with imperfect information and many people swimming without trunks – who will be in trouble when the tide goes out!

Aamby Valley auction Following directions from the Supreme Court, the official liquidator began the auction process for the embattled Sahara group's luxurious Aamby Valley resort town by inviting bids at a reserve price of £3.73 billion. The liquidator said the property includes timber chalets, modern villas, golf course, hospital, school and airport, among other amenities.

The official liquidator of the Bombay High Court published an auction notice inviting prospective bidders for

the integrated hill city township spread over 6,761.6 acres near Lonavala in Pune district, as also two land parcels measuring over 1,700 acres.

Sahara group has earlier pegged the market value of the project at over £10 billion. The auction process has been initiated even as a Mauritius-based investor, Royale Partners Investment Fund, last week said it has offered to invest $1.67 billion in Sahara group's Aamby Valley project.

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SoftBank makes record India tech bet with $2.5bn in Flipkart In perhaps the largest investment ever for an Indian internet company, e-commerce major Flipkart raised around $2.5 billion from Japanese telecom and internet conglomerate SoftBank. The fresh capital extends the size of Flipkart's financing round, which was announced in April this year, all the way to $4 billion.

While neither of the parties involved disclosed the exact amount being ploughed in by the Masayoshi Son-led group, sources said the number would total up to $2.5-2.6 billion, comprising a mix of primary and secondary capital. The fund-raise eclipses the highs set by

Masayoshi Son

Flipkart and Paytm when they both raised over $1.4 billion earlier this year. The investment gives the website a massive backing to fight the looming threat its home market being snatched away by Jeff Bezos' Amazon. The capital infusion is likely to further intensify the battle right before the festive season, opening up new battle-

grounds for the two players.

Owned by Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal, the ecommerce major has raised over $6 billion in cash since starting out in 2007, by far the highest by any Indian start-up and among the highest by any start-up globally. Flipkart, which also owns fashion retailers Myntra and Jabong as well as mobile payments firm PhonePe and eBay’s India platform, had raised $1.4 billion from Tencent Holdings Ltd, eBay Inc. and Microsoft Corp. in April.

“This is a monumental deal for Flipkart and India.

Very few economies globally attract such overwhelming interest from top-tier

investors. It is recognition of India’s unparalleled potential to become a leader in technology and ecommerce on a massive scale. SoftBank’s proven track record of partnering with transformative technology leaders has earned it the reputation of being a visionary investor,” Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal said in a joint statement.

With SoftBank’s entry, Binny, in particular, as well as Sachin will play a more active role at Flipkart, the people cited above said.

Flipkart will also end up with five strong voices on its board: SoftBank, Naspers-Tencent, Tiger Global, Accel and the Bansals.

SBI post-merger Q1 net profit jumps, bad loans too rise India's largest lender, the State Bank of India, reported a consolidated net profit of £310.53 million for the three month period ended June 30, the first quarterly result after merger of its associate subsidiaries and BMBL. It had reported a net profit of £86.73 million in the same quarter of the last fiscal.

The net profit, on a standalone bases was down over 20 per cent as bad loans rose during the April-June period of the current financial year.

SBI said the results of the current quarter are not comparable on account of

merger of its subsidiaries – State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala, and State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of

Travancore, besides the Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd (BMBL) with itself with effect from April 1, 2017. It added, “The results for this quarter includes operations of erstwhile banking subsidiaries & BMBL. Hence the results for this quarter are not comparable with that of the corresponding period of the previous year and immediately preceding quarter.” The bank's total consolidated

India sees surge in tax returns after Modi tightens net Tax authorities said they received 25 per cent more income tax returns for the past financially year, as compared with the year before. As many as 28 million Indians have so far, filed personal income tax returns for the fiscal year that ended March 31, compared with just 22 million around the same time in 2016.

The surge follows steps by the government to tighten the tax net in an attempt to boost the number of income taxpayers to 100 million and raise India's low tax to gross domestic product ratio.

The Finance Ministry issued a statement announcing the numbers. “Substantial number of new taxpayers have been brought into the net subsequent to demonetisation,” it said.

The government credits Prime Minister Modi's November decision to abolish the use of 86 per cent of India's currency.

The cash ban was followed up by tax officials

investigating individuals and businesses that deposited over Rs 200,000 of the old currency notes in their bank accounts.

India has an overall income tax base of about 57 million people, including several salaried workers whose taxes are withheld by employers, but who do not file tax returns. However, several economists say that middle-class Indians are coming under greater pressure to comply with tax rules, as New Delhi undertakes reforms that will gradually make tax evasion more difficult.

The country launched a value added tax on July 1,

that will expectedly force several small businesses into the tax net in order to continue doing business with larger, taxpaying firms. Sonal Varma, an economist at Nomura, said, “With Aadhaar, everything is being mapped. Whether you are a business person or an individual, it will be difficult to stay away from the tax net. I do think this is going be a big change for India, and in the next couple of years, India will see its tax to GDP rise.”

On the other hand.

Economists noted the current surge in taxpayer numbers is yet to translate into a sharp rise in tax collections. From April until June, the country's direct tax collections rose 14.8 per cent in absolute terms, but analysts say the taxto-GDP ratio for the quarter appears little changed from the 1.9 per cent collected in the same period in 2016.

income during the AprilJune quarter of 2017-18 stood at £7.07 billion, SBI said in a regulatory filing.

It said it has worked out historical data of erstwhile five associate banks, BMBL and of itself for comparing first quarter results of this fiscal, from quarter of 2016-17. The total income was however, £6.29 billion, as against £4.89 billion.

The bank's stand-alone asset quality deteriorated further, with gross nonperforming assets (NPAs) rising to 9.97 per cent as on June 30, 2017 as against 6.94 per cent as at endJune 2016.

Tata Steel agrees deal to restructure UK pension fund Tata Steel and British authorities said they have agreed on a plan to restructure the firm's British p e n s i o n scheme, ending one aspect of uncertainty for 1,30,000 current and retired steelworkers. Tata announced plans last year to sell its UK operations, including their Port Talbot steelworks in Wales. However, interventions from the British government and unions it agreed to keep the business, which employs 8,000 people in Britain.

Tata Steel UK released a statement saying it had signed an arrangement with pension trustees to separate the plan from the company, in exchange for a £550 million cash injection and stake for the pension fund in the company's businesses. The deal also addressed an obstacle to a proposed merger between Tata's British businesses and Germany's Thyssenkrupp. Koushik Chatterjee, Tata Steel Group Executive Director, said the deal was an “important milestone in Tata Steel UK's journey towards a sustainable and enduring future, with pension obligations whose risk profile would be consistent with the underlying business.”

INTERNATIONAL

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16 killed in Kenya post-poll violence NAIROBI: At least 16 people were killed as violence erupted following the announcement of the re-election of Uhuru Kenyatta as the president of Kenya in the disputed poll results. Seven people have been killed in the country's flashpoint west, police sources said. The sources said that three bodies were found in Kisumu, one in Homa Bay, one in Migori and two in Siaya. “These people were killed in confrontations with police," said an officer. "We haven't had any problems since Sunday night. The area is calm but we are still maintaining our presence in the hotspots which are prone to

India-born Bali Padda is new CEO of Lego

Bali Padda

COPENHAGEN: India-born Briton Bali Padda will be appointed as the first foreign CEO of Danish toymaker Lego and to give its family owners a bigger role in developing the Lego brand under an organisational shake-up that will see incumbent Jorgen Vig Knudstorp step down by the end of the year.

Bali Padda, currently chief operations officer, will be the first chief executive from outside the Kristiansen clan, Denmark's richest family. The change comes after more than a decade of impressive growth under Knudstorp, during which the company overtook My Little Pony producer Hasbro to become the world's secondlargest toy maker and is now vying with Barbie doll maker Mattel to become the world's biggest.

The growth was boosted from rising demand in Asia and embracing the digital era. The owner family will now become active in brandrelated activities, including the group's stake in Merlin Entertainments, operator of the six Lego land theme parks, and in Lego Education used in schools.

Uhuru Kenyatta

chaos just to ensure calm returns." Angry opposition supporters took to the streets immediately after Kenyatta was declared the victor.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga, whose party has rejected the results as a "charade" and claimed that the election was rigged.

Raila Odinga

Residents of Nairobi slums, and in the western city of Kisumu, threw stones at police and burned tyres, while officers responded with tear gas and in some cases, live ammunition.

Post-election violence in 2007 resulted in 1,200 people killed and 600,000 displaced.

The election commission announced its official results giving 55-year-old Kenyatta another five years in power after securing 54.3 per cent of votes cast. Odinga's NASA coalition rejected the results even before they were announced, saying that the election commission's systems had been hacked, that the conduct of the count was irregular and that foreign observers who gave the poll a clean chit were biased.

However, the main monitoring group, ELOG, which had 8,300 observers on the ground, said its parallel vote tally conformed with the official outcome.

Hindus seek apology of Kellogg’s CEO NEVADA: Upset Hindus are seeking the resignation and apology of Kellogg’s CEO John A Bryant for non-disclosure of beef in some of its cereals and other products, and immediate recall of all such items from the market. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement, said that it was shocking for Hindus to learn that some of the cereals they had been eating for years contained beef while there was no mention of it under the ingredients mentioned on the packages.

Consumption of beef is

highly conflicting to Hindu beliefs, Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said. Kellogg has admitted that Gelatin

derived from beef is found in some of the products. Rajan said that it was a very serious issue for the devotees and would severely hurt their feelings when they would come to know that they were unknowingly eating beef-laced cereals. Rajan said that it was the time for Kellogg to demonstrate its “commitment to integrity and ethics” by admitting their error of not being transparent enough to mention what is inside the package so that an ordinary consumer could make right and appropriate choices.

Family trying to raise £100,000 to treat girl’s deadly tumour LONDON: Tooba Khalid and husband Usman Azam, the parents of a three-yearold girl Maham, have launched an appeal to raise £100,000 to treat their daughter who is suffering from a deadly brain tumour.

The girl has to be sent to the Czech Republic to undergo proton beam therapy which is not available in NHS hospitals. In June the parents were told that the cancer of their daughter had returned and she had another operation on July 19 to remove the regrown tumour.

Doctors recommended radiotherapy to prevent the cancer spreading. They are in a race against time for her to receive proton beam therapy, which delivers higher doses with less dam-

Maham

age to healthy surrounding tissue.

Doctors in Prague have reviewed Maham’s scans and are willing to offer the treatment, which would last six weeks and cost £95,000.

The girl has to receive the proton therapy within four to six weeks after the surgery. Dr Yen-Ching Chang, the consultant

oncologist treating Maham, told her parents, who live in Beckton, that proton beam therapy “would offer the same chance of cure as [Xray] photon therapy” but “may offer an advantage” in cutting the risk of secondary cancers or other side effects.

Maham was 10 months old when she was first diagnosed in January 2015 with a stage four medulloblastoma tumour “the size of a golf ball” in the back of her head. She had a 10-hour operation, during which she suffered major blood loss and a cardiac arrest.

Eight months of chemotherapy left her unable to walk or eat solid food, and with sight and hearing problems.

White supremacist rally in US turns violent; 3 killed CHARLOTTESVILLE (VIRGINIA): Three people were killed and dozens injured as a car rammed into a crowd of protesters and a state police helicopter crashed into the woods as tension boiled over at a white supremacist rally. The violent day left the usually quiet college town a bloodied symbol of the nation's roiling racial and political divisions.

The chaos erupted around what is believed to be the largest group of white

nationalists to come together in a decade - including neoNazis, skinheads, members of the Ku Klux Klan - who descended on the city to “take America back“ by rallying against plans to remove a Confederate statue.

Hundreds came to protest against the racism. There were street brawls and violent clashes; the governor declared a state of emergency and helicopters circled overhead.

Peaceful protesters were

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marching downtown, carrying signs that read “black lives matter.” Suddenly a car came ploughed through the crowd and smashed into another car. The impact hurled people into the air and blew off their shoes. A 32-year-old woman was killed as she crossed the street. The victim was identified as 32-year-old Heather Heyer of Charlottesville.

Mayor Mike Signer called the killing of Heyer and the injury of others by the vehi-

cle a “terrorist attack with a car used as a weapon.”

The driver, James Alex Fields Jr, a 20-year-old, was charged with second-degree murder and other counts.

Just as the city seemed like to be quieting down, black smoke billowed out from the tree tops just outside of town as a Virginia State Police helicopter crashed into the woods. Both troopers onboard, Lieutenant H Jay Cullen, 48, and Berke M M Bates were killed.

Saudia Airline issues strict dress code

RIYADH: The Saudia Airline has issued a strict dress code for male and female passengers. A message says that passengers must not be “clothed in a manner that would cause discomfort or offense to other passengers.” According to the airline, that offensive clothing includes: “Women exposing legs or arms, or wearing too thin or too tight clothes and men wearing shorts exposing legs.” The airline has warned that those who do not confirm the dress code will be barred from flying in the airline.

Death toll in Nepal floods reaches 91

KATHMANDU: Massive floods following incessant rains in the past few days have claimed 91 lives in Nepal, while thousands of people have been displaced across the country.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba who visited the flood-affected areas assured all possible help to the affected people. The government has intensified the rescue and relief efforts by mobilizing resources. The monsoon havoc has affected the eastern, central and western regions of the country. A total of 50,000 houses were inundated across the plains. More than 3,000 houses were destroyed in floods that killed an estimated 400 livestock.

Over 22,000 people were displaced and the ministry said the death toll was likely to rise.

Indian-origin man jailed in Singapore

SINGAPORE: An Indian origin man was sentenced to six months in jail for assaulting and intimidating law enforcement officials who summoned him for smoking in an unauthorised area. Ramasamy Soogumar, 59, admitted to the three offences for causing hurt to a police officer and criminal intimidation to a National Environment Agency (NEA) officer whose colleague had issued him a summons for smoking in a prohibited area.

PIO pleads guilty to insider trading in US

NEW YORK: A 42-year old Indian-origin executive has pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in a scheme to commit insider trading in which he made thousands of dollars of illegal profits. Avaneesh Krishnamoorthy worked as a vice-president and risk management specialist for a Manhattan-based investment bank. He pleaded guilty. He made over $78,000 by trading in the stock and options of three publicly traded companies based on material he misappropriated from the investment bank, acting US attorney Joon Kim said.

Army chief hoists largest Pak flag in Wagah Border

ISLAMABAD:Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa hoisted the largest national flag at Wagah Border on the eve of the country's 70th independence anniversary. The flag, made entirely in Pakistan, was hoisted on a 400-feet pole at midnight. The size of the flag is 120 feet by 80 feet. The flag is the highest one in South Asia and the eight highest in the world. The hoisting ceremony was followed by grand fireworks display and an address by Gen Bajwa.

In a first, Russia to train women fighter pilots

MOSCOW: Female candidates are to be accepted for the first time to train as pilots for Russia's air force, defence minister Sergei Shoigu said adding there were so many applications that “we can't ignore them.”

“There are many young women who would like to become military pilots. We have received hundreds of letters,” he said. “That's why we've decided that this year we will enrol a first group of women at the military academy of Krasnodar,” in southern Russia, he said.

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INDIA

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AIADMK leaders meet Modi, set to reunite soon Merger is must to save the govt and party from challenges posed by TTV Dinakaran and MK Stalin

NEW DELHI: The two factions of the AIADMK are likely to merge soon to save the government and the party from challenges posed by controversial general secretary TTV Dinakaran and Opposition Leader MK Stalin, who has threatened to bring a no-confidence motion.

Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami and rival faction leader O Pannerselvam have met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to give final touches to their merger plan.

According to reports, Palaniswami is likely to continue as Chief Minister while Pannerselvam may be inducted as Deputy Chief Minister.

Another option is to make OPS

head a seven-member committee to steer the reunited AIADMK until the time the general council elect a new set of office-bearers, including the general secretary.

While AIADMK (Amma faction) has declared the appointment of Dinakaran as deputy general secretary by Sasikala null and void, it cannot get rid of Sasikala that easily.

Palaniswami owes his position to Sasikala after her attempt to grab power was frustrated by her conviction in the assets case by the Supreme Court.

Before going to Benguluru jail to serve the three year jail term, she installed him as her proxy government with the support of 122 MLAs and also named her nephew Dinakaran as her deputy to hold fort.

The AIADMK (Amma faction), which was under the control of Palaniswami, filed an affidavit before the Election

Commission endorsing Sasikala’s appointment as interim general secretary until the general council elects a full-time GS. That affidavit can be withdrawn only if the Palaniswami and Pannerselvam merge and elect a new set of office-bearers which will supersede all previous appointments. Once that is done, the reunited party can file a fresh affidavit before the EC and it then close the case and release the frozen Two Leaves Symbol.

The question is whether Dinakaran will allow this.

Talking to reporters, he clearly said that he was appointed by Sasikala and no one can remove him from the post.

Fight between Andhra CM and All accused acquitted in Jagan Mohan gets real ugly Hyderabad suicide blast case

NEW DELHI: A Hyderabad court has acquitted all 10 accused in the 2005 Hyderabad bomb blast case, stating a lack of evidence.

Defence advocate Abdul Azeem said that the prosecution failed to provide substantial evidence.

Metropolitan Sessions Court judge T Srinivas Rao exonerated the accused who were jailed for over a decade, except one, who was out on bail.

All India Majlis-eIttehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi while reacting to the judgment said that the explosive substance found at the blast site did not match the one produced by prosecution. He asked, “Police couldn't prove conspiracy but the accused lost 10 years of their lives languishing in jail.

Will the investigation officers be made accountable?”

A suicide bomber blew himself up at the Task Force

office on October 12, 2005, in Begumpet. The blast killed a Home Guard and injured another.

A Special Investigation Team was constituted to investigate the blast, which later claimed Harkatul Jihad-e-Islami (HUJI) of Bangladesh was involved. The SIT team later filed a charge-sheet naming 20 people, arresting Mohammed Abdul Zahid, Abdul Kaleem, Shakeel, Syed Haji, Ajmal Ali Khan, Azmat Ali, Mahmood Baroodwala, Shaik Abdul Khaja, Nafees Biswas and Bilaluddin, a Bangladeshi citizen. It also claimed that the three other accused died in different incidents, and seven were absconding.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective Department) Avinash Mohanty said that they would study the court order and then decide whether to go for an appeal against the verdict.

Gurdaspur by-poll: AAP to keep away Delhi team AMRITSAR: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has now decided to keep its Delhi team away from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha by-poll. Arvind Kejriwal's party will contest the elections, date for which is yet to be announced, once the new organisational structure is set in place in Punjab.

AAP's vice-president Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said, “There will be no role of the Delhi team in the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha by-poll, however, our star campaigners will canvass in the constituency and hold meetings with the Punjab team, which will have the final say in local matters.” The Delhi team was held responsible for the party's poor performance by local leaders. Several prominent members had also openly expressed their disappointment with the top leadership during two party meetings held in early March.

Dhaliwal said state AAP president Bhagwant Mann would formally launch the

campaign for the Gurdaspur by-poll during the Rakkhar Punnia fair to be held at Baba Bakala. In the triangular contest, the party will take on both SAD-BJP and Congress for their unfulfilled promises. “The Congress in Punjab actually replicated the BJP's model of the 2014 parliamentary elections by making empty promises to instantly influence voters, only to put them aside. Both built castles in air, but didn't deliver anything substantial to the people on the ground.”

Gurbhej Singh, another leader from the party said they would totally rely on the party's strength under the new structure coupled with focus on the failure of both the SADBJP and Congress governments. Dhaliwal claimed, “BJP fielding Kavita (Khanna) will go in our favour as there was a large concentration of businessmen in Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Dinanagar, who are upset with the BJP government.”

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu revealed that he believes his rival YSR Reddy was a behind-thescenes player in the assassination attempt that saw Naxals targeting his convoy in 2003. While there is no video proof of what exactly he told his party members in a brief, a news article on his comments was posted on Facebook by his party.

The post comes just ahead of the crucial election to the Andhra Pradesh legislature from the constituency of Nandyal, whose representative died in March. Naidu's comments came after his opponent Jagan Mohan Reddy said there would be nothing wrong if Naidu “were to be shot dead on the road”.

He, however, withdrew his words following rebuke from the Election Commission, saying he had “been carried

away” by emotions.

Campaigning is in full heat, with both Reddy and Naidu throwing dirt at each other.

“He is making promises only so that he can get your votes,” Reddy warned people of Nandyul at a meeting.

Naidu, meanwhile, has been losing his cool, twice snapping at questions put to him by voters. “You take pensions that we give you. You use the roads built by us. You take rations and other benefits, why should you not vote for us?” The constituency is not just a potential test of the CM's approval ratings, but also a chance at revenge for Reddy who lost 20 legislators.

Reddy said that the result in Nandyal would also punish the Chief Minister for poaching. "He stole 20 of our MLAs. Why should I not call him a thief?'' he said recently, proving Nandyal is a fertile territory for political landmines.

Chandigarh stalking case: two in police custody

NEW DELHI: Son of Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala, and his law graduate friend Ashish Kumar have been remanded to two-day police custody in a stalking case. Both are accused of stalking and attempting to kidnap journalist Varnika Kundu, in an inebriated condition.

Vikas and Ashish were Vikas Barala (in blue shirt) being taken into police custody produced at the district court, before which, they were interVikas to appear before them as rogated for close to three part of the investigation, I hours at the police station. asked him to abide by it. Vikas Non-bailable charges under was out of Chandigarh.

Section 365 and 511 of the IPC Therefore, I asked him to come were added to the FIR, in addiback and go to the police. tion to being booked for stalkEarlier also, when Vikas was ing, wrongful restraint, and called by the police for quesdriving under the influence of tioning, he went and answered alcohol. Chandigarh adminisall the queries,” Subhash said. tration’s report to the Union Both accused are liable for Ministry of Home Affairs cites punishment extending up to that Vikas refused to undergo seven years along with a fine. a medical test and give his Kundu, daughter of an IAS blood and urine samples. His officer, had claimed that she father said the victim is like a was chased for approximately daughter to him and said the 30 minutes by the accused police must take appropriate when she was returning home. action against his son.

CCTV footage of a white SUV “The moment I learnt that racing behind her car conChandigarh police wanted firmed her story.

200kg of sea cucumbers seized in TN

MADURAI: A coastal security group in Mandapam area, Ramanthapuram district, Tamil Nadu, seized 200 kilograms of sea cucumbers and arrested a smuggler. They found the animals in 26 plastic bags in a rowing boat. Investigation revealed that Asif Ali, 36, had collected them from fishing trawlers returning from a fishing expedition. Sources said that trawl boat fishermen would keep aside all the sea cucumbers caught in their trawl net, and smugglers would collect these sea cucumbers before they reached the fishing jetty.

The smugglers pay them based on the weight of the sea cucumbers.

All convicts in Kumbakonam fire tragedy freed

MADRAS: The Madras High Court has suspended the conviction and sentence of seven people in the 2004 Kumbakonam fire tragedy that claimed the lives of 94 school children, and modified the sentence awarded to two others.

Division bench comprising Justices M Sathyanarayanan and VM Velumani also abated the sentence and conviction in the case of the wife of the school founder, who had passed away. The bench passed orders on the appeals set aside the conviction and sentence passed by the lower court in the case of school principal Santhana Lakshmi, Gajalakshmi, noon meal organiser, engineer Jayachandran, District Educational Officer R Balaji, personal assistant Sivaprakasam, supervisor Dhandavan and one Durairaj, an assistant.

Probe reveals torture of villagers by police

HYDERABAD: An internal police inquiry has confirmed claims of eight men from villages around Sircilla town that they were tortured in illegal custody for four days before they were brought before court. They said when they were taken to Karimnagar District Jail on July 8 after a court hearing, the prison superintendent refused to admit the eight men looking at their condition.

Telangana Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao said the police had “over-reacted”. “No one can deny that they were not beaten up badly,” Rao said. Based on a PIL by the Civil Liberties Council, HC directed the Telangana government to depute doctors to examine the injuries of the men, and submit a report in a week.

Punjab women buy most number of sex toys: Survey

NEW DELHI: A specking new survey claims that women from Punjab buy the most number of sex toys as compared to those from other states in India. A report said Maharashtra tops the list of buyers of such products, followed by Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.

Gujarat ranks sixth on the list, but rises to the third spot during Navratri festival. Among cities, Mumbai tops the list, followed by Delhi. While the favourite product for men is the lubricant, for women it is intimate massagers. Also in demand are sprays, sexy lingerie, pleasure rings, and sexcitement lotions. The nurse uniform is the most sought after in role play costumes, and handcuffs are the best-selling kinky product.

Haryana govt drops chargesheet against Khemka

CHANDIGARH: Haryana government has dropped the charge-sheet against senior bureaucrat Ashok Khemka in relation to the allegations of causing avoidable financial loss to the Haryana Seed Development Corporation in 2012-13, on account of unsold stocks of wheat seeds. The charge-sheet was served in July last year, where the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government alleged that the managing director of HSDC “failed to liquidate the stock of certified wheat seeds” and that produce valued £2.22 million remained unsold causing financial loss up to £341,000. This is the second charge-sheet that has been dropped against Ashok Khemka. Earlier in November 2015, state government had dropped the charge sheet against him, which was issued by the previous Congress government in December 2013 accusing him for “exceeding his jurisdiction”.

HERITAGE HISTORY

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Dr. Hari Desai

The Maharaja of Patiala and his Punjabiyat Bhupendra Singh was one of the most trusted native rulers for the British, but he equally was friendly with the European dictators, Hitler and Mussolini.

H

e was a friend of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, the dictators of Germany and Italy respectively. The English rulers of India also trusted him the most. In the book “The Magnificent Maharaja�, the former External Affairs Minister of India,K. Natwar Singh, has quoted the celebrated authority on Sikh history, Khushwant Singh, as saying: “He(the Maharaja) was a headstrong bully, a debauch, drunkard, womanizer and philanderer.�

Even Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre are quoted smartly from “Freedom at Midnight�(page-168) by Natwar, to present “the custom of the Maharaja of Patiala to appear once a year before his subjects naked� as “his performance was adjudged a kind of temporal manifestation of the Shivlinga�.

This was the magnificent Sikh Maharaja , Bhupendra Singh (12 October 1891-22

Despite Bhupendra Singh’s weakness for women, he was Chanakya Akalis wanted the future ruler of Patiala to marry in a Sikh family served Maharaja Bhupendra Singh for nearly five years, does mention the Maharaja’s “weakness for women and extravagance as his main failings� in just one sentence in his “An Autobiography�, but has praised “ the prince of the princes� for his “pride, authority, courage and a competent grasp of state of affairs as well as the arts� as his qualities in detail. He writes : “I could understand the ample measure of fear and the respect that Maharaja Bhupendra Singh inspired in his people. He was no doubt devoted to his people, but was equally a stern disciplinarian. A man of outstanding intelligence, he could also be as devious as Chanakya in his dealings. But it can be safely asserted that in generosity, munificence, piety and loyalty to those who served him he had no equal among Indian princes.� The Jamsaheb Ranjit Singh of Nawanagar worked as the A.D.C. to the Maharaja of Patiala, Rajendra Singh, during his days in exile, records Panikkar.

The Maharaja was representing Sikhs during the Round Table Conference and an Indian representative at the Imperial War Council in World War I.

Maharaja and his queens

March 1938) who not only ruled the Patiala State during 1900 and 1938 but was also ten time elected Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes during 1920’s and 1930’s. He fathered 88 children of which only 53 survived. Much married Bhupendra Singh also had 350 women in his harem.

But when his son, Yadavendra Singh, took over as the 9th Maharaja in 1938, the very first thing he did was to close the harem! Yadavendra was the father of the present Chief Minister of Punjab, Capt. Amarinder Singh and father-in-law of K. Natwar Singh from the Princely State of Bharatpur, Rajasthan.

K. M. Panikkar, who

The first Indian to own an aircraft bought from the United Kingdom. He was one who commissioned a 1400 piece dinner set, made wholly in silver and gold, to mark the Royal tour by the Prince of Wales in 1922. Bhupendra Singh was one of the most trusted native rulers for the British, but he equally was friendly with the European dictators, Hitler and Mussolini. Hitler gifted him one of the six rare Maybach cars in the world.

Of course, the Maharaja was equally generous to gift this car to one of his guests who was keen to buy it at Patiala House in Delhi. He had a fleet of 44 cars at his disposal including more than 20 Rolls

Maharaja Bhupendra Singh of Patiala

Royce. One can visualize the generosity of the Maharaja in the case of Panikkar, his Minister and the Secretary at the Chamber of Princes.

Though a friend of the English, Maharaja was dead against the federation where as Panikkar was a protagonist of federalism. To be Foreign Minister to the Maharaja was not an easy task for Panikkar since Bhupendra Singh clashed with many powerful figures for various reasons including the Viceroy, Lord Willingdon and his assertive wife, Lady Willingdon and some of the princes. In such circumstances, he would enter into secret negotiations with Winston Churchill.

When Yadavendra Singh was to take over as the Maharaja of Patiala following his father’s death in 1938, the departure of the English was hardly a decade away. Of course, the Maharaja of Patiala was the most important of the rulers in present day Punjab area.

The house of Patiala enjoyed the distinction of having been blessed by the tenth Sikh Guru as his own. While negotiating, Sardar Patel and V.P. Menon accorded respect due to Patiala as compared to other States and Maharaja Yadavendra Singh was the Rajpramukh of the Patiala and Eastern Punjab States Union(PEPSU) which was inaugurated by Patel on 15 July 1948. With regards to the privy purse, the Maharaja wished to be treated in the same way as the Maharaja a of Gwalior and Indore. The amount was fixed at Rs.17 lakhs.

The 9th Maharaja enjoyed diplomatic assignments where as the Maharani, Mohinder Kaur nee

Mehtab Kaur, was the Rajya Sabha member (1964- ’67)and Lok Sabha member(1967- ’71) from the Congress party.

Yadavendra Singh died on 17 June 1974 and his elder son, Amarinder Singh, became the 10th “Maharaja� of Patiala.

Having fought two wars, 1965 and 1972, with Pakistan being with Indian

Devi of Saraikela, now in Orissa, from the family of Singhdeos. KC, who also served as the Deputy Secretary to the late President, Zail Singh, wrote in “The Tribuneâ€? of Chandigarh on 3 August 2017: “She passed away unheralded in 2014, aged 101.The stated reason for the Crown Prince remarrying was the first marriage being issueless. Actually the truth is more complex‌..In fact, stories circulated that Akali leaders wanted the future ruler of Patiala to marry in a Sikh family so as to beget genuine Sikh heirs.â€? Singh does add another revelation regarding the Rajmata “throwing her lot with Morarji Desai Congress, due to her rumoured friendship with Ashok Mehta, one of the founders of the trade union movement and INTUC.â€?

The history needs to be rewritten.

Next Column: When Indira was about to divorce Feroze (The writer is a Sociopolitical Historian. E-mail: haridesai@gmail.com)

Army, Capt. Amarinder opted to fight political battles through Akali Dal and later as a Congress leader.

Presently the Chief Minister of Punjab, Amarinder had also an earlier term as Chief Minister between 2002 and 2007, later was elected to the Parliament defeating Arun Jaitely, the present Union Minister in the Modi government. In his earlier stint as the Chief Minister, Capt. Singh had organized mega events to promote the Global level Panjabiyat and Sikhs from all over the world including Pakistan participated with nostalgia of pre-partition India.

Recently, Capt.

Amarinder Singh’s mother and “the last recognized Maharani of Patiala�, Rajmata Mohinder Kaur nee Mehtab Kaur died at the age of 95. The former External Affairs Secretary of India, K. C. Singh, in a tribute to Rajmata, has revealed so far unknown secret about the late Maharaja Yadavendra Singh’s first wife, Rajkumari Hem Prabha

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INDIA

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Landslide kills 25 in Uttarakhand, 50 in Himachal About 25 people are feared dead, including six Army personnel, after a massive landslide hit Malpa village on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route and washed away an Army camp in nearby Ghatiyabagad area of Uttarakhand. Five bodies have been recovered so far and the Army has launched massive search operations amid a cloud burst even though the area remains cut-off.

Pithoragarh district magistrate Ravishankar said, “Till late evening, rescue teams had recovered four bodies from Malpa village, while the body of a woman was fished out from Mangti nullah. Eight persons including six Armymen are missing in Ghatiyabagad while four personnel were rescued by our teams.” The camp, near Tawaghat, on the Mansarovar Yatra route, held around 100 personnel when it was swamped under the waters. District authorities said there were 15-20 people missing in Malpa alone, which was the side of one of the worst landslides in India's history that killed 200 people in 1998.

Ravishankar said, “It is

Six soldiers and 19 civilians where killed after a cloudburst hits Uttarakhand on Monday

not clear yet how many people were present at the landslide-hit area in Malpa.

At least four shops have been totally buried under the debris. While we have official confirmation of four persons missing from the village, the number could be higher.” Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and cabinet minister Prakash Pant reached the site to take stock of the situation, but were unable to carry out an aerial survey of the disaster-affected areas due to bad weather.

Meanwhile, 600 villages in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, were flooded after 188,000 cusecs of water was released from Nepal on Sunday. Fifty people were buried alive in Himachal, as

LEICESTER

tonnes of slush and boulders came down on a 250 metre stretch of the MandiPathankot national highway. Officials said 46 bodies have been recovered till now, and five injured are admitted in the zonal hospital in Mandi.

The landslide swept away two Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses with around 55 passengers on board, some private vehicles and several houses.

Flood situation in Assam, Bihar grim The flood situation in Assam and Bihar remained grim with more deaths reported and millions remaining affected while it improved slightly in West

Bengal. Ten deaths were reported in Assam, taking the toll in the second wave of floods in the state to 28, officials said.

The Brahmaputra river and its tributaries are flowing over the danger level snapping surface communications across Assam, even as flood waters submerged railway tracks at many places in Katihar and Alipurduar divisions of Northeast Frontier Railway, disrupting rail traffic in the region.

The floods have affected 25 of Assam's 32 districts, displacing 3300,000 people.

Barring a few areas, there was no heavy rain in West Bengal during Tuesday. Water levels of all major rivers in north Bengal which were flowing above danger marks came down to some extent.

The overall situation in worst-hit Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts improved, authorities said.

The death toll rose to 56 in Bihar, where 6981,000 people have been hit by inundation in 13 districts.

The flood situation was grim in north Bihar, where rivers are flowing above the danger level and have caused immense loss and damage.

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Parekh Institute holds conference on IndoChina traditions

Lord Bhikhu Parekh

The Parekh Institute of Indian Thought, in collaboration with the Brerggruan Institute organised a major international conference which was based on the theme of Ends of Life in ancient Indian and Chinese traditions. The conference was preceded by several sessions including scholars who read classical texts together and discussed their essence.

The conference was unique as this was the first time a comparative study of both the civilisations was conducted. It lasted for over

two weeks and was followed by workshops for three days where 18 papers were present by young Indians and foreign scholars.

Participants included distinguished writers like Patrick Olivelle, Radha Bhallav Tripathi, Arindam Chakrabarti, Roger Ames, David Wong, and Yi Huah Jiang.

The Parekh Institute of Indian Thought has contributed valuable work in the field of classical India in the last four years. It is a part of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

60 infants die in UP medical college in 5 days

Salutes CB Patel

Legend of Asian Media

9th September 2017 From: 4:00 p.m. onwards “What they say about CB” Singer: Maya Deepak Hon Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi

“Many Happy Returns of the day to Shri C B Patel on his 80th Birthday”

“Through his Press Media and Publications, he has enlightened the social and cultural pride of being an Indian especially a Gujarati residing abroad.”

“The position he has achieved as Editor and Journalist, and the leadership he has provided for public service is very much commendable. I have a warm and personal relationship with C B Patel. I pray to God that his eight decades life journey may still remain much active and lengthy."

Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP "He is a legend of the media.

We cannot thank him enough for his lifetime of service”

Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP

For information about tickets contact mangospicegroup@gmail.com

At least 60 infants died in five days in the state-run Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, more than half of the deaths took place within 24 hours allegedly due to the lack of oxygen supply in the hospital.

Yogi Adityanath government came under heavy fire for the tragedy for having denied cause of the deaths.

State Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh rubbished all reports, and Gorakhpur District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela

said, “No death in BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur has taken place due to shortage of oxygen supply. Only seven deaths have taken place at the BRD Medical College and these were due to different medical reasons.”

Hospital authorities, however, admitted that the firm that was supplying oxygen had stopped supplies due to pending bills.

Principal of the medical college was suspended, after it was disclosed that the funds for dues were only transferred on August 11, a hasty move

made after the deaths hit national headlines.

Authorities said reason for the delay will be probed and that the entire situation was completely avoidable. The supplier's demand for payment amounting Rs 6500,000 reached the state government in Lucknow on August 1, and the funds were released to the college on August 5. They said that even when CM Adityanath visited the hospital on August 9, no one mentioned the issue with supply of oxygen.

Court order stalls sale of book on Baba Ramdev

A district court in Delhi has issued an order against the sale of a book on yoga guru Ramdev and publisher Juggernaut Books. It also restrained the sale of 'Godman to Tycoon: The Untold Story of Baba Ramdev', which is authored by journalist Priyanka Pathak-Narain on e-commerce websites.

Juggernaut Books released a statement saying, “The order was passed ex-parte without hearing either the publisher,

Juggernaut Books, or the author of the book, Priyanka Pathak-Narain, in order to avoid ‘the delay which would be caused during the process of serving the notice and hearing the defendants’.” The publisher said the book was a “work of serious journalism” and they would stand by it and defend the case in court.

“It is the product of over f50 interviews, many of them taped, with key players in Baba Ramdev’s

life, including with Ramdev himself and close aides and family members.

The book contains a detailed 25-page note on sources that lists the interviews, articles, police reports and RTI replies that are the basis of each chapter,” the publisher’s statement read.

The book talks about Ramdev's past, controversies he has been involved in, and his journey from Haridwar to setting up the Patanjali group.

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

health lifestyle

27

To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement any advice. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

Low Sodium Diet: How to Cut Down on Salt and Choose the Right Foods Salt is associated with not only food but a number of revolutions, from the famous Dandi March of our country to the French revolution. Without salt our food is flavourless and we cannot preserve our food. Without sodium our body cannot survive! It is needed to maintain the volume of our blood, the acid -base balance, transmission of nerve impulses and for normal cell function. This mineral, considered rare, is now freely available thanks to modern technology and food processing.Historically, man as the gatherer hunter did not need salt for his food; the sodium content of natural food -

from cereal grains to pulses, meat, vegetables and fruits - met the demands of his body. We do not really need to add salt to our food to meet the body's sodium requirement, but when we became settlers and farmers we developed a taste for the mineral and since then we have slowly increased the content to a point where it is now becoming a health concern.

WHO recommends a salt intake of less than 5 gm/day, which is less than 2gm of Sodium/day. ICMR states that the body needs between 1.1 to 3.3 g of sodium or 2.8 to 8.3 g of Sodium Chloride aka salt

During the wedding rehearsal, the groom approached the pastor with an unusual offer: “Look, I'll give you $100 if you'll change the wedding vows. When you get to the part where I'm supposed to promise to 'love, honor, and obey' and 'be faithful to her forever', I'd appreciate it if you'd just leave that out.”

He passed the minister a $100 bill and walked away satisfied. On the day of the wedding, when it came time for the groom's vows, the pastor looked the young man in the eye and said: “Will you promise to prostrate yourself before her, obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life, and swear eternally before God and your lovely wife that you will not ever even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?”

The groom gulped and looked around, and said in a tiny voice, “Yes”, then leaned towards the pastor and hissed: “I thought we had a deal.”

The pastor put a $100 bill into the groom's hand and whispered: “She made me a better offer.” ******************************** An old man was laying on his death bed. He had only hours to live when he suddenly smelled chocolate chip cookies. He loved chocolate chip cookies better than anything in the world. With his last bit of energy he pulled himself out of bed, across the floor to the stairs.

Down the stairs and into the kitchen . Ther his wife baking chocolate chip cookies. As he reached for one, SMACK across the back of the hand his wife hit him with a spoon. “Leave them alone, they are for the funeral!” ******************************** Several men are in the locker room of a golf club. A cell phone on a bench rings and a man engages the hands free speaker function and begins to talk. Everyone else in the room stops to listen.

Man:Hello Woman: Honey, it's me. I am at the mall now and found this beautiful leather coat. It's only $1000. Is it OK if I buy it?

Man: Sure, go ahead if you like it that much.

Woman: I also stopped by the Porsche dealership and saw the new 2014 models. I saw one I really liked.

Man: How much?

Woman: $200,000 Man: OK, but for that price I want it with all the options.

Woman: Great! Oh, and one more thing... the house I wanted last year is back on the market. They're asking $950,000.

Man:Well, then go ahead, and give the man offer of $900,000. They will probably take it. If not, we can go the extra 50 thousand if it's really a pretty good price.

Woman: OK. I'll see you later! I love you so much!

Man: Bye! I love you, too.

The man hangs up. The other men in the locker room are staring at him in astonishment. He turns around and asks, “Anyone know who this phone belongs to?

per day to function. The actual intake is about twice this amount worldwide. The increase in sodium intake is linked to urbanization and an increased quantity and frequency of processed food intake.

High salt intake, a primary source of sodium in our diets, is linked to Hypertension, an increased risk of cardio vascular diseases and stroke. Low sodium diets are also recommended for people suffering from heart failure, renal failure

and cirrhosis of the liver.

How to Maintain a Low Sodium Diet It is easy to eat a low sodium diet. Its all a matter of just choosing right: 1. Lentils and pulses are naturally low in sodium and provide healthy proteins, folate, potassium, phosphorus and fibre.

2. Fresh milk, paneer, dahi are all low in sodium.

Processed cheese like goat, ricotta and fresh mozzarella are low in sodium while hard cheeses like cheddar, and cheese spread have a high sodium

1 in 7 toddlers has tooth decay because parents are unaware they need to brush their children's teeth

n 14% of three-year-olds have at least one decayed, missing or filled tooth One in seven toddlers has tooth decay, new research reveals.

Some 14 per cent of threeyear-olds have a decayed, missing or filled tooth, a study found.

Experts worry parents do not appreciate the importance of brushing their children's teeth as they juggle the responsibility of raising a family.

Study author Maria Morgan from Cardiff University, said: 'People don't realise that you should start that early. We are having some children at five, six or seven who are having five, six, seven, eight, nine teeth removed in one go.'

The researchers analysed 1,400 parents. Of which, 75 per cent brushed their children's teeth the recommended twice a day.

Yet, due to the 25 per cent who fail to ensure their youngsters' dental hygiene, 14 per cent of three-year-olds have a decayed, missing or filled tooth.

Ms Morgan said: 'We are having some children at five, six or seven who are having five, six, seven, eight, nine teeth removed in one go. There are some children who are having teeth extracted under general anaesthetic, that's approximately 8,000 children a year. It shouldn't be that great a number.'

content.

3. Fruits and vegetables, which are seasonal and fresh, you can eat any amount. In addition to being low in Sodium, they are rich in Potassium, which also helps control your BP and is complimentary to Sodium. Fresh frozen fruits or dried fruits are a thumbs up but canned and marinated vegetables are a high source of sodium. Tomato sauces and ketchup are also to be consumed in small quantities.

4. Whole grains and cereals in their natural form are the healthiest.

Breakfast cereals made from these are also great choices. Breads, biscuits, baking mixtures, ready to eat cereals are where we add extra sodium to our

daily diet. Ready to eat meals, bakery items like croissants, doughnuts all add a large amount of sodium to our intake.

5. Snacks are the main area where we introduce excessive sodium in our daily meals. Nuts and seeds are a healthy snack choice, however salted nuts and seeds are a no no.

Snacks like potato chips, salted buttered popcorn and our favourite namkeens and commercially prepared Mathis are not only high in sodium but also fat and are calorie dense to.

6. Keep the salt shaker off the table, cook with just enough salt to add flavour.

Sauces like soy, fish sauce, pickles and chutney's all use salt for preservation, use them in moderation.

E-cigarettes are as dangerous as smoking Just one puff of an e-cigarette could be all it takes to increase the risk of a heart attack, new research suggests.

After just five minutes of vape exposure, mice's arteries narrow by 30 percent within an hour, a study found.

Their blood vessels are also less able to dilate, which is required to lower blood pressure, the research adds.

Previous research reveals narrow arteries can result in heart attacks or stroke.

Results reveal that mice's arteries narrow by

30 percent within an hour of a five-minute exposure to e-cigarette vapor.

Their arteries' ability to dilate, and consequently lower blood pressure, is also diminished.

When exposed to long-term e-cigarette use, mice develop arteries that are more than twice as stiff as those not given any nicotine.

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28

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

This Hollywood actress talks highly of Ajith's 'Vivegam'

Rana Daggubati

plans to venture into the web series space

A

H

ollywood actress Amilia Terzimehic, who played the role of one of the core members of the 'Counter terrorist squad' headed by Ajith Kumar in 'Vivegam' is all praise for director Siva and Thala. “I thank director Siva for giving me this opportunity. He has seen my performance in my Hollywood movie 'The November Man' starring legendary Pierce Brosnan, and gave me this role in 'Vivegam' which required not only good acting skills but also excellent fighting skills,” she said.

“It's a great honour to be stepping into Indian cinema through a truly international film like 'Vivegam'. I was so satisfied when director Siva told me the movie's plot and my role since I love watching and doing hardcore action films.” Amilia said.

Actor Dileep again moves HC seeking bail

T

he Kerala High Court has postponed the hearing on the bail application of popular Malayalam actor Dileep, who is in judicial custody for his alleged involvement in the actress abduction and assault case.

This was the second time the actor has moved the high court with the bail plea. In his bail plea, Dileep alleged that there was a large-scale conspiracy by a powerful section of the film industry and certain others who could spread utter falsehood and malicious stories about him.

The petitioner said that he had never seen, met or talked with the prime accused Pulsar Suni. He never knew him by name or face and there was not even a remote possibility of any such person meeting him at any point of time.

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

fter making a mark on the silver screen Rana Daggubatti now wishes to venture into the web series space, however, feels the market is not mature enough.

“Television is a great medium, but it's still very young for an actor like me to figure out. This space has been explored by seniors such as Nagarjuna and Chiranjeevi but youngsters like Tarak (Jr NTR) and me are still figuring it out,” he said.

“We are writing and developing a bunch of things. The mar-

ket is not very mature and we don't know its size yet.

You could do something in one million or even on a budget of many millions. It will take time,” Daggubatti said.

His recent stint as a show host of popular show 'No. 1 Yaari' brought him acclaim.

Meanwhile, Daggubatti awaits the release of Telugu political drama 'Nene Raju, Nene Mantri', due this week. He plays a simple moneylender-turned-politician consumed by his own need for power.

Don't demean women, Thalapathy Vijay tells his fans T halapathy Vijay has issued a statement expressing his disgust at the “hurtful comments against women on social media” after a female journalist found herself the end of the online abuse and harassment. Fans of the 43 year old actor went at journalist Dhanya Rajendran, after she criticised a film he stared in.

“I respect women a lot. Everybody has the right to criticise anyone's film. I believe no women should be spoken of in a demeaning way no matter what happens.

We all have to praise womanhood.

Nobody

should pass hurtful comments against women on social media,” Vijay's statement said. Dhanya bore the wrath of the actor's fans for over a week. After watching Bollywood film 'Jab Harry Met Sejal', she tweeted that the only other film she's ever left early was 'Sura'.

The simple tweet was enough for fans to band against her. Rajendran faced explicit sexual abuse over the days, and was called a “prostitute” amongst other things.

Chennai police's cyber cell has registered a complaint against four Twitter handles for

harassing the editor-inchief. While Vijay fans have a reputation for indulging in crass fights. This is, however, the first time the actor himself intervened.

Historic business for Kalaipuli Thanu ready Rajinikanth-Akshay film to produce film for Ajith

T O

ne of the best creative producers in the South film industry, Kalaipuli S Thanu has been rumoured to be producing a film with Thala Ajith. While fans cheer the pair, and root for a potentially power-packed outcome, when asked for confirmation, Thanu said, “If Ajith (Thambi) thinks about it, if he calls me and if that situation comes, we can most definitely do it. In fact, we have worked together before. He was a part of 'Kandukondein Kandukondein'. Also, he has been by my side during my tough times. When I lost my wife and was bringing her back from Singapore, he came along with his wife and waiter on the road for over 4 hours. He is a sincere person.”

halaivar's '2.0' costarring actor Akshay Kumar, has reportedly made record pre-release business.

Theatrical rights of the film's Telugu version have been sold for an undisclosed price by Global Cinemas, in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Creative head of Lyca Productions, Raju Mahalingam called the deal “History in the Making”. “2.0- SOLD OUT for a Whopping Price!! AP and Telangana !!! Lyca Productions & Global Cinema partnership is a

“History in the Making!!!” he tweeted.

A source revealed that the theatrical rights of the Telugu states have fetched record earnings for its makers. Broadcast rights to the film were bagged by Zee group for an astronomical price of £11 million- highest ever for the satellite rights of a regional film. Unconfirmed reports suggested that the Hindi theatrical rights have been sold for £8 million. '2.0' is Shankar's most-ambitious film and the sequel to 2010 blockbuster 'Enthiran'.

‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’

'In a bid to run away from the complexities of marriage, and the problems of being a misfit in a small-townBareilly, Bitti Mishra (Kriti Sanon) stumbles upon a novel called 'Bareilly Ki Barfi'..

‘Partition: 1947’

This Independence Day discover hidden facts & unmask the biggest conspiracy in the History of India.

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

29

Decades-long legacy to match, Jamie Lever leans into the curve

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

No science behind my ageless look: Akshay

Mitul Paniker

D

aughter of iconic actor and comedian Johnny Lever, Jamie Janumal is just as gifted as her father, if not more. Yet to enter mainstream cinema, the 29-year old is already a well-known name in stage comedy and features on TV show 'Comedy Dangal'. Blessed with comedy genes, performing on stage comes to Jamie with ease, and visible confidence.

In talks with Asian Voice, Jamie dwells into her career, her father, and her connection with the UK. She does not consider herself a “female” comedian, she says.

Just a comedian. Not one to dig into genders and its differences, she believes it is sheer talent and hard work that brings a person to the forefront. When asked about her acceptability in the industry considering her father's repute, Jamie says there is pressure and “really really high expectations. Because of his (Johnny) fan-base, people were really excited to see me, excited to see what I will be doing. But at the same time, there is a lot of pressure as their expectation is really, really high. So, I have been working very hard and people seem to like me. I am

M

ega star Akshay Kumar who is due to touch 50 soon, credits his simple, easy and happy life for looking young. “I have only one job in my life, and that's to do films. Then I take care of my family and workout. There's no stress... I don't take too much stress. I concentrate on happiness and I exercise, take care of what I eat, and I control my intake of sweets. There's no science behind it.

Live a simple, easy life,” he said.

The actor added, “When I used to stay in Chandni Chowk, we used to have a one bedroom house and around 22 people used to stay in it. But we used to feel happy in it. We have continued living with that happiness.” The National Award winner is currently busy promoting his film 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha' which was released this week. The film delves on the need for sanitation and is an attempt to urge people to stop open defecation to work towards 'Swachh Bharat'. Clarifying, the 'Khiladi' actor said, “I have made the film because I liked the script and not because anyone asked me to make this film. It's a different thing that when our PM came to office, he started spreading the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan message. This film is similar to his Abhiyaan and takes forward the Clean India message.”

Esha Gupta goes topless again

Kajol celebrates b'day, 25 years in film industry

K

ajol has just celebrated her birthday and the completion of 25 years in the film industry. Marking the two occasions, the actress held a live session on Facebook, where she answered several questions from her fans.

In answer to a question on whether she would like to work with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the 'Baazigar' actress said, “Yeah. Sure. No two ways about it but I don't know if I will have the right presence of mind or perfection of posture to be a Sanjay Leela Bhansali heroine.” The actress is known to be extremely choosy about the kind of work she has done, when asked why, she said, “How

known for what I do, and not the fact that I am Johnny Lever's daughter. I am creating my own identity and my own face in the industry.”

Jamie is set to tour the UK, with shows in Leicester and London, where she will share the stage with Shyam Pathak, Dilip Joshi, and uncle Jimmy Moses. She credits Moses for teaching her everything. “Everything I know and I do is all because of my uncle Jimmy Moses. He has taught me a lot. He is my teacher. I am very happy that both, my uncle and I will be coming to London and Leicester with our shows together. We are also doing 'Comedy Dangal' together, taking our family name in comedy further ahead.”

She also mentioned her upcoming shows, calling her bond with London and the UK “special”. “I lived there for three years. I studied there and even began my first job in marketing. It was during the job that I realised I don't want to do this, I want to do comedy.

It was an important time in my life. I took up comedy on the side and did a few dramas, performed on stage. I used to do theatre shows. I began writing comedy- which was when I realised I have something in me. I like to perform. I felt I like to hold a mike, I like to get on stage. My first live show was in London.”

can I not be careful about my films? If I had done more films than this, I would not enjoy the process and you wouldn't have liked to watch me.”

On plans for her 43rd birthday, Kajol said her husband, actor Ajay Devgn was the first one to wish her. “My husband.

He was there with me at 12 in the night, and what special did I do? Well, I had cut seven cakes.

Everyone was wondering why I am cutting so many cakes.” She further spoke about the special gift she received from Ajay on her birthday. “My husband gave me a Being Human cycle, the electric one. My next project is to take it out when it’s not raining.”

Hema Malini launches her bhajan album

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ctress cum model Esha Gupta went topless once again, this time to promote a “healthy” life. Known for breaking the internet in intervals with her pictures in lingerie, Esha has bared it all, posing with two slices of pomegranate covering her assets. The photo got over 40K likes and comments, as the 'Queen' actress glowed with uncontrollable laughter; comfortable in her own skin.

Esha plans to launch her own lingerie line soon and has been teasing fans with a new photo every day. The former Kingfisher Calendar Girl is no stranger to posing nude for graceful photoshoots. Styled by Mohit Rai and Arjun behind the camera lens, the series is Esha's hottest photoshoot yet. She has flaunted her perfect curves in black and white lingerie, seductively eating a papaya.

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eteran actress Hema Malini welcomed Janmashtami with the launch of her bhajan album 'Gopala Ko Samarpan' at Iskcon, Mumbai. Indian classical legends like Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Kavi Narayan Agrawal, Rajan Sajan Mishra and Pandit Shivkumar Sharma came together for the album. Hema, who sang one of her songs live in front of all Lord Krishna devotees, found praise from all those present.

“The entire credit goes to Narayan Agarwal, a Krishna bhakt, who is known for bringing out the best of Jagjit Singh and Anup Jalota bhajans. When Narayanji asked me to sing 8 tracks for this album I was hesitant to sing as I am not a professional singer, and didn't want to do anything in a half-hearted manner, but he insisted that I should listen to all the compositions first, before taking the final call,” the actress said. All the 8 tracks were recorded at Lata Mangeshkar's studio in Mumbai suburbs and the music video choreographed by Bhusan Lakhandri.

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Community comes together to celebrate success Saturday 20th May 17, was a truly historical day for the Shree Sorathia Prajapati Community Samaj at their Community Hall in Southall.

Mr Bhaveshbahi Dhokia (Sec) commenced the program with Shree Bai Maa Prathna, followed by celebrating the marvellous achievements of the community President, Bhagwanji Chohan who was appointed as Brent Mayor of London 2017, coupled with a variety of

Attendeees with the newly elected mayor

Bollywood music performed by TRILOK music party. To add to the enter-

Coming Events

l Sree Sree Thakur Anukuchandra's Satsang to be held, 6.30 pm onwards on August 19, Saturday, at VHP Ilford Hindu Centre, 43 Cleveland Road, lford Essex IG1 1EE.

l Gujarat Hindu Society to hold Sathyanarayan Katha, 10.00 am onwards, on August 19, Saturday, at South Meadow, Lane Preston, PR1 8JN.

l Brent Indian Association to hold Indian Independence celebrations, 3.00 pm onwards, on August 29, at Ealing Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA0 4TH.

l Sri Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple, East London, celebrates Pearl Anniversary with a Shobha yatra, 11.00 am onwards, on August 19, from West Helme Park to Shaftesbury Road, Forestgate, London.

Sneh Joshi

tainment they were blessed with great raffle prizes kindly donated by the event sponsors including their youngest donor Miss Hema Kukadia.

The event was made more special by the attendance of local representatives from Southall, Brent and Harrow along with local authority councillors, mayors from other London Boroughs, and personnel from international embassies also attended.

Managing Building Trustee, Ajaybhai Kukadia introduced on stage our Bollywood Star Guest, Ms Raageshwari Loomba, and discussed various aspects her career.

Two Vice Presidents Mr Kantibhai Kukadia & Mr Husmukhbhai Tank enjoyed a light-hearted

interview with Bhagwanjibhai and Prabhaben, being a real hit with the audience, who struggled to contain their laughter.

Mr Ajaybhai Kukadia summoned up the evening announcing the Youngest Donor ever at the Age of 13 which resulted in enormous cheers and gratitude from the whole crowd.

Bollywood music played late into the night bringing back fond memories, and some took to the floor as they could not contain their excitement.

Finally, the organisers thanked their sponsors, VIP's, TRILOK band, and most importantly the community members for their support to make this a wonderful event to remember.

An "embarrassing" street name will remain - after only seven residents responded to a parish council consultation about it.

Isis Way, in Hilton, Derbyshire, had attracted attention for its connotations with so-called Islamic State (IS).

Hilton Parish Council said in light of the lack of

responses to its informal consultation, which was held in May, "the matter would not be taken any further".

The name was given to the street when it was built in 2009.

'Isis' street name in Derbyshire 'embarrassing'

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar third house on 21 August 2017. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. This is a period in which there will be increased awareness of your environment and your communications will also be heightened.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar eleventh house on 21 August 2017. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you.

You need a different approach to friendships and new associations. There will be plenty of social activity around you.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar second house on 21 August 2017. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you.

In this period you will learn a lot about your finances and how to handle them in a productive way. You will also be very materialistic and your want will increase.

The Blood Transfusion Service has apologised after 120 members of the Indian community were turned away from giving blood.

The blood drive was organised specifically for the Indian community last year, but confusion over criteria meant many were unable to donate.

Community leaders said they were left feeling "hugely embarrassed".

The Northern Ireland Blood transfusion Service (NIBTS) said there had been a "breakdown in communications".

"NIBTS fully accepts and apologises for the upset and inconvenience caused to those who attended the session and were unable to donate," it said.

It said the error was caused by confusion regarding "travel criteria for donors" ,and said "lessons learnt have been disseminated across the organisation to the relevant staff".

The BBC has obtained a copy of an internal report and staff e-mails from the NIBTS, through a freedom of information request.

Dr Umesh Vijayam helped to organise the event, which took place last year, and said people had travelled from as far away as Londonderry, Bangor and Newry to take part.

"Around 30 people had already arrived, with many more on their way," he said.

"One of my friends went in to donate blood, he was very enthusiastic, he was first.

"They asked had he

taken a malaria test since he was from India, a malaria-risk country."

Dr Vijayam said it was then that they realised that there was a problem.

Surendran Varma was also one of the group that organised the event and said that the community "wanted to do something unique".

Dr Umesh Vijayam

Mr Varma said they had been campaigning for almost 10 months to recruit Indian donors by handling out pamphlets at three or four big Indian community events.

"It was the first blood drive for the Indian community and many people were excited," he said.

He said that many people had taken a half day off work to donate blood and they planned to have a celebration meal afterwards.

Mr Varma said it was "really shocking and embarrassing" when they were told they could not donate.

The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading Vedic writer and TV personality

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar first house on 21 August 2017. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. This is a great phase to enhance your image.

Personally a very busy time ahead when you will be full of beans. Some of you may reinvent yourselves.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar fourth house on 21 August 2017. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you.

A new approach is required to put down roots and own a home. Some of you will be looking to secure your future by investing in other assets.

Apology over Indian blood donation 'embarrassment'

020 8518 5500

your solar fifth house on 21 August 2017. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. Children, creative projects and love affairs will be the focus in this period. Try to find new ways to improve and express yourself spontaneously.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 The Solar eclipse occurs in

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LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar twelfth house on 21 August 2017. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. Letting go of the past is necessary in order to move forward. These themes will be with you for the next six months.,

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar tenth house on 21 August 2017. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. You need to adopt a new approach to your career and standing in society. More responsibilities will also come your way.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar ninth house on 21 August 2017. You should avoid major decisionmaking in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. Find new ways to widen your horizons be they be higher knowledge or literally travelling for adventure and learning about different cultures.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar eighth house on 21 August 2017.

You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. A new way to deal with your taxes, joint resources, loans etc and also your partnerships as in business or relationships.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar seventh house on 21 August 2017. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you.

This is a time when you need to be in a stable relationship and if already in one then reinvigorate your partnership.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar sixth house on 21 August 2017. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. The area it falls in is all to do with your daily routine and health issues. Try to find a new approach to work and also find new ways to improve your health.

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INDIA THRASH LANKA TO COMPLETE SERIES WHITEWASH AsianVoiceNews

India on Monday completed an innings and 171 run victory over Sri Lanka inside three days in the third Test at Pallekele. With this win, India have reinforced its position as the top-ranked team in Test cricket with a rare clean sweep in Sri Lanka.

Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took four wickets and seamer Mohammed Shami three as India bowled Sri Lanka out for 181 in its second innings.

India was dominant throughout the series, winning the first test by 304 runs and the second by an innings and 53 runs. Lanka had been whitewashed in a home series only once before, against Australia in 2004 - Ricky Ponting's first series as Australia captain.

Monday's result was Lanka's fifth heaviest defeat ever in a test.

India made 487 runs batting first in the final Test and Lanka collapsed in both innings to be out for 135 and then 181 after following on.

India's first-innings total was built on centuries by opener Shikhar Dhawan (119) and Hardik Pandya (108).

Resuming on 19/1 in its second innings, Sri Lanka lost three wickets quickly on

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Day 3 and was 39/4 before captain Dinesh Chandimal (36) and Angelo Mathews (35) put up some temporary resistance.

They took Lanka to lunch on 82/4 but their 65run partnership was ended with Chandimal's dismissal

by Kuldeep Yadav via a catch at short leg from Cheteshwar Pujara. From there, India took Lanka's last six wickets for 73 runs,

with Niroshan Dickwella top-scoring for Sri Lanka with 41.

India's bowlers were on top throughout the test with no Sri Lankan batsman reaching 50 in either innings. After Chandimal went, off-spinner Ashwin struck twice by removing the experienced Mathews and Dilruwan Perera.

Mathews was ruled out leg before wicket and the for-

mer Sri Lankan captain unsuccessfully reviewed the decision. A Perera slogsweep went straight into the hands of Pandya fielding at deep mid-wicket. Tea was delayed as India opted for the extra half-hour with Lanka down to nine wickets as the end of the session approached.

Ashwin wrapped it up, bowling last man Lahiru Kumara to finish with 4/68.

Usain Bolt tumbles on the track Usain Bolt's farewell event -4x100meter relay- ended in a fiasco as the Jamaican star tumbled on the the track and was in great pain; giving a surprise victory for the British team.

After Bolt took the baton from his teammate Yohan Blake to run the anchor leg of Jamaica's relay, their team was in third place. In years past, that would have been a minor obstacle for Bolt, the greatest sprinter in history. This time, he began to gather speed, only to pull up and shout in pain from what appeared to be a left leg injury about 60 meters from the finish line.

It was hardly the farewell party that Bolt had in mind when he decided to make this meet the final one of his career. His failure to finish would normally have cast a pall over the rest of the race, but it has been a frustrating meet for Britain, the host country. And with Bolt on the ground and the Jamaicans out of contention, the gold came down to a sprint for the finish between Christian Coleman of the United States and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain.

The Britons won by five one hundredths of a second, finishing in 37.47 seconds to the Americans' 37.52. As the official results flashed on the big screen, the crowd cheered for what was only Britain's second gold medal of this meet and its firstever world championship in the men's 4x100 relay.

Mo Farah fails to get gold in 5,000m Muktar Edris put an end to Mo Farah's dominance in the distance races at the world championships, and he crossed the line doing the move that Farah made famous at the Olympics five years ago. Edris out-kicked Farah down the stretch, beating the British runner at his own game in the final seconds of the 5,000-meter race. Farah won the longdistance double at the 2012 London Olympics. He con-

tinued to rule the track by again winning the 5,000 and 10,000 at last year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Isaac Makwala's solo run in heats Botswanan star Isaac Makwala was able to compete in the 200 metres, after the IAAF decided to allow him to run a solo timetrial after missing heats. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) offered the fastest man in the world another chance, as his quarantine period for the contagious norovirus had expired. The 30-yearold had been barred from running in the 400m final after being diagnosed with the stomach ailment - which under English health recommendations requires 48 hours' quarantine. This had provoked a row between the sport's governing body and

the Botswana athletics bosses, with the former insisting it was sad but had to follow the recommendations from Public Health England, whilst the latter said he was perfectly fine to run.

The IAAF said he can run in the semis provided he first achieved the qualifying time of 20.53 seconds in an individual time trial before the main session. “Following a medical examination which has declared him fit to compete, we have agreed under our existing rules that assuming he makes the qualification time, he will run in the 200m semi-final round this evening,” the IAAF said in a statement. Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa won the 400m heat in the absence of Makwala and Turkish runner Ramil Guliyev won the the 200m race and thus denying Wayde's dream of winning both the 400 and 200 double in London.

The main medal winning countries are United States – 30; Kenya 11; South Africa 6; France 5; China 7 and Great Britain 6.

SPORT

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

Indian wrestler dies of electrocution In a freak incident, national-level wrestler Vishal Kumar Verma was fatally electrocuted due to a short circuit at the Vishal Kumar Verma Jaipal Singh Stadium in Ranchi. Built in 1978, the indoor stadium was flooded with rainwater since the beginning of monsoon, with its condition worsening on the past couple of weeks. “Preliminary investigation has revealed that death was due to electrocution. Vishal was using a water pump to clear out the water when the incident took place. Faulty wiring seems to be main cause for this incident,” Shyamanand Mandal, officer in-charge of Kotwali station, said.

General secretary and coach of the Jharkhand State Wrestling Association, Bholanath Singh said, “Vishal had stood fourth in the last senior national wrestling championship.” Ganesh Jha, general manager of Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam, said, “An executive engineer visited the site and reported that there is no fault in the power connection provided by JBVNL. However, there could be a loose connection in the building's internal electrical wiring.”

Sikh referee racially abused Football antidiscrimination campaign Kick It Out has initiated an investigation into an online racial abuse case against a Sikh referee.

Sukhbir Singh, 33, who took charge of Chelsea's pre-season loss to Inter Milan in Singapore, over the weekend, was subjected to foul criticism for his Sukhbir Singh performance in the International Champions Cup game that ended in a 2-1 defeat for Antonio Conte's team.

He gave a contentious penalty against Chelsea in first-half added time following a challenge by Cesar Azpilicueta on Inter forward Stefan Jovetic. Several people resorted to racist comments about the Indianorigin referee as the match was in process. Over the days, the comments remained on many of people's timelines. Members of the public reached out to Kick It Out who have now appointed a reporting officer who is currently liaising with relevant authorities.

Kevin Durant apologises for his India comment US basketball star Kevin Durant has issued an apology for saying India is "20 years behind" and for several other comments about the Asian country. The Golden State Warriors forward tweeted that he's "sorry that my comments about India were taken Kevin Durant out of context."

Durant said he plans to return to India to run more basketball camps and that he meant no disrespect.

Durant travelled to India recently and spoke about the trip in an interview with The Athletic published this week. In the interview, Durant marvelled at the "cows in the street, monkeys running around everywhere, hundreds of people on the side of the road" and visible poverty. "It's a country that's 20 years behind in terms of knowledge and experience," he said, adding that his visit to the Taj Mahal was eye-opening and not what he had imagined.

He had expected the monument to be "holy ground, super protected, very, very clean," but instead, he saw mud in the middle of the street, houses were not finished but there were people living in them. No doors. No windows ... stray dogs and then, boom, Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world."

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Asian Voice | 19th August 2017

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