Asian Voice

VOICE

Health & Healing Treating knee swelling See Page - 18

BollyCat

Payal Rohatgi is now looking for meaty roles See Page -21

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 38. ISSUE 41

J0,93$9) 9$(/01<+)9 K#,)( LM#2# N64A L1O#$ N@6P L)%M$ N6?P Q0# NR5P D,$-#<9,1"S N65P

T#,#/M$ V#<W202 I$<W#X0,) B//,# >#W0(

N6UP N64P N6YP N6@P N6?P

1(44 0$% 2()5 2$%& *&',3)(,3$)'6 (44 /%37&' 3)7 ,(8&' 9 '.:;&7, ,$ (<(34:343,5=

![X),$)</) +M) O)#1+\ 08 O#/23#+),( 08

]Q09^( 03< /01<+,\^

BXX0$<+)9 BW)<+ 80, #%% "#_0, #$,%$<)(

!"!! $%" &!'!

A new terrorist organisation claims the credit

A scene of the German Bakery destroyed by a fatal bomb blast on Saturday in Pune

W2QBS7IC C@ :G:HD:BHDHC;F

The new outfit’s claim is that they attacked because India is refusing to discuss the Kashmir issue in forthcoming talks

with Pakistan.

One more victim of the blast died, bringing the toll to 10, while more than 40 were injured on Saturday in

01L0-

.02- 24,.0K42 5??4,4L ?5, 01L0-M KN01-M O413-

+,-./01

2+3/4

5678 * 9:;< : =77>

D7BE!> F DGH7I

456 70"80,9 70#9 : ;#<0, =#,2: >0<90< !?@ ABC

! #$%&'()* +,* -%$./ $0 1$2/()3&'

!"#$%& (#%)(*(#"+,#-)%./0.12 333.(#"+,#-)%./0"

Foreigners again the target in Pune blast The latest twist in the Pune blast on Tuesday was the claim by a hitherto unknown Pakistan based terror outfit, Laskhar-eTaiba Al Alami that they had carried out the Pune blast. Investigations so far have clearly established that the German Bakery was targeted to inflict casualties on foreigners living and frequenting the city and the area.

Further, as the blast put the Indo-Pak talks under strain, Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani on Tuesday offered to share intelligence information to avoid such incidents.

20th February to 26th February 2010

Q0#ZL1O#$ZK#,)#(+ZB"),$/#Z!1,0X)

caGC!d;GGC I=!`bB> =B`TBQ!I.c

!"#$%&'%() %+ ,-.'/0%/# 1'%23)( 4 5-."-.&)# 6--7%+2(

020 8868 1879

Perfect-Partner.com

IX)/$#% X#/2#W)( +0 T),#%#

!BID!7 BCL I`aGG> V7!BTI I=!`bB> GKK!7I

c!H7G IDB7 VGGTbCQIc

80p

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

BUSINESS ADVERTISING

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

ASIAN MATRIMONIALS

SEE INSIDE ....

a powerful blast.

The Osho ashram and Chhabad House, a religious place of the jews is also located very near to the German Bakery. The bakery is also a favourite place for foreigners hence it was targeted.

It is also worth mentioning that a week before the Pune blast, at meetings PoK and Lahore had said that Indian cities like Delhi, Pune and Kanpur will be targeted. One of the meetings was held to mark the Kashmir Solidarity Day. Continued on page 23

?A

TUV!

!""# %&'( )* "+,&+%%%.*/0'1/2-,.3".)# "1 3/,, )* 4"1 !-*' 5-/,*

Fonseka challenges Rajapaksa victory in Apex Court Commonwealth says Sri Lankan polls not upto the benckmark

Sri Lankan elections are still under a cloud, as jailed opponent of Rajapaksa, retired army chief Sarath Fonseka has filed a petition in the Supreme Court. He has challenged the results of the polls, alleging that President had got the polls rigged. In a related development, the Commonwealth has also termed the polls as “Not meeting key benchmarks”.

Sarath Fonseka, in his petition filed on Tuesday through his lawyers, has charged Rajapaksa, Elections C o m m i s s i o n e r

Sarath Fonseka

Dayananda Dissanayake and 20 others with rigging the vote and electoral malpractice.

Continued on page 23

+A:G7D B7C=778 P:8Q:A; R 1@G7JB7A "!%! <QBS7IC C@ :G:HD:BHDHC;

?@A B7<C 97:D< E@ C@ ===FCA:GDH8<C;D7FI@J

!"! $$%& $!!' ( $&)' !!**

!"#$

UK

2

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

What's with the name?

Gone are the days when an Asian name in the white world raised an eyebrow.

The integration of the Asian community within the mainstream population here in the UK has taken approximately 40 long years. Even though there are still debates on it, the history is a testament that we have fought hard to be accepted, not only in the business community but also in other areas of the literary, arts & cultural communities.

The situation now is such that the world is looking at us for inspiration in tradition, culture, food etc, nevertheless we still find ourselves at the crossroads of self-identity in the UK. Jay Sean

We have many British Asians who call themselves

by English names, whether its singer Juggy D (Jagwinder Singh Dhaliwal), Panjabi MC (Rajinder Singh), M.I.A (Mathani Maya Arulpragasam), Jay Sean (Kamaljit Singh Jhooti), Freddie Mercury (Farroukh Bulsara), television presenter Konnie Huq (Kanak Huq) or the Management Guru James Caan (Nazim Khan).

Ever wonder why?

Disorder". His stage name at the time was MC "Nicky J", with the "J" being derived from the first letter of his last name "Jhooti".

He eventually came to be known by the nickname "Jay" among his friends. He was a student at Latymer Upper School, the same private school that Hugh Grant, Heston Blumenthal and Lily Cole had attended. He finished his GCSEs as a "straight-A student" and then completed his A levels with an A grade in Biology and B grades in Mathematics and Chemistry.

He later

Freddie Mercury

Psychologists claim that culture plays a very important role in training the superego that mainly contributes to identity building and personality structure of a human. It is often believed, amongst Asian offsprings living in the west, their superego gets heavily affected by the stark difference of culture outside and inside their homes. This at some point or the other reflects in their behaviour or life styles.

Some people think it is still difficult to be famous in the white world with an Asian name. So, first change the look, then the name and later a complete revamp of life style is often noticed. A perfect example is of our own, Jay Sean, No1 American sensation, was born as Kamaljeet Singh Jhooti in Hounslow, West London to Sharan and Bindi Jhooti, Punjabi Sikh immigrants. He was raised in Southall, and displayed musical talent at an early age. At age 11, he and his cousin Pritpal Rupra formed a hip hop duo named "Compulsive

Konnie Huq

enrolled in Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary, University of London, to study Medicine before he dropped out in 2003 to pursue a singing career. For his music career, he chose the stage name Jay Sean; "Jay" was the nickname his friends knew him as (derived from his previous stage name "Nicky J"), while "Sean" is derived from "Shaan"—a nickname he was called at home by his grandmother—which means "shining

Have you had an accident in the last 3 years?

Would you like help and advice with making a claim or are you unhappy with the way your claim is being handled by your current solicitors? Our team of personal injury specialists successfully concludes thousands of cases every year. ● No Win, No Fee! ● Receive your compensation in full with No deductions for lawyers or insurance ● Lawyers based in all areas of London, the South East and Midlands If you have suffered an injury or had an accident which wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to compensation! ● ● ● ● ●

Passenger / driver in a Road traffic accident Accident at work Slipping / tripping Criminal Injuries Injuries to children

Website: www.levenes.co.uk Email: info@levenes.co.uk

James Caan

star" or "pride" in Punjabi.

While interviewing a few British Indian children, I could not fail to notice their opinion on this name saga. Surjo, a high school student said, “My white friends cannot pronounce the name Surjo correctly. They call me by a pet name- Jo. At least that makes it easy for many to pronounce an otherwise tongue twisting proper noun!”

His sister Tanya an A level student said, “I agree.

My school name is Sagari.

But my teachers and friends find it much easier to call by my pet name Tanya. So it be!” Tanya, originally a Russian name means 'girl'.

Another A form student Ketaki Sharma says, “My class mates call me Ketty. I like being called so.

I think Ketty is much more a common name in Britain, so it's familiar to all, friendly and less difficult to pronounce.”

Anand Mehra, a student in a popular college in London adds, “I think it is very important to have the

name intact. I have friends calling me Andy at times, but I never introduce myself as anything other than Anand. It might be a difficult name to pronounce, but I am completely at ease with my name as it is.”

Shakespeare had written in his famous Romeo and Juliette, 'What's in a name?' Identity Theorists think opposite. Some of them claim name is the first identity one has and people who have problems with name, have problems with their identity.

Brief

My aim is to stop and make one ponder- is changing name purposefully meant for gaining success in a world other than Asians' or is it just initiating another familiar name for commonality purpose?

Does our real identity change with our changing names? Does it make us a different person?

Or should we call it a conspiracy of converting a multi racial community into a single race society? It is indeed a time for analysis, thought and a complete reassessment!

Britain's ethnic communities unaware of State Pension changes Nearly three quarters of Brits from an ethnic minority background (74 per cent) are unaware of changes to the State Pension that could benefit them financially, according to a YouGov poll.

As the number of contributing years of National Insurance people need to build up a full basic State Pension is reducing in April, statistics show 29,000 British Bangladeshis, 91,000 British Pakistanis and

219,000 British Indians over 55 could now benefit when they retire.

Findings show nearly a third (31 per cent) of Brits from an ethnic minority background have taken time out of the workforce and more than one in 10 (16 per cent) rely on a partner financially – both of which may mean they need to do something now to boost their State Pension provision.

Angela Eagle, Minister for Pensions and

the Ageing Society, said: In the past, women who chose to stay home and care for family and children have missed out on pension cash in retirement. From April 2010 this will change and the system will be fairer for women and carers so that 9 out of 10 women will be able to build up a full basic pension in their own right.”

V i s i t www.direct.gov/betterfuture for more information.

One voice on new flood warnings

For further information or to make a claim call Shashi Patel or Mitesh Patel from our Gujarati Speaking Personal Injury team FREE on

0800 118899

M.I.A

SOLICITORS

Offices throughout the UK

Faith and community leaders have united in their call for people to take action to prepare for flooding in the Midlands. From the end of this month, the Environment Agency will issue flood warnings to an additional 56,000 properties with a BT landline at risk of river and sea flooding. Homeowners in the

region are being urged to look out for letters which they can expect to receive in the coming weeks, and to act on the information. Among faith and community leaders backing the call is Mahendra Dabhi, Chairman of Hindu Council Birmingham. "Ask yourself, are you prepared for the risk of flooding? If not, do

read carefully the letter you will receive. Should you have difficulty in understanding the information, do not shy away, find out more. As they say, better to be safe than sorry." To find out if you are at risk of flooding telephone 0845 988 1188 or visit w w w. e n v i r o n m e n t agency.gov.uk

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

COMMENT

Indo-Pakstan bedevilled by Islamist terrorism India's Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is in a bind: just as he had ageed to a resumption of the Indo-Pakistan dialogue in Islamabad came yet another bombing in India, this time in a popular restaurant in Pune. Nine people perished in the blast, among them two foreigners - an Italian woman and an Iranian male - while over 50 people were injured. Pro-western voices in India have been clamouring of late for the IndoPakistan talks to resume. Dr Singh decided to despatch a delegation of his senior foreign ministry officials to test the waters in Islamabad.

The Pune outrage must surely make him think again.

A decade ago, one of his predecessors, Atal Behari Vajpayee, journeyed to Pakistan on a high profile search for peace. His hosts repaid his trust with a stealthy occupation of the Kargil heights from which their forces had to be forcibly ejected. It turned out to be a costly miscalculation for both sides: the Pakistani military and intelligence services and their craven political allies believed they had India by the throat in Kashmir; they knew better after being booted out with heavy losses. But India too paid dearly, losing some 700 soldiers in the conflict, victims of serious political misjudgment in Delhi.

Preliminary findings on the likely source of the Pune attack will shortly be with the Indian prime minister. He has then to come to a decision on the projected Indo-Pakistan talks. There is a terrorist alert throughout India, with airports and railway stations and other sensitive centres under heavy security surveillance. Democratic societies will always be vulnerable to terrorist attacks on soft targets, there being no foolproof protection against them.

India is the victim of an undeclared war conducted for the most part from across the border. Pakistan has been an Anglo-Amercan client for the past half century. It is also a closer and more sinister Saudi-Chinese tool. Such are the ground realities that face India. They constitute

the greatest challenge to the security and existence of the Indian state since its creation in August 1947.

Indian statecraft has to be an amalgam of hard power and dissuasive diplomacy. Trust can only be vested in countries which make no allowances for the incubators and abettors of terror.

In this context one must mention the Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan and his public outburst against the exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from India's IPL Twenty20 cricket competition. He was well within his rights and good taste in simply lodging a protest.

But in high dudgeon, he chose to describe Pakistan as “a great neighbour,” just as India, he exclaimed, was a “great country.”

Mr Khan had clearly forgotten that this “great neighbour” was responsible for the terrorist slaughter of 26/11, surely the the most terrible day in Mumbai's history. He lives in the city and feeds on its acclaim, its riches and robust multi-ethnic and multi-cultural life without the slightest sensitivity for its terrible ordeal.Mr Khan preposterously lent moral eqivalence to India and Pakistan. On the BBC's Jonathan Ross TV show, he claimed he had only expressed support for cricketers from abroad to come and play in India. Like hell. He didn't have the guts to repeat the weasel words that have enraged so much of India.

Trust the British press to reduce this to a Shiv Sena- Shah Rukh Khan conflict. Few decent men and women would have a good word for the Sena and its thuggish ways. But Shah Rukh Khan's offensiveness transcends the Shiv Sena. India is a tolerant place. If millions of Indians have voiced their disgust at the verbal antics of a Bollywood star, more millions of their countrymen and women, including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and atheists have defended his freedom of speech.

They have all done India proud.

ECB arrogance impedes English cricketet Michael Vaughan, England's former Test captain, and Paul Collingwood the current star, are both agreed that English cricketers are losing out in their earnings and cricketing experience by not being able to participate in the Twenty/20 in Champions League.

As a cricket commentator, Vaughan was more forthright. The title of his column in The Daily Telegraph said it all - “We're arrogant for not embracing India.” He explains: “The Champions League is not for international players. It is for the county lads to earn a few quid and get a massive buzz from playing in big grounds in front of decent crowds, something they never experience at home. It means a little more employment for guys who face winters that are long and hard and full of nothng but netting from October to March.

Now because it clashes wth the end of the County Championship they could miss out.”

The logjam can be resolved with common

sense, clearly an uncommon commodity at times.

Lalit Modi, the Champions Legue Commissioner is well aware that for the tournament to prosper in the long-run the participation of English county sides is imperative.

However, it is the present situation that has thrown up the seemingly immovable object, Vaughan writes, “I hate the fact that in this country we are arrogant and stubborn. We say 'we are not letting India rule the world.' Yet everyone else manages to build a relationship with India and makes a nice living too....We cannot accept in this country that India are the market leaders in world cricket. We resent the fact they match the passion and fans with the financial muscle. It's time to stop fighting and build relationships.”

These wise words should be heeded – sooner rather than later. England invented this great game, and it is in England's gift to enrich it and take it to greater heights.

Tackling Naxalite violence Naxalite Maoist violence in India has many roots, some complex, others less so. Naxalites have tapped into the discontent of marginalised communities in the impoverished eastern and central regions of the country. Some of this unrest stems from the unjust land tenure system, and some are incubated in the immemorial poverty and discrimination suffered by tribal groups whose welfare has long been ignored by mainstream society.

It is right that the authorities in Delhi and the affected states seek an equitable solution to this festering crisis by offering a package of economic measures which will go some way to correct old wrongs. A meaningful dialogue coupled with real changes on the ground is an imaginative way forward. However, it would appear, that the Naxalite rank and file are hostage to the vaulting ambition

of their leaders whose goal is nothing less than the overthrow of the Indian state and its replacement by a Maoist dictatorship.

They and their flock have taken recourse to mindless violence in the deluded belief that such action will end in a resounding for their benighted cause. It certainly will not. The government's velvet glove conceals an iron fist. It would be a terrible pity if Naxalite militancy leads to an armed confrontation, in which there can only be one winner.

India is an upwardly mobile society. Many of those who were once unable to benefit from India's economic boom are now beginning to prosper.

Opportunities are opening throughout the land.

The bullet and bomb will not lead to a classless nirvana but to a harvest of sorrows. Let good sense prevail before it is too late- on all sides.

www.abplgroup.com

3

Thought for the Week The one important thing that I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously.

The first is imperative and the second is disastrous.

- Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991)

Barry Gardiner MP Member of Parliament for Brent North

Beware of Children Asking Questions!

Every parent has had that totally unnerving experience: when their toddler asks a seemingly innocent question that it is just not possible to answer. No, I don't mean the "How are babies made?" sort of question.

I'm talking about the ones that are much deeper and more difficult to answer than with mere biology.

The events of the past week have reminded me of when my daughter once asked me "What is the price of money?" At first I remember thinking that she had simply made a mistake and didn't understand that money was the mechanism by which we calculated price and that it did not itself have a price. But the more I tried to explain the deeper I got into trouble. I realised that this is a very profound question indeed as the Greeks and the rest of the Eurozone have been finding out in the past 10 days.

The Euro has lost almost a third of its value over the past few months.

It is now priced at just over $1.35. (A great time to buy currency if you are planning on a holiday on the continent) But that is not the serious issue here. Why is the Euro now priced so low? Why is this money so cheap?

The answer is that the Euro is a currency without a government.

"Money makes the world go round A Mark, a Yen, a Buck, or a Pound" Those words ofthe old Cabaret song are now out of date. Each one of these currencies used to have its own separate government. But the Mark was replaced by the Euro as was the Franc, the Peseta and the Lire and now in the Eurozone there are many governments. But currencies really need just one government that can adjust the economic levers to keep the currency stable. That is what almost every other currency in the world has: a single government that decides how to keep the different parts of its economy synchronised so that the rest of the world has confidence in the coun-

try's capacity to pay its debts and in the value of its money.

But the Greek government has taken very different political decisions in its part of the Eurozone from the decisions the German government has made in its part.

They have paid their workers more than those workers have produced and been able to sell.

They have borrowed to the point where they may not be able to repay and so the rest of the world has lost confidence in their currency. In effect the decisions the Greeks made have affected or perhaps I should say infected the Germans, the French and all the other countries of the Eurozone as well.

It was always a risk that this might happen.

Indeed it was this fear that some would say lay behind the French and German desire to have a New European Constitution. But that constitution fell and was replaced by the much weaker Lisbon Treaty.

Europe has not become one country with one government and that is why the Euro is now tearing the Eurozone apart.

In Britain we know what it is to have a two speed economy. London often overheating whilst the North east is unable to keep up. The skill of government is in trying to spread jobs and opportunity throughout the area of its currency to harness all regions and keep a strong economy. A single government can do that with difficulty. For the multi-government eurozone it is almost impossible.

As Chancellor, Gordon Brown set strict economic tests that have kept Britain out of the Eurozone. Each day as we see the Pound strengthen against the Euro we may come to think of this as one of his greatest economic achievements.

And the answer to the question? Simple really: "The price of money is tough political decisions that create stability and confidence."

YOUR VOICE

4

Brown's proposal to set up National care As a charity that helps so many pensioners who experience financial hardship, we read with interest Gordon Brown’s proposal to set up a National Care Service, providing free care to elderly people to allow them to stay in their own homes.

Whilst we support any measure that helps retain dignity and alleviates distress in old age, we strongly believe that if this were to become a reality it must operate alongside measures that ensure people of working age are making their own provisions for their future care costs.

We recently commissioned a national poll that showed one third of young professionals had made absolutely no provision for their care needs in old age – with 55% assuming their care costs will be covered solely by the state.

These are worrying statistics: in the long-run, unless the government steps up its efforts to encourage people to think about their futures – to save and take personal responsibility – our children and grandchildren will bear the brunt of woeful under-provision and increased taxation.

The announcement at the King’s Fund completely contradicts the government’s adult social care Green Paper, which only ceased to be consulted upon on the 18th November last year.

So while we welcome this measure for those in immediate need, we hope the government shares our view, that this proposal cannot be considered a tenable solution to an issue that is likely to become one of the biggest challenges facing us over the coming decades.

Rob Tolan Head of Policy & Research, Elizabeth Finn Care

Need a change Baba Ramdev says that it is the birth right of every individual who is born and brought up in India, he has a right on India. No caste or religion can be a bargaining point. Western school of doctors do not really acknowledge our exercises.

But in reality our exercises like yoga and health cautions like vegetarianism are much healthier.

What we need to improve is our politics and people's attitude. That would do wonders to our country.

Ramesh Moradabadi Southall

ASIAN VOICE is published by

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

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

Open pyre victory A landmark victory to the Hindu man indeed. He finally achieved what he wanted. It is also a great feeling that the british judges have regarded and respected the norms of the hindu religion and upheld the same. Though slowly and steadily, UK is finally coming to terms with multi-culturalism and understanding the fact that there is a growing vote bank of Asian community and our wishes and way of life cannot be ignored whatsoever.

However, at the same time I feel, as model citizens we have to start understanding and realising our duty towards mother earth and stop using her resources and torturing her by the smoke of the burning pyres. There may be global debates on whether there is global warming or not, but no one can now refute the fact that our planet is going through the turmoil given the climate changes and increase in natural disasters around the globe.

Given the fact that we will be burning a lot of wood now in the UK, maybe it is time for our Hindu religion to revisit our texts and make changes accordingly as the times have changed as well. Ofcourse we dont want our loved ones to be victims of the natures fury which in turn will lead to our bodies being eaten up by scavengers, making our souls wander around for eternity. Therefore, we need to change the way we look at things and find a middle solution so as to uphold the centuries old tradition and also to respect the climate now.

Anjana Mehta London

Muslim Parliament of Great Britain Kapil’s comments about speech by Rt Hon Shahid Malik (AV 13th Feb issue, pg 6) is not fair. Rt Hon MP has right to claim credit in securing financial aid to various countries, and also the right to mention about increasing number of Muslims in British parliament. This right of speech is enshrined in the democracy of the UK and the parliamentary immunity.

However the contention about British parliament becoming wholly Muslim is not pragmatic but talks about the minister's admirable and zealous devotion to Islam. Proud British Caucasians will never abandon their century old heritage to Asian or other non Anglo Saxons. An independent Muslim parliament was created in 1992 but it was pushed into media oblivion.

Kapil’s statement that Britain will continue to be wholly Christian is also bit jarring. Christian predominance is undermined due to secular policy of Government. Many churches are being sold off, attendance in churches is falling.

Some oriental practices like meditation, yoga, Zenism, Buddhism, institutions like ISKCON, Art of living are getting quite popular amongst Christians.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

"*+,-./+0 12345 VOICE !,/46 &2/-0 !"#!$ &'#() /6 78 92.

26:5 ;<= 92. 260 504.

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

234256 7777

)-./.*-/0 1#-*%

Page -13

!"#$%"&' )#*+,

Page -17

8%,&/+"/.& 8%9-%:

86>5 >42>3 1?2@6 ?3A236

Page -18

!"##$%""&

Page -19-21

Health Watch

:::7/;$0<"#+$7*#=

345 678 9::;< =6

"1>

!"#$ &'()*+), #- .#$ /+)0$ !112

‘Smile Pinky’ too gets the Oscar

Boyle says Mumbai dwarfed the statuette

Our Prime Minister who has always been private, suddenly blurted out a strange mixture of old jokes, windy smiles and fresh intimacies on last Sunday. Our PM might have steered the country on to the rocks but on last Sunday we were invited to vote for him more because he and his wife suffered the intense sorrow of losing their first child!

Our PM once assured us that he would never use his family for "cheap political stunts", he was a serious politician to deal with serious issue of governing our country. He did not just break that word but shattered any right to be regarded as a man of self-respect.

Tuesday morning we got the TV viewing figures, a verdict of the voters!

Dancing on Ice- 8.34 million, Countryfile attracting 6.08 million viewers, Antiques Roadshow- 6.92 million, Seven Ages of Britain 4.5 million viewers. Piers Morgan's Life Stories: Gordon Brown only 4.2 million viewers! Voters would rather watch Antiques Road Show than to watch Gordon Brown!

Ravi Shah Harrow

Labour’s death wish Not many people, even amongst Labour supporters would defend PM Brown’s record, first as a Chancellor and then as PM. But he does not deserve the backstabbing, feeble plot to dethrone him when the election is less than five months away, even though many would consider him arrogant, displaying smugness and elitism, bringing in class politics when so many Labour elite shun the State education and educate their children in fee paying private schools. Then it is the duty of every parent to do their best for their children, especially on the educational front.

The time has passed when no one had the courage to take him on at the last Labour conference. Now they must stand by his side and project united front, as voters hate divided party, divided government. This saga has lasted longer than Coronation Street and public is losing interest in what they would perceive as non-event. It is time for the Labour Party to give us coherent and convincing reasons why we should vote Labour. We need a Labour government; the alternative is too horrendous even to contemplate.

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

Disclaimer Asian Business Publications Ltd (ABPL) is not in any way responsible for the goods and services rendered by its advertisers. The ABPL management accepts all advertisements in good faith and it is entirely up to readers to verify advertisers’ products and services, should they feel the need to do so.

UK EUROPE WORLD 1 Year £25 £55 £70 2 Years £45 £100 £125 £225 £300 *5 Years £110 £450 £550 *10 Years £200

Page -30

!"# %&'(" #)&*+)#, -&." #& *, /0&. "1"02 ,34"

'(#)*&"+,/## 012 %3$

*Subscriptions paid will not be refunded *To Subscribe 5 ro 10 years please pay by cheque

Karma Yoga House 12 Hoxton Market (Off Coronet Street)

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

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

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

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

London N1 6HW

T-)' -@ >+V' !W

?+@@, A-,B'

GH)-@# 5IDJ F,*K$ /+@'K$ L$'C'M+)N D*(E@+ FBEN G(+0M 5IDJ FK$-#-K$ 5-(O+PEQ+B+N R+@+, S')T+@# U$$'C+ +@C R+@VE O+@'K$ 5-@M+)

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

Gordon Brown goes public with emotions

?+@@, A-,B' +@C D*(E@+ FBE

*-./ 010 2234 3050&3000 678/ 010 2234 3059 E-mail: support@abplgroup.com

An Inquiry into the Enquiries

What kind of economic sense it makes to spend £1.6m to claw back £1.1m from the MPs? Then there is the Chilcott enquiry on the war in Iraq. How much is that going to set back the likes of you and me – the taxpayers? All this is happening at the time when the country is only just recovering from the recession- when people are struggling to make ends meet. The money spent on these enquiries could well be spent on other tangible issues like creating jobs and providing better services.

It makes the blood boil to see on the telly the other Wednesday during the Prime Minister’s question time the immature and rowdy behaviour of these MPs. There was so much jeering and shouting that even the speaker could not hear the answers. It was an interesting debate between Brown and Cameron – a clash of the titans- but it was so difficult to follow.

One would not expect this kind of barroom brawling from the so called intelligent MPs. It is time for the politicians to act as responsible people.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Talks after blasts?

Apparently Indian government has changed the tactics and is inviting Pakistan for talks inspite of the blasts in Pune. It is about time strategies need to be looked into. Even though there are elements which are stopping the two governments to get together on one platform because of some unknown fear, it is time that the unnecessary bloodshed of innocent people is stopped. When will these terrorists understand that Indians are so used to all such things that it doesn't really affect anyone to a bigger extent.

Yes, these causes fear for some time, and irreparable damage to the concerned families, however the main objective of these blasts and carnage has been defeated. Pakistan, who used to hold its head high and give India the arrogant front, is now keeping a low profile as the entire world is aware of its state sponsored terrorism activities.

I salute the families of the victims as they are the martyrs along with the thousands of defence personnel who lay their lives to protect my country. Jai Hind.

Vikram Sharma London

Food in Leicester

Further to your article in last week’s Asian Voice (Saturday 13th February 2010) regarding "Golden Mile in the UK's Best Street Food" I totally agree with Dharmesh Lahkani whose family owns Bobbys Restaurant in Belgrave Road, Leicester. The midlands particular Leicester should be proud to have won the title UK Curry Capital in 2007.

My family and I take a much longer mile using the M1 from London just to experience and enjoy some of the best indian food available in the UK. In my opinion visiting restaurants like Bobby's is all part of the excellent Leicester experience.

Umesh Raichada London

Visit our website: www.abplgroup.com !"#$ "%%&$''

()'* ,)%$

*$-.

(/0120 341560 78 !"#$ & $''(## & )$#*(+'$+, 9:5 ;

,15< $=>?58 <1@0

,15< !:. '?6A1@B50

%1@0

!"#$%& ()*+ ,-./012 !31410, 5(% 6"$7( #89!,(1 !: ;1<=8(% />1##1(.? =@ /%58 A@BCD =1BEFC 2F1 G#C4 =1BEFC 2%3(.? H#1/3 I0$%J I0% K% 2%58(1 L%M= GDND3%MD31? ,OPQRS TUPQSVPP WUXYQZR[Q\S ][^_ H`19(% a#$%b a L1L2(C `1! ()* H%#Cb

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

Hindus win rights to open air funeral pyre Davender Ghai, 71, a devout Hindu has won the right to be cremated on a traditional 'open air' funeral pyre when he dies. He strongly believes that the tradition of open-air cremation is essential to the liberation of his soul after death.

But his local authority and the Ministry of Justice - contended that the ancient practice of 'natural cremation', widely carried out in other parts of the world breached the 1902 Cremation Act. Last week, however, London's Court of Appeal said that the spiritual healer and respected charity leader's heartfelt request could be accommodated under existing law.

The landmark ruling means that thousands of Hindus, Sikhs - and anyone else wanting 'natural cremation' - can be content that their dying wishes can legally be carried out.

It opens the way for building new crematoria with a hole in the roof to meet the requirements of the faiths. At present no suitable site for Mr Ghai to be cremated exists.

Mr Ghai, a father of three from Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, told a national daily that he was 'overjoyed' by the decision. Mr Ghai, a British citizen who came

to England from Kenya in 1958 to study.

The court was told that Mr Ghai wanted a funeral pyre of wood that should be open to the sky, but the site could be surrounded by walls and the pyre covered with a roof which had an opening.

The Ministry of Justice said this was not a building, which was a structure bounded by walls with a roof, and the law was there to protect 'decorum and decency'.

Davender Ghai cheered by supporters But three of said. the country's top judges Mr Ghai, the founder disagreed, ruling that the of the Anglo-Asian Ministry of Justice definiFriendship Society

Open air funeral pyre

tion of a building was too narrow.

All Mr Ghai wanted was a traditional fire and for the sun to be able to fall on his body and this could be carried out in a purpose-built crematorium within the law, they

(AAFS), said he had been left 'virtually penniless' fighting the case. But now he hopes to submit proposals for a natural cremation site and has already been offered land.

A spokesman for Newcastle City Council

said, “...Following the judgment, all local authorities will await further guidance from the Home Office and Defra as regards any proposed regulations or legislation which may control the proposed manner of cremation to ensure environmental standards and public health are protected.”

Nitin Mehta, Founder of Indian Cultural Centre said, “Davendra Ghai's apparent victory to have a funeral pyre for cremation has raised some wider questions about how our country is facing up to the vexed question of accommodating the needs and demands of a huge number of disparate groups. A point comes in the journey of an immigrant when we have to acknowledge the freedom, sense of fair play and the overwhelming goodwill of the people amongst whom we live.

The Hindu community is known for getting on with the not too easy task of making ends meet.

It is not averse to adopting new ideas and adapting long held beliefs and doctrines to the reality they find themselves living in. The time has come to pull together as Briton's and remind ourselves of the many great things about this country.”

Hindu Consultation Forum inaugurated at special event

L-R: Mr Gulzari Babber, Sir Steve Bloomfield, Mr Arjan Vekaria and Ms Anuja Prashar

Over 100 people representing London’s Hindu communities joined officers from the Metropolitan Police Service at a special event last week to mark the inauguration of the Hindu Consultation Forum.

The gathering, held at the Shree Kutch Leva Patel (SKLP) Community Centre in North West London, saw Hindu Religious and industry leaders and other prominent members of the Hindu community with officers from the MPS and politicians discussing the crime and safety concerns of Hindu communities in the UK. The Joint Chair of the Forum Gulzari Babber who is also the Chair of Ealing Community and Police Consultative Group

and national Treasurer of Hindu Forum Britain welcomed the audience and outlined the process by which the Forum came into being.

Gulzari Babber stressed that Hindu Community does not put demands on the police or any other government departments.

Commander Steve Bloomfield, who represented MPS Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, acknowledged the work being done and assured the Hindu community in London that Metropolitan Police would work alongside them at all times.

The meeting concluded with a short presentation by Sai school children on Bhagwat Gita and delicious food from the host SKLP Community.

PHILIP GLASS’s

SATYAGRAHA

GANDHI’S SEARCH FOR TRUTH IN A SPECTACULAR STAGING 25 Feb – 26 Mar 9 performances only

Realise your potential Whatever your strength, whatever your dream, the University of Lincoln will help you realise your full potential.

The University of Lincoln is an established, quality institution; a place where every individual is encouraged to realise their goals, whatever their passions or perspectives. Our students continue to be attracted by teaching quality, excellent modern facilities and a wide range of programmes.

The University of Lincoln has also achieved one of the highest possible ratings for the quality of its research and international recognition for its work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2008.

To find out more about the University of Lincoln, our wide range of postgraduate programmes and forthcoming postgraduate open days please contact us on:

t: 01522 886644 e: enquiries@lincoln.ac.uk w: www.postgraduatelincoln.com

ts Ticke ly n o m o fr

£16

‘An astonishingly beautiful work’ The Guardian

A production by IMPROBABLE

ENO LIVE AT THE LONDON COLISEUM www.eno.org 0871 911 0200 Illus tration by S teve Rawlings

5

6

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

Kapil’s

Tougher rules for foreign students while UK Border & Immigration faces racism allegations After the whole hullabaloo about bogus colleges, dodgy students supported by sham marriages, the UK Border and Agency is now planning to bring about a complete revolution in the student visa rules.

The new regulations that are to be enforced, will ensure that students Lord Brett, Home Secretary Alan Johnson & Lord Dholakia studying below degree visa rules for students are cally the rules will change. level have a limited ability basically meant to comIt feels like we are already to work in the UK and that pletely put students off under the BNP rule!” their dependants cannot from applying to the UK. While the UK Border work here at all. It will be On one hand it's expected Agency makes life difficult even harder for bogus stufor a student to have excelfor overseas students, it has dents, whose only aim is to lent level of English and recently got itself involved work in the UK, to come pay more than EU students in some racism allegations. into the country. to come and study in the Lord Dholakia, the Liberal The Home Secretary UK. On the other hand Democrat Deputy Leader Alan Johnson confirmed, their families are supposed in the House of Lords, that the Government will to sit at home and not earn questioned the Minister for implement plans to introanything. In my opinion, I n t e r n a t i o n a l duce a points test by 2011 Home Office is violating Development, Lord Brett, for those who wish to earn basic human rights. It is on 9th February about alleBritish Citizenship. behaving like ‘Big Brother’ gations of racism and a culNew measures in watching over the UK stuture of impunity among student's visa include: dents. It is very uncanny staff in the UK Border ! a good standard of and completely uncalled Agency.

English (equivalent of for.”

Referring to a recent holding just below a GCSE Immigration team from report in The Guardian in a foreign language) will Morgan Walker Solicitors newspaper, Lord Dholakia be needed to come to the said, “Dodgy institutions has demanded that the UK, study and also will have been exploiting overGovernment look again at need to be demonstrated in seas students for long the decisions taken by the order to study any other enough now. Automatically UK Border Agency in relacourse below degree level; when their sponsorship tion to asylum seeks who ! restricting the lowest licenses are removed, the have been deported, in level courses (A-levels and students' leaves are canorder to make quite sure equivalent) to only the celled too. It is important that racism did not play most trusted institutions; that one does proper backany part in those decisions. ! halving the amount of ground check before applyHe stated that ‘the jailtime a student studying ing to a college or universiing… of Ali Dizaei ten below first degree level or ty abroad. However, with years after the Macpherson on a foundation degree new rules coming into pracReport on institutional course, will be able to tice, the standard for eduracism clearly demonwork, to just ten hours durcation in the UK will surely strates that racist behaving term time; improve. This country will iour or racism of any kind ! a ban on bringing in get students who are capais not acceptable.” dependants for anyone ble and the students will Replying for the studying a course for less study in those universities Government, the Minster, than six months; and ban which will shape a stable Lord Brett, said that an on dependants of anyone future for them.” internal investigation has studying a course lower Radha Solanki, a stubeen commissioned into than foundation or underdent from a renowned the allegations relating to graduate degree level from London college said, “The the UK Border Agency, working - they will face new rules are very weird. and that lessons would be removal from the UK if UK Border and learnt. He said that the found doing so.

Immigration expects stuinquiry would “find a solu! a ban on foreign students dents to have high qualifition to the problem” if it studying below degree level cations to apply for a was determined that asyif the course includes a course here, but they do not lum seekers had been work placement - unless let dependents work here deported for the wrong reathat course is being providand even reduce hours for sons. ed by a university, college the students to work. On Lord Dholakia also or training provider which top of that they scrape off pressed the Minster to has the status of "highly the possibility for students ensure that the inquiry trusted sponsor"; to independently find a job looked at the wider aspects ! introduction of tougher for ourselves and practicalof race relations at the UK criteria for defining which ly ensure we don't get a citBorder Agency. course providers count as izenship after so much of "highly trusted sponsors" of hardship. The right answer foreign students. to these rules, will be uniMr Mathew Philip, a + ,-./01-2 -3 4,0+04 5-6.7 versities getting no overlawyer from Theva seas students at all. When !"#$%&'$"& )*+,+%-.

Solicitors said, “These new the income falls, automati-

!"#$ &'#(#& % ?: #'T I<?JI;

!"#$%&'&% /0#'&1 !"# !%&'()*+%,# "('&,%- ./#0&%'&.!. 5$6"1 7%$8+ 9'$&:)' %&%:(%;(' 7&896:*$ 50'&1 <&1*:'1 >:& <=(( >%$'* :?)(,*:&' #+ %(( #%@'* A $'*#$:)#'B +>>'$ A !#*1@A&* 9'%*+?* C%D &%$DE 5&* BA C&6&&# 7&89D:D *%('*6#$%&'(%))'**")+",- EF%$*&'&% !!!"#$%&'(%))'**")+",- <$G H:*D

!"# %&'() *!'+,-.

!"#"

./. 1234 3355

)* +,-. )* +234 )* +234 )* +,,; )* +2.4 )* +,4= )* +,?. )* +-2? )* +,44 )* +,,4 )* +,2? )* +2,?

!"#$"#%&' )"*+' 6420 8 ,+.4 6& 9:;<= ,>?<@@A?<= BC 6:>D= ,C 6:>D= E:F>@= G>H?I>FJI= 2>KI>;LFJI>= 7IAK<$A; &8M8*8 ENO 3@>?= EJ;L@:PH '(( ?: '(((( Q?R -QQAS< 8 :; N:JH<

!"#$"%&'( #&%&* !"#$"%&'( ("*"#

!"#$%&' )%*+,-*$*,$./01#$%&2)3# 4442)%*+,-*$*,#$5$1,#,5*2)3# 1271+

U +NV47+E+7$V/VE+1$E+6-7+$,/6+0

KHICHADI

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com Open Letter to Politicians I was intrigued when Barry Gardiner MP for Brent North recently wrote an open letter to the Hindu Forum of Britain. Taking a leaf out of his book I thought I would try my hand at something similar and put forward a challenge of my own.

Dear Politicians of all political parties, I am sure you are all very keen to listen to the community and I trust that you will also hear their message. In light of this and given that the election is only months away, I wonder if you can consider the following points and confirm to the community what your exact position is, and that of your party? In particular, rather than the usual rhetoric and platitudes, the community would be very interested to learn what your party will do practically within the next term of parliament to address these issues.

Mr Ghai recently won support of the courts that his contention to have an open pyre is in fact legal as well as being within all current planning laws.

In light of this, can you confirm if your government will proactively ensure that for the people of Harrow/Brent (an example) you will facilitate the allocation of land and the required funding to build the first dedicated crematorium that meets the needs and requirements of Hindus. This should provide for the traditional cremations as well dedicated open pyre facilities when those are requested.

Given that we now have the first Hindu state funded primary school in Harrow, can you confirm that your government will ensure land and all necessary funding will be made available immediately to ensure that the provision of the first state funded Hindu secondary school becomes a reality also.

This should have the highest priority to ensure that those pupils who complete their education in the Hindu primary school have an option

to also transfer to a Hindu secondary school.

It has now been well established that the Hindu community is one of the most highly educated and with many very talented professionals.

All the research also shows that when it comes to public appointments, the proportion of people from the BAME community, and in particular the Hindu community, represented on these bodies is incredibly low.

Therefore what will your government do to remedy this situation within the term of one parliament? It is important to also note that equity and equality should also be considered in relation to the faith of these appointees (all too often Hindus fare less well even when counted within the Asian context).

Over recent years the government has spent tens of millions of pounds in supporting certain community and national organisations in pursuit of the ‘Preventing Violent Extremism – PVE’ agenda. Will your government confirm that it will provide funds of similar quantum to those other communities (and their associated organisations) who have integrated well, are hard working and law abiding. For example, the Hindu community.

Care for the elderly has become a national issue though it is interesting to note that when it comes to culturally sensitive state funded care homes and services for the Hindu community – they simply don’t exist.

Therefore will your government confirm that within the term of one parliament we will see the establishment of culturally sensitive care homes in areas where the proportion of people from certain cultures/communities is high?

For example, Harrow, Brent, Ealing, Southall, Ilford to name but a few.

I have listed only five points to ensure that these requests do not become too burdensome to any of the parties. What all political parties need to note is

that there should be no excuses in relation why any of these fives items are not doable. The whole point of raising these issues directly with those who want our votes is to get total clarity on what they are willing to do that is real, practicable and within one parliament term?

So I end this short letter by reminding each prospective seeker of our votes – what is your answer to each of the above points? And to the voters, if any of the politicians/political parties fail to respond, or they come up with excuses, I hope that in itself will answer the question you have in your mind, i.e. ‘who should you vote for, or not!’

Support for Indians in Australia I came across a great initiative by the National Hindu Students Forum. They have started an online petition that is registered at No 10 that asks the Prime Minister and the British Government to support the rights of Indians in Australia and not be racially attacked. It takes 2 minutes of your time to complete, so why not log on to the following site and register your vote. We may not be able to do much from here in the UK, however, the least we can do is support the work of our youngsters who are trying to help Indians in Australia. http://petitions.nu mber10.gov.uk/Indian Australia/

Anyone for BNP? So Nick Griffin and his right wing extremists will finally allow people other than ‘white’ to join their deluded party.

Of course it will be interesting to see if anyone from the BAME community does indeed join up. I was wondering, what would happen if those who join then voted Nick Griffin out of his own party?

Interesting, reality might end up being stranger fiction at this rate.

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

7

8

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

Dee Katwa

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

Con tricks – just say no February is Scams Awareness Month which sees the launch of S c a m n e s t y , a national campaign which aims to nab scammers who target residents to part with their cash.

According to the Office of Fair Trading, or OFT, around one in 11 adults, that’s four million people, have responded to a scam at some point in their life, of whom nearly a third have lost money. In addition, around half of those scammed have lost more than £50 in total, with five per cent having lost more than £5,000.

Seventy-three per cent of scams are received by email, 21 per cent by letter and 12 per cent via

text. Scamnesty is being run in partnership with 129 local authority Standards Trading Services, of which Walsall Council is one. The council’s cabinet member for safer stronger communities, Councillor Garry Perry, said: “Scammers are using ever more sophisticated and cunning tactics to dupe people out of their cash. It really is important that our residents are on guard. Scams can bring

real upset and misery to their victims.” Among tips being offered to ward off potential scammers are: (1) Stop think and be sceptical. If something

sounds too good to be true, it probably is a scam (2) Don’t be rushed into sending off money to someone you don’t know,

no matter how plausible they may sound (3) Think about how much money you could lose from replying to a potential scam.

It’s not a gamble worth taking (4) Ask yourself how likely it is that you have been especially chosen for this offer.

Thousands of other people will probably have received the offer. Scam examples include the Spanish lottery, award notifications, clothing collection, dodgy catalogues, phoney astrologers and racing tipsters. To find out more call Consumer Direct on 08454 040506.

Miliband's address to Midlands' key players Around 1,000 guests reflecting the multicultural make-up of the West Midlands attended the annual Asian Governmental Dinner in Birmingham last Thursday. A fiercely passionate and eloquent speech was delivered by keynote speaker David Miliband MP, our Foreign Secretary. "We have the values, the ideas and with events like this we will get the energy too," Mr Miliband told attendees.

A mammoth celebration to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of India’s Republic Day brought together over 1,000 guests from all sections of society at the ICC in Birmingham last Sunday evening. The event was organised by the High Commissioner of India, Nalin Surie, in collaboration with the local Indian Embassy and Birmingham City Council. The two-part programme mainly featured Bharatnatyam

Standing shoulder-toshoulder on stage with him were his colleagues Pat McFadden (who this

week returned from a to the visit Punjab, India), Liam Byrne (who is this week visiting Pakistan) and Shabana Mahmood, Ladywood Parliamentary candidate. Earlier in the day Mr Miliband had met with young people to listen to their views, concerns and issues. The round-table function was held at the New Bingley Hall in Hockley.

Also present were Lord King, fellow columnist

Sixty years on

dance performances, with narration and special effects, led by Geeta Chandran and her sixstrong troupe. The compere was Piali Ray, direc-

tor of Sampad, the Indian dance organisation.

Eagle-eyed observers noted how dignitaries Mr Surie, Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham

Keith Vaz MP, MPs Rob Marris and Adrian Bailey, Neena Gill, former MEP and several local councillors, leading businessmen and businesswomen, faith leaders and students. This event clashed with a separate Labour Party fundraising dinner at the nearby Radisson Hotel where Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, was principal speaker. This event was attended by around 50 people.

City Council, local Consul General Mr C Gururaj Rao and man-offew-words West Midlands Lord Lieutenant Paul Sabapathy - kept their shoes on, disrespectfully, some may say, while on stage lighting the lamp.

And how within ten minutes of doing so, the lamp was blown out. One wonders whether the lamp was lit as a mark of respect and welcome, as it should be, or for the photoshoot only?

Diverse concert

Ethnic food firm fined

Top female vocalists from Africa and Europe, currently on a national tour, will be at The Drum Arts Centre in Birmingham this Friday evening (Feb 19).The women from diverse African cultures will collectively share their rich musical heritage that "entertains, challenges and positively enriches" as part of this inaugural event. The group's next stops are in Gateshead, Liverpool, Morecambe, Leicester and London on Feb 22,23,24,25 and 27, respectively. For more information visit www.blackroutes.org.uk or call 0121 331 4746.

An award-winning Nottingham-based supplier and retailer of ethnic food products, Asiana Limited, has been fined over £8,000 for failing to comply with packaging regulations. The family-run company pleaded guilty to nine charges between 2006 and 2008 that related to not registering with the Environment Agency, failing to meet its recycling obligations and for not producing a certificate of compliance during those years. An estimated over 58 million tonnes of packaging is produced annually by the European community.

Skills West Midlands

Debate on Lord Krishna

A new annual event, Skills: West Midlands, is being aimed at the region’s 14-19-year-olds. It will be held at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, on 17 and 18 March. To sign up or find out more contact 01823 362800 or visit www.skillswestmidlands.co.uk

A free debate organised by Hindu youth entitled ‘Krishna – history or myth’ will take place at Arya Samaj in Nechells, Birmingham, from 11am till 2pm next Sunday (Feb 28). All welcome.

News in Brief Get jab, receive voucher

Health bosses in Birmingham are enticing teenage girls to have cervical cancer jabs by offering them £45 worth of Love2Shop shopping vouchers each. The vouchers are being offered by cashstrapped NHS chiefs in north and east Birmingham, where take-up rates for the potentially life-saving vaccines are among the worst in the country. They are spending £22,500 on the scheme, targeting 500 teenagers in a bid to protect them from the disease which killed 27-year-old TV personality Jade Goody, pictured.

Blood pressure shock

More people in the West Midlands have high blood pressure than anywhere else in the UK. Two out of every five people tested were found to have high blood pressure which puts the region at the bottom of the hot spots league. Despite the problem, three quarters of people in the region don’t know their blood pressure numbers, according to the Blood Pressure Association (BPA). For help call the Blood Pressure Information Line on 0845 241 098.

Award for East End boss

Leading West Midland veteran businessman Tony Deep Wouhra has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University in recognition of his outstanding achievements spanning almost 40 years. He received the accolade at a ceremony at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham, last Wednesday. Tony, pictured, is the chairman of East End Foods, a supplier of ethnic food which he founded with his four brothers in 1972. He was awarded an MBE in 1999.

Happy days at taxpayers’ expense Worcestershire MP 67-year-old Sir Michael Spicer (Con Mid Worcestershire) has been ordered to repay £15,109.37 after claiming more than £26,000 from the taxpayer to pay his gardening and cleaning bills, and to buy a new dishwasher. He is retiring at the next election, and advises new MPs to “be true to yourself”. Father-of-three Sir Michael, pictured, adds: “And, of course, just enjoy it. Keep remembering that, despite all that is being said about Parliament, it is an enormous privilege to be here.” Bet it is.

New club launched A new organisation aimed at uniting Birmingham’s professionals and entrepreneurs has been launched. The Birmingham Chamber Executive Club (CEC) has been established through one of its satellites, the Institute of Asian Businesses (IAB), but Paul Bassi, the Chamber’s first Asian president, explained the new enterprise was aimed at providing opportunities all round. He added: “It will not have a committee or a board, there will be no annual elections, there will be no presidents and no politics.”

Shutters come down

The Hillfields Health Centre in Coventry has closed after 40 years of serving patients. The centre, in Howard Street, was home to three GP practices who, between them, cared for a total 12,000 patients.

The centre closed last Friday and will be demolished next month. Dr Manoj Pai, who was based at the centre for six years, said: “This was a futuristic building when it was built in the 1970s. Now there is a lot of emphasis on getting several practices under one roof with other health services.”

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

9

10

ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

Spriha’s

National Hindu Students Forum (UK)

Corner

By Rudrajoy Chakroborty, Interfaith PR NHSF (UK)

NHSF Hold Annual Sports Competition 2010 On Sunday 21st February 2010, the Annual Sports Competition for National Hindu Students Forum (UK) [NHSF] will be taking place on the hallowed grounds of Loughborough University. Students hailing from all corners of the UK shall commence battle in contemporary and traditional sports, with sewa, learning and a few surprises included to engage students with our dharma whilst they strive for sporting glory. The motivation for organising an NHSF (UK) Sports Competition comes in many forms, but some key factors lie within our own dharma. Many will be aware of Hindu dharma’s long-standing commitment to physical health through practices such as Hatha Yoga and a whole stream of holistic healing known as Ayurveda.

However, the situation we see in the UK today suggests health is not as high on our personal agendas as it should be.

We witness the obesity epidemic through the media everyday and the statistics tell us why - 1 in 4 adults are obese and

therefore are increasing their risk of developing a vast array of diseases and illnesses associated with obesity.

The youth are suffering too, with 16% of 2-15 year olds in the obese category and the National Health Service is spending over a billion pounds to treat the consequences of obesity. The government recognizes the role of physical activity in reducing this burden hence large investment, but despite schemes in the workplace and schools, many are not meeting recommended targets of physical activity per week.

At university there is abundant competition for our attention, and the cost and time commitments often prevent many students from taking on potential sporting ventures.

NHSF recognise our duty to ensure students gain as much as possible at university, and the Sports Competition provides a tangible goal for local universities to aim towards. Weekly training at university exposes stu-

dents to sports and provides members at chapter level an enjoyable way of engaging in physical activity with their fellow students.

It may be a cliché, but the unity and teamwork formed through training in a competitive environment enables students to utilise their physical and intellectual capacities and develop skills essential for working with others in various avenues of life.

Providing students with the hope and inspiration that a national Sports Competition undoubtedly delivers, can assist in hopefully encouraging young British Hindus to participate more in sport, lead a healthy lifestyle and unite in Lord Hanuman’s manifestation of strength, solidarity, humility and unity.

Perhaps in the near future some students will lead the way and act as role models for young people wanting to pursue sporting careers, and others will see a flourishing and vibrant youth taking our Dharma forward into the next decade of the 21st century!

By Spriha Srivastava

Big B endorses ‘Colors’ Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan has now become the brand ambassador for COLORS, a Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd channel and India’s number one Indian Hindi entertainment channel.

The channel is coming soon in the US & UK markets, aims to entertain the entire Hindi South Asian Diaspora, across all generations.

Speaking to Mr. Bachchan during a telephonic interview, he mentioned that he is enjoying his association with the channel since there is a group of young and enthusiastic people behind the entire work.

He also said that he had just recently finished shooting for Big Boss 3 and is looking forward to more.

“My association with COLORS began with Bigg Boss Season 3.

Now, by taking on the responsibility of being its Brand Ambassador, I feel extremely honoured in being able to partner a media channel that has

been a conduit of social change while churning out excellent quality entertainment. I am sure COLORS, with its myriad hues of entertainment, will spread its magic in the US & UK as it did in India.”

During the interview, he also mentioned his latest association with Gujarat as its brand ambassador. He said he has accepted Mr. Narendra Modi’s invita-

tion to be the brand ambassador for Gujarat in promoting tourism for the state by shooting more films in state.

Mr. Bachchan had been all praise for the development in Gujarat and said the state was a place worth visiting again and again. In fact he also said that if the government planned a documentary to showcase the state, he would like to be a part of it.

Time for some hide and seek comedy AKS performing arts groups brings yet another exciting performance to zap London audiences. After the success of its first play “Thirty days in September,” this group of young and energetic professionals has brought some comic relief for all in their next performance.

A comedy set in London, Caught in the Net is about a taxi driver leading a dual existence.

As if one wasn’t already a handful, the protagonist Joginder Pratap Singh is juggling two wives! The plot thickens when the daughter from one wife meets and falls for the son from the other in an online chat room.

Enter Sanjay Gupta, lodger and loyal friend, who is left to manage the mayhem that Jogi causes in his wake. What ensues is a mad comedy about love, betrayal, marriage, kids and the coincidence called life.

Starkly different by design from the group’s first play, this Ray Cooney original has been adapted to an

Indian context, still keeping it set within the bounds of the city of London. The play also has a a collage of cultures and values juxtaposed on a genuinely hilarious and idiosyncratic set of characters, with the slightest (very British) hint of innuendo.

Speaking to Neha Jain, who is part of the play, she said the group now has new members, as was needed by the story.

“The cast for this play necessitated us to go beyond our small group and reach out to theatre enthusiasts in various parts of London. Fortunately we were contacted by several people who had enjoyed our maiden performance and were keen become a part of Aks. Among these we found our Jogi, who works in the shipping industry. In college –student Hassan we found the ideal Gaurav. Herschel, a consultant, was an interesting choice for Dad and he plays his character with uncommon

panache and cheerful aplomb.”

The play is co-directed by Ali Tariq Khan and Ankur Chopra and is said to be the next level in the group’s journey to explore the multiple forms and facets of theatre. Both in terms of having a larger cast and a script highly dependent on comic timing and synchronicity, the play, as Neha says, was a challenge beyond past experience.

The performance dates of the play will be from February 18th – February 20th at Rudolph Steiner House, followed by a bollywood dance party. It is definitely a must watch and in case you still haven’t booked your tickets, now is the time.

As Neha puts it in her words, “We really had a super time rehearsing this one, and getting it ready for you. We think you’ll love watching it just as much.”

(Log on to http://web.me.com/neh ajain/Aks/Tickets.html to book tickets)

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com

EDUCATION/COUNCIL

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

University of Leicester Sociology student brings her father to university errands for her, such as A 21-year-old sociolofetching her library books gy student at the for assignments.

University of Leicester has Anuya said: “It was flouted the tradition of quite an unusual request – viewing higher education wanting to bring my Dad as an opportunity to with me – but they didn’t escape her parents, live seem to see any problem away from home and experience freedom and independence - pic courtesy: University of Leicester by bringing her father along with her.

Anuya Pai and her father have lived in adjoining rooms in University Halls of Residence for the past three years.

Anuya’s father, Dr Anand Pai, has suspended his medical career to accompany his daughter, who is a wheelchair user, to the University as her full-time support.

Anuya’s parents originate from Mangalore in South India, but Anuya has lived in England all her life.

Dr Pai commented: “I am happy to be here with Anuya as she pursues her education. I know how important this is to her and I have always Anuya with her father Dr Pai been willing to prowith it. The accommodavide whatever support is tion has an adjoining necessary in order for my room so if I need my Dad daughter to achieve her for anything in the middle ambitions in life.” of the night, I can call him Whilst Anuya is in her lectures, Dr Pai runs easily. This wasn’t avail-

able in other universities where carers are off-campus in other accommodation. But the University of Leicester has accommodated for him well, as well as for me.

“One of the major things which attracted me to the University of Leicester was the wheelchair friendly accommodation as it’s hard to find wheelchair accessible housing off campus.”

The high calibre of support available to disabled students at the University was illustrated recently with recognition from the Times Higher Education who awarded the AccessAbility Centre and Student Development the Outstanding Student Support award at their annual ceremony for their project ‘Access to Employability’ which looked at supporting students with skills and work placements.

It was the AccessAbility Centre who made arrangements to accommodate Anuya’s

11

Prime Minister Gordon Brown visits Newham's Community Resource Centre for Older People

Back from left: centre manager Gill Teather, Mayor Sir Robin Wales, Cllr Joy Laguda, West Ham MP Lyn Brown

unusual living situation.

Dr Paula Dobrowolski, Head of the AccessAbility Centre, commented: “It has been delightful to work with Anuya and her father.

Anuya’s support requirements have been fairly standard and, once everything was set up, Anuya has led an independent life at University. The aim of the AccessAbility Centre is to support students to fulfil their potential and find their independence. I wish her every success for her studies.”

Communities should have say on late night drinking rules, says London Councils Local authorities should be able to choose when to restrict late night drinking in their local areas, rather than the government handing down one-sizefits-all regulations on drinking laws.

The government has announced that councils will be able to impose blanket bans on the sale of alcohol after 3am in entire streets or city centres

affected by alcohol-related anti-social behaviour and disorder. While London Councils welcomes the move, it is clear that a blanket ban such as this is not always the best way to deal with problems stemming from excess drinking. Instead, it wants local authorities to be allowed to develop local solutions to local problems.

What to expect when a health and safety inspector calls

UK Health and Safety Law protects you even if you are not working here legally

Rhaynukaa Soni Outreach Executive

This article is intended for those in business who have duties under health and safety law (‘duty holders’), for example employers and those in control of workplaces.

Who enforces health and safety law?

Health and safety law is enforced by inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or

by inspectors from your local authority. Inspectors have the right to enter any workplace without giving notice. On a normal inspection visit an inspector will look at the workplace, the work activities, and to check that you are complying with health and safety law. He/she may also talk to employees and their representatives, take photographs and samples, and take action if there is a risk to health and safety which needs to be dealt with immediately.

Enforcing health and safety law On finding a breach of health and safety law, the inspector will decide what action to take. The inspector should provide employees or their representatives with informa-

tion about any action taken.

Inspectors may take enforcement action in several ways to deal with a breach of the law. In most cases these are:

the specified time period.

Informal - Where the breach of the law is relatively minor, the inspector may tell the the employer or contractor, what to do to comply with the law, and explain why.

Prohibition notice Where an activity involves a risk of serious personal injury, the inspector may serve a prohibition notice stopping the activity immediately and not allowing it to be resumed until remedial action has been taken. The notice will explain why the action is necessary.

Health and Safety Improvement notice Where the breach of the law is more serious, the inspector may issue an improvement notice to tell the duty holder to do something to comply with the law. The notice will say what needs to be done, why, and by when. The inspector can take further legal action if the notice is not complied with within

Prosecution - In some cases the inspector may consider that it is also necessary to initiate a prosecution. Health and safety law gives the courts considerable scope for punishing offenders and deterring others. For example, a failure to comply with an improvement or prohibition notice carries a possible unlimited fine or two years’ imprisonment, or both.

Appeals - A dutyholder has the right of appeal to an Employment Tribunal when an improvement or prohibition notice is served. How to appeal is explained on the reverse of the notice.

Information to employees or their representatives During a normal

Helpline: 0207 556 2181 e-mail: desi@hse.gsi.gov.uk Website: www.hse.gov.uk/construction/gujarati

inspection visit an inspector will expect to check that those in charge have arrangements in place for consulting and informing employees about health and safety matters. Such arrangements are required by law. An inspector will meet or speak to employees or their representatives during a visit, wherever possible. When they meet, employees or their representatives should always be given the opportunity to speak privately to the inspector, if they so wish. The inspector will provide employees or their representatives with information about matters affecting their health, safety and welfare. This information relates to the workplace or activity taking place there, and action which the inspector has taken or proposes to take.

12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

Scrutator’s “India on the brink of introducing GM crops to avert global crisis” was the title of an extensive Rhys Blakely report in The Times (February 9). He was referring to an eagerly awaited government decision on genetically modified aubergines. Mr Blakely got it wrong. The Indian minister Jairam Ramesh announced an indefinite moratorium on the decision until more scientific research had been done. Meanwhile, our scribe clearly anticipating the worst quoted sceptical sources opposed to GM crops. They contested that such crops would lead to a second green revolution that was projected as the seminal route to permanent food security, the first having occurred in the 1960s and 70s banished the spectre of famine from the land. Somewhere down the line GM crops will have to come into their own if the world's rising population is to be adequately fed.

The Independent's Andrew Buncombe, reporting from Delhi (February 9) told how Indian scientists had removed the offending genes which were responsible for the tomato's short shelf life. A normal tomato lasts 15 days, without these genes it would be guaranteed to last 45. This would be a bonus for the common man. In India 30-40 per cent of fruits and vegetables go bad before they have reached the market, the lack of refrigerated trucks being the cause.

If the process achieved with the tomato could be extended to, say, mangoes, bananas and papayas the impact for consumers would surely be seminal, said Mr Buncombe. The scientific breakthrough with the tomato was the work of Professor Datta and his team at the National Institute Plant and Genome Research, who claim to have produced the world's longest lasting tomato. Professor Datta's tomato was not expected to reach the same pitch of public controversy as the brinjal (aubergine), said Minister Ramesh. The approval for the tomato would be ready in two years, he said.

Rural India on move Rural India is doing pretty well, thank you. To appreciate this you must turn to India Today rather than, say, the London Times.

India Today, the Delhibased weekly magazine has published an informative feature on the “Changing Face of Rural India” in its issue of February 15. It is well worth a read. The leading article by Dilip Bobb

income has largely been unaffected by the economic slowdown, this, despite the fact that the contribution of agriculture to rural income has actually come down. Instead, we have a growing service industry and alternate revenue channels from horticulture, poultry, fisheries and other activities which are less rain-dependent and were virtually non-existent a decade ago. India's 6,38,000 villages, which harbour 72.2 per cent of

vegetable farming. He also tied up with an exporter who guaranteed purchase of his output at pre-set prices. He earns Rs 600.000 annually and has a middle class house and lifestyle complete with a jeep. Such cases are multiplying at speed. If urban households are paying more for their food, their rural brethren are the principal beneficiaries.

Indo-Israel trade deal A Delhi-based report by James Lamont and Martin Wolf (with additionall reporting from Tobias Buck in Jerusalem) in the Financial Times (February 12) referred to the imminence of India-Israeli trade talks - “India prioritises Israel on trade pact” which aimed to establish a free trade agreement between the parties.

“India is to launch negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement with Israel in what is one of the most tangible symbols of fast-warming relations between the two countries,” wrote our scribes.

New Delhi was prioritising a deal from a list of 20 countries seeking improved trade with one of the worlds fastest growing large economies, they said.

They went on: “Bilateral trade between India and Israel has risen quickly, reaching about $4.1 billion in 2008, excluding a growing defence trade. A more formal agreement would give India's manufacturers greater access to Israel's high-technology sector,

Prosperous farm in India’s Gujarat

opens thus: “Forget those images of ravaged villagers, kids with distended bellies and ragged clothes and a future as grim as the cracked, sun-baked earth.

Islands of poverty still exist but most of rural India is transformed beyond recognition thanks to a host of factors which has put unprecedented wealth into the hands of farmers across the country and turned it into a huge consumer market. Latest statistics show that agricultural growth and rural

the population, once the albatross around its neck, are now the signposts to its future.”

New crops and technology have swelled the spirit of entrepreneurial adventure. Take Sunil Katkade from Naygaon, a small village in the Nasik district of Maharashtra.

From growing rain-fed Bajra and wheat on which his family were hard pressed to survive, he had installed a micro-sprinkler irrigation system, four years ago, and switched to

while Israel would benefit from better trade and investment prospects in India's domestic market of 1.2 billion people....

Among other areas, Israel has agricultural technology that would assist Indian farmers in boosting productivity....Trade negotiations with New Delhi are a big step for Israel. It already has bilateral trade agreements with the US, European Union and Canada.”

India has similar agreements with the

“In one area of General Electric's 1million-square-foot research and development centre, named after the company's chief executive, scientists are testing a special 'pedestrian-safe' bumper for cars which can hit people at speed without maiming them.

Elsewhere boffins are working on locomotive engines that run on methanol extracted from grass growing Tejas fighter aircraft put through its paces alongside India's railway lines, and on forces, but will take a worSouth East Asian bloc, super-compact medical thy place in the world marAsean, and also wih South equipment that costs a ket.

Korea. Once an agreement fraction of the price of was in place Israel's trade similar products in the with India could rise to Tejas, Akash mate west. $12 within five years, an “Opened in 2000 with Israeli official told the FT The Hindu's Bangalore 275 scientists and engicorrespondents. reported Bureau neers, today the centre The political dimen(February 3) that Defence employs 4,300 – or one in sion of such an agreement Minister A.K.Antony had six of GE's researcher would be hugely signifiannounced the Indian Air technologists worldwide. cant. India's previous parForce's decision to procure This year the ratio will tiality for the Arab world 750 Akash missile systems increase to one in four, (with little reciprocity) from Bharat Electronics according to Guillermo can now be consigned to Limited. He also stated Wille, the centre's managthe archives as a bizarre that the IAF would order ing director. 'Why India? curiosity. an additional 20 Tejas It's very straightforward,' fighter aircraft from says the German engineer.

Aircraft Hindustan Warplane tested 'There are very few other Limited, which is expected countries where you can to be cleared for full proA report from Moscow by hire such large numbers of duction at the end of the Vladimir Radyuhin in The engineers so quickly. year.

Hindu newspaper China is comparable but The orders for the (January 30) told of the after that nothing comes Akash missiles and Tejas successful test flight of the close'......But for Vijay aircraft assume signifiprototype Sukhoi 50, the Govindarajan of the Tuck cance for India's defence fifth generation stealth School of Business at technology and manufacfighter to be jointly Dartmouth College New turing. The Akash has designed and manufacHampshire, and chief passed its teething probtured by Russia and India. innovation consultant at lems, much to the satisfacThe US F-22 is the only GE, the rise of these tion of the IAF, Minister such aircraft in existence. multinational R&D cenAntony said. Scepticism Mr Radyuhin writes: tres in India and China is about the Tejas project has “Russia's new fifth-generadriving a profound shift in long gone, he remarked. tion stealth fighter innovation as significant (FGFA), a joint project from mainframe computwith India which is set to ing to the personal comHigh-tech form the backbone of the puter, or the introduction buzz two nations' air power till of the internet....'We are at the mid-21st century, the cusp of of a new paraJoe Leahy writes in the made a successful digm in which innovation Financial Times (January flight...The plane perwill happen in India and 29): “Walk into the John F. formed 'very well' during a China first and then it'll go Welch Technology Centre 47-minute flight at an airto the rich countries'. in Bangalore and you field in the far eastern city Professor Govindarajan of Komsomoslk-on-Amur and met 'all our expectations', said a spokesman for the Sukhoi Corporation.”

He went on: “The FGFA will also be a quantum jump for India, as the joint partner with Russia, where the Indian aviation industry will be a fullfledged partner. Under a 2007 inter-governmental agreement, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited took a 50 per cent investment stake in the $8 billion project and will contribute 25 per cent design and development work....India will be responsible for supplying the plane's navigation systems, mission computer, cockpit displays and G E technology Lab in Bangalore, its fourth such facility following sites in the United States and France also provide composites for the airframe.” co-authored a recent could be forgiven for Sulhoi head Mikhail Harvard Business Review thinking you have strayed Pogosyan said: “The joint paper on the subject with into the Q division (the Russian-Indian aircraft Jeff Immelt, GE chief laboratory dedicated to will not only strengthen executive. inventing new gadgets) the defence might of the Enough said. from a James Bond film.

Russian and Indian air

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

www.abplgroup.com

Alpesh Patel Consultant Editor Financial Voice Dear Financial Voice Reader, I write in preparation of BBC Breakfast’s newspaper review and a good time it is to overview the markets. The FTSE 100 seems to have found something of a floor, the problem is that longer term momentum and short term momentum are in opposing directions. So it’s anyone’s guess whether things will move up or down and my bet is sideways when undecided. If I had a gone to my head, and I often do, then I would say it will rise with a 60% probability.

I am asked most whether we will have a ‘double dip’ recession as it is only now people are panicking and feeling unemployment. It’s not nice when imports become more expensive because the far east is growing strongly and our currency is week and we don’t have cash in our pockets. But that is where we are. So double dip? Yes 65% for sure. In any event we’re not out of recession – 0.1% growth does not count and it feels like a recession so it is one!

I am also asked about Emerging Markets funds.

Now they’ve had a great run. And whenever there is any are where they’ve had a great short term run but longer term you know you need to be invested then I usually say to people ‘pound cost average’.

That is the technique where by periodically you invest a fixed amount. Your average entry price hedges against falls and still makes you eventually fully invested.

Turning to gold, and I often am asked about gold, Johnson Matthey has done well out of gold prices and I have to add I came across an interview with Nirmal Sethia recently from 2005 when he predicted these prices. He was being interviewed for the New York Sun in 2005 and said, “The price of gold is now about $422 an ounce -- in less than five years, it's going to top $800 an ounce," he says.

"I believe that figure could even go beyond $1,200 an ounce." He was right then and the reasons he gave in terms of supply and demand have been proven exactly correct and have not gone away.

So as gold companies become like oil companies – benefitting from inconceivable prices – so do their share prices.

Of FTSE 100 stocks to catch my eye is Rolls Royce. It has, and continues to rise strongly. And one for the smoker – BAT. It will hit an all time high this year.

And what of Barclays? Still 50% off its all time high but about 8-fold higher than its low? Many people will have stocks in their portfolio like this.

What do you do? Get out if in? Or in if out? My view is to imagine if you were looking at it afresh without any holding. Would you buy it? Does it make sense on its merits? A large company with record profits and cash that survived the crunch?

In a balance medium risk, even low risk diversified portfolio, Barclays would be in there. Is it likely to rise 100% and hit all time highs? It’s got as much chance of doing that in the next 12 months as I have of losing 20kg. The race is on to prove me wrong.

Ken Clarke Praises Asian Business Achievements

Shadow Business Secretary Ken Clarke addressed the London Chamber of Commerce’s Asian Business Association dinner last week. The Asian Business Association (ABA) created over a decade ago attracts many highly successful Asian business people. Its aim is to campaign on issues directly affecting Asian businesses within London.

Ken Clarke said: “The Asian community has a fantastic culture of enterprise and is a major source of entrepreneurship in Britain.

British Asian firms generate around 10% of

Canadian oil firm on BP, Reliance takeover radar

Value Creation, a Canadian oil firm is on the radar of British player BP and Reliance Industries, an Indian giant for a takeover.

The Canadian company is in a financial problem and is likely to faces appointment of receiver.

Interestingly, while BP is believed to be a preferred partner, the British energy major may have problems at home from shareholders and environmentalists.

Reliance, the Indian firm also has bet for the Canadian company with a considerably higher bid.

Value Creation holds

Lawyer Sunil Gadhia, head of the India practice at Stephenson Harwood and Chairman of the Asian Business Association (ABA) with Ken Clarke

the country's GDP despite making up only 4% of the population. I am sure that they will continue to grow from strength to strength.”

Kingfisher to have a Delhi – London flight soon Kingfisher Airlines, the latest private carrier from India has got an approval for starting 7 new international routes, the airline has said. Two of these routes – New Delhi to London and New Delhi to Hong Kong will be started soon.

The airline has also got the nod to fly on Delhi – Bangkok, Delhi – Dubai, Mumbai – Dubai and Mumbai – Colombo.

January sales of Tata Motors up by 93%

Premier Indian vehicle manufacturer recorded sales of 85,714 units globally in January 2010, which is 93% more than sales of January 2009.

This performance includes vehicles from Tata, Tata Daewoo and Hispano Carrocera commercial vehicles, Tata passenger vehicles, Jaguar and Land Rover as well as brands distributed in India by the company.

Sales for the 10 month period of year 2009-10 (April – January) stood at 681,480, up 13% over the same period a year ago.

JLR sales globally also marked a rise of 195% with 16,269 units sold.

However, the cumulative numbers for the 10 month period stood at 153,247 vehicles, down by 20% over the same period last year.

13

reserves of oil-rich sand deposits, which is considered a very expensive as well as highly damaging from an environmental point of view, is it requires a lot more energy.

Reports in British media have said BP looks determined to go ahead with taking a controlling stake in the Canadian firm.

While BP has offered US$ 1.2 billion, Reliance bid amount is put at US$ 2 billion. Much more energy is needed to convert oil from sand to usable fuel and even the landscape gets destroyed.

LEGAL & GOVERNANCE

Pursuing High Ethical Standards in Harrow Can you help set the standard on ethics and probity?

Are you interested in promoting high levels of standards and ethics in local government?

Assistance from members of the community is needed to help oversee the standards for the conduct of Members of the Council.

The London Borough of Harrow is seeking four members of the public to become Independent Members of the Standards Committee. The Standards Committee oversees the delivery of high standards of behaviour by Councillors and advises on good practice in relation to ethics and probity.

The Standards Committee The Committee consists of six Councillors and four independent members who are not Councillors. The Committee advises the Council on the Code of Conduct for all Councillors and co-opted members, is responsible for promoting and developing high standards of conduct, providing and organising training, and considering complaints against Councillors.

Criteria To be considered for the position of independent member you must be able to demonstrate: • an independent and analytical mind • tact and good interpersonal skills • the ability to give clear and reasoned advice.

In addition, you should not: • be a Councillor or employee of any Council • have a contractual, legal relationship or close personal relationship with the Council, any Councillor or an employee of the Council • be a member of a political party.

The Council provides a basic allowance of £445 per annum for this role. Short discussion sessions with shortlisted applicants will be held by members of a Selection Panel formed of Councillors of the Standards Committee. This Selection Panel will then recommend to Council those candidates who it believes are suitable. Final appointments will be agreed by Council meeting in May 2010.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role please contact Vishal Seegoolam on 020 8424 1883.

Apply online at www.harrow.gov.uk or email your name and address to recruitment@harrowcouncil.info quoting reference LG-IM2007. Alternatively, please call 020 8424 1983, fax 0118 952 0108 or write to Harrow Recruitment Team, First Floor, 60 St Mary's Butts, Reading, Berkshire RG1 2LG. Closing date: 8th March. Please be aware that the closing time for an application is Midnight on the day of the closing date.

An equal opportunities employer.

)L*+L(((Z IJ*DK+.10 D+# /%'

T9 RG"UHJ9

!"# %&& '"(# )"(#*+# , )%#-" .++/0 )".1%213

)L+(L(((Z I%1*0L*+/ 2(01"K+#0

Q"MGH9G P9GUHQ9 V TC/%WB5W$ 9XQ9PP OMNNKN9 Y FG9HN!# V TC/%WB5W$

!"3 4.*1 56 7"(.0&"8 9(0*.+00 :%#; <&*2+ =%'6 7"(.0&"86 >*//&+0+? @=5 54A

*(((Z A+/*2%1+/ 8"#;L"#2+ 7L+((Z M+J*2&+0 L&++1 8((Z 9#%.2J+0

7 #/;=?$W I0:$

! E7+ F"G HIJHKL MK9 ! E7* F"G .KINOKJ9P!L

Q!HIKL RKSHP#KIL PGH OKISKL MAPAKA

!"#$% !'"()% *+,#-./0 1%2 #$%& ()( *+,) ,,--

./0123 "4452$& BC6 4D1". E%.+6 !"#+01 F%1+6 E"./". GH C:9

#$%& ()(* 6,) -*78 9:05%& ;<=0%$=>45/=?4%5@3?A1$?

BBBA45/=?4%5@3?$;/CD$A2C:

14

FINANCIAL VOICE

Barclays profits surge by 92% to £11.6bn Barclays, one of the leading UK banks that did not need any government aid during the financial crisis has reported a surge of 92% in net profit. The bank recorded profits at £11.6 bn for the 2009 full year. Barclays opted not to join the UK government's bail-out scheme for banks.

It opted to rebuild its finances using funds from the Middle East.

A major part of the huge profits was though earned from the gains that

came from sale of BGI fund management arm that was taken up by BlackRock of the USA last year. If that amount is taken off, the profits were just £5.3bn.

Barclays said it had loaned about £35bn to businesses and households in the UK in 2009, having promised in April to lend at least £11bn.

The willingness for banks to lend is seen as an important factor for economic recovery.

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

Cairn-ONGC JV begins exploration work in Gujarat The Cairn India-ONGC JV has initiated exploration work in its GujaratSaurashtra basin block.

"The JV has received environment ministry clearance for initiating exploration following a positive environmental impact assessment (EIA) report in the NELP-V block. It will be allowed to drill one well in the west coast block during 2010," a senior petroleum ministry source familiar with the project said.

The GujaratSaurashtra basin block

(GS-OSN-2003/1) is 51% owned by ONGC while Cairn India owns the balance 49%. The JV partners had sought environment clearance for the block, which is over 12 nautical miles away from the west coast.

The MoEF said that if commercial viability of the Gujarat-Saurashtra project is established, the operator will be required to prepare a detailed plan for development of oil and gas fields and obtain a fresh environmental clearance.

Over 360,000 check their ‘Valentine Quotient’ Abhishek – Aishwarya voted no. 1 celebrity couple on Shaadi.com

In an effort to help match seekers on the Internet, Shaadi.com, the world’s largest matchmaking service, introduced users to their ‘Valentine Quotient.’

On a specially designed Valentine’s micro-site on Shaadi.com, over 360,000 love-struck individuals across the globe tested their VQ on Shaadi.com & FB. According to the results, while 42.64% of quiz takers revealed that they were flirty, a close

40.54% said caring is the way to be. 9.31% said they preferred to be a romantic to woo that special one, while only 7.51% thought that being fun helped you zero-in on that perfect matrimonial alliance.

Commenting on the celebrations, Gourav Rakshit, Business Head, Shaadi.com said, “In launching the “Valentine Quotient” tool on Shaadi.com, we wanted to help out those looking for

!"#$%$&' )**)+%,&$%$-. /)+

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

"0E*%-08"06A !" $%&' ()*('+(,-( +. +, /,$ %" 01( .(-0%'.

-%2('(3 4$ %&' 5/6/7+,(. +0 8+99 4( /, /33(3 /32/,0/6(: !"# %#&'(#%)*+,( -)./)0# +1 2#1+0(#2 *, )**%).* )(2 &,*+3)*# "+0" -#%4,%&#%15 6789 :!; <+*"+( *"# 4+%1* =#)%> D#(2 =,'% FH <+*" .,3#% G#**#% *,5 01.234 5-.3$ /+*$0 K'+*0"++ L'()*2$6*-0+ M63 =$%8$ J-?$ N-'+" OP N-I6-0 Q$%:"6 RB.. S-%-0"6 76%""6T M-03-0 UO VN! -% -63$78 31.2349:-.3$;3<*7'+),*9#)6

love this Valentines Day. The results of the Valentine Quotient have not only brought about intriguing revelations about the changing preferences of the youth but also have helped highlight the attributes that define Valentine’s Day”.

As part of the V-Day Celebrations, Shaadi.com also ran a poll called ‘Happily Married’.

Visitors who took the poll could choose their Favourite Celebrity Couple and vote for the most inspiring love story that managed to tug their heart strings. Leading the poll were Abhishek & Aishwarya (32%) while Big B & Jaya came a close third at 20%. Shahrukh & Gauri stood at No. 2 (29%) while close rival Aamir & Kiran came far behind at the 4th position (9%). At the bottom of the rung stood newly-wed Rajasthan Royals couple Raj & Shilpa (4%) and Bollywood’s not-sofavorite couple Sanjay & Manyata at a close 2%.

The Cairn IndiaONGC JV is producing oil from its Barmer oilfield in Rajasthan that was discovered by Cairn India.

The Mangala field that was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh averaged a gross production 15,430 barrels of oil per day (bopd) in Q3 FY 2010. It is currently producing around 20,000 bopd and more than 1.5 million barrels (mmbbls) has been produced since field start-up in August 2009 through Train One.

Besides selling two parcels to RIL the latest buyer of the Barmer crude, four parcels have been delivered to MRPL in Q3 FY 2010; trial parcels to IOC are expected to commence soon.

Incidentally, beyond Rajasthan, Cairn India has launched seismic surveys in a number of its other blocks. It has also undertaken 4D seismic survey at Ravva. Cairn India has also launched 3D seismic surveys in Palar basin and in Sri Lanka.

Nigerian team woos Gujarati businessmen A 15-member Nigerian business delegation visited Ahmedabad last week to attract investment to its country in various sectors.

Led by the executive governor of Borno state of Nigeria, Dr Ali-Modu Sherif, the team attended the 3rd Nigeria-India Business and Investment Forum (NIBIF-2010) organised by CII in Ahmedabad.

"Borno state of Nigeria has economic and investment potential in various sectors, including agriculture, solid minerals' mining & processing, commerce, tourism, hospitality, energy & construction industries and oil & gas prospecting. At present, the government is also offering good tax sops for

investors," said Sherif.

Nigeria has a population of 140 million and its GDP is growing at a pace of 6.5%. "Adequate security agents have been strategically deployed to ensure the safety of lives and properties of the people of Borno state and investors alike," Sherif said in his speech.

Gujarat has a long history of relations with Africa and Nigeria is a major source for India's import of crude petroleum.

"We want to renew relationship with people of Gujarat and India. So far, China has invested over $200 million in Nigeria while India's investment is less than $90 million.”

Infosys to design informatics for US biotech company Infosys Technologies, the Indian software giant, will design and implement a new research informatics system(RISe) for the San Francisco-based Elan Pharmaceuticals following the signing of a partnership agreement.

A joint statement said the new informatics system will help Elan Pharmaceuticals, a leading biotechnology company, accelerate its research by leveraging Infosys' intellectual property in this field.

No financial details of the deal were announced.

'We are confident that

partnering and collaborating with Infosys will create a comprehensive informatics platform for our discovery research needs,'' Ajay Shah, director (research informatics at Elan Pharmaceuticals), was quoted as saying.

'We selected Infosys after a competitive proofof-concept phase during which they fully established their credentials and investments in this changing field of discovery research, and demonstrated flexibility and maturity in terms of rapid application development using

agile and scrum methodologies.

'With Infosys' solution and engagement model, Elan will be able to lower costs for scientific operation and facilitate innovation,'' added Shah.

The new research informatics to be designed by Infosys will open novel ways for Elan Pharmaceuticals to unlock disparate data spread across its in-house research labs and other commercial or public sources for its research needs.

This will also pave the way to a customized reg-

istry, and inventory and a workflow management system for biological entities, the statement said. With the help of the new informatics system, Elan and its research partners will raise their research output by efficient selection of drugs or biologics.

It will also reduce time spent on registering and experimenting with bioentities and reduce chances of later failure.

Under the agreement, Infosys will retain ownership of co-developed IP as part of the implementation.

Inflation in India surges to 13-month high The inflation in India surged to 8.56 per cent in January, the highest in over 13 months, ahead of the Union Budget for 2010-11 that would spell out the stance on stimulus packages.

Inflation, which has already breached the RBI's estimate of 8.53 per cent, has also fuelled concerns that the apex bank could further tighten the mone-

tary measures initiated earlier this month in its third quarter monetary policy review.

Projecting that inflation would touch 8.56 per cent by current fiscal-end, the RBI had sucked out about pound 4.97 billion from the banking system to check the rising prices.

Over one-year high inflation was led by costlier sugar and potato

!"##$%""& ()*+,- ./$0"12& #/**"3* !"#$%&$'

())*( *,-./, 0 (),1) 21/ /-*

prices. Sugar rates rose by 58.96 per cent while potatoes turned costlier 53.39 per cent.

Economists predict inflation to reach 10 per cent by fiscal-end, making the roll back of stimulus measures a tricky issue for Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

"There is a tough balancing act ...in the Budget.

If he withdraws stimulus then it would put pressure on inflation.

However, withdrawing stimulus is necessary to reduce fiscal deficit," Crisil Principal Economist D K

Joshi said.

In the wake of the global slowdown in 2008, the government had announced many sops, including cut in excise duty, to prop up the then slowing economy. Now that the industrial growth is also at 16-month high of 16.8 per cent (December), experts feel the upcoming Budget may see stimulus being withdrawn.

Investors' fear about the government rolling back stimulus had the benchmark Sensex on BSE closing down by over 100 points.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

New guidance on remittances from UK

UK government has urged workers sending cash to friends and family overseas to keep their money safe by using formal channels like banks, transfer companies and foreign exchange agencies.

Launching new advice last week, International Development Minister Gareth Thomas said up to £2bn – a third of all remittances sent back to friends and family - currently goes through ‘informal’ channels.

Mr Thomas and the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Sarah McCarthy Fry launched new Financial Services A u t h o r i t y “Moneymadeclear” guidance which provides impartial advice for people who send remittances from the UK. Remittances are a vital source of income in many poor countries, paying for school and medical fees, food and clothing for many families. From the UK, the main developing countries that receive money in this way are India, Pakistan, Nigeria,

Jamaica and Ghana.

The FSA “Moneymadeclear” guidance “Sending Money Safely”, includes practical, impartial advice to enable consumers to make an informed choice on which companies to send money through, what to do if things go wrong and details of a formal complaints procedure.

Gareth Thomas said: “For many of the world’s poorest families, money sent home by loved ones is the main source of income. Families in the developing world rely heavily on this money for their day-to-day expenses such as food and medical bills.

“EU legislation has recently been introduced to protect people sending money home to countries in the EU. We need to make sure that this sort of protection is now extended to give those sending portions of their wages to developing countries similar security.

“After the earthquake in Pakistan, remittances increased by up to 300

percent and banks and authorities worked together to make it easier for people to send and receive money. We now need to use this model after other disasters such as the recent earthquake in Haiti.”

Sarah McCarthy-Fry, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, added: “Remittances have increased significantly over the last few years and for some they are a vital way of providing financial support to families and loved ones. To support remitters in the UK, it is highly important that they also have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of financial services and products.

We believe there is a

Foreign investment rules in India eased

Foreign Investment promotion Board (FIPB) of India can approve investments of up to Rs 12 billion ($259 million),

Home Minister P. Chidambaram said last week after a cabinet meeting.

Earlier, the FIPB, an

arm of the finance ministry, had power to approve foreign investments of up to Rs 6 billion.

British businesses should shift focus to India, China

EU trade partners pushed out of the top ten destinations

A new study, commissioned by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and conducted by Leeds University Business School says that in the coming years, China ranks no. 1 and India at no. 3 for better business prospects for British companies.

Hence, there is a revolution that will take place in the way UK trades and invests in the world.

EU partners like Germany and France have been pushed out of the top ten destinations for the period 2012 to 2014. The two were at no. 2 and 3 after USA for the period of 2005 to 2007.

The report, released last week ranks the 52 countries offering the best opportunities for British companies before and after the 'credit crunch', and provides an intriguing insight into where UK PLC has been, and should be, investing time and resources to develop international business.

The countries offering the best opportunities between 2005 to 2007 were mostly Britain's longestablished trading partners: United States (1), Germany (2), France (3), Ireland (4), the Netherlands (5), Belgium (6), Spain (7), Italy (8), China (9) and Japan (10).

Five years later, the economic powerhouses of China, India and the US have become dominant.

Even beyond that, the landscape is transformed, with the top ten countries increasingly dominated by the emerging economies of Eastern Europe, the Far East and Africa.

Between 2012 and 2014, the top ten is predicted to be: China (1), US (2), India (3), Libya (4), Ukraine (5); Russia (6), Romania (7), Korea (8), Mexico (9) and Singapore (10).

Only EU nation in the top 20 for coming years is Sweden, while many of the biggest trading partners in the West slip dramatically, Germany (30), France (34), Ireland (42), the Netherlands (37), Belgium (44), Spain (47) and Italy (46).

Lord Davies, UK's Minister for Trade, Investment and Small Business said, “The patterns of trade are changing around the world and British businesses are having to adapt. Numerous UK firms, many of them SMEs have seen their businesses transformed by exporting.”

He added, "The starting point for success is to take an informed, strategic and long-term view about

where the opportunities lie. This is where UK Trade and Investment, with its network that covers all of these markets, can make the difference."

Professor Peter Buckley of the University's Centre for International Business (CIBUL) and the report's lead author, said, "The results of this study were really surprising, and show just how quickly the world is changing following the downturn in the wake of the global financial crisis".

"We didn't expect to see some of our closest neighbours and trading partners, like France, Germany and Spain, being replaced as key business locations by former Eastern Bloc nations like the Ukraine and Romania in just five years' time".

British companies which place an emphasis on emerging markets in Asia are also likely to be rewarded.

Mark Robson of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) said, “The sheer size of America's economy and its potential for growth as the global economy recovers means it cannot be discounted. The same can be said for another of the world's biggest economies, Japan”.

significant opportunity to improve the level of financial inclusion in the UK for remitters, and that is why Government is working closely with industry so that together we can deliver new ways to provide essential and life changing services.”

Dan Waters, FSA director, conduct risk said: “There are hundreds of money transfer businesses in the UK, and choosing one can be a difficult decision for customers. The FSA’s Sending Money Safely leaflet gives simple, straightforward guidance which will help customers check out businesses before they hand over any money.”

15

Dr Rami Ranger honoured with Pravasi Sanman for services to Indo-British Business

Dr Rami Ranger MBE with Mr Shashi Tharoor, Minister of External Affairs, India.

Dr Rami Ranger MBE, Chairman, Sun Mark Ltd., and Sea, Air & Land Forwarding Ltd., has received the NRI Businessman of the Year Award from Mr Shashi Tharoor, Minister of External Affairs, India, at a glittering function organized by the NRI Institute at the Le Meridian Hotel in New Delhi. Dr Ranger is also the proud winner of the

Queens Award for Export and the Queens Award for Enterprise, 2009.

Dr Ranger is responsible for persuading a number of British Blue Chip companies to invest in India. These include United Biscuits, Weetabix, Premier Food and Best Foods. These companies are investing heavily in India and thus generating employment locally.

Bharti rings in Africa via Zain Telecom Kuwaiti company to sell entire African operations

Bharti Airtel, Indian communications major has finally been able to ring in Africa, after a Kuwaiti firm, Zain Telecom agreed to sell its entire African operations for US$ 10.7 billion.

Sudan and Morocco would not be a part of the deal.

Sources in Kuwait said the board of directors of Zain accepted the Bharti Airtel offer. Kuwaiti news

agency KUNA reported that it would an all cash deal. The operations span across 15 countries and will see that Bharti is in competition with MTN. Bankers in India have said Bharti Airtel has huge cash reserves and enough borrowing capacity to finance the deal.

If the deal goes through, the acquisition will give Bharti a firm

foothold in a relatively untapped market.

Africa has nearly 450 million mobile phone users and a teledensity under 50%, still offering large room for growth for a company like Bharti Airtel.

The Indian operator would become world’s seventh largest mobile company by subscriber base after the deal, if it goes through, likely by the end of 2010.

16

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

Alpesh Patel’s Political Sketchbook: The Man Behind Bin Laden is Dead

Until the movie ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’ starring Tom Hanks you probably had not heard of US Congressman Charles Wilson. He died this past week. I am not exaggerating when I say he was the single most dangerous and powerful man in the world of the past three decades. An enemy of democracy, a funder of terrorism, a backer of Osama Bin Laden. The last two of these three he did unwittingly – but no less culpably.

Wilson as a Congressman ensured covert funds routed through Pakistan to the Afghan mujahedeen to support their efforts against the Soviets. But it was beyond the wit of the Americans to see that the Pakistanis wanted to handle the funds in order to keep the funds, that they would buy arms themselves to attack their democratic neighbour India; that the American support for Pakistan simply put India more in the Soviet camp in the 80s which was a far bigger danger to US fears of global Soviet domination than the dustbowl of Afghanistan; that when the Soviets left, the vacuum would be filled by the Mujahedeen obviously – from freedom fighters to Taleban, what do warriors do without a war, they don’t start civil government, they find new enemies, using those self-same missiles against US forces in Afghanistan to this day – amongst them a young man called Bin Laden.

And to complete the circle, the Soviets left Afghanistan in 1989 – just before the USSR

collapsed – ie they would have gone in any event, without the need to arm Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Wilson was a man who so disrespected democracy, an enemy of India, the largest democracy in the world, to such an extent that he endorsed resolutions in the US Congress for the establishment of a Khalistan, or independent Punjab, to be carved out of the disintegration of India. He supported resolutions in the US Congress to declare India a terrorist state. I have the documents.

They came into my possession when working in the US Congress.

Other sources have subsequently told me that 90% of the funds from Wilson to Pakistan to fight the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan stayed in Pakistan. Zia, who had in his office ‘Its Charlie what done it’ may well have been referring not to the Mujahedeen victory over the Soviets, but the funding of the Pakistani army in Kashmir against Indian troops.

The story of the CIA follows the pattern of the old saying, ‘when money meets experience, it is often money that leaves with the experience and experience which leaves with the money’. Well the CIA were the money and Zia the experience.

One would like to think the CIA has matured.

If there were two things in the last 30 years you did not want to do, one was arm Afghanistan and the other was arm Pakistan to attack India. George W Bush was wrong post

9-11, when he said, ‘You’re either with us or against us’ because the problem is his bumblings led to his country being against itself when his fellow countrymen armed the Afghans and Pakistanis. If you want to know the right thing to do in international affairs, find a young naïve country with power, and do the opposite of what they do.

Next week I meet former President Mushraff at Chatham House. I look forward to asking him if he is saddened at the passing of Charlie Wilson. I suspect I know the answer.

The columnist hails from Karamsad and is a Board Member of the United Nations Association (UK) and Trustee of Chatham House (The Royal Institute of International Affairs). He is a former Visiting Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

He read Philosophy, Politics, Economics at St Anne’s College, Oxford when he also interned in the US Congress researching the illicit nuclear proliferation activities of AQ Kahn. He also has a degree in law and qualified as a barrister. He is a former Bloomberg TV presenter and Financial Times columnist with 250+ columns published in the FT and author of 13 books. He is officially designated ‘Dealmaker’ for the British Government, looking for high potential technologies of strategic importance to the UK. He runs a fund management company.

Alpesh.patel@tradermind.com

India’s industrial output registers 16.8 per cent growth

India’s industrial production registered a betterthan-expected growth of 16.8 per cent in December to log the fastest expansion in a decade, helped by a strong showing by the manufacturing sector that saw its output surge 18.5 per cent.

The high growth comes against the backdrop of a 0.2-per cent decline registered in the index of industrial production (IIP) in December 2008, as per latest data released by the Central Statistical Organisation.

‘India’s high industrial output figures show robust economic growth and the economy is likely to do

well in the quarter through December,’ Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, reacting to the latest numbers.

‘We had thought industrial growth may be 13 per cent. But it is now just under 17 per cent. So the performance is very much in the direction that we expected of a good revival,’ added Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. ‘But I don’t expect 17 per cent growth to continue month after month - that’s for sure.’

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had already revised its forecast for industrial output growth

for the current fiscal to 8.4 perc ent, against 6.3 per cent estimated just three months ago because of the impressive recovery staged by the manufacturing sector.

Significantly, as many as 14 out of the 17 industry groups in the index showed positive growth during December, compared to the corresponding month of the previous year, with transport equipment and parts logging the highest growth of 82.2 per cent.

Among the broader indices, mining output expanded by 9.5 per cent, while electricity generation was up by 5.4 per cent, the data showed.

Quality for Community Mayank S. Rawal, FCQI CQP

Value Moments Time is so precious, and to appreciate the Value of time, each and every moment spent in a C o m m u n i t y Organization’s life span should not be wasted.

These moments could be more precious than say any `precious stone’, as they contribute to the success of the Community Organization through serving member’s Community needs, achieve greater respect from members, and increase loyalty.

A Value Moment can focus on any one of the C o m m u n i t y Organization’s defined core values for example culture, discipline, ethics, environment, health, performance, social factors (Values

which help clarify what the organization is about and what it is working towards).

Starting a Committee meeting with a Value Moment can be benefi-

cial towards creating greater enthusiasm, motivation, dedication, and securing the commitment of all Committee members towards all tasks.

Here are a few suggestions; 1. Understanding our Community member’s requirements is an essential `Quality’ ingredient to a successful event, so let’s make sure we clearly understand them – otherwise, our attendance figures will be affected.

2. Always ensure that the Community service our organization provides to our members is at The Right Level, The Right Time, The Right Cost.

3. For event success, we need sufficient eagerness to look forward to new events, sufficient happiness to keep ourselves productive and sufficient endurance to provide more than we did the year before.

Overall, Value moments should set the scene for the initiation of stimulating, inspiring, and productive discussions at committee meetings.

ArcelorMittal posts $1.07 bn Q4 profit

ArcelorMittal SA, the world’s largest steel maker, posted a fourth quarter profit of $1.07 billion and said it expects demand to strengthen this year.

Steel buyers worldwide are set to increase purchases by 10 per cent this year, said Aditya Mittal, the company’s chief financial officer, as manufacturers in developed and emerging markets use up excess stocks.

ArcelorMittal has been hit hard by the recent steel slump. The profit in the last three months of 2009 was higher than a third quarter profit figure of $903 million and well above a $2.6 billion loss in 2008’s fourth quarter.

Still, the company made a profit of just $118 million for all of 2009, compared to a $9.4 billion profit a year earlier.

ArcelorMittal says demand is already picking up - with first quarter shipments outpacing the fourth quarter - but warned that this will be offset by lower selling prices and higher costs for iron ore and coking coal.

Net debt will increase dur-

ing the first quarter, it warned.

Mittal said the company would hike prices but was still feeling the pain of fulfilling orders made when prices were lower late last year.

He said ArcelorMittal will refocus from paying off debt to investing in its business, seeking growth opportunities in India and Brazil. It has some $4 billion to spend on new projects this year.

Mittal said the company sees demand in developed countries - the United States, Germany and Japan - growing 15 per cent from a very low level. Emerging markets such as Brazil will also grow 15 per cent - except for China, where demand will grow at a steadier 5 per cent. China did not experience the same deep downturn seen in the rest of the world.

ArcelorMittal said in a statement that substantial cost cuts last year had left it in a good position for a slow recovery this year. It outpaced a savings target of $2 billion, by shaving some $2.7 billion from running costs this year. It

is aiming for total savings of $5 billion by the end of 2010.

ArcelorMittal suffered three consecutive quarterly losses before returning to profit in the third quarter last year.

The company blamed lower selling prices and weak demand for the steel used for cars, machinery and buildings for poor profits last year. Average prices were down by more than a quarter.

Its sales nearly halved from $65 billion during last year’s recession, down 48 per cent from $124.9 billion in 2008.

The company also took a one-time charge of $2.4 billion for writing down the value of steel stocks and paying severance to workers under a voluntary redundancy program. This was partially offset by some gains from lower-than-expected legal costs and the sale of unused permits for the EU’s cap-and-trade program.

ArcelorMittal produced some 6 per cent of world steel in 2009 - down from its usual share of 10 per cent.

India to export 10,000 tonnes of sugar The government Monday allowed export of 10,000 tonnes of sugar to the European Union (EU), at a time when the UPA regime is desperately trying to bring down prices of the sweetener in the domestic market.

The DGFT has allocated a quantity of 10,000 tonnes of

white or refined sugar for export to the EU for the fiscal 2009-10 (sugar season October 2009 - September 2010) through state-run trading firm Indian Sugar Exim Corporation.

Indian Sugar Exim Corporation, which is the designated agency for export

of sugar to the EU, will export the commodity under a preferential quota agreement, a DGFT notice said.

Although, officially there in no ban on export of sugar, prior approval from authorities is required, which the Food Ministry is not granting since January 2009.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

17

Suresh Vagjiani is the Managing Director of Sow & Reap, a Property Investment & Financing company.

Big Enough to Choke On, and Small Enough to Chew A few days ago I viewed a beautiful 1st Floor flat in the middle of Belgravia, probably one London finest addresses.

The property was almost perfect equidistance in overlooking the middle of the green. The property was west facing and had a roof terrace roughly of 400 Sq Ft. The garden was obviously east

place let alone in the auction.

In his opinion this property once done up will go for £2500- £3000 per Sq Ft. This equates to a resale value of £3.75 to £4.5 million. This property has perfect attributes west facing and a balcony, roof terrace, and equidistance facing on the square.

These buyers seemed more interested in acquiring the property as a rare piece of art rather then viewing this merely as a property investment.

The type of interest this property has attracted will put any developer out of the game. I think the property will go well above the £2m mark, my prediction would be £2.5m plus. Time will tell.

By the time the you are reading this the hammer will have dropped and the properly will have been exchanged.

From the finest area in London we now focus on Tottenham, to a two bedroom flat in an ex council block on the first floor.

This is something small enough to venture into for a first timer who wants to explore property investment and dip their toes in.

Floor comprises of Reception Room, Two Bedrooms, Kitchen, Bathroom with WC and wash basin. The Exterior of the property is benefited from a residents’ car park.

Amenities

Guided at £2m, this property will not leave any margin for the developer judging from the keen interest shown at the viewings. Guide prices can be well off the mark, I have seen properties go for double of the guide price.

Internally the viewings were mostly done with buying agents, parties from Russia , America and China were taking a keen interest in the property. Judging from the viewings there was a lot of presence from end users.

This was not good for us, as investors, as these people are not interested in getting a bargain.

rail station.

The property comprises a first floor two bedroom flat within a purpose built block arranged over ground and three upper floors.

Accommodation on First

Gujarat Properties - Sale & Resale Mortgages Commercial Finance Property Sourcing

Even though N17 does not possess the

Comparables The most recently recorded transaction in Lansdowne Road was 153, which sold for £195,000 on 28/08/2009.

Comparables Ashdowne Court, 56, LANSDOWNE ROAD, F L 20/10/2005 TOTTENHAM, GREATER LONDON, N17 9XQ Ashdowne Court, 56, LANSDOWNE ROAD, F L 24/03/2005 TOTTENHAM, GREATER LONDON, N17 9XQ

The only two railway stations that are actually within the boundaries of N17 are Tottenham Hale station and White Hart Lane station. However, there are two London Underground stations just beyond N17’s southeastern and Western Borders. Tottenham Hale station provides services to both the Victoria line and National Rail Services. White Hart Lane station provides services to National Rail.

Between the two border-

same raging nightlife one finds in central London, it has its own, scaled scene. There are over 25 pubs in N17 area, as well

ing stationsSeven Sisters and Turnpike Lane, they provide

as countless bars and even a few clubs. Pubs include: The Swan, The White Hart, The Ship, The Bricklayers, The Bootlaces, The Ferry Boat, The Victoria, The Volunteer, and The New Moon Public House.

Most of these pubs are on the High Road. Bars and pubs as well as shops are scattered up and down the High Road.

The High Road is also scattered with supermarkets.

There is a Sainsbury’s, an Iceland, and lots of smaller shops.

14 Ashdown Court, 56 Lansdowne Road, London, N17 9XQ The property is situated in the residential area of Tottenham close to local shops and within close proximity of the open spaces of Tottenham Marshes.

Transport Links are provided by Northumberland Park facing thereby ensuring good sunlight, important for ensuring a nice green garden in the centre of London.

The property, lot 51 in the Allsops Auction, is due to come up for auction on the 17th February 2010. The flat size is 1500Sq Ft and being on the 1st floor also benefits from a balcony. Not knowing the area I contacted an agent who has been in the area for more then 35 years and whom we work closely with. In his opinion it is difficult to price these types of properties due to the rarity of these properties coming on to the market in the first

access to the Victoria and Piccadilly underground lines, respectively.

£125,000

£138,000

Summary This property in our opinion should be valued at £135,000 conservatively.

Guided at £100,000 it could prove to be a great deal. The rental income on this property will be in the region of £10,200 per annum.

On a 25% deposit the input would be £28,750 based on a purchase price of £115,000. The rest would be financed at 5.5% which would give payments of £4,743 per annum. This would provide a yield far in excess of any high street bank, and perhaps more safer.

This is not where one would make the bulk of the return, the return would be made on the resale. A return of £15,000 after all costs can be expected on a resale after a 6 – 12 month period.

So in summary to enter this will only cost you £30,000, the return within 12 months is expected to be £15,000 and if this does not occur you will be earning in excess of 10% on your deposit.

The question is: why wouldn’t you go for this?

Average Current Values 1 Bedroom properties

N17 £142,200

Sow & Reap

N £214,700

Call On: 0207 706 0187 Email at: info@sowandreap.co.uk

Sow & Reap Properties Limited is trading as Sow & Reap.

Registered in England No. 05083823 Registered Office Address: 31 Southwick Street, Paddington, W2 1JQ

National £142,200

18

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

BY

SWATI BHAN

Treating knee swelling

Swelling of the knee is a common disease not only amongst elders but the youngsters as well. To prevent from knee from swelling some of the home made remedies are To cut down the activity that makes the swelling worse. For example,prevent activities like cleaning house, dusting and on the contrary allow the knees to rest for a few weeks.

• Apply ice to the knee for 20 minutes every two hours. Ice packs can be purchased from your local drug store and come with a protective wrapper.

For an easy homemade ice pack, use a large bag of frozen peas or cranberries .

• By elevating the knee above your heart whenever possible.

For example if you are habituated using a computer it is advicable to switch over to a laptop. Activities like watching TV should be done with leg on top of the couch.

• Wrap your knee lightly with an elastic bandage.

Another alternative is to purchase a surgical stocking from a pharmacy. A non-prescription strength surgical stocking will apply even pressure to your entire leg, and

reduces the danger of wrapping your knee too tightly.

Fluid on the knee is another way of saying your knee is swollen. The inflammation from some injury has caused protective fluid to rush to the joint, and the result is swelling.

While severe swelling needs to be handled by a medical professional, m i l d swelling can often be dealt with at home using household first aid items.

Knowing how to treat your swollen knee at home can be a real cost saver

Life style

The best possible treatment for swelling is ice therapy. Elevate the knee to hip level or higher, and apply an ice pack

By Mamta Bhatia, Psychologist

A beautiful magnification of love This week’s article features the poem of two very talented brothers Jasdeep and Onkardeep Singh Khalsa. They write fluidly about love, what it entails and how it can be represented so beautifully from a spiritual perspective. Often in life we can be so incredibly caught up in the chaos of our issues we dismiss positive feelings that are under our nose. We can’t see outside our fish bowls and easily forget to recognise the greatness in our lives. At Thinkspalondon we believe that a vibrant way to experience positive feelings over and over again is to magnify any emotion that makes you feel great. Notice the way in which Jasdeep and Onkardeep articulate and magnify the emotion ‘love’. Appreciate how they scale in and out of their world to explain what it means to them. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do: Love for each other

to it. Make sure you have a cloth or towel between the ice pack and your skin to prevent frostbite.

Apply the cold to the knee for 20 minutes at a time, then allow the skin to warm up for about five minutes, then reapply.

Do this for an hour and see if the swelling has gone down.

Stay off the knee.

This may seem too simple, but it is often the most effective method to heal it. Curtail your normal activities for a few days, and apply ice and compression, and see if the swelling dissipates.

When you are sitting, keep the knee elevated to improve circulation.

When lying down, keep the leg elevated with pillows to encourage the excess fluid to drain away from the knee joint.

Use a compression bandage, such as an Ace bandage, to help support the knee while it is healing and to compress the fluid around the knee, encouraging it to move out of the joint and be absorbed into the rest of the body. Make sure the bandage is tight enough to provide support, but not so tight as to cut off circulation. These three simple steps will clear up most cases of fluid on the knee.

The love of two for each other moves the world, It travels into the hearts of all uncurled, Piercing all problems and conflicts, it

rides the high bird unfurled, Such is the power of love, of love.

problems and conflicts, it rides the high bird unfurled, Such is the power of love, of love.

Perfection exists in this state of bliss, A time of stillness not to be missed, Light in the dark, the heart caries you Little things in life left, the two so true.

Strength in breaking through any layer, Humanity life's religion, breath it's prayer, The love of two expanded my free dove, Such is the power of love, of love.

The souls rejoice, they have united once more, Two become one, the spiritual law, The individual crawls through their journey, But together do they grow, the thou and me.

If you are inspired by this, have a go at writing your own poem or creating a vision board of pictures that represent things in your life that make you feel happy.

Read more poetry, go to art galleries or take a walk in the park, inspiration can be found anywhere, and you just have to be open to it! Help to support Jasdeep and Onkardeep by purchasing a copy of Spiritual Poetry: A Disciple’s Journey (www.spiritualpoetry.co.uk) for yourself or as a gift for someone who you feel needs inspiring.

If you are inspired send me your thoughts or poems.

Remember all the power is from within so create the world and the feelings that you want. Until next time, good luck!

In joy, in sadness, in conflict, activity, The comfort in silence a sure sign of clickery, Create, take and sharing all things, Realising the oneness, the angels sing.

Two become four and then still more, Unity, love, self sufficiency universally core, A utopia?

Ideal? Perhaps nothing more, But a worthwhile aim, love not war.

The love of two for each other moves the world, It travels into the hearts of all uncurled, Piercing all

If you have any questions write to mamta@abplgroup.com

kitchen

Treats

Masala Vada

Ingredients • 1 cup yellow gram (chana) dak • 1/2 cup onion finely chopped • 1/2 cup coriander finely chopped • 1/2 cup dill leaves finely chopped • 3-4 green chillies finely chopped • 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds • oil o deep fry Method

• Wash and soak dal for 3-4 hours.

• Keep 2 tbsp. dal aside, grind the rest,coarsely.

• Mix all other ingredients, including whole dal.

• Add 2-3 tbsp. hot oil to the mixture.

• Heat oil, make pattie shaped rounds with moist palm.

• Let carefully into the hot oil.

• Fry first one side then the other till golden brown.

• Serve hot with green chutney, tamarind chutney, or ketchup Making time: 20 minutes (excluding soaking time) Makes: 15 vadas (approx.)

Shelflife: Best fresh

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

www.abplgroup.com

19

SRK trying to rope in Jackie Chan

Big B takes to voice blogging now

Amitabh Bachchan is an avid blogger and he has gone a step closer to fans now through vogging or vocal blogging by which you can hear his thoughts anytime at the push of a button on your mobile phones.

The service called Bachchan Bol is being introduced by Inside India, which is a repository for licensable content and entertainment from Indian superstars.

'Bachchan Bol empowers me with a personal platform on which I can connect and speak directly with my fans across the

globe anywhere and anytime.

This is my way...From my films to my family, from my country to my city, you will be able to hear about it all, in my own voice, directly on your mobile phone,' Bachchan said in a statement.

As part of the service, Amitabh will be sharing his personal and professional experiences from time-to-time. This service will be available to mobile users at a monthly subscription or pay-perminute pricing model.

A spokesperson for Inside India said: 'We are

honoured and excited to launch this project with such a fantastic icon of Indian cinema. We know the power of Indian entertainment and we are firm-

ly embedded in the innovation of technology and the digital world.'

'Combining these two elements we are paving a new way for social networking, starting it in the world's most exciting country and taking it across the globe.'

Fans can connect with the megastar by dialling 505678910** from their mobile and landline phones. They will also be able to get updates of Bachchan Bol by joining the Bachchan Bol Facebook, Orkut, Twitter, Rediff or SMSGupShup groups or communities.

Hrithik starrer ‘Kites’ to hit theatres on May 21

Hrithik Roshan starrer romantic saga 'Kites', which also marks the Bollywood debut of Mexican model Barbara Mori, will hit theatres worldwide on May 21.

The Hindi and English versions of 'Kites' will be released worldwide simultaneously in 60 countries.

The first trailer of the movie, which has been produced by Rakesh Roshan, distributed and marketed by Reliance Big Picture, was unveiled in 1,700 screens on 12th

February.

"Kites is a first-of-itskind Indian film and it has already generated huge interest. We are proud to present the first look to a worldwide audience," said Sanjeev Lamba, CEO of Reliance BIG Pictures.

'Gangster' director Anurag Basu has directed the Hindi version while the English version has been reworked by the well known Hollywood director Brett Ratner, whose direction credits

With three hits behind him, Ajay Devgan is having the time of his life and the actor is set to tickle the funny bone once again with 'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?, a film which he says will remind people of comic genius of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's movies.

The actor, who has become a successful name in the genre of comedy, with hits like 'Golmaal', 'Golmaal Returns' and 'All The Best', plays the role of a reluctant host, trying his best to get rid of an uninvited guest in the film, which is an adaptation of noted satirist Sharad Joshi's short story 'Tum

Kab Jaaoge Atithi'.

Konkona Sen plays Devgan's wife with Paresh Rawal being the uninvited guest.

"It is a Hrishikesh Mukherjee kind of a film.

Remember his films when we used to get emotional and also smile as the scenes unfolded. That's the bracket that 'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?' finds itself in. It has the kind of humour which is clean and quite rib tickling," Devgan said.

The 40-year-old actor said that the USP of the film is it's script and despite being low on budget, it is high on innovative presentation.

include 'Rush Hour Series' and 'X-Men: The Last Stand'.

The film is a romantic

saga that goes beyond barriers, boundaries and cultures. It is a story of passion that defies every rule, of a relationship that takes two lovers on a thrilling journey filled with precious moments and unexpected betrayal.

It also stars Kangana Ranaut, Kabir Bedi and Nick Brown. Kites has music by Rajesh Roshan, cinematography by Ayananka Bose and stunt coordination by Hollywood’s Spiro Razatos.

Ajay Devgan in another comedy act

"The film is not very big budgeted and neither is it a multi starrer. However, what is of utmost importance here is that it has a solid script which makes it worth it. A good balance is maintained between what is presented on screen and

how it looks. That has pretty much been taken care by (director) Ashwani Dhir," Devgan said.

Devgan is elated with the good response to the movie in a recent target screening done at Mumbai, where it saw a 76 per cent positive response.

"We were always confident about the film but such acceptance made us further assured that audiences are still rooting for clean comedies.

We showed the film recently to a set of people belonging to both class and mass audience. It was amazing to see 76 per cent votes in movie's favour," the actor said.

Darsheel says his studies were hard to keep up with because of the long hours of training and shooting for Zokkomon.

“My teachers used to come on the sets, so I wouldn't lag behind in my studies. It was really tough doing this film. But finally worth it. Because my friends will see me flying through the air. I can't wait.”

What would Darshel's friends and girlfriend think of him playing the super-hero?

“The question on the girlfriend is a personal one,” says the mature superstar. “As for my friends they'd probably freak out. I'm enjoying the thought of being the youngest super-hero in the world.”

Tell him Shah Rukh Khan is playing a superhero, and Darsheel says cleverly, “His super-hero would be very different, much older. I'm just a child. He's grown up. I am sure his Ra.1 is very different from my Zokkomon.”

Darsheel becomes a super-hero at the age of 12 Darsheel Safary has become a super hero with his acting in “Zokkomon.”

“I get to fly through the air, over buildings, save and rescue people. I felt like a true hero, ” says Darsheel delightedly.

“What's more I had my own special really cool costume, like Superman's cape… even better.”

Does Darsheel realize he's the youngest superhero in the world?

He chuckles, “I do realize that. But after Taare… I had to prove to

the world that I can do better, no? So I had to do a really special film.”

Shah Rukh Khan doing everything to make his forthcoming home production “Ra One” a huge success. He himself plays a superhero in the film, while Kareena Kapoor has been signed to play the lead actress. Shah Rukh is also hellbent on roping in Hollywood superstar Jackie Chan to act in the film!

“I love Jackie Chan, in fact when my son was born I wanted him to look like Jackie and I thank god as he does” said Shah Rukh as he praised Jackie. However, things are not going as easy for Shah Rukh on “Ra One” front.

Jackie Chan has still not confirmed abut his presence in the film.

SRK too light-heartedly revealed the same saying, “I want Jackie Chan to be a part of ‘Ra One’ but he is a little expensive. He has asked me to get in touch with him again so hopefully that will work out.” The film will mostly be shot in London and will be one of its kind super hero film.

Salman is God for this fan!

Salman Khan has a good fan following, but one fan treats him as God. A certain fan of Salman keeps a picture of him in his wallet and starts his day by looking at his picture, every single morning!

“A fan of Salman Khan wakes up every morning to Salman’s picture.

Usually, people start their day by looking at god’s picture, but for this fan – Salman is God. His house is like a shrine dedicated to Salman,” according to an eyewitness.

“The fan carries Salman’s picture in his wallet and keeps looking at it throughout the day– Salman is an inspiration to the fan. This guy follows all of Salman’s films avidly, his charitable works and his life in general,” adds the witness.

Arbaaz Khan finds a new love?

Recently, rumors were doing rounds that Arbaaz Khan is having an affair with his co-star Madhuri Bhattacharya of ‘Prem Kaa Game'.

But when we the actress was contacted, she said, “It's ridiculous and doesn't have an inch of truth in it. I don't know where all this comes up from, Arbaaz is really a nice and decent human being.”

She went on to say, “When I met him first I was quite nervous but he made me very comfortable. And in fact, we become good friends and I respect him a lot.”

Moreover, Arbaaz is quite impressed with Madhuri and has even signed her for his next film “Bachelor's Party”.

‘Prem Kaa Game' also stars Salman Khan who will be seen narrating the story. Besides Salman; Tara Sharma, Johnny Lever and Malaika Arora in the principle role and movie revolves around extramarital affair.

20

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

Sunaina stars with Kalaignar’s grandson Two grandsons [Udhayanidhi Stalin and Dayanidhi Azhagiri] are raking in the moolah with their respective production houses, and the third has decided to take the plunge in front of the camera! Arulnidhi, son of M.K. Tamilarasu (Kalaignar Karunanidhi’s son), was an aspiring director. We hear that the 23 year old is a trained director and was aching to get his own movie going when someone in the family suggested he try his hand at acting first! So he will soon to grace the silver screen in a movie directed by Pandiaraj of Pasanga fame and produced by daddy dearest!

The movie will also star Sunaina, who is carefully picking her way through Tamil flicks. This promising lovely awaits the release of Yathumagai oppo-

site Sachein and the completion of Thiruthani with Bharath.

In Yathumagai we hear she plays a rather powerful role that gives her immense acting scope, while in Thiruthani, she has some trademark Perarasu style moments of humour!

What genre will the movie with Arul come under?

Given that the team is really hush-hush and wanting to keep their hero especially hidden, looks like it will be a long while before we know much about the movie!

Shooting is likely to start next week. Maybe at the pooja we’ll find out more!

ikini Pia is ready for more b

lla Pia had acted in ‘Poi So and n” ega “A ,” rom Po ntly “Goa.” She is curre the in u hn Vis th wi g irin pa Pia ”. iya nd Pa film “Bale the to ing ak spe ile wh am I d,” sai tly media recen va Ita led cal ce pla a m fro ve ha I h. des in Uttar Pra stan2th to1 up d die stu are dard. My two sisters ntwa r he fat My . ers ch tea a me co be to ed me am dre my t Bu er. ch tea told was to act in films. I got a ve ha I t tha lie a m the ials chance to act in TV ser ai. and came to Mumb TV serials.” the chance to dub for t ipated go I s ort eff After lot of ce to act. I also partic an ch the “I also got introam I e tim t tha Adding more, she said, At . ection of actresses sel the for do ld to he y nit iew rtu erv in the int got the oppo and because of this I y actntl rre cu am I ay.

Vij duced to Priyadarshan by i Solla Porom’ directed a full length female lead role in ‘Po th Vishnu. This film is wi g irin pa am d an ’ and village e rol s iou ser e, ing in ‘Bale Pandiya doing bubbly rol in d ste ere int ready to am am I I . ds ry deman comedy film pe for acting. If the sto I love girl role which has sco acted in Aegan I liked Ajith’s loving talks.

I en Wh ss. dre wear bikini his character.”

I am ready to act with Simbu: Dhanush

If you are of the opinion that there exists a cold war between Dhanush and Silambarasan, think again.

Both the actors are good friends and proving this now is Dhanush, who says he is ready to act with Silambarasan.

“If there is a script that is so powerful and has meaty roles for both of us, I am ready to share the screen space with Silambarasan,” says the son-in-law of the superstar.

He also says the crew too should be equally strong.

“And last not but not least, the producer should be able to pay our salary,” he says with all smiles. On the remake of Telugu blockbuster ‘Ready’, for which he is currently shooting for, Dhanush says, “the film

will be racy right from the first scene.”

“Acting with Genelia is a delight,” he says and adds: “Because the actress is full of energy and is a thorough professional.” Ask him about director Mithran Jawahar, he says, “This is my third film with him. Hope we would score a hat trick.”

Despite Sena threat, flying start to ‘My Name Is Khan’

Shah Rukh Khan starrer “My Name Is Khan” had a packed opening on Friday across the country with Mumbai restricting the number of shows following the Shiv Sena threat to disrupt screening. Most multiplex owners in Mumbai decided to go ahead with the screening while the single screen theatres decided against showing the movie for the time being, fearing violence.

Amid unprecedented security, Maharashtra home minister R R Patil drove to multiplex INOX to catch the first show of 'MNIK'.

Khan, who is in Berlin, tweeted early on Friday morning, "good m'ing mumbai. wotever the fate

of the film, never wished this upon the city that made my dreams come true & gave me all. i belong to u (sic)."

In Gujarat, the first few shows were cancelled after VHP and Bajarang Dal activists staged protests and torched posters of the movie, but later the shows resumed.

The film opened to full

houses in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai and several other cities.

"Post noon shows were all sold out in our theatres in Delhi. We are booked till Sunday," Jayendra Banerjee, Vice President Satyam Cineplexes said.

"Some 75 screens in Delhi and NCR are screening the movie.

The film has also benefited from the Shivratri holiday on Friday. On an average multiplexes are running 11 to 12 shows a day," a distributor said.

The film's release ran into trouble after Sena lashed out at Khan for supporting inclusion of Pakistani players in the IPL-3.

Take a musical trip from Memphis to Mumbai with this ultra funky exciting new 10 piece Asian Soul Funk band that melts genres, cultures and sounds, Botown is a super-tight band of multi-cultural musicians performing Bollywood grooves reborn with a soul funk twist.

It’s an exciting cultureclash musical experience that takes you on a trip from Memphis to Mumbai.

The live performances combine the glamour of Bollywood and the charisma of the Soul legends from a band that is committed to bringing the house down with every performance and then playing on top of the rubble. And yes of course they have their own troupe of sexy dancers!

The band was put together by Ajay, a UK-

born musician with topten hits in India and who has worked with artists as diverse as Jamiroqua, Gregory Isaacs and the King of Bollywood himself – Shah Rukh Khan!

Says Ajay: “Bollywood and Soul are both music of the people. I’ve always been passionate about both, so combining the two is a musical dream come true. Fans of both music genres will be at home at the gig.”

The Botown band line up features: drums, bass, Indian percussion, horn section, guitar, male & female vocals, dhol, DJ turntablist, rapper and dancers, all completing the full live Bollywood Soul Funk experience!

This year alone, Botown have sold out two nights at Waterman’s Brentford, headlined the Southampton Festival and sold out a night at the Jazz Café.

thoughts of Boris Bezotechestvo, sentenced to life imprisonment in a small cell. His world is all of four walls and a view from the window. The St. Petersberg based filmmaker received the Golden Conch award along with a cash prize in the ‘Best Documentary above 30 minutes’ category. The jury did not recommend any award in the less than 30-minutes category.

Ritu Sarin and Sonam Tenzing’s documentary “The Sun behind the Clouds” won the Silver Conch in the Documentary above 30minutes category, for ‘upholding the spirit of lib-

erty and maintaining a sense of balance while bringing about different perspectives within the Tibetan struggle.’ It is about the Dalai Lama’s efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully and the reaction of the younger generation to the new stance.

Anwar Jamal’s “Anwar- Dream of a Dark Night” and Deepa Bhatia’s “Nero’s Guests” won special mention.

In the ‘Documentary under 30 minutes category’ - Vagabond - A nomad in spirit and in reality and “I Found a Thread” jointly shared the Silver Conch award.

Classical Soul Meets Classic Bollywood

Indian, Russian films win Golden Conch at MIFF

Russian director Alexander Gutman’s “17 August” won the Golden Conch for the Best Documentary, while “The Spell,” directed by Umesh Kulkarni was adjudged the best fiction film at the 11th Mumbai International Film Festival of Documentary, Animation and Short Films, which concluded last week.

“17 August” was unanimously praised by the jury for its rigorous, transformative treatment of the unlimited human spirit in an extremely limited space. Mr Gutman’s 53-minute documentary traces the life and

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

www.abplgroup.com

BollyKats

21

Payal Rohatgi is now looking for meaty roles

A comedy and romance flick, “Toh Baat Pakki” is a typical Indian family drama that reflects the present day aspirations of a sister, who wants the best of the match for her younger sis, and is even prepared to change the guy in the middle of marriage preparations as one was already fixed, that too as per her designs only. A Tips Music Films presentation, it is produced by Ramesh Taurani. Rajeshwari exemplifies the quintessential Indian middle class woman with the aspiration and ambitions to reach the next higher social stature in her society.

Rajeshwari is married to Vinay a bank cashier for the last 7 years. She has two adorable children.

She has always been the driving force in the family and her dream is to get her sister Nisha married to the most suitable boy within their Saxena community. Rajeshwari is against the dowry system and therefore the propositions to find a suitable match within the given scenario is not very promising but she is determined to do so.

As the story unfolds, Rajeshwari with the fate of chance finds a good Saxena boy studying engineering and has prospects of a promising future. Rahul is a good proposition for her sister and sensing the opportunity she gets him to move into her house as a paying guest. Of course, here money is not discussed but the only discussion is about his prospects and views on marriage. However, when Rajeshwari learns that Rahul is not interested in marriage, she smartly devices a plan to bring her sister and make them get to know each other...and almost confident that once he meets Nisha there is no turning away and Rajeshwari's predictions are right. Nisha’s innocence and simplicity are a rarity in this day and age, which makes it impossible for Rahul not to be bestowed. They fall in love.

Rajeshwari is happy. Marriage is fixed “Toh Baat Pakki”. This is all set; preparations are full swing, till one day Yuvraaj comes to Rajeshwari's house.

Yuvraaj is also a Saxena. He has his own business, he is waiting for his house to get built...Rajeshwari’s can’t believe her luck! This is a better prospect.

The story takes twists and turns where Rajeshwari tries to set up Nisha with Yuvraaj.

Rahul finds out through Nisha about Rajeshwari's tricks. He now needs to alter this situation without getting Rajeshwari suspicious of his acts.

Directed by Kedar Shinde, the film has Pramod Sharma’s story, while the screenplay and dialogues are by Vibha Singh. The lead cast consists of Tabu, Sharman Joshi, Uvika Chaudhary, Vatsal Sheth, Ayub Khan, Sharat Saxena, Himani Shivpuri, Suhasini Mulay and Upasna Singh.

Mayur Puri, Sayeed Qadri and Shabbir Ahmed have penned the lyrics and Pritam Chakraborty has scored the music. Mika Singh, Sonu Nigam, Javed Ali, Shilpa Rao, Pritam Chakraborty, Rana Mazumder, Soham Chakrabarthy, Antara Mitra and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan have given the playback.

New Hindi movies releasing this week 1. Toh Baat Pakki, 2. Aakhri Decision, 3. Click

Top 5 Bollywood movies for the week No. Film 1 2.

3.

4.

5.

Ishqiya 3 Idiots Veer Striker Rann Madhu

No. Last Week 1 2 3 New 4

Total weeks 2 7 3 1 2

Reality TV contestant and actress Payal Rohatgi is tired of looking hot and sexy.

Now she wants meaty role so that she can show her acting prowess.

“How long can you bank on your body and your face to help you get roles in films?

At the end of the day, anyone who wants to be known as an actor wants to be appreciated for his/her work,” she says. After the reality show “Bigg Boss” she became more wiser. In he reality show her friendship with Rahul Mahajan came under scrutiny.

“I knew Rahul for seven years when we entered the reality show, but he is a person I don’t know any more because as a friend, he has become extremely selfish. He never took a stand for me in the reality show and listened to all kinds of crap about me from others. But I still give him the benefit of doubt as it is a manipulative game. I will never want to be linked with a man who can’t stand for his woman.”

“The show proved to be an eye opener

for me. I understood that Rahul was taking me for granted. It made me more independent and mature. The show is a replica of how this world is – where people keep playing mind games and you can only trust yourself. God keeps testing you and I learnt to stay clam.”

She is now attending theatre workshops, and also has a film coming up.

“The film is set against the backdrop of the 26/11 attacks and I am playing the role of a journalist in it.

I am extremely excited about it, as I am tired of looking hot and sexy. The meaty role will give me the chance to show my acting prowess,” she says.

Sonam beats others to be Shahid’s girl

Pankaj Kapur’s “Mausam” had a number of contenders for the female lead opposite his son, Shahid, like Shatrughan Sinha’s daughter Sonakshi, Govinda’s daughter Narmada, and Alyque Padamsee’s daughter Shazahn Padamsee.

However, looks like it’s going to be Sonam Kapoor who takes away the cake.

According to sources, everyone on the unit of “Mausam’ is glad to have

Katrina takes a rickshaw ride

Katrina Kaif seems to be following in her boyfriend Salman Khan’s footsteps.

Salman is known to go rickshaw-hopping in the dead of the night.

However, Katrina was seen getting into a rickshaw last week with her manager.

This happened because Katrina couldn’t find her driver when she came out after the screening of ‘Ishqiya’ at a suburban multiplex.

The show ended at 10.30 pm and when Katrina came out, she was unable to locate her car or the driver. She tried calling him but because of network problem he could not be contacted.

Since Katrina couldn’t stand around waiting, given the number of people that were starting to gather around her, she took quick action and hurriedly got into a rickshaw with her business manager.

Sonam join the team.

They are of the opinion that Sonam is a good choice for the role.

Supriya Pathak, Pankaj’s wife, is the most

excited of them all to have Sonam in the film. She got along with Sonam amazingly well during the shooting of “Delhi-6.”

Sonam was chosen for the film without an audition. While that is alright, the film was supposed to look for girls all over the country for the role. Apparently, the idea was dropped as it proved to be too troublesome.

22

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

Taslima back in India, wants her visa extended

Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, targeted

by Islamic fundamentalists for her controversial book “Lajja” is back in India and has sought extention of her visa.

She was forced to leave India after radicals protested against her presence in West Bengal in November, 2007. She came back to India recently and has been put up at an undisclosed place.

The medico turned

Taslima Nasreen

Going for the Haj yatra on foot

Ahmed and wife Haseena will travel from Mehsana to Mecca

Visiting well known shrines on august days by walking is a very old Hindu ritual, but for a change, A muslim couple from Mehsana in Gujarat has decided to walk right upto Mecca.

Ahmed Sheikh – 49 and his wife Haseena – 45 will cover the distance of 6,000 kilometers from their home town to the holiest of the Muslim shrines in Saudi Arabia in 9 months.

They have planned to start on February 28 and expect to reach Mecca in around nine months. They would be passing through 5 countries in their ardu-

ous trek.

The couple was waiting for their wish to perform the Haj yatra for ten years, but money is a problem.

They decided to walk right through. They got their passport just recently.

“It is a test of patience.

Haj is an imperative duty for all Muslims who have the resources to carry it out,” he adds. On passing through terrorist regions and inhospitable terrain, Sheikh says, “We are carrying the message of peace and love for all the people on our way. There is no fear of anything. God is with us.”

Saree loving Indian women now can also enjoy their favourite music or songs, thanks to an innovation brought in

by P. Mohan.

The designer from Dharmavaram town in Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh conceptualised “Swaramadhuri” – the singing saree with

eight micro speakers on the border, while a 2 GB memory chip and a small digital music player is put on the “Pallu”. The device is capable of playing 200 songs or can enthrall the wearer for 4 hours.

P. Mohan has earlier also designed sarees with small LED bulbs, and called them ‘lighting sarees’.

Now, a singing saree from Andhra designer

writer has requested for a permanent residency in India, but the government has not taken any decision on that. Her wish to visit Kolkata will also remain unfulfilled, as officials feel it will spell trouble.

Living a life in exile since 1994, Taslima has stayed in France, Sweden and the USA also. She is in India for five years, but here also she met with opposition from radicals.

KND is new Parsi high priest in India Kaikhusro Navroz Dastoor Meherjirana, a respected Parsi scholar was recently anointed as the Parsi high priest (Vada Dastur) of India at Navsari in Gujarat.

Popularly known as KND, he used to present musical recitals on All India Radio’s Vadodara station in Gujarat.

Based in Mumbai at present, he is also an he has advocate, authored two books on banking laws. He is also a student of Indian classical music.

A follower of the Kirana gharana of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, and particularly of the late singer Gangubai Hangal of Hubli, KND said “It will be my endeavour to attend to the controversial problems of the community with all love, sincerity and understanding, and without an iota of malice or hatred. Only on failing that I may take the help of my legal experience of half a century,” as he spoke to an English daily.

UK DFID to help 8 million Indian slum dwellers with better facilities £14.5 million aid to be used in 20 cities

Gareth Thomas, UK minister for International Development recently announced £14.5 million aid to help bring better facilities for 8 million slum dwellers in 20 cities in India.

The DFID funded programme will support government of India’s flagship Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) programme.

Speaking at a high level meeting on the future of cities across India and Africa, the International Development Minister said that the £14.5m funding would help to target poverty in some of India’s most overcrowded cities.

The programme will provided clean drinking water to slum households, give better sanitation facil-

ities through improved sewerage, waste management and drains.

Slum households will also benefit from a legally secure claim to their home, through tenancy or ownership.

Addressing the meeting, Gareth Thomas said, “People often don’t realise that despite being an economic success story in many ways, India still faces huge poverty and is home to one third of the world’s poor.

Poverty is particularly bad in larger cities. That’s why this funding is so important - it will make a huge difference in helping to meet the basic needs of some of India’s poorest people.

Films like Slumdog Millionaire have helped to give British audiences a

brief insight into the reality of how difficult daily life is for people in slums. It is right that we take action to help those people who need it most.”

DFID support will form part of a £6 billion Indian Government project. As well as providing basic services to the poor in 20 Indian cities, it will help local governments and partners to deliver vital services to a further 43 cities – helping some 45% of the total slum population.

The Minister announced the funding at a high level seminar which brought together academics and key partners, like the World Bank, to discuss how Government thinking on cities in developing countries could be improved.

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

Arjuna, the inner disciple Yudhisthira is frightened seeing the might of the Kauravas just as the Great War was about to begin on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. He felt his army was much smaller and subject to defeat.

Arjuna and Sri Krishna console him.

Arjuna tells Yudhisthira that he has the ‘Pasupata Astra’, which if he uses, could destroy the whole Kaurava army in the blink of an eye. Rather, he would engage in ordinary warfare and achieve victory the hard way, slowly and with great difficulty.

In this small episode, Vyasji unravels to us two ways to enlightenment – one, a shortcut and i m m e d i a t e approach and the other, a slow and steady process. The first is a secret method, fraught with dangers of many imbalances of the body-brain given system, directly by a master to only certain disciples. The second is a slow and steady method which can be taught freely.

When Pandu and his wives were in the forest, Kunti successfully used the mantra given to her by Rishi Durvasa to give birth to both, Yudhisthira and Bhima. Nonetheless, she could not invoke Indra to give birth to Arjuna. Pandu performed severe austerities by standing on one foot, signifying balance and voluntary suffering.

After a period of one and half years, Arjuna was born. Arjuna was born an advanced soul; not only is he one of the five Pandavas, he also represents the student or disciple.

The aim of all disciples is to reach the stage of ‘pratyahara’ or freeing of attention from the attractions of the sense organs. In the twelve years of vanvaas (exile), Arjuna has worked hard on his attention. The name of his bow is ‘Gandiva’, which represents the diaphragm and his arrows symbolise attention. Every small disturbance, emotional or mental, immediately affects the diaphragm and makes our breathing chaotic, fragmenting our attention. By practicing rhythmic breathing, we bring our diaphragm into rhythm and balance, sharpening and making the attention one-pointed.

When we are able to hold a sustained arrow of attention within us, we have reached pratyahara. This is the greatest moment in our spiritual quest and at this moment the inner guru appears to the disciple and guides him to higher paths of yoga. In the Mahabharata, Sri Krishna becomes Arjuna’s charioteer and guides his chariot between the two armies or no-man’s land, symbolising the state of pratyahara. It is here that the immortal knowledge of the Srimad Bhagwad Gita is given to the deserving disciple.

Arjuna represents the emotional centre and before this centre can communicate with the divine, it must be purified. Dhritarashtra gave to the Pandavas the barren country of ‘Khandavprastha’. This comes from the word ‘khand’ which literally means a small part (or something that has been

destroyed). For a disciple, it signifies chaos in all the centres of the bodybrain system. From Khandavprastha, the Pandavas established ‘Indraprastha’, the city where the energy of the senses rules. Ordinarily, the five senses work with the energy of sensitiveness or excitement, creating chaos in our lives. Here, the disciple shifts from sensitiveness to sensitivity, establishing the state of Indraprastha within.

Let us study an event during this phase of the Mahabharata. One day, Agni (the God of fire) asked Sri Krishna and Arjuna if he could burn the Khandava forest and satisfy his hunger.

Every time he tried to burn it, Indra sent rain and quelled the fire.

Agni then asked Sri Krishna and Arjuna for help.

Arjuna asked Agni to start burning the forest and as soon as Indra sent rain, Arjuna created a canopy of arrows which stopped the rain from cooling the fire, allowing Agni to satisfy his hunger. In return Agni gave Arjuna a special chariot with horses and the ‘Gandiva’ with two quivers, which would never be short of arrows. This whole episode symbolises how Arjuna purified the emotional centre. The Khandava forest symbolises our sub-conscious, full of samskaras. The spiritual fire of tapa burns this chaotic forest. Once this is done, we have freed our attention from the momentum of past samskaras and that is how we can get the Gandiva, representing rhythm and balance of the breath, and the quivers of arrows, representing quality of attention.

From the Yoga perspective, in our solar plexus area there are the two chakras, Manipura and Kundli.

Manipura is active and holds the energy of excitement (sensitiveness). Kundli is inactive but holds the energy of sensitivity. The yogi slowly stops the working of the Manipura and activates the Kundli. Karna represents the Manipura chakra and Arjuna, the Kundli chakra.

Both are in the solar plexus signifying that the source of energy is the Sun. Karna is the son of Surya, but he is also Angaraj, signifying solar energy wasted in excitement and bodily pleasures.

Arjuna is the son of Indra or lightning (solar energy in a concentrated form).

When the Manipura withers, the Kundli opens up and we are freed from excitement, and now energy takes on a concentrated form allowing us to invoke and thereafter, hold the divine presence.

When emotions are purified and attention becomes one-pointed, the emotional centre is filled with the powerful energy of love, leading to real shraddha or faith. From this point onwards, our spiritual progress would be very fast.

(Edited by Chintu Gandhi.

Illustration by Siddharth Ramanuj.)

The author can be reached by emailing 3srb@live.com

INDIA-UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

23

Now, liquor permit on arrival at Ahmedabad airport

Now, tourists coming to Gujarat can say ‘cheers’ to this! The state government in its bid to make flow of liquor easier for visitors has started issuing permits at the Ahmedabad airport itself. According to Gujarat tourism department officials, the process of issuing the permits will start from Tuesday from the department’s counter at the airport. Any visitor coming to the city can approach the counter at the domestic arrival terminal and seek the permit. “We have taken the initiative to ensure liquor is not an impediment in the growth of tourism sector in the state,” Gujarat tourism secretary Vipul Mitra said. This is another step from the forward-looking government to simplify the process of obtaining liquor for visitors, he added.

Not a Fancy but a flight of necessity

Congratulation

The Direct Flight between London and Ahmedabad Must Be Resumed Tourism has emerged as major source of earnings for many countries. To attract people across the globe, each country develops sites and locations.

Transport and communication links are strengthened as part of infrastructure building. Like countries, regions or states within a country, vie with one another to attract a larger tourist flow and thus earn a income and generate employment for its people.

When Gujarat is viewed as a major tourist destination, it fails to project itself, not because it doesn’t have beautiful spots to showcase. Noted Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachhan, who has recently agreed to become a brand ambassador for Gujarat, recently wrote in his blog that Gujarat has highest number of heritage sites in the country.

Bachhan is right but then question remains unanswered as to why Gujarat is not a favorite destination. Answer perhaps lies in the fact that Gujarat has only one international airport, viz, Ahmedabad and that too does not have any direct flight to and from North America, Europe and even Far East. In quite contrast, Southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka or a smaller state like Punjab and Kerala have more direct flights or more international airport.

It's very surprising that state like Gujarat, which has a larger chunk of its Diaspora population living in USA, UK and other countries in comparison with other linguistic counterparts from India, does not have a direct flight from these countries. Not only from the viewpoint of establishing and maintaining cultural link, but also for developing and expand-

Praful Patel

ing trade and business, direct flights play a crucial role. Gujarati emigrants are drawn from different parts of the state, such as Kutch, Saurashtra and South Gujarat not to speak of Central Gujarat which is very near to Ahmedabad, erstwhile capital of the state which has now become a major business hub of the country.

Gujaratis are considered as affluent people with significant purchasing power.

Tourism authorities of other states and countries like Singapore, Thailand and Dubai etc. target Gujaratis as potential tourists and it is ironic that Gujaratis set-

health problems are compounded when they have to download and upload their hand baggage.

To be specific on Ahmedabad-LondonAhmedabad direct flight, the issue is real. From the viewpoint of traffic and revenue, none can ignore the fact that UK promises a lot. Almost two-third of about 7.5 lakh Gujaratis reside in the vicinity of 7500 sq. miles of England.

Even during the so called off-season, about 2,500 people visit India each week between May and September and the number rises to 7,500 in October and subsequent months. For most of them Gujarat is the final destination.

After a sustained campaign by various organizations and prominent people, including editor and publisher of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar C.B. Patel, the NDA gov-

Also refer Asian Voice edition 06th February page 22 ‘London-Ahmedabad direct flight: Praful Patel assures early resumption’ tled in other countries find it most uncomfortable to reach to their ancestral land. In the absence of direct flights to Ahmedabad and also lack of other international airports, they have to first land at Mumbai or New Delhi and then catch a connecting flight to Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Rajkot or Surat. In the process, they not only have to changeover aero plane but also face a lot of other hardships. The woes of elderly people, pregnant women, women with small children and those with

ernment introduced two direct flights to Ahmedabad initially and raised it to five subsequently. However, after the advent of UPA government and with Praful Patel in charge of the Civil Aviation ministry, direct flights were withdrawn.

Despite the representation from different quarters and also by CB, the ministry has not done anything to resume the flight.

During the discussion with London based regional director of Air India about two years ago, a delegation of National

Congress of Gujarati Organisations [NCGO] contested the airliner’s claim that there was not enough traffic. The delegation argues that if that was the case then why did Air India increase the frequency from two to five a week? In the same meeting, delegation pleaded with the authorities to have at least one weekly flight from London to Ahmedabad so that question of adequate traffic did not arise. Till today, the Indian airliner has not responded to this requestwhat a pity?

The relentless crusader for resuming the direct flight between India’s most advanced state of Gujarat and London, the financial capital of Europe and adopted home of some 7.5 lakh Gujaratis, C.B. Patel, publisher and editor of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice and also chairman of National Congress of Gujarati Organisations [NCGO] left no stone unturned in his recent visit to Gujarat to ensure that the issue got the support of local media. CB in his interaction with media persons, urged the prominent leaders of Gujarati organizations, like Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry to launch a similar campaign as the issue is vital from the view point of expanding economic ties between two countries as well as nurturing the Gujarati diaspora.

Daily News and Analysis [DNA] in its report quoted CB extensively. Similarly, The Times of India and prominent Gujaratis dailies published from Ahmedabad, Surat and Rajkot and Mumbai as well, gave wide coverage of the plight of Gujaratis living in USA, UK and Middle East, especially, Muscat-Oman.

Fonseka challenges Rajapaksa victory in Apex Court Continued from page 1 The petition sought a determination from the apex court that the election of President Rajapaksa at the recent Presidential election was void.

A court in Colombo has also issued an arrest warrant against Fonseka’s son-in-law Danuna Tillakaratne, though he has avoided arrest till Tuesday evening.

JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, Sunil Handunnetti, Ravi

Karunanayaka and John Ameratunge accompanied Fonseka's lawyers to the court.

Fonseka in his petition also contended that state media was also misused, malpractices had taken place at polling booths and counting centres.

Lanka polls did not fully meet key benchmarks: Commonwealth Releasing the final report of the expert team that was entrusted with observing the January 26 Sri Lankan presidential polls, Commonwealth secretary general Kamlesh

Sharma said the polls did not fully meet key benchmarks for democratic elections. He went on to say that the arrest of defeated candidate has led to increase in tensions in the island nation.

Commonwealth secretary general said, “Even though on the day of the election voters were free to express their will, shortcomings primarily in the pre-election period meant that overall, the Presidential elections in Sri Lanka did not fully meet key benchmarks for democratic elections.

Many of the problems identified reflect the same problems that affected the previous elections. These problems - which have also been highlighted by the country's own Commissioner of Elections - will hopefully receive urgent consideration”.

Referring to post-election developments, especially the arrest Gen Fonseka, Sharma said these developments have increased tension. It is important that the rule of law and due process are applied.

Shruti Ganapathy, former Assistant Editor of Asian Voice, and Mr Santosh Hariharan got married in Mumbai, India on January 17th 2010.

We wish the newly wed couple a happy married life ahead and all success in the coming years.

- CB Patel and everybody at ABPL

Uproar over Nottingham council decision to shut down Redford Complex

The Nottingham Council decision to shut down Redford Unity Complex, used by about eight black and Asian organizations to stage various social activities, has outraged the social and community groups, who are now planning to launch an agitation and challenge the decision at appropriate forum.

Prafulbhai Trivedi of Nottingham Hindu Swayaym Sevak SanghHindu Group said various Hindu, Gujarati and Black organizations are using Redford Unity Complex at Redford, NW7 3FW for their social activities since

last 18 to 20 years.

Nottingham Council has now decided to shut down the complex with effect from 31st March next.

Various charity and registered organizations have petitioned against the decision. Trivedi told Asian Voice by telephone that the decision to shut down the complex was not in accordance with the law.

Hindu Swayam Sewak Sangh has also expressed its readiness to buy the complex. Anyone wishing to join save Redford Complex campaign could contact Prafull Trivedi on 0115 9390138 and 0115 9302341.

Continued from page 1

Death toll rises to 10; Gilani offers intelligence sharing

Foreigners again the target in Pune blast

JuD chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed had said the only solution to problems between India and Pakistan is the "liberation" of Jammu and Kashmir, failing which radical groups would resort to the "option of jehad".

Use of RDX is established in the Pune blast, giving a clear link to the Pakistan connection.

In another incident, two British citizens were detained for a few hours in New Delhi on Monday, as they were seen indulging in suspicious activities, though reports late on Tuesday evening suggest that they were released.

Stephen Hampston (46)

and Steve Martin (55) had checked in less than a week ago at Raddison Hotel.

Last week, a US national was arrested as he was to board a flight.

He had a sharp edged weapon, similar to a knife concealed in his cabin baggage.

Kensington Carmichael, a convert from Christianity to Islam, had a tourist visa to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and came here from Pakistan. He was detained minutes before he was to board a Qatar-bound flight.

24

Saturday 20th February 2010 - Asian Voice

Husband of Pratibha Patil proved a land grabber Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat, husband of President of India, Ms. Pratibha Patil was proved to be a land grabber and asked by a local court to return the farm land of over two acres that was grabbed from a poor Dalit farmer in Amravati district of Maharashtra. The incident is seen as a major embarrassment to Ms. Pratibha Patil. Devisingh was accused of forging papers to grab the land near highway two years ago. The farmer, Kishore Bansod, had last year found that most of his land had been transferred to Mr Shekhawat in the government records.

Dismissal of Muslim cop for two wives OK, says SC Cardiology treatment in Supreme Court of India has recently ruled that services rules stay valid when it matters, even if it is about a muslim man having more than one wife that is permissible according to his religion.

A muslim police constable from Rajasthan, Liyakat Ali was terminated for having two wives at

a time, breaching Rajasthan Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1971.

These rules say that any government employee cannot have a second marriage without taking a divorce with the first wife.

He fought his case for 23 years, but finally he lost even in the Supreme Court.

Ali’s contention was that Muslim personal law did not prohibit a second marriage even as the relation with first wife remained legally binding.

The law did not mandate taking permission of the government and Ali married Maksuda without divorcing his first wife Farida.

SC Bench of Justices V S Sirpurkar and Aftab Alam dismissed Ali's appeal against the HC judgment prima facie accepting the stand of the Rajasthan government that the 1971 rules were applicable to all government servants, irrespective of the religion, to enforce strict discipline.

Chhattisgarh officer has wealth worth Rs. 5 bn Agriculture Secretary Agrawal suspended after IT raid An IAS officer in the Chhattisgarh government, state Agriculture Secretary Babulal Agrawal is believed to have amassed wealth worth Rs. 5 billion.

Recently, the Income Tax authorities conduct raids at his residence in Raipur. He was later suspended by the state government.

The 1998 batch IAS officer now faces investigations from many agencies, including the CBI, the Income Tax and the State Bureau of Investigation of Economic Offences.

The IT authorities recently conducted raids at residences of many officers in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states.

Agrawal is believed to be having the maximum wealth that is disproportionate to his income.

He has 40 crore rupees in 220 fake bank accounts and owns 16 bogus companies, which he used as hawala channels.

In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, senior IAS couple Arvind and

Tinu Joshi have also been suspended after an I-T raid at their home recovered Rs 30 million in cash, Rs 5 mn in jewellery, Rs 500,000 in foreign liquor, Rs 700,000 in foreign currency and Rs 30 mn in insurance investments.

The lokayukt has registered a disproportionate assets case against them.

Ahmedabad is as good as it is in USA or Europe

A team of 13 cardiologists from Algeria visited the city recently to update their knowledge, skills Heart care facilities and treatments in Ahmedabad got another international endorsement, as a team of 13 cardiologists from Algeria recently visited the city as part of Indo-Algeria heart summit.

Algerians have a strong French connection, yet they decided to bank on India and Gujarat.

Senior cardiologist from the African country, Dr. M T Douadi, explaining the reason said that in treating heart conditions, the medical advancement in Ahmedabad is as good as

that practiced in the USA and the European countries.

The Algerian team learnt the latest techniques from Dr. Sameer Dani and his team of cardiologists at the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology, a part of the state govt. owned Civil Hospital in the city.

Dr. Douadi further said, the technical skills of doctors in removing blockages with stents are impressive. We have learnt a lot.

Ahmedabad emerging favourite for overseas patients First femur surgery in Gujarat performed at Parekhs Hospital

DILIP D. TRIVEDI Ahmedabad is rapidly increasing its share in the medical tourism sector with more and more people coming from the USA, UK and other countries for various treatments and surgeries. It’s not just the economics – the quality of medicare also is the driving force behind the steadily rising number of patients here. Doctors in India are known to have successfully performed highly complicated surgeries on patients who had been turned away by medical practitioners abroad.

A unique surgery for replacement of the Femur bone for a 70 year old patient from Kenya, Mr. John Mugo was recently carried out in Ahmedabad, at the Parekhs Hospital by Dr. Dimple R. Parekh, a joint replacement specialist.

Asian Voice had a chat with Dr. Parekh as well as a few patients, particularly from abroad about why they have come to Ahmedabad and India for their treatment.

Dr. Parekh said that to the best of his knowledge, the surgery for replacement of the Femur bone (the bone in the upper portion of the leg - it connects the hip and the knee) that he carried out on John Mugo was the first of its kind in Gujarat.

The patient had lost a significant portion of his femur bone due to infection and post operative complications, as he had

Ahmed Jafer Aladin with Dr. Parekh

undergone atleast 6 surgeries previously. But for some reasons, the infection and the complications were simply not coming under control, resulting in a type of decay of the femur bone.

For John Mugo, it was his second visit to Ahmedabad and Parekhs Hospital. In the first visit, treatment was aimed at containing and getting rid of the infection. After that was achieved, he is back and has already undergone surgery for Femur replacement. His condition post surgery is satisfactory, but will be required to stay at the Hospital for a longer period.

For the benefit of readers and patients, AV asked Dr. Parekh a few questions about India getting more recognition, the necessity of joint replacements, the cause of wear and tear, whether conditions leading to joint replacements can be avoided or delayed, etc.

Dr. Parekh said that normally, two types of artificial joints are available – Indian as well as imported. Even in the imported implants, there are two options. Patients with Indian lifestyle – of sitting with their legs folded need a higher grade joint, whereas those who do not need to sit or squat can do with the other type. In most of the cases, patients opt for imported joints, as they are better and have a longer life.

With an imported joint replacement, the patient normally enjoys 15 to 20 years of normal life.

Further, such surgeries are opted by Indian patients mostly in the later stage of life, in most of the cases only after 50 or 55 years of age, whereas especially in the western countries, patients of even 40 years of age do opt for joint replacement surgeries.

The exact cause of wear and tear in joints – arthritis has not pinpoint-

John Mugo with Dr. Parekh

ed or discovered by medical science, hence precautions and avoiding the surgery altogether are not possible. But, if people read the symptoms early; get them checked and act as per medical advice, there are chances that the timing of surgeries for joint replacement can be delayed, pushed back.

Lifestyles are one of the key possible factors responsible for wear and tear of joints. For people who want to take precautions, even if they can’t sit on the floor, they need to sit for a few minutes daily with their legs folded at the knees in order to have some good exercise for their knee joints.

Further, the latest trend, advancement in joint replacement surgeries is computer aided procedures. Computer aided surgeries result in perfect alignments of the joints, which helps the patients live and work as if it was natural; the life of the arti-

ficial joint is increased.

The new techniques also eliminate the post operative need of physiotherapy.

On why India is gaining faster recognition in the field of medical tourism, Dr. Parekh said in India, we have a lot of doctors going in for specialisation, whereas in most of the other countries, there is virtually no competition due to paucity of doctors. Competition leads to the medical profession pursuing upgradation of their knowledge, skills continuously.

Specialist doctors from many countries come to India to see the latest techniques and procedures that their Indian counterparts have mastered. All this leads to the treatment available here in India being comparable with the best in the world, or even better in many a field, Dr. Parekh added.

Asian Voice also met a few other patients, partic-

ularly from abroad. Mr. Ahmed Jafer Aladin, 74 had come from Dar-esSalam, Tanzania. He underwent a knee replacement surgery. When asked why he thought he had a problem, he said he had one of his legs polio affected, hence the other leg had to carry more burden of his body, leading to more wear and tear.

Ahmed has his roots in Gujarat, as his ancestors hail from Jafrabad town in Amreli district. He and his family also come to India and their native place often.

About the doctor and the Parekhs Hospital, he said he had got a few good references from acquaintainces in Tanzania about Dr. Parekh. Further, in Gujarat, they feel like they are at home. Mr. Ahmed added that even the family members of the doctor come to see them, giving them a distinct feeling of warmth.

Another lady, Mrs. Shirin Feroz Sulaiman, 70, also of Gujarati origin and settled in Tanzania had come for hip replacement surgery. She was diagnosed with arthritis and was told she would need the surgery sooner or later. Having close relatives in Canada, she had got herself examined by doctors there also atleast 4 times. Ultimately, her husband decided to come to the Parekhs Hospital in Ahmedabad for the surgery as he also got good references about the Doctor.

25

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

US troops eating scorpions, drinking cobra blood

London: US troops have been eating scorpions and drinking cobra blood at a military exercise camp in Thailand, a British newspaper has claimed. According to the paper, during the exercise, Thai Navy instructors have been teaching the American troops how to crunch lizards, catch and kill cobras, and then cut off their heads before drinking the blood straight from the body. However, animal rights campaigners have condemned the war games, involving 14,000 troops from countries, including Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia. Animal Aid Director Andrew Tyler said: "It's a macho and stupid exercise that seems to have been carried out as some sort of sick entertainment.

Hindus in US seek immediate withdrawal of Hanuman doll

Nevada (US): Hindus here are upset and demanded the immediate recall of the toy "Hanuman as plush doll", calling it "inappropriate, upsetting, and denigrating".

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement on Tuesday said that inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.

Hanuman as a plush doll reduced him to a toy under the mercy of a child, while in reality the believ-

ers put the destinies of themselves in the hands of their deities.

This would send erroneous message to our highly impressionable children that they could control Hanuman and other deities, Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, added.

Meanwhile, Bhavna

Shinde of Forum for H i n d u Awakening, in a communique to Kridana, the company based i n Pennsylvania (USA) which sells Hanuman plush dolls, s a i d : "Hanuman is highly revered in Hinduism, meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines, and not to be thrown loosely around

on the floor, cars, bathrooms, etc.; or squeezed; or hit by feet; or used as a play ball or pillow. Please recall this toy immediately and refrain from producing/selling any more of these in the future."

"We feel that your toy 'Hanuman as plush doll' is very inappropriate, upsetting, and denigrating. We humbly request that while manufacturing other Hinduism related objects also, please stay true to the Scriptures and respectful to Deities and concepts", Shinde added.

Tehran: Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told hundreds of thousands of cheering Iranians on the anniversary of the foundation of the Islamic republic that the country was now a “nuclear state.”

He said that his country had produced its first package of highly enriched uranium just tow days after beginning the process.

"The first package of 20 per cent fuel was produced and provided to the

the process of scientists," he enriching its said, referring to uranium stockthe recently pile to a higher begun process of level. enriching Iran's The interuranium stocknational compile to higher munity has levels. warned Iran Enriching against further uranium proenrichment duces fuel for a activities, nuclear power Mahmoud threatening new plants but can Ahmadinejad UN sanctions. also be used to Tehran has said it create material for atomic wants to further enrich the weapons. Iran announced uranium which is still sublast week it was beginning

stantially below the 90 per cent plus level used in the fissile core of nuclear warheads, as a part of a plan to fuel its research reactor that provides medical isotopes to hundreds of thousands of Iranians undergoing cancer treatment.

But the West says Tehran is not capable of turning the material into the fuel rods needed by the reactor. Instead it fears that Iran wants to enrich the uranium to make nuclear weapons.

Washington: In 2009, India accounted for the third highest increase in the number of illegal immigrants in the US in 10 years, according to a new government report, though only two per cent of all illegal immigrants were Indians.

The number of illegal immigrants in the US fell by seven per cent to 10.8 million last year.

A majority of them came from Latin America, according to the department of homeland security (DHS) report, though India with 200,000 was the sixth biggest sender of illegal immigrants to the US.

In overall numbers, Indians accounted for only two per cent of illegal immigrants. Mexico (6.7 million) topped the list with 62 per cent, followed by those from El Salvador (530,000), Guatemala (480,000), Honduras (320,000) and the Philippines (270,000).

Between 2000 and 2009, the Mexican-born unauthorised immigrants increased by two million or 42 per cent. But the greatest percentage increases occurred among unauthorised immigrants from Honduras (95 per cent), Guatemala (65 per cent), and India (64 per

cent).

"The number of unauthorised residents declined by one million between 2007 and 2009, coincident with the US economic downturn," said the report based on census data and extrapolations from the total foreign population in the country.

Beside the US and global financial crisis, other reasons the report adduces for the drop in the undocumented population include tougher border enforcement and a national crackdown on illegal immigrants.

The overall annual average increase in the

unauthorised population during the 2000-09 period was 250,000 with 10 leading countries of origin representing 85 per cent of the unauthorised immigrant population in 2009.

Of the nearly 11 million undocumented people living in the US in January 2009, 37 per cent, or four million, arrived since January 2000, 44 per cent since the 1990s and 19 per cent since the 1980s, the DHS said.

An estimated 8.5 million of the 10.8 million unauthorised immigrants living in the US in 2009 were from the North America region.

Ahmadinejad declares Iran as a nuclear state

Two pc of illegal immigrants in US are Indians

New Zealand gurdwara honours killers of Indira

Wellington: Some members of the Indian community in Auckland were upset by the decision of New Zealand’s largest Sikh gurdwara to honour the three killers of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi as martyrs.

The temple in Manukau has hung on its walls portraits of Gandhi's bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, who were killed in a gun battle after firing more than 30 bullets into her in 1984, and of co-conspirator Kehar Singh, who was

sentenced to death, the Weekend Herald reported on Saturday.

Entitled "Shaheed Bhai" - or martyr brother they hang alongside others who have been killed for their Sikh beliefs. The newspaper described how the pictures had divided the Sikh community and upset other Indians in New Zealand's largest city, which has the country's largest Asian population.

"If someone wants to honour a terrorist, that's an individual choice," Veer Khar, general secretary of

the New Zealand Indian Central Association, told the paper.

"But to put them up in a public place, as a community we totally condemn such an activity."

He acknowledged that atrocities were committed against the Sikh community prior to Gandhi's assassination, but said honouring the men who killed her was creating unnecessary tension.

"We sympathise with the pain, we don't deny that those things happened," he said. "We want

to say that we have to move on in life."

However, Ranvir Lali Singh, a Sikh who has been involved with the temple for 15 years, told the paper that anyone who died for the religion was considered a martyr.

"We don't consider those who killed Indira Gandhi as terrorists, they are our martyrs," he said.

"She was killed by her Sikh bodyguards as revenge for her attack on the Golden Temple, our holiest shrine, and for that, we consider them our

Roundup Chinese court jails top dissident Beijing: A high court in Beijing has upheld the 11year imprisonment given by a lower court to Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese writer and prominent dissident, who has evoked the sympathy of governments and human rights activists across the world.

In a rare development, diplomats of the United States and European Union gathered outside the Beijing high court trying the case. The US ambassador to China Jon Huntsman issued a statement calling for Liu’s release saying he should not have been convicted in the first place. But the Chinese foreign ministry said that the government would not be influenced by the international outcry against the court verdict. "There is no dissidence in China," Ma Zhaoxu, spokesman of the foreign ministry, said.

"I’m innocent," Liu, 54, shouted as he was being removed from the court. The Beijing court rejected his appeal against the judgment of a lower court which convicted him in December for "inciting subversion of state power" through his writings.

Haiti govt raises quake toll to 230,000 Port-au-Prince: The Haiti government now says that last month’s devastating earthquake has claimed 230,000 lives and more bodies remain uncounted.

The government initially estimated 150,000 dead on January 24, apparently from bodies being recovered in the rubble of collapsed buildings in Port-au-Prince, the capital that was near the epicentre.

Communications Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue said the government now counts 230,000 deaths. But she says the new figure is not definitive.

She says it does not include bodies buried by private funeral homes in private cemeteries or the dead buried by their own families.

The new figure gives the quake the same death toll as the 2004 Asian tsunami.

Indian professor killed in Alabama shooting Washington: A disgruntled leady professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville last week shot dead three of her colleagues, including an Indian professor. The professor was miffed at being denied a tenure. Three other school employees were wounded in the incident on Friday. School spokesman Ray Garner identified the dead as Gopi Podila, chairman of the biological sciences department; Maria Davis and Adriel Johnson, both associate professors of biology.

Indian American professor Podila's research interests included functional genomics of plant-microbe interactions and plant molecular biology and biotechnology. Police did not immediately identify the suspect who was in custody and a second person who was detained, 'not arrested'. But Huntsville Times identified the suspect as Amy Bishop, a Harvard University trained neuroscientist.

25 killled as trains collide in Brussels Brussels: At least 25 commuters were killed when trains collided head-on during rush hour outside Brussels on Monday, the mayor of the suburban town of Halle told Belgian media. "There are at least 25 dead," said the local official, cited by Flemish public television VRT and national press agency Belga.

Neither the national railways company SNCB nor the track operator Infrabel were able to confirm the toll.

However, "police would place the probable toll from the accident at least a dozen dead," Infrabel spokeswoman Fanny Charpentier said, spelling out that two trains initially collided head-on. "The collision was brutal, the train didn't brake," an unnamed passenger was quoted by RTL TV news website as saying. "Wagons have been turned over, lots of people are in shock."

26

Saturday 20th February 2010 - Asian Voice

Obama names Indian Muslim as Special Envoy to Islamic world

Washington: Much to the delight of Indian Muslims, US president Barack Obama has named an IndianAmerican Muslim as Washington’s special envoy to the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). The White House on Friday named Rashad Hussain, an Obama acolyte who is son of Indian immigrants from Bihar, as the US envoy to the 57–member OIC, following up appointments of several Indian-Americans, including at least two other Indian-American Muslims, to high level posts. Obama had earlier appointed Srinagar-born Farah Pandit and Dr Islam Siddiqui, an immigrant from Uttar Pradesh, in his administration.

Africa Focus Crisis in Kenya over suspension of ministers Nairobi: Kenya is again facing a fiery political crisis after clash between the Prime Minister Raila Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki over suspension of two ministers.

On Tuesday, Salim Lone, adviser to Odinga said Cabinet minister from Oding’s party will boycott future Cabinet meetings till the dispute between the Prime Minister and the President is resolved. Lone said Odinga cannot function effectively following the dispute. On Sunday, Odinga suspended two ministers following allegations of corruption. Hours later, President Mwai Kibaki annulled the suspensions.

The spat has sparked a debate in Kenya about constitutional powers and high levels of corruption.

Odinga has asked former U.N. chief Kofi Annan to mediate, and Kenya's Attorney General has warned that the dispute could foster a constitutional crisis.

Ivory Coast President Gbagbo dissolves government Yamoussoukro: Ivory Coast's President Laurent Gbagbo has dissolved the government and electoral commission, casting doubt on when the long-delayed elections will occur. Prime Minister Guillaume Soro has been asked to form a new government.

Mr Gbagbo accused the electoral commission of fraudulently trying to add more than 400,000 people to the electoral roll. The opposition says most of them are from ethnic groups in the north, who were unlikely to support Mr Gbagbo. In the past two weeks, presidential supporters have been trying to use the courts to remove thousands from the electoral roll, accusing them of being foreigners.

Nigerian parliament appoints VP as acting president Abuja (Nigeria): Nigeria's parliament has empowered Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to run Africa's most populous nation in place of an ill and absent president, striving for a political end to a crisis that ground the government to a virtual halt and triggered the resumption of an insurgency in the vital oil sector.

But the move is not contemplated in the constitution, legal experts say, and could cause more friction between the Christian south, which gains the presidency at least temporarily, and Muslim north, which finds itself out of the seat of power.

SA celebrates 20th anniversary of Mandela’s release Cape Town: South Africans on Thursday last celebrated the 20th anniversary of former president Nelson Mandela's release from prison by sharing their memories of his triumphant walk to freedom after 27 years behind bars for resisting apartheid. Veterans of South Africa's struggle to end racist rule, of which Mandela became the emblem during his imprisonment, converged on Groot Drakenstein prison near Cape Town from early morning to commemorate the historic event, which laid the ground for the country's peaceful transition to democracy in 1994.

EU deplores Libya visa ban for Europeans Tripoli: The European Commission has condemned Libya's decision to stop issuing visas to the many Europeans whose countries are in the Schengen border-free zone. The commission says it "deplores the unilateral and disproportionate" Libyan decision and the nations affected will consider an "appropriate reaction". Libya's move came after Switzerland allegedly blacklisted 188 high-ranking Libyans, denying them entry permits. The Swiss ban is said to include Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family. Switzerland is in the 25-nation Schengen zone European countries that have abolished mutual border controls.

Two OZ premiers clash over attacks on Indians Victorian premier accuses his NSW counterpart of fishing in troubled waters

Melbourne: John Brumby, the Victorian Premier, has slammed his NSW counterpart, Kristina Keneally, for suggesting that Indian students fearful of coming to Melbourne due to recent racist attacks should instead consider Sydney.

Brumby accused Keneally of seeking to exploit Victoria's problems with violent attacks against Indian students.

He claimed that Keneally was trying to drag down Victoria while her state was much less safe than Victoria.

"We are the safest state in Australia, full stop. All of the statistics on that are unambiguous," The Age quoted Brumby, as saying.

He pointed out that the crime rate against the person was 552 per 100,000 people in Victoria - half the 1100 per 100,000 in NSW.

John Brumby

Kristina Keneally

His attack came in the wake Keneally's announcement last week that a NSW minister was being sent to India to sell the message that students who came to NSW would be helped into safe accommodation.

"The difference between Sydney and Melbourne may be lost in the overseas market. We want to send a message that NSW is a welcoming place for international stu-

dents," she said.

Brumby said Victoria continued to attract visitors and residents from around the world and interstate - "by the way, including from NSW".

"When you are the best performer, as we've been in this area, of course you get people trying to drag you down. But the facts remain: we are seen as the most liveable city anywhere in Australia," he said.

Welcome desk at Melbourne airport for Indian students A welcome desk has been established for Indian and other international students at the Melbourne airport to "help settle" them, a minister said last week.

Victorian Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation Bronwyn Pike said that students would receive a warm welcome at the International Student Welcome Desk located in the arrivals hall at Melbourne International Airport. The government "knows international students need support to help settle in to a new country", said Pike.

A team of local volunteers will now be at the desk during peak arrival times to hand out welcome packs to international students arriving in Melbourne.

London: Senior ministers have found the ideal platform to converse directly with the public to strengthen support for the war effort in Afghanistan.

Yoosk.com, the social media tool that enables direct conversations between public figures and the general public, has brought the likes of Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth and Secretary for I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development Douglas Alexander closer to the people with concerns about the situation in the war-torn region.

David Miliband has already responded to nearly 15 questions ranging

from issues of tackling poverty in the region to what victory in Afghanistan will look like.

The initiative was launched in the lead up to the London Conference on Afghanistan in January, which brought together political leaders from across the world to address issues around lasting peace in the region.

Yoosk stepped in to facilitate a more people-topeople consultation between government figures and various audience groups. In a video response to the questions, Miliband acknowledged the great concern over British casualties and said it was important that it was addressed. “The

objectives are to ensure that Afghanistan is never again a place for international terrorism and I think the concerns are over whether they can be achieved,” he said.

The key driving force behind Yoosk is to encourage ordinary people to put their passion for specific social and economic issues to work by asking the right questions of key decision makers, rating their responses in a Performance League Table and fuelling further debate.

This innovative tool has received further funding from Channel 4’s 4iP investment fund and Screen West Midlands.

The six-figure investment will be used to add further

functionality to the service, already in use by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Justice, among others.Central to the development of Yoosk's toolbox will be the enhancement of its capacity to pull in questions from a wide number of online communities using widgets, Facebook applications and Twitter.

Yoosk’s vision is for elected leaders and other public figures to be available to the public for interviews and conversations online. A key motivation is to popularise participation, empowering the public to take a greater interest in the political process.

Logon to: www.yoosk.com

Kabul: The avalanches that blocked a mountain pass north of Kabul last week has claimed at least 166 lives, Afghan officials said. Afghan army troops dug through huge snowdrifts trying to rescue people from buried vehicles in the Salang Pass, a key road that connects the Afghan capital with the north. Helicopters ferried rescuers to the scene and brought down the bodies.

Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary said rescuers have recovered 166 bodies from the Salang Pass, 115 km north of Kabul.

Some of the victims were found frozen to death inside their vehicles.

Kabul: The NATO-led forces on Sunday claimed to have gained control over Marjah and other major strongholds of the Taliban militants in Afghanistan as the new offensive involving over 15,000 soldiers continued for the second day.

The forces, including the US, Afghan and British troops, killed 27 militants and seized crucial positions across Marjah since they began house-to-house search in the southern Helmand province as part of the operation 'Mushtarak' (together) launched on Saturday.

Mohammed Dawood Ahmadi, a spokesman for

Helmand province's governor, said Afghan and NATO forces had set up 11 outposts across Marjah and two in the neighbouring town of Nad Ali. "We now occupy all the strategic points in the area," he said.

From those posts, marines and soldiers began patrolling, searching door-to-door for weapons and fighters.

This phase of the operation, considered the most dangerous, is expected to last at least five days.

However, the allied forces faced resistance from the insurgents and the pattern suggested that the hardest fighting lies in

the days to come, The News reported.

One American and a British marine soldier were reported killed by small-arms fire. NATO officials said that no civilian casualties had been reported.

The combined forces also held meetings with local Afghans and asked for help in finding Taliban and hidden bombs in the area.

The offensive has been launched as part of America's new strategy to establish the control of civilian government in the troubled areas before the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan in 2011.

UK ministers tackle public concerns on Afghanistan

Afghan avalanches kill 166 people

NATO troops gain control of Taliban stronghold

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

27

Court tells govt to restore water, medical care to AQ

Lahore: A Pakistani court last week directed the federal government to provide medical care and other facilities to disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan after he complained that authorities had placed a "ban on water and medical supplies" to him. A single-judge bench of the Lahore High Court issued the order after Khan’s counsel Syed Ali Zafar told it that the government had deprived the scientist of medical facilities and barred him from leaving his residence even to visit his brother who is critically ill in hospital. Khan’s counsel told the court that the scientist’s relatives and friends had been stopped from visiting him.

Gilani tells terrorists to prepare for death

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani last week warned terrorists to prepare for death if they did not abandon nefarious acts of terrorism and adopt the right path.

Addressing a meeting of parliamentarians of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, he said the terrorists had been defeated by the army in the Swat valley and Malakand division and would soon be crushed everywhere else in the country.

The government could not ignore the issue of terrorism as "it is not only the issue of our survival but of our coming generations", Gilani said.

Terrorists are enemies of Islam and humanity

Passing of women’s rights bill criticised

Islamabad: Pakistan National Assembly member Jamshed Dasti has criticized passing of Women Rights Bill by parliament and said that the house has insulted Islamic society by doing so.

Dasti said rights of men should also be taken note of, and that he would soon move a bill in this regard in the lower house.

Dasti vehemently opposed the Women Rights Bill, saying it was tantamount to an insult to the whole Islamic society.

He also criticised former President General Pervez Musharraf's regime, and said that any law which was made in the general's rule has become a problem today.

Leaders belonging to radical parties such as the Jamaat-e Islam (JI) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) had also objected to the bill in the lower house, saying that it was a violation of the fundamental norms of Islam and the constitution.

They said that such a law would promote "vulgarity among women", and proposed sending the bill to the Council of Islamic Ideology for further review.

Yousuf Raza Gilani

who did not even know which nation they wanted to fight, he added.

Pakistan's armed forces had broken the back of terrorists, who are now on the run from their hideouts and were targeting innocent people in cities, he said.

Gilani asked workers of all political parties to

keep a vigilant eye on "doubtful and alien elements" and cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

Referring to the performance of his government over the past 22 months since it came to power, Gilani said it had adopted the path of reconciliation in national politics and the effects of this policy are being felt now.

He said democratic culture is being promoted, institutions are being strengthened, the constitution is being implemented and supremacy of the parliament is being established.

The constitution of 1973 will be restored in its original form and all blots introduced by dictators and unelected elements

for their personal gains will be removed from it, he added.

Gilani equates Kashmir to Palestine Pakistan prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has equated Kashmir to Palestine, saying peace will be elusive in South Asia and Middle East unless these issues are settled. During a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Gilani said: "The resolution of the Palestine issue finds resonance in the just and peaceful struggle of Kashmiri people for selfdetermination."

"People of Palestine and occupied Kashmir are fighting for their just right of self-determination," he added.

Musharraf is one of the biggest stars on Facebook

Islamabad: Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, whose popularity is quite unmatched on social networking website Facebook, has been declared "Connector of the Day" by CNN. "Musharraf is becoming one of the biggest stars in Facebook. His personal Facebook page has more than 127,000 fans and he regularly answers questions and posts status updates," reads a note put up on CNN.Com.

Pervez Musharraf

Musharraf, who signed up on Facebook sometime in October last year, has

become very popular across the board.

The former military ruler, who quit in August 2008 to avoid impeachment, is currently living abroad. According to Musharraf's own snapshot of his fans according to age, location and gender, he has about 100,000 Pakistanis following him on Facebook.

As of February 1, he also had 629 Indian fans, with 258 based in New Delhi.

Pakistani lawyers boycott courts over judges row

SC panel blocks Zardari’s order appointing two new judges

Islamabad: Many Pakistani lawyers boycotted courts on Monday in a protest against President Asif Ali Zardari, who is embroiled in a potentially destabilising dispute with the judiciary over the appointment of judges.

Earlier the lawyers boycotted the courts and launched a nation-wide strike for the reinstatement of chief justice who was sacked by military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

The latest row erupted on Saturday when a Supreme Court panel blocked an order from Zardari issued earlier that day appointing two judges, one to the Supreme Court and the other as chief justice of the high court in the city of Lahore.

The court said Zardari's order was a violation of the constitution as the president had not consulted the Supreme Court chief on the appointments. The presi-

dent's spokesman denied any impropriety, saying the chief justice had been consulted.

The lawyers were back on the streets on Monday in major cities across the country, protesting against the unpopular Zardari.

"We warn the government to stop this adventurism, stop constitutional adventurism. It will be harmful to them," Qasi Mohammad Anwar, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association said.

North Waziristan Agency on January 14.

The sources claimed Mehsud died recently near Multan city in Punjab province while being taken to Karachi for treatment.

His body was taken back to the tribal belt, they said.

However, there were also reports that Mehsud had died almost two weeks ago and was buried in his father-in-law's vil-

lage in Aurakzai Agency.

Te h r i k - e - Ta l i b a n Pakistan spokesman Azam Tariq is yet to issue statement about Mehsud's death. Tariq has been insisting that Mehsud is alive and at an undisclosed location. The Taliban sources also said commander Noor Jamal alias Maulana Toofan had been named as the new chief of the Pakistani Taliban.

Pakistani and US security officials had been saying for the past two weeks that they were certain Mehsud had died of injuries sustained in a US drone attack. Shortly after reports of Mehsud's death first emerged in midJanuary, the Taliban issued two audio messages in which the dreaded commander claimed he was alive.

Taliban confirms Hakimullah Mehsud’s death

Islamabad: Pakistani Taliban last week confirmed that its chief Hakimullah Mehsud had died of injuries sustained in a US drone strike, ending weeks of speculation over his fate. Taliban sources based in the Aurakzai tribal region told TV news channels that 28year-old Mehsud was severely injured in a drone attack in Shaktoi area of

US comfortable with safety of Pak N-arsenal

Washington: The Obama administration is comfortable with the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, US defence secretary Robert Gates said. At the same time he said that Osama Bin Laden’s outfit, Al-Qaida, is helping the Pakistani Taliban to "destablise" the government in Islamabad. He said that evidence suggested that al-Qadea is helping Taliban in planning, targeting the attacks, Gates told FOX News.the "It's a syndicate. And (the United States is) try-

ing to help the Pakistanis understand that if any of the three of these, or others such as the Haqqani network, are successful, it redounds to the benefit of the others. So we've got to attack this problem as a whole, rather than piecemeal," Gates said.

Gates said though he has no idea where the top al-Qaida leaders, including Osama bin Laden are, but there could be opportunities once Pakistan forces start operation in the region and they start to move around.

Islamabad: The hearing in the Mumbai attack case against LeT's operations chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects was adjourned for a week without any proceedings on Saturday as the judge was busy with another official engagement.

"There were no proceedings on Saturday as judge (Malik Muhammad Akram) Awan had to go for an engagement in the Supreme Court," Shahbaz Rajput, the lawyer for some of the accused, told a news agency.

Sources said the next

hearing was scheduled for February 20.

However, they said it was unlikely that there would be any proceedings on that date too as Bar Council elections are scheduled for the same day. It is expected the trial, which is being conducted within Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for security reasons, will resume only on February 27.

The accused were last year formally charged with planning and helping execute the assault on India's financial hub in November 2008.

Islamabad: Pakistani authorities have blocked Youtube for some hours to prevent people from seeing a video in which president Asif Ali Zardari told an unruly section of a gathering to “shut up.”

This action by the authorities have evoked strong protest from the public.

The clip that has been cross-posted at several websites shows Zardari saying a forceful "shut up" to members of the audience while speaking at a recent rally.

The blocking of Youtube by the Pakistan Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n Authority figured prominently on Twitter and several new versions of the "shut up" video have sur-

faced and are being circulated. One "remixed" clip has Zardari talking to the audience with a dialogue

by Amitabh Bachchan playing in the backdrop, followed by the Black Eyed Peas' song "Shut Up".

Adil Najam, editor of a popular magazine, wrote: "If authentic, and it seems to be, the video is striking, but also sad to see. Such behaviour is embarrassing for any politician, but especially for the president of a country."

Comments expressing shock at Zardari's behaviour are piling up on several websites. "I guess Mr Zardari will realise that 'jab awaam bolne lagegi tab shut up karna mumkin nahin'," read one comment.

Pak court adjourns hearing of Mumbai attack case

Blocking of Zardari ‘shut up’ tape evokes protest

DIMPLE SELF DRIVE HIRE LTD

DIMPLE VANS - CARS - MINIBUS

! Competitive prices ! No hidden extras ! Unlimited mileage 3 days & over ! Special weekend rates ! Minibuses 8, 12, 15 & 17 seaters ! Vans & estate cars

Mini Bus (8-17 Seater) 8 Seater from £60 12 Seater from £65 15 Seater from £70 17 Seater from £80 Small Cars from £25 Medium Cars from £30 Large Cars from £35 Large Vans from £40

Tel: 020 8205 1200 / 7898 Fax: 020 8200 7426 www.dimpleselfdrive.com Email:dimplemotors@aol.com 19 Varley Parade, Edgware Road, London NW9 6RR

e

28

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

This week CB Patel, Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar will be talking on different topics including his trip to India

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500

If you do not have a tv, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Week commences 20th February 2010

To ask questions please call on: 020 8963 1001

For more information e-mail:

cblive_matv@yahoo.co.uk

Don't miss !!!

Thursday 7pm to 8pm

Only on CB Live - MATV Sky 793 - Thursday 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Coming Events ! Hanuman Chalisa on Sunday 21st February at 10.30am at Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple , 55 High Street, Cowley, Middlesex UB8 2DX. Contact on 07882253540 ! Holi Celebrations on 28th February, 6-10pm Mother's Day with Pandit Ravi Sharma on 14th March, 2pm-6pm Community Centre, 67A Church Lane, London N2 8DR Contact: 020 8346 6686 ! Swamirayan Temple, Neasden presents Holi celebrations on 28th February 2010 5pm8pm Swaminarayan School, 260 Brentfield Road, London NW10 8HE Contact: 020 8965 2651 ! Hindu/Sikh Speed Dating followed by 'Asian Woman Fashion Soirée' - After Party Date: Saturday, 20 Feb 2010, Venue: “Agenda Bar”, 6:45-9:30pm and 9:30pm-3am Minster Court, 3 Mincing Lane, London, EC3R 7AA ! Hindu Speed Date in Leicester @ Revolution Bar Date: Thursday, 25th Feb. 2010 Revolution Bar b New Walk, Leicester LE1 6TF ! Hindu & Sikh Speed Date in Manchester @ Revolution Bar Date: Friday, 26th Feb. 2010 Venue: Revolution Bar – Manchester

90-94 Oxford Road, Manchester M1 5WH ! Presstop creative presents SLAMbassador UK Thursday 25 February Sascha Aurora Akhtar Thursday 4 March Music by Baluji Shrivastav Friday 19 February Kuch Kuch Friday 5 March Zoe & Idris Rahman by Friday 12 March ! Come along to St Luke’s Hospice Indian Mela (fair) with lots of Indian themed stalls, selling products and offering taster sessions.

Do some shopping whilst tasting some lovely food. Many stalls on the day including, Henna, Jewellery, Indian head massages, Saris and lots more organised by St Luke's Hospice on Saturday 24th April 2010 Venue: Claremont High School, Claremont Ave, HA3 0UH Time: 11am until 2pm. Contact Kate on the details below Kate Gammell on 020 8382 8096 or email kgammell@stlukeshospice.org www.stlukes-hospice.org ! Time for change by Brahma Kumaris, Sunday 21 February 25:30pm at Global Cooperation House, London NW10 2HH. Contact: 020 8727 3350

Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Anne Hoose Deputy Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Chief Financial Officer: Surendra Patel Tel: 020 7749 4093 Email: surendra.patel@abplgroup.com Accounts Executive: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Advertising Managers: Alka Shah Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Mobile: 07944 151 893 Email: alka.shah@abplgroup.com Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07957 694 909 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Advertising Sales Executive: Girish Katira - Email: girish.katira@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4011 Rovin John George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 Nikhil Gor - Email: nikhil.gor@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4009 Business Development Managers: Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 - Email: george@abplgroup.com Design and Layout: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Saroj Patel Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad Tel: +9179 2646 Fax: +9179 6061

COMPETITION

What is the Ideal Home Show all about?

If you give a correct answer you may win 4 tickets for your family.

Write to Alka at alka.shah@abplgroup.com with your correct answer and full postal address.

Last day of entry: Monday 22nd February 2010.

Special ticket offer expires on 19 March 2010.

Visit www.shreemevents.com for more details.

Please note that kids 15 years and under can attend the show for free.

'Chak De' star visits Chak 89

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 Your attitude to what you want out of life will have an important bearing on your main objectives. Don't be afraid to act more forcefully if opportunities present themselves and where there are competitive elements. Close personal relaionships may come under some stress and strain keep your temper in check.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Health is an important area that you will take seriously. It is likely that you may embark on a course of physical exercise and diet. It could be quite a difficult week psychologically with increased danger of misunderstandings arising and not being able to see the wood from the trees. Try to be diplomatic.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 You are likely to be lucky in terms of opportunities and meetings with helpful persons. Whatever you are aiming to achieve at this time will suddenly take a leap onto a new level.

If you are hoping to move up the ladder of succes, this is definitely a time to be on the alert for new openings.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 Many cancerians will be intent on expanding their mental horizons.

Your way ahead is likely to become very clear now priortise your future goals. This is an appropriate time in which to talk things over with your loved one especially anything that has been worrying you or making you feel insecure.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 Love and close personal relationships will occupy the centre of your attention this week. With Venus remaining in your opposite sign, any emotional tensions will be smoothed out easily and harmony will prevail. On a purely practical note, you can expect your financial affairs to take a turn for the better.

Shahrukh Khan visited one of his favourite restaurants last week, the award winning Chak 89 based in Mitcham.

He so loved the ambiance and the wonderful service that he promised to come back again.

Manager Mr Khalid said, "Chak 89 has regular visits by celebreties including Jay Sean, Raghav, Rahat Fateh Khan and many more who have loved the food and service. If you want to meet them, you should visit us."

Amazing predictions

Sneh Joshi, the UK’s leading Vedic astrologer, writer and TV personality can answer questions on: ! Health Problems ! Investments ! Married Life ! Children’s matters ! Marriage Compatibility ! Love Affairs ! Court Cases ! Any other problems

Call 020 8518 5500 and face your future with confidence!

Chief Executive Director: Kamlesh Amin Tel: +91 922 710 4308 Email: kamleshamin123@yahoo.co.in Editorial Co-Ordinator (BPO): Suresh Samani (M) +91 9898441330 Email: sureshsamani@yahoo.com Dy. Editorial Co-Ordinator (BPO): Nilesh Parmar (M) +919426636912 Consulting Editor (BPO): Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Fax: +91 79 2550 9944 Mumbai: Kanti Bhatt, Hemraj Shah (Jumbo Advertiser) Horizon Advertising & Marketing: 205 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad Tel / Fax: +91 79 2646 5960 (M) +91 9913346487 Email: horizonadvt2009@yahoo.in Neeta Patel, (Advertising Manager) (M) +91 98255 11702 International Advertisement Representative: Jain Group(South India) Tel: +91 44 42041122/3/4 Fax: +91 44 25362973 Mumbai: +91 222471 4122 Email: jainmedia@eth.net

Asian Voice Main Office

Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080, Fax: 020 7749 4081 www.abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications Asian Voice switchboard: 020 7749 4000 Gujarat Samachar switchboard: 020 7749 4080 Sales: 020 7749 4085

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 Venus continues to favour your love life. If you are still seeking the ideal partner, things are definitely looking up. An increase in your social life is likely to bring you in touch with someone attractive. At work you need greater flexibility as well as a degree of patience. Do not step on any one's toes.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 Don't get over- anxious if you feel that you're being kept in the dark. You will probably find that worries have been unfounded.

Although you may be faced with a difficult decision concerning your career or employment, this is not the time to hide. Don't waste time if you can improve matters.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

Your urge towards greater freedom and independence is very strongly accentuated. In intimate affairs, the prospect appears entirely favourable. In work matters you can expect a progressive phase. Efforts to bring about desirable changes in your working life are more likely to be positive.

SAGITTARIUS Nov23-Dec21 It's time when experience will enable you to enrich your inner mind and personality. You are moving into a new phase of life which will bring wider scope for developing your unique qualities and talents. You are likely to move around more than usual. Life will become very lively and there will be a lot of social interactions.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 Don't take shortcuts in legal or official matters. It will be only too easy to feel exasperated by bureaucracy but you won't be doing yourself any favours if you lose your cool. This is a fine time for you to get away from the mundane realities of life and relax. Some of you will probably go abroad.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 You can expect a lively and varied time ahead. Communications will be free and easy, making this an excellent time to deal with important matters. Also, you'll find that people you meet, perhaps especially newcomers, will be a stimulating influence and may encourage you to dabble in new interests.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 You can expect a sustained and quite hectic flow of visitors to contribute greatly to a very buoyant atmosphere. If you are ambitious, this promises to be an important time in your life. You are likely to get the lucky breaks and reach a wider audience no matter what your aims.

TIME

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

C R O S S W O R D - 75 1

2

3

4

5

6

14

7

10

11

22

24

25

29

23

26

30

31

32

36

37

41

42

38

39

33

34

35

54

55

56

40 43

44 49

45

50

46

47

51

52

53

57

58

62

63

64

65

66

67

59

27 30 31 32

Across 1 Woody Allen movie 6 Ginger cookies 11 parts of gals.

14 Passion 15 Mayhem 16 Swiss canton 17 Root of bitterness?

19 Earthlink rival 20 Integers, briefly 21 Laptop surfer’s connection 22 “The White Album” track 24 1966 Wilson Pickett hit

33 36 41 42 43 44 45 48

60

61

Color bands Safecracker ___Aid Elizbeth of “Lone Star” Sch. in Lexington Sobriquet for Stallone Stag attendees Bonkers ___de vie (clear brandies) Summers in provence Steals, as livestock Colorado pro

52 53 54 57 58

Less friendly Exchange fee Couple Training run Mail system, 1860-61 62 Unified 63 Landlord 64 Stand for art 65 Postal motto conjunction 66 City near York 67 Nixon’s Agnew Down 1 TV jou rnalist Paula

Solution of Crossword-74

SPELLATHON - 75

C H I R A U R A W H A T S F A S A L U M T O R E W H A T A A H M W H A T H A R E A B E T L I N N E T T A

Today’s Ratings: 03-average |04-good | 05-outstanding

How many words of four or more letters can you make from the letters shown in today’s puzzle? In making a word, each letter may be used once only.

Each word must contain the central letter. There T should be at least one E S seven-letter word. Plurals, G foreign words and proper names are not allowed.

E T British English Dictionary A is used as reference.

Solution of Spellathon - 74 emir, mime, mire, miser, simmer, swim, SWIMMER

Sudoku-75 6 3 6 1 2

1

8

5

1

6 7

20 12

Example

1 3

Solution of sudoku-74 5

HOW TO PLAY Each row, column and square 3x3 box is a sub-grid of 9 cells. Fill in the grid so that each subgrid contains the digits 1 to 9. Every puzzle has one solution.

1

9

4

7

8

6

2

3

2

7

4

9

3

6

8

1

5

8

3

6

2

5

1

7

4

9

1

4

8

5

6

7

9

3

2

6

5

7

3

9

2

4

8

1

3

9

2

8

1

4

5

7

6

4

2

7

8

9

6

N A O A L

P L I E R

C I R R I

S T E N O

D O C A N O G E S

1

8

9

3

6

7

3

6

2

5

1

9

4

1

7

4

3

2

5

8

6

17 7

29

By Dr Anil Mehta

Charles Darwin – The father of evolution

Charles Darwin (180982), British naturalist and geologist is considered as one of the greatest and most innovative scientists ever lived. He laid the foundation of modern evolutionary theory that changed our understanding of the world and our place within it.

Born (1809) in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, of a wealthy family, Darwin was judged a failure at school in everything except sports, though he was fascinated by all living things, collecting plants and insects.

He failed to complete his medical training at Edinburgh, and moved to Cambridge to gain a theology degree.

However, instead of joining the church, he set off on a journey which was to change his life and the direction of biological science.

Aged 22, Darwin joined the ship HMS Beagle on a 5-year scientific expedition (1831-36) round the world as an unpaid naturalist to pursue his interests in zoology and geology. This gave him the opportunity to observe a variety of geological phenomena in different continents, and the flora and fauna especially of Galapagos Islands in the South Pacific (600 miles off the coast of Ecuador), which formed the basis of his work on animal variation. He collected hundreds of specimen of fossils and rocks during the voyage.

Galapagos in particular offered Darwin a living laboratory in which he saw how various creatures had evolved to fit their surroundings.

Darwin’s family wealth meant that he didn’t need to find work, so, on his

return he spent his time in lecturing, writing, and expanding the ideas he had begun to develop on his voyage. Like everybody else at the time Darwin believed that species of plants and animals were individually created and remained unchanged for all time. But in Galapagos Islands, he observed that each island supported its own form of wildlife (tortoise, birds etc) which was closely related but slightly different in

many ways from island to island.

After much deliberation Darwin concluded that all living (man included) and extinct species were not somehow created in each geological age but were evolved over billions of years from a common ancestor or a single tree of life. New species were the descendents of earlier less complex species. These had gradually changed as the environment changed around them (natural selection) acquiring special characteristics (flying, swimming and so on).

Species best suited to their environment were more likely to survive (survival of the fittest) and passed on

the characteristics which helped them to survive to their offspring. Simply put, evolution was brought about by mutation and inheritance.

Darwin didn’t published his findings for the fear of the offence they might cause (his devout wife was horrified!) but in 1858, when he learnt that another Englishman, a young naturalist Alfred Wallace had developed similar ideas to his own, he published his book, ‘The Origin of Species by Natural Selection’ in 1859. It was an instant success though provoked fierce opposition especially from the Church as it contradicted the biblical belief of divine creation.

Darwin’s another book ‘The Descent of Man’ (1871) which discussed human creation aroused even greater debate since it suggested that human descended from apes – an uncomfortable thought for many!

However, since his ideas were based on enough scientific evidence, they soon gained currency and now very few would question the theory of evolution. His research on plants was also published in a series of books.

Darwin married in 1839 to his cousin Emma Wedgwood and lived happily with his family in a small estate in Kent. A shy man, he declined to debate his work publicly. He died in 1882 and was buried with great honour along with other greats at Westminster Abbey, London. Although his theory has been modified over time, it remains fundamental to the study of biological sciences. His remarkable achievement is marked by his appearance on the £10 note.

WHATZIT? - 75

Solution of 74 :

3 9

A R G I L

8

7

7

4

M A O R I

The one word was “AMEN”. thus making the Boss believe he was praying rather than sleeping.

4

4

O T T A U W R A S A L E S T Y R A U P P I S A

9

3

5

C R A M

O P E N D I V A O E V E R A O R C H A T Y O U S T S A R I H A M A C I D E R D E A E W O R R A A R E W H A T S A O N E Y O G O

MINDBENDER - 75

2

3

R E S E W N

Every single human, plant and animal has had one at some point on Earth Many things can cause you to lose it, but many things can be done to preserve it, it can be very painful and hard, but very enjoyable at the same time, sometimes other other people take their own, but many people try to improve theirs.

What am i?

4 8

13

19

21

28

12

16

18

20

48

9

15

17

27

8

2 Smack addition?

3 Front-runners” abbr.

4 Island near Naxos 5 Matured 6 Arrow bodies 7 Ms. comanceci 8 Fauna starter?

9 Opp. of neg.

10 “Luv” dramatist 11 Chickenlike bird 12 Fairy-tale tol collector 13 Half-bracked 18 Get up 23 Tail greeting 24 Pepper grinder 25 Putin’s refusal 26 Actress Rowlands 27 Take off the top 28 Shopper’s bag 29 Motley horse 32 Ltr addenda 33 Perfume holder 34 Pouting face 35 “Devil Inside” group 37 Worldwide police grp.

38 Violini Leopold 39 Plain-crash grp.

40 Apollo’s mother 44 Night before 45 Actress Mimi 46 Trademark DOS 47 Ranges 48 French mustard 49 Low-budget prefix 50 African nation 51 Spoked 54 Lucie’s dad 55 Manipulator 56 Norway’s capital 59 Have a tab 60 Compass dir.

61 LL Cool J’s genre.

PASS

Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters.

Solution of - 74 : Caught in the act

KAKURO - 75

The numbers in the pink squares refer to the sums of the digits that you must fill into the empty spaces directly below or to the right of the pink square containing the number. For instance, in the given example, Solution of KAKURO - 74 the 2 boxes below 12 must contain 2 digits 8 11 17 that add upto 12, 14 whereas for 20, the 3 9 5 9 7 12 12 9 boxes places horizon7 8 1 3 2 11 21 2 1 4 tally next to it must add upto 20. No zeroes are 14 18 4 2 15 1 9 8 16 6 8 used here, only the digits one through 10 15 6 9 20 2 4 1 3 nine.

4 Note: 1 3 9 6 9 28 A digit cannot 27 15 appear more than 7 5 9 6 9 6 11 once in any particular 24 11 digit combination. For 9 8 7 8 7 9 2 9 instance in the exam20 ple, we cannot have 2 4 1 8 5 1 6 the combination of 15 6 8+4+8 for 20.

9 6 5 1

13

6

14

14

16

8

21

8

16

12

5

13 16

13

16

17

10 10

14 29 22 19

3

7 18

23 22

7 13

16 6

8 16

14

7

4

23 11

30

HEALTH WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

White rye bread healthier than whole wheat?

Wholegrain bread is good and good for you, as most people know. But it is not only the fiber-rich bran, the outer shell of the grain, that is healthful.

On the contrary, research at the Lund University Faculty of Engineering shows that bread baked with white rye flour, which is flour made from the inner, white part of the rye kernel, leads to better insulin and blood sugar levels compared with wheat bread with rye bran. White rye flour thus leads to much better values than both regular wheat flour and rye bran.

At the same time, much of the bread that is sold in stores today in most countries is in fact baked with wheat flour and bran from various grains.

The great difference between white rye and white wheat surprises the researchers.

"Precisely what it is that makes rye lead to a stable blood sugar curve is as yet unknown. But we are getting closer and closer to an answer.

There are several different types of rye, and all not all types have the same effect, which means that some of them can be omitted from future studies. The rye flour that is sold in stores is often a mixture of different types," says Liza Rosén, a doctoral candidate in

Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry at the Lund University Faculty of Engineering, who has led the study. The research is part of the EU project "Healthgrain," in which researchers study how wholemeal products can be used to prevent diseases including type 2

diabetes and heart and vascular diseases.

According to Liza Rosén, if you want to optimize the health benefits, you should eat porridge or bread made from whole grain, where all the parts of the grain are included.

"This gives you all the benefits of rye. The bran includes many healthful fibers, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

This also helps give a feeling of satiety and helps lower blood sugar responses over the long term. On the other hand, we did not see such good results regarding blood sugar and insulin directly after the meal," she says.

In meal tests the

researchers also found that individuals who ate boiled rye kernels for breakfast were fuller and ate significantly less for lunch, more precisely 16 percent less in energy intake, compared with those who ate bread made from white flour.

They also found that

both bread and hot cereal made with white rye and wholegrain rye are more filling than white wheat bread. The most effective form was rye porridges.

"It is probably the water in the porridge that increases the feeling of satiety. But the water has to be mixed into the product. If you drink the same amount of water with rye bread, the results are not as good," she explains.

The original objective of Liza Rosén's research was to try to determine the reasons that wholegrain products are so beneficial, in that they have been shown to protect against cardiovascular diseases and certain

types of cancer. There is also strong evidence that whole grains can prevent type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.

"Since rye has been shown to yield low insulin responses, I started with that. A high insulin response can lead to insulin resistance in the body, that is, that the body has a hard time responding to insulin.

Insulin resistance can result in high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and bad blood fats, which in turn increase the risk of age-related diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Since I have found so much of interest, I haven't had yet time to look into barley, for instance, but perhaps in the future. On the other hand, several other researchers at Lund University have studied barley and its health benefits," says Liza Rosén.

There are only a few studies of how wholegrain forms of various cereal grains affect our health, so there is a great need for more detailed studies of the issue.

Enhanced knowledge in this field creates a base for the development of a new generation of custom-designed wholegrain products that can counteract different types of diseases associated with our prosperity.

Cocktail of vitamins may give cancer patients an extra two years Cancer patients with terminal disease who take a daily cocktail of vitamins could extend their lives by two years or even longer, claim researchers.

Three out of four in a pilot study survived an average of five months longer than the expected one year, and some were

still alive three years after treatment started.

Dr Bob Lister, coauthor of the study by British and Danish researchers, said the results were similar to the survival gains from new drugs and in some cases better. But the important difference was there were no side

effects reported by patients taking vitamins, he said.

Dr Lister, chairman of the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition at London Metropolitan University, said: 'We believe these results are meaningful and justify trying to get backing for a proper clinical trial.

People with cancer are constantly asking what can we do, not necessarily to beat the cancer but to have a better quality of life whatever the length of survival.

Most importantly, taking these supplements is extremely safe, and there were no adverse reactions among the patients.'

High levels of vitamin D halve risk of developing heart disease and diabetes

People with high levels of vitamin D almost halve their risk of developing heart disease or diabetes, claim researchers.

They found those with lowest levels of the vitamin in their blood were at greater risk of a range of serious disorders.

The findings come from a review of 28 existing studies involving almost 100,000 people which looked at vitamin D levels among the middle-aged and elderly.

The research team from Warwick Medical School discovered a 43 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome among people with high levels of vitamin D. They claim most people

can boost their vitamin D intake through diet and sun exposure - at lest 30 minutes twice a week.

There is mounting evidence that vitamin D could play a vital role in helping prevent disease and stopping elderly people suffering falls.

US researchers last year claimed vitamin D 'deficiency' may be to blame for

600,000 cancer cases worldwide each year, particularly in northern European countries where sun exposure levels are relatively low.

The latest study published in the medical journal Maturitas found those with high levels of vitamin D were 33 per cent less at risk of having cardiovascular disease compared to those with low levels.

There was a 55 per cent reduction in risk of Type 2 diabetes and the risk of metabolic syndrome was halved.

'Overall, we found that high levels of vitamin D are associated with a 43 per cent reduction in cardiometabolic disorders,' said the researchers.

One of the authors, Dr

Johanna Parker, who is currently working in a Birmingham GP practice, said the review excluded people given vitamin D supplements as part of the research, but they may have taken them of their own accord.

She said: 'We recommend people eat a healthy diet with two to three portions of oily fish a week and five portions of fruit and vegetables. Most, about 90 per cent, of your vitamin D comes from sunshine so we recommend sensible sun exposure in the summer.

People should expose themselves for 30 minutes twice a week - this means exposing the face and arms with no sunscreen. This would provide the body with adequate vitamin D.'

HEALTH WATCH IN BRIEF Can chocolate reduce stroke?

Eating a bar of chocolate a week could help prevent strokes, according to Canadian researchers.

Scientists conducted a study of 50,000 people and found that those eating chocolate were 22 per cent less likely to suffer a stroke than those who didn't. In addition, people who had a stroke but regularly ate chocolate were 46 per cent less likely to die as a result.

The researchers claim that the reason for the findings could to be that the food is rich in flavonoids, an anti-oxidant.

However, the scientists were also keen to stress that it is important to keep in mind that eating too much chocolate will affect a person's weight, as chocolate is high in saturated fats.

They also warned that more research will be needed to look into the possible link between eating chocolate and reducing the risk of stroke.

Stroke and heart disease are common complications of diabetes.

"We already know that there are compounds found in chocolate, called flavonoids, that are thought to provide some protection from heart disease," said Libby Dowling, Care Adviser at Diabetes UK.

Rhubarb could fight cancer Eating rhubarb baked in a crumble is not only tasty it may also be the best way to take advantage of its health benefits, and could lead to the development of new cancer treatments.

Researchers have found that baking British garden rhubarb for 20 minutes dramatically increases its levels of anti-cancerous chemicals. The findings from academics at Sheffield Hallam University, together with the Scottish Crop Research Institute, were published in the journal Food Chemistry.

These chemicals, called polyphenols, have been shown to selectively kill or prevent the growth of cancer cells, and could be used to develop new, less toxic, treatments for the disease, even in cases where cancers have proven resistant to other treatments.

Academics are now hoping to use the results to study the effect of rhubarb's polyphenols on leukaemia. They aim to discover the best combination of polyphenols and chemotherapy agents to kill leukaemia cells, even those previously resistant to treatment.

It is the first time the benefits of British garden rhubarb, specifically a variety grown in South Yorkshire, have been studied.

Previous research has focussed on Oriental medicinal rhubarb, which has been recognised for its health benefits and used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years.

Feeling stressed? Try chamomile! This 'traditional' remedy has been around for years, but how much truth is there behind this old wives' tale?

In an evaluation for Faculty of 1000, Michael Van Ameringen and Beth Patterson draw attention to the first randomized controlled trial of chamomile for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

The study, recently published in the Journal ofClinicalPsychopharmacology, reports that "chamomile extract therapy was found to be efficacious for mild-moderate GAD".

Patients with mildmoderate GAD were included in the study and

received either chamomile or placebo.

Those that received the chamomile treatment were found to have a significant change in the severity of their GAD. Van Amerigen and Patterson comment on the results of the study, saying that they "suggest that chamomile may have modest [anti-panic] activity in patients with mild-moderate GAD and may potentially be used in those who are averse to traditional pharmacotherapy".

Calming power of chamomile

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

www.abplgroup.com

IPL in trouble again after threats from within, outside

Shiv Sena unrelenting on OZ players; Deccan Chargers unhappy over shifting matches The highly popular and cash rich cricket carnival of IPL in India is in trouble again. And the problem seems to be three pronged this time. Having decided to shift all home matches of Deccan Chargers from the two Andhra Pradesh cities, the League and BCCI have

been slapped notice by the franchise, asking to review the decision or face a boycott from the Champions of season III. The issue was however resolved later on Tuesday evening, with Cuttack being the compromise venue for a few matches.

On the other hand,

even the Shiv Sena has reiterated that would not allow Australian players to play in Mumbai, while after the blasts in Pune over the weekend, Huji a Pakistan based terrorist group has also warned all foreign players to keep away from coming to India. Huji threat is also

extended to the Hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth games.

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi had last week decided to shift all the matches out of Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam in view of the volatile situation in Andhra Pradesh over the Telangana agitation.

B’desh posed some challenge in the last ODI NZ scamper home with a 3 wicket win at Christchurch

At Christchurch on Thursday last week, Bangladesh gave a spirited diplay in batting and bowling, even though it was not good enough to beat the home team or prevent them from a clean sweep.

New Zealand won the 3rd and final ODI by 3 wickets, but only after a mini collapse in the later part of their run chase raised some hopes for the visitors.

Batting first, Bangladesh posted a modest 241 with the help of a maiden ton by Imrul Kayes, while Shakib and Ashraful were the only other batsmen to score more than 30 runs. Shakib also posed some real challenge for the home team with his bowling, as he claimed 4 wickets from his 10 overs giving away just 33 runs. But Martin Guptill played the key innings, scoring 91 runs and almost assuring the

innings, building productive partnerships with the middle order to guide his team to 198 for 4 after 40 overs.

Kayes paced his innings intelligently. Playing second fiddle to the likes of Ashraful and Aftab Ahmed, he rotated strike Tamim Iqbal is bowled by Tim Southee effectively and at Christchurch on February 11 hit the occasionhome team of a victory, al boundary to keep the though they were almost scoreboard ticking even as 50 runs away from the tarwickets fell at regular get at that point of time, intervals around him. He when Guptill walked back was eventually dismissed to pavilion. Two more for 101, looking for quick New Zealand wickets fell runs in the 48th over. in quick succession, but Bangladesh could only Franklin and Butler did manage 43 runs from the not allow any further damfinal ten overs. Daniel age and wrapped up the Vettori, wicketless until the game in the 46th over.

44th over, scalped up three Kayes batted for the batsmen in consecutive majority of Bangladesh's overs to end with 3 for 42

from his ten. Tim Southee was the pick of the New Zealand attack, conceding just 37 runs from his ten overs with 3 wickets.

Brendon McCullum began the chase in belligerent fashion, pulling Shafiul Islam over square leg for six in consecutive overs, but fell attempting an ugly slog, dragging a fuller Rubel Hossain delivery onto his off stump.

Martin Guptill was in supreme touch from ball one. The running between the wickets was especially impressive while Guptill was in the middle, stealing lightning-fast singles to men in the infield.

Guptill batted beautifully to string the New Zealand innings together. {Brief scores: 3rd ODI - NZ 244 for 7 (Guptill 91, Shakib 4-33) beat B’desh 241 for 9 (Kayes 101, Southee 3-37, Vettori 3-42) by 3 wickets}.

Hockey World Cup to have commando security After the Pune blast last weekend, the government of India decided to enhance security arrangements for the World Cup Hockey tournament that is getting underway in the last week of this month.

The venue of the hock-

ey extravaganza is the National Stadium near India Gate in New Delhi.

About 200 commandos armed with guns and 1000 troops of central para military forces will be on duty to ensure that the tournament remains safe through

March 13. 12 Countries are participating. 400 players and officials, delegates are expected.

IPL will be starting from March 13, while Delhi will again be hosting commonwealth games in October.

The security of Commonwealth Games will also be reviewed afresh to ensure safety of 9,000 athletes from 71 countries besides 1,00,000 international spectators, who are expected to visit the country.

Team India at Vancouver Olympics cuts a sorry picture

Uniform not good enough, some members did not even get one The Indian contingent cut a sorry picture at the opening ceremony of Vancouver Olympics opening ceremony as the entire team, while parading were not in one uniform. Flag bearer Shiva Keshavan said the mismatched attire embarrassment was a result of horrible quality of the Uniforms.

It led to the Indian community mobilising donations to give the team a better set of uniform.

According to local

media reports, the uniform that had been given to the team for the opening cere-

mony was of poor quality.

A local businessman donated fresh uniforms that the Indian athletes wore at the opening ceremonies at the BC Place.

The government however had a different story to tell. India's Chef de Mission in Vancouver R K Gupta reportedly said that Shiva was miffed because he wanted his father to march in the opening ceremony and since there was no uniform available for him, Shiva chose to not wear the uniform himself.

Further clarifying its position in the matter, the government provided a statement of the expenditure on each athlete, refuting all claims that members of the team were not provided adequate financial help.

From bearing the expenses of their ceremonial clothing to daily allowances of USD 50 per day, the sports ministry said it has spent around Rs 7.4 lakh on the eightmember Indian contingent at the Winter Olympics in

31

IPL attracts one of the top England football clubs The cash rich cricket brand of IPL has attracted one of the top England football clubs. Commissioner of Indian Premier Leauge (IPL) Lalit Modi told one of the English dailies in London that the club is keen on bidding, as two new teams are up for grabs and the process will be over in less than a month, before the IPL season kicks off next month.

Reacting to the reports, Manchester United and Chelsea have denied of any intentions or interests.

The base price for getting a franchise is set at approximately £143 million.

Brett Lee may call it a day Australian speedster Brett Lee has said the elbow surgery he underwent was the most painful of the many surgeries he has undergone.

He further said, he was not sure whether he would play cricket for Australia again.

He had the operation in December and hence Brett Lee could not play in atleast two series. He has already announced retirement from test matches in December 2008. Yet, he is not sure whether he would be fit again to play even ODIs. It all depends on his recovery post the surgery.

Lee has endured plenty of injuries over his decade-long international career but has still found time to take 310 Test wickets and 324 ODI wickets.

However, he said the elbow problem was proving especially tough to get over.

Ravindra Jadeja banned for a year by IPL Ravindra Jadeja, a talented and upcoming allrounder who has already played for India in T20s and ODIs was on Saturday last week banned by the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) for one year. He was charged for ‘anti team activities’ and slapped with the ban. The 21 year old player from Saurashtra, according Ravindra Jadeja to the IPL was trying to negotiate for a better contract with other IPL teams without having secured a nod from Rajasthan Royals, the team that had picked him up two years ago. IPL players guidelines and terms say that RR have the first right to say no, any player can only contact other teams after they have exercised their right. Jadeja’s contract with RR was over, but he did not accept the offer of renewal.

Lalit Modi, IPL Chairman and Commissioner announced the ban and warned players that the T20 League will not tolerate any blackmailing.

In a strongly worded statement, the IPL boss said, “The player guidelines laid out by the Governing Council of the IPL are sacrosanct and all players will need to strictly adhere to the same. We will not tolerate any player playing games or blackmailing any teams or the IPL/BCCI in any manner.”

English Premier League Matches Saturday, 20 February Arsenal v/s Sunderland Emirates Stadium 15:00 Everton v/s Man Utd Goodison Park 12:45 Portsmouth v/s Stoke Fratton Park 17:30 West Ham v/s Hull Boleyn Ground 15:00 Wolverhampton v/s Chelsea Molineux 15:00 Sunday, 21 February Aston Villa v/s Burnley Villa Park 14:00 Fulham v/s Birmingham Craven Cottage 15:00 Man City v/s Liverpool City of Mcr. Stadium 15:00 Wigan v Tottenham DW Stadium 16:15 Monday, 22 February Blackburn v/s Bolton Ewood Park 20:00 Tuesday, 23 February Man Utd v/s West Ham Old Trafford 20:00

32

www.abplgroup.com

"#$% !"#$% !

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th February 2010

!!!"#$%&'()*%"+),

ODI drubbing for WI Ponting pockets series 3 – 0 at Brisbane

Skipper Ponting lead his team from the front, scoring his 29th century in the limited overs edition. He contributed 106 in his team’s mammoth score of 324. Chris Gayle led the charge, but could not carry on for long, as he perished at 34. Though three of his batsmen scored half centuries, West Indies found themselves 50 runs short as the match ended on Sunday at Brisbane.

Friday last week, the visitors had some chances to register a win after they bowled out Australia for 225 runs, but rains played the spoil sport at Sydney as West Indies had just begun their chase. The match had to be abandoned.

With this, Australia secured a 3-0 lead and continued their unbeaten home campaign in Tests, ODIs and a T20.

For Ricky Ponting, it was his first in an ODI at

Adam Voges and Ricky Ponting celebrate the run out of Wavell Hinds at Brisbane on Sunday

Brisbane. A Sunday crowd of more than 20,000 applauded. It was a healthy crowd for this series.

Cameron White was also scored an attractive 63, which included some brutal hitting of the ball and his body. He was hurt by a Pollard bouncer when he was on 35. The ball missed his helmet and hit his jaw, though an x-ray revealed he had no major

damage.

Bowling by West Indies was wayward at the start, though their early catching was spectacular.

Shane Watson had rushed to 26 when he lofted Smith and Wavell Hinds sprinted back from midon, diving for the take just inside the boundary. Tim Paine (24) also made a start but departed to a cut shot which ended up with a leaping Pollard at point.

Batting was harder under lights than it had been during the day and the Australian bowlers were on target when it mattered.

Deonarine was in good touch during his 53 but the pressure grew and he had to hit out, giving Hauritz a wicket when he found long on. Pollard walked in with the team needing eight an over and two runs a ball were required off the final ten overs.

Once Pollard got settled he planted a couple of big sixes but in the end the assignment was far too big. It's been like that for the touring teams for most of the summer. {Brief scores: 4th ODI OZ 7 for 324 (Ponting 106, White 63) beat WI 8 for 274 (Deonarine 53, Pollard 62, Smith 58*) by 50 runs.

3rd ODI - Match abandoned - WI 0 for 6 - OZ 225 (Clarke 46, Hussey 44, Rampaul 4-61).}

Cricket gets Olympic nod

ICC yet to decide on participation International Olympic Council (IOC) last week granted recognition to ICC, making the popular game eligible to get into the Olympics. At a meeting last week in Vancouver, Canada, IOC granted recognition to ICC, paving way for Cricket’s participation in Olympics from year 2020.

Two other games – sport climbing and power boating also got the IOC nod.

IOC director of communications Mark Adams said after the meeting held ahead of the Winter Olympics, “They are recognised federations by us, which now means that they can take part in IOC events. It could be seen as a first step towards Olympic becoming sports,” he added.

Haroon Lorgat, chief executive of ICC applauded the IOC decision, as he

said, “The ICC is extremely proud of the recognition that cricket has got. We have always considered it to be the first step in becoming a part of the Olympic family.

Lorgat further said, T20 is the only format of the game that could be a part of the Olympics. He said, ICC has yet to decide whether the body would bid for participating. It will be put on the agenda for one of the forthcoming ICC meetings.

!"#"$ &&&'(")&*#"*'$(