AV 20th March 2021

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE The Census 2021: Helping build a robust future for communities SEE PAGE - 9

PM Modi flags off symbolic Dandi march on its 91st anniversary

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SEE PAGE - 23

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

20 - 26 MARCH 2021 - VOL 49 ISSUE 45

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“It takes a village to raise a child…and abuse one”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson to visit India in April-end

Silent sufferers of sexual abuse, campaigners of forced marriages and barristers fighting police brutality and racial profiling ask why are South Asian women sidelined in this conversation?

Photo credit: Twitter

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Priyanka Mehta

“I was in Year 5 when it first happened. You would not think that your maternal grandfather would make you sit on his lap whilst watching television and get you to stroke him. But he did,” disclosed Snehal Desai*. “I was 10-years-old. I didn’t know how to react and excused myself the first chance I got. It happened again, a few times. I don’t remember the count. But I started avoiding him and tried my best to never stay alone with him in a room. I wanted to confide to my mum but he was my maternal grandfather and she would never believe me and I did not have any evidence to show for it.”

Continued on page 6

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit India at the end of April 2021, making it his first major international trip post-Brexit.

Mr Johnson’s trip around Indian Republic Day celebration on 26 January 2021 was cancelled following an increase in the Covid-19 cases as UK plunged into a third lockdown.

This trip will be prior to his G7 meeting in the UK in June, which will be attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Continued on page 6

2 UK

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

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20 - 26 March 2021

with Keith Vaz

Leicester film about child rights wins at biggest national awards programme

Sonia Luther Sonia Luther was born and grew up in Isleworth West London. She went on to study BSc Hons Optical Management at Anglia Ruskin University before going onto to work as a dispensing optician manager at a well-known high street eyecare optical companies.

Whilst working in UK and Ireland she decided to become self-employed and that opened up a series of new opportunities that allowed her to demonstrate her skills better. She undertook further studies and achieved a MSc in Computing and is currently studying MA Law aspiring to become a Solicitor.

Sonia went on to become a TV presenter for Loveworld TV on sky for a show “Business Intelligence” showcasing individual’s entrepreneurial achievements. The highlight of the series was when she had the opportunity in 2017 to interview Ken Olisa OBE HM Lord Lieutenant for greater London.

Her second highlight as a tv presenter was being invited to an event at the home of Anil Agarwal founder and chairman of Vedanta Resources Ltd in London and having a special moment with him where he told her that she can achieve anything in life and all she must do is think BIG!

1 2

What is your current position?

I work as an Optician.

What are your proudest achievements?

I have had quite a few achievements over the years, but I really feel the proudest is yet to come.

What inspires you?

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I am inspired by my courage and believe in myself when others refused to - Observing greatness being demonstrated around the world through individuals is a catalyst for me to always be improving and growing. As a female from an Asian background that has been hard. I’ve had to break the norms and walk ahead without support on many occasions only to find that people had been waiting for someone like me to bring them the light and courage to show them that it can be done.

What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

Being intelligent yet sometimes doubting my abilities to reach higher as I feel I may not be ready only to be confronted by fools who are in positions, they did not qualify for. I feel many people may understand this!

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

I have not had a mentor to guide me and most times it has been a challenge, so my biggest influence in life comes from a scripture which talks about faith and hope. Heb11:1 “Faith is the confident assurance that some-

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thing we want is going to happen.

It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it ahead”.

What is the best aspect about your current role?

Helping people with their eye care needs and being able to advise them with the best options and educate them about their best personal solutions.

And the worst?

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Sometimes we see young children due to situations out of their control suffer from eyesight problems that could have been avoided if the parent /guardian had been vigilant and concerned to bring them for an eye health check-up sooner.

What are your long-term goals?

To be a serve as a member of parliament and open a foundation that provides help and assistance for vulnerable children.

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

I would encourage more women, ethnic diversity to enter the world of Politics and Policy making.

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

Chanakya – The royal advisor, pioneer of political science, economics, and management in ancient India. I would enjoy listening and learning from his wisdom and the come back to the present time and be a star!

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A film about children’s rights made by young people in Leicester has won the prestigious Children & Young People Now award.

Titled Was Not Heard, the film was awarded in the category of recruitment and professional development and has been recognised by the biggest national awards programme in the youth and children’s work sector. It has been singled out by judges as the project that made the biggest contribution to boosting recruitment and the status of work with children, young people and families.

Was Not Heard was made in Leicester with the support of youth workers at Leicester City Council, in association with local film-makers Badshoes Film. It was funded by NHS England and the Safeguarding Partnership Boards of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The film highlights the rights of children to have their voices heard, be listened to by adults and to have their views and opinions considered and respected by decision-makers. In

doing so, the film is highlighting Article 12 of the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states ‘I have the right to be listened to, and taken seriously’.

The film was devised by young people from Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and received a virtual ‘premiere’ in July 2020. It was written by 17year-old Yasmin Allen with narration and performances from 12 young actors aged from six to 17.

Commenting on the message of the film, Yasmin said, “By listening to youth voices, adults can become the bridge between our problems and support. Not listening and not acting on what you hear doesn’t just break trust, the consequences are that you leave young people in a vulnerable position. The message of this film is that it’s time to listen more carefully.”

Was Not Heard is also being used as a training tool for professionals who work with children and young people. The film has recently been included in an online Psychological First Aid course for practitioners across children’s services, produced by Public Health England. So far, more than 30,000 professionals have enrolled onto the course.

Cllr Sarah Russell, deputy city mayor responsible for social care, said, “It’s fantastic news that Was Not Heard has won a Children & Young People Now award. This is a really powerful film that demonstrates how important it is that we listen to the children and young people we work with.

“The fact that we were up against The National Youth Agency, a national organisation, for this award shows just how ground-breaking and ambitious our work in Leicester is. The film has also been recognised by UNICEF, so it’s had international exposure. It’s amazing to think that something made in Leicester is having such a farreaching impact.”

Domestic violence doubles during lockdown On 12th March, it was reported that calls by Sikh women seeking help from abusive relationships have more than doubled over lockdown.

According to the BBC, the Sikh Women's Action Network (SWAN), based in the West Midlands, said that calls during lockdown were up by 244%, with almost 60 families helped over the past year. They further noted that domestic abuse was often "brushed under the carpet" by the wider community and that more needed to be done to help Sikh survivors of domestic

abuse.

SWAN was formed in 2014 by a group of Sikh women who felt many issues including domestic violence, child sexual exploitation and alcohol abuse were being ignored in the community. According to the organisation forced marriage is a particular problem still largely unaddressed and unresolved. In the first three quarters of 2019, the charity had helped 24 families around the UK, but, during the same period in 2020, it had helped 58 families.

In a statement to the BBC,

Co-founder and executive director Narinder Kaur Kooner said, "Cases have risen so sharply because during the lockdown, many of the perpetrators have used victims as their human stress ball to take their anger out on them. In many cases victims had reached out for help as soon as they could".

According to the West Midlands Police reports of domestic abuse had risen 38% in a year and Chief Constable Dave Thompson believes cases now accounted for about a fifth of all work taken on by his officers.

Sentenced for 33 years for double murder Three men have been jailed for life after two men were brutally killed with a crossbow during a cannabis farm burglary in Brierley Hill.

Saghawat Ramzan, his son Omar Ramzan, and Mohammed Sageer claimed they acted in self-

defence when they brutally killed 19-year-old Khuzaimah Douglas and Saghawat’s own brother, 36-year-old Waseem Ramzan. The Ramzan’s lived next door to their professional and lucrat i v e cannabis factory in (L-R) Omar Ramzan, Saghawat Ramzan and Pensnett Mohammed Sageer R o a d , extreme violence in a brutal and Brierley Hill. sustained attack on Khuzaimah.

Commenting “We believe they wanted to on the burglary send a clear message to the peogone wrong ple who’d attempted to rob their Detective Chief cannabis factory. However, Inspector Jim Saghawat also killed his own Munro, from the brother during the attack which homicide team, further highlights their determisaid, “The actions nation to cause serious harm and of these three men just how dangerous their were shocking, weapons were. in June 2020. The boy has been brutal and calcu“Two lives have been lost conditionally bailed from court lated. To protect because these men decided to and will next appear at their use extreme violence in an cannabis Birmingham Youth Court on 21 grow, they were attempt to protect their illegal May for pre-sentence reports. drug business." happy to use

Birmingham teenager admits terror offences On Thursday 11th March, a 15-year-old Birmingham teenager has pleaded guilty to terrorism charges at a youth court.

The Bartley Green boy – who cannot be named due to his age – admitted the offences at Westminster Magistrates Court. The charges relate to three counts of possessing a document used to prepare or commit an act of terrorism between 5 May 2020 to 23 June 2020.

He was arrested at his home

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20 - 26 March 2021

Britain carrying the vices of The Empire When one thinks of Britain, one imagines a first-world progressive country ruled by law, tolerant of peaceful dissidents and respectful of democracy. They think of a country steeped in the constitutional virtues of liberte, egalite, fraternite and freedom of expression. They believe justice is done by all, and most fundamentally indiscriminately available for all.

But the UK appears to be carrying the vices of The Empire.

The Raj under its colonialisms had mercilessly strangulated the peaceful non-violent Satyagraha movements heralded by eminent freedom fighters including ...........Mahatma Gandhi.

Revolt of 1857, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Bengal famine are infamous examples of the brute forces that the British administration had imposed on the Indian subcontinent before it eventually attained freedom from the Raj. And today the “Go back Simon” movement is oddly reminiscent of British citizens themselves turning against the Tory government as they assembled at Clapham Common in solidarity with Sarah Everard. The police decided to dismiss these demonstrators apparently under Covid-19 restrictions. Perhaps, rightly so considering London has only just recently started recording a decrease in the number of coronavirus restrictions and is on the course of an unlock mode. But even so, is the solution to the problem the usage of brute force? Pinning down women, detaining them and ultimately issuing fines against them? Has that strategy resolved anything? If only it has been a PR nightmare for the Met Police as Chief Dame Cressida Dick comes under increased scrutiny over the handling of the police officers. The widespread fury and subsequent demonstrations from Met Police headquarters in London to Parliament Square have only added fuel to the fire. While the police authorities stand divided over her decision to not resign, she has been pub-

licly rebuked both by the London Mayor and the Home Secretary for her handling of the situation. Some may observe that both politicians were conscious of earning brownie points.

It is election season for Sadiq Khan and he has been known to publicly condemn such instances. But what beyond condemnation? One would do well to remember the violent protests outside the Indian High Commission in London following the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir by the Indian government.

Mr. Mayor headed talks with the home secretary and held discussions with Indian diplomats about the lapse of security. But come Diwali and his Trafalgar Square celebrations had no takers and sponsors, a first for the Mayor and an embarrassment at that the Indian diaspora felt that Khan had disappointed them.

With regards to Priti Patel, it would not be an exaggeration to state that the Home Secretary appears to be opposed to any and all forms of dissent. Be it her public dismissal of the Black Lives Matter protests where she labelled the protestors as “goons and thugs”. Or more recently as she stated at the floor of the parliament that the vigil was ‘hijacked’ by protesters even as she sympathised with the protestors on the face of it. Regardless of the politician, fact remains that such a sensitive subject as this has unfortunately been politicised. At the cost of what?

But what is perhaps, more disconcerting is the fact that South Asian women find themselves out of the narrative.

Activists of forced marriages, barristers advocating against police brutality and racial profiling argue that the second phase of the #MeToo movement is predominantly a white campaign.

They urge the victims of domestic violence, honour-based killings and sexual abuse to report about all incidents explaining that the #MeToo movement must reach the South Asian households.

Every cloud has a silver lining It has been a year since all hell broke loose, as WHO declared outbreak of Covid-19 as a ‘global pandemic’. One year on, everything has change about the world including the society as we knew it. Normal lives have ground to a halt, with millions of people dead. Many have lost loved ones, livelihoods and mental stability. UK has undergone unprecedented number of disruptions and its Asian community has been affected disproportionately.

In an article written by 5 authors in British Medical Journal, there was a parallel drawn to Covid-19 to the Spanish Flu, which arrived in Europe in 1918. It came in three major waves: a mild first one in the spring of 1918, the next and most devastating one in October-November 1918, and the last moderate one in early 1919. A vaccine was invented in October 1918, although the pathogen that caused the flu was only invented in 1990s. Doctors in 1918 and 1919 faced many of the same challenges as we do now.

But they did not have the means to tackle them, including inability to test vaccines or new drugs. We have obviously been prepared for Covid-19, but what we have not been prepared is mental health distress caused by a hug-less year.

What we had not prepared for was the deepest inequalities of the society to come to the surface, naked, unchallenged, causing record amount of grief and distress. Health workers from ethnic minority, working relentlessly, were at breakdown point yet facing institutional racism, battled on without protective equipment (PPEs), dying of neglect – became almost a sacrificial lamb.

On 23 March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation. The Daily Telegraph reported that the Downing Street insiders said that the previously unknown meeting on the morning of Saturday, 14 March last year was the moment lockdown became inevitable. Yet it would be another nine days until Mr Johnson issued his historic “stay at home” direction – a delay that senior figures in the government now admit was a mistake.

Whether that delay has cost lives, and how many, and whether any Government could have done better with the information it had at the time, will be one of the central questions of a promised inquiry into the handling of the pandemic.

The contagion highlighted two faces of our national health service (NHS). It’s unparalleled care for the elderly and its weak, vulnerable and rickety core- affected by years of government cuts and austerities.

Reports were written, oaths were taken, claps were heardbut even after one-year, the ethnic minority community which has been hit harder, has remained at the bottom of government’s priority including during the crucial vaccination period. While ‘friends’ pockets’ fattened with exclusive contracts, helpless children were left without food, a step that called for footballer Marcus Rashford to start a movement.

But has everything been lost in this pandemic? Perhaps not.

Children home-schooled have connected with parents like never before- spending more time together as a family. People learnt to value life and relationships that they had forgone for years. Old friends connected and basic movements like a walk or run in the sun have never been cherished more.

Technology boom has given birth to new forms of businesses- a world of innovations like never before. Most importantly communities have come together, nations joined hands to help each other – another first in many years. In the UK every community and organisations, including temples, mosques, gurdwaras have together helped the needy, lonely and hungry. And now leading the way is India- distributing vaccines to its neighbouring states as well as UK, helping the world to emerge victorious at this rat race against time and deaths. Every cloud has a silver lining, and this pandemic is perhaps a true reminder of that proverbial saying.

Steep fall in birth of children after pandemic There is a steep fall in the birth of children in Europe this year.

Coronavirus pandemic has been blamed for biggest fall in the birth of children. In France, 53,900 babies born in January 2021, down from 62,180 in January 2020, were conceived at the start of the first nationwide lockdown imposed by France in March 2020 to halt the spread of Covid-19. The doctors who spoke about the fall in the birth of children said that because people don't have children within a certain time frame, also affects the birth rate.

Because of the pandemic, lots of people are out of jobs, how are they going to plan for children, that is an economic burden. Then in UK, because of the pandemic, people's spending power has come down. How are they going to buy houses and if they don't have a roof, how are they going to have children. The whole idea of going to have children and progressing with family life is changing. Preliminary data also show sharp declines in the number of births in Spain and Italy, two countries already facing the challenge of ageing populations. Evidence points to similar trends in the UK and the US, too. A collapse in the number of newborns in industrialised economies following a pandemic or an economic crisis is not usually a surprise to demographers.

Potential parents are typically anxious about job security and their ability to support their offspring. “What’s different this time is that the fall in births is really big,” said Arnaud RegnierLoilier, a researcher. “It’s a bit unprecedented, but the crisis is also unprecedented.” People at Singapore and other places do not want to have children at a young age and also people are travelling to various countries across the ocean. They are the moving economic group, their kind of jobs have also changed. When

people move to other countries, they take a long time to settle down and have children. The type of work is changing, affordability is also changing, that is also one of the reasons why the numbers are dwindling. Of course Corona virus have claimed a number of lives, which is also one of the reasons for the low birth of children. The world economy is falling because of the corona virus and that is reflecting on people's personal lives and they postpone to have children.

With the birth rates having come down, what is the answer to corona virus, it is the vaccine. Since India is the major producer of vaccine, it is distributing the vaccine to many countries in the world. In India the birth rate is not affected. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has implemented a number of development schemes, India is in a better position economically compared to other countries in the developing world. According a report, the global population is to peak at 9.7 billion by the year 2064, with the number of people across the globe forecast to fall back to 8.8 billion by 2100. Populations in 23 countries, including Japan, Thailand, Italy and Spain, are forecast to see their respective populations shrink by more than half, while another 34 countries, including China, are set to see a drop of more than 25%. In contrast, the population of sub-Saharan Africa is anticipated to triple over the course of the century, the research said.

North Africa and the Middle East are the only other regions predicted to have a larger population in 2100 when compared to 2017. By the end of the century, the world will be multipolar, with India, Nigeria, China, and the US the dominant powers in the population league.

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.– Henry Ford

Alpesh Patel

How Venture Capital Helps Drive the UK Economy The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a worldwide decline in growth, employment and productivity.

These economic disruptions have pushed CEOs and CFOs to plot fresh pathways that ensure the future health of their companies in these unpredictable times.

The smartest among them are using corporate venture capital (CVC) to secure investments that will position their businesses to flourish when normal order resumes.

As someone who runs a Private Equity fund I am very aware of the importance of capital to the economy.

Why Venture Capital Investment is Needed Now More Than Ever When economies contract, credit becomes scarce.

Now, after vast government stimulus packages for individuals and businesses, cuts in public money and even a return to austerity are on the horizon. For companies looking to expand, innovate and scale-up, CVC investment will be vital.

However, even before the pandemic, CVC was a source of much of the worldwide economic growth across various industries like agriculture, tech and finance. Young companies with the potential to disrupt the market with unique products, technology and new business models have been long-standing recipients of this kind of investment. It’s fair to ask where the booming tech industry might be were it not for outside investment that was prepared to invest the time and energy into understanding the potential of the products.

CVC Investment In UK Tech Firms Last year, CVC investment saw the creation of seven ‘unicorn’ tech companies in the UK through venture capital investments. Companies like Gousto, Cazoo, Gymshark and green energy provider Octopus Energy are worth more than £1bn dollars each and are set to be a source of high-quality employment for years to come.

Uncertainty brings about a kind of caution that can stifle business. Of course, it’s natural in times of great upheaval for enterprises to become protective and secure near-term revenues and cut spending. But history has shown time and time again that smart strategic investment will see a business emerge from the chaos into a more vital force.

The data is unequivocal on this. Companies that have been the most active CVC investors outperform the market short and long term.

How Economic Disaster Forges The Next Generation of Success Start-Ups and Entrepreneurs One thing that has frequently been observed during economic downturns are the opportunities that emerge. Some of the biggest and best entrepreneurs and startups are born during times of crises; for example, the recession of 2007/08 saw the birth of Airbnb and WhatsApp, to name just a few. Many of these companies have gone on to revolutionise their respective industries.

Recession-Proof Capital Corporate venture capital necessitates a long-term view of the market, with long term success preferred over short-term, quick fixes. Because of this, VC funds are not as prone to financial conservatism during the recession. If anything, they have often raised such large amounts of capital that they must invest aggressively even during economic downturns.

A Match Made In Heaven?

As the government and banks tighten the belt, a new generation of entrepreneurs will need to seek capital to help them grow and power the economic future.

CVC funds will be crucial to helping these start-ups achieve their dreams, powering a generation of employment, taxes and ancillary industries.

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We Believe: Islamic Relief commence pre-Ramadan campaign Faith-inspired charity, Islamic Relief UK have kickstarted their pre-Ramadan campaign appealing on providing relief to vulnerable communities at home and abroad.

Their Ramadan campaign this year will be split into three strands, with the Pre-Ramadan stage of the campaign focusing on the beliefs of Muslim people and the beliefs that Islamic Relief hold dear. It uses the slogan: We Believe. As part of the pre-Ramadan campaign, supporters will receive a poster with the message, We Believe, reminding all to continue to have faith and not to despair in these trying times. Islamic Relief UK encourages supporters who receive the direct mail and the poster to display it in their windows, or at their local mosque, as a sign of solidarity with those suffering around the world.

Commenting, Zia Salik, the interim Director of Islamic Relief UK said, "When we talk to our sup-

porters about our international work, we normally ask them to imagine what it must be like to live in a developing country where there is poverty and poor health- we ask them to put themselves in the shoes of others; to feel their suffering. Over the last year, we really have lived some of the experiences of others. We too have suffered poor health and some of us have experienced increased poverty as we have lost jobs or businesses or been put on furlough. To a certain extent, we have suffered as

others normally suffer.

“We should worry about ourselves, but throughout all our own suffering, our faith teaches us not to forget to feel for others. We need to come together to feel as one. When someone else aches, we should ache too.

We believe in Allah and we believe in responding as one to the suffering of our brothers and sisters.”

From 11 March – 11 April, the pre-Ramadan campaign will highlight the work that the Charity supported last year; it will reassure supporters and potential sup-

porters that if they donate to Islamic Relief, their funds will reach people in need and will be spent as efficiently and effectively as possible. Last year, the charity assisted 13.8 million people.

This year, Islamic Relief UK will also be hosting a variety of events during Ramadan. The award-winning Cake Campaign, which was put on hold in 2020, will return in April 2021 along with a Ramadan quiz on the Islam Channel. There will be a virtual mosque on the website, where one can find a prayer timetable and some duas, and children’s resources and information on how to have an EcoRamadan. There will also be more new content on Islamic Relief UK’s new TikTok channel and a podcast launching later this month.

Ramadan is a time when Muslims are more charitable, often supporting their community through an obligatory religious levy, zakat*.

SOAS director uses the n-word; students demand his resignation After a director at a reputed London university used the n-word on a video call, students have demanded for him to be sacked.

“In a meeting with students on Thursday, Adam Habib, director of the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas), used the n-word in reply to concerns that lecturers had used the slur and that complaints from black students had been ignored by the university,” The Times reported.

Students were reportedly “horrified” after Habib used the n-word. A South African of Indian descent told The Times, “The issue around that firstly, on the n*****, somebody making that allegation, then bring it

Adam Habib

to me. I don’t know the case, this is the first I’ve heard of it.” The director's perception of the word was that he found it acceptable while his students objected to it.

A black student responded to him and said, “You are not a black man.

You cannot use that word. .

. you do not face the trauma and the oppression of black bodies, what we go through 24/7 for the last 500 years.” A short video on Twitter showed the students saying, “You do not embody our history so therefore you cannot use the word. Many writers. . . have written as to why non-black people of colour and white bodies should not use the n-word.

Because when it comes from that perspective, it is a whole different story, from when it comes from our own perspective, which is the autonomy, agency and reclamation of our

own history.”

However, the director went on record to apologise and said that in his part of the world, “when someone uses it, the context matters”. Black students have set up a petition for his resignation or dismissal in the next 31 days.

In a Twitter thread, Habib stated that he had apologised and questioned why some were “still politicising the issue. So why don’t I think it was problematic. Because context matters and I was arguing for taking punitive action.

You cannot impute maligned intention without understanding context. Do I believe only blacks can verbalize the word? No, I don’t.”

Labour suspends Newham branches for over alleged electoral malpractice The East Ham and West Ham Labour branches based in Newham, east London, are now facing an investigation for an allegation of electoral fraud was made to police by the party.The Metropolitan police confirmed it made an assessment of a claim of “electoral malpractice” but decided officers did not need to take further action.

In an internal email from London Labour officials to members, the allegations are said to be “wideranging and supported by a considerable amount of evidence”. “Furthermore, we

also understand that allegations of electoral fraud are being separately investigated by the Metropolitan police.”

The email said “significant” irregularities had been found in “new member sign-ups over a sustained period” so a “full audit of the membership” would be launched.

A spokesperson for the party reportedly said, “Labour takes all complaints extremely seriously, and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate action is taken.”

And the Metropolitan police said, “In August 2020 the MPS received a report alleging electoral malpractice in the borough of Newham. An assessment was completed which concluded that no police investigation was required.”

Newham is an area with very high support for Labour: all 60 of its councillors – barring one where the position is vacant – represent the Labour party. The borough also has a Labour mayor.

The byelection to fill the remaining seat “is to be postponed”, according to

the email sent to members on Friday. “Alternative arrangements are being made to ensure that a candidate is in place in time to contest the byelection,” it added.

Newham has previously been embroiled in an electoral row in 2017, when local members claimed there were “many failures of process/propriety and procedural irregularities” during a trigger ballot to decide whether the then-directly elected mayor should automatically remain the party’s candidate at the next election.

Can there be an emotional compulsion?

Rohit Vadhwana On many occasions, in families and friendships, people appeal to our emotions for doing or not doing something.

Is it a healthy way to compel someone? Does it produce a beneficial outcome for both sides? It is an intriguing question whether such emotional pressure - what in daily parlance call emotional blackmail - is good for a strong relationship?

'You must do it for the sake of our family's reputation,' a father telling his daughter; 'If you don't marry me, I will kill myself,' a lover saying to his girlfriend; 'Boy, think of your parents' dream before giving up engineering,' father telling his son who intends to pursue music. All these are the example we have seen in our lives, at least succeeding to get the result in favour of the person who creates emotional pressure. But does it last forever? Is it a healthy way of persuading anyone to change a decision?

In such a situation, how do we avoid making mistake on both sides? Many advise and studies are conducted on social and emotional pressures which compel an individual occasionally. Well, the following are the steps which can somewhat help to resolve the situation: 1. What is at stake?: When one person creates emotional pressure on the other to do or refrain from doing something. A question should be asked, what is at stake?

What will happen if the request is not granted? If the other person refuses to bend down to the emotional pressure, what will be the loss to the person who has created such pressure? What will be his benefit if the request is accepted by the other. If the stake is very high - in favour of the requesting person, creating a minimal loss on the acceding person, perhaps it is reasonable to agree. But if the case is reverse, not bowing to such pressure will be better.

2. How much emotions are actually involved?: Many times people creating such emotional pressure do not have any real emotions at all. The person who has to change his/her position because of such emotional pleading should certainly find out whether there is a real emotional connection between them. If not, why concede? Many times such demands are created to control the victim's behaviour which later proves emotionally detrimental to the victim.

3. Is there any middle path or alternative?: While the emotional connection is really strong and we don't want to hurt the other person, and if the stake is also very high in the other person's favour, it is important to examine our decision. In case there is a middle path or alternative which can take care of both sides, it can be chosen.

Examining the possibilities of finding a middle ground or alternative is a difficult task because high emotions are involved on both sides. And none of the sides would like to change their position/decision. But a little bit of flexibility will not hurt any of the sides emotionally and also serve the purpose of both of them.

4. Defer the decision: In case none of the solutions is working, it is better to give it time, and defer the decision for some time. In case it is about marriage, or job or divorce, whatever it might be, giving some time to implementation of the decision may resolve the issue. At least it will reduce the emotional intensity attached to it.

Therefore, emotional pressure as well as emotional hurt will be much less. Possibly there will be no pressure at all or maybe there will be no need to take that decision.

(Expressed opinions are personal.)

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“It takes a village to raise a child…and abuse one” Continued from page 1 Snehal’s story is just at the tip of the iceberg. Sarah Everard’s mysterious disappearance and untimely demise has once again exposed the systemic failures, challenged authorities and confronted society about gender violence and women’s safety even in a progressive country such as the UK. If social media metrics, widespread nationwide protests and vigils despite an on-going pandemic are to be factored then the incident is likely to go down in British history as the second wave of the #MeToo movement.

But what has the hashtag really changed if women still fear “walking home” alone at night? What of the silent sufferers of domestic violence, honour-based killings and sexual abuse? The minority women, particularly Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi daughters who are battling double marginalisation as they fear both the community and the police authorities in reporting any such mishaps?

Charity workers, lawyers and politicians ask why are they left at the sidelines of the conversation? #MeToo movement needs to reach South Asian households “I feel that the mainstream media is not profiling enough stories of minority women. It also may be the case that there are real challenges for minority women in coming forward and sharing their stories. I was one of those few women who spoke out against sexual harassment with regards to the Lord Lester case in the House of Lords. But there wasn’t enough support in the papers about the courage it took for me to complain. The debate around the subject for me as a minority woman was hardly even covered by the national media.

“The MeToo movement needs to reach the South Asian families because we need to recognise the greater barriers and challenges in reporting about these incidents. Even if they want to share their stories anonymously, these are the voices that we are not hearing enough and ones that we need to hear more of,” said Jasvinder Sanghera CBE in an exclusive interview with Asian Voice.

In 2017, a report by the privileges and conduct committee upheld a complaint of sexual harassment against Lord Lester. The complaint claimed that Lord Lester "had sexually harassed the complainant (Jasvinder Sanghera), had offered her a corrupt inducement to have sexual relations with her and had warned her of unspecified consequences if she did not accept his offer". The 82-year-old peer of Herne Hill who was consequently suspended from Liberal Democrats resigned from the House of Lords in December 2018. It had taken 12 years for Jasvinder, an ardent campaigner against forced marriages, to step forward and report the incident at the heights of the #MeToo movement. At a time when

Hollywood female actresses first started reporting against misogyny and sexual abuse in the industry. Nearly three years later has anything changed today?

96% of women don’t report incidents of sexual abuse According to the latest YouGov survey of more than 1,000 women, seen exclusively by the Guardian, there is a damning lack of faith in the UK authorities’ desire and ability to deal with sexual harassment – 96% of respondents did not report incidents, with 45% saying it would not change anything.

Concerned about the lack of a real strategy in addressing the core issues, Jasvinder said, “For me, this is a watershed moment. We need to act upon the grief of both men and women. I am concerned that such incidents happen and people come forward but there is an absolute knee-jerk reaction from the government in their inconsistent responses. I would like to see a real plan of action in terms of embedded change and a strategy that can move this forward.

“I am a mother of two daughters and all three of us at some point have experienced some form of sexual harassment and not felt safe. I hope that these stories continue to

Nitin Mehta Jasvinder Sanghera CBE

Zehrah Hassan

racism in her force and justified the use of oppressive tactics, such as stop and search.

So, it comes as no surprise that she would defend this violence in the same way she did with the Black Lives Matter protests last summer. Our Legal Observers, particularly those who are Black or Brown, are also routinely disproportionately subjected to police violence and intimidation at protests. Police brutality is a systemic problem and so no amount of police ‘reform’ or deference to those in authority will change this.

“Black Protest Legal Support condemns the police’s continued, institutional violence against protesters. Our Legal Observers witnessed police brutality at the vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common last weekend, which was emboldened by the police’s reliance on Covid-19 regulations.

“Black, Brown and Racialised groups are disproportionately subject to police violence - on the streets, in

“

There is a damning lack of faith in the UK authorities’ desire and ability to deal with sexual harassment

inform policy and practice. I hope that schools mandatorily raise awareness around healthy relationships. We need a gamechanger of an attitude towards women and it needs to start in schools.”

But the issue has transcended beyond policy and into implementation and administration. Metropo-litan Police Chief Dame Cressida Dick has refused to quit amid widespread outrage over officers manhandling women who were mourning the killing of Sarah Everard. She has been publicly rebuked by the home secretary, Priti Patel, and London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, for providing an unsatisfactory explanation of why police broke up a vigil for Everard in London’s Clapham Common on Saturday. Demonstrators further gathered on Sunday to protest against police mishandlings as they marched from the Met headquarters in London to Parliament Square.

This time, police stayed back from the crowds and allowed speeches and a vigil to go ahead.

Police brutality is a systemic problem Commenting on the police mishandlings, Barrister Zehrah Hasan, said, “Cressida Dick has consistently refused to acknowledge institutional

British Parliament debate will dampen the huge potential that UK-India have

”

and plainclothes officers identify predatory and suspicious offenders in the nighttime economy. This can involve officers attending areas around clubs and bars undercover to better ensure women are safe in these locations, and increased patrols as people leave at closing time. But what about women like Snehal who are prey to abuse in their own homes?

Over the years, Snehal became a recluse. Locking herself in her East London apartment and barely making friends. Her teachers were concerned about her self-imposed isolation but her family never realized something was amiss because her academic performance hardly suffered. It was at University that Snehal’s friend, having himself suffered sexual abuse, encouraged her to see a therapist. She enrolled with the University’s Mental Health support network and gradually with the Lifetime NHS mental health care for sexual assault victims. Her parents are still unaware of the incident.

Speaking about Sarah Everard’s disappearance and untimely death, she said, “It is true, isn’t it. It could have been you. It could have been me. It could have been any of us. And it is disgusting that it takes the media, the government, and the police authorities to take these instances seriously only when one of us dies. But even so, have we addressed the root causes?

“No matter how shaken am I, do I have the courage to walk up to my mother and tell her about what happened with me?

No. Because I know she still won’t believe me. I know she will tell me it was all in my head.

Worse yet, I know she will ask me why I didn’t confide in her all these years ago when it had first happened. My reasons haven’t changed. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to abuse one.”

(Snehal’s name has been changed on the condition of anonymity.)

On 8 March 2021 a, 'debate' took place regarding the farmers protest in India at Westminster Hall. Around 36 MPs took part. I thought a debate would have representation made by two sides of an argument. In this case there was only one side.

The Indian government was accused of heavyhanded policing of the farmers. MP Layla Moran of the Liberal Party, Pat Mcfaddon shadow treasury minister and SNP MP Martin Day said were amongst the speakers. Stephen Kinnock Labour's shadow minister for Asia said, “We are deeply concerned about reports of live ammunition being used by the police. Narendra Modi needs to realise the world is watching.”

While the MPs had accepted that the farm reforms were a matter for Indian government, the previous leader of the Labour party Jeremy Corbyn said that farmers were protesting because they are predominantly small farmers on less than five acres, many of them very poor. The new farmers law is to assist exactly the same people but then Mr Corbyn does not have the will or the inclination to hear the other side. He went on to say that 22,000 farmers have committed suicide since the protests began. One wonders where he got this figure from.

Nigel Adams the Conservative government minister for Asia at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said, “We look to the Indian government to uphold the freedoms guaranteed by its constitution and international instruments to which India is a party. Whilst this is an exciting time for the UK- India partnership it does not hinder us from raising difficult issues.”

As I write this news is coming in of extremely heavy-handed policing at a vigil held in Clapham by the women's, 'Reclaim the Streets' movement.

The media and even the government is outraged.

How would it look if the Indian Parliament discussed this and reminded the British government of the rights of citizens to protest?

The question that hangs in the air is what exactly the British government or the MPs can do to India?

India is the world's largest democracy, and it is one of the leading economies of the world with a market of 1.3 billion people. Boris Johnson is talking of a £100 billion trade deal with India. So, a trade embargo would be damaging to the UK. India is no longer a push over. Britain has its own serious issues to deal with. According to the Social Market Foundation think tank almost 2 million children in the UK went hungry. There are many more serious issues facing Britain.

Given the situation it is surprising that British MPs chose to condemn India on unsubstantiated allegations. Words which will have no impact on India whatsoever have dampened the huge potential that both the countries have to forge a great political and economic bond. The farmers protest will be resolved sooner rather than later. When that happens many Indians overseas will feel abandoned by the side, they thought they were championing.

police stations, and in prisons.

The police are five times more likely to use force against Black people. Nearly one in three incidents involving the use of force are against a Black, Brown or Racialised person.

From the Mangrove protest in 1970 to the Black People’s Day of Action in 1981 to the Black Lives Matter (“BLM”) protests in 2020, the police have always threatened, intimidated and physically harmed Black protesters who have mobilised for racial justice.”

‘Project Vigilant’: Plainclothes officers to patrol bars Following a meeting of the Criminal Justice Taskforce, chaired by the Prime Minister, the Government is taking immediate steps to provide further reassurance Continued from page 1 for women. This includes UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab doubling the size of the Safer Streets fund, which visited India in December followed by provides neighbourhood Liz Truss, Alok Sharma MP and curmeasures such as better rently Lord Ahmad. The UK is hoping lighting and CCTV. for a better partnership, especially ecoFunding for local projects nomic ties with India going forward.

The announcement of the India is raised to £45million. visit came right before Mr Johnson pubThe Government will also roll-out pilots of ‘Project lished the conclusions of his integrated Vigilant’ across the coun- review of security, defence, developtry. This is an internation- ment and foreign policy that has set out al award winning- some ‘tilts’ towards the Indo-Pacific approach taken by region.

A statement said, “This year the Thames Valley Police where both uniformed Queen Elizabeth Carrier will undertake

Prime Minister Boris Johnson to visit India in April-end its first operational deployment to the region, the UK is applying for partner status at the Association of South East Asian nations and at the end of April the Prime Minister will travel to India on his first major international visit following our departure from the EU.” India’s Foreign Secretary Dr Jaishankar welcomed the UK’s IndoPacific ‘tilt’ and promised that India will cooperate closely on global issues.

Britain made a formal request in February, to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for TransPacific Partnership (CPTPP) aiming to open new avenues for post-Brexit trade.

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Commitment to childhood and education

New funding for blood and organ donation for Black and Asian communities Thirteen community projects in London have received a share of £600,000 funding as part of the Government’s commitment to tackle health inequalities in Black and Asian communities. The announcement of the funding came ahead of World Kidney Day and aims to address the shortage of organs, particularly kidneys, for those waiting for a transplant from all Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic backgrounds.

The Community Investment Scheme, which is led by NHS Blood and Transplant, will fund local organisations to drive awareness, understanding and behaviour change. Having previously only focussed on promoting organ donation, the scheme has now been opened to include projects which also highlight the importance of blood donation.

Altaf Kazi, Head of Faith and Belief Engagement at NHS Blood and said, “Through the Transplant, Community Investment Scheme we have seen first-hand the abilities of trusted individuals and community groups to prompt conversation, tackle misinformation, educate and offer reassurance around organ donation and now blood donation. Often a person’s best donor match will share their ethnicity, but too many donation opportunities are missed because families haven’t discussed organ donation, and Black and Asian people are seriously underrepresented when it comes to donating blood.”

In the UK there are currently estimated to be at least 2,569 people on the waiting list for a kidney transplant and 580 of those

Virendra Sharma MP for Ealing Southall

File photo: Rajeev Verma donating plasma

are from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds. Kidney donors and recipients are matched by blood group and tissue type, and people from the same ethnic background are more likely to have matching blood groups and tissue types.

Sickle cell is currently the fastest growing genetic disorder in both the UK and the wider world.

Since its launch in 2018, the Community Investment Scheme has supported 43 organisations to deliver 50 community-led projects. With around 4,000 people engaging in conversation or taking away a leaflet or information on the importance of organ donation and 8,000 attended a talk or workshop. The Scheme is part of a Government-funded campaign led by NHS Blood and Transplant with support from the National BAME Transplant Alliance (NBTA) to address the urgent need for Black, Asian and minority ethnic donors.

For more information about the Community Investment Scheme please visit https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/cis/

“All I wanted was to focus on my education. I didn’t comprehend at 16 that it was a lifechanging decision that actually meant leaving my family and forming my own. I didn’t understand the consequences.”

Following family and community pressure, as a 16-year-old child, Payzee Mahmod was married to a man substantially older than she was. While she was able to obtain a divorce and win back her freedom, her sister however was tragically murdered in a so-called ‘honour’ killing. Ms Mahmod has said previously that her sister would still be alive today were it not for her child marriage.

I have long campaigned on the issue of child marriage, which disrupts educational and development opportunities, allows health inequalities to thrive and perhaps worst of all, unfairly robs young people of their childhood.

It is rightly outlawed in nearly every country around the world and here has been illegal for many years, though we still allow parents to marry their children off at the age of 16.

Growing up in India I saw the ill effects of child marriage, and today those same impacts are still being felt in modern Britain. I have been pleased to support Pauline Latham MP in her efforts to legislate on this matter, as a sponsor of her Marriage and Civil Partnership

Bill, which I hope will be returning before Parliament once again shortly.

This is not a party-political issue, but one which fundamentally goes to the heart of protecting the young and encouraging healthy development. I have written to both the Prime Minister and to Sir Keir Starmer on this, though I urge you to contact your own Member of Parliament and call on them to support Pauline Latham’s Bill when it next comes before the House of Commons.

The consequences are clear for all to see.

Victims of child marriage are significantly more likely to be victims of rape, sexual abuse, domestic violence and yet we allow that risk to continue. In conversations with civil society organisations, campaign groups and from casework I know this is a mostly hidden issue here. I do not think the Government knows the full scale of the problem.

The Government has taken a leading role internationally in seeking to end child marriage, however UK law is undermining these efforts, and we have been called hypocrites on account of our own domestic law. Since 2015, the Department for International Development has provided £39 million to support international efforts to end child marriage, and as a senior Member of the International Development Committee in Parliament, I know just how transformative this work can be.

Britain, however, must lead by example. It must say no to child marriage and reaffirm our commitment to childhood, and in particular, to ensuring that girls have access to at least 12 good years of education. This is an easy action to take, not one that will impact many, and only asks a small number of genuine couples to delay their wedding a couple of years at most, all while protecting vulnerable young people.

As Payzee Mahmod said herself, “it is for us to change things for the next generation and make child marriage a crime, so they don’t suffer like I have.”

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MPs warn Priti Patel as religious tensions in India impact the UK Of late, message boards and WhatsApp groups have been flooded with a pro-Indian government poster, that claimed a pro-Indian government rally was due to take place on 27th February. It is being reported that these rallies were going to target Gurudwaras across London, Birmingham and Leicester, triggering unrest among Sikhs.

Online magazine Barfi Culture has now learnt that three London MPs (Seema Malhotra, Virendra Sharma and Ruth Cadbury MPs) were so concerned about the rallies they urged the UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to intervene.

Home Secretary Priti Patel responded to this and said, “In the end the rallies did not take place. But the incident illustrates a growing concern among MPs, community groups and religious institutions that events in India are causing tensions between communities in the UK. On Monday 8th March, Parliament hosted a debate on the protests in India, following a

government petition that had gathered over 100,00 signatures.

Seema Malhotra MP again mentioned the proposed rallies at the debate. MP Tan Dhesi pointed out that Sikhs in India and abroad have been called sepa-

ratists or smeared as 'terrorists' merely for supporting farmers.”

Withstanding the number of events of inter-community tensions outside of India in the last few weeks, supporters of the BJP government had to be intercepted by police before it got to the Gurdwara in Sydney, Australia.

Canada also reported several incidences of disturbance.

A few weeks ago, the Sikh Council UK released a statement on its official site and said, “The Sikh Council UK expresses concern over rising community tensions in the UK due to events in India.

We feel that India’s current domestic policy endangers the communal harmony between different communities of Indian origin in the UK, especially minorities like the Sikhs.” The

Hindu Council UK also resonated with these sentiments.

Responding to the car rallies planned for Feb 27, 2021, Home Secretary Priti Patel said, "My officials are in close contact with the National Police Coordination Centre and relevant police forces regarding this issue. Whilst it has not yet been possible to identify the specific individuals behind the advertised vehicle rallies, I have recently received information from the affected forces that the supposed organiser has indicated that they have cancelled their protest plans. You will also be aware that across the Metropolitan Police Service, Leicestershire Police and West Midlands Police they have substantial policing plans in place in relation to these vehicle rallies.

All three Police Forces have wellestablished links with their local Sikh communities and will remain in close contact with them to hear concerns and provide reassurance, for example through the Leicestershire Sikh Police Association."

UK Graduate route to open for international students on 1 July 2021 International students who wish to work in the UK post the completion of a course of study ( a bachelor’s degree or above) will be able to apply for jobs starting July 2021.

Keeping its promise on the points-based immigration system, the UK government is set to attract international talent in Britain to drive the economy forward. “The new Graduate route will open for applications on 1 July 2021, allowing the UK to retain the brightest and the best international students to continue to contribute to society and the economy poststudy,” the official UK Government website reported on March 4.

Eligibility Criteria In order to be able to apply for jobs in the UK post study, International students must have completed an eligible course at a UK higher education provider, with a track record of compliance with the government’s immigration requirements to apply to the Graduate route. The UK government aims to achieve International Education Strategy to increase the number of international students in higher education in the UK to 600,000 by 2030. Under this Graduate route, students will be able to work or look for work after their studies for a maximum period of 2 years, or 3 years for Doctoral students. The

Graduate route will work for all corners of the UK, ensuring that communities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can benefit from talented individuals who want to stay after their studies.

A flexible approach Additionally, the website also reported that the Graduate route will be unsponsored, meaning applicants will not need a job offer to apply for the route.

There will be no minimum salary requirements nor caps on numbers. Graduates on the route will be able to work flexibly, switch jobs and develop their career as required.

The Pandemic Graduates Applicants who began their

studies in Autumn 2020 will now have until 21 June 2021 to enter the UK (updated from 6 April 2021) in order to be eligible for the Graduate route. Students who began their studies in January or February 2021 will need to be in the UK by 27 September 2021. Coronavirus concessions for students unable to travel to the UK due to the pandemic have also been extended, recognising the continuing disruption many face due to international travel restrictions.

As part of the route, highly skilled migrants with a job offer from a recognised high-growth firm will qualify for a visa without the need for sponsorship or third-party endorsement.

Amidst Mother’s Day celebration Michelle Obama asks for forgiveness for the royals The popularity of Prince Harry and Meghan has nose-dived since the explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. During the interview, Meghan said her pleas for help when she felt suicidal fell on deaf ears while an unnamed member of the family asked her how dark their son Archie’s skin might be.

Meanwhile Prince Harry also moaned about his family’s reaction to the couple’s decision to move away from official duties.

Though this interview plunged the 1000-year-old monarchy into deep criticism, a YouGov poll said that the standing of the two royals has also taken a big hit.

It found 48% of the 1,664 respondents had a negative attitude of Harry compared to 45% with a positive view. Only 3 in 10 people had a positive view of Meghan, while 58% had a nega-

tive opinion.

As with other polls conducted since the interview, majority of those aged 18 to 24 liked Harry and Meghan but those over 65 showed negative feelings towards Meghan.

Critics have also said, the Duchess’ allegations have trivialised racism as a crime while Prince William told the press “we are very much not a racist family.” A saddened Queen has promised to investigate into the accusations made by Meghan and Harry, with the community urging more work to be done for mental health support, especially for women.

In the US, Michelle Obama has urged friends Harry and Meghan to ‘forgive’ the royals and as we went to press, it was revealed that Archie after all will have a title- but that of an 'Earl' instead of 'Prince' since he is not

in the direct succession line to the throne.

In the meantime, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have stopped using their official cipher, the letters H and M with a crown on top, after receiving criticism last year, the daily Mirror has reported. But the Metro reported that Meghan’s half estranged sister Samantha has claimed that the Duke and Duchess are heading for a divorce, despite Meghan saying she barely knew her sister.

Royals celebrate Mother’s Day While the country is getting ready for an extra bank holiday on 2 June 2022 to celebrate 70 years since Queen Elizabeth II’s succession to the throne, she shared an adorable throwback photo taken with her mother, the Queen Mother on Mother’s Day (14 March).

The caption read, "To all Mums everywhere, we wish you a very special Mother’s Day. #MotheringSunday." The photo was taken in April 1940 at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park.

Photo credit: Kensington Royal Twitter

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared that their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, all made Mother’s Day cards for their late grandmother Princess Diana, saying Prince William missed her and Prince Harry arranged for Mother’s Day flowers to be placed on Princess Diana’s grave.

in brief SANGAT CENTRE EDUCATES PEOPLE TO GET VACCINATED WITHOUT ANY FEAR Sangat Centre – a charity organisation educates, empowers and enables the community to improve their lives, has set its sights to busting the myths around the vaccination. The organisation discussed and addressed the issues surrounding the Covid19 vaccine to the South Asian community via Zoom and Youtube, with more than 500 people in attendance.

Kanti Nagda, MBE, spokesperson for the Centre in Harrow Wealdstone, London said: "Within the South Asian communities there are many myths going around."Some of the falsehoods mentioned were the "altering of DNA, microchipping, the belief it contains animal products or could affect fertility" among others.

Mr. Nagda said, “These are all totally misleading.” He also quoted Prince Charles and said, “Vaccine offers our only way out of the pandemic.”

Sangat Centre intends to reach over 3,000 people with this message in next two months.

GURINDER CHADHA TWEETS SAYING 'FITEH MOO' “How on earth did I raise a child who insists on eating all (potato) parantas with a knife and fork!

Fiteh Moo!" said the Bend It like Beckham director as she Photo courtesy: Twitter tweets a hilarious picture.

British director Gurinder Chadha OBE shared a picture of her child eating aloo parathas with a fork and knife. Gurinder could not believe that she raised such a child who would insist on eating a classic Punjabi dish in such a way.

Gurinder was born in Kenya and directed the popular film Bend It Like Beckham. She often draws from her personal experiences of living as an Indian in England for exploring the lives of the diaspora in films she makes.

VP OF PAKISTAN MUSLIM BANK SAYS THE ROYALS AREN’T “RACIST” In the year 2009 Prince Harry had forcefully apologised to his colleague Ahmed Raza Khan for using the “P” word with him. In the light of Harry and Meghan’s recent tell-all interview with Oprah, Khan’s father, Mr Abbasi, a former vice- president of Pakistan’s Muslim Bank, reportedly told The Sun that, “Prince Harry might have his problems with the family but I don’t agree with him at all. I don’t think the UK people or the Royal Family are racists. They are accommodating to people from all parts of the world and giving them access to the best facilities as citizens and residents. I have met members of the Royal Family and they were extremely polite and loving.

"The royals are very nice human beings. I cannot call them racists. They are great people who respect their citizens,” he continued as he also mentioned to the publication that, “Harry called me by a nickname which is usually very insulting but I know he didn’t mean it that way.”

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PAR NATIONAL STA PRO RODUCED IN P AR RTNERSHIP WITH THE OFFICE FOR NAT TATISTICS

THE CENS SUS 20 021: 21: HELP PING BUILD A ROBUST FU UTURE FOR COMMUNITIE C ES The census is an important survey thatt happens once every 10 years and it offers valuab valuable statistical data t of all the households in England and W Wal ales.

By taking part, you’ll be helping inform decisions about services you use in your community y..

Rupanjana Dutta The Office ffor or National N Statistics (ONS) encourages respondents to fill in the questionnaire in a manner that best represents themselves.

The ONS off ffers ers you y a searchas-you-type function online or a write-in option on paper. These options will let you fill in your census questionnaire in the way that most accurately represents you.

Census 2021 will be mainly online, but if you need any help, the ONS are off ffering ering a wide range of support services to make sure it is as accessible and inclusive as possible. Whatever your needs may be, there are support services that can help you complete the census.

Translati ranslations are available in 49 languages.

For the first time, the census will field a question asking people if they havve served in the Armed for orces.

An ONS spokesperson told Asian Voi Voice, “There is a new need to understand numbers, locations and age ranges of members of our Armed ffor orces. This is ffor or central and local governments and charities that work with veterans and their families, to target resources and expertise where theyy are most needed to meet their commitments under the Armed Forces Covenant.”

Ho ow w does th he e census su up pport our community?

The infformati ormation gathered from the census helps a range of organisations plan ffor or the future. futur For example, local government use the infformati ormation to help plan services, such as schools, hospitals and rubbish collection, in your area. Businesses use it to decide how and where to create job opportunities. Charities also use census infformati ormation to help get the funding they need and help plan the services they provide to those who need them most.

Trupti Patel, Trustee, Trustee, Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB) charity told Asian Voi Voice, “The HFB has been involved with the Office for for National Statistics since 2006.

2006 We haave alwaays ys had a representative r on the national steering group, and we disseminate infformati ormation to all our member organisations.

“We havve conducted a number of webinars ffor or the E Executive Committee members of all Mandirs and Samaj from across the UK. This is to help them understand the

process and exxplain how to involve their memberss in completing the census fform. orm. We havve circulated various videos and literatures too. “ e ha “W h ve v explained l d that h it is compulsoryy ffor or everyone ever to complete the Census C 2021 form form to avvoid a £1000 fine. fi Every household in the UK wiill get their unique census numbeer and fforms orms can be completed digiitally or on paper.

“It is exttremally important to take part in i the census as it infforms policy po y making and service delivery in botth local government and nationall government like providing chap plains for for hospitals, crematoriums,, religious education in schools, and a supplementary schools in the community to teach

Trupti Patel

art, languages and sports.”

Hassan Joudi, Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain said, “The ONS’ aim is to primarily l capture the h Census 2021 data online, and in light of this fact we are focused focused on using a mix of general and more targeted engagement methods. In terms of engaging with wider society, our social media channels reach hundreds of thousands of people each month and we are using them to not only illustrate the importance of filling in the census, but to also provide guidance on how they can do so. Furthermore, MCB’s affiliate and network base includes over 500 Muslim organisations and we are making

Hassan Joudi

usse of internal communication ch hannels to encourage them to relaayy our message to their respective communities.

“The census gives decision makers the infformati ormation they need to allocate public funds where they are most needed – this presents a on nce in a decade opportunity ffor or Muslim communities to make sure th he issues they care about are not sid de-lined and are firmly on the aggenda to be addressed.

“Our track record has illustrated ho ow crucial a role census data is in ou ur advocacy and representation eff fforts. In 2015, ffor or example, examp we drrew upon the findings of the 2011 census to produce a comprehensive deemographic, socio-economic and heealth profile of Muslims in Britain in the fform orm of the ‘British ‘ Muslims in Numbers’ report. In turn, in 20 016, we utilised said resources in our submission of evidence to the Women and Equalities Paarliamentary Select Committee, forr examp example, highlighting the levvel of higher education amongst Muslim women, but also drawing w atttention to their lower levels off economic activity. By using census data in this manner, we weere able to facilitate targeted po olicy interventions. We hope to haavve our eff fforts orts bo bolstered once the results from the Census 2021 are pu ublished.”

The Mental Health Foundation (M MHF) uses it to identify those at rissk of mental health issues and givve them the support they need.

The risk of developing mental heealth issues is higher in some paarts of England and Wales than others. Factors such as age, gender, eth hnicity and location can all haave ve an iimpact. t MHF used infformati ormation from the 2011 census to produce a heat map of London’s most at-risk boroughs. This showed seven East London boroughs as “red”, with the highest risks.

MHF responded by setting up a series of Community Conversations in those areas.

These events brought to ogether people from the local comm munity to talk about how to impr mprove their mental health. Over 1,000 Londoners took part. Now w their feedback is being implem mented.

In Hackney, for for examp example, people peop said they wanted more freee and saffe comm community spaces wherre they could meet friends and neighbours. hbours.

As a result, result an open comm munity space was added to the council ouncil’s plans ffor or a new leisure l centree.

Thanks to the census, MHF identified an at-risk comm munity, helped local people have v theirr voice heard and improved theirr llocal environment.

Additional support is avvailable online for for you y to complete th he fform orm or on the phone and in person son to ensure you can read, underrstand, and complete the census.

Please note some key points if you need help: • Accessible guidance and support are available in man many languages and fformats ormats • Help is available in the C Census Support Centres (when n saffee to do so, subject to C Covid guidance) • Contact centres can help p over the phone, in a web chatt or on social media • Field staff can visit househo eholds that have v not yet filled in n their form • The option is availab ble to request paper questionnaaires, if you can’t fill it in digitallyy

Census day is on 21 Marrch 2021, but y yo ou can fill iin yours as soon as y yo ou ge get your cod yo de e.

To find yyour nearest local C Census support centre, call free fr on 0800 1411 2021.

For more inffor orm mation see www w.census.go .census.go ov.uk k//abouta about the-census census

10 READERS' VOICE

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20 - 26 March 2021

KHICHADI Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG Kapil’s

Covid-19 vaccines are safe to take

Tackling violence against women and girls Like millions of Londoners, my thoughts are with Sarah Everard’s family and loved ones at this time.

The stark and wholly unacceptable reality is that women and girls are routinely subject to abuse and violence, and often have to take an exhaustive list of precautions against this in their daily lives.

Let’s be clear, if we are to address the sheer scale of this problem, the onus needs to put upon men to change their behaviour. This is why, as a first step towards this, I am backing calls for misogyny to made a hate crime.

As a further step, the Government must also introduce a Domestic Abusers’ Register- something that the London Assembly has long been campaigning for.

What happened at the vigil in Clapham has rightly caused a great deal of concern. There are now a number of enquiries that will get to bottom of the issues.

We must now see a step change in how our society, education system and the police tackles violence against women and girls.

Currently, there is a belief of many people that the Covid19 vaccines are not safe to take. Along with this belief, is the belief that the Covid-19 virus does not exist.

Underlying these beliefs, is the belief that science, even medical science, cannot be trusted; that an individual can “just know” what is true.I wonder if people with these beliefs, especially the ones that distrust science and medical science, have still chosen to seek help at an emergency room when injured; have still chosen to see a doctor for prenatal care and assistance with birthing a child; have sought a doctor’s help when experiencing a heart attack; or counted on the knowledge of medical science when their child is having convulsions. I wonder if people with these beliefs will welcome science and medical science in some situations and still have great distrust in the case of Covid-19.

The Covid-19 vaccines are very effective at preventing clinical illness, including severe infections and death. If sufficient numbers of people are vaccinated and immunized against this virus, we will get this pandemic under control, prevent an enormous amount of human misery, prevent thousands ofdeaths, and prevent future chronic medical conditions which have beenlinked to Covid-19 infections. We will get back to a normal economy and a normal life.

Getting yourself vaccinated is a safer way to help build protection against Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel Coronavirus.Getting a Covid-19 vaccine can also keep you from contracting the disease by creating an antibody response in your body without your having to become infected with the novel Coronavirus.Covid-19 vaccination might also prevent you from getting Covid-19, or, if you contract the virus, the vaccine might prevent you from becoming seriously ill or from developing serious complications. The Covid-19 vaccines might also help protect people around you from the disease, especially those at increased risk of severe illness from the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection.

As of now, the reported side effects that have occurred from the Covid-19 vaccines are soreness, mild pain or mild swelling at the site of injection which are usually very common after any vaccination. Other side effects could vary from person to person and may include headache, fatigue, muscle pain, mild fever, etc.

In a rare case, if there is a serious reaction, the person must speak to the doctor as there is a small chance that the vaccine might have an allergic reaction. Ideally, vaccination can be taken before the weekend or before a holiday so that there is not too much work to deal with and the person can relax. These side effects are only temporary and are expected to go away on their own after some time.

Jubel D'Cruz Mumbai, India

Megan’s inflected ego

In “Introspection” – How to kill resistance to change? – Rohit Vadhwana has made a very nice opening statement that change is not easy (AV 13-19 March 2021). It has been rightly said that change is constant. Everybody, whether an individual or a corporate house, has to change along with the current time and the contemporary trends. Those who have not respected the changing times or not anticipated the ensuing changes have vanished or are on the verge of extinction. Examples of Kodak and Nokia are well known in corporate history.

Indian youth have capabilities of change and adopting new challenges in terms of technological advancements very quickly. Huge investments and commitments by Samsung and iPhone are the testimony of the same. We have produced capable manpower to fulfil the requirements of those companies by astute planning and visualisation of upcoming changes.

Resistance to change is a major bottleneck and some people do not want to come out of the comfort zone and try something new or unknown. There could be various reasons including cultural factors. Having said that the trend is in a positive direction which is really encouraging.

As mentioned in the article, the first thing is to decide to make a change. During lockdown in India as well as in other parts of the world, people have learnt that on-line education is possible and work from home or “hybrid working pattern” is possible. Thinking outside the box and a bit differently makes a lot of difference.

When Prince Harry and Megan Markel got married under glaring publicity, the whole nation was over the moon, especially ethnic minorities who thought they now have someone at the heart of the Royal Family who could understand our culture, our need and perhaps will help to bring assimilation in the forefront.

After all, Megan was an impressive personality in her on right, clever, beautiful and smart who felt at ease when on royal duty, drawing big crowd when on overseas tour.

Unfortunately, it proved to be a mirage, a dream too far.

Rightly or wrongly, she felt royal family has not accepted her due to her mixed heritage.

As we say, never wash your dirty linen in public. So her interview under the close scrutiny of famous Hollywood personality, Oprah Winfrey, watched eagerly all over the world, was a final straw on camel’s back that may divide royal family for years to come. The last time royal family experienced such a scenario, was when King George renounced the throne to marry American divorcee Mrs. Simpson. It took a very long time to heal those wounds.

Megan’s accusation that some members of royal circle were racist caused so much pain, especially to Prince William who would have moved earth and heaven to sort out and mend the rift if it was dealt within the family, as Queen promised to investigate and unearth the truth behind closed doors!

It is a pity that two brothers, William and Harry who were so close after losing their mother Princess Diana in tragic circumstances, now live-in different world, perhaps their trust, faith and mutual admiration may never be reestablished! Harry, who may travel alone, is due to visit London to open the statue of Diana in June. It will not be a comfortable reunion but let us hope it will give them opportunity to heal the rift and take advantage without Megan Markel being present!

Hitesh Hingu London

Bhupendra M. Gandhi London

Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

“Introspection” – How to kill resistance to change?

50 Shades of ******?

Kapil Dudakia The week that rocked the House of Windsor. For over a thousand years the British Royal family has controlled every aspect of its narrative and had total dominance over its subjects. The Royal blue blood, a far cry from the red blood of us mere mortals, came under a threat like none before. A lone woman of colour blew down the House of Windsor in one TV interview given to another woman of colour. Not just the nation, the world audience was mesmerised for more than an hour as uncomfortable revelations about British Royalty became public.

From the outset, let me make it clear, I have no idea if what Meghan said is right, or partly right. However, as a person of colour I do have a sense of what might be closer to the truth than say many of our white mediawala who have spent every second of everyday undermining Meghan and her lived experience.

Let me also say that nothing Meghan and Harry said surprised me. And that should be devastating for all Brits.

On 31 August 1997 news came that Lady Diane, Princess of Wales was in a major car accident in France and had passed away. My very first thought was, she has been killed. I have no proof of course, but that was my very first instinct. Since then, many conspiracy theories have come to light of how and why she died. In the end it seems people decided blaming the media was more convenient. However, there was one theory that given Diane was in a relationship with a Muslim man, and that either she was already pregnant, or could potentially bear a child with a Muslim man, was just too much for our British institutions.

Forward 24 years and we witness the cycle repeating itself. This time however the cast is very different. You have Meghan, a mature confident woman who had made it in life by her determination. And she is being supported by Harry, a young man who still pains in the memory of what happened to his mother – something he will not allow to happen to his family. Harry stepped up. The Prince of the Royal household stepped up to his responsibility and did whatever was necessary to protect his family. In time, even the Royal family will see that as a positive.

We learnt that someone in royalty was concerned about the shade of Meghan’s baby. We learnt that the firm were systematically undermining Meghan and her profile in the nation. We learnt that discussions were taking place to change the rules so her children would not automatically become princes/ses. We learnt that all funding stopped for the couple. And we also learnt that all their security was taken away whilst they were overseas. At that point Harry knew that his family was in serious danger. He used funds that his late mother had provided to get emergency security in place. Just think about it, had he not done that what were the chances that there might have been another unfortunate accident leading to a tragedy?

The Royal family is an asset to this nation. However, if the firm does not accept the paradigm of the 21st C, it will crumble like all others before it. Kings and Queens have exploited the world with one central theme, that they are superior by race, by colour, by language and birth. Karma my friends does not forget the cries of the forgotten victims.

I will let you complete the title, ‘50 Shades of ******’.

England’s venerability against spin!

I refer to Bhupendrabhai's Letter (AV 6-12 March), whilst I agree with his comments regarding spectators who paid for a 5-day test, I cannot find anywhere in the Rules of Cricket that a Test Match has to last 5 days and pitches have to be prepared accordingly. Also, there is nothing in the rules which states that pitches can only allow spin on day 5 & 6?

I am sure the spectators go to watch skills of all players batters, bowlers, fielders, etc., also we do not want to go back to the days when majority of the Test matches were drawn due to domination by batters on 'dead' pitches.

I remember the Test Match at Leeds on 17 August 2000 between England and West Indies, with scores of WI 172 & 61, England 272, which also finished within 2 days, when the so-called Commentators did not blame the pitch but praised the England Bowlers for their skill and accuracy.

So, I don't think points raised by so-called commentators to act on their bias is valid. I note the England batters had no issues in the first 20-20 match?

Surendra Manchester

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20 - 26 March 2021

Virendra Sharma MP chairs discussion on the UK-India AI partnership program Over 10 Parliamentarians from 5 different APPGs, 3 thinktanks (AI Policy Labs, Big Innovation Centre and World Economic Forum) and Deputy Director of UK-India Tech Partnership participated in the discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI), exploring ways to enhance UK-India bilateral relationship.

Chaired by Virendra Sharma, the roundtable is the first in a series of events as part of the joint efforts between IndoBritish All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and Policy thinktank AI Policy Labs on the UK India AI Partnership program. The program looks at AI partnerships towards strengthening bilateral relations and for inclusive development.

Speaking during the roundtable discussion Virendra Sharma MP said, “I hope this roundtable discussion started a vital dialogue and informed us how to better come out more robust, more resilient and future-ready in a post-Covid world. “In a world where democratic principles are threatened, it is of utmost importance that we as policymakers ensure the foundation of future technology is done in a free, fair and democratic manner.

Empowering the people, providing employment to many and making our businesses future- ready. Now let us all work towards creating a more environmentally friendly world; by investing not for profit but the future of our children and theirs. Working together towards the future of humanity by using the means of technological innovations like Artificial Intelligence.”

Speakers included Virendra Sharma MP, Chair, Indo-British All-Party Parliamentary Group; Bob Blackman MP, Co-Chair, Indo-British All-Party Parliamentary Group; Viscount Waverley, Vice-Chair, Indo-British All-Party Parliamentary Group; Mohindra Gagan

Remembering the Late Zulu King

MP, Vice-Chair, APPG on International Trade and Investment; Rt Hon. Baroness Prashar CBE, Chair, APPG on Commonwealth; Jayant Narayan, Global AI Alliance, World Economic Forum, Karen McKluskie, Deputy Director UK India Tech Partnership, British High Commission, New Delhi and Brigitte Andersen, CEO, Big Innovation Centre.

The lively discussion between the Parliamentarians and experts presented pathways, ideas and opinion on drafting policy for businesses and methods to foster a future-ready environment between the UK and India. The event resulted in further collaboration planned between British and Indian start-ups, where Viscount Waverly, Lord Sheikh and Baroness Prashar all shared their interest in working with India Indian businesses on the development of AI. Mr Gagan MP emphasized on the importance of UKIndia friendly relationship for the development of technologies like Artificial Intelligence. Finally, Mr Sharma concluded the session by the following statement. Uday Nagaraju said, “AI has permeated into all areas of life, and partnerships are critical for bilateral relations. UK India AI partnerships can play a significant role in enhancing bilateral ties and for inclusive development. AI Policy Labs will bring together stakeholders in policy, business, academia in furthering these partnerships.”

Former Rolex flipper keen on supporting charities A Mayfair watch specialist is looking for a city-based charity to support both financially and with his own time.

Online sales of luxury watches have increased since Danny Shahid’s DWL shop in Burlington Arcade closed for lockdown and now he wants to give something back to the local community.

Danny has more than 90,000 followers on Instagram and is also willing to help boost the chosen charity’s profile on social media.

Danny Shahid commented, “It’s been such a rough year for so many people and businesses and we are keen to hear from any local charities in need of support.

Myself and the shop’s team are happy to get actively involved and also offer donations. There are still some weeks to go before the shop can fully reopen so I’d

like to make good use of this time by offering help to a worthy cause.”

Danny has more than 12 years’ experience in sourcing big name Danny Shahid watches and is often asked for his expert opinion by fellow jewellers and retailers. There are usually more than one hundred luxury watches in stock at the DWL shop, most worth between £10,000 and £40,000 but some with a value of up to £200,000. The Burlington Arcade store is operating a strict Click & Collect service via bank transfer and appointment only, with pick-ups being carried out at a safe social distance.

Rajya Sabha member raises Oxford student's case in the parliament Last month, Indian student Rashmi Samant resigned from the position of the president of the Oxford University student union after she was branded as “racist” and “insensitive” for remarks she had apparently made in the past.

Following this incident, she made a statement on Facebook last month, which was later published in 'The Oxford Student''.

She said, "In light of the recent events surrounding my election to the Presidency of the Oxford SU, I believe it is best for me to step down from the role. It has been an honour to be your President-elect.”

Rashmi is the first Indian woman to

T

he Zulu nation in South Africa was believed that lasting bonds between African deprived of its eighth Monarch on 12 and Indian communities in South Africa March 2021. Late Zulu King Goodwill were crucial to a prosperous future especially Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu reigned for five as both communities had suffered greatly decades and succumbed to complications due to apartheid. Annual Diwali celebrations from diabetes in a hospital in Durban at the at the Late King’s home in rural Nongoma age of 72. He was born in July 1948 at were, of late, organised by Ramlutchman, Nongoma, Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal - KZN with performances by Zulu and Indian province in artists, and were attended by thousands of South Africa, with Durban as its capital). people.

The eldest son of King Cyprian Bhekuzulu Late King Zwelithini wanted a special kaSolomon, he was relationship between educated at the his nation and India.

Bekezulu College of In my engagements Chiefs and then priwith him as India’s vately tutored. His High Commissioner installation as the to South Africa, he eighth Monarch of always spoke of the the Zulus took place contribution that at a traditional cereIndia could make to mony on 3 December South Africa, espe1971 and was attendcially through skill ed by 20,000 people. development of As per post apartheid young South South African conAfricans. He was stitution, the King happy to attend the Ruchi Ghanashyam has a ceremonial community receprole. This recognition hosted by the Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former High tion as a traditional KZN and Durban ruler in South Commissioner of India to the UK. With a career authorities in honin Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has Africa's postour of PM Modi, durapartheid constitu- been posted in many countries including South ing his visit to South Africa, Ghana, before arriving in the UK. She was tion, meant that he Africa in July 2016 received state sup- only the second woman High Commissioner to and spoke very the UK since India’s independence and during her port. warmly of his (the Though he did tenure, she witnessed a number of significant King’s) regard for developments in the UK-India relations. not have formal India and its develpolitical power and opment under the his role within the broader South African PM’s leadership. society was a ceremonial one, he was revered In 2017, Zwelithini paid the first ever visit as a traditional leader, even by those outside to the official residence of the Consul his culture.

General in Durban, where I had come from Throughout his half-century reign he Pretoria to receive him along with a team of was a staunch advocate of preserving cultural senior representatives of the High identity and promoting unity, especially Commission. Dr Shashank Vikram, then among AmaZulu (the Zulu people). He also India’s Consul General in Durban and curassiduously fostered reconciliation and culrently Consul General in Birmingham, hosttural cooperation between Zulus and memed us with his lovely wife, Dr Megha. During bers of the Indian community of South this engagement, the Late King told us of his Africa, a good majority of whom live in KZN desire to make the province of Kwazuluprovince.

Natal a better place for all its citizens. He The Indian origin people in South Africa believed that Indians and Zulus could work are mainly descendants of the first indentogether to make this possible. He planted a tured labourers who arrived in ships as sugar tree at India House to mark the occasion. We cane plantation workers in the 19th Century. presented him with a large portrait of him Late King Zwelithini frequently referred to with PM Modi taken at the Civic Reception the Indians as being part of his loyal subjects. in Durban.

He also adopted some leaders from the comThe loss of King Zwelithini will be felt by munity as advisers. the Zulu nation and people as the Late King The most notable of them was businessman and philanthropist Ishwar worked tirelessly to revive cultural traditions Ramlutchman, who acted as a bridge that had been forgotten or buried during the between the two communities of KZN. The apartheid regime. For the people of Indian Late King had anointed Ramlutchman as a origin in South Africa, his passing away prince of the Zulu Kingdom for his commitmeans the loss of a well wisher and friend of ment and promotion of social cohesion, the community who encouraged peace and nature conservation and respect for everyharmony between communities for common one''s cultural heritage and religion. He benefit.

have been elected for this position.

Raising this issue in the Indian Parliament, Ashwini Vaishnav, a BJP Rajya Sabha member from Odisha said, "If this is the kind of treatment that happens at the highest institute like Oxford what is the message that goes out to the world?.”

Responding to the Rajya Sabha member, Dr Jaishankar said, "We've strong ties with the UK. We'll take up such matters with great candour when required. We will monitor these developments very very closely. We will raise it when required and we will always champion the fight against racism and other forms of intolerance."

Brampton Manor overtakes Eton College in Oxbridge offers Brampton Manor, an academy in Newham has taken over Eton College and other private schools in competition for Oxbridge offers this year.

The school has reported that 55 of its students had received conditional offers from either Oxford and Cambridge to study. Brampton Manor wrote in a statement on Twitter: “Despite the Covid pandemic, a record number of students have shown resilience and determination to secure offers from two of the most prestigious universities in the world.”

According to Evening Standard, “The Newham school set up its sixth form in 2012 in the hope of getting

more disadvantaged pupils into leading universities. In 2014, one Brampton student received an Oxbridge offer. 25 had received an offer by 2018 and 41 by 2019. From 2015 to this year, state school intake has increased from 62.3 percent to 70 per cent at Cambridge and from 55.6 percent to 68.7 percent at Oxford.” Newham is known as one of the most deprived London boroughs. According to the charity Trust For London, some 52 per cent of its children deemed to be living in poverty.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s alma mater Eton College managed to secure 48 positions and was put in a

spotlight to explain this year’s performance.Defending its performance, as Eton’s offers stood at 48, down from 99 five years ago, Deputy head Tom Hawkins wrote to parents: “Each year we see very strong Etonian applicants disappointed, and unfortunately there have been more boys in this position this year.”

The latest Ofsted report described Brampton Manor as having “relentless ambition and high expectations”. It said that the sixth-form, which has 580 pupils, is a centre of excellence. Stormzy, the grime music star who set up Cambridge scholarships, said that he wanted to send his children to the school.

12 MEDIA WATCH

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SCRUTATOR’S Indian Navy’s third stealth submarine commissioned Indian Navy's third stealth Scorpene class submarine INS Karanj, equipped with potent weapons and sensors to neutralise any threat from above or below the sea surface, was commissioned. Former Navy chief Admiral V S Shekhawat, who was part of the commissioning crew of the old Karanj and later the Commanding officer during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, was the chief guest for the commissioning ceremony at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. Six Scorpene class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Mumbai, under collaboration with Naval Group, France, a Navy spokesperson said. INS Karanj is the third Kalavari-class submarine to be commissioned into the Navy. The diesel-electric submarines based on the Scorpene design are also referred as Scorpene class submarines. INS Karanj would form part of the Western Naval Commands submarine fleet and would be another potent part of the Commands arsenal, the spokesperson said. Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh and senior Navy and MoD officers were among those present at the commissioning ceremony. (Agency) Teacher helps deliver baby with guidance from doctor

A high school teacher helped deliver a baby girl at a park in Mysuru following guidance by a doctor over phone from Mumbai.

The expectant mother, Mallika, a 35-year-old tribal from Kodagu district in Karnataka, was in a park when she developed labour pain. Her two children, a boy aged 4 and a girl aged 2, were with her when she started bleeding. As the woman cried for help, a few passersby called up ambulances and hospitals but there was no help. When all this happened, physical education teacher Shobha Prakash arrived there to catch a bus to school. “I was not aware of how to go about a delivery. But a youth who was at the spot connected me with a doctor from Mumbai.

He guided me on the procedure,” Shobha said. “What pained me is that when I requested women who were present to help me, no one came forward. Initially, I was scared. But I was determined to help her. Following the doctor’s instructions, I managed to extricate the baby safely but did not know how to clamp the umbilical cord. Fortunately, by that time, the ambulance arrived and the medical staff helped,” she said. All through the delivery, Shobha said, “the two-year-old girl held on to her mother.”

Shobha later visited the mother and child in hospital and offered some financial help. (Agency) Youth abducts boy to become famous A 20-year-old Chhattisgarh native was carving for fame for a long time. But he didn’t think of any way other than going to jail to gain some publicity! So Raghvendra alias Bharat Kevat kidnapped an eight-year-old boy near Surat, but did not demand any ransom from his parents.

Police said the youth was curious to see how a jail looked like from the inside and earn some fame.

Raghvendra, a resident of a village in Koriya district of Chhattisgarh, was arrested for kidnapping the boy who was his

neighbour. He went to Bhusawal in Maharashtra by bus and from there he was preparing to take a train. “We alerted the Railway Protection Force in Bhusawal and they nabbed him. Later, our team brought him to the city,” said a police officer. “During questioning, Raghvendra said he only wanted to see a jail from inside and become famous. Till now, no other reason has been found,” said police.

The victim boy’s family is from Odisha and his parents work as labourers. Raghvendra came to Sachin from Chhattisgarh around a year ago and worked as a casual labourer.

He developed good terms with the boy living in the neighbouring home in the past few days. “He used to buy him chocolates, food and give him his mobile phone to play. Hence, the boy went along with him without much hesitation,” police added. (The Times of India) Patan girl to represent India in the Universiade

Nirma Thakor, an art graduate from the Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, has been selected to be part of the Indian team to perform at the World University Games at Chengdu in China. Nirma topped the podium in the 21km trails held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, some time back to make the cut for the Indian team. She registered her personal best of 1 hour, 22 minutes, 6 seconds in the trials to make it to the team. Nirma says that she could have performed even better in the trials. “There were hills on the race route. It added few extra

minutes to her timings. Also, I didn’t look at the watch during the race. I could have easily achieved sub 1.20 hours timing,” Nirma said. The trials saw athletes from universities across India vying for a place in the national team. The World University Games, also known as the Universiade, is a biennial international multi-sport extravaganza organized by the International University Sports Federation. (The Times of India) Panchayat bans jeans for girls, shorts for boys A village panchayat in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar has banned girls from wearing pants or mini skirts and boys from short pants while discussing issues affecting the society among other things. “It is not our culture. Girls should not wear jeans or skirts and men should also wear proper clothes.

If they will not dress up properly, they will be socially boycotted,” said Thakur Puran Singh, president of Bhartiya Kisan Sangathan (BKS). The outfit was in the news recently for withdrawing from the ongoing farmers’ protest.

When asked about school children wearing half pants during summer as part of uniform, Singh said, “The decision does not apply to children. But wearing anything above the knee is not good.” (Agency) For this 17-year-old 99.98 percentile is not enough Pal Aggarwal, Uttar Pradesh topper in Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main, is not satisfied with her score of 99.98 percentile and would attempt again to score 100 percentile. The 17-year-old has not only topped in her state but is also fourth ranker among all female candidates in India. Over 620,000 students appeared for the JEE Main February exam, of which 187,000 were women.

None of the female students could secure 100 percentile scorers and Aggarwal wishes to change that. Aggarwal said she would now start "targeted preparations" and focus only on her "weak points". She would also increase focus on mock tests to increase her "test-taking" skills and go through her notes for revising the concepts. She would be skipping the March attempt

and appear in April.

Scoring 100 percentile in Mains is not her only aim, she also wishes to crack JEE Advanced - IIT entrance test. She has already got admission into IISc Bangalore by clearing the KVPY entrance. For her JEE preparations, Pal said that she used to dedicate 6-7 hours of self-study after school and coaching classes. She started preparing from class 11. (Agency) Intolerance to satire Vijay Tendulkar, one of India’s greatest modern playwrights, who was hounded by the Shiv Sena during his lifetime, now faces ban in Madhya Pradesh posthumously.

The annual IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association) festival in MP’s Chattarpur town was recently cancelled by its organisers after the Bajrang Dal objected to the staging of his play “Jaat Hi Pucho Sadhu Ki”, saying it was “antiHindu and anti-Indian culture”. Tendulkar’s “Jaat Hi…” is the Hindi version of his Marathi original, titled “Pahije Jatiche (Wanted: Of the same caste)”. The play is not about sadhus or religion but is a sardonic take on India’s education system and on casteism. The Marathi play debuted in 1976, with Nana Patekar essaying one of the key characters, and has been performed in Marathi and Hindi over the decades. Preeta Thakur of the Ank theatre group, who has done “400 to 500 shows” of “Jaat hi…” across India, said there was “nothing in the play to be offended about. It’s not about religion and not at all antiHindu, but Tendulkar beautifully highlights the helplessness of a man and a woman. In fact, the play is a laugh riot and a telling comment on society.” Tendulkar has depicted the dilemmas of a woman bound by the fetters of tradition and hierarchies.

(Agency) Muslim boy thrashed for drinking water from temple A man was arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, after a video of him thrashing a Muslim boy who had entered a temple to drink water went viral. In the video, the accused, Shrungi Yadav from Bihar, can be seen asking the boy his and his

father’s name. He then asked the boy why he had entered the temple, to which the latter replied that he wanted to drink water. Yadav can then be seen beating up the boy even as he pleaded for mercy. Soon after the arrest, the Ghaziabad police tweeted: “Taking cognisance of the viral video, a team was formed and the accused, Shrungi Nandan Yadav, son of Ashwani Kumar Yadav hailing from Gopalpur police station limits of Bhagalpur, was arrested.” “An FIR has been registered. We are investigating the matter,” SP (Rural) Iraj Raja said. (Agency) Colours from cow dung With the festival of Holi

round the corner, innovative Gujarati entrepreneurs are gearing up to hit the market with ‘Gulaal’ made from cow dung.

Colours made from cow dung and other natural ingredients like turmeric, beetroot, sandalwood and other food grade colourants will be available for people. To be termed ‘Gaumay Gulaal’, the concept of producing colours from cow dung will be introduced to gaushalas and cow entrepreneurs. This programme will enable cow entrepreneurs and gaushalas to create an economically sustainable model.

Mital Khetani, convener of the programme and president of Shree Karuna Foundation Trust, Rajkot, said there has been an impetus in efforts to make gaushalas economically sustainable units. “This project is yet another step in that direction,” he said. “A large number of gaushalas and cow entrepreneurs have been producing incense sticks from cow dung for quite some time now. This involves crushing cow dung to a fine powder and adding other natural ingredients to it. Making Holi colours will require just a little tweaking of this process,” said Amar Kumar, a cow volunteer. (The Times of India)

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20 - 26 March 2021

GP trying to encourage Covid vaccine uptake among diaspora These days Berkshire GP Dr Rupa Joshi has been working very hard to ensure no one gets left behind on the vaccination effort. She’s a key player in the vital work talking place to engage with communities to increase vaccine confidence and uptake.

Recent figures from the Royal Society for Public Health show that 57 per cent of respondents from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds were likely to accept a Covid vaccine, compared to 79 per cent of White respondents. Confidence was lowest among respondents of Asian ethnicity of whom 55 per cent were likely to say yes.

The King’s Fund, responding to these findings, has said work to understand what is driving this vaccine hesitancy within these hard-to-reach communities is best done locally. And this is where Dr Joshi steps in. She has joined health and social care colleagues across Berkshire to produce a range of short videos and webinars aimed at dispelling the myths surrounding the Covid vaccine.

A SAGE report from December 2020 suggests key barriers to vaccine uptake include perception of risk, low confidence in the jab, distrust, access barriers, inconvenience, socio-demographic context and lack of endorsement or vaccine offer or communication from trusted providers and community leaders.

Dr Joshi therefore plays an

Dr Rupa Joshi

important role not just as a respected local GP, but also, as Co Clinical Director of the Wokingham North Primary Care Network, a highly regarded community leader. And the role of community champions is being pioneered as one of the most effective ways to educate and empower communities, break down barriers to vaccine uptake and tackle mistrust.

“My parents recently had their first jab, and I was pleased to be able to reassure them beforehand.

They too had seen the scare stories and it was very easy for me to talk to them on the phone and explain that neither of the vaccines have any live virus in them, they are vegetarian and do not contain animal products such as beef, pig or lard and they do not affect your DNA. Of course, it’s easy for me to pick up the phone and talk to my family, the challenge now is to reach out to reassure our wider commu-

nity, answer their questions and really stress the importance of having the jab. And the videos are one of the ways of doing this,” said Dr Joshi.

“I’m also asked by patients about the effect on their fertility and I can reassure them that the vaccine does not affect that either.

In fact, I watched the Deputy Chief Medical Officer Prof Jonathan Van Tam on TV earlier this month saying the myths around the vaccine and fertility were a ‘nasty, pernicious scare story.’

“Then there’s concern about the speed with which the vaccine has been rolled out, but many tens of thousands of people took part in the trials last year and these vaccines have been tested with more people than many earlier vaccines for other diseases. Pharmaceutical companies also started investing early on in the manufacturing process which meant there was no delay in the completion of testing and roll out,” she added.

“I think there are other issues at play as well as the fake news and scare stories and this is a deep seated multi-generational reservation and fear that some people in our communities have about accessing the NHS. “All these factors reinforce the need for dedicated efforts to support uptake amongst our communities who have sadly already suffered far higher Covid death rates throughout the pandemic,” said Dr Joshi.

Project investigates autism in British Indian families Researchers are appealing to British Indian parents to help them build a clearer picture of some of the unique issues faced by these families when raising a child with autism.

The study, which is being carried out by researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), hopes to better inform health professionals of the specific cultural challenges encountered by British Indian parents.

British Asians as a whole make up roughly 4% of the UK population, but in 2018 only 2% of referrals to the NHS for autism assessments were from this community. Data shows that while 0.2% of Caucasian children receive statements for autism in UK schools, this figure is 0.07% for British Asian children.

Dr Steven Stagg, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) who specialises in autism, said, “The British Asian community is hugely underrepresented in autism research. Using the most commonly accessed psychology database, inputting British Asian and autism as search terms returns just two papers.

“Without targeted research like this, which is specifically

looking at British Indian families, we cannot develop strategies to help parents deal with their unique concerns. Instead, we risk imposing models that may not suit the specific cultural requirements and understandings of these communities.”

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) PhD student Fathima Kodakkadan, who is leading the research, said, “This study is specifically looking at the pressures British Indian parents face when bringing up a child with autism. The project aims to develop a better picture of some of the strategies used by British Indian parents, which in turn can better inform those health professionals they encounter.

We will also compare this data with results we have already collected from parents in India.”

The survey is entirely online, takes approximately 40 minutes to complete, and no identifying information is required.

Participants will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires that will assess stress and resilience.

For further information about the research project, please visit https://aruspsych.eu.qualtrics.co m/jfe/form/SV_dnA8AK4aZWGpi nP

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14 WOMEN'S PAGE

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Shefali Saxena

C

ritically acclaimed author Kusum Lata Sawhney was born and brought up in the UK and Nigeria. She currently divides her time between London and Delhi. These distinct countries have shaped her thoughts and identity. Her latest poetry collection – We Might Have …– is available on Amazon worldwide. In an exclusive interview with the newsweekly, Kusum spoke about women empowerment, South Asian women and their sexuality and more.

When asked what it is like to be a woman in 2021, Sawhney said, “We are all just coming out of a Covid 2020 world, and the monster virus is still with us.

But, in lockdown we have learnt, changed and adapted.

We have faced and lived with numerous challenges, and that is why I think 2021, more than ever before, is about choosing to challenge preconceived ideas and rise up to fight the rot, to fight for equal opportunities, fight against violence and gender bias. We should definitely strive to be fearless.”

She further added that writing empowers her in many ways.

“Writing unleashes that which is in my mind, in my thoughts and imagination. It gives me the power to say what I want, the message that I want to share, the topics that are important to me

Marriage is not an achievement

Kusum Lata Sawhney

and that I believe should not be hidden away. Empowering is a sharing of self, a feeling of giving ourselves the independence to do what we want. A choice,” she said.

But what kind of women related issues are close to her heart? “The type that we tend to

shy away from, that we relegate to the back, be it in a book or in life that incidentally are part of the everyday norm and in that sense the most urgent. Rape, incest, sexuality are just some of these issues,” she explained.

According to Kusum, there are many subjects on women

that aren’t written about enough. “But, again, they tend to make people uncomfortable and hence get burrowed in the background. We need to bring these subjects up center stage,” she said and also added that, “Incest is a topic I feel strongly about, as well as all kinds of power struggles and subjugation. We need to teach our young to talk openly about these topics, to learn to work on one's self as opposed to only aim to be liked, and to realise that gender roles are complete rubbish.

Marriage is not an achievement and with education and questioning one can answer questions about identity that are so important.”

Does Kusum think South Asian women are able to explore their sexuality to the fullest? She said, “No, sexuality has a lot to do with the way we identify and respond to a given situation in which we can portray what we want. And we are still a long way off from being strong women who have the right to say what we want, the choice to determine that and the ability to put it across clearly and succinctly.

But, it's definitely happening and there is progress. We just have to work harder and push the stereotypes, stop the bullies and the cowards and learn to stand up for what we believe in.

First and most importantly - we must believe.”

Women in Leadership in today’s world The Nehru Centre, London marked International Women’s Day 2021 with an exquisite panel of women along with it’s director Amish Tripathi to discuss ‘Women in leadership in today’s world’. The session was moderated by Raageshwari Loomba, Indian singer, actress, television personality, mindfulness speaker and Penguin Author.

In the opening address, HE Gaitri Issar Kumar said, “While this is an occasion where we pay tribute to women world over for their many gifts to the society, we must remember that in India, discourse on women’s empowerment started way before India became independent. Our vedas, our teachers, our religious icons, have always stressed the importance of respect to women. Our constitution further enshrines the principles of gender equality in our legal and our public policy.

Women in India are recognised by law as holders of equal rights, equal partners and agents of change in the social, economic, cultural and political processes of our country. More than a million women in the rural era, far beyond the stipulated 32 percent have participated in panchayat raj in local self government, taking their roles very seriously, with great success and commendable outcomes. In challenging domains like the defence services, police and security forces, sports, academics, space research and innovation, taking up the cause of the vulnerable and the exploited, in community outreach and in mass healthcare, women are now indispensable for success.”

Quoting Indian PM Modi she said, “Today women have become an integral part of India’s security and defence

L to R: Raageshwari Loomba, Amish Tripathi, Gurinder Chadha, Sunita Bhuyan, Arunima Kumar and Akshata Murty

architecture. The c outcome of this empowerment is to create an atmosphere where women feel free, safe to pursue any vocation, profession or take a road less taken.

Issar also said that the Indian High Commission in the UK has also established the distressed women’s cell in 2014. “In the last three years, we have received more than 200 requests for assistance and we’ve been able to help many of them financially,” Issar said.

Director of The Nehru Centre, Amish Tripathi, said, “Those of us who fight for equality between men and women are not in any way being less Indian.

We are in fact more Indian. This is what our ancient culture actually preached. Expressing his thoughts on whether men take less responsibility than women of the house, Tripathi said, “Children don’t do what their parents teach them to do, they do what they see their parents doing, so if there’s a father telling his son, that you must respect women, but they see their father disrespecting their mother, they will learn that.”

“I’ve been slapped by my father only twice. Once I didn’t deserve it, once I did. I’m glad I

was slapped because I’m a better person because of that,” he said as he explained that in his family his father meant, “If Ma (mother) has said no, that means I have said no,” he added.

Filmmaker Gurinder Chadha shared her sentiment and said, “We come from a culture of strong women. We only have to go to any mandirs or Gurudwaras and see the presence of murtis (idols) of women.

Within my own faith, the Sikh the gurus insisted on equality of men and women, I’ve grown up with that.For us, however we want to look at it, wherever you stand politically, the cover of Time magazine with all the Punjabi women in their salwarkameezes, fighting with the farmers, that’s a dynamic image, I never thought I would see. I think it’s a testament to the strength of all Indian women, that if they have to get up and speak, they will.”

Sangeet Natak Akademi Yuva Puraskar awardee and Kuchipudi dancer Arunima Kumar shared her two cents and said, “Feminism for me is to just believe in who you are, to believe in yourself and believe in your skill. I have never felt like a lesser gender or a lesser person because

in brief £100,000 PENSION PAY GAP BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN A recent research suggests that the average woman in her twenties today will retire with £100,000 less in her pension than her male peers, research suggests. According to the research, over the first 15 years of their careers, women on average save about £2,200 a year, compared to £3,300 for men. The difference only widens over a lifetime as wage increases lead to "significant inequalities in retirement income", it added. “A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: "Our groundbreaking pension reforms, including automatic enrolment, have helped millions more women save into a pension, many for the first time. Pension participation among eligible women working in the private sector has risen from 40% in 2012, to 86% in 2019,” the BBC reported.

SIX IN 10 WOMEN THINK SEXISM EXISTS IN POLITICS A recent research conducted by the Fawcett Society, a leading gender equality charity, found that almost six in 10 women think sexism in local politics is a barrier to pursuing a political career. According to the research, seven in 10 women have problems in juggling work and other responsibilities in their lives as an MP or councillor. Six in ten lack confidence.

Based on a poll conducted on 400 women, the survey depicts that “the dearth of women in politics will result in them continuing to bear the brunt of the pandemic’s financial fallout during the recovery period.” At present, only five out of 23 cabinet ministers are women.

The Fawcett Society’s research also found that more women than men have been furloughed as a result of having caring responsibilities and being more likely to be in industries that have been locked down.More than one-third of mothers say they have lost hours of work because of having to do childcare – with this figure rising to more than four in 10 for black, Asian and minority ethnic mothers. It also brought to light that not a single woman is involved in the coronavirus ministerial group and the home secretary. Priti Patel, is the only female cabinet minister to have addressed the public at the government’s daily Covid briefings.

HE Gaitri Issar Kumar

of my choices and that makes me feel very empowered.”

Venture Capitalist Akshata Murty, shared her experience of feminism in her life and said, “I grew up in a family of very strong women. And women were the majority, men were minority, both in terms of making their voices heard. My mother has always worked and helped look after, “help” being the keyword to raise a family where my grandfather and father, both were involved in many different ways than my mother was. It wasn’t a woman’s job to have a work life balance, it was a family’s job.”

Indian Violinist Sunita Bhuyan said, “When normal people see successful women, they want to attribute it to something more than talent. I think that’s the barrier.” She was also told that Violinists are for elitists and they need to entertain and mostly put people to sleep with their tunes. Bhuyan never really got a 9 pm prime slot to play at events in her own state, Assam while the slots went to a major musician. She went on to break the myth of the violin and played folk music for small communities to prove that old is always new and went on to get better slots to play.

UK BASED AFRICAN PROFESSIONAL, ALL SET TO VENTURE IN AFRICA’S BIGGEST ECONOMY Business Africa recently highlighted the issues faced by communities in Gabon, South Africa and Nigeria, related to entrepreneurial challenges. Discussing African women in Business, the news portal spoke to Bukola Adisa, who started a professional development company in the UK, and is now trying her luck in Africa’s biggest economy, Nigeria. “She is the black female immigrant who broke the ultimate glass ceiling in the corporate world.vIn a bid to help more minorities take their place in boardrooms,” the portal reported. Bukola is the founder of Career Masterclass, an online Career Development Platform on a mission to leverage technology to democratise and demystify career growth and progression by producing high quality curated content, focused on enabling the growth of the end user. She has previously worked at some of the world's largest Financial Services Organisations in a variety of senior roles spanning Audit, Compliance, Financial Crime, Risk and Controls; managing large global teams and leading complex transformation programmes. She describes herself as passionate and thoroughly committed to the progression of Women & BAME professionals in the workplace. Bukola is also fanatical about learning and career development and its impact on wellbeing and society.

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in brief NCGO INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY AND MOTHER’S DAY CELEBRATIONS Hosts Gargi Patel and Vandana Joshi of NCGO UK organised a successful Zoom event for International Women’s Day & Mother’s Day celebration with the help of Sanjay Odedra (Secretary General) and Deepak Patel (Treasurer). The programme, attended by nearly 400 people included songs, dance, poetry recitations, yoga, and community information advice.

Gargi Patel MBE from Bhadran was educated in Ahmedabad India. A civil servant at Home Office, she is a part of the National Community Engagement team where she is an Indian community engagement officer. Gargiben is really passionate about her role and have assisted many members of the Indian community through faith and charity organisations.

Vandana Joshi is currently a trustee and former president of the Brahmin Society North London. She has been serving the community since past several years.

The event is available to view on NCGO Facebook, YouTube and website that is due to be launched next week. NCGO is an umbrella organisation for Gujaratis in the UK

ENFIELD SAHELI HOSTS ONLINE DISCUSSION TO CELEBRATE IWD AND MOTHER’S DAY On 12 March 2021 over 200 women had a great time at a virtual event celebrating both International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day organised by Enfield Saheli.

Speakers included Kate Osamor – MP for Edmonton, Lord Rami Ranger, Cllr Kate Analue, Manmeet Singh Narang, Minister of Coordination, High Commission of India, Lady Mohini Kent Noon, author and filmmaker and Cllr Yasemin Brett.

Sohini Moksha performed a dance on the symbolic inner strength in a woman.

Lord Rami Ranger appreciated women’s role in the society and shared the story on how his mother struggled as a single woman and how he has learnt so much from his mother’s strength.

Manmeet Singh Narang, Minister of Coordination for High Commission of India (HCI) thanked Enfield Saheli and Krishna Pujara for inviting him. He talked about the support available at the Indian High Commission for destitute women.

The Project Support Officer, Rakhi Batra thanked all the distinguished speakers for their input in the interactive discussion.

CEO Krishna Pujara said, “During this difficult time - our clients represent some of the most isolated, vulnerable and marginalised people in the community. The current pandemic, and measures imposed to control it, have had an acutely negative impact on a group of already very vulnerable people, exacerbating existing mental health challenges for many of our clients now facing financial instability, escalating domestic tensions, bereavement.

“We’ve seen urgent calls for action for people from lower incomes and insecure housing, which show that ethnic minority is disproportionately affected by the crisis, and ultimately put at greater risk of physical, psychological and economic suffering. This vulnerability links to an inordinate increase in the incidence of mental health issues amongst sections of minority groups during this pandemic.”

Enfield Saheli is a women’s organisation and supports women going through a difficult phase in their lives.

UK HOUSE OF LORDS DEBATES INDIA’S RISING HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES Taking part in a debate at the House of Lords, eight peers debated the restrictions imposed on NGOs and academics in India, which also included the detention of Dalit activists, political prisoners and journalists, forced closure of Amnesty International and discrimination against nonHindus. The debate also addressed the damaging effect of the FCRA on mainstream aid agencies. “Until recently India has broadly upheld the democratic principles and traditions she inherited from the UK. It is now observable that the Indian government has restructured some hitherto democratic freedoms,” Conservative peer Lord Flight said as he also mentioned that even if it is the task of the Queen to intervene and raise these issues with Indian government, the response will be it is none of UK’s business.

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20 - 26 March 2021

Natasha Kumar: A Vibrant British-Indian Vision Sunetra Senior Natasha’s vibrant soulful paintings define her BritishIndian art; cross-culturally blending the contemporary cosmetic colour of the West with the deep emotional pride that typically characterises traditional India, her work has been exhibited along Southbank as well as presented to the Dalai Lama! The bright intricacy is strikingly clear in her latest series, Indian Woman (pictured), which depicts rural South-Asian women intimately immersed in their ordinary yet equally dynamic worlds.

The mediative artist commented on the inspiration: “The work began, some 8 years ago, when first visiting the Nagaur Fort and Palace on the edge of the Thar desert.

I had not noticed the significance of the women rushing around, carrying heavy trays of terracotta pots in the heat of the day and carefully placing them on the ground one by one in neat rows and patterns under the instruction of a younger man. At the end of the day, I noticed a woman, clearly exhausted, but still standing proudly upright, holding her tiffin tin close to her, patiently waiting for a suitable male escort to accompany her through the streets. She would be going home now to fulfil her household duties.

I attended the Sufi festival being held in the Fort

#GOING HOME

that evening. I followed hundreds of these oil lamps now flickering with light up a dusty track, past the stables and through beautifully lit corridors and halls to an open courtyard (…)

Welcoming me were the same women I’d seen earlier in the day now dressed in new saris, bearing flowers and smiles.” Here, referring specifically to the painting, Cosmic Change, as part of the collection, Natasha elaborated: “Indian Woman is trying to find her place in the modern world set against a background of an Islamic, geometric pattern where spiritual tradition and the fast-paced movement forward through the circular cosmic order are in constant flux… Is the geo-

Natasha Kumar

metric design a deconstruction of the social framework

Indian Woman #Cosmic Change

and Indian Woman is walking into a newly self-defined image, educated and equal in her role to men, or is the incomplete geometric design a negative deconstruction which symbolises Indian woman failing to assert herself and struggling to complete? The viewer must decide.”

In this way, Natasha beautifully presents the very definition of strong art: the socio-political solutions organically emerging, the best pieces will not only capture, but further push towards a movement of wider progressive change.

Warmly enriching everybody who touches it, creativity is a democratic intuitive force where great work inspires the artist as they produce and stimulates enlightened dialogue from those who then fascinatedly observe. Today a prolific oil painter, Natasha talked generally on her work: “my rudimentary training was in drawing, and we were always taught the importance of accurately representing what was directly there. The foundation is in the detail. When attempting to render a chair, for example, you wouldn’t draw the whole piece of furniture to start. You examine the object, absorbing every side: its dimensions; what it is actually made of. You have to understand what it is you’re creating – what exactly are you trying to say?”

Indeed, an attentive connection to the immediate at once evokes deep feeling: another trait that differentiates Natasha’s empathetic international images.

“For me, it is just as much about encapsulating the experience as etching a precise physical representation, and essentially, the colour is mood.” Indeed, across other works, you might spot an orange backdrop reflecting simple contentment such as

in the piece, Going Home, or the contemplative blue of a plain shirt against the clamorous red of a Coco-Cola insignia to emphasise surfacing moments of still power despite the hustle and bustle of industrial urban life in painting: Your Move. “Such vividness speaks to the old Indian ethos of RASA which runs across not only literature, music and painting, but also dance and generally art.”

Natasha summarised: “Ultimately, my broad portfolio consists of two arms. I focus on simple and complex portrayals of people interacting with architectural place, from village houses and carvings to the

scape of the Indian subcontinent, embracing the chaos and confusion of the everyday streets to prompt a brighter future. I do have a series on Indian lorries which are waiting to be released! They’re very playfully tongue-in-cheek – I enjoy taking inspiration from excitement and flashes of moments”.

Over the last decade, Natasha has also especially spotlighted women to show the windows into a subtler persisting world: “stepwells, especially in Palaces, are intrinsically tied to women.

They are both public and private domains, built by women for women. They are also integral to the survival of a village almost as if religious temples. Again, this is my love of real India.

The themes of my collections follow on from the many different locational

The Three Graces

grandeur of bigger wonders, while gradually introspectively unravelling the layers that constitute me: my mixed identity so to speak.

In a way, applying creative vision to the compelling scenes of India was in my blood! My painting is rooted in exploring my heritage as a British-Indian woman e.g. I often think I could have easily been the individual I’m perceiving and vice versa.” As a young girl, Natasha grew up “shuttling to and from India” where her father originated and inherited the artistic fervour from her mother’s side who were British.

“Much of my painterly technique has also developed here in Britain as a result e.g., my grandfather was head of an art school, the Royal Academy, taking on people to teach fine drawing. In my work today, everything is centred on reduction and getting to the essence of shared personal truth. It can be seen as a study of the changing land-

“

Essentially, colour is mood

”

stories e.g., Ideas; Colour.”

Finally, Natasha’s reconciliatory paintings often contain marked groups of three: “yes, multiples are recurrent throughout my pieces and the trio classically represents harmony.”

Aptly transcending even her own vision then, Natasha’s negotiates more than just geographic equilibrium to promote an underlying universal order. As an adept insightful artist, she not only evokes the societal freedom of the West, but at once celebrates the community and spontaneity emanating from developing South-Asia. Authentically engaging with the way wider space interconnects with multifarious life, she taps into the remedial energy of the collective spirit.

Emanating a consummately cosmopolitan balance, the painter’s work consolidates as it awes. “As opposed to chasing financial success or refined skill, one must remain fundamentally true.

This is what makes a talented artist,” and indeed, a solid self.

Natasha’s work can usually be found at the affordable art fairs in Cheltenham and Battersea. She will be launching an online exhibition for charity in April for Art for Cure: “we have to be aware of the virus, but let’s not forget the ongoing fight against Breast Cancer.”

Indeed, health is holistic!

W:https://natashakumar.co .uk/

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International students refuse to pay tuition fees, call it ‘unjustified’ Thousands of international students at three major London universities are refusing to pay their fees as they say learning from bedrooms has not justified fees of up to £29,000 a year.

More than 300 students at the Royal College of Art, twothirds of them from abroad, launched a tuition fee strike in January. The international students, who pay £29,000 a year for a master’s course at the RCA, took action despite fearing their visas may be revoked. After a letter from the college threatening them with suspension, some backed down, but the vice-chan-

cellor, Paul Thompson, confirmed in a meeting on 4 March that 93 students had still not paid. Students were told in an email this week that they would be suspended if they refuse to pay fees or come to an arrange-

ment.

The students are angry that the institution actually increased its fees this year during the pandemic, despite vital practical work in studios and workshops being curtailed, as they have not received the immersive experience they are paying for.

Meanwhile, at SOAS University of London, where overseas undergraduates pay £18,630 a year, about 100 students are withholding fees; a

strike is also under way at Goldsmiths, University of London.

A new petition demanding tuition fee compensation for abroad students has received nearly 25,000 signatures in just over a week. Most UK students’ fees, of £9,250 a year, are paid to universities by the Student Loans Company, so they cannot withhold tuition moneys without dropping out. However, high fee paying international students and master’s students pay direct, and are showing that they can protest by hitting their universities’ reserves.

Aspiring doctors could qualify without a medical degree Aspiring doctors could qualify without doing a medical degree under proposals being drawn up by health officials.The 'medical doctor apprenticeship' would help those already working in healthcare, such as nurses or assistants, to train as doctors while they work.

At present, students have to spend five or six years at doing an expensive degree, including three years of clinical placements, to become doctors.Critics say this restricts entry to the profession to mainly middle-class and well-educated youngsters.

Professor Wendy Reid, from the Health Education England

training body told: 'The difference between an apprenticeship and a degree will be that people will be working alongside learning, so very similar to traditional apprenticeships where if you are older or you have commitments

where you can't suddenly go off and spend five or six years as a (student), then this is a way of learning differently.

At the moment this will suit people who have been in work for some time, either in a health service related role or indeed in other work.' Under the plans, when medical doctor apprentices have completed their training they will be put on the medical register by the GMC.

But the scheme is likely to prove controversial. When student members of doctors' union the British Medical Association were asked for their views, one said,“[Medical training] is an apprenticeship as much as it can be already, because you've got two or three years of preclinical studies and then three years of clinical studies where you're on placement all the time.

It'll inadvertently create a two-tier system, reminiscent of barber surgeons and physicians, and undo the work that's been done on widening participation – effectively making medical school only an option for those from wealthy backgrounds.”

NASA professor controlling Mars Rover Perseverance from south London flat NASA’s Prof Sanjeev Gupta, 55, should be at mission control in California but the pandemic has forced him to work from a bedroom, in a flat above a hairdresser in Lewisham, south London.

Prof Gupta told Daily Mail, "I should be at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, in a series of offices each one about three times bigger than this lounge, full of hundreds of scientists and engineers with their heads buried in laptops surrounded by large screens.

"NASA's headquarters is certainly a far cry from a one-bedroom flat."

Being a Geology expert, Prof Gupta is one of the leading scientists on the £3 billion life-onMars mission. His colleagues will begin directing Perseverance to spots to drill for samples which will then be transported back to Earth in 2027 by a separate UK-backed project.

Around 400 scientists are working from home because of travel restrictions as he has to work through the night. Prof

Photo courtesy: Twitter

Gupta has rented an apartment in Lewisham so his wife and children can enjoy undisturbed

sleep in the nearby family home.

The flat is turned into a nerve centre with five computers and two other screens for Zoom-style meetings with fellow scientists as the team is working round the clock as a Mars day is 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth. NASA has revealed a panoramic image of the surface of Mars on its Instagram account captioned as: "A new postcard from Mars.”

The panoramic image reveals the rim of Jezero Crater and the cliff face of an ancient river delta in the distance.

97-year-old Sikh grandmother spreads a smile by feeding London’s homeless A 97-year-old Nisharat Kaur Matharu is following her life’s motto: as long as your hands and feet work, use them to serve others. For now, that means her hands are covered in flour as she vigorously kneads and punches dough.

Since 2017, she has made hundreds of meals a week, for the homeless. The food is served

by Hope for Southall Street Homeless, a community initiative that runs a night shelter and drop-in centre in the area of west London that Nisharat has called home since she arrived in

the UK as a 54-year-old motherof-five in 1976.

Nisharat’s 67-year-old daughter, Kulwant reportedly said, “My mother was born in Punjab and when she was six months old, she lost her mother.”

“My granddad remarried soon after another arranged marriage and when he and his wife had their first child, the step mum decided she didn’t want her.”

Nisharat was two years old when she was left on a pile of rubbish outside her family’s

house in Punjab. A few hours later, she was found there by her paternal aunt, hungry and sunburned. Her aunt took her to her paternal grandmother’s house, where Nisharat was kept as a child labourer, responsible for cooking, cleaning and any other chores.

When Nisharat was 14, a family friend arranged her marriage to a 16-year-old boy from an Indian family living in East Africa. Few years later, she moved to East Africa with her husband, giving birth to and raising five children. Then, when

her oldest child was 26 and her youngest 10, she moved to the UK. They thereafter arrived in Southall, an area that today has the largest Sikh community in London, as well as a large Muslim and Hindu population, and moved into the home she still lives in today.

Nisharat added, “Through sewa is meva which means through selfless service you get goodness. I recite Waheguru wonderful God when I am cooking and it’s this blessing from God that adds the flavour in the food.”

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in brief in brief COVID-19 IS 'FORCING KIDS TURN TOWARDS QUICK MONEY' Sir Dave Thompson, the Chief Constable for West Midlands Police has said that the pandemic has 'increased the risk' of young children being exploited by violent drug gangs with offers of 'quick money' due to the impact of Covid-19 on the economy.

Sir Thompson said that he is hugely worried by the prospect of more young people turning to crime if their chance of getting a legitimate job is reduced by the pandemic.

The street dealing and drug production networks have expanded during the pandemic but vowed to target gang recruiters and keep communities safe. He further added gangs and violence are the number one operational concern as lockdown restrictions are gradually reducing.

Police have been given an extra £3.7 million to prevent children becoming involved in violent crime via a body set up called the Violence Reduction Unit.

HEARTFELT TRIBUTE TO YOUNG SIKH MAN WHO DIED IN CRASH Pavandeep Singh, 28, from Leicester, better known by his friends and family as Sunny, was killed in a collision on 17 January, when a car crashed into a tree in Coleman Road in Evington. He leaves behind his mother, Jasbir Kaur, two sisters, Harjeet Kaur and Simran Rullen, a niece and nephew and his beloved friends who his family say were spread far and wide.

Pavandeep’s family said his "bubbly personality" won him many friends.

The family has received a lot of messages and flowers since his death and the scene of the incident was covered in floral tributes to Sunny. Despite an outpouring of love from hundreds of people, the family had to limit numbers of people at the funeral due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Although Sunny was not married, he was dressed as a groom for the final goodbye.

The coffin, adorned in a Liverpool FC flag and scarf was taken by horse and carriage to his garden and a Gurdwara before the service as Gilroes crematorium.

SATHNAM SANGHERA RECEIVES ONLINE HATE FOR HIS BESTSELLING BOOK ‘EMPIRELAND’ Author Sathnam Sanghera has received online abuse and faced trolls for his bestselling book ‘Empireland, a journey through Britain’s imperial past.’

Since being published last month and being lauded by critics as acclaimed “unflinching … moving and stimulating” (the Guardian), and “excellent” and “balanced” (the Sunday Times), Sathnam Sanghera received handwritten hate mail, and thousands of abusive tweets, which the author tweeted about in response to some of the trolls.

Speaking to The Guardian, Sanghera said, “Empire has been weaponised by the right wing, ever since Black Lives Matter. Now there’s this idea that you need to be proud of imperial history to be proud of the country and vice versa. It’s become a proxy for patriotism and race.”

Historian William Dalrymple, Nihal Arthanayake, David Olusoga and many other supporters came out to stand with Sanghera during the outrage against his book. The author has been consistently taking on the trolls on his Twitter feed as his book continues to be a bestseller.

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20 - 26 March 2021

Lord Tariq Ahmad visits India prior to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s trip Rupanjana Dutta Lord Tariq Ahmad, UK’s Minister for South Asia and the Commonwealth at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has reached Delhi, India on Sunday for a week long visit, to foster a better trade relationship between the two countries, in the post-Brexit era.

There has been a substantial increase in the ministerial visits to India over the last few months and Lord Ahmad’s visit is considered as a preamble to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s visit before G7 in June.

Lord Ahmad trip follows a visit

by Liz Truss, Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade in early February and Alok Sharma MP, COP26 President-Designate in mid-February.

Reaching on Sunday 14 March

2021, Lord Ahmad’s meeting started on Monday in Delhi, followed by a trip to Chandigarh on Tuesday, Chennai on Wednesday, Hyderabad on Thursday and Mumbai on Friday, flying back to the UK on Saturday.

Speaking to Asian Voice, in an interview, Lord Ahmad said, “I will not be meeting Prime Minister Modi on this trip, but it is going to be a very important visit. I am meeting India’s Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and India’s Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad as well as a senior minister from Home Ministry."

Lord Ahmad, whose family roots lie in Punjab near Amritsar, is making his visit to India, amidst the Indian government’s strict message to UK Government to ‘keep off’ India’s domestic affairs.

Recently Foreign Secretary

Lord Ahmad meeting Dr S Jaishankar

Shringla reached out to British High Commissioner Alex Ellis in New Delhi, to tell him that the recent debate in Parliament about farmers protests amounts to ‘gross interference’ in the domestic affairs of India. This debate took place on 8 March 2021 after more than 100,000 people signed a petition, compelling the Parliament to discuss the matter.

When Lord Ahmad was asked about his take on India’s reaction to ‘UK’s interference in their

domestic affair’, he assured UK Government plans to stay out of India's 'internal affairs'. He said, “I have spoken to Indian High Commissioner to UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar.

British High Commissioner Alex Willis had a very cordial meeting with Foreign Secretary Shringla. Mr Shringla expressed his concern over the debate (that took place on Monday).

"The Parliamentary schedule of the nature of these debates is not something the UK Government controls. In this case the petition sparked the debate. As a Government we are very clear, when it comes to the issues of farmers’ protest, this is an internal matter of India.

“There is a lot of Parliamentary interest that challenges us as a government, but in terms of accountability, we have made it very clear, the right to

Lord Ahmad meets Harsh Vardhan Shringla

protest is a democratic right, and any response to any protest should be proportionate. Those who commit any acts which are against the means of the protest or law of the land, should be held to account.

The Indian government has both sought arbitration and currently postponed the implementation to allow discussions to take place.

But we regard the issue of the protest in terms of the principle of the issue, very much as an internal issue of the Government of India.”

Catering for 30 guests is unfeasible as wedding planners set to miss the peak season Shefali Saxena Senior Government sources have recently revealed to the UK Weddings Taskforce that “weddings cannot take place, in all but a small number of venues, between 12th April and 17th May with 15 guests, in contradiction to what was stated in the Prime Minister’s roadmap announced on 22nd February.”

In a press statement released by The Taskforce, they have been informed that from 12th April, weddings and receptions will only be permitted in places of worship, public buildings and outdoor settings that are already permitted to open – which does not include the large majority of the UK’s licensed wedding venues where 71% of weddings typically take place.

It is estimated that 7,000 weddings are affected. This leaves an estimated 60,000 businesses employing 400,000 people grappling with further uncertainty and growing unrest amongst couples, many of whom have postponed their weddings multiple times.

In an average year approximately 23,000 weddings take place between 12th April and 17th May (Step 2 in the Government’s Roadmap for easing restrictions in 2021).

Asian Voice spoke to Amit Lamba of Laguna Restaurant to get a sense of the impact of Covid-19 in 2021 on the wedding and catering industry.

Despite relaxations by May 2021, the number of guests at a wedding will still be confined to less than 50 (indoor events at 1000 guests) for those five weeks at the peak of the season.

What does it mean for the stakeholders? Amit said,

Amit Lamba

“For most wedding suppliers, catering for guest numbers of upto 30 guests is unfeasible due to the fixed costs of an event.

It is unfortunate that quite a large chunk of the peak season will be missed as we were hoping things would have been much better by now, however, the gradual opening strategy by the Government was a good decision and is what was needed.”

Will the industry break-even?

What is the current status of bookings for weddings? Will it be enough to make some profit or break-even?

Answering these questions, Lamba said, “A lot of the summer weddings this year are for clients that were supposed to be married back in 2020 so there is a catch up game to be played by wedding suppliers.

However, there has been a surge in new event enquiries too from July 2021 onwards which is great news but once weddings start back up there will only be 6 months of the year left so for many suppliers it will be tricky to even get to the break-even point. There is a growing trend towards weekday weddings though which may be key to recovery for

wedding suppliers as there will only be a certain number of weekends left once weddings open completely.”

The new normal Considering most people will be vaccinated by this time, social distancing and Covid protocols will still be crucial because the vaccine is not 100 percent effective after-all it is debatable whether the sector is ready for that or not. Amit agreed and said,

"Though the average function size for Asian weddings has been dropping slowly through the years, the Covid-19 situation has expedited this and guest numbers at Asian weddings are likely to be much lower going forward."

- Amit Lamba “Absolutely, companies across the sector have invested a lot of money and time in updating their health and safety policies and procedures to protect not just the staff working at the events but also ensuring that the safety of guests is paramount.”

Price surge But what’s more intriguing is whether weddings are going to be priced differently in the post-Covid world or not.

“Though the average function size for Asian weddings has been dropping slowly through the years, the Covid-19 situation has

expedited this and guest numbers at Asian weddings are likely to be much lower going forward. This has meant that businesses within the Wedding industry, especially those that are impacted by guest numbers, will have to increase their pricing

structures so that is it based on new average function sizes,” he added.

Future of destination weddings When asked about the future of destination weddings, Amit said, “Destination weddings were a growing trend prior to

Covid 19 and this situation has of course put a halt on this trend. Destination weddings will recover but will need consumer confidence in travel to return and will also depend on the progress of the vaccination in other countries too.”

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Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel It has been a difficult few years for UK investment fund managers. Between the debacle of the Woodford Equity Income Fund and the COVID-19 pandemic, "star" funds that promised so much have led only to disappointment for investors. Investors looking to find the right home for their pension, SIPP, or ISA, have a decision to make: lose money due to UK investment fund manager's underperformance or learn more about investing themselves.

The State of Play Everywhere you look, you can find evidence of UK fund managers terrible performance. The S&P Global's Indices Versus Active (SPIVA) scorecard is a measure of how fund managers perform against their benchmark. In 2018, they reported that almost three out of every four active fund managers had underperformed against the market. More recently, in the tumultuous economic conditions that are touted as the most favourable for fund managers, only around 70% beat the benchmark.

While this would be concerning alone, it's only one part of a larger picture. The performance of some of the UK's largest funds is shocking. Over the last three years, the Invesco UK Equity High Income Fund had a three-year underperformance of 21%. This fund — in the UK All Companies sector — holds over £3.2b, much of it pension and savings funds.

Two other funds of similar size with a lousy performance are JP Morgan's US Equity Income Fund which holds over £3.2b and has badly underperformed against the resurgent US stock market by around 27%. Another behemoth fund that can't keep up with its benchmark is Schroders Personal Wealth Multi-Manager International Equity X. While it is up overall, it lags the market by 11%.

2019 Winner's Luck Transforms Sadly, this pattern continues throughout the investment fund industry. Witan (WTAN) chief executive Andrew Bell has recently apologised to investors after what he termed a lamentable performance during the covid crisis. They trailed the market by a shocking 12%, which Bell explained, was due to inactivity in cutting the fund's exposure to UK stocks affected during the pandemic and the resulting lockdowns.

The fund had performed strongly in 2019, but that progress was wiped out by dithering for too long during the crisis, eventually leading to the losses.

Ninety-One Problems Ninety One, the self-styled sustainable active investors, have admitted that about a third of its funds are underperforming against the market. With a total value of close to £2b, three of their funds had all suffered low returns for investors.

The Cautious Managed — a £1.2b total fund — is down about 11% over three years and trailing the industry average by around 17%. While things weren't looking too good for two of its other funds, the UK Special Situations (down 18%, 15% against the market) and the UK Total Returns have returned a staggering -23%, well behind the market average of 3%.

The FTSE 100 Is No Longer A Safe Haven For those who invest in their pensions in index funds, 2020 was a bad year. The FTSE 100 fell by around 14.3%, which was its worst year since the global financial crisis of 2008. While some of these problems were due to Brexit and a larger market recession, these mitigating circumstances will be of scant consolation to anyone who has lost a large chunk of their retirement fund. This exposure, of course, is the long-stated issue with index funds and underlines the importance of diversifying into different types of bonds or other investments.

Huge Fees One of the most striking aspects of UK funds chronic underperformance is the high fees charged to have a seat at the table. It is estimated that underperforming funds have charged their investors around £1/2bn over the last years. Seventeen significant funds lagged behind the market over the previous three years, with funds like Investco's UK Equity Income and High-Income funds drawing over £70m in fees.

Conclusion For UK investors looking to grow their pension pot, none of this is good news. UK funds operate in a very efficient marketplace where small margins decide who the occasional victor is. Unfortunately for the investor, picking one of the handfuls of firms who make good on their promised returns isn't always easy. It is for this reason that UK investors should consider reducing the fees and learning to invest themselves. With the right guidance and some research, they can hardly do worse than some of these funds.

I want everyone to learn how to invest for themselves, or at least the right questions to ask their fund manager, or financial advisor. I create a Campaign to teach for free people how to invest better and so they feel they are seated next to me, connect with me on instant messenger and see what I see. It’s all free on www.campaignforamillion.com

Sanjeev Gupta accused of exploiting Covid support scheme Steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta and collapsed lender Greensill Capital are accused of exploiting a taxpayer-backed Covid support scheme to extract over £400 million in loans.

Earlier this week, the media reported that Gupta used the Australian banker to borrow eight times the limit set by the government's coronavirus large business interruption loan scheme (CLBILS).

While the scheme guarantees 80 per cent of loans from accredited lenders, up to a maximum of £50 million per group, Greensill is reported to have used supplier finance to eight statebacked loans of £50 million each to Gupta's GFG Alliance and companies linked to him. However,

Sanjeev Gupta

the government's British Business Bank (BBB) withdrew guarantees for the loans three weeks ago after noticing the breaches.

According to the Sunday Times, Greensill is challenging the removal, claiming approval for the borrowing spree. The news broke at a time when Gupta seeks new financing for his Alliance after last week's

Greensill collapse. The company has 35,000 people and trades around the world. This is not the first time Gupta has leveraged money from the government. The 49 year old tycoon has long been amassing huge chunks of state support through his high friends in high places; Former prime minister and Greensill advisor David

Cameron being one of them.

Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon handed him a 25 year government guarantee in 2016 worth £575 million linked to a Highlands aluminium smelter and hydro-electric plant. He also received an additional £7 million to buy two Scottish steelworks.

Gupta's total CLBILS borrowing remains unclear as borrowers are in no way obliged to register charges at Companies House. Last year, The Financial Times had reported that two metal trading companies linked to Gupta had borrowed from the CLBILS: Simec owned by his father Parduman, and Aar Tee, run by his partner Ravi Trehan.

EU launches legal action against the UK For the second time in six months, Brussels has launched infringement proceedings against the UK over Brexit, this time alleging that Prime Minister Boris Johnson broke international law.

The European Union (EU) has accused the UK of breaching the good faith provisions in the withdrawal agreement after its unilateral decision two weeks ago to delay implementation of part of the Northern Ireland protocol relating to checks on goods shipped from Great Britain to the region. The formal notice of action to Brexit Minister David Frost came with a letter from the European commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič.

He has called on the UK to “rectify and refrain from

putting into practice” its decision taken on March 3 to extend grace periods for checks on supermarket goods. An EU official was quoted as saying, “The UK must stop acting unilaterally and stop violating the rules it has signed up to.”

Johnson's government has one month to submit its observations under the formal notice. If it fails to enter into consultations, the EU can launch a dispute settlement mechanism, which could ultimately result in the imposition of financial sanctions or a suspension of the withdrawal agreement.

The letter alleges “breaches of substantive provisions of EU law concerning the movement of goods and pet travel made applicable by virtue of the

protocol of Ireland and Northern Ireland.” Šefčovič said “unilateral decisions and international law violations by the UK defeat its very purpose and undermine trust between us.” His letter invokes article 12, clause 4, of the Northern Ireland protocol as well as the wider provisions on movement of goods under article 258 of the Treaty on

Controversy circles BoE Governor Andrew Baile A former appeal court judge has criticised evidence presented by Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey over evidence he gave to MPs over a scandal in which thousands lost their life savings. In a report, Dame Elizabeth Gloster criticised Bailey for his role as the former boss of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in regulating London Capital & Finance which collapsed in 2019.

She named him responsible for the failure, and said he had made legal representations to prevent responsibility for the FCA's failings being attributed to him. Last month, Bailey said before the Treasury committee of MPs that he was “angry” by her criticisms, adding it was “not correct” to say he did not want his name mentioned in the context of personal responsibility. In response, Dame Elizabeth wrote to the committee releasing extracts of representations

Andrew Baile

from Bailey's legal team, revealing that they had asked for him not to be named on multiple grounds.

Addressing the report, Bailey said responsibility and culpability were not the same thing. “I never said that I was not responsible for everything that went on at the FCA. That was my role as CEO. The particular issue... was that the first draft of the report introduced responsibility and culpability together in an inseparable way and they're not the same thing,” he said.

the Functioning of the European Union.

An EU official was quoted by media reports as saying, “The EU is responding to a violation of international law through the rules provided in the agreement. We hope that the legal route will not become necessary. This is an issue which we hope we will find an amicable joint solution.”

Thorntons to close all high street stores Chocolate retailer Thorntons has announced plans to permanently shut down all its 61 stores, putting 603 jobs at risk. It brought to attention a business switch to online-only, as several UK high street businesses pivot away from bricksand-mortar. Thorntons said it saw sales surge online, and that it will invest in its grocery supply business as part of the shake-up.

Adam Goddard, retail director at Thorntons, said, “Changing dynamics of the high street, shifting customer behaviour to online, the ongoing impact of Covid-19 and the numerous lockdown restrictions over the last year – especially during our key trading periods at Easter and Christmas – has meant we have been trading in the most challenging circumstances.”

He added, “Unfortunately like many others, the obstacles we have faced and will continue to face on the high street are too severe and despite our best efforts we have taken the difficult decision to permanently close our retail store estate. We will now go into full consultation with our colleagues.”

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India, China join forces at WTO on long pending farm issues India and China have called upon World Trade Organization (WTO) members to address longpending concerns over public stockholding and special safeguard measures, to check against surge in farm imports, on priority, as member countries sought to bridge differences ahead of a meeting of ministers later this year.

During a special meeting held in last week, India highlighted the need to find a permanent solution to public stockholding of food grains, an issue which it fears could impact food security in developing countries, including its own ability to procure grains for public distribution programme, given the cap imposed in the agreement signed 25 years ago. While the WTO membership has agreed to a “peace clause”, which restricts any country from raising a dispute in case of a breach in the limit, India wants a final settlement, an issue that China also highlighted.

Despite their tussle, India and China have similar positions on farm trade issues at WTO, which also find an echo in the larger developing country audience. In last week’s meeting, Indonesia too seemed to be backing India’s case on food stockpiling, as it also demanded that the issue of special safeguard measures be taken up.

But despite a show of seeking to engage on pushing forward the farm trade agenda, none of the countries seemed to have changed their position.

While the US did not take a firm view, according to sources in Geneva, the European Union linked the issue of public stockholding to reforms in the domestic farm support architecture, that the something government has objected to in the past, arguing that the developed countries have extracted their pound of flesh by getting countries

such as India to sign the trade facilitation agreement.

For the developed countries, the old Doha round issues of fixing tradedistorting farm subsidies, opening their doors to professionals overseas through more ambitious reforms of services sector and reworking some of the elements of the agreements that are detrimental to the interests of the poor and developing countries have now gone off the radar, as they push for global rules on 21st Century issues such as investment facilitation, ecommerce and women in trade. The challenge before the new WTO director general Ngozi OkonjoIweala is to bridge the differences.

Govt anticipates £13 bn from rail, telecom assets The government is targeting half its asset monetisation target of £25billion from railways and telecom, while scouting for new areas, including warehouses to store foodgrains, coal and other mines and tourism infrastructure, to mop-up resources that are proposed to be deployed to create fresh assets.

In the budget, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a massive asset monetisation initiative after the government had failed to move on the path for several years, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set an ambitious target, which has to be met over the next three to four years.

Asset monetisation and privatization are the two key focus areas of the 2021-22 budget, which aim at

bringing about a complete shift in the economy to make it more efficient, and provide space for the private sector to help in the recovery.

Following the PM’s push, NITI Aayog has been tasked with preparing the roadmap and also given the mandate to tie-up with ministries.

After deliberations with ministries and departments it has fixed £9 billion target for the railways, seen as a laggard, with a focus on modernizing stations and launching private trains.

The Dedicated Freight Corporation is also looking to monetise its infrastructure through steps, such as selling preferred slots or through faster goods trains.

Separately, telecom towers owned by state-

owned loss-making BSNL and MTNL - again, in the pipeline for years - and their optic fibre infrastructure are proposed to be monetised to mop-up around £4 billion. In fact, the sale of towers was a key element of the revamp of the two ailing public sector companies, but the entities have failed to act on it.

Experts are skeptical of the government delivering on the plan, although Niti Aayog is setting up a dashboard for tracking the progress. The strategy has been worked out by a committee of secretaries, headed by cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba. Government sources said that the Centre’s think-tank is also looking at other areas, which will help scale-up the target and generate more resources that can be reinvested.

Adani’s wealth surges keeping behind Musk and Ambani in 2021 The chairman of Adani Group, Gautam Adani has added more billions to his wealth than anyone else in the world this year on the back of investor excitement around his ports-to-power plants conglomerate. The net worth of Adani has jumped $16.2 billion in 2021 to $50 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. This has made him the year’s biggest wealth gainer, beating even Elon Musk, who has tussled with Jeff Bezos in 2021 for the title of world’s richest.

Shares of all Adani group stocks, except one, have rallied at least 50% this year. The increase in wealth dwarfs the $8.1 billion added by Adani’s compatriot and the richest person in Asia, Mukesh Ambani. It also underscores the rising heft of the self-made

billionaire, who has lured investment from Total to Warburg Pincus. Adani has been rapidly expanding his conglomerate, adding ports, airports, data centres and coal mines in India, while doggedly proceeding with his controversial Carmichael coal project in Australia.

“Adani has been consistently expanding its business in areas that are resilient to market cycles,” said Sunil Chandiramani, founder and CEO at Nyka Advisory Services.

“Now with the entry in data centres business, the group has also indicated its appetite for venturing into technology.”

Adani Enterprises signed a pact last month to develop 1 GW of data center capacity in India.

Pricing In Risk Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

This week I went to see a cluster of commercial properties in East London. On the face of it the yield appeared very attractive, in addition I was told there was development potential. It consists of 3 shops and 1 three bedroom flat. The three bedroom flat has been converted illegally into three flats.

The vendor is looking for offers of £1.5M and is currently receiving a rent roll of £115,800. This is a very high yield.

To me the road looked like another version of Ealing Road in Wembley, though with a greater ethnic mix to the area.

The property, although having an attractive rent roll, looked maxed out in terms of development. If someone had the tenacity of converting a 3 bed flat into 3 flats – illegally, it’s doubtful they will have left any meat on the bone for anyone else if they could do anything further legally.

There could be a slight angle if you purchase the property and then sell it off piece by piece, however, all the shops are occupied by separate individuals, so, how does one ascertain what they are worth? It would be easier if it was a corporate outfit in occupation.

The illegal conversion with the flat upstairs rules out mainstream lending; therefore, in order to fund this you would be looking at a flexible bridger.

We had a similar situation when purchasing a repossessed block of flats in Kilburn, which consisted of 23 flats above a Nandos. During the conveyancing we discovered that there was an illegal conversion carried out on part of the building. We had to take a call as to whether to purchase the property, as there were risks associated with the purchase if we were to go ahead. There was another purchaser who had the contract already and was working their way through the paperwork to get to a position of exchange. We happened to be the under bidders and also we only got the contract 3 days prior. We took the decision to exchange on the property, as there was a risk if we did not move the other party would all of a sudden sprint to the finish line. We managed to iron out all the issues with the property in time, and refinanced with a High Street lender.

We bought this property exceptionally cheap at £2.625M which worked out to £299 per sq. ft., selling it for £4.8M a couple of years later, after works.

With an illegal conversion of the property, it should be selling for a lot less, if of course the owner is serious about selling, as a buyer would probably be looking to go down a bridging route, until the issue has been rectified. This involves risk and costs and perhaps even an enforcement notice from the council.

Another route to purchasing the property might be to work with the seller; and work to getting what’s known as established use for the 3 illegal flats. This involves getting all the paperwork over the last 4 years and building a case.

If this lot went to auction it is doubtful it would achieve anywhere near the price being asked for.

It will be interesting to see what happens to this property. We won’t be presenting this deal to anybody, but it’s always worth keeping an eye on it.

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Hindu girl kidnapped, forcefully converted to Islam in Sindh KARACHI: Religious minorities in the Islamic state of Pakistan face a real and constant threat of extinction. Almost every day there are reports of Hindu, Sikh and Christian girls being abducted and forcefully converted to Islam as the Islamic country not just watches that happen as a mute spectator but also facilitates it. Yet another incident of abduction and forceful conversion of a minor Hindu girl has come to light in Pakistan.

A 13-year-old Hindu girl named Kavita Oad from Kandhkot area of Sindh was reportedly abducted and then forcibly converted to Islam. A video of the incident which has

now gone viral on social media was shared by Pakistani journalist Naila Inayat on Twitter. In the video, the minor girl can be seen sitting on the ground with a mob surrounding her and recording the video of the conversion ceremony. According to Inayat, the conversion ceremony is facilitated by notorious cleric Mian Mithoo of the Bharchundi mosque. Mithoo is a hardline cleric and politician and is notorious for systematically carried out kidnappings and forced conversions of poor Hindu girls.

As per the information shared by Sukhdev Hemnani, Vice-President of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Twitter he is following up the case with

local officials. He said that the documents have proved that the girl is just 13 and he is getting the help of lawyers to file a case in court. He added that he is also coordinating with Sindh women’s department for help and assistance in the case.

Sukhdev said that Kavita was forcefully taken to Ghotki from Kadhkot for conversion. He added that an FIR has been registered in the matter and a case will be filed by a lawyer. Sindh women’s department official Syeda Shehla Raza has informed that they are trying to recover the girl.

As it usually happens in such cases, the minor girls are married off to their abductors, mak-

ing it legally difficult for their family members to get them back. The Hindu community in the Tangwani city of Pakistan held a protest against the conversion of minor girls from the community and demanded that Kavita be returned to her family.

Incidents of abductions followed by forceful conversions of Hindu girl are rampant in Sindh. Cries of the victims’ families fall on deaf ears and even the courts in Pakistan fail to do justice with the victims.

Interestingly, such blatant and routine acts of religious persecution of Hindus in Pakistan go completely unnoticed by international human rights organisations.

Two Chinese factories set on fire in Myanmar YANGON: Security forces killed at least 14 protesters in a poor, industrial suburb of Myanmar’s main city of Yangon on Sunday while three others were killed in other parts of the country, according to local media. State television said a policeman had also been killed in one of the bloodiest days of protests against the February 1 coup. China’s embassy called on Myanmar to protect its property and citizens after saying two Chinesefinanced garment factories were set ablaze by unknown attackers.

Protests are now in their sixth week since the coup toppled elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Security forces opened fire on protesters in the Hlaingthaya district of the city, a poor suburb that is home to migrants from across the country, domestic media said. Plumes of black smoke rose over the area.

Myanmar Now said at least 14

protesters had been killed, while other media gave even higher tolls in the area. State television MRTV said martial law had been imposed in the district.

Myanmar Now also quoted residents as saying three factories were set ablaze in Hlaingthaya. It was unclear whether those included two Chinese-financed garment factories that Chinese state news service CGTN said were burned.

“China urges Myanmar to take effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar,” the statement said. It said the perpetrators had not been identified. Opponents of the coup have criticised China for not coming out more strongly against the army takeover as Western countries have done.

China has said that the priority is stability and that it is Myanmar’s internal affair.

Junta accuses Suu Kyi of taking illegal payment Meanwhile, the junta reacted to international condemnation of its crackdown on protesters by claiming that Suu Kyi had accepted hefty illegal payments.

Diplomatic pressure has been building since the generals

seized power on February 1, triggering daily protests around the country that they have struggled to quell.

The United Nations condemned the junta's increasingly violent crackdown, which has seen more than 60 killed and 2,000 arrested, with even China - a traditional Myanmar ally calling for "de-escalation" and dialogue.

Hindus pardon mob accused of vandalising temple in Pak

Pakistan gets its first Sikh representative in upper house

Peshawar: The Hindu community in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to pardon the mob that vandalised and burned down a century-old temple in the province. The local clerics and members of the Hindu community held a meeting to resolve the dispute.

As per the dialogue, informally called ‘jigra’, the accused have tendered an apology over the attack. The Muslim clerics have assured full protection to the Hindus and their rights as per the country’s constitution. A reconciliation statement would be presented to the Supreme Court, in a bid to secure the release of the accused. Speaking to the media, Pakistan Hindu Council chairman Ramesh Kumar said the incident had hurt the feelings of Hindus across the world.

Kumar, who is also a member of the ruling PTI, said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Mahmood Khan had chaired the ‘jigra’ meet and thanked him for the amicable settlement of the matter. Khan, in his address, had strongly condemned the attack, calling it an attempt to pollute the peaceful environment in the province. On December 30, a mob led by local clerics and members of the radical Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party vandalised the temple. Nearly 50 people have been arrested.

Islamabad: Gurdeep Singh from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insa f party took the oath as a senator, becoming the first turbanclad Sikh representative in the upper house of Pakistan’s parliament.

Singh, from the party of PM Imran Khan became the first turban-clad Sikh representative from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan’s Senate on March 3. He defeated rival candidates on a minority seat by a huge margin. Singh secured 103 votes in the House of 145 whereas Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (Fazlur) candidate Ranjeet Singh secured just 25 votes and Asif Bhatti of the Awami National Party got12.

Forty-seven other Senators also took oath last week. Singh hails from Swat district and is the first turban-clad Sikh representative from the province in the Senate. After taking his oath, Singh said that he would work for the betterment of the minority community in the country.

in brief INDIAN- ORIGIN DRIVER ATTACKED IN US A woman was arrested on suspicion of pepper-spraying an Uber driver, apparently of Indian-origin, in San Francisco who was insulted after he demanded a passenger wear a mask, police announced. Malaysia King, 24, was arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of assault with a caustic chemical and other charges. She was being held without bail. Arna Kimiai, 24, also sought in relation with the attack, hinted via legal counsel she intended to turn herself in soon, police said. The driver, Subhakar Khadka, was attacked after he picked up three women. When he noticed one woman wasn’t masked, he stopped and told them he couldn’t continue. A video then shows the woman without the mask coughing on him, grabbing his cellphone from the center dash area and ripping off his face mask.

Khadka said that after the women got out, another of the women pepper sprayed him through the front passenger window.

INDIAN AMERICAN GRANDMOTHER JAILED FOR 29 YEARS Beant Kaur Dhillon, who was found guilty of drowning her teenage daughter’s newborn son, was sentenced for 29 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Dhillon had been charged with first degree murder, felony child abuse, and assault on a child with great force likely to cause death. Last December, a jury found the Indian American woman guilty of all three charges. The 45-year-old woman has been in custody at a jail facility in Bakersfield, California, since 26 Feb 2019. On the night of Nov. 12, 2018, Beant Dhillon’s daughter went to the bathroom for an extended period of time. Beant testified in court that she believed her daughter was attempting to commit suicide, something she had previously tried. Instead, Beant found her daughter had just given birth in a bathtub.

She took the newborn baby from her daughter and told her she was putting it up for adoption, according to reports. She then allegedly drowned the baby and placed the prone body inside a bag in a bucket.

PAK HC ORDERS TIKTOK BAN OVER ‘IMMORAL’ CLIPS A Pakistani high court ordered the country’s telecom regulator to ban TikTok - the social media app for entertainment videos - over proliferation of “immoral and indecent” content. The decision was taken by Peshawar HC chief justice Qaiser Rasheed Khan on a petition alleging that the platform was spreading obscenity. Khan said: “Videos being uploaded on TikTok were unacceptable for Pakistani society. It’s our duty to protect the young generation from immoral activities.”

TikTok, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, was banned last October after repeated warnings over unethical content.

However, the ban was lifted the same month after assurances from TikTok that it would take down the errant handles.

BRIBERY CHARGE AGAINST IMRAN KHAN Pakistan’s former premier and senior opposition leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has accused PM Imran Khan of receiving PKR 700 million from a business tycoon of Balochistan to make him a senator. “Mohammad Abdul Qadir won the seat as an independent after securing votes from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and other parties,” said Abbasi, the senior vice president of main opposition PML-N. Khan will be answerable for selling the senate ticket, Abbasi said, adding that even the ruling party’s members are saying that this man was made a senator after he paid money to Khan. Abbasi has requested the election commission to take notice of this selling of the senate seat by the prime minister to the business tycoon.

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in brief CAR BOMB KILLS 8 IN AFGHANISTAN

A car bomb killed at least eight people and wounded 47 in Afghanistan’s Herat province, officials said. Hours later, the UN condemned an “alarming” increase in attacks in the country targeting civilian. The toll in the blast is expected to rise because several of the injured were critical, said Rafiq Sherzai, a spokesman for the provincial hospital. One among the dead and11 of the injured were Afghan Security Forces personnel while the remainder were civilians, including women and kids, said interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian. No one claimed responsibility. In New York, the UN security council condemned an “alarming” increase in attacks in Afghanistan targeting civilians even as the Taliban and the Afghan government hold on-again-off-again talks in Qatar.

THAI PM SPRAYS DISINFECTANT ON SCRIBES Politicians are often accused of sanitising the news. Recently, Thailand PM Prayuth Chan-ocha sanitised members of the press with a disinfectant. Riled by a question about a possible cabinet reshuffle at a press meet in Bangkok, the famously mercurial PM told reporters to mind their own business, then grabbed a container of alcohol mist and doused the front row before sauntering off. In the past, he’s spoken to a media scrum while fondling the ear of one of the reporters and flung a banana peel at camera operators.

SPAINISH COPS SINK DRUG SMUGGLERS’ PLAN Spanish police announced that they seized a homemade narco-submarine able to carry up to 2 metric tons (2.2 tons) of cargo.

Police came across the 9-meter-long craft last month while it was being built in Malaga, on Spain’s Costa del Sol, during a broader international drug operation involving five other countries and the European Union crime agency Europol. The 3-meter-wide (10-feet wide) semisubmersible craft has two 200-horsepower engines operated from the inside. Spanish police chief Rafael Perez said the vessel had never sailed. “We think it was going to go into the high seas to meet a mother ship to take on board the drugs,'” he said.

CHINA TO BEGIN TRIAL OF TWO CANADIANS Two Canadian citizens charged with espionage in China could go on trial "soon," according to the state-run Global Times newspaper. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been detained since December 2018 and were charged in June last year with spying. The Global Times said that their cases had previously been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic but were now proceeding. While the article did not carry a byline, on Twitter, the paper's editor Hu Xijin said that an anonymous source had told him "China's judicial department will conduct first trial over these two cases soon." Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat who worked for the International Crisis Group (ICG), is accused by the Chinese authorities of "stealing sensitive information and intelligence through contacts in China since 2017," while Spavor, a businessman based in Beijing with a focus on North Korea, is accused of providing intelligence to Kovrig.

As India keeps Lanka on edge at UNHRC, Gotabaya talks to PM Modi NEW DELHI: Following recent tensions in ties, not least because of Sri Lanka’s decision to cancel an agreement with India and Japan for jointly developing the East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo port, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa spoke with the former underlining the significance of the island nation for India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

Significantly, Rajapaksa’s call to Modi took place in the middle of the ongoing United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session where another resolution on alleged war crimes and human rights violations in Sri Lanka will come up for vote later this month. Unlike China, which has defended India’s strategically located neighbour in the Indian Ocean, India’s position has been fairly ambiguous with the government signalling that support from India is not a foregone conclusion.

Even as Lankan authorities dialled India for support, India

said last month at the UN Human Rights Council that delivering on the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil community is in the best interests of Sri Lanka. The government also called upon Sri Lanka to take necessary steps for addressing such aspirations, including through the process of reconciliation and full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka. The same had been said by external affairs minister S Jaishankar when he visited Sri Lanka earlier this year.

While there was no readout offered by the Lankan government of the conversation, the MEA said in a statement that the leaders reviewed topical developments and the ongoing cooperation between both countries in bilateral and multilateral forums. “They agreed to maintain regular contact between relevant officials, including in the context of the continuing Covid-19 challenges,” said the foreign ministry statement.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Narendra Modi

In complete contrast to India’s position, China, known for its proximity to the Rajapaksas, has appreciated the Lankan government’s “efforts to promote human rights and economic and social development, to protect vulnerable groups and advance national reconciliation and fight against terrorism”.

Beijing has also said it against politicisation of human rights and against “applying double standards or using it to interfere in the affairs of other countries”.

India though has said its “consistent position” rests on support for Sri Lanka’s unity and territorial integrity and also

“abiding commitment” to aspirations of the Tamils for equality, justice, peace and dignity.

“We believe that respecting the rights of the Tamil community, including through meaningful devolution, contributes directly to the unity and integrity of Sri Lanka,” said India in its statement last month, adding that assessment of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet regarding developments in Sri Lanka since 2009 raised important concerns. Giving nothing away, it has asked for the Council to be guided by a commitment to find a lasting and effective solution.

Lanka to ban burqa, shut Islamic schools: Minister COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will ban wearing of the burqa and shut more than a thousand Islamic schools, a government minister said, the latest actions affecting the country's minority Muslim population. Minister for public security Sarath Weerasekera told a news conference he had signed a paper for cabinet approval to ban the full face covering worn by some Muslim women on "national security" grounds.

"In our early days Muslim women and girls never wore the burqa," he said. "It is a sign

of religious extremism that came about recently. We are definitely going to ban it." The wearing of the burqa in the majority-Buddhist nation was temporarily banned in 2019 after the bombing of churches and hotels by Islamic militants that killed more than 250.

Later that year, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, best known for crushing a decades-long insurgency in the north of the country as defence secretary, was elected president after promising a crackdown on extremism.

Rajapaksa is accused of

widespread rights abuses during the war, charges he denies.

Weerasekera said the government plans to ban more than a thousand madrassa Islamic schools that he said were flouting national education policy. "Nobody can open a school and teach whatever you want to teach the children," he said. The government's moves on burqas and schools follow an order last year mandating the cremation of Covid-19 victims - against the wishes of Muslims, who bury their dead.

This ban was lifted earlier this

Kenya announces new steps to contain spread of Covid NAIROBI: President Uhuru Kenyatta announced new measures for containing the spread of the coronavirus in Kenya, starting with a ban on all political gatherings for 30 days. While noting an increase in the positivity rate in Kenya over the last few weeks, amid what is believed to be a third wave of infections, President Kenyatta said such functions, alongside other public and social gatherings, are significant contributors to the spread of the deadly virus.

"I direct national government administration officers and the National Police Service and county government enforcement officers to strictly enforce this order regardless of the social and political standing of the conveners, of these political [and social] gatherings]" he said, adding further actions will depend on whether the chains of transmission will have been broken by the end of the 30 days.

Curfew extended Kenyatta also extended the nationwide curfew by 60 days and said that all bars, restaurants and other such locations shall be closed by 9 pm.The curfew will not affect essential service providers, factories, construction workers and those working in shifts. He further announced that the funerals, cremations and other such rites shall be performed within 72 hours, and that attendance shall be limited to 100 immediate family members.

In the same breath, he said the number of attendees at weddings and other traditional unions shall also be capped at 100. Regarding places of worship, the government said they will all have a maximum of a third of their capacities per gathering.

With regard to public transport, the President asked the Health and Transport ministries to work with all stakeholders in revising protocols to ensure the general public is protected. The President also spoke about vaccination, which was rolled out in Kenya about a week ago. He noted that the country's medical experts are persuaded that it is safe following tests. He urged the public to take the jab but noted that this is voluntary.

Crucial period Kenyatta's announcements followed a declaration by the Ministry of Health - that the country is experiencing a third wave of infections, a year since it confirmed its first case last March. Experts had warned that a failure by the government to impose stringent measures will be catastrophic. The Council of Governors (CoG) also called for a 30-day ban on all political gatherings and functions in the country, with chairperson Martin Wambora described as virus "super spreaders". Kenyatta said the country has entered a critical stage in the fight against the virus, and asked all Kenyans to adhere to regulations issued by the government.

year after criticism from the United States and international rights groups.

Uganda ministers to meet over Kenya's ban on its maize KAMPALA: Kampala has called a crisis meeting over the deadlock between Uganda and Kenya, which saw Nairobi ban maize imports from the country. In an interview, Julius Maganda, the State minister for the East African Community (EAC) Affairs, said Uganda’s ministers of Trade, Agriculture, East African Community Affairs and Finance are scheduled to hold a meeting to come up with a common stand regarding the ban, ahead of another meeting with their Kenyan counterparts.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Amelia Kyambadde, also confirmed the meeting but declined to divulge more details, as she was “still consulting.”

According to the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) in Kenya, Ugandan maize was found to contain mycotoxins, particularly aflatoxins and fumonisins, which can cause cancer.

The maize ban comes at a time when Uganda is grappling with the economic impact of the Covid-19 restrictions.

Ugandan farmers and maize dealers fear that the ban could push grain prices lower.

The ban on maize could also see Uganda lose an average of $121 million in annual revenue, according to data obtained from Bank of Uganda. At the Busia border, traders are stranded with more than 100 trucks loaded with maize grain.

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Indian-American nominee Vanita Gupta says sorry for 'harsh rhetoric' WASHINGTON: Vanita Gupta, President Joe Biden's nominee for the Justice Department's No. 3 post, expressed regret for her past "harsh rhetoric" and said she does not favor cutting police funding, as she faced sharp Republican criticism during her US Senate confirmation hearing.

The Senate Judiciary Committee conducted its hearing into the Democratic president's nominations of Gupta as associate attorney general and Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general, the department's No. 2 job. Biden's fellow Democrats on the committee voiced support for both nominees, but Republicans attacked Gupta.

Senator Chuck Grassley, the panel's top Republican, read aloud past posts from Gupta's Twitter feed in which she assailed Republicans. He accused Gupta of "strident liberal advocacy" and excessive partisanship, reflecting opposition to her

"You told him that his Senate confirmation from some apology was too late and too Republicans and conservative self-interested," Lee said. "Is activists. that something that we "Her Twitter feed has painted ought to apply to you?"

Republicans with a broad brush, "I am a believer in second describing the Republican chances, and redemption," National Convention as three Gupta replied. "And I would nights of 'racism, xenophobia and ask for that." outrageous lies,'" Grassley said.

If confirmed, Gupta Gupta pledged to work with law would oversee the enforcement and with department's civil rights Republicans if confirmed. "I regret Vanita Gupta divisions, as well as antitrust, the harsh rhetoric that I have used environmental, grant-making and in the past at times in the last several years," community policing matters. Gupta Gupta said. "I wish I could take it back." previously served as acting assistant Republican Senator Mike Lee sought to attorney general of the Civil Rights Division paint Gupta as a hypocrite, noting that she under Democratic former President Barack previously urged the Senate to refuse to overseeing high-profile Obama, accept an apology by one of Republican, investigations into systemic abuses by former President Donald Trump's judicial police departments in Baltimore and nominees who had written racially Ferguson, Missouri. insensitive comments as a college student.

in brief NON-MUSLIMS CAN USE ‘ALLAH’ TO REFER TO GOD A Malaysian court ruled that non-Muslims can use the word “Allah” to refer to God, in a major decision in a divisive issue for religious freedom in the Muslim-majority country. The high court decision squashed a 35-year-old government ban on the usage of “Allah” and three other Arabic words by Christian publications, deeming the ban unconstitutional, said the plaintiff ’s lawyer, Annou Xavier. The government has previously said the world should be reserved exclusively for Muslims to avoid confusion that could lead them to convert to other religions, a stance that is unique to Malaysia and hasn’t been an issue in other Muslimmajority nations with sizeable Christian minorities. Christian leaders in Malaysia say the ban is unreasonable because Christians who speak the Malay language have long used Allah, a Malay word derived from Arabic, in their Bibles, prayers and songs.

Priyanka, Jonas announce nominees for Oscar awards

US GOVT TO FURTHER DELAY TRUMP’S H-1B PAY CLAUSE

Actress Priyanka Chopra and husband/singer Nick Jonas announced the nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday, via a global livestream. The couple unveiled nominees in all 23 categories in a two-part live presentation streamed online.

This year's Oscar happens to be the most diverse and inclusive yet. There are more than one female nominations, and 20 acting nominees from ethnic minority backgrounds. British performers also have made their way into the prestigious selection.

Asian influence in the Best Actor Race Briton Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) became the first Muslim, and person of Pakistani descent to ever be nominated in the Oscars while Steven Yeun (Minari) became the first Asian-American to find a place in the Academy race. Both of them have found critical acclaim for their respective roles.

The Biden administration issued a formal notification to delay the implementation of the previous Donald Trump regime’s controversial rule to raise mandatory minimum pay for foreign workers on the H1B visa, the most sought after among Indian IT professionals. The department of labour in its federal notification said it is considering whether to propose a further delay of the final rule’s effective date and accompanying implementation periods that are currently scheduled to take effect on May 14, 2021, and July 1, 2021, respectively.

Before further delaying the effective date and implementation periods, the department will provide the public an opportunity to comment, it said. Federation for American Immigration Reform, however, opposed the move to reverse decisions of the Trump administration on H-1B, asserting that the Trump era rules would reduce abuse of the H-1B programme.

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas

In 'Sound of Metal', Ahmed plays the role of a drummer who loses his hearing. Yeun's performance as a Korean immigrant father who moves his family to the Ozarks, has struck a chord with several hearts.

'The White Tiger' makes it to the list Bollywood actors Rajkummar Rao, Gourav Adarsh, and Priyanka Chopra are on Cloud 9 as their film 'The White Tiger' was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. Based on Aravind Adiga's Booker Prize-winning novel by the same name, the film was written and

China turns to robots as workers age Beijing: With China's labour force shrinking under the impact of the now abandoned one-child policy, the world's second-largest economy is turning to machines to try to fill the gap. The working-age population - defined as those from 15 to 59 - fell for the first time in decades in 2012, according to official figures, and has declined ever since. It is expected to carry on falling until at least 2030, and economic growth is also slowing.

China decided to allow couples to have a second child but the looming labour shortage will take decades to address, if at all. The country is already the world's largest market for the mechanical helpers and it will only get bigger, according to the International Federation of Robots, which estimates China will account for 40 per cent of the global industrial robot market.

"The country is facing lots of problems, one of which is a rapid increase in labour costs," said Wang Hesheng, a professor of robotics at Shanghai Jiaotong University. "At the entire state level, China takes the robotics strategy very seriously," he said. The government is investing heavily in robotics research, Wang added, and his students have access to the latest imported robots, including one from leading German robotics firm Kuka.

As demand surges, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the nation's robot makers to take a larger chunk of the domestic market, currently dominated by foreign players. But it will be a long time before robots become part of everyday life, given the cost and technical challenges.

directed by Ramin Bahrani.

The movie, which was released on Netflix earlier this year, features Priyanka and Rajkummar in supporting roles as Adarsh plays the lead. It follows the story of a downtrodden driver who makes certain difficult choices to climb up the ladder of life.

Brits and women champion nominations Britain's Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) made history as the first British woman ever nominated in the Best Director category. She is also only the third woman ever to receive nominations in direction, production, and writing. Other British nominees include Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7), Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah), Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman), Olivia Colman (The Father), Gary Oldman (Mank), Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman), and Sir Anthony Hopkins (The Father).

Riz Ahmed, Dev Patel nominated for Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards this year saw two important South Asian nominations – British-Indian actor Dev Patel, and British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed. While Patel was nominated for the ‘Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy’ award for 'The Personal History of David Copperfield', Riz was competing in the ‘Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – Drama’ category for 'Sound of Metal'. This is the second time neither returned home winners of the Globe.

The 78th Golden Globe Awards was a virtual ceremony hosted by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. It was THE night for British talent as they accounted for over 40 per cent of the awards. Netflix's 'The Crown' garnered four awards.

Emma Corrin won as Princess Diana, Josh O'Connor won as Prince Charles, and Gillian Anderson won as Margaret Thatcher.

John Boyega won Best Supporting Actor for 'Small Axe', while Daniel Kaluuya won for his portrayal of civil rights activist Fred Hampton. Anya Taylor-Joy won for Netflix's original 'The Queen's Gambit', and Rosamund

N KOREA UNRESPONSIVE TO OUTREACH BY US ADMIN North Korea has not responded to behind the-scenes diplomatic outreach since midFebruary by President Joe Biden’s administration, including to Pyongyang’s mission to the United Nations, a senior Biden administration official said. The disclosure of the so-far unsuccessful US outreach, which has not been previously reported, raises questions about how Biden will address mounting tensions with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. It also adds a new dimension to a visit America’s top diplomat and defence secretary will make next week to South Korea and Japan, where concerns over North Korea’s nuclear arsenal are expected to be high on the agenda.

Riz Ahmed, Dev Patel

Pike was awarded for her lead performance in new crime comedy 'I Care A Lot'. Sacha Baron Cohen won two globes for his social satire 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm'.

This year's Golden Globe Awards also sparked a debate on diversity and inclusivity within the fashion industry.

An article for publication Women's Wear Daily brought to light the absence of black designers on the virtual red carpet. Titled 'Golden Globes Fashion Review – where were the black designers?', the articles pointed out the perks offered to mainstream designers like Prada, Gucci, and Armani.

It points out that the only designer of colour at the helm was Virgil Abloh, who dressed Mark Ruffalo and Tahar Rahim.

NIGERIA HUNTING FOR 39 KIDNAPPED STUDENTS Nigerian security forces stepped up efforts to rescue dozens of abducted college students, police and officials said, as the media ran videos they said showed hostages pleading for help. President Muhammadu Buhari, meanwhile, vowed an early end to the hostage crisis. Gunmen abducted 39 students from their hostels in northwestern Kaduna state recently, the latest in a series of such attacks. The military managed to rescue 180 others after a fierce battle at the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Mando at the outskirts of the state capital, Kaduna city. "A combined team of police, army and other security forces are in a frantic search for the kidnapped students," state police spokesman Mohammadu Jalinge said.

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Gujarati girl also known as the ‘Reverse Girl’ possesses a unique talent Kunjal Zala Everyone is born with an inimitable talent that defines them.

Your unique talent is specific to you and will help you discover a career that is best suited to your liking. A talent is a skill set or activity that comes to you with ease. The secret ingredient that fast-tracks your success is the natural-born talent that distinguishes you from others in the crowd.

There are a lot of people surrounding us who are gifted with god’s special talent which a layman does not possess.

27-year-old Hitanshi Vyas, from Bhavnagar, Gujarat can speak and sing reversely in English, Gujarati, Hindi, and Sanskrit. She can reverse any word, sentence, or song within a fraction of a second. While her mother, Rekha Vyas started a unique venture named Shivam Creations which makes Educational Puppets for preschool kids to learn and creatively gain knowledge. The mother daughter duo shared their experience in a conversation with Asian Voice.

1. Hitanshi, how do you come to know that you have the talent to sing and speak reversely in 4 different languages?

When I was of 7 years, I used to talk to people in a reverse way and when they didn't understand what I said, I laughed at them. So,

my parents stopped me from doing so, as someone might have felt insulted. After a year, I was watching a show wherein a lady was singing songs in reverse. I immediately told my dad that even I can do this. My dad asked me to sing songs in different languages and from that moment my parents realised that I am born with a special talent, by the grace of God. 2. Do you need to practice regularly?

I can do the reverse speaking in any of the 4 languages instantly. As such, there is no practice

required for me.

In 2010, I left it to prioritise my education, and after a break of 10 years, I restarted in 2020. But the 10 years break has not affected my talent.

3. How do you cope with work, studies, and personal life?

As I am also studying for Chartered Accountancy (CA) degree and working with an accountancy firm simultaneously, it becomes difficult for me to manage everything. Besides this, in my free time, I am an active member of two NGOs where we work for the betterment of soci-

ety.

4. What would be your message to all the mothers and daughters?

Being a single girl child for my parents, mom and dad continuously motivate me to showcase my special talent. I would tell all the mothers and daughters across the world to work hard to achieve their dreams and do something unique and innovative that makes you and your family feel proud.

5. Rekha, what inspired you to start a unique venture and make educational puppets?

It was around 2001 when I learned to make soft toys from a

Rekha Vyas - knitting the puppets

Hitanshi Vyas - Reverse girl of Gujarat

workshop. So, I thought of doing something unique. After a lot of thinking, my mother-in-law and uncle who are in the educational sector advised me to do something creative with the concept of puppets. Today I am making 270+ different varieties of puppets, including characters of Indian Gods and Goddesses, and national heroes.

6. How do you make the puppets?

Do they deliver any kind of messages?

We make hand-stitched educational puppets like birds, animals, fruits, vegetables, flowers, stories and rhymes for pre-school and primary school children with complete washable material.

Sometimes we use machine to give them a finishing touch. The main aim behind this was to help children learn new concepts creatively. The puppets are prepared by mainly women, so we are also empowering women in one way.

7. How has your journey been so far in running the business as a woman?

In the earlier stage, I faced many problems as I was a housemaker and we lived in a joint family with so many responsibilities.

My daughter was 5-year-old, so I had to take care of her as well.

In 2003 I suffered from heavy bronchitis. After fighting it for almost 5 years without giving a pause to the puppet world, I was again fit and healthy as before.

PM Modi flags off symbolic Dandi march on its 91st anniversary On the historic occasion of 91st anniversary of the Dandi march, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spelt out India’s journey of `atmanirbharta’ from the `charkha’ to the vaccine, as he launched 'Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav', the government's initiative to mark 75 years of India's Independence. The PM also flagged off a padyatra by 81 marchers from Sabarmati Ashram.

In a speech where PM recollected contributions made by freedom fighters, he said, “The Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav is about a resolve to work for the country. It is about taking inspiration from our freedom fighters. It is about attaining self-reliance. Even today, our achievements are not only ours. During the pandemic, the world is getting the benefit of India’s self-reliance in vaccines against the pandemic. Today we are providing vaccines to other countries. Before 1947, salt symbolized ‘aatmanirbharta’. Salt was never measured by its price in the country. ‘Hum aaj bhi kehte hain, humne desh ka namak khaya hai’ (we use salt as a symbol of loyalty).

We say this not because salt is a

costly commodity, but because it symbolizes work and equality.

Before Independence, salt was a symbol of atmanirbharta,” the PM said, adding, “That one yatra joined every person in the country against the British.”

“Five pillars – Freedom Struggle, Ideas at 75, Achievements at 75, Actions at 75 and Resolves at 75 - are the guiding force for moving forward,” Modi said. “Many ideas will emerge from this 75week programme. Why should schools and colleges not have competitions on events from our freedom struggle? Law schools can document legal cases leading to Independence. Those in the field of arts can contribute as well,” he said.

Modi went to Sabarmati Ashram, where he paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. Modi wrote in the visitors’ book that the Mahotsav is a tribute to our freedom fighters and their struggle.

“By coming to the Sabarmati Ashram and with the inspiration of Bapu, my determination for nation building is strengthened. Mahatma Gandhi gave the message of atmanirbharta (self-reliance) and atma-

vishwas (self-confidence) from here,” Modi wrote.

Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat and chief minister Vijay Rupani were also present. PM Modi later flagged off the marchers on Dandi Path led by Union minister Prahlad Singh Patel. While one group embarked on a 25-day march to Dandi, another group took a 75-km march up to Nadiad. The marchers were welcomed at various locations in the city and its outskirts.

Exactly 91 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi left with 78 Satyagrahis – who had gathered from all parts of the country to protest against taxation and British monopoly on salt.

Together, with Gandhiji in lead, they embarked on a journey that shook the conscience of the world.

The historic march, that lasted 25 days from March 12 to April 5, traversed diverse geographies and mobilized lakhs of people on the road for civil disobedience against the British.

Before Dandi Path – a project that established 14 centres along

the route for night stay – it was largely unorganized. “We see a rise in inquiries and activities along the route. In the past couple of years, it’s being seen as an experiential trail,” said Yogesh Sutaria, coordinator for the Dandi Path project.

“There’s a rise in the yatris from foreign nations, too. We recently saw a group of four from the UK that traversed the path on bicycles.” £120 mn befitting memorial for Mahatma Gandhi, will be one of the largest in the country, is being envisioned on the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence. The Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust (SAPMT) will now grow from a 5-acre precinct to 53 acres. Only 65 of the 177 buildings that exist today were part of the original campus.

“The 65 buildings will be part

of the integrated campus and along with Bapu’s home, the Hriday Kunj,’ will not only offer a serene ambience for visitors but will be an intersectional space of simplicity, Gandhian ideals and philosophy.

The precincts will see use of hitech tools for enhanced experience of the museum space.The plan has received an in-principle approval from the Union culture ministry.” said a senior state government official. The state government had proposed using the Gujarat Town Planning Act to rearrange various trust-owned land parcels that immediately surrounded the existing 5 acre SAPMT memorial, like the Guashala, the Khadi Udyog, the Ashram inmates, girl’s hostel and Ashram inmates with government and Municipal Corporation owned land that lay outside the campus of the SAPMT.

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AIADMK promises washing machines for all; to waive educational loans CHENNAI: Hoping to win the Assembly polls for the third consecutive term, the AIADMK in its election manifesto promised among other things, 'Amma Washing Machine' for all, waiving of educational loans, 'Amma Banking Card,' 'MGR Green Auto' and 'Amma Housing Scheme'. It also said it would urge the Centre to reduce the fuel prices considerably.

As announced by Palaniswami earlier, the party promised cash assistance of Rs 1,500 to the woman head of the family having ration cards, aimed at ensuring economic equality for women. The assistance would be credited to the bank account of the woman head and there was no woman in the ration card, it would be credited to the man. It also reiterated former CM Jayalalithaa's promise that "a total prohibition on liquor would

be implemented in phases."

The manifesto released by AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam and cocoordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami in the party office featured announcements on 163 different topics. The ruling party promised to expand the nutritious meals scheme to students of Class 9, 10, 11 and 12.

It also promised to expand the breakfast scheme presently being implemented with private support. A 50% subsidy in bus fare for women in city buses, extending the maternity leave for women from the existing nine months to a year, were among the announcements aimed at women in the electorate. It also promised supply of 200 ml of milk/milk powder to all school students. It also promised a Metro Rail project for Madurai.

It also promised to deliver

ration supplies at the doorstep, besides the announcement of Palaniswami earlier that every ration cardholder would get six gas cylinders annually. Farmers would get Rs 7,500 farm subsidy, all rice ration cardholders would get solar stoves, it promised.

"If a family did not have a member in the government service, one of them would be provided a government job," the manifesto promised. The social security assistance given to the elderly and women would be increased from Rs 1,000 to 2,000.

'Amma Seervarisai', assistance for poor couples would be given for their wedding, it promised. All ration card holders would get a free cable TV connection. "The AIADMK would insist on a State-

level exam instead of centralised exam in Tamil Nadu for recruiting employees and providing employment," it promised. The AIADMK, which ruled the State for the past 10 years, promised that it would insist the Centre to declare Tamil as one of the administrative languages. It also promised to make Tamil a mandatory subject for school students till Class 10. It also promised to increase the age limit for joining the government service by two years and also promised to grant weekly off on a rotation-basis for police personnel.

PUNJAB

No-confidence motion against Haryana govt defeated CHANDIGARH: The noconfidence motion against the the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janata Party government led by Manohar Lal Khattar was defeated in the Haryana Assembly last week.

The motion was moved by Leader of Opposition BS Hooda earlier in the day over the government’s stand on the three contentious farm laws of the Centre.

While the Congress-led Opposition had been slamming the government through the day in the Assembly for its alleged failures to address farmers’ issues over the three contentious farm laws, CM Khattar in his address accused the Congress of spreading mistrust and having “no confidence” in any institution when it’s in the Opposition.

Attacking the Congress in the Assembly, Khattar accused

Manohar Lal Khattar

the Opposition of resorting to criticism for the sake of criticism. “Mistrust culture is an old Congress tradition. Though this mistrust can be seen within the party, with senior Congress leader PC Chacko leaving the party. Sometimes it's G23 or mistrust between Surjewala or Hooda sahab in the state,” Khattar said. “’No Confidence’ is Congress’ culture. When the party loses polls, there’s no confidence in EVMs. It asked for evidence after the surgical strikes. Criticism for sake of

criticism should not be done. If the Congress is in power, all is well, but if it’s the BJP, then nothing is,” he added.

Speaking to the media earlier, JJP leader and Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala attacked the Congress and said that contract farming was introduced by Hooda in 2014.

“The Leader of Opposition (BS Hooda) agreed that they introduced contract farming in 2014 which exhibits their double standards and we will respond to that in the Assembly,” Chautala said. Describing the government a minority, Hooda said that in the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP failed to get the majority and it had to form the government with the support of the JJP (Jannayak Janta Party), which sought votes against the BJP.

Referring to CM Khattar as Nero, Hooda said, “The chief minister is behaving like Nero when Rome was burning. The same thing is happening in Haryana.”

“The situation was bad to the extent that Khattar could not go to Panipat to unfurl the Tricolour on Republic Day and instead went to neighbouring Panchkula to escape farmers’ wrath,” Hooda said.

He had demanded secret voting on the no-confidence motion, which was rejected by Speaker Gian Chand Gupta.

Political observers said that the no-trust motion was a calculated move to embarrass the JJP, the crucial post-electoral coalition partner with the BJPled government, which is supporting the saffron party despite claiming to be an outfit of a rural Jat-centric party with the farmers as its core vote bank.

WEST BENGAL

EC suspends SP, shunts DM for ‘lapses’ leading to Didi’s injury NEW DELHI: The Election Commission ordered the removal of Vivek Sahay, West Bengal director of security, the suspension of Purba Medinipur SP Pravin Prakash while transferring district magistrate Vibhu Goel for poor police bandobast last week when CM Mamata Banerjee received injuries during campaigning in Nandigram. The EC acted on reports of the incident received from the West Bengal chief secretary and its own special poll observers that pointed to non-adherence of laid-down security protocols for Mamata, a ‘Z-plus protectee’.

The EC has asked charges to be framed against Prakash for “major failure of bandobast” and has also taken note that there were no significant pointers to suggest a

premeditated or planned attack on the CM. Its special observers Ajay V Nayak and Vivek Dube cited the Nandigram returning officer’s inputs that made no mention of any atrocious view of Sahay “grossly failing in discharge of his primary duty to protect” the CM. In fact, Sahay was found sitting in the bulletproof vehicle for the CM in the convoy when she sustained her injury. The EC reports said as an investigation was ongoing, it would be premature to come to any further conclusions regarding the incident.

Mamata hits road Meanwhile, Mamata, her plastered left foot supported by the raised footrest of a wheelchair, resumed her poll campaign on Sunday with a 5.4km Trinamool Congress

procession through the heart of south Kolkata and a new war cry: "Always remember, a wounded tiger is more dangerous."

The CM, who had injured her foot while campaigning in Nandigram, later told a gathering at the Hazra crossing, "I am in a lot of pain. But the responsibility of protecting democracy is far more important. The sight of democracy being trampled on is unbearable. I will move around the whole of Bengal with my injured leg, sitting in a wheelchair. Khela hobe (the game is on)."

Mamata urged the supporters gathered there, the majority of whom were young party functionaries and college students, to maintain peace and

in brief CONG GETS 15 SEATS, DMK 13 IN PONDY The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) led

by Congress in the Union territory of Puducherry finalised the seat-sharing pact for the assembly polls. As per the deal signed at the DMK headquarters in Chennai, Congress will contest in 15 seats, DMK in 13 seats and one seat each goes to CPI and VCK. It is a huge climb down for Congress, which had contested 21 seats and won 15 of them in the last polls held in 2016. In the rival National Democratic Alliance (NDA) camp, All India NR Congress (AINRC), which leads the front, is contesting from 16 seats and the balance 14 seats are being shared by BJP and AIADMK. AINRC and BJP signed the pact earlier. However, the AIADMK did not sign the agreement and expressed reservations over the BJP retaining 10 seats for itself and giving only four to the AIADMK. The AIADMK has demanded seven seats.

DMK-AIADMK STRAIGHT FIGHT IN OVER 100 SEATS DMK president M K Stalin will seek a third term from Kolathur constituency while his son Udhayanidhi is set to make his electoral debut as the party released its list of 173 candidates for the April 6 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. As per the list released by Stalin, nearly half of the 173 nominees are sitting MLAs and the DMK would be locked in direct contest with arch-rival AIADMK in over 100 seats.

Udhayanidhi will fight from the ChepaukTriplicane constituency, represented by his grandfather, the late M Karunanidhi. It was represented in the Assembly by the late J Anbazhagan of the DMK who succumbed to Covid-19 last year.

BADAL CONSTITUTES 87-MEMBER SAD WORKING COMMITTEE Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal announced 87-member Working Committee of the party comprising senior party leaders. Badal also constituted a three-member Disciplinary Committee led by Jathedar Tota Singh.

Gulzar Singh Ranike and Parkash Chand Garg will be other two members of the committee. Announcing this in a statement released from the party head office, party senior vice president and spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said party office bearers, including secretary general, senior vice president, general secretary and other office-bearers had already been announced.

YASHWANT SINHA JOINS TMC show restraint. "The Hazra crossing is a place of historic significance for me," she said.

"This is the place where I suffered a life-threatening attack (in August 1990, during a Congress called strike). This is also the place that gave me my life back."

"I have faced a number of attacks throughout my life, but I never bowed my head. In the last few days, whenever someone would ask me if I was in pain, my response was: 'Who will reach out to the people of Bengal if I take bed rest?' That would have meant success for the conspirators."

Yashwant Sinha, former Union Finance Minister under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, joined the Trinamool Congress weeks ahead of the West Bengal Assembly election. The 83-year-old had quit his earlier party, the BJP, in 2018. His joining Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's side is likely to be viewed as a prize catch for an outfit that has seen a steady outflow of both leaders and cadres in the past few months. Sinha joined his new party at the Trinamool Bhawan in Kolkata in the presence of Derek O Brien, Sudip Bandopadhyay, and Subrata Mukherjee.

"The country is facing an unprecedented situation today. The strength of democracy lies in the strength of the institutions of democracy. All these institutions, including the judiciary, have become weak now," said Sinha right after joining Trinamool.

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20 - 26 March 2021

Quad a pillar of stability in Indo-Pacific region: PM Modi

India, China hold talks to resolve on remaining LAC issues

Sending a strong message to China, the Quad in its first summit signalled its arrival on the geopolitical scene with PM Modi describing the grouping as a “force for global good” and an “important pillar of stability” in the IndoPacific. In his opening remarks, he underlined the evolution of the group and a shedding of inhibitions India may have harboured in the past. “We will work together, closer than ever before, for advancing our shared values and promoting a secure, stable and prosperous IndoPacific,” he said.

Narendra Modi Modi’s comments came after US President Joe Biden invited him to speak, observing, “PM Modi, good to see you”. The discussions sent a potent message to China that its actions have brought together a committed group of democracies supporting values of pluralism and free access in a region which Beijing likes to see as its backyard. “The summit, by itself, is the most significant outcome,” foreign secretary Harsh Shringla, who is also the Sherpa for the Quad from the Indian side, said. “The Quad leaders emphasised the commitment to a free and open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific,” he added.

China seems to have been angered by the developments with Global Times, the Chinese mouthpiece, saying India was becoming a “negative asset” for BRICS and SCO. China in February said it is backing India to host the 2021 BRICS summit. It seems India has failed to understand China's goodwill. India takes all support from China for granted. It is, in fact, carrying out a kind of strategic blackmail against China,” the paper said.

India and China last week held 'in-depth' discussions on addressing the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, holding the disengagement in the North and South banks of Pangong Lake, provided a good basis to work towards their early resolution.

The two countries also agreed during the parleys that in the interim they should continue to maintain stability at ground level and prevent any untoward incident. The talks were held under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on IndiaChina Border Affairs (WMCC).

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two sides agreed to maintain close communication and dialogue through both the diplomatic and military channels and agreed to convene the 11th round of military talks at an early date. In a statement, it said the two sides should continue their dialogue to reach a mutually acceptable solution for complete disengagement from all friction points at the earliest.

This would enable two

The Quad's faith in market based economies and readiness to put forward a “positive agenda” in the region was emphasised in an ambitious target of producing a billion doses of the anti-Covid vaccine. There would be no talk of a ‘Cold War’ with China but the Quad would project power in a way distinct from the communist giant, seemed to be the summit's political upshot, with Biden making it evident that he does not differ from the Trump administration on the IndoPacific and Quad. Underlining the convergence, the summit was followed by a joint statement.

Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga tweeted that he had opposed China’s unilateral efforts to change the status quo, as well as the situation in Myanmar. He is the first Quad leader to directly say China’s actions came under criticism at the summit. Hosted by the US, the summit threw up several outcomes first, a massive vaccine initiative that will use the strengths of all four countries to produce a billion doses of Covid vaccines that would be used for the good of Indo-Pacific countries for a start. Briefing journalists after the summit, Shringla said, “It is an ambitious target but we believe we can do it.” The initiative will expand India’s own vaccine manufacturing capabilities, so that India’s domestic demands are not affected. The initiative will use vaccines developed in the US - the Johnson & Johnson one to begin with - and those manufactured in India, financed by US and Japan. Australia will use its logistics to build last mile connectivity to countries in southeast Asia, Pacific islands and Indian Ocean countries.

Steep rise in Ahmedabad Covid cases Ahmedabad city reported 205 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, breaching the mark of 200 for the first time in 83 days. There were 201 cases on December 22 last year.

Meanwhile, a total of 2,017 persons tested positive in the city in the first 15 days of March. In fact, between March 1 and 15, the number of cases has more than doubled.

Looking at the rapid surge in cases, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation announced partial lockdown in eight wards that have emerged as Covid hotspots.

As per a notification issued on Monday, AMC has identified eight wards - Jodhpur (which includes South Bopal), Navrangpura, Bodakdev, Thaltej, Gota, Paldi, Ghatlodia and Maninagar - where Covid-19 cases are on the rise. Restaurants, malls, show rooms, tea stall, eateries, garment shops, salons, spas, gyms and clubs located in these wards will have to close at 10 pm.

Besides these, the AMC has also ordered closure of Manek Chowk and Raipur eating joints from 10 pm.

Currently, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot already have a night curfew in place starting at midnight.

A senior AMC official said that vaccination will also be increased in these eight areas. “The AMC has increased testing in these areas. Dhanvantri Raths are being sent and testing has been increased. We have also started contact tracing of Covid-positive people to ensure they do not spread the virus.”

890 new cases in 24 hours in Gujarat Gujarat reported its single-highest jump in Covid cases this year on Monday. Just like in Ahmedabad, the number of new cases in 24 hours in the State has more than doubled in 15 days. There were 427 cases on March 1, which rose to 890 on Monday. Gujarat is among the six states in the country where Covid cases are on the rise.

Surat topped the list of Covid cases on Monday with 266 cases, of which 240 were in the city. It also accounted for the single death in the State. It was followed by Ahmedabad with 209 cases, Rajkot with 95 cases and Vadodara with 93 cases. There were 31 cases in Bharuch, 23 in Kheda, 18 in Gandhinagar, 15 in Dahod, 14 each in Jamnagar, Anand, Narmada and the Panchmahals and 12 in Bhavnagar. The total tally of cases in Gujarat so far has reached 2,69,955 while the death toll sands at 4,425.

sides to look at broader de-escalation of troops in the area and work towards restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

They also agreed that in the interim two sides should continue to maintain stability at ground level and prevent any untoward incident, the MEA added.

The MEA also said that India and China agreed that the agreement reached between the two foreign ministers in Moscow in September last as also their recent phone conversation in February should continue to guide the work of the two sides. The two sides reviewed the situation along the LAC in the Western sector and had in-depth discussions on the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western sector, it said.

They agreed that the completion of the disengagement in North and South Bank of the Pangong Lake provided a good basis for the two sides to work towards early resolution of these remaining issues. The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary (East Asia) in the MEA while the

Chinese side was headed by director general of the boundary and oceanic department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two countries had completed withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in line with an agreement on disengagement.

After completion of the disengagement process in Pangong lake areas, senior military commanders of India and China held another round of talks on February 20 with a focus on taking forward the disengagement process in other friction points. At the talks, India pitched for a faster disengagement process in areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang to bring down tension in the mountainous region.

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BJP and TMC wooing celebrities Stars and politicians are no strangers in Bengal. Mithun Chakraborty, the latest catch of BJP, was a T ri namo ol-nomi nated Rajya Sabha MP. Before that he was so close to Left Front. But the Left leaders did not keep the Bollywood and its Kolkata cousin in high esteem. Mamata Banerjee has no such pretensions.

She understands the pulse of mainstream Bengali culture and has always packed her MP/MLA line-up with film stars, sportspersons, singers. Some were long past their heyday like Sandhya Roy but others were hot commodities like action-hero Dev. Unlike the Left, Trinamool treated them as “guest politicians” who could treat politics as a sabbatical. Their political foray was like a “recognition of their work” as actors and sportspeople.

Parachuting in a celebrity also helped defuse local intra-party fights because he/she was an outsider belonging to no particular faction. Didi genuinely enjoyed the company of film and

television stars and that made it easier for her to bend them to her cause.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections Didi hit the campaign trail with actorcandidate Nusrat Jahan.

She ad libbed about their commonality. “She has two eyes. I have two eyes. She has two ears. I have two ears. She has one liver. I have one liver. Only she is beautiful. I am not.” The crowd lapped it up. And if the stars occasionally put their foot in their mouths, they smiled and begged forgiveness as political novices.

A little late to the party, BJP roped in a few stars like Locket Chatterjee and Roopa Ganguly. But this year that trickle has become a stream. Papiya Adhikari, an actress from the 80s, elocuted her love for the party and the Prime Minister with such gushing melodramatic verve on camera it screamed for its own soap opera soundtrack.

And we know the BJPTrinamool celebrity tug-ofwar is getting serious when actor Bonny Sengupta joins the BJP while his love

Mithun Chakraborty

interest actor Koushani Mukherjee joins Trinamool as does his mother, giving the old saas-bahu plot a dramatic twist.

Admittedly many of the new celebrity entrants are eliciting yawns. The names ring the faintest of bells.

Not everyone can deliver a frisson of excitement like a Moon Moon Sen. However, the celebrity brigade now serves a different political purpose. It’s about quantity rather than quality. The BJP wants the headline that says: “A host of Bengali actors join BJP”. Ultimately elections are a matter of perception and by filling up its celeb dance card the BJP wants to send out the message that the wind is

changing in Bengal.

That’s why Trinamool has redoubled its efforts.

Mamata persuaded sitting MLAs like actor Chiranjeet to run again though he had wanted to retire. Acting legend Dipankar De just joined the party. The new faces in the party’s Assembly poll list include a writer, a footballer, a cricketer, a singer of Sa Re Ga Ma fame, a director and a slew of television and film stars. Whether it can win the battle of perceptions is anyone’s guess. But while political parties and celebrities hope for a winwin relationship with each other, it’s debatable whether art and culture itself will emerge a winner.

Can BJP do a Tripura in Kerala with its Christian outreach?

Kerala has a reputation of voting out the government in every assembly election.

It has done so since 1980.

And, Kerala is a strong Leftbastion - the last fort standing since the BJP breached Tripura in 2018.

Also, like Tripura, the Congress-led alliance is the principal rival of the Left in Kerala. The BJP is an underdog challenger, just like in the 2018 Tripura polls, in the upcoming Kerala Assembly election.

While Hindutva and development remain the core poll plank for the BJP, the party has reached out to the Christian community in a big way ahead of the Kerala Assembly polls. In the local body polls held in December 2020, the BJP fielded about 500 Christian candidates in Kerala. Its community outreach

strategy bore fruits as the BJP improved its position in Kerala grassroots bodies including a boosting win in the Sabarimala battleground Pandalam municipality in the Pathanamthitta district.

BJP’s Christian outreach Next came a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a delegation of Church leaders on January 19 this year. Reports claimed that the Church leaders “conveyed” to PM Modi their grievances over the Muslim community being given extra benefits of the minority welfare schemes.

Some reports also suggested that the Church leaders spoke about ‘love jihad’, a term that originated from Kerala but became popular in northern states with the

BJP government of Uttar Pradesh legislating a law to deal with it.

In February, another incident took place that showed BJP-Church bonhomie in Kerala. The matter was related to the St Georgre Orthodox Church built in 1050 AD. It was to be demolished for expansion of a national highway. The Church reached out to all political parties, but reports say only Balashankar responded and took the matter to PM Modi. An intervention from PM Modi saw the church building being handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India.

Now in March, it has emerged that Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has extended support to BJP leader R Balashankar in the Kerala Assembly polls

from the Chenganuru constituency in the Alappuzha district. The seat is held by the CPM. Some other reports quoted other Church officials saying this was ‘fake news’. But it is not unusual for the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church to support PM Modi and the BJP. In the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Jacobite Syrian and Malankara Orthodox churches of Kerala had “unexpectedly” backed the prime ministerial candidature of Narendra Modi. The church officials had then cited positive “feedback” from their followers in Gujarat for their decision. KJ Alphons, the bureaucrat-turnedpolitician, was then credited with this “image makeover” of the BJP in Kerala.

Indian students being duped by unscrupulous agents NEW DELHI: Large number of Indian students in different countries claim to have been duped by unscrupulous agents into parting with thousands of dollars in tuition for them to arrange jobs or placements at private colleges as an ‘easy’ way to work toward becoming a permanent resident, an investigation has revealed.

According to the data, in some cases, students recruited by agents working with private colleges signed up for courses they “weren’t interested in” or didn’t plan to attend in order to qualify for a student work permit so they could get a job as soon as they enter the country.

Instead, the students said they worked more hours than legally allowed while trying to get an employer to sponsor them, meaning they had to apply for a full-time work permit and pay fees to immigration consultants to do the paperwork.

Most of the countries immigration rules currently allow international students to work just 20 hours per week while studying and provide limited opportunities to stay in the country after graduation unless they meet certain requirements and find a sponsor.

Working during the studies is very important for visiting students. According to a latest International Student Survey that the opportunity to work while studying is a key driver for the majority of students. Several students had hoped their courses would lead to good jobs, but ended up being a waste of time and money because no employers in their fields of study were willing to hire them afterwards.

One student from India said she had paid hefty amount of fees for courses to maintain her student work permit while trying to persuade her employer to sponsor. “The agents make us fake promises like you can get your work permit,” she told.

Supriyo, 3 other MPs on BJP list for Bengal assembly polls Union minister of state Babul Supriyo, former Trinamool minister Rajib Banerjee, Rajya Sabha member Swapan Dasgupta and economist Ashok Lahiri figure in the list of 63 candidates released by BJP on Sunday for the third and fourth phases of the Bengal assembly polls.

Supriyo, the Lok Sabha member from Asansol, is among four MPs fielded by the party in key assembly constituencies.

The Union minister of state for environment, forest and climate change will be contesting the Tollygunge seat. Hooghly MP Locket Chatterjee has been given the party ticket for Chinsurah, Coochbehar MP Nisith Pramanik for Dinhata and Rajya member Dasgupta for Hooghly’s Tarakeswar.

BJP has fielded former chief economic advisor Lahiri in north Bengal's Alipurduar. An alumnus of the erstwhile Presidency College, Lahiri had also served as executive director at the Asian Development Bank and director of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.

Apart from Rajib Banerjee, who is the candidate for Howrah’s Domjur seat, another former Trinamool minister who recently crossed over to BJP – 88-year-old Rabindranath Bhattacharya, popularly known as Mastermoshai – will be flying the saffron party's flag in Singur.

The other defectors who have been handed tickets by BJP are Dipak Haldar (ex-TMC) for Diamond Harbour, Rinku Naskar (ex-CPM) for the Jadavpur seat, Prabir Ghoshal (exTMC) for Uttarpara, Biswanath Karak (ex-Forward Bloc) for Goghat, Manoj Oraon (formerly RSP) for Kumargram and Dilip Singh (a former TMC-backed trade union leader) for Champdani.

Obituary Author of ‘Smruti Sarovar’ and ‘Vinela Phoolo’, Smt. Kantaben Prabhakant Patel, great grand daughter of renowned Gujarati Poet Nanalal Dalpatram has left for heavenly abode on Friday 5 March, 2021 at the age of 96. She was diagnosed with pneumonia and was under treatment at Barnett Hospital. Despite best efforts by the doctors, she showed some symptoms of coronavirus and couldn’t be saved.

At a time when it was a taboo for girls to travel abroad for education and work, Kantabahen after graduation, moved to Uganda from Ahmedabad to be a teacher.

Her husband Prabhakantabhai looked after Kantaben with utmost care and love till her last Smt. Kantaben Prabhakant Patel breath. They were a model couple, considered as an ideal by many.

Though she is no longer with us, Kantaben has left an imprint on every life she has ever touched. We at Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar pay our tribute to this noble soul.

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20 - 26 March 2021

The art of Lip Reading and why you need to get on it right away It is no secret that people with difficulty hearing experience some degree of difficulty communicating in social situations, even with hearing aids. It is very easy for them to miss a word, or a cue, or sometimes complete conversations. Living in a fast-paced, challenging world as ours is tough as it is. While hearing aids greatly increase your ability to understand conversations, learning to read visual cues and understand basic speech or lip reading can really give your ears more information.

Lip or speech reading, is the art of being able to see speech sounds. People wellversed in this use facial expressions, gestures, and surroundings to help them

understand what is being said. It helps people who are hearing impaired to cope better with their hearing loss.

Not every word needs to be understood for lip reading to be useful. Lip reading will help people with a bruised hearing capability to understand more around them. It particularly aids people who previously had normal hearing to participate better in conversations.

Developing the ability to lip read requires practice, patience, and perseverance.

Once the ability to lip read is developed, it needs to be used constantly otherwise the skill may decrease.

When speaking to a hearingimpaired person, it is impor-

Psychologist Mamta Saha

tant that you face them, speak clearly and do not cover your mouth.

Limitations The art comes with its difficulties and limitations.

They include: Fast normal speech Covered speech movements

Dissimilar speech patterns In no way does lip reading make up for the hearing that has been lost. It is not possible for a person to consistently understand everything that is said by lip reading alone. However, it is a useful skill for the impaired.

Try these breathing exercises to soothe your anxiety Recent studies reveal more youths are susceptible to anxiety than five years ago.

It is caused by stress from various factors. A bad day at school, or a devil boss at work. Sometimes, it comes around without a reason.

While occasional anxiety is expected and manageable, anxiety disorders are a bigger battle to fight. In such a situation, the feeling of being anxious does not go away easily and can even get worse over time.

Feeling breathless during an anxiety attack is a common occurrence. Find our favourite five breathing techniques to help alleviate the symptoms and start feeling better, relatively.

1) Long exhales While blogs, and articles on the internet suggest you to take deep breaths, it is not really the way it works.

Taking a deep breath in is linked to the sympathetic nervous system – the one that controls the fight-orflight response. However, exhaling is linked to the parasympathetic nervous

system – the one that influences our body's ability to calm down.

If you find yourself feeling anxious or under stress, try a thorough exhale.

Instead of taking a big, deep breath, or taking too many breaths quickly, which may cause you to hyperventilate, push all the air out of your lungs and then let your lungs naturally take over.

Count to five when you exhale, and count to 4 when you inhale. Do this for five minutes.

2) Focus on your breath When your deep breathing is focused and slow, your mind and body works in one rhythm. When you breathe normally, you might notice tension in your body. Now, take a slow, deep breath through your nose and notice your belly and upper body expanding. Exhale through your mouth, until you feel your upper body and belly sticking to your back.

Pull your focus on the rise and fall of your torso.

Vocalizing any word of your

choice during this exercise is a fantastic way of concentrating all your attention to your body instead of wavering thoughts.

Practice this technique daily for up to 20 minutes.

3) Equal Breathing The ancient practice of pranayama yoga teaches us about equal breathing. It is exactly what it says, the art of inhaling for the same amount of time as you are exhaling. Before practising this form of breathing, choose a position you would be most comfortable in.

Close your eyes and pay attention to your breathing.

Then slowly count up to four as you inhale through your nose. Then exhale for the same count. Focus your mind on the breathing and count as you do. As you progress, try and count for longer periods to train your lungs.

4) Abdomen Breathing One way to reduce the amount of energy your body puts into breathing, is to

breathe from your diaphragm. Lie on the floor or bed with pillows under your head and knees. Put one hand under your rib cage and one hand over your heart. Inhale and exhale through your nose.

You will notice your stomach and chest expand and contract as you breathe.

Isolate your breathing in such a way that your chest moves more than your stomach. This technique takes a bit of time. Be patient with yourself.

Try these techniques if or when you experience anxiety or panic attacks. See which one helps alleviate your symptoms. Consider meditation as a daily habit to train your thoughts.

Always make an appointment with your doctor if your anxiety persists or gets worse.

Uses of Vitamin C to combat your allergies There are several uses of Vitamin C for your body, however, it is best known for supporting your immune system. Allergy season is upon us and we have heard several people wonder if VitC can help such conditions as allergies are after all, immune reactions to substances in your environment.

There is little evidence that VitC may help with some allergies. Firstly, it acts as a natural antihistamine and antioxidant. Studies show it may decrease inflammation, swelling, and related symptoms that happen at the site of an allergic reaction. Symptoms of aller-

gies come up when your immune system reacts to an allergen.

Common allergens include pollen, pet dander, and proteins in certain foods. When exposed, mast cells in your immune system are activated and release histamine to help block the invader. Widely known

Disappointment – Its how you handle it that counts

allergy symptoms are runny nose, sneezing, red or watery eyes, itching, rash, asthma, vomiting, or swelling.

Vitamin C acts differently from antihistamine medications. It reduces the amount of antihistamine you produce rather than blocking antihistamine receptors.

Research suggests histamine levels may reduce by about 38 per cent after a person takes 2 grams of Vitamin C. However, a higher dose through an IV may be more effective.

A study conducted over

89 people with allergies or infectious diseases showed that those who received a 7.5 gram IV of Vitamin C had about 50 per cent less histamine in their blood. It found that people who had allergies benefited from a greater reduction in histamine than those with infectious diseases.

Vitamin C seems to reduce upper respiratory symptoms that seasonal or environmental allergies cause. Its properties may help reduce allergic rhinitis, sinus congestion, and asthma. However, there is no evidence it can prevent these or treat them as effectively as medication.

Dearest Readers, The feeling when our hopes and expectations become unaligned with reality, a feeling felt deep within out being – This is disappointment.

A complex and often confusing feeling that somehow seems to manage to linger and re-enter our thoughts at times when we are least expecting it.

Disappointment is an uncomfortable feeling that we all experience but why is it that for some of us disappointment seems to manifest itself into more? Far too many of us direct our feelings of disappointment inwards, attributing these negative experiences to personal weaknesses. We blame ourselves, feel embarrassed or ashamed for others and ourselves to see that we have fallen short of our ideal self-image.

Our internal narrative whispers: “You didn’t deserve that anyway” QUESTION: I want you to take a moment to think about a time when you experienced your first deep disappointment, what occurred, how did it make you feel, and how did you respond?

I have (at a surface level) divided our experience of disappointment into 3 types. Is there one that you relate to most when thinking about your answer to the question above?

1. Avoid by underachievement.

By avoiding disappointment all together, surprisingly it does not lead to increased happiness but in reality, it will bring you nothing more than mediocre or for others the stress of achieving perfection.

2. Avoid by overachievement.

With the bar set too high, it can often be forgotten that perfectionism rarely creates perfectin, or happiness — instead, it too often leads to disappointment.

3. Avoid by acceptance.

These individuals accept that disappointment is part of the process, an inevitability that setbacks are a part of the journey.

How to better manage disappointment and stop feeling stuck While it is helpful for us to know which way we experience disappointment, it does not mean that we are categorised in this way forever. What if I told you there were ways you could manage your disappointment and turn them into lessons learnt rather than lessons lost?

1. Accept how you feel – Disappointment is painful and that’s okay, it feels the same to everyone.

2. Stop internalising the disappointment. This disappointing occurrence does not label you as a disappointment (unless you choose to label on yourself).

3. You can learn from these experiences; it is showing you a lesson and only if you choose to recognise this will you be able to learn valuable things about yourself.

4. Remind yourself: disappointment is an inevitable risk you go outside of your comfort zone.

Everyone who is now successful, and you may look up to have had their share of disappointments and failures in their journey to the top.

5. By not allowing the disappointment out into the open you will keep yourself “stuck”. By doing this you may not see when your next opportunity passes you by.

How not ruminate and lose focus.

If you feel yourself getting caught up in your feelings of disappointment, take some time to yourself.

Break your habit of rumination by using this time to really sit and unpack why the experience still feels heavy to you. Acknowledging this will help you let it go.

On my socials you will find some guided mediations, the shortest being just 1 minute. If you feel your mind wandering and yourself losing focus, just take 1 minute to listen, let them regain your focus and put you back on track.

For more tips and tools download your free ebook ‘Just in time’, tune into Saha Mindset podcast on Spotify and follow me on FB (Mamta Saha), IG (Saha_Mamta) and Youtube (Mamta Saha). Talk to me anytime: mamta@mamtasaha.com As always, I wish you peace and happiness.

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There are no pain "killers"

Dr Deepak Ravindran

Dr Deepak Ravindran has 20 years of experience in helping people overcome their pain – in the NHS and in private practice.

He is a leading NHS consultant in pain, anaesthesia, musculoskeletal and lifestyle medicine at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and the lead for the Berkshire Longcovid Integrated Service (BLIS) in Reading, UK. In an exclusive chat with Asian Voice, he spoke about his book, The Pain Free Mindset and more.

Is it fair to compare physical pain?

Each person's pain is unique. When someone experiences an injury, the body releases chemicals which are collectively called nociception. These chemical signals are then interpreted by each person according to their context and past events to create the perception of pain so each person's physical pain is different.

What are the common mistakes people make by popping pain killers?

First of all there are no pain “killers”.

None of the present medication in market actually kill pain. They all act on different parts of the nervous system and the body to dampen some signals. If there are a lot of chemical signals (nociception) then drugs

are more effective, if there isn’t then drugs won't work. So people should first understand what is responsible for their pain experience before popping medications.

Please tell us about your book. Why should our readers grab a copy?

My book The Pain Free Mindset is for the general public and written in an easy to read/understand manner. The idea that pain can be seen on a scan and is always treatable by conventional (drugs/surgery) means is unfortunately not correct.

Medications and injections/surgery work in 20-30% of patients only.

During the pandemic, people have been overly cautious to visit hospitals or receive necessary surgery, resulting in many exploring alternative options. This book will give them all the latest information about the advances in pain science and help them understand the causes of pain and will help them draw a plan to overcome their pain and know when to approach their GP/Specialist for help.

What is your advice to families who have members who constantly suffer from pain, which can be irritating for others, but not for the patient? What is the right approach to deal with someone in pain?

Pain is fundamentally a protective sensation. It is not always the sign of something wrong like we have been taught.

So when someone is in pain, the causes can be biological or social or even psychological.

The right approach is to address each and all

of these factors. What we end up doing is doing one of the three and then get frustrated when it does not change. So we need to ask, what needs to be protected?

What do you think is the biggest cause of pain in millennials?

Excessive stress and lifestyle related factors of processed foods /less physical activity with disturbed sleep cycles and lack of understanding the complexity of pain and what they can do.

As a doctor, how do you deal with pain when you yourself are working in the frontline saving the lives of others? Do you have the right help and empathy around you?

I work with a team of professionals who all work in a trauma manner informed which means that we realise that every one of our pain patients might have had traumatic (physical/emotional) episodes. We therefore respond in a very different manner in our communications to prevent them from being traumatised again in our care. We provide a compassionate patient centred care. In addition to offering medications (M) or injections (I) for their pain if needed, we also look at their nervous system (N) and stress/ their diet (D)/sleep(S)/physical activity/exercise (E) and other mind body therapies (T) to create a personalised plan to help them overcome their pain – The Pain Free MINDSET.

What is the future of art in the postCovid world? ita Joshi, the founder of The Curator’s Salon, is an independent art curator, writer, and podcast host, but more importantly a coach to artists looking to establish themselves and sell their art. Gita, who published ‘Show Your Art: How to Build an Art Career Without a Gallery’ earlier this year, empowers emerging artists to sell their art without the support of an art gallery.

In an exclusive interview with the newsweekly, Gita Joshi spoke about the future of art in the post-Covid world, how the government can help the sector, and should one pursue a career in arts afterall.

What according to you is the future of art in the post-Covid world?

I think that the pandemic has shown us the power of digital marketing, especially social media, and how this can help artists reach a global audience. The future of arts will continue to channel an international approach, as the artists who have embraced this during the last year have seen some great results; both in exposure and sales. The pandemic has also shown that artists have the power to be self-representing, which I think will in turn drive more artists in the future to

G

create success for themselves.

How can aspiring artists and practicing ones learn to sell their art without being undervalued?

It starts with recognising that to be an artist, you also have to channel a business owner mindset.

This means understanding your brand, your vision and how you should be marketing yourself. It is unrealistic to think you can be an artist and spend every day in the studio creating art without spending time or energy on marketing and sales if you want to make an income from your art.

When it comes to ensuring you’re not undervalued, you should surround yourself with a community of ambitious artists, so that you don’t slip into the common ‘starving artist’ mindset.

What kind of help do artists need from the government and buyers in the current scenario?

I believe that artists are often overlooked when it comes to start-up resources and entrepreneurship training and funding. We need to start seeing artists as business owners and offer them

inclusion and support, which would provide artists with more education resources and funding to establish themselves. Sadly, the art school system fails artists in this area and it’s often not something artists even realise until they are out in the world.

Please give some advice to our readers who’d want to pursue a career as an artist.

There is a section in my book, Show Your Art: How to Build an Art Career Without a Gallery, where I talk about ‘learning to be your own agent’. You have to believe in yourself and make great work, but you also have to ensure you don’t get fatigued by having to do your own marketing, although you can always hire help once you are established. Like many of those who are self-employed, you have to be your own everything at the beginning: whether that’s marketing and promoting; or HR and operations.

There are billions of people in the world, which means there is an audience for all types of art. Don’t give up too soon, you just need to find the right audience for your work.

in brief RSC ANNOUNCES BBC BROADCAST OF THE WINTER’S With the one-year anniversary of theatres being forced to close in sight, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced that audiences will now get the chance to see The Winter’s Tale and The Comedy of Errors, two of its postponed 2020 major Shakespeare productions. A filmed version of The Winter’s Tale, The Winter's Tale marketdirected by Erica ing image, 2020 Photo by Hugo Glendinning (c) RSC Whyman, RSC Deputy Artistic Director, will be broadcast on BBC Four around Shakespeare’s birthday in April (transmission date TBC), and will then be available on BBC iPlayer. The Winter’s Tale film adaptation forms part of BBC Lights Up, an unprecedented season of plays for BBC TV and radio, produced in partnership with theatres across the UK and continuing BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine initiative. The RSC will also stream the production to Subscribers, Members and Patrons based outside the UK following the BBC broadcast. In the Summer the RSC will restart live performances in Stratford-upon-Avon for in-person audiences, opening with an outdoor production of The Comedy of Errors, directed by Phillip Breen.

The Company will stage the production in the Garden Theatre, a specially constructed outdoor performance space located in the Swan Gardens, flanked by the River Avon and overlooked by the Swan Theatre. A full performance schedule and Box Office details for The Comedy of Errors and further programming will be announced in mid-April.

ART & CULTURE SECTOR NEEDS URGENT HELP Several MPs have pressed upon the urgency for the Government to act in time and provide funding to arts and culture bodies before they breathe their last. The Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) committee had announced a £1.57 billion fund to help the cultural, arts and heritage institutions survive during Covid-19 last year in summer. The National Audit Office report said that the £1 billion that was made available, some £830 million in grants and loans were awarded to different organisations, but only £495 million of that has been paid out. The department had then assumed that in the worst-case scenario, social distancing would remain until the end of March 2021 and that demand for the likes of theatre tickets and venue capacity would remain at 40% of pre-Covid-19 levels. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Meg Hillier MP, chairwoman of the Committee of Public Accounts said, “The culture, arts and heritage sector has been one of the hardest-hit by the pandemic with many organisations now having been closed for nearly a year. “Many across the sector will have welcomed the funding announced last summer. But eight months later, more than half of the £1 billion made available so far is still waiting in the wings. With the sector’s shutdown already past Government’s worstcase scenario, DCMS needs to get support out to organisations while there are still organisations left to support.” Institutions in the sector had to shut down due to the lockdown and remained closed for almost an entire year. The funding was sufficient to keep them going only until September 2020. The Department has not yet paid out any funding from its second phase of funding, totalling £400 million, consisting of funding not awarded in the first funding phase plus £258 million that it held back as contingency.

London has received 31% of total revenue grant funding, followed by the North West and South East which each received 12%.

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Priyanka congratulates husband Nick on latest album Actress, producer, author and allrounder Priyanka Chopra Jonas took to Instagram to congratulate husband Nick Jonas on his latest album 'Spaceman'. Besides celebrating him, she also thanked him for showing her love “constantly”.

She wrote, “Congratulations Nick.. I know how personal this one is to you and I'm so grateful for how you constantly show me your love.

This album is a piece of at.

And most of all... A BANGER! I love you. Check it out world.”

Priyanka also revealed her look for the 'Spaceman' video, in which she is seen in a red hot Balenciaga dress. The video depicts Nick isolated on an alien land and how memories of his lady love keep him going. The singer had earlier opened up about how missing Chopra

inspired the theme of the song.

After spending the coronavirus induced lockdown together last year, when Priyanka had to get back to work, Nick felt isolated and disconnected.

Nick Jonas dropped 'Spaceman' on March 12, and Priyanka announced the album's launch on her social media platforms.

Videos of SRK's 'Pathan' shoots go viral on the internet

Bollywood unbeatable 'Badshah', Shah Rukh Khan is currently shooting for his upcoming 'Pathan' in Dubai, and a few videos from the sets have made their

way to the internet. A video clip being circulated online, shows the actor standing atop a car, shooting for a fight sequence. The YRF production features Deepika Padukone in the female lead, and is being directed by Siddharth Anand.

The circulated videos have made a lot of noise online as fans and critics alike await SRK's major comeback after 2018's flop show that was 'Zero'. It was earlier speculated that 'Pathan' might release in 2021 but YRF is yet to make any announcements about the release date yet. Salman Khan shot for a cameo in Mumbai a few weeks ago. He had earlier confirmed his presence in the film on the finale of his popular reality show 'Bigg Boss 14'.

Amitabh becomes Overtly aware of my privilege: first Indian actor to Janhvi Kapoor be honoured by the FIAF Ace actor Amitabh Bachchan is all set to be honoured with an award by the prestigious International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF).

He will be the first Indian cinema personality to be bestowed with the FIAF Award for his contribution to the preservation of the world's film heritage. The award will be presented to him by Hollywood filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan during a virtual showcase scheduled to take place on March 19.

The FIAF is a worldwide organisation comprising film archives and museums from across the world. Bachchan was nominated by the FIAF affiliate Film Heritage Foundation. FIAF President Frederic Maire released a statement saying, “This year FIAF celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its annual Award. To mark this momentous occasion, there could be no better recipient than one of the world's greatest movie stars, and one who has understood, embraced, and publicised the cause of film preservation for years.”

Bachchan said he is honoured to receive the award for a cause he is “deeply committed.” “It was when I became the ambassador of Film Heritage Foundation in 2015, that I realised the extent of the neglect and colossal loss of our precious film heritage and how we continue to lose more of our legacy every day.” He stressed on the importance of film archiving. “I do hope that we are able to garner further support for this most essential cause from my colleagues in the film industry and the government, to enable us to realise our dream for building a centre that will preserve and showcase our magnificent film heritage.”

In a recent interview, actor Janhvi Kapoor talked about her life with the nepotism tag her entire life. A rate of self-awareness that came from frequently questioning her capabilities, Janhvi says. “There's this doubt that 'Did I really do it that well or are people praising me just like that?” First born to late actor Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, Janhvi is no stranger to fame.

However, the privilege has already weighed her down.

“I have been overtly aware of my privilege since I was a kid. It's not as if nepotism began to exist for me when I entered the film industry. It has existed since I was a kid. At school if I got good grades or if the teacher would compliment me in front of the class, there would be students who would go like, 'Arey because your parents are famous that's why she is sucking up to you,'” she said.

She added, “I have gotten that all my life. It was always in my head that I have to do more to prove myself, to overcompensate ... Or that self doubt ... I have always carried that with me fortunately or unfortunately.”

About criticism surrounding her and the advantages of nepotism, Janhvi said, “I understand where people are coming from. Maybe I didn't give them enough to feel convinced that she deserves a place in the industry when 'Dhadak' came. For some people, I did. For some, I didn't. I think more people got convinced after 'Ghost Stories'. A little more after 'Gunjan'. And I hope a little more after 'Roohi'. But that's what you do, you keep working. I am happy that's been and is my journey because it motivates me to work harder.”

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Kareena shares new post-baby look Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan finally took to Instagram to reveal her fun new look after teasing her fans about it for some time.

The actor had posed a question for her fans a while ago, asking them whether they want her to dye her hair blonde or balayage. Well, it turns out, the actor has opted for the latter. Kareena shared a picture of her latest hairdo, with a caption that read, “Ok I'm ready for more burp cloths and diapers.”

She also extended a word of thanks to her hairstylist and mentioned, “Thank you my absolutely fabulous Yianni Tsapatori.”

Kareena and husband Saif Ali Khan welcomed their second child earlier this month. They have a son named Taimur Ali Khan, who was

born in 2016.

Saif released a statement after the delivery of their second child, saying, “We have been blessed with

Behind her eyes Louise is a single mother who gets caught up in a strange situation when she has an affair with her boss but at the same time she befriends his wife. a baby boy. Mom and baby are safe and healthy. Thank you to our well-wishers for their love and support.” On the work front, Kareena is awaiting the release of 'Laal Singh Chaddha'. Meanwhile, Saif Ali Khan has finished shooting for horror-comedy 'Bhoot Police'.

Ranbir tests positive for Covid, Alia is 'majorly missing'

Actor Ranbir Kapoor is currently in quarantine after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. His mother, veteran actress Neetu Kapoor shared the news via Instagram. She wrote, “Thank you

for your concern and your good wishes.

Ranbir has tested positive for Covid-19.

He is on medication and recovering well. He is in self quarantine at home and following all precautions.”

Salman promises Eid release for 'Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai'

Genre: Psychological Thriller Duration: 6 Episodes Streaming on: Netflix

His girlfriend, and ace actor Alia Bhatt, meanwhile, took to the photo-sharing website to express her feelings via a romantic picture of the two holding hands.

She captioned the picture, “major missing”.

Earlier, on Maha Shivratri, Alia Bhatt visited the Mukteshwar Temple along with good friend, director Ayan Mukerji. When asked by paps if she prayed for something special, she had replied, “Haan khaas maanga par share nahi kar sakti (I did pray for something special, but cannot tell you).” Bhatt had isolated, and tested herself soon after Kapoor, and her 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' director Sanjay Leela Bhansali tested positive for Covid19. She tested negative and is set to resume work.

Salman Khan recently unveiled a new poster of his upcoming film 'Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai', announcing a May 13 release date. He captioned the poster, “Eid ka commitment tha, Eid par hi aayenge kyun ki ek baar jo maine....... #RadheOn13thMay #2MonthsToRadhe (had made a commitment for Eid, so will arrive on Eid).”

The poster shows a muscular Salman with a backdrop of a battleground complete with burning helicopters and artillery. The film stars Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda, and Jackie Shroff in important roles. The movie is also being co-produced by Salman Khan through his Salman Khan Films.

A statement from the company read, “Salman Khan and Eid have a special connection and we at Salman Khan Films are happy to continue the traditions with 'Radhe : Your Most Wanted Bhai'. We are looking forward to bring back the era of clapping, cheering, whistling and the 'house-full' boards Salman Khan's movies are known for. We are delighted to collaborate with Zee Studios for Radhe and together we want the film to reach all the audience, and for them to enjoy it with all safety measures in place.”

Directed by Prabhudeva, the film 'Radeh' will mark the third outing for Salman and Prabhudeva, who have previously worked in 'Wanted' (2009), and 'Dabangg 3' (2019).

A single mother starts an affair with her Boss, David, who is a psychiatrist.At the same tire she meets his wife and although she is not sure whether she should talk to her or not, she realises that Adele is just lonely and so they start spending time together.

This starts as a love triangle but soon things become very weird and Louise finds herself swept

into a tidal wave of lies, betrayal and psychological terror that she is now a part of and cannot get away from.

Louise finds out stuff that has happened in the past and this puts her in a very dangerous and vulnerable situation.

Behind her eyes is a British drama that will keep you glued to your screens as you will want to know now this turns out for Louise. This is not your average thriller there are alot of twists and turns and once you start will need you to watch all 6 episodes to understand what happens at the end and now life will be for Louise and her son after she makes these shocking discoveries.

I personally really enjoyed watching Behind Her Eyes so much so that I binged watched it over a weekend. However, I am also fully aware of the fact that what actually takes place in the psychological thriller is impossible. I can’t say why it is impossible without giving the story away and spoiling it but it is definitely worth a watch, the general consensus is that most people do not like British dramas but this one is worth it.

You can get in touch with Vallisa: djvallisa@gmail.com

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Shruti Haasan teases fans with new project Actor Shruti Haasan took to Instagram to share a new picture and hint about her new project. Sharing a stunning photo, Shruti captioned her post, “Another woman and another story. You'll meet her soon.”

The post has created a major buzz among her fans with several urging her to draw the curtains on her mystery project

Malineni. Shruti will also soon begin work on Prabhas' 'Salaar'. It marks the maiden collaboration of director Prashanth Neel and Prabhas.

The actor also has Tamil film 'Laabam' with Vijay Sethupathi gearing up for release soon. She is also occupied with her independent music career.

soon. In the meantime, the post is a clear indication that Shruti is on the verge of a major announcement.

On the work front, Shruti was recently seen in Telugu film 'Krack', which went on to be a major winner at the box-office. She was paired with Ravi Teja in the movie, which was directed by Gopichand

Samantha meditates with friends at Isha Foundation on Shivratri Actor Samantha Akkineni may have just aced Maha Shivratri celebrations, as she spent it meditating with friends Lakshmi Manchu, Shilpa Reddy, and Rakul Preet at Isha Foundation. She shared a photo of herself on Instagram, in which she, along with others is seen meditating.

The actor shared, “Every time I sit down to meditate, there's a surreal feeling that passes through me. It changes the way I look at things and frees me from internal thoughts that hold me back.

Meditation brings a sense of calm and positivity in my life.” She encouraged her fans to meditate and start their journey of yoga. She called it “the greatest gift that you can give yourself.”

The 'Majili' actor added, “Whatever may be the method of

meditation or the school of yoga that you follow. Start your journey now .. It will be the greatest gift that you can give yourself.” She ended the post with a quote that read, “Meditation is the only way to freedom from stress as it is a dimension beyond the mind. All the stress and struggle are of the mind.”

On the work front, Samantha is shooting for 'Shaakuntalam'. She also has 'Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal' in the works. It will mark her first project with Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi.

The actress is also set to make her OTT debut with 'The Family Man' Season 2.

Mammootty, Manju Warrier collaborate for 'The Priest' Malayalam superstar Mammootty's 'The Priest' created a lot of expectations. The film features the actor with Manju Warrier having worked together in this film, which is one of the reasons the film has garnered a lot of interest.

However, fans of the duo have disappointment in store for them, as Mammootty revealed that they only have one mutual scene in the movie.

Speaking to the media, the veteran actor said, “Manju Warrier and I have just one scene in the movie. But, it is a big scene.” 'The Priest' marks the directorial debut of Jofin T. Chacko.

Bankrolled by Anto Joseph and B Unnikrishnan, the film is written by Shyam Menon and Deepu

* Schedule is subject to change

Pradeep. Mammootty plays a priest, who is called in to investigate a series of mysterious suicides.

Chiranjeevi releases trailer of Nagarjuna-starrer 'Wild Dog' Actor Chiranjeevi took to Twitter over the weekend to release the trailer of Nagarjuna Akkineni's upcoming Telugu action flick 'Wild Dog'. The movie features Nagarjuna in the lead in the character of a ruthless NIA officer. The trailer video opens with the caption that the story is based on some real-life “bomb blasts”.

Chiranjeevi wrote, “FEROCIOUS, PATRIOTIC TALE OF A DAREDEVIL TEAM. My brother Nag is cool & energetic as ever. He is a fearless actor attempting all genres. Wish team #WildDog & my Producer Niranjan Reddy Good luck!” Abishor Solomon's directorial debut, 'Wild Dog'

TV Listing

MON 22 MAR FRI 26 MAR 2021 14:30 KASAM 16:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 19:00 UDAARIYAAN 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 SHAKTI

* Schedule is subject to change

promises plenty of action.

One of the scenes features a terrorist suggesting he will surrender and requests to be arrested. Nagarjuna shoots him in the head. The movie's title and first look poster were unveiled by the makers in December 2010. 'Wild Dog' has been bankrolled by Matinee

Entertainment. The film also stars Dia Mirza, Saiyami Kher, Prakash Sudarshan and Ali Reza among others.

MON 22 MAR FRI 26 MAR 2021 8:30 BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN 13:30 RSWC Highlights - Finals 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18:00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18:30 DIL KA RISHTA 19:00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20:00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20:30 BARRISTER BABU 21:00 BALIKA VADHU-LAMHE PYAAR KE

20:30 MOLKKI 21:00 PINJARA KHUBSOORTI KA 21:30 BAWARA DIL 22:00 NAMAK ISSK KA SATURDAY 20 MAR 16:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18:30 DESI BEAT RESET 19:00 CHOTI SARDAARNI 21:00 BEST OF DESI BEAT 21:30 DANCE DEEWANE 3 SUNDAY 21 MAR 16:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 20:30 BEST OF DESI BEAT 21:30 DANCE DEEWANE 3

SATURDAY 20 MAR 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 DESI BEAT SEASON 3 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20:00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20:30 DESI BEAT RESET 21:00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE SUNDAY 21 MAR 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 DESI BEAT SEASON 3 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20:00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20:30 DESI BEAT RESET 21:00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE

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Buttler leads England to eight-wicket win Jos Buttler 83* and Jonny Bairstow 40* helped England chase down India's 157-run target in a eight-wicket win to take 2-1 lead in the five-match series on Tuesday. The Indian top-order crumbled under some quick spells from comeback man Mark Wood and a menacing Archer. With the toporder in ruins, it was always difficult for India to inspire a comeback but it was nearly on, for a near flawless Virat Kohli was out to lead India's fightback. Kohli's blade did not bow to the England bowlers as he racked up a sizzling 77* to lead India to a below-par 156/6.

As expected, the total did little to put England off-guard and the visitor's chase was set up by a sublime 83* from Jos Buttler.

Buttler took on the Indian bowlers from the start and dished out their hopes for a regular breakthroughs. Buttler added up with Bairstow for the third-wicket and put the Indians into further misery as the bowlers looked in no shape to make further inroads.

Speaking after the loss Kohli said the pitch was tacky, but they England had extra pace and hit good areas. The key was partnerships and we had one little partnership. Even Hardik Pandya in the first half, it was not easy to hit through the line.

The case was to get set and get us to a decent total. He's Rahul's a champion player and one of our main batters along with Rohit. It is, toss, is a factor, but if you lose the toss, embrace what has been asked from you. The England bowlers attacked right lines and lengths and with their pace they became more potent. We lacked intensity in the second half.

Eoin Morgan said the carry we saw throughout the whole game, it was surprising. Our guys don't find it too hard to adjust. First half of our bowling was exceptional. The wicket stayed similar.

When there's one short side, you don't know what's a good score. It's just the dynamics of T20 cricket. Jos is a world-class player, we are very lucky to have him. He competes with the best when it comes to opening the batting. He's a great leader within our group.

Seven-wicket win for India Virat Kohli slammed the winning six to seal a win for India against England in the second T20I. In reply to England's target of 165 runs, captain Kohli scored an unbeaten knock of 73 in 49 balls, to help India reach 166 for three in 17.5 overs. The hosts had a poor start to their chase, losing KL Rahul for a duck. But after the arrival of Kohli, India began to gain momentum and also saw the skipper stitch together a partnership with debutant Ishan Kishan. Kishan also registered a half-century (56 off 32 balls), before getting dismissed. Rishabh Pant also made a noteworthy contribution of 26 runs, with Shreyas Iyer (8) remaining unbeaten with Kohli. The visiting bowlers couldn't really find their footing in the second T20I, with Sam Curran, Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid registering a wicket each. Earlier, the

Jos Buttler

visitors could only muster 164 for six in 20 overs, with Jason Roy (46 off 35) once again missing out on a half-century.

Win for England Jason Roy’s quickfire 49 overshadowed Shreyas Iyer’s career-best 67 as England chased down a paltry 125-run target comfortably and won the first T20I against India by 8 wickets. Indian bowlers Yuzvendra Chahal (1/44) and Washinton Sundar (1/18) picked up a wicket apiece.

With this win, the Eoin Morgan-led side goes up 1-0 in the 5-match series.

GCA bars audience at Narendra Modi Stadium The rapid surge in Covid-19 cases in Ahmedabad has prompted the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) to prohibit audience for the remaining three of the five-series T20 International series being played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera. The matches will be played at the stadium as per schedule, but without any spectators. Those who have purchased the tickets will be given refunds, the GCA announced in its official release.

The first and second matches of the series between India and England were played on March 12 and 14, while the

remaining three will be played without spectators. Making the announcement, Dhanraj Nathwani, vice-president of GCA, said the decision was taken in view of the rise in number of cases after consultation with the BCCI. The huge gatherings at the stadium for all the matches played till now, including two Test matches and two T20 matches, had invited the ire of many from the general public as well as owners of restaurants and other eateries who have been facing a crackdown by AMC in wake of rising cases.

Mithali scales another record Mithali Raj, the 38-year-old skipper of India’s 50-over team, made a record of her own when she flicked South African medium-pacer Anne Bosch through square leg for a boundary. Those runs, in her 212th ODI, took her past 10,000 runs in international cricket, the first Indian woman cricketer to achieve the mark.

Mithali, who made her international debut in June 1999 against Ireland, picked consistency as the key to her longevity. Speaking at the postmatch press conference after India lost to South Africa by six

Mithali Raj

runs via the DL method, Mithali said, “When you play for so long obviously you go through different milestones, this being one of them. The key for me, I think, has been consistency. I’ve

believed in scoring runs each time I walked out to bat.”

On her success mantra, the skipper added, “Whether it is domestic or international cricket it never mattered as long as I get an opportunity to bat. It is about making it count. Over the years, that has given me a lot of experience and exposure to work on my game. With the changing standard of women’s cricket, trying to be relevant on

the international circuit is important.”

Stressing further on the need to stay relevant, Mithali, who has led India to two World Cup finals, said, “I think being relevant is about keeping with the times because women’s cricket has evolved over time.

From scoring a (team) total of 150, today teams are scoring 250 and above (in ODIs). You need to tune your game accordingly.”

Although Mithali is not big on milestones, she hopes to tick a World Cup triumph off her bucket list in New Zealand in April next year.

Sports stars encourage people to take vaccine Sporting heroes from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities have collaborated with the British Red Cross in new film to encourage people to have the Covid-19 vaccine.

Rugby legend Jason Robinson kicks off the new film, with Aston Villa's Neil Taylor, Paralympian Ade Adepitan, TV broadcaster Reshmin Chowdhury, Cricket star Monty Panesar and sprinter, and Olympic hopeful Imani Lansiquot.

The film supports recent research from the British Red Cross that explores the issue of vaccine hesitancy among BAME communities in the UK. It suggests family conversations could be key in increasing

vaccine uptake.

According to the poll, Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority Brits are nearly twice as likely to get information about the vaccine from friends and family; trust family more than any other source of vaccine information other than health professionals; and are much more likely to have discussed their decision about whether to have the vaccine with extended family.

They are also much more likely to have seen or heard information encouraging them not to have the vaccine (62% compared to 42% of the national sample).

The British Red Cross says that given the significant role families could play in decisions

around having the jab, it is vital people are equipped with facts and information to have informed conversations. The charity says that having an informed conversation with

your family about the vaccine is a kind thing to do, that can save lives. Earlier this month, the charity released a film, featuring real-life family conversations about getting vaccinated.

in brief BUMRAH TIES THE KNOT WITH SANJANA GANESAN After weeks of speculations, Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah finally tied the knot with sports presenter Sanjana Ganesan in a private ceremony in Goa on Sunday. Ever since Bumrah was released from India's squad during the Test series against England last month, speculations of his wedding had started doing the rounds on social media.

Bumrah and Sanjana got hitched in a private affair attended by some of their close friends and family members. It had been earlier reported that the couple had urged the guests to not carry their cell phones to the wedding as they strictly wanted it to be a close-knit affair. On Monday, the Indian pacer shared the first photos of the traditional wedding ceremony on social media. Bumrah captioned his post with a sweet message on behalf of the couple. “Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. Steered by love, we have begun a new journey together.

Today is one of the happiest days of our lives and we feel blessed to be able to share the news of our wedding and our joy with you.

Jasprit & Sanjana,"

WOMEN FOOTBALL PLAYERS WALK TO RAISE MONEY FOR NEEDY PEOPLE Over 30 players and the management team from Frenford & MSA Women FC walked 5-10 km individually and raised over £8000 collectively. The programme is being sponsored by local estate agent; Lint Group who sponsored £10 for every km walked (up to 200km) as matched sponsorship. This team of inspirational women were already supporting the local community struggling during the pandemic by distributing food parcels in partnership with Redbridge Mutual Aid. Every few weeks, several players distribute, pack and make calls to those requiring food parcels and support.

Currently, they distribute to 140 households and feed about 450 people every three weeks. However, during the pandemic they noticed a growing demand for food parcels that had been delivered to abuse survivors who had been moved for safety reasons. This team of international women felt that they had to take further action especially with cases of domestic abuse rising during the lockdown in the UK. During and after the first lockdown in April, May and June, roughly onefifth of offences involved domestic abuse.

As a result, the Frenford team chose to support Refuge and Unicef. Refuge has become the country’s largest single provider of specialist domestic and gender-based violence services and now support over 6,000 women and children on any given day. Whilst Unicef are actively supporting Yemeni families facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Currently, 1.71 million children alone are internally displaced facing the dangers of war, disease and hunger.

Organiser Irfan Shah, alongside participants Sabah Mahmood, Tayyiba Yunis, Rose Luther and Yasmin Hussain, said: “Frenford & MSA Women FC has a history of offering inclusive programmes to all women and girls with opportunities to play football. That is why it was so important to continue to help by shining a light on a women’s right to safety and security away from domestic abuse and poverty. We are extremely proud of what our women’s team has achieved during this fundraiser. All humans have the right to dignity and safety so this fundraiser will provide counselling, food and medical support to these charities.”