AV 22nd April 2023

A A H O A announces new foundation to support disaster relief, charitable initiatives

India’s long-term interests and customer convenience more crucial than money

Racism in Britain is not a blackand-white issue. It’s far more complicated, an Oped in The Guardian said While this statement has a s e a o f i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s a n d e m otions attached to ethnic minorities, Asian Voice reached out to members of ethnic minority communities to understand their take on diversity and inclusion

W e s p o k e t o N H S R a c e Observatory, the Met Police and more experts about how far have they penetrated into the layers of society and how much has the UK adapted and accepted the differe n c e s b e t w e e n p e o p l e w h o belong to ethnic minorities

Continued on page 14

comfort would be their top priority.

Tata also took it up as a challenge as Air India lost millions of pounds and it has not been an easy task to recover the losses and sustain them.

T h e n e w C h i e f E x e c u t i v e O f f i c e r C a m p b e l l W i l s o n w a s a p p o i n t e d w i t h s e v e r a l e x p e c t a t i o n s a n d r e a d e r s f e l t c o n f i d e n t a f t e r l e a r n i n g a b o u t h i s a m b i t i o n , i n a n i n t e r v i e w p u b l i s h e d i n

Financial Times dated 27 March 2023

Continued on page 18

Shefali Saxena

People dancing to celebrate Diwali on Trafalgar Square, London

with Keith Vaz

A N DR E A M A L A M

Andrea Ma lam was born in Mumbai- India, and l ater settl ed down in London is the Founder & Trus tee of Saving Dream s Char ity Andrea is a m ult i-award-winning Champion, a Crown Medal recipient for her exem pl ary l ong ser vice in l aw enforcem ent alongs ide rec eiving a Br itish Em pire Meda l for s er vic es to Diversity

As a Leader in Diversity, Andrea delivers to open minded individuals tailored mindset strategies to positively change their perception to enable Inclusion, Diversity & Equality Her 20 plus years ’ experience in the UK Civil Ser vice and evidence-based knowledge has helped Andrea in supporting others understand themselves before understanding others

She is also the author of Anglo-Indians Abroad: Dreams build on the Clash of Cultures and is currently launching her next book Bias Breakers: An Anthology in April with 12 diverse co-authors, which is a collection of stories by those who have triumphed against the odds

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

"I was born in Mumbai - but United K i n g d o m m a d e m e " S o , i t h a s t o b e London Such an open minded and a multic u l t u r a l c i t y ; i t g av e m e o p p o r t u n i t i e s which I would not have had if I was living elsewhere

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Always learning to be Strong Ever yone deser ves a strong one in their lives You do what you love, you love what you do, you are tough and tender at the same time - you are growing your own path Never a truer word was spoken that struck the core of my ver y being

3) What inspires you?

My belief that life matters and that it is our choice to live it to grow our dreams and complete them I do what I do because life matters, and we need to start living, taking charge of our own power, control, authenticity, and integrity to fulf il our dreams

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career? We live in a diverse society, so biases can affect a wide range of people in different ways The biggest obstacle was the bullying and gender gap in Inclusion, Diversity and Equality

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

Mother Teresa Her motivation to make a difference to the lives of others This goes beyond leaving a legacy, and I would like to achieve a similar stor y of making a difference in the lives of others when I look back

68-year-old man sentenced to jail for posting offensive video

A 6 8 -y e a r- ol d m a n o f Ind ia n or igi n has been sente nced to 18 month s of ja il by a court i n th e UK for posti ng an offensi ve vid eo a bout Dali ts Amrik Singh Bajwa, a r e s i d e n t o f S l o u g h , w a s convicted on April 4 after he had pleaded guilty to one count of sending an o f fe n s i v e m e s s a g e b y a p u b l i c c o m m u n i c a t i o n network According to the police, Bajwa had posted t h e v i d e o o n t h e s o c i a l

media platform TikTok on July 19, which was offensive to the Dalit community He was arrested on July

2 T h e A n t i-C a s t e

Discrimination Alliance, a human rights organisation t h a t c a m p a i g n s a g a i n s t caste-based discrimination in Britain, said that Bajwa’s v i d e o i n c l u d e d c a s t e i s t , racist, religious and homophobic insults “Bajwa also threatened to rape women from the Dalit communities that he was insulting, and claimed to have raped t h e i r d a u g h t e r s , s i s t e r s , and mothers in the past with impunity,” the group said in a statement

on my life

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

Acknowledging and Recognising diversity is an opportunity but also a challenge I believe it's about accepting that ever yone is different This means I will continue to call out behaviours and actions that are unfair

7) And the worst?

There can be so much more that can be done to improve the lives of others but poor resources

8) What are your long-term goals?

I have always been a woman of intentions and goals As a young teenager I wished to travel across the world and visit the seven wonders that have made a home on this planet My vision aims at ser ving mankind and inspiring the rest of humanity to live life the way I do and carr y out what stands on their vision board

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

As a leader and role model, I have seen many failures, flaws and issues in the system I would use my position as a thought leader to def ine and push the boundaries, voice opinions and get opinions voiced, as well as tackle change

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

My ver y much younger self Learning from the mistakes made, as I would be able to preach and practice with empathy whatever I know now Lead the life I now lead!

Podcast series launched about the disappearance of Indian-origin boy in 1981

A new BBC Studios ninep art po dcast series explores the disap pearance of eighty ea r- o ld V i s h al Me h ro tr a, w h o w as taken f ro m t h e s treets of Londo n o n th e d ay o f t h e w ed di ng o f P rince Charles and Diana

The investigation tracks d o w n a c o n v i c t e d p a edophile who had been on the run from British police for the past 25 years, a statement said Written and pro-

duced by Emmy award-winning documentar y director Satiyesh Manoharajah, the ' V i s h a l Me r h o t r a : T h e Un s e e n Po d c a s t w a s r e l e a s e d o n Mo n d a y 1 7 April V i s h a l d i s a p p e a r e d o n his way home from the wedding celebrations on 29 July

1981 Despite a huge police search, he has never been found again Seven months l a t e r h i s p a r t i a l r e m a i n s

India raises concerns about Khalistani supporters in the UK

I nd i a as ked Bri ta i n fo r i nc re as ed m o ni to r in g o f U K-ba sed su p po rte rs o f a S ikh sep ar atis t m o v em e nt follow ing a “breach of security” at its High Com mission in Lo nd on, an incid ent that has raised tension betw een the two countries

A t a m e e t i n g i n Ne w Delhi between senior British and Indian home ministr y o f f i c i a l s , t h e I n d i a n s i d e “ s p e c i f i c a l l y c o n v e y e d i t s concerns on the misuse of

UK’s asylum status by the Pro-Khalistani elements to aid and abet terrorist activities in India and requested b e t t e r c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h UK, ” an Indian government statement said

Ne w D e l h i h a s b e e n u p s e t w i t h B r i t a i n a f t e r p r o t e s t e r s c a r r y i n g “K h a l i s t a n ” b a n n e r s l a s t month detached the Indian f l a g f r o m t h e d i p l o m a t i c mission’s building to protest against recent police action

i n I n d i a ’ s P u n j a b s t a t e a g a i n s t a Si k h s e p a r a t i s t leader The incident comes as the two countries are tr ying to strike a deal on a d e l a y e d f r e e t r a d e a g r e ement Si m i l a r p r o t e s t s a n d vandalism were seen outside I n d i a n m i s s i o n s i n s o m e p l a c e s i n t h e U S a n d Canada Khalistan refers to an independent Sikh state sought by separatists, but which does not exist

British Pakistanis write open letter for clarification on Home Secretary’s comment

A g roup of British Pakistanis has written an open letter to prime m inister Rishi Sunak, requesting him to clarify the c o m m e nts m a d e b y h is h o m e s ec ret ar y, S u ell a Brav erman

were discovered in a small patch of woodland in rural Su s s e x , m a n y m i l e s f r o m home

Despite the emergence of new evidence, no one was brought to justice for the abduction and death of the c h i l d a n d t h e p o l i c e appeared to have exhausted all their leads even after four d e c a d e s I n 2 0 2 0 , a B B C l o c a l r e p o r t e r r e c e i v e d a s e c r e t i v e m e s s a g e f r o m a p e r s o n w h o w o r ke d w i t h t h e p o l i c e a b o u t s e e i n g s o m e t h i n g e x t r a o r d i n a r y that could reopen the case I n t h e p o d c a s t s e r i e s , V i s h a l ’ s 3 0 - y e a r- o l d h a l fb r o t h e r Su c h i n Me h r o t r a a n d i nv e s t i g a t i v e re p o r t e r Colin Campbell set out to gather the scattered pieces and tr y to get answers about the case

Three years in the maki n g , t h e p o d c a s t t e a m tracked down and question a convicted paedophile, a t e a c h e r wh o f le d t h e U K while being questioned by police in relation to child sexual abuse in the 1990s and has been on the run for over 25 years

According to the group, Br av e r m a n ’ s re m a r k s h av e caused harm to their community in relation to the c h i l d s e x u a l e x p l o i t a t i o n carried out by a group of p e o p l e T h e B r i t i s h Pakistani Foundation (BPF), which claims to represent 1 8 , 0 0 0 m e m b e r s o f t h e Pa k i s t a n i d i a s p o r a , h a s a s ke d Su n a k t o r e q u e s t B r a v e r m a n t o r e t r a c t h e r ‘ i r r e s p o n s i b l e c o m m e n t s ’ since it could be seen as pro-

Home Secretary Suella Braverman

m o t i n g d i s c r i m i n a t i o n against the community

Several other Pakistani diaspora groups have also i s s u e d s i m i l a r l e t t e r s , a l l demanding that the Indiano r i g i n c a b i n e t m i n i s t e r ’ s comments be withdrawn In

a series of television interv i e w s e a r l i e r t h i s m o n t h ahead of the launch of a new Grooming Gangs Taskforce, Braverman said that the perpetrators of such crimes are ‘ groups of men, almost all British Pakistanis’

“We are writing to you to share our deep concern and disappointment at the Ho m e S e c r e t a r y ’ s r e c e n t comments and for you not speaking out against them,” reads the open letter These comments singled out only the involvement of British Pakistani males in so-called ‘grooming gangs ’ and holding cultural values totally at odds with ‘British values’, it said

Counterfeit clothing boss convicted of fraud worth more than £150 million

A n I n d i an- o ri g i n m a st erm i nd o f a f ake d es i g ne r clo thing scam h as been conv icted o f tax frau d in th e

U K

Socks manufacturer Arif Patel, 55, was accused of tr ying to steal around £97 mill i o n t h r o u g h VAT r e p a yment claims on false exports o f t e x t i l e s a n d m o b i l e phones with the help of a criminal gang in what was d e s c r i b e d a s o n e o f t h e c o u n t r y ’ s l a r g e s t e v e r “carousel” tax frauds Patel w a s fo u n d g u i l t y o f f a l s e a c c o u n t i n g , c o n s p i r a c y t o c h e a t t h e p u b l i c r e v e n u e , the onward sale of counterfe i t c l o t h i n g a n d m o n e y laundering following a 14week trial at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday (11)

Pa t e l l i v e d a l a v i s h lifestyle at the expense of t h e l a w -a b i d i n g m a j o r i t y,

s a i d R i c h a r d L a s , D i r e c t o r o f t h e Fraud Investigation

S e r v i c e a t H i s M a j e s t y ’ s R e v e n u e a n d Cu s t o m s (HMRC), which was part of a joint invest i g a t i o n w i t h t h e local Lancashire police “For more than a decade, HMRC a n d o u r p a r t n e r s h a v e w o r ke d t i r e l e s s l y a n d together to bring this gang to justice Our work doesn’t stop here We have more t h a n £ 7 8 m i l l i o n o f t h e gang ’ s UK assets restrained and have begun the process to recover all those proceeds of crime,” he said Pa t e l a n d h i s g a n g imported and sold counterfeit clothes that would have been worth at least £50m had they been genuine and the proceeds were then used

t o b u y p r o p e r t y a c r o s s P r e s t o n i n n o r t h e r n E n g l a n d a n d L o n d o n t h r o u g h o f f s h o r e b a n k accounts A co-accused, 58year-old Mohamed Jaffar Ali from Dubai, was also found guilty of conspiracy to cheat HMRC and money laundering at the end of the trial this week As many as 24 m e m b e r s o f t h e c r i m i n a l empire have been convicted in f ive trials between 2011 and 2014 and jailed for a total of more than 116 years Arif Patel and Ali are due to be sentenced next month

L-R Arif Patel & Mohamed Jaffar Ali, with images of a seized shipping container, boxes containing counterfeit items and close -up images of the goods

Thought

Let’s rise to the occasion

Direct flights are not always about spending or making money (see story on p1) It is also not just about the time spent on commuting, but it is about convenience and effort The start of the direct flight to Ahmedabad was a monumental effort Over several years, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar rallied and campaigned for the direct flight between London Heathrow and Ahmedabad Why did we not choose London Gatwick or Stansted or even Luton in the first instance? Let’s look at the population and demography of the UK Out of 1 7 million Indians living in the UK, 800,000 are Gujaratis

Nearly half of England s Gujarati population live in the boroughs of Harrow, Brent, Barnet and Newham in west, northwest and greater London Reportedly, the community of Wembley has been considered a centre for Gujarati culture and cuisine throughout London and the UK The Parliament has a few Gujarati MPs and Peers in prominent roles, and as a community they have achieved a lot

From Harrow to London Heathrow is roughly 16 miles

Most people living around will drive or take a taxi to Heathrow Airport The business community that goes to central London to work can of course take the Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines on the tube

Gatwick airport, though has been modernised over the last few years, is 53 miles away from Harrow or Wembley and would take hours via train, including changes or by road Not only that, Victoria Station is home to Gatwick Express that provides a quick transfer but costs much more than the usual ride on the tube

In the time cost-of-living crisis, moving flights away from the hub of the settlement is an ill-thought decision

When the Air India flight was confirmed by PM Narendra Modi in Wembley Stadium, at the Namaste Modi event in November 2015, 60,000 people had applauded the initiative,

especially curated for India’s “living bridge” The Prime Minister had himself lauded our Editor-in-Chief CB’s perseverance to make this a reality

But still the direct flight campaign wasn’t a cake walk CB Patel, Manoj Ladwa, MPs, Peers, Councillors, community leaders, temples and Ministers in India, rallied and highlighted how the direct flight would ease the difficulties otherwise faced by the elderly, pregnant women and families with young children

The first day when the flight was resumed, people were welcomed and sent off in Heathrow and Gujarat with much pomp and gaiety The London Heathrow and Ahmedabad airport were decorated traditionally, and families were gushing with excitement, thanking the campaigners for their endless efforts Asian Voice, Gujarat Samachar and NCGO (UK) collected petitions from the community from across the country

Today the operations have been shifted to London Gatwick without any prompting or consultation or survey of the community demands or needs This not only makes Air India’s decision one-sided but affects the good-will created, despite all the failures and problems faced by the airlines, before the Tata takeover Despite Middle Eastern airlines providing better service, the diaspora has stuck by Air India, simply as it connected their homeland and motherland with ease

The new CEO Mr Wilson is not wrong to have his own plans, vision or ambition But it cannot be at the cost of the needs of the community Travelling post covid has already become strenuous and a very elaborate affair Digitisation of so many mandatory and precautionary processes unsettle the elderly immensely Adding extra hours and miles to the flying anxiety is not really a wise decision It is time the community rises to another challenge and campaigns with us to win back what was originally promised as ours

China's dangerous claim over Arunachal Pradesh

The war of words between China and India over Beijing's renaming of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, the third time it has been done since 2017, escalated a notch higher with union home minister Amit Shah's visit to the state on April 10 The external affairs ministry rejected the latest renaming move untenable During his visit, Shah reiterated that India will not allow any part of its territory to be encroached upon The Chinese foreign ministry said “the activity of the senior Indian official in Zangan (China's name for Arunachal) is not conducive to peace and security in the border areas ” If Beijing truly believes, as it proclaims now and then, that the boundary issue has to be resolved through bilateral talks, there should be no place in pushing boundary claims through military moves or via cartographic aggression Due to these actions, a view has gained ground in India that Beijing is not interested in settling the border row peacefully

After the independence of India in 1947, China made claims to practically the whole upland area of what was then Assam state, arguing that the McMahon Line had never been accepted by China and was the result of British aggression In letters to the Indian prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, the Chinese prime minister, Zhou Enlai, quoted a map in the 1929 edition of Encyclopædia Britannica showing the disputed territory as Chinese, with the boundary following the alignment of Chinese maps Some Chinese maps before 1935 showed the North East Frontier Agency (i e , Arunachal Pradesh) as part of India and since then as part of Tibet The Survey of India (1883) depicted the disputed tribal areas as de facto adminis-

tered by British India British and Indian maps since 1914 have usually followed the McMahon Line If the Chinese claims were allowed, the Indian-Chinese border would follow roughly the margin of the Assam plain, a frontier almost impossible to defend Following that dispute, Chinese troops crossed the McMahon Line on August 26, 1959, and captured an Indian outpost at Longju, a short distance south of the line They abandoned that outpost in 1961, but in October 1962 they again crossed the line, this time in force After first striking toward the Tanglha ridge and Tawang near the border with Bhutan, the Chinese later extended their attack along the whole frontier Deep inroads were made at a number of points Later the Chinese agreed to withdraw approximately to the McMahon Line, and in 1963 they returned Indian troops who had been held as prisoners of war

Since then, efforts have been made to more fully integrate the region into India, beginning with its designation as a union territory in 1972 and then as a state 15 years later There have been no instances of outright hostilities between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh since 1962, but tensions have remained high there Each country has maintained troops along the de facto international border, and there have been periodic reports of incursions by both sides Delhi should know that nothing can be taken for granted in an atmosphere on the Line of Actual Control that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has described as “fragile ” As a nation, the Indian leadership has to act with the aim of building deterrence even while making serious attempts to find peace with China

How Atiq used crime and politics to his advantage

Atiq Ahmed’s story is intertwined with the rise of criminals in Uttar Pradesh’s politics His tryst with crime had begun at least a decade before he entered politics His last and 104th FIR was filed just a day before he was killed He started from a small self-urban pocket in Prayagraj, but soon captured a good chunk of the historic Civil Lines in the city He began his tentacles to adjoining parts of Prayagraj, and even Lucknow In 2015, he tried to capture a big tract of land, belonging to a well-known trader of the city whose shop was the destination for fashion aficionados When police intervened after the trader mustered courage to lodge a complaint, the gang lord barged into his hotel, got all the CCTV cameras switched off and threatened him using choicest of expletives He tried to repeat the same with Lucknow’s trader Mohit Jaiswal in 2018

He started his political career in 1989 by becoming an MLA from Allahabad West, as an Independent After he retained his seat in the next two assembly elections as an Independent, the Samajwadi Party opened its doors to him In 1996, Atiq won from Allahabad West the fourth time, as an SP candidate He was also booked by Lucknow’s Hazratganj police in 1995, in connection with the infamous guest-house incident It involved the attack on the complex where the then CM Mayawati was staying with her MLAs However, after the SP showed Atiq the door in 1998, he joined the Apna Dal and won the Allahabad West seat in 2002 assembly elections on its ticket In 2003, Atiq returned to the SP fold, and in 2004, won the Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency In 2012 assembly elections, Atiq again tried his luck from Apna Dal from the same seat but lost It is said, being in jail when he

moved HC to seek permission to campaign, several judges recused themselves He also contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 from Shravasti on the SP ticket but lost Even in face of repeated defeats, Atiq’s political ambitions were far from over He filed nomination from the Varanasi constituency against PM Narendra Modi in 2019 from jail but managed to get only 855 votes

There is a long list of victims Atiq Ahmed and his gang had trampled upon for expanding their reign of terror And there was no retribution He committed his first crime in 1979 and his first conviction came 44 years and 100-odd FIRs later Atiq extorted and murdered his way into underworld infamy Till 2004, he had accumulated 159 criminal charges in 36 separate criminal cases He openly declared these cases in an affidavit accompanying his candidature for parliamentary elections that year The fear he struck into the hearts of ordinary citizens together with his larger-than-life-persona ensured that he not only won that election, but was also elected to the UP legislative assembly five times In the process he became massively rich, his gang having accumulated illegal assets of over £ 1 billion till date The killings of gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother have drawn the usual outrage from “liberals” Some of the outrage is warranted, but it says more about their political predilections than real concern for the state of law and order in India’s biggest state, where the chief minister has vowed to eliminate mafia syndicates at any cost This is troubling, for criminals are criminals, and the caste or religious affiliations of the person(s) concerned should not be the basis on which encounters, whether real or stage managed, should be judged

Belief

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

William James

The UK and Indian PMs Speak

Thi s past week the UK an d Indian PM s s poke on i ssues concerni ng anti- Indi an extremi sm i n the UK

What m ore m ight India n offic ials i n the UK do?

Intelligenc e Gatherin g:

Infiltrate the separatist group to gather critical information about their motives, leadership, connections to extremist elements, and plans Assess the potential threat they pose to Indian interests in the UK and relay this information back to UK and Indian

Governments

Coun ter- Intelligenc e:

Monitor and counter any attempts by foreign intelligence agencies from India’s adversaries to exploit the protests for their advantage Identify and neutralize potential threats to Indian interests and keep a close watch on any suspicious activities around the Indian High Commission

Di plomati c Engagement:

Maintain close coordination with the UK Foreign Office and provide regular updates on the evolving situation Advise on diplomatic strategies to engage with British authorities and facilitate dialogue between moderate groups and the Indian government

Strategic Communi cations:

Work closely with the UK Foreign Office and India groups in the UK to counter the extremist narrative and present a balanced perspective on the situation Utilize social media and other communication channels to disseminate accurate information and showcase India's commitment to unity, diversity, and democratic values

Coordin ation with Law an d Order agen cies in the U K:

Establish communication channels with police and Home Office to exchange intelligence and insights about the extremist groups Collaborate on efforts to ensure public safety and prevent the protests from escalating into more violent incidents

Asset M obiliz ati on :

Mobilize trusted assets within the Indian diaspora i n t h e U K t o g a t h e r o n - t h e - g r o u n d i n t e l l i g e n c e , counter the extremist narrative, and organize peaceful counter-protests that promote India s and UK’s core values

Contingenc y Plannin g:

Develop contingency plans to protect Indian assets and citizens in the UK, in case the protests escalate or lead to violent incidents This could include coordinati n g w i t h l o c a l l a w e n f o r c e m e n t , i m p l e m e n t i n g enhanced security measures

The reasons it is im portant I ndian of fici als in the UK do take action is that without ac tion thes e are the problems:

Unchecked narratives: Allowing the extremists to continue without addressing the narrative could lead to the spread of misinformation and a distorted portrayal of India in the international community

Em boldening ex trem ism : Inaction could be interpreted as weakness by the extremists, leading them to intensify their efforts and potentially gain more support Los s of control: If the extremist protests continue unchallenged, they could spiral out of control and lead to violent confrontations or incidents that could harm India s interests

Continued on page 18

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Man clinically dead for 45 mins, now training for Wolf Run challenge

Rupanjana Dutta

3 9- y e ar - ol d Sa r b ji t S in g h, wh o was clinica lly dead for 45 mins in B ir m in g h a m C i t y H o sp it a l in 2020, was brought b ack to l ife, a fte r cardiologist Dr Arijit Ghosh r e s us cit a t e d hi m u si n g d ou b l e seq ue ntial e xter nal de fibril lation, a unique me thod ra rely used in t h e U K, d e sp i t e t he o r e t i ca l k n ow l ed ge si nce 1 993 C l in ica l d e a t h r ef l e ct s w he n t h e he a r t s t op s pu mp in g b l oo d t o v i t a l orga ns and t he re is no b lood pressure or pul se N o w 4 2 , S a r b j i t h a s m a d e complete recovery, and back to living a healthy life with wife and t h r e e c h i l d r e n , w o r k i n g s i n c e April 2021 He is currently traini n g f o r t h e W o l f R u n i n W a r w i c k s h i r e , w h i c h i s a n endurance race completed with a co mb ina ti on of th ree t yp e s o f obstacles

Sarbjit, a health and wellbeing o f f i c e r f r o m G r e a t B a r r , w a s Covid-19 positive and recovering at home for 10 days when he suff e r e d c h e s t p a i n , c a u s e d b y a blood clot in his artery, that triggered a massive cardiac arrest In the early hours of 26 November 2020, his wife Raj Kaur, who was t h e n 5 m o n t h s p r e g n a n t w i t h

their third daughter, called for an ambulance

P a r a m e d i c s a r r i v e d w i t h i n m i n u t e s a n d d e f i b r i l l a t e d h i m back to restoration of blood flow

a n d S a r b j i t w a s t a k e n t o t h e

E m e r g e n c y D e p a r t m e n t i n t h e hospital, but he had further cardiac arrests there

A f t e r 4 5 m i n s o f a d v a n c e d resuscitation without success, the patient had no blood pressure or pulse and the team were considering stopping the efforts, though he was on the ventilator to maintain oxygen level to the brain, when Dr Ghosh stepped in

Dr Ghosh, who is currently in Kolkata on a work trip, spoke to Asian Voice exclusively He said, “I did a lot of research previously on double sequential external defibrillation and watched videos on

the method used in the US So I had the working knowledge of it

“Mr Singh had refractory cardiac arrest which didn’t respond to 10 shocks and the drugs used

T h e w o r d r e f r a c t o r y c a r d i a c arrest means when patients fail to respond to 3 shocks There is no g u i d e l i n e o r n o t r e a t m e n t f o r refractory cardiac arrest

“I had to think out of the box and apply this double sequential external defibrillation based on available evidence that I had at that point of time There was no other option Results of original r e s e a r c h w o r k t h a t s t a r t e d i n 2018 as a pilot study, came out on 6 November 2022 in NEJM which supports my technique that I had used on 26 November 2020 and Resuscitation Council of UK has welcomed the research finding

Pujya Brahmavihari Swami completes 42 years of initiation

and considering to be the new guideline for refractory cardiac

a r r e s t T h e r e f o r e , i t h a s n o w become an innovative pioneering technique

“I did this procedure as a last resort for Mr Singh I knew he had a young family and I could revert the patient back to life with blood pressure and pulse

Then Mr Singh was rushed to cardiac cath lab where emergenc y c o r o n a r y a n g i o p l a s t y w a s d o n e A s p a t i e n t d i d n ’ t h a v e blood supply to any organ of the body for 45 mins therefore, he required two months of ITU stay and discharged home with good cerebral performance

“While we had some doubts initially whether he would have full recovery or not, good cardiopulmonary resuscitation and ITU care ensured he went home with intact neurology ”

Mr Singh told the BBC, “The reason my life’s changed is I feel m o r e e m p o w e r e d n o w t h a n I ever have I’ve got such appreciation for breath and for life and a heartbeat ”

Dr Ghosh added, “Mr Singh’s will to live and mental strength took him through his recovery I am pleased that he is doing so well ”

Entrepreneur and snack baron Dineshbhai Patel passes away

Trib ute s have poure d in for the passing of an Indian entre preneur whose snacks ar e e njoy ed by mill ion s of consume rs D in eshb ha i B hai Patel , 81 wa s the Founder a n d C h a ir m a n , C of r e sh S n a ck

Foods Born in Thika, Ke nya on t h e 28 J ul y 19 4 1, s on o f N a rot t amb ha i a nd La kshm ib en Pat el, he passe d a wa y at home p e a ce ful l y su r r ou n d e d b y hi s immediate fa mil y membe rs and sibl in gs by his side, l eaves be hind h i s wi fe S a v it a b e n P a t e l , so n s

Priy esh and Minesh, da ught ersin-l aw Divya and Darshana, and four gr andchil dren Dineshbhai ’ s entrepreneurial c a r e e r b e g a n b a c k i n 1 9 6 5 i n

Nairobi, Kenya where he started Cofresh, a manufacturer of potato crisps and popcorn for local cinemas and shops

H e a n d h i s w i f e S a v i t a b e n emigrated to the UK and invested their life savings in purchasing a d i s u s e d f i s h & c h i p s s h o p i n Leicester Living above the shop, they turned it into a small homebased production facility to start m a n u f a c t u r i n g s a v o u r y I n d i a n snacks

T he Co ronation Big L unch was h o s te d b y th e De an o f Westminster on A pril 18 , where F aith Lead ers w ere invited to com e together to sh are friend ship and food at Westminster A bbey as th e final preparations are being m ad e for the Coronation weekend on 68 May

G u e s t s i n c l u d i n g H i s R o y a l

Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Dame Prue Leith and Sir Tim Smit, were welcomed by the Dean of Westminster and the Archbishop o f C a n t e r b u r y , a s t h e y c a m e together to enjoy a relaxed celebration all about friendship, food and fun ahead of ceremonial events taking place at the Abbey early next

T h e c o u p l e ’ s t r a d i t i o n a l h a n d m a d e s p i c y p e a n u t s a n d green peas – which were cooked in the restored fryers and packed by hand into small pouchess o o n f o u n d f a v o u r w i t h c o nsumers and retailers alike and the business flourished thanks to the couple’s hard work and their ability to meet the growing demand f o r a u t h e n t i c I n d i a n s n a c k s These two simple products were the start of the multi-millionp o u n d b r a n d t h a t C o f r e s h i s today

Dineshbhai was soon joined b y h i s b r o t h e r s a n d i n t h e l a t e 1 9 9 0 ’ s b y h i s s o n s - a n d although Dineshbhai had long passed the official age of retire-

ment, he did not show any signs of slowing down! At the age of 70, he climbed Mount Kailash in India to 5800 feet with his wife Savitabenand later skydived for LOROS Hospice at the age of 73!

Cofresh Snack Foods was a family-owned business based in Leicester – which operated for over 50 years under family ownership - employing over 250 people in sites across Leicester and Nuneaton

The expansion of the company was astonishing, going from being a regional-based supplier of snacks to an international one, exporting the Cofresh and Eat Real brands to over 60 countries globally

O n D i n e s h b h a i ’ s d e a t h , prominent community members have come forward to share their experience and convey condolence messages to the family Kamlesh Purohit said, “Today we mourn the loss of a truly remarkable person I have not met a more humble, generous, and kind-hearted man and having adopted my mum as a sister, he was always Dineshmama to

us What a fantastic role-model he has been to the British Asian community, and the legacy he has passed on to his amazing sons Priyesh bhai and Minesh This is a monumental loss for the entire nation ”

Uday Dholakia said, “Deeply saddened at the passing of Shri Dineshbhai Patel A thoroughly humble human being, grounded industrialist, a wise consul, a generous and affectionate man A loss to me of a great mentor and revered elder statesman ”

Y a t i n K o t a k a d d e d , “ I ’ m numb at this incredibly sad and untimely passing of my beloved elder fatherly uncle, Shri Dinesh Bhai Patel, who leaves a huge hole in our lives An incredible v i s i o n a r y l e a d e r w h o p l a y e d many roles and impacted many lives He was a giant in bringing everyone together, never imposi n g , i n d e p e n d e n t , e n s u r i n g always being around to make a d i f f e r e n c e , i n h i s s i l e n t w a y s , proudly I can say, his love was felt t h r o u g h h i s a c t i o n s , r e a c t i o n s and most importantly his presence ”

P u j ya B ra h m av ih a ri S w a m i i s kno w n across the world as an ins pi ring lead er, creative thinker, mo tiv ati o na l sp eak er an d relentless cham pion of h um a nitari an c au ses He has comp leted 42 ye ars o f i ni ti at io n f ro m h i s be lo v e d Guruh ari Pramukhswami M aharaj

Born to Gujarati immigrant parents, Brahmaviharidas grew up in Leicester, UK and excelled at school in academics and sports His straight A grades at the GCSE h a d o p e n e d o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o s t u d y a t O x f o r d o r L S E H o w e v e r , h i s s p i r i t u a l inclination inspired him to decline that career path and he instead travelled to India in 1981 to take initiation as a Hindu sadhu He was initiated by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj on 12 April 1981 a t A h m e d a b a d d u r i n g t h e B h a g w a n Swaminarayan Bicentenary Celebrations He is a thought leader and part of the creative team for numerous projects of international repute such as the Swaminarayan Akshardham, Neasden Mandir and Mystic India large format film He has been a part o f t h e t e a m t h a t c o n c e p t u a l i z e d t h e S w a m i n a r a y a n A k s h a r d h a m i n Gandhinagar, New Delhi and Robbinsville NJ He was part of the core team for the Neasden Mandir in London which has b e e n a w a r d e d f o u r m e n t i o n s i n t h e Guinness Book of World Records He has also designed and given the creative writeup for the Exhibition at BAPS Temples in London UK, Toronto and Nairobi He played a key role in the design and creation of the acclaimed Water Spectacular Shows a t N e w D e l h i a n d G a n d h i n a g a r Akshardham and the Mystic India giant screen film Under the guidance of Mahant S w a m i M a h a r a j a n d s e n i o r s a d h u s , h e h e l p s o v e r s e e t h e d e v o t i o n a l , c u l t u r a l , humanitarian and spiritual activities of BAPS He is currently leading the historic p r o j e c t o f t h e f i r s t T r a d i t i o n a l H i n d u Mandir in the Middle East, being built in Abu Dhabi

Brahmaviharidas has attended multiple conferences for peace, plurality and tolerance He is one of the 1200 sadhus at the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which conducts over 160 humanitarian activities worldwide He is the youngest member of the BAPS Core Committee that oversees and administers its global activities Also, an integral part of the core creative team of BAPS, he has travelled across the world and studied global cultures, histories and philosophies Brahmaviharidas has been an active organiser for BAPS in disaster relief activities and led the earthquake relief in Bhuj-Kutch and Tsunami relief in T a m i l N a d u a n d o t h e r s H e h a s b e e n a w a r d e d a n h o n o r a r y P h D b y G u j a r a t U n i v e r s i t y f o r h i s c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e Social and Spiritual upliftment of society

Coronation Big Lunch at Westminster Abbey

month S o m e o f t h e g u e s t s attending the Coronation Big Lunch at Westminster

A b b e y i n c l u d e d D a r c y

Flynn Biddulph, Interfaith

R e p r e s e n t a t i v e , T h e

Buddhist Society, Trupti

P a t e l , P r e s i d e n t H i n d u

F o r u m o f B r i t a i n , B h a i

Sahib Ji Mohinder Singh OBE KSG, Chairman of the Guru Nanak Nishkam

S e w a k J a t h a U K ,

M a n c h a n d a n K a u r

Sandhu, Sikh Network, and Mr

N a r e n d r a W a g h e l a , C o - C h a i r , Interfaith Network

in Britain have voiced strong support for the Big Help Out and urged their communities to take part in volunteering activities on C o r o n a t i o n B a n k H o l i d a y o n 8

May T h i s c o m e s a s t h e A r c h b i s h o p o f

Canterbury Justin Welby, the Chief Rabbi Ephraim M i r v i s a n d o t h e r f a i t h and community leaders visit The Passage homelessness charity in central

L o n d o n t o e n c o u r a g e t h e i r c o m m u n i t i e s a n d the nation to take part in the Big Help Out At the visit, the group will help sort donated clothing and serve food to the charity’s clients

The multi-faith statements of support, from all major UK faith communities (Christian, Muslim,

J e w i s h , H i n d u , S i k h , B u d d h i s t , Bahá’í, Jain, Zoroastrian) is a rare occurrence in the run-up to the Coronation Weekend of HM King C h a r l e s a n d H M T h e Q u e e n Consort

The Big Help Out is one of the official projects of the forthcoming Coronation Weekend and is an initiative aiming to promote, champion and showcase volunteering Building on the volunteering phenomenon seen during the pandemic, it aims to inspire a new generation of volunteers by making it easy for everyone to recognise opportunities and get involved

Dr Arijit Ghosh Sarbjit Singh

Sunak speaks to Modi and shares a cup of tea with Biden

UK Prime Mini ster Ris hi S u nak recently s p o ke to h i s I nd i an c o u n te rp a rt , P r i me

Minister Narendra Modi, to discuss a range o f bilateral issu es – from exp editing th e p rocess to reso lve issues arou nd the o ngoi ng free trade agreement (FT A) nego tiations to e ns u ri n g t o u gh ac ti o n aga i ns t e xt rem i st anti-India elements in Britain

Gambling: The hardest step a person has to take is acknowledging the problem

Shefali Saxena

Downing Street said the leaders spoke on April 13 and reflected upon the close friendship between the two countries, agreeing that great progress was being made on the 2030 UK-India Roadmap A spokesperson noted: “Discussing ongoing negotiations on a UK-India Free Trade Agreement, the leaders reflected on the huge opportunities a deal would offer to Indian and British businesses and consumers ”

In his update on the interaction, Prime Minister Modi tweeted that Sunak agreed on the need to take “strong action against anti-India elements” and to ensure the security of Indian diplomatic establishments in the UK During the phone call, Sunak and Modi also shared best wishes for Vaisakhi, being celebrated in India and among the diaspora in the UK on April 14

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden in Belfast said he was there to “listen” as he had a cup of tea with Prime Minister Rishi S u n a k T h e t w o w o r l d l e a d e r s m e t f o r around 45 minutes, with Mr Sunak telling broadcasters that the pair spoke about the “ i n c r e d i b l e e c o n o m i c o p p o r t u n i t i e s ” f o r Northern Ireland

The Prime Minister described the UK’s relationship with the US as being “in great shape”, describing them as “ very close partners and allies”

The White House said he would use the trip to reaffirm support for the Good Friday Agreement, 25 years after the peace deal was reached, and to encourage the restoration of powersharing – something that collapsed due to the DUP’s protest over post-Brexit rules

Sunak, smiling, sat at a table with the US president as the pair met over cups of tea

A major security operation was in place for Biden’s visit, with more than 300 officers from the rest of the UK being drafted into Northern Ireland

India and the UK are natural partners

India and Britain are natural partners in a w orld that is “becom ing more contested and v olatile”, the UK’ s Chief of Defence Staff said o n M ond ay as he beg an a three-day v isit aimed at enh ancing strategic ties

Admiral Tony Radakin held talks with his Indian counterpart, Gen Anil Chauhan, as part of a series of high-level meetings His trip coincides with a visit by the Royal Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, reflecting the importance attached by the UK to the defence and security partnership with India

R a d a k i n a n d C h a u h a n r e v i e w e d t h e progress of the UK-India defence partnership and discussed ways to expand ties in all domains The UK and India share a strong r e l a t i o n s h i p , i n c l u d i n g c o l l a b o r a t i o n i n research, development and training, the UK high commission said in a statement

“India and the UK are natural partners in a world that is becoming more contested and volatile We share many of the same democratic instincts and values and are both committed to the rule of law,” Radakin said

“We are respected military powers, both undergoing significant investment and mod-

ernisation and exercising together across, land, sea and air But we can do more ”

T h e m e e t i n g w i t h C h a u h a n w a s a n opportunity to discuss “how we can develop our partnership in a way that benefits our mutual security and prosperity”, he added Radakin also held talks with the Indian Navy chief, Admiral Hari Kumar, the army chief, Gen Manoj Pande, defence secretary Giridhar Aramane and additional secretary for defence production T Natarajan

Radakin will also visit various establishments of the Indian armed forces to boost military-to-military engagement and explore opportunities for the co-creation of future technologies Radakin began his visit by paying homage to fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial, ahead of his first meeting with Chauhan

He said his visit to India reflects the UK’s “belief that our security is indivisible from that of the wider world” He added, “As a global trading nation it matters to the UK that the Indo-Pacific is open and free, which is why the British armed forces is establishing the broadest and most integrated presence in the region of any European nation ”

Sunak signifies the power of Lord Ganesha's statuette on his desk at 10 Downing Street

P ri me M i n i s ter R i s hi S un ak has recently explained how he believes in th e si gni ficance of L ord Gan es ha's statuette on hi s d esk at 10 Downin g S treet A c co rd in g t o H i n du bel i efs , G an esh a s ho wers g o od lu ck and blessi ngs In an in tervi ew wi th the ‘Con serv ativ e Home’ websi te ahead of the local electi ons on May 4 recen tly, was asked about the “shrin e ” on hi s

desk Sunak explained: “On my desk, I have a Lord Ganesha, w h i c h i s v e r y c o m m o n Generally, when you start a new job or something like that or you take over a new business, typically, you would offer a p r a y e r t o L o r d G a n e s h a because he brings you good luck when you start a new venture

“Actually, when I became Chancellor, I did that So, the G a n e s h a h a s b e e n w i t h m e from the time I was Chancellor and then moved over to my desk at No 10 as well So, that’s why most Indian families will offer prayers to Ganesha at the start of a new job or in a new home, that’s always the first thing you do So, that’s why he’s there ”

A s new GambleAw are data warns that 75% o f peo ple exp eriencing gambling problems feel they can’t open u p to loved ones, the charity is joining forces with a coalition of partners and TV and radio presenter, Tyler West, to launch a campaign to reduce th e stigma faced by th o s e w h o exp e ri enc e g am b li ng harm s and challenge societal perceptions of the issue

One in four of us think we know someone who has experienced problems with their gambling, but three in five (61%) are put off talking to them about it due to concerns a r o u n d s t i g m a A s s o c i a t e P r o f e s s o r , D r J o a n n e L l o y d o u t l i n e s t h e p s y c h o l o g i c a l implications of stigma, offering an expert view on why society must acknowledge gambling harms as a public health issue He spoke to Asian Voice about it What kind of help and suppo rt d o you think som eone needs to ov ercome this gambling addiction?

Dr Joanne Lloyd said, “Whether it’s a family member or a friend, being able to open up to someone about what you ’ re going through without being afraid of being judged is so important By finding comfort in them, you can feel more encouraged to seek professional help if needed Alternatively, some people might find it easier to open up to a professional, in confidence, if they are finding it difficult to speak to those who they are close to

“You can search GambleAware or contact the National Gambling Helpline, available 24/7, on 0808 8020 133, for free and confidential advice, tools and support Ensuring you find the right support if you are concerned about your gambling is critical and can play a huge role in stopping someone from developing a gambling disorder No matter how you ’ re feeling, there’s help available from The National Gambling Support Network This is a group of organisations across Great Britain who provide free, confidential and personalised support for anyone who’s experiencing problems from gambling, as well as those affected by someone else’s gambling ”

Devesh Trivedi’s (on an anonymous basis o n l y ) , a m i d d l e - a g e d L o n d o n e r o f S o u t h Asian descent, relationship with gambling began almost as soon as he arrived in the UK from India He gambled through the bookies, casinos and later his phone Over the past 15 years, Devesh lost large sums of money and began to experience suicidal ideation and even attempted suicide twice He explains that in India, gambling is taboo and he felt great shame when seeking help Devesh has been in recovery since 2020 and is now involved in several groups and organisations; he feels no longer in denial about his gambling problem and is keen to help people who share his cultural background and the associated stigma with speaking out Do let us know if you would be interested in speaking to him He spoke to Asian Voice about it What do you think sh ould be d one within Sou th A sian com munities su ch that more people d o no t fall p rey to this?

Devesh: Unfortunately, we know that the topic of gambling is very taboo within South Asian communities, which means it’s more difficult for people suffering from gambling harm to seek help People gambling and experiencing gambling harm can often feel a lot of shame and don’t feel like they can talk to anyone about what they’re going through Religion makes it even more challenging for people to open up about their experiences, as Islam, for example, bans gambling I had a hard time myself talking about what I was going through, mostly due to the societal perceptions about gambling – gambling is illegal in India, so when I tried speaking about it to my family, the first thing they

noted was the illegal activity I was partaking in, and how I shouldn’t tell anyone about it One of the main reasons I chose to support this campaign is to raise awareness around this issue within my community and help tackle the stigma around it

Another big challenge for South Asian communities in the UK is the language barrier – most of the GA meetings are in English, which will often be inconvenient for people from South Asian backgrounds Access to GA meetings itself is difficult – compared to the number of bookies available on a high street, GA meetings are few far few, making it harder for people experiencing gambling harms to seek help and support There are however many groups and organisations that cater to people from South Asian backgrounds and that provide invaluable support, which has been a huge help to me and many others from that community

I want to call on anyone experiencing g a m b l i n g h a r m o r w h o k n o w s s o m e o n e going through that to not be afraid to open up a conversation about it It has to start within the community, with friends and families, for the stigma and shame associated with gambling to start breaking down Ho w d id you overcom e yo ur issu es? What d o you think could have been better?

Devesh: My biggest supporters were my family and loved ones – I owe a lot to them and would not have been able to get to this stage without them I really cannot stress enough how helpful it is to talk to your loved ones about the problems you ’ re experiencing – although it may seem difficult and challenging, that first step of communicating with them will help you get closer to recovery More awareness around gambling harms is needed within South Asian communities, and I strongly believe that talking about it more will help with that and will start breaking down the stigma associated with gambling

I would also call for stronger affordability c h e c k s W h e n I w a s g a m b l i n g , m y b a n k would send me several emails checking if I was okay spending significant amounts of money, and I would of course say yes and not hesitate There need to be stricter regulations around that, to ensure vulnerable people aren’t spending money they can’t afford to lose Ho w can one w ork tow ards healing w ithou t carrying th e baggage and shame of being a gam bler?

Devesh: There’s still so much guilt and stigma around gambling, especially within the South Asian community, which makes this an ongoing issue for people suffering from gambling harm

The hardest step a person has to take is acknowledging the problem I know it took me years to get to a place where I was no longer in denial, but I can confidently say that once I got to that stage, asking for help became easier I have been in recovery since 2020 and want to help as many people as I can from my community by speaking out

I would encourage anyone suffering from gambling harm to lean on someone they trust for help It can be as simple as starting conversations with loved ones, seeking professional support or going to organisations and groups that can help – by opening up about your experience, you are getting one step closer to recovery

Rishi Sunak with Narendra Modi

Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak

TAKE TIME TO LOOK AFTER YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

There are times when everyone feels low or stressed out. Taking care of our mental health is as important as taking care of our physical wellbeing. Adding positive habits to our daily lives can help build our mental resilience.

If we realise that we are beginning to feel depressed, anxious or agitated, or that we are starting to lose interest in activities that we normally enjoy, we should tackle it like we would in the case of a physical illness. We should not only take care of our mental health when it is in poor condition but instead we should do so on a regular basis.

There is absolutely no shame in seeking help, and there is a range of resources and services available online to help us look after our mental wellbeing or access support for mild to moderate mental health difficulties, such as stress, anxiety or trouble sleeping.

Every Mind Matters

Is an NHS-approved website full of free resources to help you look after your mental wellbeing. Use the website to find practical tips on easing anxiety and stress, boosting your mood, sleeping better, and feeling more in control. You will also find cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques for tackling worries, unhelpful thoughts and working through problems in new ways. Sign up to the email programme for expert advice to include in your daily routine.

Search ‘Every Mind Matters’ or see nhs.uk/every-mindmatters

NHS Talking Therapies

If you are struggling with anxiety and/or depression, NHS Talking Therapies (the new name for IAPT) are here for you.

The psychological therapies offered by these services are practical and can help with a range of common mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, phobias, panic attacks, obsessive-

compulsive disorder, body dysmorphia and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Some of these psychological therapies can be accessed online, via text or through an interactive website.

Some services will also have therapists who speak the language of local minority groups and/or have access to interpreters and non-English resources.

To find your local NHS Talking Therapies service and self-refer go to nhs. uk/talk. To be eligible, you need to be registered with a GP; but you can self-refer without the need to visit your GP.

Hub of Hope

No matter what you are going through, you should not have to face it alone.

Hub of Hope, run by the charity Chasing the Stigma enables you to find out what’s available locally and nationally to help you tackle a range of mental health concerns and disorders, including anxiety, depression, trauma or PTSD and their causes, such as financial concerns, loneliness, gambling or

substance misuse.

Visit www.hubofhope.co.uk or download the free app.

Samaritans and Shout

Samaritans Self-Help allows you to explore relaxation techniques, record your mood daily, look for patterns in how you’re feeling and store hopeful images. Visit selfhelp.samaritans.org for more information.

Shout’s website provides resources and tips on coping with feeling anxious, low, stressed or overwhelmed.

Visit giveusashout.org

The free NHS App is a simple and secure way to access health advice and a range of NHS services, including mental health services. Available to anyone aged 13 and over who is registered with an NHS GP in England and Isle of Man. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.

You can also use it to:

• Order repeat prescriptions.

• View your health information.

• Find NHS services near you.

Help in a crisis

• If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide, are harming yourself or have thought about selfharm, tell someone.

• If you cannot wait to see a doctor and feel unable to cope or keep yourself safe, contact the NHS for immediate support. Find your local 24/7 NHS crisis line on nhs.uk/ urgentmentalhealth or visit 111.nhs.uk.

• Under-35s can also visit papyrus-uk. org or call 0800 068 4141 for help.

• If your life or someone else’s life is at risk, call 999.

Running helped with my anxiety

26-year-old hotel receptionist Aditya suffered as a teenager after his mother fell ill, and he felt helpless in his attempts to support her. But one of the most effective tools for him to tackle his depression turned out to be a pair of running shoes!

“When I was around 16, my mother became ill and it took a toll on my mental health, and I became depressed. But not long afterwards I met my partner, and we got to know each other and fell in love”, he said.

“Last year I came to the UK to get married, and I love it here. I’ve been treated very well and have felt much better since my arrival. I first started running at university – I didn’t have much money, but I could run – all I needed was a pair of shoes. It helped manage my anxieties, so I’d go out running four or five kilometres twice a week.

“One day I saw a big group running in Victoria Park near me wearing RunTalkRun t-shirts, so I joined. On my first run in September, I met Chloe, who’s an awesome leader. It was great to be with somebody and know somebody in a new country. The first time I ran with Chloe, I was happy. I got to know somebody, and we talked about what was affecting us mentally, not just ‘how are you?’ I was able to discuss things with her and her with me.

“It makes a huge difference to talk to someone, no matter what you talk about. If you have ten things on your mind, even if you manage to talk about two of them, it’s better than nothing.”

He further added, “I now know five of the runners well, and we’re connected on social media. I run five days a week – even though I’m feeling better, I’m not taking things for granted. Every time I run with them, I feel perked up and welcomed. It’s brilliant!”

Wonders of South America

world The name Iguazú comes from the indigenous language meaning ‘big water’ About half of the river's flow falls into a long and narrow chasm called the Devil's Throat (Garganta del D i a b l o i n S p a n i s h o r G a r g a n t a d o Diabo in Portuguese) The Iguazu Falls are arranged like a reversed letter "J"

Ruchi Ghanashyam

M r s R u c h i G h a n a s h y a m i s t h e former High Commissioner of India to the UK With a career in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has been posted in many countries i n c l u d i n g S o u t h A f r i c a , G h a n a , before arriving in the UK She was o n l y t h e s e c o n d w o m a n H i g h C o m m i s s i o n e r t o t h e U K s i n c e India’s independence and during her tenure, she witnessed a number of significant developments in the UKIndia relations

@RuchiGhanashyam

Despite a life spent moving from one part of the world to the other, we had not really been to South America My only trip south of the USA was for a conference to Nicaragua, while my husband had gone for meetings to M e x i c o I a l m o s t s p e n t a l i f e t i m e focussed on the continent when I was allotted Spanish as my compulsory foreign language at the start of my career and posted to Buenos Aires to learn the language That destiny was not to be, but that’s another story

As it turned out, South America remained on the edge of my consciousness during my career Despite knowing of the world famous Machu Picchu in Peru, the continent seemed distant I did not even dream of travelling to that part of the world The task seemed so daunting that a visit there did not even figure in my bucket list!

F o r t u n a t e l y , l i f e p r e s e n t e d a n interesting opportunity and thankfully I grabbed it though it seemed like an insurmountable challenge In February this year, we joined some friends on what will possibly remain the most epic journey of our lives - a tour of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile

The trip also covered Stanley Island, capital of Falkland (Malvinas) Islands

As a result, South America became real and a wondrous place

One place that I really wanted to e x p l o r e i n S o u t h A m e r i c a w a s t h e Amazon The Amazon rainforest, also called Amazon jungle, is a tropical rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin of South America and includes territory of nine nations The majority of theforest, 60%, is in Brazil We went to Manaus, a small town on the edge of the rainforest The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and is the largest and most biodiversity tropical rainforest in the world It affects the health of our planet and the well-being of humanity It evokes significant global interest, as e n v i r o n m e n t a l d e g r a d a t i o n t h r o u g h deforestation directly impacts climate change and biodiversity loss

Unfortunately, we did not plan enough time to explore the rainforest, b u t w e d i d s e e t h e w a t e r s o f t h e A m a z o n a n d N e g r o r i v e r s T h e Amazon River is the largest river by d i s c h a r g e v o l u m e o f w a t e r i n t h e world It’s confluence with the Rio Negro at the Meeting of Waters at M a n a u s , w i t h t h e d i s t i n c t l y d a r k coloured water of the latter, was in itself wonderful! The exploration of t h e r a i n f o r e s t i s d o n e b e t t e r w i t h overnight visits into the forest rather than day trips as we had planned

I g u a z ú o r I g u a ç u F a l l s o f t h e I g u a z u R i v e r o n t h e b o r d e r o f Argentina and Brazil together make up t h e l a r g e s t w a t e r f a l l s y s t e m i n t h e

T h e A r g e n t i n a – B r a z i l b o r d e r r u n s through the Devil's Throat Having seen the Niagara Falls in Canada and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, the Iguacu falls on both Brazilian and Argentine sides were simply stup e n d o u s W i t h 2 7 5 i n d i v i d u a l f a l l s , t h e two-step falls, the sheer expanse and the nearness from which one can experience the falls is unique to this natural wonder!

T h e w o n d e r s o f nature extend through Argentina to Chile Just 30 minutes drive from Buenos Aires is the Tigray delta No one can take a boat ride through this delta, with its thousands of miniature island homes, without wanting to come back for a longer stay Further down, in Patagonia, one can visit Ushuaia, the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina With a population of nearly 80,000 and a location below the 54th parallel south latitude, Ushuaia claims the title of world s southernmost city At the post office called Fin Del Mundo, or End of the World, one can get a notional passport s t a m p e d w i t h p e n g u i n s a n d snowflakes A smaller settlement with less than 3,000 inhabitants, Puerto Williams in Chile, is nearer to the 55th parallel south, as compared to Ushuaia, b u t i s n o t r e g a r d e d a s a c i t y

Ushuaia, is an administrative center and a tourist hub, with a light industrial port

Founded on October 12, 1884, by Augusto Lasserre, Ushuaia is l o c a t e d i n t h e w i d e B a y o f

Ushuaia, on the southern coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, b o u n d e d o n t h e n o r t h b y t h e Martial mountain range and on the south by the Beagle Channel

Ushuaia is roughly 1,100 kilometres (680 mi) from the Antarctic Peninsula and is one of five internationally recognized Antarctic gateway cities Ushuaia is truly spectacular The natural sites are really beautiful with Mother Nature at her best The lakes, s o m e w i t h a l m o s t e m e r a l d g r e e n water, the mountains overlooking the lakes, fields and forests with moun-

a m o n g s t t h e f j o r d s , o n e c a n p a s s almost within touching distance of this glacier

Another wondrous sight is the volcano of Osorno, which is almost side b y s i d e w i t h a n o t h e r v o l c a n o , Calbuco The 2652m tall Osorno volcano is a conical stratovolcano that looks like Mount Fujiyama of Japan

The majestic Lake Llanquihue provides a beautiful setting for these two volcanoes Calbuco has another lake adjoining it, the Chapo Lake The gurgling waters of a set o f m i n o r w a t e r f a l l s p r o v i d e t h e r i g h t frame for this beautiful spot! The access to this spot from the shore is through the b e a u t i f u l t o w n s o f P u e r t o V a r a a n d Puerto Montt, passi n g b y t h e p i c t u r e p o s t c a r d , l i t t l e G e r m a n t o w n o f Fruitillar While we couldn’t visit all the beauties of Chile, we did manage to drive for hours beyond Santiago through the dry landscape consisting of barren mountains bisected only by a thin stream of river! We also visited the lovely Valparaiso town and saw Nobel Laurette, Pablo Neruda’s house there South America is not just a place filled with natural wonders, it is home to lovely cities too The most beautiful is Rio de Janeiro, a huge seaside c i t y i n B r a z i l , f a m e d f o r i t s Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, 38m tall Christ the Redeemer statue a t o p M o u n t C o r c o v a d o a n d f o r Sugarloaf Mountain, a granite peak with cable cars to its summit The

NISAU UK and ETS launch special scholarships for Indian students looking to study in the UK

National Indian Students and Alumni Uni onUK (NISAU UK), the organi sati on repres enti ng Indian students and alumni in the United Kingdom has partnered with the Educ ational Tes tin g Service, the world's largest pri vate non-profit educational testin g and assessment organi sati on to launch the ‘UK-India TO EFL® Scholarship’ for Indian students looki ng to study in the UK

As part of the scholarships which have been announced as part of the NISAU’s India UK Achievers Honours celebrations to mark India at 75, NISAU at 10, ETS at 75 and India-UK educational ties, 25 Indian students will receive a grant of up to INR 2 4 lakhs to contribute towards the cost of their UK education The scholarships will recognise and support applicants who can demonstrate excellent academic achievement and can demonstrate how they are intending to create a social impact with their UK education

International Higher Education Commission, said, “It has been a longstanding dream for the NISAU and for me personally to be able to provide scholarships to Indian students who wish to use their British education for creating positive social impact and give back to society With ETS’s support, we are absolutely delighted to be able to offer $75,000 worth of scholarships to 25 young Indians who will hopefully become the changemakers of tomorrow We are delighted to be able to play a small role in addressing the inequity that can sometimes stop the best and brightest students from securing world-class UK education and to be able to do this as we celebrate 75 years of India’s independence and 10 years of NISAU is just incredibly special I look forward to going through what will no doubt be special applications from the most deserving students ”

Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is one of the Seven Wonders of Nature Rio is also known for its sprawling favelas (shanty towns), its raucous Carnival, featuring parade floats, flamboyant costumes and samba dancers The Rio Carnival is an annual celebration in the Roman Catholic tradition that shows the influence of the AfricanB r a z i l i a n d r u m s a n d m u s i c t h a t became more noticeable from the first half of the 20th century We were fortunate to see the last day of the Carnival in the famous Sambadrome B u e n o s A i r e s , w i t h i t s v a s t boulevards, parks and open spaces seemed an eminently livable city

The funds are intended to provide financial support for university expenses, including but not limited to tuition, books, housing deposits and transportation A panel consisting of the NISAU UK, representatives of UK universities and industry bodies will select the winners of this scholarship

Eligibility c ri teria

tains in the background, Ushuaia is a photographer’s delight!

One of the joys of travelling in this p a r t o f t h e w o r l d i s t h e p e r i o d i c encounters with penguins At Stanley Island, capital of Falkland/ Malvinas, we saw these glorious creatures up close at Bertha’s beach The island has a memorial to those who died in the Falkland War Adjacent to the memor i a l i s a s m a l l b u s t o f M a r g a r e t

T h a t c h e r , a d j o i n i n g t h e T h a t c h e r

drive Almost everything on Stanley Island seems to come from the UK

Going around the southern tip of South America, one gets to experience t h e t r e a t o f a l i f e t i m e t r a v e l l i n g through the fjords, glaciers and water channels of Chile The Amelia glacier spread over 73 square miles is the largest of the 1800 glaciers in Chile Sailing through the water channels

We stayed in a charming boutique hotel which had been the home of Eva Peron The hotel is within walking distance of one of the most unusual cemeteries in the world, the Recoleta Cemetery It was declared the city’s first official public burial place in 1822 and is completely unlike a normal c e m e t e r y , f i l l e d w i t h e l a b o r a t e l y carved scroll-work and stately pillars that make the place almost magical It is the burial site of Argentina’s most famous figures, including Evita herself It’ s lively cultural scene, with numerous Tango shows and food are a big attraction too S ã o P a u l o , M o n t e v i d e o a n d Santiago were also lovely cities with good ambience and delicious food

With this trip, we discovered parts of South America It is no longer at the edge of our consciousness, neither does it seem so far any more Really, travel is the best education!

All applicants must fulfil the following eligibility criteria: A minimum TOEFL® test score of 75 out of 120, An offer letter from a UK university and Applications must demonstrate that they are intending to study a fee-paying undergraduate or postgraduate taught degreelevel course, and are enrolling for the first time at a UK university To participate, applicants must submit a copy of their TOEFL® test score report, an essay on 'Creating a social impact with a UKbased Education' [500 words], and their personal and academic achievements on www toefltest in/scholarship

Applications are now live and the deadli ne for submissi on is 31 May 2 02 3

Commenting on the launch of the scholarships, NISAU Chai rperson Sanam Arora who was recently appointed as a Commissioner of the UK’s

According to the ONS data, the international student population in England and Wales: Census 2021 states that studying is one of the main reasons people migrate to the UK The study suggests that there were 373,600 non-UK-born, non-UK passport-holding international students in England and Wales at the time of Census 2021 India (11 6%), China (11 2%), Romania (9 5%) and Nigeria (5 3%) were the top 4 individual countries of birth of international students A third of the international student population was in London (33 9%) One in three international students were in employment; Eastern European countries had the highest proportions in employment alongside studying (Romania, 73 9%; Bulgaria, 62 3%; Poland, 56 7% and Lithuania, 56 0%)

International students’ residence type varied by age, with most students aged 18 to 25 years living in communal establishments (36 4%) or an all-student household (28 7%), while most students aged 26 years and above lived in single or multiple-family households (59 0%) Of the international students whose preferred main language was not English (239,000, 64 0%), 59 3% and 35 5% reported being able to speak English ‘ very well’ and ‘well’ respectively

Rio Carnival

Ruchi Ghanashyam at Ushuaia

Amelia Glacier

British Sri Lankan desires to spend more time in his native country

B ri tis h S ri Lan kan broadc as te r an d a u th o r Ni h a l A rthanayake has spoken o f h i s d e si re to s pe nd m o re time in the country o f his o rigin w here he sees people “ who look like m e ” and connects “instantly”

The BBC Radio 5 Live presenter also revealed why it was “unsettling to be a m i n o r i t y ” a t S t o c k p o r t i n Manchester where he currently lives, as it is a monocultural place which is “ very white” In a wide-ranging chat with food critic Jimi Famurewa on the Where’s Home Really? podcast – that explores issues of identity a m o n g e t h n i c p e o p l e –A r t h a n a y a k e r e c a l l e d t h a t h i s f i r s t e x p e r i e n c e o f racism was underwhelming

Like many Asian public figures, the BBC broadcaster is not immune to being targ e t e d b y r a c i s t t r o l l s o n social media, where he has more than 117,000 followers on Twitter In a discussion on what homes means to h i m , A r t h a n a y a k e t o l d F a m u r e w a , “ T h e p l a c e I want to spend more of my time in as I get older is a house that we have in Sri Lanka Culturally, I feel Sri

Photo courtesy: BBC

L a n k a n a n d B r i t i s h B u t there’s something about the lure of that country There’s something about the energy in that country there is something about stepping off that plane, seeing palm trees, hearing nature, seeing the colours that I connect with so instantly ”

Born in Harlow in Essex t o S r i L a n k a n p a r e n t s , Arthanayake said he asserted his heritage because he w a s r o u t i n e l y q u e s t i o n e d about his Britishness

Arthanayake, 51, cut his teeth in the music industry a s a r a p r e c o r d i n g a r t i s t before becoming a radio and T V p r e s e n t e r H e m o v e d from London to Stockport, south of Manchester, where t h e B B C S t u d i o s a r e a n d Arthanayake described how “ very white and monocultural” the area is

LSE orders external review of students’ union elections

T he L on do n Sc h ool of E conom ics (LSE) has ordere d a n e xt e rn al r ev iew of th is y ear ’ s students’ union elect ions af ter an Indian s tudent c l aim ed that he wa s d i s q ua l if ie d f r o e lections because of his Indian and Hindu identit y I n a s t a t em e n t , t h e L S E s t u d e n t s ’ u n i o n (LSESU) said that the body operates a fair and democratic manner and has a firm zerotolerance stance towards any form of harassment and bull y i n g A p o s t g r a d u a t e L a w student from Haryana, Karan K a t a r i a , s a i d t h a t h e w a s motivated by the support of his peers to contest the post of general secretary of the union

H o w e v e r , K a t a r i a , 2 2 , w a s d i s q u a l i f i e d l a s t w e e k o v e r w h a t h e b e l i e v e s a r e b a s e l e s s a l l e g a t i o n s a n d without being given a chance to fully state his case esponding to the c l a i m s , t h e L S E S U s a i d : “ T h i s y e a r t h e e l e c t i o n r u l e s h a v e b e e n b r e a c h e d b y a candidate, resultg in LSESU taking the difficult decision to d i s q u a l i f y t h e m f r o m t h i s year ’ s leadership race for the p o s i t i o n o f g e n e r a l s e c r etary ”

The union pointed out a breach of the rule for candidates to keep a ‘reasonable d i s t a n c e ’ o f a r o u n d t w o metres from anyone who is casting their vote

Junior doctor and former Miss England unable to join the strike

A former Miss Eng land w inner and th e junio r doctor says sh e can’t afford to go on strike Dr Bhasha Mukherjee, 27, was crowned the winner of Miss England in 2019 and i s c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g i n a c h i l d r e n ’ s A & E w a r d B u t she is unable to join NHS colleagues on the picket line because she would lose up to four days of pay Bhasha, who works at a hospital in North West London, said: ‘I absolutely support the strike movement, I voted to strike and at heart I am striking Bhasha also revealed she

withdrew her membership f r o m t h e B r i t i s h M e d i c a l Association (BMA) after a run-in with union members w h i c h l e f t h e r f e e l i n g u n w e l c o m e S h e s a i d w a s ‘ o s t r a c i s e d ’ w h e n s h e d i d not join her colleagues, but was quickly invited back in when they found out she was media trained as a beauty queen Bhasha, of Derby reportedly added, "My experience of the picket line was almost 'you can’t sit with us' After I spoke to members of the press they asked why they wanted to speak with me "

them That doesn't hurt when you ’ re working, young and mobile, but w h e n y o u ' r e r e t i r e d , y o u

can't travel much, so suddenly feel they're gone ”

“I used to call a woman from India She was Muslim but we shared a similar language, festivals, and ideologies, and she used to tell me that although we worship d i f f e r e n t g o d s , w e ’ r e t h e same She couldn’t write her name, but I’d look at her understanding of humanity, and the role of religion in our lives, and said to her, “ Y o u ’ r e m y t e a c h e r ” S h e was depressed and unhappy but as we had weekly chats, she started to sing songs ” H e r p r e s e n t c a l l e r i s

from Guyana but he speaks h i s a n c i e n t , n a t i o n a l l a nguage, and he's happy when they talk to each other “My children are busy w i t h t h e i r j o b s a n d t h e i r children are grown up, they go on holiday, meet friends, a n d s u d d e n l y r e m e m b e r mum and dad I visit my I n d i a h o m e a n d h a v e noticed a difference there as well because some children go out to work or study in different cities and they settle there or go abroad, so e v e n t h e r e I c a n s e e t h e o l d e r g e n e r a t i o n ’ s f e e l i n g lonely,” Asha added

Is NHS fit for its purpose?

NHS was the invention of Labour Party, just after the end of WW2, under the popular leadership of Clement Attlee whose Minister of Health, a fierce and dedicated Welshman Aneurin Bevan first introduced NHS, as the medical treatment was indeed costly, out of reach for most of the people No wonder it was greeted with euphoria, especially GP service, easily approachable by the grateful public

But it was meant to be for an emergency, especially hospital appointments and it was rare for GPs to refer patients to hospitals Moreover, the population was young, fit and healthy, as survival of the fittest was the norm at the time, not to prolong life artificially In any case medicine was basic, compared to present day when there is a remedy for each and every illness!

How the time has changed! As our GPs are busy and overworked, it is not that uncommon for them to refer their patients to hospitals, either through A & E or normal hospital appointments One has to visit A & E, especially at weekends to appreciate the pressure NHS is under Last time I accompanied an elderly family member to A & E at weekend, it was chock-a-block and people were directed to A & E which was too far for most of the people

Although we could have insisted to remain there, waiting time was some 12 hours, too long for an ailing elderly person Some people did and were told to wait in their cars until there was some space in the waiting room!

We had no choice but to visit a nearby private GP surgery, paid £75 consultation fee and £30 for the medicine we had to buy from their on-site pharmacy It was not too expensive, but it was some time back I wonder how much it would cost today!

It is time to modernize and make NHS fit for the purpose, to satisfy demands we all make on NHS With rise in elderly population and life longevity, with average age in eighties, it is no wonder that we struggle to look after our own people, especially as our NHS is used by overseas visitors, so called Health Tourists! I remember a case of an African woman who was heavily pregnant, was denied permission to disembark at New York as well as Toronto airport She was taken off the plane at Heathrow airport, straight to NHS hospital and it cost NHS half a million to care her premature triplets in hospital for three months For us, charity does not begin at home!

Putting more and more money in bottomless NHS budget is not the answer It needs drastic change, stop misuse that begins with the introduction of ID with full history that can be used for every purpose, such as opening bank account, for doctor and hospital appointment It is the norm in many countries but not here As we know our politicians are least u n p a t r i o t i c , w a s t i n g s o m u c h m o n e y o n O v e r s e a s A i d , Defence Budget, highest in Europe We are a laughing stock on international stage I wonder we will ever change and put our own people first!

Bh upendra M Gandhi

Return the Kohinoor diamond to India

The British got a 5-year-old Indian prince to gift the Kohinoor diamond to them Hence, it's no longer morally defensible for UK to hold on to this loot The honourable thing to do is to return it from where they took it - India

The Kohinoor was mined in India and was one of the largest diamonds ever mined After changing hands among various kings in India for centuries, it found its way to the legendary Ranjit Singh who ruled Punjab The British conquered Punjab after his death in 1849 and installed his 5year-old son Daleep Singh as the king under the regency of the British Later, they got this child to gift the diamond to them They also moved Daleep Singh to England, converted him to Christianity and did not allow him to meet his mother or any other Indian relative so that he wouldn't be aware of his heritage After Queen Victoria's death, the Kohinoor was set in the crown of Queen Alexandra, the wife of King Edward VII and that was used to crown her at their coronation in 1902 The diamond was then transferred to Queen Mary's crown in 1911, and then to the queen mother's crown in 1937 The Kohinoor diamond was also worn by Queen Elizabeth-II during her reign as the monarch of England The Kohinoor diamond is now part of the British monarch It is currently on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London, seen by millions of visitors every day With King Charles-III succeeding to the throne after his mother's death (Queen Elizabeth-II) on August 8, the 105-carat diamond, which is steeped in history, will go to his wife, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla, who has now become Queen consort Hence, we Indians would like King Charles-III to return the Kohinoor diamond to its rightful owner, i e India

Jubel D C ruz

Drones delivering medicines for pilgrims

Telemedicine, which is convergence of technology and medicine, will be the core methodology of healthcare delivery in the future With drones delivering medicines in s p e e d , a t l o w c o s t a n d a c c e s s i n g r e m o t e a r e a s l i k e mountains , places of pilgrimage and during natural calamities like floods and earthquakes, they will prove no dream is too big, and have no boundaries

T S Karthik

The British Tukde Tukde Gang

On 17 th March I wrote an op en letter to tho se res po ns ible fo r creating the APP G Gujarati stating in very clear term s, ‘I can say with s ome certainty th at th e vas t majo rity o f Gujaratis in the UK wou ld not w ish their go od name to be abus ed in s uch a fas hion as to c reate an entity in their nam e Af teral l, in effec t it does not stem f rom th em, nor does it represent them in any matter w hatso ever ’

In the weeks that have gone by, the Gujarati and Indian community has also responded with a resounding, NO I have been bombarded with communication from community leaders, as well as the grassroots, every single one of them said the same thing, they did not want this APPG They also considered it afront to our community that a white Labour politician would be so condescending as to think that in the 21st Century they could resurrect their imperial past to tell us immigrants what was good for us It seems the mentality of supremacists is the same, whether you are on the left, the right, or the centre At th e time of w riting, the fo llo wing leading Hindu/I ndian organisations (l is ted al phabetically) h ave decl ared th eir o pp ositio n to the AP PG Gujarati:

1 Bhadran Bandhu Samaj UK (A Gujarati community organisation)

2 CB Patel / Asian Voice / Gujarat Samachar - The leading Asian media house

3 FISI - Friends of India Society International

4 Hindu Council of Central England

5 Hindu Council UK - national organisation

6 Hindu Forum of Britain (representing hundreds of Hindu organisations and Mandirs nationally)

7 Hinduism Study Group

8 HSS UK - 110 active centres in 67 towns A large section of its membership are Gujaratis

9 INSIGHT - Social movement of British Hindus and Indians

10 National Association of Patidar Samaj - representing thousands of Gujarati families in the UK

11 National Congress of Gujarati Organisations - the largest body representing Gujaratis in UK

12 Param Shakti Peeth of UK

13 Sardar Patel Memorial Society UK - the iconic Gujarati who united the whole of India

14 VHP One can safely deduce that the vast majority of Indians and Gujaratis in the UK have rejected this unsavoury creation designed to promote the interests of a few individuals, rather than the community

It seems we now have our own British ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’ Composed of Labour MPs and rogue elements from within our own community Their aim it seems is not to unite us, nor to protect our interest or to even consider our views They come across as an anti-India gang that is determined to divide us based on regions of India, or by caste or by anything else they can muster During colonial times the divide and rule principle was used very effectively against all Indians It worked well not because the British were clever, it worked well because the British bought out some morally and ethically corrupt Indians History shows us time and again, we can only be divided and abused, if our very own sell us down the road So, who are these people?

Sanjay Jagatia who has been declared the Secretariat of the APPG Gujarati On what basis he is qualified for this position is of course for another time, but Jagatia claims on his Facebook page that he is a ‘Fundraising Advisor Chair-Hindu Think Tank Secretariat-All Party Parliamentary Group for Gujaratis’ The list is endless in terms of organisations he appears to have been a member of or worked for Though as far as I can make out, not one leading Indian or Hindu organisation today have him on their books It’s a mystery as to how he became the secretariat I suggest Gareth and his pu ppets listen to w hat our com munity has to say:

The Hindu Forum of Britain stated in their letter, ‘It has come to our attention that an APPG Gujarati is being created and to be launched shortly From our assessment it has become clear that the vast majority of Hindu/Gujarati/Indian organisations have not been consulted Had this basic first step taken place then it would have become abundantly clear

that the said APPG Gujarati commanded no confidence and is rejected by Gujaratis and the Indian diaspora in general’

Dhiraj D Shah (President HSS UK) in his letter detailed no less than five points as to why the APPG should not be set up He was ably supported by Dr T P Jotangia (President VHP UK) who stated, ‘ we believe that this will be a divisive move by yourselves as we do not need a separate APPG for all the Communities of India here in Britain We are well served by APPG for Hindus and India’

I n t h e i r l e t t e r , t h e N a t i o n a l C o n g r e s s o f G u j a r a t i Organisations (NCGO) confirm that they were approached in the early stages They had written back to Sanjay Jagatia stating they would want to be part of a proper consultation process The next they heard from him was when the launch of the APPG was announced The NCGO reminded Sanjay of, ‘In your previous email, you showed enthusiasm to be “working with NCGO UK” I clearly mentioned about that we want to be part of the consultation and not support for APPG’ In what was an astonishing piece of information, the NCGO had to remind Sanjay that they had heard from their member organisations that NCGO had endorsed the APPG Which of course was totally false So, the question arises, who at the APPG Gujarati was responsible for misrepresenting the position of the NCGO? If it did happen, then it is clear there was only one purpose, to hoodwink organisations into compliance through false representation If true, that’s a grave and very dishonest way of working The NCGO as I understand it are still waiting for a formal response The Hindu Council UK also released its belated response that, ‘Hindu Council UK expresses its grave concern about the idea of creating a Gujarati APPG in the UK Parliament We strongly feel that it unnecessarily divides the community and undermines the unity of the British Indian/Hindu community’

Dr Harsha Jani of Param Shakti Peeth of UK, ‘PSP has serious reservations with respect to the formation of the APPG for British Gujaratis Our membership consisting largely of UK Gujaratis views this ill-advised, divisive step as an exercise in fracturing our communities’

There was an astounding intervention on behalf of CB Patel, via an open letter to Gareth Thomas to remind him of the many historical partnerships He was told very clearly, ‘Regarding the whole issue, you have been already approached by Trupti Patel, President HFB, Sanjay Odedara, General Secretory NCGO, Pravin Amin, President NAPS and several other organisations CB is amused with your lukewarm response You should have immediately stopped and withdrawn yourself This venture is not in the favour of India, the UK, the community, and the labour party as well as yourself’

There is another sinister development that might have played a part in this fiasco Rahul Gandhi came to the UK a few weeks back and made many controversial statements I am led to believe that he also had private meetings with Labour politicians Could it be that the Indian tukde tukde gang has now created its own British parliamentarian tukde tukde gang? Interestingly the APPG Gujarati was also set up within the very same time frame of his visit, is that just a mere coincidence? Or is there more to this than meets the eye? You may recall, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party have made attempts to establish that India is not a nation, but a Union of States Is the APPG Gujarati the masterplan of clandestine forces that wish to divide Indians not just in India, but also here in the UK? And is the plan to use it to undermine and influence elections in India and defeat PM Modi?

Let us be clear, every Indian and Gujarati organisation must ensure that none of its committee members or trustees attend the launch of the APPG Gujarati next week Those who do, their only purpose should be to publicly reject the APPG And those who do attend and support the APPG, we will know for sure that they are not for the community or for India

To the voters of Harrow West (and nationally), remember this, your MP has not only ignored your community, but he has also shown total disdain towards anything we have to say On what basis can we as a community support an MP or a party that has so consistently been anti-India, anti-Hindu, anti-Modi and now, even indulges so disgracefully in dividing the Indian diaspora in the UK for its own gain?

A new parliamentary group division, futile for Gujaratis

The move to form a new parliamentary group (APPG) in the name of the British Gujarati community is divisive, unnecessary, and futile

The attempt to form this new group without even involving or trying to gather the opinion of the Gujarati community is being rightly opposed by leading organisations In my humble suggestion Asian Voice should arrange a Zoom discussion on this matter Gujarati Communities and their members should come forward and share their thoughts on this decision

There is another on-going issue related to the Gujarati community in the UK Air India's direct flight from London to Ahmedabad, which operated from Heathrow Airport, has been moved to Gatwick Airport, ignoring the hardship faced by those travelling It will be good to have an open discussion on this issue as well

ABPL Group has always carried out campaigns for the rights of the British Asians and campaigning on both these issues are essential

Jaswant Joshi

Happy to read the comprehensive report on AAHOA

It was a great pleasure to read the extensive coverage of the opening of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) Annual Convention and Trade Show in the 15 April issue of Asian Voice Most of the members of AAHOA are Gujaratis and especially from the Patel community Many of my relatives are members of AAHOA who hail from South Gujarat Most of the hotels and motels in America are run by the Gujarati community and this is because business is in our blood and Gujaratis do not hesitate to take risks and work hard

Rambhai Patel

British Indians win big in honorary awards to foreign nationals

The U K government updated its list of honorary awards to foreign n ati on als 202 2 on April 12, 202 3

Wockhardt UK managing director Ravindra Limaye and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

U K ’ s e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r

Mattur Nandakumara have b e e n c h o s e n f o r h o n o r a r y British awards given to foreign nationals

Limaye gets the Order of t h e B r i t i s h E m p i r e ( O B E ) honour for his contribution to health, particularly during t h e C o v i d - 1 9 p a n d e m i c N a n d a k u m a r a h a s b e e n selected for the Member of the British Empire award to recognise his contribution to t h e t e a c h i n g , p e r f o r m a n c e and accessibility of Indian c l a s s i c a l a r t s L i m a y e h a s been the chief executive of the UK arm of the Mumbaibased pharma and biotech c o m p a n y W o c k h a r d t s i n c e 2019 He previously worked for another Indian pharma company Biocon, overseeing its global commercial operations He led the company ’ s entry into global biosimilar markets and spearheaded its operations in the US

N a n d a k u m a r a , w h o secured his PhD degree from t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f L o n d o n , has been promoting Indian classical arts in the UK for more than four decades The scholar of Sanskrit language, literature and philosophy is also a known public speaker, h a v i n g d e l i v e r e d t a l k s a t

W e s t v i l l e U n i v e r s i t y i n

D u r b a n , S A f r i c a a n d t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f C a m b r i d g e Nandakumara is from India’s Sanskrit-speaking village of M a t t u r a n d h e a d s t h e Bhavan, the largest Indian a r t s o r g a n i s a t i o n o u t s i d e India

Ajay Piramal, India CoChair UK-India CEO Forum has been awarded for services to the UK-India trade r e l a t i o n s h i p A j a y P i r a m a l started out in his family's textile business at age 22 in 1977 but went on to build a p h a r m a e m p i r e t h r o u g h

acquisitions Piramal inked his biggest deal in 2010 when he sold his domestic formulations business to Abbott L a b s f o r $ 3 8 b i l l i o n I n N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 0 , P i r a m a l

s o l d h i s g l a s s m a n u f a c t u r e r P i r a m a l G l a s s o private equiy f i r m Blackstone for $ 1 b i l l i o n I n 2 0 2 2 , P i r a m a l d e m e r g e d t h e p h a r m a a n d financial services businesses o f h i s f l a g s h i p P i r a m a l

Enterprises Piramal Pharma was listed in October 2022

Piramal s wife Swati is vicechairman while his daughter Nandini and son Anand have board seats K i s h o r e J a y a r a m a n , P r e s i d e n t o f R o l l s - R o y c e India and South Asia, has been awarded for services to I n t e r n a t i o n a l T r a d e a n d I n v e s t m e n t K i s h o r e J a y a r a m a n , P r e s i d e n t , o f I n d i a a n d S o u t h A s i a f o r Rolls-Royce, has received an h o n o r a r y O f f i c e r o f t h e

Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Her Majesty The Queen, British Deputy High Commission Jayaraman is a board member of the UKI n d i a B u s i n e s s C o u n c i l ,

which supports UK businesses set up in India He has also been instrumenal in promoting bilateral ies by setting up a strategic ecosystem for boost-

n g m a n u f a c t u r i n g i n

n d i a e n a b l e d b y U K ’ s

echnology

D r V i n o d J o s h i , a

R e t i r e d d e n t i s t a n d

f o u n d e r o f t h e M o u t h

C a n c e r F o u n d a t i o n i n t h e UK, has been honoured for his services in fighting can-

cer

Pakistan-born British Asian woman features at the iconic Picaddily Circus

S o n ya Ba rlo w i s an

E n trep r ene u r, A u th o r ,

P resenter and Content

C reator, is a Pakistani

B o rn B ri ti s h A s i an

W o m an S h e w as

r ec en tly se en o n th e

d ig it al bi ll bo ar d at

P iccadilly Circus

S p e a k i n g t o A s i a n

Voice, Barlow described

t h a t g r o w i n g u p i n

L o n d o n , t h e i c o n i c

G u r u s w a m y K r i s h n a -

m o o r t h y , C h i e f E x e c u t i v e

O f f i c e r , P e n l o n , h a s b e e n awarded for services to the Ventilator Challenge

Daisy Narayanan, Lately

D i r e c t o r o f U r b a n i s m ,

Sustrans has been honoured for her services to Inclusive

Urban Planning

P a r e s h J e t h w a , C o -

F o u n d e r o f C o m m u n i t y Response Kitchen has been awarded for services to the community in the London Borough of Hendon during Covid-19

Other Asians who have a l s o w o n a w a r d s i n c l u d e : Reshmi Kalam, awarded an h o n o r a r y B r i t i s h E m p i r e Medal in recognition of her s e r v i c e s t o t h e M a i d s t o n e community during Covid-19; Tarsem Kaur, a Community volunteer for services to the Community in Handsworth, B i r m i n g h a m p a r t i c u l a r l y during Covid-19

P i c a d d i l y C i r c u s h a s been the backdrop for her many tourist adventures, days out around t o w n , s h o p p i n g e x p e r i -

e n c e s , u n i v e r s i t y n i g h t s and family pictures

When Samsung asked Sonya to be the face of t h e i r b i l l b o a r d t h i s

S p r i n g , i t w a s a d r e a m come true for this South Asian Role Model Having lost her job pre-pandemic, Sonya wanted to take her career into her own hands and launched the LMFNetwork talent network and inclusion consultancy During the pandemic, she built her brand u s i n g s o c i a l m e d i a a n d networking events before landing a book deal for U n p r e p a r e d t o E n t r e p r e n e u r a n d t h e first business show on the BBC Asian network - the Everyday Hustle S h e a c t i v e l y w o r k s

with tech, travel, lifestyle a n d f a s h i o n b r a n d s i n d i v e r s e m a i n s t r e a m media Sonya is an elder didi - which makes her p a s s i o n a t e a b o u t s h o wc a s i n g S o u t h A s i a n w o m e n c o n f i d e n t l y , e m b r a c i n g t h e i r c a r e e r s and being their best selves through content and conversations This year she was signed by talent agency Outreach Agency, who secured her a spot with Samsung to launch their new camera Sonya shone o n t h e s c r e e n s o f Piccadilly Circus with a g r e e n s u i t , b r o w n e y e s a n d r e d l i p s , b r i n g i n g together some best bits of her heritage and culture and representing brownskinned girls all over the world

* ASTHMA

* ALLERGY

* SKIN PROBLEMS

* ACNE

* PSORIASIS

* SNEEZING

* ECZEMA

* MIGRAINE

* VITILIGO

* MEMORY LOSS

* INSOMNIA

* ANXIETY, STRESS

* JOINT PAINS

* BACK PAIN

* ARTHRITIS

* SCIATICA

* GAS TROUBLE

* CONSTIPATION

* ULCER, ACIDITY

* DIABETES

* BLOOD PRESSURE

* HAIR PROBLEMS

* THYROID

* LIVER PROBLEMS

* WEIGHT LOSS

* WEIGHT GAIN

* SEXUAL PROBLEMS

* ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

* INFERTILITY, PCOD

* PREMATURE EJACULATION

* LADIES PROBLEMS

* URINARY PROBLEM

* KIDNEY STONES

* NERVOUS WEAKNESS

* PILES, VARICOSE

* PARALYSIS

Ajay Piramal Kishore Jayaraman Mattur Nandakumara

Paresh Jethwa Ravindra Limaye

The Conservative Muslim Forum hosts the first-ever Iftar Reception at 10 Downing Street

On Tuesda y 28th March 2023, the Conserv ative part y hosted a historic iftar r ece pt ion at 10 D owning Stre et a longside the Conserva tive Musl im Forum

The CMF Chairman, Hashim Bhatti said, "I am grateful to the Prime Minister for opening up his home and allowing us to open our fasts and pray This sends a strong message to the Muslim community that the Conservative Party is their natural home I feel honoured to have played a role in organising this reception much like the iftar at CCHQ last year This sends all the r i g h t s i g n a l s t o t h e M u s l i m community and I look forward to working closely with the new party chairman"

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Conservative party, Greg Hands MP, paid tribute to the late Lord S h e i k h a n d h i g h l i g h t e d t h e immense contribution that British M u s l i m s m a k e t o t h e U K H e m e n t i o n e d t h a t t h e M u s l i m

Grazing Board Inspiration – Katori Chaat

by Zubda Malik of @Kitchen diaries by Zubda

This Ramadan, Asda has partnered with Zubda Malik to create some inspiring recipe content which would add variety to your Iftars and Suhoors

These recipes have flavours of South Asia, Middle East and the Mediterranean which have been specially created with all the ingredients shopped under one roof at Asda

Serves – 12 | Prep Time – 35 mins

c o m m u n i t y i n t h e U K d o n a t e s £500m each year – of which £150m is donated just in the month of Ramadan The Chairman went on t o s a y t h a t h e w a s a b s o l u t e l y c o m m i t t e d t o s t a m p i n g o u t t h e s c o u r g e o f A n t i - M u s l i m H a t r e d from society, once and for all

The reception started with a m u s i c a l r e c i t a l f r o m t h e O l i v e S c h o o l i n H a c k n e y w h i c h w a s spearheaded by the Naz Legacy and closed with Qu'ran recitations from Shaykh Mohammed Ismail Bhuta

The catering was provided by

Eid Balloon Nothing beats the joy of putting up a balloon in the house This kind of happiness has no age

t h e r e n o w n e d c h e f a n d entrepreneur Suleman Raza MBE who is no stranger to catering for h i g h - p r o f i l e e v e n t s H i s S p i c e Village chain has catered for many iftars this Ramadan including the C h e l s e a f o o t b a l l c l u b a n d t h e Department for Business & Trade He was recently awarded an MBE f o r h i s s e r v i c e s d u r i n g t h e pandemic

In attendance were over 100 leading Muslim figures including various Lords, MPs, party activists, friends groups and dignitaries

Gift ideas for this Eid

Prayer rug: A more solemn token of love this Eid can be a prayer rug, for all the wishes of your loved ones come true

Cook Time – 25 mins | Total Time – 1hr

Ingredients From Asda

Katori:

• Plain flour: 300g

• Salt: 1/2 tsp

• KTC sunflower oil: 2 tbsp

• Water to knead as required

Chaat:

• 150g chickpeas

• Boiled potatoes 200g

• Onion: 1 medium chopped

• Cucumber: 1/2 English cucumber cubes

• Tomato: 1 medium chopped

• Beetroot: 1 thinly sliced

• Yoghurt 225g

• Plum chutney 60ml

• Tamarind chutney 60ml

• Raita 60ml

• Plain bhujia 60g

• Bombay mix 75g

• Asda coriander leaves: hand full chopped

• Green chillies: 2 chopped

• Chaat masala: 2 tbsp

• Paprika: 1 tsp

Method -

Dry fruits: The good old box of dry fruits never goes out of style Everyone secretly loves it

Eid money envelopes This is a unique idea for joint families that have many little children and youngster to give Eidi to

London Eid Festival on April 29

M o re t han 22 0 ,0 0 0 v i si to rs a re e xp e ct ed to h e ad to w a rd s W es tf i eld Wh i te C i ty sh op p in g centre as it ho sts Europe ’ s big gest Eid festiv al The festival will ru n f ro m S at u rd ay , A p ri l 29 to M onday, M ay 1 for the fo urth year in a row

This year ’ s London Eid Festival will take place in the Atrium and Westfield Square and will be open to Muslims and non-Muslims open f r o m 1 0 a m t o 9 p m o v e r t h e weekend, and 12pm to 6pm on the b a n k h o l i d a y M o n d a y T h o s e

attending will be able to enjoy live entertainment, activities, a feast of f o o d s t a l l s a n d m o d e s t f a s h i o n concessions inspired by Muslim r e g i o n s f r o m a c r o s s t h e g l o b e Guests can expect local performers i n c l u d i n g c e l e b r i t y p e r f o r m e r s such as HARRIS J, plus a range of acts from comedians, traditional singers, Sufi Musicians, Whirling Dervish and live DJs

John Lewis will also be hosting l i v e a c t i v i t i e s i n c l u d i n g c o o k e r y demonstrations, a fashion show and beauty master class, as well as

an Islamic Art Gallery – a place where all cultural lovers can unite and share traditions

E i d a l - F i t r w i l l a l s o b e c e l e b r a t e d i n T h e A r e n a a n d C h e s t n u t P l a z a a t W e s t f i e l d Stratford City from April 29 to May 1 Including kids’ arts and crafts sessions such as lantern making a n d c o l o u r i n g i n M a n d a l a s ; jewellery making for all ages, a c a l l i g r a p h y s t a t i o n , a n d h e n n a tattoo sessions There will also be live music and halal food options for those attending

Iftar meals and celebrations across England

M anchester Cathedral and K ing 's C ollege in C am bridg e were among the v enues hosting iftar meals - to break the daily fasts - for people of all backgrounds

Organisers at Ramadan Tent P r o j e c t s a y t h e y w a n t t o b r i n g communities together

"There's been huge appetiteespecially since the pandemic - to c o n n e c t , " m a n a g e r W a s e e m Mahmood said T h e o r g a n i s a t i o n h a s b e e n h o s t i n g t h e e v e n t s e v e r y n i g h t

s i n c e R a m a d a n s t a r t e d o n 2 2 March

For Muslims, the month marks the start of the divine revelation of the Quran and often spurs extra

devotion and charity

About 40% of attendees were n o t M u s l i m , w i t h s o m e l a t e r j o i n i n g a 5 0 0 - s t r o n g g r o u p o f volunteers "because they wanted t o g i v e s o m e t h i n g b a c k " , M r Mahmood said "It's about how we inspire people to break bread and have conversations, but also the c o n c e p t o f s t e w a r d s h i p a n d responsibility when it comes to f o o d T h i s w h o l e j o u r n e y h a s inspired and fulfilled me and made my heart smile

• In a bowl, add plain flour, salt, oil and mix well

• Gradually add water, keep mixing and knead until a soft dough is formed

• Make a ball sized dough and flatten it on the work surface with a rolling pin into a 2 mm thickness

• Dust flour while rolling as required

• Prick the flattened dough ball with a fork

• Place a small flat bottom bowl and wrap the dough

• Remove the excess from the top with the help of knife

• Deep fry in hot oil When the dough katori separates from the bowl, take out the bowl from oil and fry until it turns golden and crispy

• Take out on a paper towel and set aside to cool down

• To assemble, add in 2 tbsp boiled chickpeas, 1 tbsp boiled and cubed potatoes, 1 tbsp chopped onions, 1 tbsp chopped tomatoes, few slices of beetroot, 3 tbsp yogurt, 1 tbsp plum chutney, 1 tsp raita, and 1 tsp tamarind chutney in the katori

• Sprinkle chaat masala and paprika

• Top with plain bhujia and bombay mix Garnish with coriander leaves and green chillies

• Serve katori chaat immediately and enjoy!

Eid message from Muslim Council of Britain

" E id u l- F i tr i s th e festiv al that m arks the end of th e holy month

o f R am a d an Br i ti sh

Muslims will begin th eir

d ay o f fe st iv i ti es b y att end in g s p ec i al co n g re g ati o n al Ei d prayers at their m osqu e " E i d p r a y e r s a r e

f o l l o w e d b y a d a y o f

v a r i e d c e l e b r a t i o n s ;

f r o m g a t h e r i n g s a t

h o m e , a t t e n d e d b y

f a m i l y a n d f r i e n d s throughout the day, to large community events such as Eid in the Park, bringing together tens of thousands of people for fun-filled family days

Both Ramadan and Eid are o b s e r v e d c o m m u n a l l y , w i t h

British Muslims coming together in worship and then celebration

It is heartening to know that this

year, unlike during the height of the pandemic, British Muslims w i l l b e a b l e t o c o n n e c t w i t h family, friends, neighbours and w i d e r l o c a l c o m m u n i t i e s without restriction "

Biswa Bangla brand reaches London

U K’s p opular comm un i ty o rg ani s at io n

Heritag e Bengal Global ( HBG) has becom e the first official partner of B i sw a Ba ng l a br and a nd p ro d u c t p r o m ot i on o u ts id e I nd i a

Biswa Bangla is Beng al g o v er nm e nt' s M S M E ( m ic ro , sm a ll and m ed i u m en ter p ri s es ) h andicrafts and textiles initiativ e and their prod ucts are the trad emark of th e state’s uniqu e

talent and culture Britain is home to a large Bengali community from India, and the P o i l a B o i s h a k ( n e w y e a r ) c e l e b r a t i o n i s often held with much

p o m p a n d g a i e t y

H B G ' s i s c e l e b r a t i n g the Bengali New Year

o n 2 2 A p r i l a t t h e Salvatorian College in H a r r o w , L o n d o n , where Biswa Bangla products will be exhibited for the first time in

the UK, although they will not be on sale

A n i r b a n M u k h o p a d h y a y , founder and director of HBG said, "We are proud to welcome Biswa Bangla on board We have organised the screening of the Bengali Film 'Ghorey Ferar Gaan' starring Parambrata Chatterjee The film Director Aritra Sen will join in person for a chat with the audience ”

A n i r b a n h a s b e e n h e l p e d i m m e n s e l y b y D e b a s i s h G h o s h , p r o j e c t d i r e c t o r , H B G I n d i a Operations in this initiative

Bengali chef eyes UK’s supermarkets to sell Kolkata snacks

4 1-year-old Sharm istha Roy is no t any com mon Ind ian chef When m os t p eo p le d re am o f o p en in g restau rants in London, sh e w ants to reach every househ old in th e U K , bec o m i n g th e f ir st ev e r

Beng ali, to sup ply p opular Kolkata snacks to sup ermarket shelves

A r r i v i n g i n t h e U K f r o m

Kolkata, India, she first lived in Cornwall Her delectable cooking became quite popular among her friends, who encouraged her to try her luck in catering She became a part of the farmers markets locally and other associations, hosted pop ups and stalls, and decided to open a commercial kitchen to take her business large scale She also spoke to the local council for that But then her husband Koushik moved to Watford, near London, where she finally started her commercial kitchen Her kitchen now has 5 staff, 4 of whom are from South India and one from Sri Lanka

S h a r m i s t h a ’ s f a t h e r B h a r a t

Chandra Pal was a businessman who supplied earthenware to top s w e e t ( m i s t h i ) s h o p s i n n o r t h

Kolkata Sharmistha loved accomp a n y i n g h e r f a t h e r o n P o i l a

Indian man travels to the UK from Delhi to participate in London Marathon

Biswajit Bhattacharya from Delhi

w h o w o rks i n I BM , i s v i si ti n g London this week to particip ate in th e f am o u s L o nd o n M ar ath o n , hap pening on Sund ay 23 A pril

The London Marathon, with TCS as the title sponsor, will cover a distance 26 2 miles (42 16 kms), through central London spots such

a s t h e W e s t m i n s t e r a n d

B u c k i n g h a m P a l a c e t o R o y a l Docks and Canary Wharf in East

B o i s h a k ( B e n g a l i N e w Y e a r ) t o meet his clients and she still visits f a c t o r i e s i n K o l k a t a d u r i n g h e r trips back home, to train and learn the tricks of Bengali sweet making

S p e a k i n g t o A s i a n V o i c e , Sharmistha said, “I visualised my journey a little differently When we go to supermarkets in the UK, we often go to the frozen or fresh food sections to buy easy to eat food, in a sealed pack, that we can put in the oven or microwave, heat and eat later I want to revolutionise that with my own brand of s i g n a t u r e B e n g a l i s t a r t e r s o r snacks from Kolkata The taste will be our own, and it will be the first time Kolkata food hits a supermarket shelf in the UK

“I want my brand to become a trusted household name and I am in conversation with some lead supermarkets It is a lengthy process and involves many due diligences ”

L o n d o n a n d W o o l w i c h a n d Greenwich in South London The route has remained the same for 42 years since start of the inaugural race in 1981 There are many international travellers and celebrities who participate representing and r a i s i n g f u n d s f o r c h a r i t i e s t h e y support, but coming across Indians travelling all the way from India to p a r t i c i p a t e i s u n c o m m o n , although the Indian diaspora in the UK running for a cause close to their heart has been quite popular

Speaking to Asian Voice, 53year-old Biswajit said, he started running much later in life, when he was around 45 He tried luck with other sports such as tennis, but somehow grew bored quickly and then took up training at gym

W h e n h e s t a r t e d r u n n i n g , Biswajit not only saw the health aspects of it, but also cherished the effect it had on his mental wellbeing “The running community is very inclusive I got drawn into it and ever since running has become

a passion Mine is more of a progression story than a life changing event and I hope to continue running for a while The psyche of a runner is to adjust to the foreign e n v i r o n m e n t a n d c l i m a t e a n d years ago, I lived in London though I still have many friends there

“I started with half marathons a n d s l o w l y g r a d u a t e d t o f u l l marathons In India I have participated in many marathons, and I w a n t t o f i n i s h a l l t h e 6 m a j o r m a r a t h o n s i n t h e w o r l d i e i n L o n d o n , N e w Y o r k , B o s t o n , C h i c a g o , T o k y o a n d B e r l i n t o receive my Six Star Medal I took part in the Berlin Marathon last year and this year I am participating in London I have been training f o r t h e l a s t 3 m o n t h s f o r t h i s marathon and do strength training and yoga besides just practicing running ”

Sharmistha with her staff Fatima at HBG Saraswati Puja in Ealing Townhall

EMBRACING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN UK

Jasvir Singh C BE, City Sikhs told us, "For the Sikh community in the UK, diversity and inclusion m e a n s e n s u r i n g t h a t p e o p l e understand that Sikhs have a distinct faith and identity, as well as ensuring that other communities g e t t h e r e c o g n i t i o n t h a t t h e y d e s e r v e T h e l a n d s c a p e h a s c h a n g e d h u g e l y o v e r t h e l a s t d e c a d e E D & I i s n o w d e e p l y embedded within many corporate organisations, and society more widely is catching up with that change We are in the midst of a V a i s a k h i c e l e b r a t i o n a t t h e moment, and this year has seen Vaisakhi being acknowledged and recognised in various ways that would not have been imaginable before, be it an Ardas taking place on the football pitch at Wembley Stadium or a shop floor display and gatka performance at John Lewis in Leicester The hope is that this approach will have an impact on wider society better u n d e r s t a n d t h e S i k h f a i t h a n d identity However, there is also much work that needs to be done on diversity and inclusion within many sections of the British Sikh community as well, and speaking as an openly gay man, true allyship and support as opposed to performative allyship is what is needed to effect proper change in respect of all of the nine protected characteristics under the Equalities Act 2010 "

In another example of embraci n g d i v e r s i t y i n B r i t a i n , M a y o r Sadiq Khan switched on London’s f i r s t - e v e r c e l e b r a t o r y R a m a d a n lights, in Piccadilly Circus It was the first time a European city saw such a grand display for the festival, with the installation featuring 3 0 , 0 0 0 s u s t a i n a b l e l i g h t s T h e iconic West End street was lit up for the month of Ramadan, which is observed by Muslims, including the mayor of London himself The initiative was led by the non-profit o r g a n i s a t i o n R a m a d a n L i g h t s

UK’s founder Alisha Desai, which r a l l i e d t o s e t u p t h e d i s p l a y through public donations

U nderstand more about disparities

Older people from Pakistani a n d B a n g l a d e s h i b a c k g r o u n d s have, on average, worse health than people of other ethnicities who are the same age Those from B a n g l a d e s h i b a c k g r o u n d s a l s o have some of the highest rates of disability prevalence among the over-65s, and evidence shows that t h e s e h e a l t h i n e q u a l i t i e s a r e already in place by people’s 50s and remain in place throughout later life Asian pensioners also face other challenges, with 29% living in poverty compared to 17% o f W h i t e p e n s i o n e r s C aro l in e A braham s, Charity Director at A ge U K, said, “These stats are truly shocking and work should be carried out to understand more about these disparities and ensure that the root causes are fully understood and addressed We also need to invest more in the kind of services used by older people and scale them up, in line with our g r o w i n g o l d e r p o p u l a t i o n F o r example, our social care system which many depend on has been chronically neglected and needs a complete overhaul and a lot more money Similarly, older people are the biggest user group within the NHS but there aren't enough ded-

icated, integrated programmes in place to help them stay fit and well, and living independently for as long as possible in their own homes ”

Met comm itted to bold steps to build a workfo rce

According to the Met, the latest available figures show that as of the end of February 2023, a total of 17% of the Met’s police officers – 4,218 – and 20% of staff, were of Black, Asian or mixed ethnic heritage backgrounds For PCSOS, t h e f i g u r e w a s 4 1 % , a n d f o r S p e c i a l s , t h e f i g u r e w a s 3 2 %

Overall, taking into account all these groups, 20% of the total workforce strength of 47,388 at end of February ‘ 23 were from diverse communities A M et P o l i ce S p o ke sp e rs o n told Asian Voice, “We have committed to bold steps to build a workforce that truly reflects all of L o n d o n ’ s d i v e r s e c o m m u n i t i e s , s o m e t h i n g w e k n o w i s v i t a l l y important for the communities we serve and for everyone who makes up our organisation We are proud that we currently employ more than half of all police officers in England and Wales from underrepresented groups - over 5,000and that there have never been as m a n y B l a c k , A s i a n a n d M i x e d Ethnic heritage officers working for the Met ”

The Met Police spokesperson further added, “We continue to work hard on multiple fronts to i m p r o v e w o r k f o r c e r e p r e s e n t ation The MPS makes full use of the equalities framework in our recruitment processes and has a strong positive action offer for all candidates from under-represente d g r o u p s g o i n g t h r o u g h t h e application process We have prioritised recruitment from these g r o u p s t h r o u g h o u r O u t r e a c h T e a m s ; o v e r 5 0 o f t h e m a r e deployed in key areas across the capital to encourage applications in areas where there are greatest demographics of under-represented groups, and track candidates t h r o u g h v a r i o u s s u p p o r t i n i t i atives through to any subsequent application

“We also have youth engagem e n t o f f i c e r s w o r k i n g w i t h L o n d o n s c h o o l s t o e n c o u r a g e

more young people from diverse communities to join us We run t a r g e t e d r e c r u i t m e n t d r i v e s t o i n s p i r e , b u i l d c o n f i d e n c e a n d attract Londoners from underrepresented groups, featuring current officers who share their stories to help break down some of the barriers we know can put off potential joiners We know that internal workforce confidence is critical in developing external confidence in the wider community This is why a key initiative has been focused on the selection, progression and p r o m o t i o n o f o u r s t a f f f r o m under-represented groups

“We want more officers from u n d e r - r e p r e s e n t e d g r o u p s a t senior ranks in the Met and want to build on the progress we have already made in this area through successful initiatives like our positive action workshops for black o f f i c e r s O u r b e s p o k e d e v e l o pm e n t p r o g r a m m e ‘ I n s p i r i n g L e a d e r s h i p ’ c o m p l e m e n t s w i d e r s u p p o r t p r o g r a m m e s f o r a l l under-represented groups, whilst recognising the key needs of Black officers ”

The Met Police spokesperson also explained that the workforce recognises that increasing retention is also an instrumental factor in working towards better representation and that they want to ensure that attrition rates for voluntary leavers from under-repres e n t e d g r o u p s a r e e q u a l t o o r lower than their colleagues

The Met Police has installed career development leads to supp o r t l o c a l m a n a g e r s w i t h t h e d e v e l o p m e n t a n d r e t e n t i o n o f under-represented groups They aim to signpost options and capture feedback on what is and is not working, and aim to better understand the lived experience of Black Asian and Mixed Ethnic Heritage officers Their exit surveys with those departing the Met also form an important channel for gaining insight, as do their staff support a s s o c i a t i o n s a n d i n d e p e n d e n t advisory groups, acting as critical friends to advise and also particip a t i n g i n , a n d r e v i e w i n g , t h e i r training

“The Met remains committed to working towards its long-term aspiration for the workforce to truly reflect London, meaning at least 40% of our people would be from under-represented groups, ” the spokesperson said NHS is th e largest em ployer o f Black, A sian and ethnic minority people in Eng land Dr H ab i b Naq v i , C h i ef Executive of th e NHS Race and H eal th Ob s erv ato r y, t o l d t h e n e w s w e e k l y , “ S a d l y , w o r k f o r c e r a c e e q u a l i t y d a t a c o n t i n u e t o show how far we still need to go and how crucial it is for the NHS to remain steadfast in its pursuit o f u n d e r s t a n d i n g , a n d a c t i v e l y improving, the experiences of its diverse workforce The NHS is the largest employer of Black, Asian a n d e t h n i c m i n o r i t y p e o p l e i n England, it is vital therefore that these members of the workforce feel valued and are provided with r e c r u i t m e n t , c a r e e r p r o g r e s s i o n and promotion opportunities as afforded to their White colleagues

It has proved too easy in the past for the healthcare system to lose focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, either because it's not prioritised by leaders or because it falls between the gaps left by different organisations

“Accelerated action is urgent-

ly needed to diversify senior leadership and to improve the experience of Black, Asian and ethnic minority workforce And whilst o r g a n i s a t i o n a l d i v e r s i t y i s n o t always a precursor to progressive, c o m p a s s i o n a t e a n d i n c l u s i v e workplace cultures, we know that, w i t h t h e r i g h t c o n d i t i o n s o v e r time, healthcare organisations can achieve the latter For that to happen, organisations must take a strategic approach to tackle the root causes of this inequity headon, and create a culture of inclusion”

Really impo rtant to use A sians as an um brella term

It is important to note that a recent report on ethnic inequality revealed that Indians are among the highest number of property owners in London, the capital of the United Kingdom (UK), more than the English themselves "The largest group of property owners in London are Indians, who are represented by those who have lived in the UK for generations, NRIs, investors from other countries, students, and families who travel to the UK for education," according to London-based residential developer Barratt London "English and Pakistani people a r e n e x t i n n u m b e r , " B a r r a t t London noted adding that, Indian investors, who reside in both the UK and India, are prepared to s p e n d a n y w h e r e b e t w e e n £290,000 and £450,000 for a one, two, or three-bedroom property in London "We are seeing strong d e m a n d f r o m I n d i a n i n v e s t o r s looking to purchase properties in London and invest in the stable and long-term property market Outside of London, most of our products are sold to UK residential buyers, who buy these properties and live in them," Stuart Leslie –International Sales and Marketing Director for Barratt London, told Financial Express Priya Shah, Founder, D irec tor of BAME in Property told us, “It's really important to use Asians as an umbrella term, rather than a literal term - Indians have the highest homeownership statistics in the UK, at nearly 70%, but Bangladeshi and Pakistani comm u n i t i e s l a g b e h i n d o n h o m e ownership Not all South Asians have benefitted from the property market in the same way While s o m e c o n s i d e r t h e i r ' h o m e a s their castle', others struggle to obtain Islamic finance, for example or don't know where to access information about shared ownership, which would be a first step in owning a home Some households have poor access to the internet, at a time when most housing services are digital So, while some South Asian communities have thrived, not all have and it's important to understand the inequalities in information

and education, in order to direct resources to where they are needed the most " ‘Di versity and inclusion’ , a desirable as soc iati on S ha rm e n Ra h ma n , Counc illor, Lei cester who is passionate about equality told us, “ D i v e r s i t y a n d I n c l u s i o n ’ h a v e superficially at least penetrated society, it is a common theme in most organisations However, a little digging beneath the surface a n d t h e c l e a r l i m i t a t i o n s a r e apparent It is not lost on ethnic minorities that most diversity and inclusion roles and spaces seem to be occupied by white people The term itself has become a buzz w o r d a n d t i c k - b o x e x e r c i s e rather than a truly meaningful attempt at the real inclusion of p e o p l e o f c o l o u r M u c h l i k e ‘ g r e e n ’ a n d ‘ e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y friendly’, ‘diversity and inclusion’ is a desirable association, a sticki n g p l a s t e r m a s k i n g t h e r e a l , s t r u c t u r a l r e a l i t y o f a r a c i a l l y unequal society ”

More needs to be done

Last year it was reported that U K h e a l t h s e r v i c e s a r e f a i l i n g South Asian people with dementia, because of an outdated system designed for white British patients that leads to inequalities in diagnosis, care and support People of South Asian heritage in the UK are more likely to develop the disease than the general population due to their higher risk of other illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, that increase the risk of dementia The n u m b e r o f t h e m l i v i n g w i t h dementia is set to increase by 6 0 0 % w i t h i n t h e n e x t t h r e e decades S p e a k i n g t o A s i a n V o i c e , Caroli ne Scates, Deputy Di rector of Admiral Nurse Development at D ementi a UK said, “For families of South Asian heritage there can often be barriers when accessing d e m e n t i a d i a g n o s t i c s e r v i c e s and post-diagnostic support It is vital that we bridge this gap in care if we are to meet the needs of families from the South Asian community Getting to know the p e r s o n w i t h d e m e n t i a , t h e i r needs, their background, and culture, as well as building strong partnerships with their close family members, is fundamental to delivering tailored support and c a r e D e m e n t i a U K ’ s s p e c i a l i s t Admiral Nurses play a key role in facilitating this care by offering expert advice to both families and professionals

“However, more needs to be done to ensure that people living with dementia and their families from the South Asian community, get the right care and support, in the right place and at the right time Inclusion is the bedrock of Dementia UK’s Policy strategy, and we are committed to driving the change for dementia care that meets people’s specific needs and c i r c u m s t a n c e s F a m i l i e s l i v i n g with dementia should feel included, listened to, and have equitable access to timely support of their choice when needed, regardless of their backgrounds and communities ”

For our exclusive coverage of Be The Change: Diversity & Inclusion, an initiative by Royal Air Force and Asian Voice, turn to P16-17

Priya Aggarwal-Shah

Dr Habib Naqvi Jasvir Singh

ROLE OUR YOUR FIND Y

The Royal Air Force Rich in Diversity and Culture

The Royal Air Force family is rich in diversity and culture, respecting everyone, regardless of their background It is the first Service to open all roles to women and has the highest percentage of

women compared to the other British Armed Forces. It has a number of staff networks offering a range of provisions dependent on individual need The RAF reflects the eclectic mix of

ethnicities and cultures that makes up UK society

Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall is a fine example of the rich diversity that the RAF is made up of

Seema Malhotra is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Feltham and Heston since 2011 A member of Labour and Co-operative, she has served as Shadow Minister for Business and Consumers since 2021 and previously sat on the Opposition front bench as the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Shadow Minister for Employment and a Shadow Home Office Minister

To embrace differences

Air Vice-Marshal Suraya

Marshall grew up in York, graduating from the University of Nottingham with a Law degree and becoming a member of East Midlands University Air Squadron before joining the Royal Air Force as a Navigator in 1994

During 3 tours flying on the Tornado F3, she participated in numerous operational deployments in Iraq, conducted Quick Reaction Alert in defence of the UK and the Falkland Islands, qualified as a Weapons Instructor and deployed on many overseas, multinational training exercises

Command appointments include Fast Jet Weapons System Officer Training, Officer

Commanding No 92(R)

Squadron in the Air Warfare Centre responsible for operational Tactics & Training, Officer

Commanding No 55(R)

Squadron delivering Rear Crew Flying Training, Deputy Commander of the Royal Air Force’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Force and Commandant of the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell She assumed command of No 2 Group in October 2021

In operational com-

mand and control, she has worked with coalition partners in the Middle East Combined Air Operations Centre, where she was involved in the design and execution for the second Gulf War in 2003 and then in 2019 as the Director of Coalition Air Operations in Iraq, Syria, the Arabian Gulf, Afghanistan, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea

Staff appointments include 3 years working in defence procurement, time in the Typhoon Force Headquarters delivering training transformation and defence sales, and 5 years spent working in the joint strategic environment, initially in the Operations Directorate of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and latterly as Military Assistant to the Vice Chief of Defence Staff

A graduate of Advanced Command and Staff Course (2009) and Higher Command and Staff Course (2019), she holds a Masters in Defence Studies

Suraya is married to Air Vice-Marshal Al Marshall

They have 2 teenage children and in between work and school, the family enjoys spending as much time as possible together, travelling overseas and trying most outdoor activities, especially skiing, hiking, cycling and diving

author of

Voices from Punjab and Voices from Gujarat She is the vice president of Women's Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry in the UK (WICCI) and chair of the care sector fundraising ball in Championing Social Care

What do diversity an d i nclusi on trul y mean to you?

Diversity and Inclusion for me are terms that complement each other and a r e m u t u a l l y i n c l u s i v e M o r e s i m p l y , Diversity is the mix of people incorporating all of the elements that make indiv i d u a l s u n i q u e f r o m o n e a n o t h e r

Inclusion is the culture in which a mix of people can come to work, or socialise so

that they feel comfortable, welcomed and confident to be themselves, ensuring that everyone feels valued and more importantly adds value to their communities

Asa champi on of soci al care an d a w oman in a leadershi p role, h ow i mperative do you thin k the i nclu si on of w omen i n leadersh ip positi on s, and what di fference can they make as compared to thei r male cou nterparts?

It is an important time in history for women leaders globally In the health and social care sector, 80% of the workforce is made up of women and many of them are leaders in these organisations Women in leadership roles can bring many dimensions which can enrich the organisation and increase productivity and studies have shown that over time with more diverse teams, performance increases We can further accomplish this by recruiting and nurturing inclus i v e w o m e n l e a d e r s w h o c o l l a b o r a t e with their diverse knowledge, perspectives, and experiences With coaching, mentoring and support along the way, women can build and create the confidence they need to tackle future chall e n g e s I t i s w e l l k n o w n t h a t m a n y women face different challenges than men Research shows they still carry m o s t o f t h e f a m i l y a n d h o u s e h o l d responsibilities, and this must be taken into account when developing effective women leaders so that it doesn’t compromise the quality of their life, family, relationships and well-being

As an ex peri en ced edu cati on ist, how early on i n a school or col lege curri cu lum must di versity and in cl usion be taugh t?

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion can be taught even before a child starts s c h o o l w h e r e p a r e n t s , f a m i l i e s a n d

friends can play a vital role in positively i n f l u e n c i n g a n d s h a p i n g a c h i l d ’ s worldview This is something that we can continue to dwell in for our entire lives to help us grow and embrace the diversity in people including racial and e t h n i c , s o c i o e c o n o m i c , g e o g r a p h i c , a n d a c a d e m i c / p r o f e s s i o n a l b a c kgrounds People with different opinions, backgrounds (degrees and social experience), religious beliefs, political beliefs, sexual orientations, disabilities, h e r i t a g e , a n d l i f e e x p e r i e n c e s c a n enhance the experience in students’ lives

However, we are all aware that there are many issues and challenges faced by students today and this can be a n o v e r w h e l m i n g t i m e f o r t h e m Educating students about living in a d i v e r s e w o r l d b y i n c l u d i n g m o r e diverse people in topics taught and resources used can help young people see themselves such as more authentic portrayals of diverse communities and role models

Wh at s hould be the e nd g oal of s ucc ess fully practising div ers ity and inc lus ion in day -to- day life ?

To embrace differences, celebrate human beings through compassion and kindness, be inquisitive, and explore ways of learning and being in a new world The goal of inclusion is to make everyone feel accepted and comfortable, r e a d y t o s h a r e t h e i r o p i n i o n s a n d thoughts without hesitation and constraint It is a great time to develop future leaders through engaging and s h o w c a s i n g t h e b e s t i n d u s t r i e s a n d being innovative in education The end goal in practising diversity and inclusion in day-to-day life is when you love people, embrace their differences with a non-judgemental approach and choose authentically to be a leader in your life

Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall - Soaring through the glass ceiling

Honorary Air Commodore Veronica Moraa Pickering and an RAF delegation will be present at the event

Anita Goyal MBE

Seema Malhotra MP

Shani Dhanda is one of the UK's highest-profile and most influential disability rights activists and a multiaward-winning inclusion specialist

As an influential woman in leadership and social entrepreneur Shani has taken change into her own hands and founded numerous organisations to

Diversity means recognising

improve representation and challenge social inequality globally Diversability, Asian Woman Festival and Asian Disability Network

What do diversity and inclusion truly mean to you?

D i v e r s i t y a n d i n c l u s i o n m e a n creating a world where everyone has an equitable opportunity to succeed, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, or other characteristics

Diversity means recognising and valuing the differences between people and the unique perspectives and experiences they bring to the table It involves embracing and celebrating these differences rather than treating them as barriers or sources of division

Inclusion means creating a welcoming and supportive environment where all individuals feel valued, respected, and able to contribute their best work It involves removing barriers and addressing systemic dis-

crimination to ensure that everyone has access to the same opportunities and resources

Together, diversity and inclusion can create a more vibrant, dynamic, and productive society that values the contributions of all individuals and fosters a stronger sense of community and belonging

What is your advice to people such that they can truly work towards promoting diversity and inclusion for the disabled?

My advice for promoting diversity and inclusion for disabled people is to start with empathy and educat i o n a n d l e a r n a b o u t t h e S o c i a l Model of disability Make physical spaces and digital platforms more accessible, provide alternative comm u n i c a t i o n m e t h o d s , c h a l l e n g e a b l e i s m , a n d a d v o c a t e f o r p o l i c y changes By understanding and supporting the needs of disabled individuals, we can create a more inclu-

sive society

1 D o n ’ t m a k e a s s u m p t i o n s a b o u t a n y o n e , i n c l u d i n g d i s a b l e d people We’ll tell you what we can or can’t do

2 Focus on removing barriers rather than fixing people’s health –we have medical professionals to help us manage our conditions But for example, if the workplace is not accessible, my doctor can’t help with that – that’s why it’s important to understand that barriers and biases disable us

3 Ensure your approach to inclusion is intersectional

What is the change you’d like to see in day-to-day life, where inclusion for disabled people can be further promoted?

We need to increase awareness and understanding of the needs and experiences of disabled people to promote inclusion in day-to-day life

This can be achieved through educa-

tion and training on creating inclus i v e e n v i r o n m e n t s a n d p r o v i d i n g accessible spaces and communication methods Employing disabled people and offering them access to essential services will also promote inclusion We need to work together to break down barriers and create a more accessible and inclusive environment for all I would like to see disabled people represented incidentally and our stories authentically portrayed instead of sensationalised What should be the end goal of successfully practising diversity and inclusion in day-to-day life?

The end goal of practising diversity and inclusion in day-to-day life is to create an equitable and just society for everyone, where differences are celebrated and everyone has equal access to opportunities and resources This increases creativity, innovation, productivity, and a stronger sense of community and belonging

Inclusion starts with asking

broader discussion to be had about why inequality is bad Too often, p e o p l e t h i n k i n e q u a l i t y i s b a d because of the individuals but actually, inequality is bad for the whole of society

Ho w do es one s tri ke a gend er b al anc e i n so ci ety in vario us s ect or s, and what do es one do o nce the e quil ibr ium is es tabli she d?

I don't think we should think about it in terms of gender balance

Dr Zubaida Haque is the former Executive Director of The Equality Trust, and former interim CEO, and Deputy Director of The Runnymede T r u s t A l e a d i n g s o c i a l s c i e n t i s t , Zubaida has significant knowledge of inequality, anti-racism, poverty and social justice issues within the UK Dr Haque has significant experience of working within think tanks, charities and government departments for over 2 decades Here’s her exclusive Q&A with the newsweekly What do di ver si ty and inc lusi on t ruly me an to yo u?

The reasons we have diversity and inclusion is that we have a moral responsibility as a society and as institutions to ensure that people from all walks of life feel included in workplaces, in schools, in society, and that they belong Belonging is an i m p o r t a n t p a r t o f d i v e r s i t y a n d inclusion And I think too often that notion of belonging is under-appreciated I also feel diversity and inclusion are important not just for the individuals that it affects but also because it's good for institutions, and it's good for society There's a

What we want for instance is for our w o r k f o r c e s a n d i n s t i t u t i o n s t o r e f l e c t t h e p o p u l a t i o n s t h e y a r e e m b e d d e d i n F o r e x a m p l e , t h e London Metropolitan Police Force has about 15% of Black, Asian and ethnic minority officers, but considering that they serve a population w h i c h i s j u s t u n d e r h a l f o f t h e L o n d o n p o p u l a t i o n , t h a t s w h o l l y inadequate, not just from a statistical point of view but also because it d o e s n ' t r e p r e s e n t t h e p o p u l a t i o n that it serves The ramifications are not just about unfairness, but also about the lack of opportunity for some groups It's also about the fact that an institution or a business you re missing out on opportunities yourselves We know from research that diversity improves the performance of companies We just can't just talk about gender balance, we also have to talk about intersectionality

Ho w do yo u thi nk we can e duc at e Bri tons in or de r t o t ruly e mbr ace d ive rs ity and m ulti cult ur alis m whi le m aki ng i nclus ion an al mo st re fl ex act ion? What s houl d b e the end go al o f s ucc es sfully pr acti sing di ver si ty and incl usio n in day-t o-d ay l ife ?

I'm still involved in lots of advisory groups on issues of diversity, equality, inclusion, and I think what

I've learned is - the way you make people realise that inequality, diversity, inclusion, and belonging, matter It benefits everybody because I think if you just talk about benefiting certain groups, then two things happen One - when you talk about benefiting certain groups, only certain organisations will deal with it And it will be those organisations who are either NGO sector organisations who deal with those specific groups or institutions that absolutel y n e e d t o h a v e t h o s e g r o u p s involved Or, women or black and ethnic minority people or disabled p e o p l e , o r i n t h e n e u r o d i v e r s i t y issues You won t see much change W h a t y o u ' l l g e t i s j u s t a t o k e n change What you'll get is tick box, e x e r c i s e s , w h a t y o u ' l l g e t i s s k i n deep

By skin deep changes what I mean is that organisations, institutions, government, or police force, NHS and institutions making sort of token changes by hiring people of c o l o u r , b u t n o t r e c o g n i s i n g t h a t actually, to have to make systemic changes that you need to go much further than just recruiting people of colour recruiting women, recruiting people with neuro diversity That’s what’s needed to make real systemic change You need to look at your recruitment, retention, progression, and how people feel when they how people feel on an everyday basis do they experience my micro-aggression? Do they feel that they belong? Do they feel that they have equal opportunities to progress? Are you including them? Are you are you making sure that they are treated, viewed equally, that they have the same opportunities and so on, and that actually requires a really thorough, thorough and comprehensive approach?

Krishna Omkar is a globally recognised thought-leader on stakeholder capitalism, purpose, impact, ESG, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion In 2023, the UK and Indian governments named him one of 75 recipients of the UK-India Achievers Honours to mark 75 years of India's independence Krishna was awarded a 2019 Asian Achievers Award and named 2018 Role Model of the Year by Stonewall

What do diversity and inclusion truly mean to you?

To me, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” at its heart means freedom freedom from fear of injustice or judgement, freedom to truly reach one ’ s potential, and freedom to be one ’ s fullest self It’s about the fundamental human need to connect and belong, for the individual to be truly accepted as part of something bigger and greater

How does the law empower diversity and inclusion? What must our readers know about it?

The law is inherently about justice It serves to protect and empower the most vulnerable It creates the paradigm in which the potential of a diverse society is harnessed through inclusion to create outcomes of justice and equitability

If you were to correct one myth/misnotion on diversity, what would it be and why?

There is a misconception that inclusion means special treatment In fact, it means breaking down the barriers that hold diverse populations back from reaching their full potential Inclusion means everyone is better off because no-one is worse off

What should be the end goal of successfully practising diversity and inclusion in day-to-day life?

Inclusion starts with asking what can I do to bring someone into a conversation they would otherwise not have access to? What doors can I open for others? It’s as simple as that It begins at home Nothing grand, but personal and mindful

Krishna Omkar

Belonging is an important part of diversity and inclusion

Dr Zubaida Haque

Shani Dhanda

APPG for Gujaratis: Public is against the 'public launch'

Big questions: Who are the MPs working for? The community, the committed voters or the divisive forces? To unite the people or to divide the people in the name of caste, creed and colour?

M or e t ha n a do ze n org an i s at io ns h av e oppos ed the APPG f or Gujaratis and wri tten letters to M P Gareth Thomas , de mandin g his reac tion to the di visi ve i dea an d ac tivity in the nam e of APPG f or Gujara ti s It has bee n announc ed that there will be a 'Public Launch' of APPG f or Gujarati s i n the Houses of Parliam ent on Apri l 25

India’s long-term interests and customer convenience more crucial than money

Continued from page 1

He said he was aiming to triple passenger numbers and eventually beat the Gulf and UAE airport hubs But at the same time, his sudden operational move of the direct flights t o A h m e d a b a d f r o m L o n d o n H e a t h r o w Airport to Gatwick has stumped everyone

On what basis were the changes made?

Was there a survey? Was the diaspora or business community consulted?

As a responsible newspaper for the community, we have done a detailed study with Travel Agents and discussed the pros and cons of this operational change to Gatwick Airport

W h i l e t r a v e l a g e n t s w a n t t o r e m a i n anonymous and not cause any upset to the airline carrier, it has been obvious from the consultation that understanding London’s demography is very important here

London Gatwick Airport is in the south, near Brighton, and most of the passengers travelling to Ahmedabad live in West, North West or Greater London To all of them, London Heathrow Airport is much closer, familiar and more convenient While London Gatwick is wonderful in its own way, it costs the community, which is mostly settled near Heathrow, a lot of extra commuting time and money to reach Gatwick, especially during this cost of living crisis People with small children, the elderly and pregnant women with restrictive movements, find it tremendously strenuous to reach an airport that is more than 50 miles away as opposed to one which has been within 16 miles of home The

business community and professionals who can hop on to the new and sleek Elizabeth line to Heathrow from central London now have to depend on taxis through heavy traffic, ulez or the national rail with several changes to reach the airport

During the London-Ahmedabad direct flight initiative, there were community leaders such as CB Patel, and Manoj Ladwa, who worked tirelessly for the success of their mission It included several trips to India, meeti n g s w i t h M P s a n d v i s i t s t o t h e P M O Members of the UK’s Parliament and the National Council of Gujarati Organisation (NCGO-UK) also came forward and rallied to support the initiative During his 2015 speech at Wembley Stadium, the then newly elected Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi enthralled the 60,000 audiences with his p r o m i s e t o r e s t a r t t h e d i r e c t f l i g h t t o A h m e d a b a d t o s e r v e h i s b e l o v e d “ L i v i n g Bridge” It has indeed come a long way since then!

The direct flight from Heathrow was never about money making, though the passenger footfall and revenue have been over and beyond any expectation It has always been about ease of travellers, promoting business links between the two great nations and strengthening and bettering the ties with the living bridge

Hence, we urge the CEO Mr Wilson to reconsider his decision, especially in light of the history and efforts of those who worked so hard to make the London HeathrowAhmedabad direct flights a possibility and a success, thereafter

The UK and Indian PMs Speak

Continued from page 3

Perception of apathy: A lack of response from the Indian government might be perceived as indifference leading to a loss of credibility and trust among the international community

What is certain, is tacitly the two PMs and their Governments will be continuing along the following lines:

I nf orma tion Gather ing and A naly si s:

Collect and analyze intelligence on the e x t r e m i s t g r o u p s t o b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d their motives, leadership, organizational structure, and connections to any extremist elements Monitor their activities closely to ensure they do not pose a threat to the UK's national security or public safety

Collaborati on w ith India n I nte lligence:

Continue a working relationship with Indian intelligence agencies to exchange i n f o r m a t i o n a n d i n s i g h t s a b o u t t h e extremists This collaboration can help both countries assess potential risks and

coordinate responses effectively Ensuring Public Saf ety:

C o o r d i n a t e w i t h l a w e n f o r c e m e n t agencies to maintain public order and ensure the safety of counter-protestors, and bystanders Provide clear guidelines o n a c c e p t a b l e p r o t e s t b e h a v i o u r t o m a i n t a i n a p e a c e f u l a t m o s p h e r e a n d minimize the risk of violent incidents

Up holding De mocrati c Values: Ensure the right to peaceful protest is p r o t e c t e d , w h i l e b a l a n c i n g n a t i o n a l security concerns Moni toring Exte rna l Support: I n v e s t i g a t e a n y f o r e i g n e n t i t i e s o r i n d i v i d u a l s t h a t m a y b e p r o v i d i n g financial, logistical, or moral support to the extremist groups If necessary, apply d i p l o m a t i c a n d l e g a l p r e s s u r e t o discourage their involvement Diplomati c Efforts: E n c o u r a g e m a i n t a i n i n g a s t r o n g b i l a t e r a l r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n t h e t w o countries

On behalf of the community, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar forwarded an open letter Out of these efforts, only a single reply was received by Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar from Mel Crosby, Office Manager of Gareth Thomas MP The reply is: “Mr Thomas is currently on leave, but I have made a note to raise this with him next week ahead of securing a date for a meeting at the earliest possible availability ” This is the first and last reaction on behalf of the MP received to date

It is being contemplated how this can happen if the public and a specific commun i t y i s o p p o s i n g t h e i d e a M P G a r e t h Thomas is being criticised for not being able to find a moment to respond to the community’s concerns On the other hand, it is known that he is attending the meeting and launch organised by these divisive forces The big questions are: Who are the MPs working for? The community, the committed voters or the divisive forces? To unite the people or to divide the people in the name of caste, creed and colour?

Can cel this launch and di ssolve the b ody: VHP UK

Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK and the World Council of Hindus raised strong objections against the movement of the formation of APPG for Gujaratis Dr TP Jotangia, President VHP UK wrote a letter to Gareth Thomas MP, Bob Blackman MP and other officers of APPG, saying, “It has come to notice of Trustees of VHP that you are going to launch APPG for Gujaratis on

2 5 A p r i l , T u e s d a y i n t h e H o u s e s o f Parliament We believe that this will be a divisive move by you as we do not need a separate APPG for all the communities of India here in Britain We are served by APPG for Hindus and India VHP urges you to cancel this launch and dissolve the APPG for Gujaratis ”

This is utter rubbis h : Kapil Dudaki a

Columnist Kapil Dudakia reacted very strongly regarding all the supporters in a divisive initiative On his Twitter handle, he said, “This is utter rubbish from Eastern Eye Almost every single national body representing Gujaratis has rejected this APPG In fact, none of them was even consulted I am surprised that you guys have not bothered to report this madness properly ”

When we n eed to bri ng c om muniti es together, it wi ll cause a dive rsion a t that time : Param Shak ti Peeth

Param Shakti Peeth of the UK has serious reservations with respect to the formation of an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Gujaratis Dr Harsha

Jani of Param Shakti Peeth of the UK mentioned in a letter to the Office Bearers of t h e A l l - P a r t y P a r l i a m e n t a r y G r o u p f o r

British Gujaratis that, “Our membership consisting largely of UK Gujaratis views this ill-advised, divisive step as an exercise in fracturing our communities

“We urge the Office Bearers to reconsider the proposal to hold the inaugural meeting of APPG for British Gujaratis on 25th April and further request that the APPG for British Gujaratis is dissolved

“British Indian and Hindu communities and especially Gujaratis take immense pride in the contribution they make to the UK economy and multi-faith diversity relationships The issues around the formation

of APPG for British Gujaratis will cause a diversion at a time when we need to put collective efforts to bring communities together to work towards a prosperous inclusive Britain for our future generations and build on a shared vision with India and its 28 states and 8 Union territories

“ W e p r o p o s e t h a t a u n i t e d B r i t i s h H i n d u a n d I n d i a n c o m m u n i t y a n d Parliamentarians especially of Indian heritage come together to make APPG for B r i t i s h H i n d u s a n d A P P G f o r I n d i a a resounding, emphatic, influential and bold voice for the many concerns and challenges Hindus and Indians including Gujaratis face in the UK and abroad ”

Di aspora organi sations questi on and warn agains t an ill-con ceive d move that would prove divis ive

A p r o p o s e d n e w A l l P a r t y Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Gujaratis has stirred up controversy, with d i a s p o r a o r g a n i s a t i o n s q u e s t i o n i n g t h e lack of proper consultation with relevant stakeholders from the Gujarati community a n d w a r n i n g a g a i n s t a n “ i l l - c o n c e i v e d ” move that would prove divisive

The APPG for British Gujaratis, which proposes a formal launch on April 25, held an inaugural meeting in the House of C o m m o n s c o m p l e x e a r l y l a s t m o n t h

According to a statement issued following the meeting, the group is described as a means to “raise issues and concerns of the U K G u j a r a t i c o m m u n i t y ” t o w a r d s improved decision-making Or g an i s a t i on s op p os e d t o t he A P P G Gujarati

1 Hindu Forum of Britain (representing h u n d r e d s o f H i n d u organisations/Mandirs)

2 N a t i o n a l C o n g r e s s o f G u j a r a t i Organisations - the largest body representing Gujaratis in the UK

3 Sardar Patel Memorial Society UK –following the ideology of the iconic Sardar Vallabh bhai Patel who united the whole of India

4 National Association of Patidar Samajr e p r e s e n t i n g t h o u s a n d s o f G u j a r a t i families in the UK

5 INSIGHT UK

6 H S S U K - 1 1 0 a c t i v e c e n t r e s i n 6 7 towns A large section of its members is Gujaratis

7 Param Shakti Peeth of UK (Founder: Didimaa Sadhvi Ritambhara ji)

8 C B P a t e l / A s i a n V o i c e / G u j a r a t Samachar, leading Asian media house Fri ends of Indi a Soc iety Interna ti onal (FI SI )

UK mentioned in the letter: “We view this a t t e m p t t o c r e a t e a n A P P G s o l e l y f o r Gujaratis as an attack on the unity of the British Indian community and also on India that has stood for ‘unity in diversity ’ Such mala fide attempts at creating strife within the wider Indian community need to be discouraged ”

Bhadran B andhu Sama j (UK) warns that this APPG promotes fragmentation of the Indian diaspora in the UK and a fragmented Hindu community in the UK may lose its cultural identity and heritage President Bimal Patel wrote: “We must remain as one community The policy of divide and rule, which was used to maintain colonial control in India, serves as a warning of the dangers of fragmentation There is growing concern that the community may be at risk of being divided into numerous ethnic groups, as has been the case in India ” Hi n d u Sw a y a m s e v a k S a n g h (H SS ) U K President Dhiraj Shah said in the letter: “This action by parliamentarians will not be appreciated by the government of India, which will view it as divisive ”

Dear Financia

Voice Reader Alpesh Patel OBE

Allow me to em bark on this odyssey o f enl ig htenment, as we navigate t he tr eacherous waters o f pension sto ck inv esting My answer s to so me r eader questio ns bel ow:

How do I know my stocks will hit my financial goals?

Ah, the eternal question - akin to pondering the meaning of life Alas, there is no crystal ball to predict the future of stock markets with certainty However, fear not! By diversifying your portfolio, conducting diligent research, and setting realistic expectations, you'll find yourself more likely to serenade the sweet siren of financial success I target stocks which can realistically deliver 40%pa (for US stocks) by projecting this forward given their financials (20% pa for UK stocks)

Ho w do I even go abou t op ening an ISA or a S IP P and buying a stock?

Ah, the path to financial enlightenment begins with a single step Opening an ISA (Individual Savings Account) or a SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension) can be as effortless as binge-watching your favourite T V s e r i e s J u s t v i s i t y o u r p r e f e r r e d f i n a n c i a l institution's website (eg Halifax, Barclays, AJ Bell), gather your identification and personal details, andvoilà! - you'll be up and running like a greyhound chasing a mechanical rabbit As for buying stocks, simply navigate your platform's trading interface, find the stock ticker of your desires, and click 'Buy' to unite with your newfound financial love

Why is it bet ter to buy stocks and manage my o wn inv estments th an give it t o a f und manag er ?

Ah, the eternal struggle between self-reliance and o u t s o u r c i n g T o q u o t e t h e i m m o r t a l w o r d s o f Shakespeare, "To DIY, or not to DIY, that is the question " While fund managers possess knowledge and experience, they also charge fees that can gnaw away at your returns like ravenous squirrels in a nut factory By educating yourself and managing your investments, you can cut out the middleman and potentially enjoy higher returns Plus, you get to bask in the glory of your own financial prowess!

What kinds of r etu rns are reasonable fo r m e to expect?

Ah, the fickle heart of expectation Historical stock market returns hover around 7% per annum, but the market is more unpredictable than a cat on a hot tin roof Some years may bring bountiful gains, while others may usher in the cold embrace of loss Patience and a long-term perspective will help you weather the storm and reap the rewards of compounding interest

Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are fortunes!

Ho w many st ocks sh oul d I own?

To paraphrase the great philosopher Plato, "The i d e a l n u m b e r o f s t o c k s l i e s i n t h e g o l d e n m e a n b e t w e e n ' t o o f e w ' a n d ' t o o m a n y ' " A d i v e r s i f i e d portfolio of 15-20 stocks across different sectors and regions should suffice to mitigate risk, while still leaving room for meaningful gains But, my dear investor, do not seek a magic number; focus on understanding the companies and industries in which you invest What f acto rs ar e imp ort ant in ch oosing a stock f or m y pension pot po rtf olio?

Ah, the art of stock selection - a dance as delicate as a butterfly pirouetting upon a petal Consider the company's financial health, growth prospects, and c o m p e t i t i v e a d v a n t a g e F u r t h e r m o r e , p o n d e r t h e i n d u s t r y ' s o u t l o o k , t h e s t o c k ' s v a l u a t i o n , a n d t h e company's dividend history With a pinch of research, a dash of intuition, and a sprinkle of patience, you may f i n d y o u r s e l f s a v o u r i n g t h e d e l e c t a b l e f e a s t o f a flourishing pension pot portfolio

Just follow me on my free Telegram channel on your desktop or cell phone to get my daily updates on w h a t , w h y a n d h o w I a m d o i n g i t –www alpeshpatel com/links

And thus, dear reader, our journey concludes May your financial endeavours be fruitful and your wit forever sharp And thus, dear reader, our journey concludes May your financial endeavours be fruitful and your wit forever sharp Remember, in the words of the esteemed Warren Buffett, "Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago " Plant your investment seeds now, and you too may someday bask in the soothing shade of financial security Godspeed, intrepid investor, as you embark on your own personal pension stock odyssey And, may the invisible hand of the market guide you to prosperity and the Nobel Prize committee to the recognition of your insightful choices

UK economy rises above pre-Covid levels

Accord ing to upd ated d ata, the U K economy h as now su r p as se d p re- p a nd e m i c lev els D es p i te F e bru a ry ' s flatlining, there are increasin g c h an ce s t h at g ro w th will surpass o fficial projecti o ns f o r th e f ir st th r ee months of 2023 Gross domestic product w a s u n c h a n g e d b e t w e e n January and February, foll o w i n g a r e v i s e d 0 4 p e r

cent expansion in the previous month, the Office for National Statistics said However, as a result of data revisions from earlier m o n t h s , t h e e c o n o m y ended the month 0 3 percentage points larger than it had been in February 2020, prior to the implementation of the first Covid-19 limits The ONS forecast t h a t t h e G D P w a s 0 2 %

Sterling hits 10-month peak as US dollar under pressure

The U S dollar c on ti nued to s uf f e r f ro m m a r k e t predi ctions that the cycle of U S rate hikes is ab out to c om e to a s t op , as t he Britis h pound inc reased to a new 10-month high and the euro achieved i ts bes t le ve l in two months

Sterling rose 0 84 per c e n t t o U S $ 1 2 5 2 1 , i t s h i g h e s t s i n c e J u n e 2 0 2 2 , a f t e r b r e a c h i n g a significant resistance level “US$1 2448 has been a huge technical chart resistance It has been a high twice this year, ” said Joe Tuckey, head of FX analysis at Argentex

“Breaking through this m e a n s i t i s a n i n i t i a t i o n p o i n t f o r f r e s h s t e r l i n g b u y e r s , a s h o r t c o v e r i n g

UK shoppers switch to frozen food to keep down spending

B r it i sh s ho p pe r s a r e sw it c hi n g fr o m fr e s h t o frozen food as the y tr y t o keep down spen din g amid the cost of living crisis, r etail data sugge st s With food price inflation r u n n i n g a t 1 8 2 % , h i g h energy prices, and shortages of salad vegetables due to u n f a v o u r a b l e w e a t h e r i n Europe, the rising cost of the w e e k l y s h o p h a s b e e n a m a j o r c o n t r i b u t o r t o t h e f i n a n c i a l s t r a i n o n U K households Shoppers are increasingly t u r n i n g t o f r o z e n f o o d According to research from K a n t a r , a n a l y s t s c o v e r i n g r e t a i l i n G r e a t B r i t a i n , d e m a n d w a s h i g h e s t f o r p r o d u c t s l i k e f r o z e n chicken, for which volumes increased by 5 9% in the 12 weeks to 20 March Frozen prepared food sales, which i n c l u d e r e a d y d i n n e r s , pizzas, and chips, rose 2 6% F r o z e n f o o d v o l u m e s h e l d s t e a d y , e v e n a s shoppers were buying less Total grocery volumes fell by 4 % , w h i l e t h e v o l u m e o f f r o z e n g o o d s b o u g h t w a s unchanged, the data for the s a m e p e r i o d s h o w e d According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK's food price inflation reached 18 2% in the year that ended in February

below that level in January 2023 The likelihood of avoiding a recession in the first quarter, according to chief UK economist Paul Dales, i n c r e a s e d t h e l i k e l i h o o d that the BoE would increase interest rates once more to s t i f l e d e m a n d a n d b r i n g inflation, which is currently at 10 4%, down to its target of 2%

M a r k e t s a r e s p l i t between the central bank’s M o n e t a r y P o l i c y Committee raising the base r a t e b y 0 2 5 p e r c e n t a g e points at its next meeting on May 11 or leaving it at 4 25 per cent “The overall sense is that the economy is still proving resilient to the twin drags of high inflation a n d h i g h i n t e r e s t r a t e s , ” said Dales

Bestway Group’s Well Pharmacy acquires Lexon UK and Asurex

a r e a f o r s t e r l i n g s h o r t s ” T h e e u r o r e a c h e d US$1 0938, its highest level since early February, and was last up 0 14 per cent at US$1 0918 as the US dollar d e c l i n e d a g a i n s t t h e majority of other European currencies

“We’ve been saying that FX hasn’t really captured what’s been happening in rates, and there is scope still for the US dollar to weaken a bit further,” said Derek Halpenny, head of research for global markets at MUFG “ S h o r t - t e r m s p r e a d s between core Europe and the US are more consistent with euro-US dollar trading near US$1 10 to US$1 15 ”

Bestw ay Group's subsid iary Well Pharm acy has acquired Lexon U K Hold ing s and Asurex Lim ited, a family-ow ned pharm aceutical w holesaler w ith fiv e depots in Red ditch, Leeds, Durham, East Kilbrid e, and Dublin, as well as a netw ork of neig hbourhood pharm acies spread thro ughou t the Mid land s, No rthwest, and No rtheast of England

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will be n o t i f i e d a b o u t t h e d e a l B o t h p a r t i e s h a v e a c t i v e l y participated in pre-notification conversations with the CMA and anticipate doing so again throughout the CMA review process

Well Pharmacy CEO Seb Hobbs said, “We’re delighted to be welcoming the 1,200 strong team at Lexon and Asurex to Well and the broader Bestway family We know that Lexon share our ethos as a value-orientated family business and that by bringing together our expertise we will be able to grow all aspects of our business by building on each other’s s t r e n g t h s T h e s e a r e i n c r e d i b l y c h a l l e n g i n g t i m e s f o r community pharmacy, so we ’ re really pleased to be able to have an opportunity to show our commitment to the sector, now and into the future ” The family-run Lexon has been in business for more than 25 years It primarily serves 3,000 retail pharmacy customers throughout the UK and Ireland from five sites as a pharmaceutical wholesaler

India’s exports up 14% to record $770 bn in FY23

Bu o ye d by t h e s er v ic e s sec tor , I ndia’s exp o rts ro se 14% to a rec ord $77 0 billion du ring the las t financial year, while impo rts jump ed to a ne w h igh o f $ 89 2 bi l l io n , amid a slo wdown in go ods dem and due to th e glo ba l headwinds

L a t e s t d a t a s h o w e d goods exports went up just u n d e r 6 % t o $ 4 4 7 b i l l i o n , w h i c h i s a n e w h i g h b u t l o w e r t h a n w h a t w a s expected at the start of the l a s t f i n a n c i a l y e a r G o o d s

imports rose 16 5% to $714 billion, resulting in a record t r a d e d e f i c i t H o w e v e r , exports decreased 6% to $38 4 billion in March, marking the second consecutive month of d e c l i n e s , w h i l e i m p o r t s declined nearly 8% to $58 1 billion, marking the fourth c o n s e c u t i v e m o n t h o f declines The expected trade d e f i c i t i n c r e a s e d t o $ 1 9 7 b i l l i o n , m a r k i n g t h e f i r s t change in four months Oil price declines caused a d e c r e a s e i n i m p o r t s ,

according to commerce a n d i n d u s t r y m i n i s t e r Piyush Goyal, who also noted that challenging global economic conditions w e r e p l a c i n g p r e s s u r e o n goods exports However, he took solace in the figures, noting that they were in line w i t h t h e $ 7 7 2 b i l l i o n prediction made for 2022–2 0 2 3 w h e n t h e c o m p l e t e s e r v i c e s f i g u r e s w e r e s t i l l pending “GST collections are at a high, exports are at a record

Industrial production in India rises marginally in February

h i g h , i n f l a t i o n h a s c o m e within RBI’s comfort band, foreign exchange reserves are s t r o n g , a n d I n d i a i s t h e f a s t e s t g r o w i n g l a r g e e c o n o m y I t r e f l e c t s t h e mood of the nation,” he said, a d d i n g t h a t r e c o r d remittances of $100 billion a n d i n v e s t m e n t f l o w s w i l l k e e p t h e c u r r e n t a c c o u n t deficit under check

FTA talks with UK, EU, Canada continue: Goyal

I n d ia i n t e n ds t o pr o ce e d w i t h n e g ot i a t io n s fo r fr e e t r a de a g r e e me n t s ( F TA s) with the UK, t he EU, and Ca nada, according to India's c om m e r ce a n d in d u st r y m inist e r Pi yush G oy al H e a l so sa id t h a t t h e g o v e r n me n t wa s o n l y see king temporary v isas for I n d ia n wo r k e r s, p rofessiona l s, an d stude nt s a n d w a s n ot p r o mo t in g i m mi g r a t io n t h r ou g h t h e pr oposed t reat ie s

The minister announced t h a t m i n i s t e r s f r o m S w i t z e r l a n d , I c e l a n d , Liechtenstein, and Norway, t h e f o u r m e m b e r s o f t h e E u r o p e a n F r e e T r a d e

A s s o c i a t i o n , w i l l m e e t i n Delhi on April 26 to discuss potential trade agreements A n e w n e g o t i a t o r f o r discussions with India will soon be named by the Gulf Cooperation Council, which consists of the UAE, Oman, S a u d i A r a b i a , B a h r a i n , Kuwait, and Qatar

“Some people mix u p m o b i l i t y a n d immigration They are two separate subjects M o b i l i t y i s a b o u t e x p a n d i n g t r a d e a n d b u s i n e s s , a b o u t t e m p o r a r y v i s a s a n d p e o p l e , w h o c o m e t e m p o r a r i l y i n t o a c o u n t r y e i t h e r f o r work or for studies or for trade India is not seeking p e r m a n e n t i m m i g r a t i o n visas from any country We are only looking to engage with countries on mobility,” he said here

G o y a l s a i d m o r e t e m p o r a r y v i s a s , s u c h a s those provided through trade

a g r e e m e n t s w i t h t h e U A E a n d A u s t r a l i a , w i l l h e l p p r o v i d e s e r v i c e s , i n c r e a s e trade and investment, and help students stay back in those countries for work

The next round of trade negotiations between India and the UK is set for April 24, i n d i c a t i n g t h e i r d e s i r e t o a d v a n c e t h e p l a n n e d f r e e t r a d e a g r e e m e n t ( F T A ) A c c o r d i n g t o g o v e r n m e n t officials, all parties want to settle the disputed issues as s o o n a s p o s s i b l e , a n d political action is being taken in response to concerns that pro-Khalistan activists may t h r e a t e n t h e I n d i a n H i g h Commission in London

India' s retail inflation dips on easing of food prices

R eta il in fl a tion d ropp ed b elow 6% in March as a r e s ul t of f oo d pr ic e s m o d er a ti n g a n d a favourable base effec t, and in dustrial output grow th r e ma i n e d s tr on g i n F e b ru a ry , pr ov i d in g much-needed rel ief from the grim outl ook for the w orl d economy D a t a f r o m t h e National Statistical Office

( N S O ) r e v e a l e d t h a t c o n s u m e r p r i c e i n d e x

(CPI) inflation increased an annual 5 7% in March,

l e s s t h a n t h e 6 4 % i n February and below the top band of comfort set by t h e c e n t r a l b a n k I n February, the food price i n d e x w a s c l o s e t o 6 % ; now, it was 4 8% Urban inflation was 5 9%, while rural inflation was 5 5% V e g e t a b l e p r i c e s contracted by 8 5% while oils and fats declined 7 9 % C o r e i n f l a t i o n (excluding food and fuel) a l s o m o d e r a t e d m a r g i n a l l y d u r i n g t h e month but still remains

stubborn The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) delayed rate hikes at its most recent policy review e a r l i e r t h i s m o n t h , b u t g o v e r n o r Shaktikanta Das had issued a warning that t h e f i g h t a g a i n s t i n f l a t i o n m u s t c o n t i n u e u n t i l t h e R B I s e e s a s u s t a i n e d r e d u c t i o n i n inflation that is closer to the objective Considering the rigidity of the core or u n d e r l y i n g i n f l a t i o n

LIC raises stake in 4 Adani companies in March quarter

A mid heavy selling in all 10 A dani Group stocks since January-end, life insurance m ajo r L IC m arginally increased its holdings in at least four companies, quarterly shareh old ing disclo su res by co mpanies sh owed T he shareholding d ata o f A dani com panies, as of M arch 31, 20 23 also showed that retail investors increased their stakes in most o f these stocks while m utual funds cut their exp osure

LIC grew its interest in Adani Green Energy, Adani Total Gas, Adani Transmission, and Adani Enterprises during the March quarter, maintained its exposure to ACC, and decreased its stake in Adani Ports and Ambuja Cements

The three remaining members of the group, Adani Power, Adani Wilmar, and NDTV, have not disclosed any ownership by LIC This can be the case either because the life insurance major owns no shares of these companies or less than 1% of each According to listing regulations, only shareholders who own 1% or more of a company's shares must have their identities revealed to exchanges

According to the most recent shareholding patterns of Adani companies, individual investors raised their position in the group s main company, Adani Enterprises, by more than a percentage point to 7 9%, while mutual funds decreased their investment in the business to 0 9% from 1 2% Foreign funds increased their stake in the company to 17 8% from 15 4% but this was largely because on March 2, the promoters sold nearly 4% in the company to GQG Partners, a US-based entity registered here as a foreign portfolio investor (FPI)

pressures, he claimed that predictions for the years

2 0 2 3 – 2 4 i n d i c a t e a s l o w i n g o f i n f l a t i o n , however the disinflation is e x p e c t e d t o b e g r a d u a l and prolonged

IMF cuts India’s GDP growth forecast for 2023-24 to 5.9%

As a result of the inc re ased ec onomic uncertain ty throughout the world, the International M on eta ry Fund (IM F) reduced India s GDP growth predicti on to 5 9% f or 2 023–202 4 and 6 3% for 2024–25

In January, the IMF in its World Economic O u t l o o k ( W E O ) u p d a t e h a d s a i d t h a t I n d i a remained a bright spot and together with China would account for half of global growth this year, versus just a tenth for the US and euro area combined It had retained India’s GDP growth projections at 6 1% for 2023-24 and 6 8% for 2024-25

According to the WEO, global growth will reach its lowest point this year at 2 8% before edging up slightly to 3% next year, or 0 1% less than anticipated in January The rate of global inflation will decline from 8 7% last year to 7% this year and 4 9% in 2024, but more slowly than previously predicted This is the first projection below 6% and the lowest growth estimate among the multilateral agencies Both the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have pegged the GDP growth for the current fiscal year at 6 3% and 6 4%, respectively The RBI slightly increased its GDP growth prediction from 6 4% to 6 5% in its most recent monetary policy statement

According to n ewly disclose d of fic ia l d a t a , In d i a 's in d u st r i a l p r o du ct i on growt h increa sed slightl y to

5 6 % in Feb ruary from 5 5% in J a n u a r y 20 23 , m o st l y because the manufa cturing, min in g, and power sectors perfor me d wel l

T h e s i t u a t i o n b e c a m e b e t t e r b o t h a n n u a l l y a n d s e q u e n t i a l l y I n F e b r u a r y

2 0 2 2 , t h e g r o w t h i n

industrial output as assessed by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) was 1 2%

A s p e r t h e I I P d a t a

r e l e a s e d b y t h e N a t i o n a l

Statistical Office (NSO), the m a n u f a c t u r i n g s e c t o r ’ s output grew 5 3 per cent in February 2023 from 0 2 per c e n t a y e a r a g o M i n i n g output growth remained flat at 4 6 per cent during the m o n t h u n d e r r e v i e w c o m p a r e d t o t h e y e a r - a g o

period

Power generation surged 8 2 per cent in February 2023 against 4 5 per cent According to use-based c l a s s i f i c a t i o n , t h e c a p i t a l goods section had growth of 10 5% in February compared to growth of 1 3% in the same month last year Production o f c o n s u m e r d u r a b l e s decreased by 4% during the m o n t h c o m p a r e d t o a contraction of 9 7%% a year earlier

C o n s u m e r n o n - d u r a b l e goods output expanded by 12 1 per cent against a decline of 6 8 per cent earlier

L&T Tech pays $9.9 mn to settle US visa fraud case

Fo llow ing a wh is tleblow er co mplaint, L&T Technolog y Services (L TTS) has agreed to p ay $9 9 m illion to the US De p art m en t o f J u s ti c e to reso lv e claims of visa fraud betw een 2014 and 2019 T he ag en c y c la im ed t h at b y ob ta in in g c h ea p B- 1 v i sa s rather th an mo re expensiv e H- 1 B v i sa s, L T T S e v ad ed visa payments owed to the US “LTTS provides services and personnel to companies i n t h e U S M o s t o f t h e p e r s o n n e l a r e f o r e i g n nationals, who are required t o h a v e v i s a s i n o r d e r t o lawfully enter or remain in the US B-1 visas generally do not permit visa holders to perform paid labour while in t h e U S D u r i n g t h e t i m e period in question, fees for B - 1 v i s a s w e r e b e t w e e n

approximately $200 to $300, and there was no limit on the number of B-1 visas that could be issued,” a release said

It continued by pointing out that H-1B visas, which allow foreigners to work for pay while they are in the c o u n t r y , c o s t b e t w e e n $4,000 and $6,000 These visas have an annual cap of 65,000, which makes them more difficult to get The claims resolved by t h e L & T T e c h n o l o g y Services settlement, the note s a i d , a r e a l l e g a t i o n s o n l y , a n d t h e r e h a s b e e n n o d e t e r m i n a t i o n o f l i a b i l i t y “LTTS has denied liability, is cooperating with the US in this matter, and has taken significant steps to ensure c o m p l i a n c e w i t h U S v i s a laws,” it said

TCS sees dull Q4 growth on weak BFSI spending

D u e t o we ak er -

t h a n - e x p e c t e d mo od and spending in its core markets and verticals, North Am er ic a a nd ba nk i n g, f i n an c i al services & insurance (BFS I), TCS's results for the March qu a rt er we re b el o w exp ectatio ns T his tested its re si l i en c y i n a di f fi c u l t fi nancial enviro nment

TCS missed the boat on t h e s e q u e n t i a l s a l e s a n d margin performances as its revenue increased modestly (0 6% in constant currency) d u r i n g t h e q u a r t e r compared to the prior one Constant currency revenue increased by 10 7% year over y e a r t o $ 7 1 b i l l i o n

C o m p a r i n g t h e M a r c h

q u a r t e r t o t h e D e c e m b e r

o n e , o p e r a t i n g m a r g i n s remained constant at 24 5%

For the full year, TCS’s revenue grew 13 7% to $27 9 billion, and growth was led by North America that grew 15 3% and the UK at 15% Its operating margins dropped 120 basis points (100bps = 1 percentage point) to 24 1% i n t h e 2 0 2 2 - 2 3 f i n a n c i a l y e a r T C S a d d e d 8 2 1 e m p l o y e e s i n t h e M a r c h quarter, one of the lowest n e t a d d i t i o n s i n r e c e n t t i m e s F o r t h e 2 0 2 2 - 2 3 f i n a n c i a l y e a r , i t a d d e d

22,600 people, taking the t o t a l h e a d c o u n t t o o v e r

6 0 0 , 0 0 0 e m p l o y e e s T C S cut attrition to 20 1% in the March quarter compared to 21 3% in the preceding one

Piyush Goyal

AAHOA announces new foundation to support disaster relief, charitable initiatives

The largest convention & trade show- AAHOACON23 concluded with a historic gathering

Mahesh Liloriya

A A H O A C O N 2 3 , t h e l a r g e s t c o n v e n t i o n a n d t r a d e s h o w c o n c l u d e d w i t h s o m e historic decisions The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), held the event in Los Angeles from 11 to 14 April O n t h e o p e n i n g d a y , t h e a s s o c i a t i o n a n n o u n c e d t h e l a u n c h o f t h e A A H O A C h a r i t a b l e F o u n d a t i o n T h i s n o n p r o f i t organization's mission is to serve humanity by offering humanitarian aid, educational g r a n t s a n d s c h o l a r s h i p s , c h a r i t a b l e e n d e a v o u r s f o r d e s e r v i n g c a u s e s , a n d disaster relief The convention broke all previous records for booth sales and was the largest in AAHOA history and Florida hotelier Bharat Patel, CHO, CHIA, was elected as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors To celebrate the launch of the n e w f o u n d a t i o n , d e l e g a t e s p l e d g e d t o donate to the foundation, with the goal of raising $50,000 in the first week during the trade show

At the event, the ex-Chairman Nishant (Neal) Patel said, “I can think of no better w a y t o c o n c l u d e m y c h a i r m a n s h i p o f AAHOA than by launching the AAHOA Charitable Foundation AAHOA members a r e h a r d w o r k i n g , c r e a t i v e , a n d entrepreneurial They are also generous a n d c o m m u n i t y - m i n d e d T h e A A H O A C h a r i t a b l e F o u n d a t i o n g i v e s a l l o f o u r m e m b e r s a n e w o u t l e t t o c o n t i n u e supporting our communities ”

The new Chairman Bharat Patel said, “AAHOA is seeking contributions from members and no contribution too small T h r o u g h c h a r i t a b l e g o l f t o u r n a m e n t s , hurricane relief efforts and other charitable a c t i v i t i e s , A A H O A m e m b e r s b e l i e v e i n giving back to our local communities ”

President & CEO Laura Lee Blake said, “ A A H O A m e m b e r s o w n h o t e l s i n thousands of communities in all 50 states, w h i c h p r o v i d e s a f e a n d c o m f o r t a b l e accommodations for 3 5 million guests each night, along with employing one million workers Our members stand strong as p i l l a r s o f t h e i r c o m m u n i t i e s a n d c a r e deeply about those who need help They contribute in so many ways Through the A A H O A C h a r i t a b l e F o u n d a t i o n , o u r members will have a new way to support c h a r i t a b l e a c t i v i t i e s t h a t w i l l m a k e a remarkable difference in each and every community across the country ”

Educati onal sessi ons and E ntertainment

T h e m a i n a t t r a c t i o n s o f t h e A A H O A C O N 2 3 w e r e t h e i n f o r m a t i v e sessions and the bustling trade displays At t h e L o s A n g e l e s C o l i s e u m , w h i c h i s c o m m e m o r a t i n g i t s 1 0 0 t h b i r t h d a y , a w e l c o m e r e c e p t i o n w a s h e l d A t t h e AAHOA Block Party, skateboarders, a DJ, and food trucks paid homage to an urban L A s t r e e t s c e n e H a s a n M i n h a j , a n A m e r i c a n c o m e d i a n , w r i t e r , p r o d u c e r , p o l i t i c a l c o m m e n t a t o r , a c t o r , a n d television host of Indian descent, delivered t h e k e y n o t e a d d r e s s o n W e d n e s d a y M e a n w h i l e , T h u r s d a y n i g h t f e a t u r e d a Garba dance also Mika Singh, Geeta Jhala & Raman Kapoor performed during the Gala reception on Friday night

We ignore the present and don’ t do things at the ri ght ti me: Swami Brahmaviharidas

A A H O A C O N 2 3 a l s o i n v i t e d t o p s p i r i t u a l l e a d e r s O n T h u r s d a y , P u j y a B r a h m a v i h a r i S w a m i , B A P S S p i r i t u a l

Leader, addressed the delegates Swami Brahmaviharidas, the keynote speaker, was o u t s t a n d i n g i n h i s d i s c u s s i o n o f "something missing something fulfilling " He said, “AAHOA is more than the largest association on this planet It's a symbol of growing together with unity I want to emphasise the fact that the past is history and the future is a mystery We often forget the present which is within our reach We ignore the present and don’t do things at the right time If you take care of today, tomorrow will take care of itself We need leaders who are desireless, selfless and fearless ”

As a human bei ng, you have the power to shape your circumstanc es : Sadhguru

H o n o u r a b l e S a d h g u r u , f o u n d e r a n d head of ISHA Foundation, was a keynote speaker on Friday He said, “If you do not have the awareness to know what you should choose, put your heart and soul into whatever is on hand right now Simply throw yourself 100% into what you are doing right now without entanglement As l o n g a s y o u t h i n k s o m e o n e e l s e i s responsible for the way you are, you cannot become the way you want to be " S a d h g u r u s a i d , “ B e f o r e y o u e x p e c t someone else to be the way you want them to be, you must become the way you want yourself to be If you accept what is there right now, everything will become part of you If you resist it, everything will be a problem ”

He added, "Only a Human is a Being, which means you have the capacity to be the way you want to Be As a human being, y o u h a v e t h e p o w e r t o s h a p e y o u r c i r c u m s t a n c e s W h e n y o u d o i t consciously, you can create the life you want Raising consciousness is a powerful way to honour the past and create a bolder future ”

AAHO A Women’ s Luncheon

T h e e v e n t i n c l u d e d a W o m e n ’ s L u n c h e o n s O n W e d n e s d a y s e s s i o n , “ L a n d s l i d e V i c t o r y ( A A H O A W o m e n ’ s

L u n c h e o n ) ” f e a t u r e d D e n i s e T h o m a s ,

f o u n d e r & O w n e r , T h e E f f e c t i v e

C o m m u n i c a t i o n C o a c h ; L i n a P a t e l ,

A A H O A W o m e n H o t e l i e r s D i r e c t o r

Eastern Division; and Tejal Patel, AAHOA W o m e n ’ s H o t e l i e r s D i r e c t o r W e s t e r n

Division Thursday’s session was entitled

“Women Own The Room Presents: Setting T h e F o u n d a t i o n F o r S u c c e s s f u l H o t e l

Ownership,” hosted by Wyndham Hotels & R e s o r t s T h e s e s s i o n f e a t u r e d B e l l a Silverberg, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; Stacey Nadolny, SVP, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; and Helen Zaver, SVP, Colliers Hotels U S Virdee won top prize in the AAHOA Tech Pitch Competition which was CoPowered by HFTP

Swami Brahmaviharidasji at the event

AAHOA team with Sadhguru Singer Mika Singh performing at the event Audience at the event

100 killed as Myanmar junta attacks rebel-held area

SA GA I NG RE G IO N ( MY A NMA R) :

A t least 100 people were killed i n t he blo odiest att ack by the junta since sei zing po wer in a co up mo re t h a n t wo y ea r s a go w h e n

Myanmar's milit ary administr atio n be gan its unrelenting campaign o f b o mb i ng s b y t a r ge t i ng a s iz a b le gat heri ng in re bel-h eld te rrit ory

An emergency worker on the scene and a representative of the s h a d o w N a t i o n a l U n i t y Government, which sees itself as t h e l e g i t i m a t e g o v e r n m e n t o f Myanmar, both confirmed that at least 30 children were among the victims of the attack in the Sagaing Region Increase in the death toll was anticipated

“This is a war crime,” said Byar Kyi, a soldier with a local resistance unit who was helping

to recover bodies at the site

“The place they attacked was not a military target ” R e s c u e r s d e s c r i b e d a g r u e s o m e s c e n e i n P a z i g y i V i l l a g e i n s o u t h e r n S a g a i n g Region, where body parts were scattered over a wide area after a

Japan, India, France form common platform for Lanka creditors

C O L O M B O : Ja p an , In di a a nd F r a nc e h av e a n no un c e d a c om m on pl a t f o rm f or t a l k s a m on g b i l a t er a l c re d it o r s t o c oordinate the res truc tur ing of Sr i La nka’ s deb t, a m ove they hope woul d serve as a model f or s olving the debt woes of middl einc om e ec onomies

The participation of China, S r i L a n k a ' s l a r g e s t b i l a t e r a l creditor, in the effort announced by Japan, the G7 chair for this year, to begin a series of meetings among Sri Lanka's creditors, is still up in the air

“To be able to launch this n e g o t i a t i o n p r o c e s s , g a t h e r i n g s u c h a b r o a d - b a s e d g r o u p o f c r e d i t o r s , i s a h i s t o r i c a l o u t c o m e , ” J a p a n e s e F i n a n c e Minister Shunichi Suzuki told a briefing

“This committee is open to all creditors,” he said, voicing hope China would join in the effort French Director General of the Treasury Emmanuel Moulin told the briefing the group was ready to hold the first round of talks “ as

soon as possible”

S r i L a n k a ’ s c e n t r a l b a n k g o v e r n o r t o l d a n e w s a g e n c y earlier this week that having a single platform for talks would be a welcome move that would make i t e a s i e r t o d i s c u s s a n d s h a r e information

“I hope the creation of this platform will become a model case ” for debt restructuring of middle-income countries, Suzuki said Japan’s top currency diplomat Masato Kanda told reporters the group has sent an invitation to all of Sri Lanka’s bilateral creditors, including China, and hopes to hold the first round of talks at the earliest date possible

P r e s i d e n t a n d f i n a n c e m i n i s t e r o f S r i L a n k a R a n i l W i c k r e m e s i n g h e d e l i v e r e d t h e s t a t e m e n t t h r o u g h v i d e o conference "The beginning of a coordinated effort to address Sri Lanka's distress means we have made a critical policy adjustment with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)," he added

Qatar, Bahrain to resume diplomatic ties after over two years

DOH A : Over two years after th e A rab bo ycott of Qatar was eased, Q at ar an d Bah r ai n h av e d ec lar ed t h at t h ey w i l l r ees tab li sh d ip l om ati c ti es A three and a half year embargo o n Qatar w as lifted in January 2021 by Saudi A rabia, the U nited Arab Em irates, Bahrain, and Egypt; all cou ntries except Bahrain having a lr ead y res u m ed t rav el an d co mmerce links by that time T h e d e c is i o n to re s um e d iplomatic relatio ns was m ad e d uring the second meeting of the Bahrai ni-Qatari Fo llow -up C o m m i tte e h eld a t t h e h e ad q u ar ter s o f th e G C C General Secretariat in the Saudi capital Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's Minister o f F o r e i g n A f f a i r s a n d I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o o p e r a t i o n , h a i l e d t h e a g r e e m e n t a n d emphasised its significance in f o s t e r i n g c o o p e r a t i v e G u l f

action for the better future of GCC nations The Arab League, the United States, Russia, and o t h e r G C C n a t i o n s ' f o r e i g n ministries have all praised the move T h e e n d o f t h e G u l f

Cooperation Council summit at AlUla, Saudi Arabia, was marked with the signing of the AlUla Declaration on January 5, 2021

I t c a l l e d f o r u n i t y a n d t h e improvement of ties between G C C n a t i o n s a n d s e t t l e d t h e disagreement with Qatar The p r o c l a m a t i o n a l s o r e a f f i r m e d t h e G C C m e m b e r s t a t e s ' d e d i c a t i o n t o d e v e l o p i n g coordination and integration in all areas in order to eventually create a union of nations Earlier t h i s m o n t h , t h e U n i t e d A r a b Emirates and Qatar held their f o u r t h j o i n t m e e t i n g i n A b u D h a b i t o f o l l o w u p o n t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h e A l U l a

m i l i t a r y j e t a n d h e l i c o p t e r bombed and strafed the largely civilian gathering Photos from the village being shared on social m e d i a s h o w e d m o r e t h a n a

d o z e n b u r n e d a n d m u t i l a t e d bodies, while videos showed a d e s t r o y e d b u i l d i n g , b u r n e d

motorcycles and debris scattered over a wide area The apparent t a r g e t o f t h e a t t a c k w a s a celebration to mark the local resistance movement’s opening o f a n a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f f i c e Only the charred frame of the b u i l d i n g r e m a i n e d s t a n d i n g a f t e r t h e a i r r a i d , v i d e o a n d photos showed A t l e a s t 8 0 p e o p l e w e r e k i l l e d w h e n m i l i t a r y j e t s t a r g e t e d a c o n c e r t i n K a c h i n S t a t e i n O c t o b e r , i n c l u d i n g musicians who were onstage at the time A significant portion of the Sagaing Region, which is in M y a n m a r ' s n o r t h w e s t a n d b o r d e r s I n d i a , i s a r e b e l stronghold where the military's ground forces have had trouble gaining ground

Pak court disqualifies PoK’s PTI leader for contempt

EXPLOSION AND FIRE KILL 18,000 CATTLE IN TEXAS

About 18 000 cattle were lost in a "horrific" explosion and fire at a dairy farm in Texas and one farm worker was hurt according to authorities Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said, This was the deadliest barn fire for cattle in Texas history, and the investigation and cleanup may take some time " An explosion and a fire tore through the Southfork Dairy Farms in the Texas Panhandle, close to the town of Dimmitt last week After arriving on the site in a hurry, firefighters and law enforcement officers "determined that one person was trapped inside," the Castro County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook

CHINESE SC JUDGE JAILED FOR 12 YEARS

IS

L A M A BA D: In a defeat to the Imran Khan-led PT I, a fu ll bench of the “HC ” in Pakistan occupied Kashmir banned the region’s “ prime m i nis ter” , S ard ar Tanv eer Ilyas, from b eing a m em ber o f th e legislativ e assem bly for disrespect Ilyas belongs to P TI Following the verdict, Ilyas has ceased to hold office and the legislative assembly will have to elect a new “PM” Over the weekend, Ilyas had blamed the judiciary for affecting the functioning of his government and interfering in the domain of the executive through the grant of stay orders The court had served notices to Ilyas to explain his position with regard to his “derogatory remarks about the superior judiciary” Ilyas appeared before the court He did not contest and instead tendered an apology, which the HC rejected Ilyas was found guilty of the contempt of court charges, the HC stated in its order "He stands disqualified from being elected or chosen or from membership in the legislative assembly or to hold any public office for two years," it stated

Indian among 56 killed as Sudan military strikes at rivals base

K H A R T O U M : A n In d i a n nat iona l were a mong 5 6 peopl e k i l l e d w he n Su d a n ’ s a r m y la un ched air strike s on a r iva l para mil it ary for ce ’ s base ne ar the capit al in a b id t o r easser t cont rol over t he chaotic coun try D ozens of fighter s we re a lso injur ed in the clashes The fighting broke out on S a t u r d a y b e t w e e n a r m y u n i t s loyal to General Abdel Fattah alBurhan, and the Rapid Support F o r c e s ( R S F ) , l e d b y G e n e r a l M o h a m e d H a m d a n D a g a l o , known as Hemedti It was the first such outbreak since both joined forces to oust president Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2019 T h e U S , C h i n a , R u s s i a , Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Nations, European Union and African Union have appealed for a n i m m e d i a t e e n d t o t h e hostilities Efforts by neighbours and regional bodies to end the violence intensified on Sunday That included an offer by Egypt a n d S o u t h S u d a n t o m e d i a t e b e t w e e n t h e f i g h t i n g p a r t i e s ,

according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency At the end of a day of heavy fighting, the army struck a base belonging to t h e R S F i n t h e c i t y o f Omdurman, which adjoins the c a p i t a l K h a r t o u m , w i t n e s s e s said Both the military and the RSF claimed they had control of Sudan’s airport and other key installations in Khartoum, where f i g h t i n g r a g e d o v e r n i g h t T h e two rivals have been competing for power as political factions negotiate forming a transitional government after a 2021 military coup Stray b ul let k il ls Ind ia n An Indian national died after he was hit by a bullet in the clashes Expressing grief over the d e a t h , f o r e i g n m i n i s t e r S Jaishankar said the situation in K h a r t o u m i s o n e o f g r e a t concern “We will continue to m o n i t o r d e v e l o p m e n t s , ” h e tweeted The Indian embassy in K h a r t o u m s a i d t h e d e c e a s e d , Albert Augestine, was working in a Dal Group Company in Sudan

A Chinese supreme court judge who accepted bribes totaling 22 7 million yuan over a 20-year period was sentenced to 12 years in prison According to the intermediate people's court in Zhengzhou city, Judge Meng Xiang, a former director of the Supreme People's Court s enforcement bureau and member of its trial committee was also penalised two million yuan after he admitted taking bribes between 2003 and 2020 According to the court Meng accepted bribes in exchange for aiding others with issues like court decisions and law enforcement winning building contracts for businesses and influencing cadre selection according to the Hong Kong-based media

NORWAY EXPELS 15 RUSSIAN DIPLOMATS

Norway said that it has expelled 15 Russian officials who Oslo claimed were spies operating under diplomatic cover Anniken Huitfeldt Norway s foreign minister said the country would not permit Moscow to conduct covert intelligence activities through its embassy It is the most recent in a series of Russian expulsions that have taken place since it started its invasion of Ukraine last year According to a Russian news service the Kremlin will respond and is considering an "appropriate answer" Before they were deemed persona non grata, or unpleasant or unwelcome, Norwegian authorities had "over time" monitored the individuals, according to a government statement

32 KENYANS JAILED FOR POSSESSION OF WEAPONS

A court martial in Uganda convicted 32 Kenyan herders who admitted to illegally possessing guns to 20 years in prison a military source said The 32 men were detained and tried in Moroto, which is in northeastern Uganda and borders Kenya They were found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition," according to Brigadier General Joseph Balikuddembe, who is stationed in Moroto This officer claims that after lengthy firefights, the 32 herders from Turkana County in northern Kenya were captured Security forces and intelligence services worked together to retrieve about 31 weapons and 762 rounds he said

Pakistan gets closer to IMF deal after UAE pledges $1 bn

I S L A M A B A D : T h e U AE h a s confi rmed financia l sup port of $1 bil lion to Pakistan, the South Asia n n a t i o n ’ s f i n a nc e m i n i st e r sa i d , r emovi ng a key h urdle to securi ng a much awai ted ba ilou t tra nche f rom the IMF Th e commi tment i s one o f the IMF’s la st require ments bef ore appr oving a staf f-leve l pa ct to rel ease a t ranch e of $1 1 bill ion, d ela yed for mo nth s, tha t is crucial f or Pakista n to re solv e an acute bala nce of pay ments cr isis

“The State Bank of Pakistan is n o w e n g a g e d f o r n e e d f u l documentation for taking the said d e p o s i t f r o m U A E a u t h o r i t i e s , ” finance minister Ishaq Dar said, referring to the central bank The pledge makes the UAE the third country, after Saudi Arabia and longtime ally China, to come to Pakistan’s assistance “ T h e U A E d e a l s h o u l d b e helpful because the IMF has been s a y i n g P a k i s t a n s h o u l d s e c u r e

financing from ‘friendly’ nations,” s a i d S e a p o r t G l o b a l E M c r e d i t analyst Himanshu Porwal “The IMF is saying that they (Pakistan) are in breach of certain targets The fiscal deficit for example is seen peaking at around 8 3% (of GDP), so almost double what they were expecting,” he added The I M F p r o g r a m m e w i l l d i s b u r s e another tranche of $1 4 billion to P a k i s t a n b e f o r e i t c o n c l u d e s i n June

India disregards China's protests on Shah's visit to Arunachal

Ch in a s cr iticism of Un ion

Home Minister Amit Shah's t rip to Aruna chal Prad esh wa s re je cted by India , which a rgue d t hat it was illogical a nd would not alte r t he fa ct t hat t he nort hea st ern st ate wa s and would always be a funda men tal par t of Ind ia Beijing had reacted to Shah’s visit saying it violate d C h i n a ’ s t e r r i t o r i a l integrity and wasn’t conducive to peace and tranquility in the border areas “We completely reject the c o m m e n t s m a d e b y t h e Chinese official spokesperson Indian leaders routinel y t r a v e l t o t h e s t a t e o f Arunachal Pradesh as they d o t o a n y o t h e r s t a t e o f India,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, reacting to China’s statement on Shah’s visit

“ A r u n a c h a l P r a d e s h w a s , i s a n d w i l l a l w a y s r e m a i n a n i n t e g r a l a n d i n a l i e n a b l e p a r t o f I n d i a O b j e c t i n g t o s u c h v i s i t s does not stand to reason a n d w i l l n o t c h a n g e t h e above reality,” he added Arunachal is and will be an integral part of India, India responded last week after Beijing gave Chinese names to 11 locations in the state, ostensibly in retalia-

Ahead of G20 meeting in J&K, Shah eyes ‘zero-terror’ status

tion for a G20 conference that India had staged there against Beijing's objections

Shah stated "no one can d a r e c a s t a n e v i l e y e o n India's territorial integrity and encroach even an inch of our land" in a message to China from the border vill a g e o f K i b i t h o o i n A r u n a c h a l P r a d e s h H e claimed that the day when anyone could infringe on India s borders was over

Auto industry pioneer Keshub Mahindra passes away

K es hub M ahi nd ra, In di a's o ld es t b i ll i on ai re , ph il a nthropist, and head of Indi a I nc pas sed away He was 99 The chairman emeri tus of M ahindra G roup, w ho was b orn in Shim la on Oc tob er 9, 192 3, saw f irst han d how t h e I n d i a n e c o n om y c hanged O ver the cours e o f hi s n e ar l y f i v e - de c a d e leaders hip of M ahi ndra & M a hi n d r a , t h e b u s i n e s s n egotia ted everythin g from the licen ce permit raj to liberali sation

Under his stewardship, M&M transformed from its beginnings as a steel trading company to a utility vehicle and steel maker to further diversify into telec o m , t r a c t o r s a n d o t h e r businesses

Keshub Mahindra was and will always remain a source of inspiration for me a n d t h e e n t i r e M a h i n d r a G r o u p , ” s a i d h i s n e p h e w

Anand Mahindra, chairman o f M a h i n d r a G r o u p “ H e was a man of principles and led from the front to pre-

s e r v e t h e l e g a c y o f o u r f o u n d e r s w h i c h h a s ensured that the organisation has remained rooted in ethics, values and good corporate governance Keshub Mahindra was known for his astute business acumen that helped in transforming Mahindra into a diversified f e d e r a t i o n o f c o m p a n i e s His compassion and people-centric approach made him a global business icon, who was much loved and respected ”

A s s o o n a s K e s h u b Mahindra joined the company in 1947, he started to e x p e r i e n c e c h a n g e A f t e r

Home m inister A mit Sh ah inspected the security g rid 's operation as well as all o ther s ec u ri ty -r el ate d i ss u es i n J am m u a nd K as h m i r an d u nd erl i ned th e N are nd r a M o d i ad m i ni st rat i on 's unwavering com mitm ent to the p olicy of zero tolerance against terrorism Shah also went through the G20 conference preparations that would take place in Srinagar and gave orders for all pertinent organisat i o n s t o c o o r d i n a t e t h e i r efforts to ensure a successful o c c a s i o n S h a h e v a l u a t e d the operation of the security g r i d a n d s e v e r a l s e c u r i t yrelated issues at the security

review meeting, which was also attended by Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant govern o r M a n o j S i n h a a n d

N a t i o n a l S e c u r i t y A d v i s e r

Ajit Doval, according to an official release

He also went over the a r e a d o m i n a t i o n s t r a t e g y , the zero terror policy, the l a w - a n d - o r d e r s i t u a t i o n , UAPA-related matters, and other security-related matters Shah commended the administration and security a g e n c i e s o f J a m m u a n d Kashmir for their efforts in reducing cross-border infilt r a t i o n s i g n i f i c a n t l y a n d i m p r o v i n g t h e s i t u a t i o n w i t h r e g a r d t o l a w a n d

order He also emphasised the importance of bolstering regular policing

M e a n w h i l e , I n d i a d i smissed Pakistan’s objection to the hosting of the G20 m e e t i n g s i n J a m m u & K a s h m i r a n d L a d a k h a n d said these conferences are being organised across the country and it is “natural” to hold them in the two union territories too as they are its “ i n t e g r a l a n d i n a l i e n a b l e ” part India is hosting a meeti n g o f t h e G 2 0 T o u r i s m Working Group in Srinagar i n M a y w h i l e a y o u t h engagement group meeting is scheduled to take place in Leh later this month

ED files case against BBC India for foreign exchange violations

The Enforcement Directorate has fi led a FEMA case agai nst news o rgani sati on BBC Indi a for f orei gn exchange breaches, reports said The federal probe agency has also called for documents and the recording of statem e n t s o f s o m e c o m p a n y executives under provisions o f t h e F o r e i g n E x c h a n g e M a n a g e m e n t A c t ( F E M A ) , they said The probe is essentially looking at purported foreign direct investment (FDI) viola-

tions by the company, they said The move comes in the backdrop of the income tax department surveying BBC office premises in Delhi in February

The I-T departm e n t ' s a d m i n i s t r at i v e b o d y , t h e C e n t r a l B o a r d o f D i r e c t T a x e s ( C B D T ) , h a d p r e v iously stated that the i n c o m e a n d p r o f i t s reported by different B B C g r o u p e n t i t i e s w e r e " n o t c o m m e n s u r a t e " with the scope of their operations in India and that tax had not been paid on some remittances made by its foreign entities

Keshub Mahindra

the third founding partner, Ghulam Mohammed, left India to become Pakistan's first finance minister, the company's founders, JC and KC Mahindra, were forced to rename what had origin a l l y b e e n k n o w n a s

Mahindra and Mohammed into Mahindra & Mahindra Sixteen years later, when K e s h u b M a h i n d r a t o o k over as the chairman of the c o m p a n y i n 1 9 6 3 , M & M changed course again - first to forge its steel alliance with Ugine Kuhlmann and then to get into tractors in p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h International Harvester

Conviction harsh, Rahul tells Surat court

C ongress leader Rah ul Gand hi d id not receiv e a " fair trial, " accord ing to his attorney, w ho c la im ed b efo r e th e s es si o ns c o u rt i n S u r at th at th e m axi m u m s en ten ce o f t w o years in prison imposed on his client was "unfair" and "harsh "

The court of additional sessions judge R o b i n M o g e r a b e g a n h e a r i n g G a n d h i ’ s a p p e a l f o r a s t a y o n h i s c o n v i c t i o n A metropolitan court had convicted Gandhi on March 23 The complaint was lodged by Surat (west) BJP MLA Purnesh Modi who alleged that the entire Modi community was hurt by Gandhi’s remarks which was made at a public rally in Karnataka’s Kolar in April 2019 Gandhi s senior attorney, RS Cheema, questioned the submission of the complaint by a person who was sitting hundreds of miles away from the scene of the alleged offence and said that he only learned about the remarks through media and his mobile

phone C o u n t e r i n g t h e complainant’s stand that the Supreme Court had warned G a n d h i f o r h i s u t t e r a n c e

“Chowkidar Chor Hai” in the R a f a l e d e a l c a s e , C h e e m a argued how could the warning issued in November 2019 be a ground for conviction when his client had delivered the s p e e c h i n q u e s t i o n i n A p r i l T h e c o u r t scheduled further hearing on April 20

In his reply filed in the court earlier, MLA Modi had opposed Gandhi's plea saying the Congress leader is a “repetitive offender” who is in the habit of making defamatory statements and had cited the SC warning

G a n d h i s a t t o r n e y q u e s t i o n e d t h e veracity of the speech CDs and suggested that they may have also been tampered with in relation to the electronic evidence He further claimed that two years and nine months after the lawsuit was filed, one of the witnesses was "suddenly" produced in court

Rahul Gandhi

Ticket distribution sparks rebellion in Karnataka BJP SC slams Karnataka

B EN GA LU R U: The b anner of rev ol t by disappoint ed ticke t a sp i r a n t s i n a n um b e r of co n st i t ue nc ie s s e e ms t o b e kee pin g the BJP lea dership on ten terhooks, as it re sorts to douse the fire with less t ha n a m on t h t o g o b e f or e t h e

Assemb ly polls

The decision of former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and former deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi to quit the BJP after the party decided not to field them in the May 10 elections, has given a jolt to the p a r t y T h e B J P h a s s o f a r a n n o u n c e d candidates in 212 constituencies out of the total 224 in two lists According to party sources, there seems to be revolt in about two dozen Assembly segments

T h e n a t i o n a l p a r t y h a s p r e s s e d i t s leaders into action for damage control U n i o n M i n i s t e r s D h a r m e n d r a P r a d h a n ( p o l l i n - c h a r g e ) , P r a l h a d J o s h i , C h i e f Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Yediyurappa, state president Nalin Kumar Kateel are engaged in trouble-shooting exercises Also, some RSS leaders are said to have been roped in to pacify the dissidents

T h e B J P i n t h e f i r s t t w o l i s t s h a s dropped at least 17 sitting MLAs and has f i e l d e d 6 7 n e w c a n d i d a t e s A m o n g t h e legislators who have resigned from the post and the primary membership of the party i n c l u d e

M L A s M P K u m a r a s w a m y

order scrapping Muslim quota

in brief

RAHUL FIRES CASTE CENSUS SALVO AT PM MODI

(Mudigere), Goolihatti S h e k h a r ( H o s a d u r g a ) , a n d M L C s L a x m a n Savadi (Athani) and R Shankar (Ranebennur)

S e v e r a l o t h e r l e a d e r s o r l e g i s l a t o r s who have not got the t i c k e t h a v e o p e n l y expressed their angst and have said that they will decide on their next move in a couple of days The decision of Shettar, a p r o m i n e n t L i n g a y a t l e a d e r f r o m n o r t h

Karnataka, may adversely impact the party’s prospects in a number of segments in the region, according to political observers She ttar, Sav adi join Cong

Former Karnataka chief minister and six-time BJP MLA Jagadish Shettar and former deputy CM Laxman Savadi joined the Congress After Savadi, Shettar is the s e c o n d p r o m i n e n t L i n g a y a t f a c e f r o m North Karnataka to leave the BJP in less t h a n a w e e k I r r e p a r a b l e d i f f e r e n c e s cropped up between Shettar and the BJP after he was denied a ticket to contest the H u b b a l l i - D h a r w a d C e n t r a l c o n s t i t u e n c y that he has won six times consecutively since 1994 He will contest as a Congress candidate from Hubballi-Dharwad Central, a n n o u n c i n g t h a t h e w i l l f i l e h i s nominations on April 19 and hold a public rally in Hubballi Congress gave Savadi ticket from Athani in Belagavi district

Another close aide of Amritpal arrested

A M R I T S A R / H O S H I A R P U R :

Af ter the arres t of Papalpreet S in g h, k e y a id e of pr oK ha l i s t a n f u gi t iv e A m r i tp a l Singh, anot her cl os e as sociate of the radic al preacher has also b e e n n a b b ed , P un ja b P ol i c e c laimed T a l k i n g t o r e p o r t e r s i n Amritsar, deputy inspector general , border r a n g e , N a r e n d e r a B h a r g a v s a i d t h a t

Amritpal’s associate Joga Singh was arrested from Sirhind after a joint operation by Amritsar (Rural) and Hoshipur police teams B h a r g a v w a s a c c o m p a n i e d b y A m r i t s a r (Rural) SSP Satinder Singh and Hoshiarpur SSP Sartaj Chahal Lawye r am ong 3 others arres ted

The Hoshiarpur police arrested three others, including a lawyer, for allegedly extending help to Amritpal, who is on the r u n s i n c e M a r c h 1 8 T w o p e r s o n s a r e reportedly from Jalandhar district and one belongs to Hoshiarpur's Babak village

W h i l e o f f i c i a l s r e m a i n e d s i l e n t o v e r their arrest, sources said that they are in the custody of the crime investigation agency ( C I A ) A m r i t p a l a n d h i s a i d e - m e n t o r P a p a l p r e e t S i n g h h a d e s c a p e d f r o m

Marnaiyan village on the night of March 28

Earlier on April 10, two b r o t h e r s f r o m R a j p u r B h a i y a n v i l l a g e w e r e arrested on the suspicion that they provided shelter to the fugitives They are in police remand Papalpreet Singh, considered to be a strategist of the outfit with close links to P a k i s t a n ' s I S I , w a s a r r e s t e d f r o m Hoshiarpur last week and has been booked u n d e r t h e N a t i o n a l S e c u r i t y A c t ( N S A ) Amritpal is still at large since the Punjab P o l i c e l a u n c h e d a m a s s i v e c r a c k d o w n a g a i n s t t h e W a r i s P u n j a b D e a n d i t s members Papalpreet Singh was brought to Dibrugarh in Assam, over 2500 km away from the northern state, and lodged in the central jail along with seven others of the pro-Khalistan outfit

The crackdown on Waris Punjab De b e g a n w e e k s a f t e r A m r i t p a l a n d h i s supporters stormed the Ajnala police station near Amritsar to secure the release of an arrested associate The episode had raised fears of the return of Khalistani militancy to the state that borders Pakistan

NE W D E LHI : T he Sup reme Co urt last week criticised Karnataka go vernment's c ontroversial March 27 deci sion ending 4% Mu sli m quo ta in the state and said the "fou ndation o f the order i s s h a ky " an d a p p e ar ed t o be " b as e d o n absolutely fallaciou s assumptions"

Hearing appeals against the order, a bench of Justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna said, The order could not have been passed based on an interim report of the commission The state could have waited till a final report "

Sensing that the court was inclined to stay the order, the Karnataka government gave an undertaking that the decision would not be implemented immediately By the impugned order, the state had shifted Muslims from the socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs) to the economically weaker section (EWS) to end the 4% reservation they had since 2002 The 4% quota so freed was distributed e q u a l l y a m o n g V o k k a l i g a a n d L i n g a y a t communities

During the course of the hearing in the SC, the bench said, “On the basis of the documents and materials produced before us, it appears that Muslims were backward and then suddenly it has changed ” Senior advocates Dushyant D a v e , K a p i l S i b a l a n d G o p a l Shankaranarayanan appeared for petitioners from the Muslim community and said the government had not carried out any study and there was no data available to justify denying quota to Muslims

Punjab BJP leader shot at by unidentified attackers

A M RI T SA R: P unjab BJ P S C m orcha g eneral secretary, Balwinder Gill, was sh ot at by tw o u nidentified bike-borne perso ns at his residence in Jandiala Guru area Senio r police officials, inclu ding SSP Amritsar rural Satinder Singh, h av e reach ed the spot and started a pro be into the case SSP said they can't share any details at the moment while adding that investigations were underway

As per initial information, Balwinder Gill was present at his home in the evening when two bike borne persons arrived and rang the doorbell As he opened the door, the armed attackers shot him in the face and fled away His family members came out and rushed him to a private hospital

P o l i c e t e a m s w e r e s c a n n i n g t h e C C T V cameras in the area to find clues about the perpetrators

Janardan Sharma, Punjab BJP Spokesman, condemned the incident and said that law and order situation has totally collapses in the state He said that Balwinder Gill along with another senior BJP leader, Kewal Kumar, had returned from campaigning at Jalandhar After dropping h i m o u t s i d e h i s h o u s e , K e w a l m o v e d t o Amritsar

Shah sets target for 35 of 42 Bengal seats in LS polls

S U R I ( B I R B H U M ) : U ni o n h ome minister Amit S hah set BJ P a to ugh target of 35 o f th e total 42 seats fro m Bengal in th e 2 024 Lo k S ab ha p o lls, nearly dou ble of the 1 8 constituencies that the saffro n party h ad won i n 2019

“Give us 35 seats in 2024 if you want to make (Narendra) Modiji PM for a third term If y o u d o t h a t i n 2 0 2 4 , t h e T r i n a m o o l g o v e r n m e n t w o n ’ t survive beyond 2025, ” he said at his first public rally at Birbhum’s Suri T h e m i n i s t e r t o l d t h e gathering that BJP needed the

n u m b e r s t o e n d “ T r i n a m o o l t o r t u r e , i t s p o l i t i c s o f appeasement, bhai-bhatija raj, o v e r a l l c o r r u p t i o n a n d infiltration” in Bengal S p e l l i n g o u t t h e r o a d m a p f o r B J P w i t h e m p h a s i s o n d e v e l o p m e n t , w e l f a r e o f t h e

poor and an assertion of the Hindu identity, he said: “There

were attacks on the Ram N a v a m i p r o c e s s i o n s i n H o w r a h a n d R i s h r a I t h a p p e n e d b e c a u s e o f politics of appeasement by T r i n a m o o l G i v e u s t h e majority, no one will dare t o a t t a c k R a m N a v a m i p r o c e s s i o n s ” C o m i n g down heavily on the Trinamool government , Shah said: “Didi (CM Mamata Banerjee) is not b o t h e r e d a b o u t t h e p o o r i n Bengal Her sole aim is to make her nephew the CM This is not going to happen the CM this time will be from BJP The 2024 Lok Sabha polls will be a trailer

to this episode ” I n t h e b a c k d r o p o f accusations from the opposition a b o u t m i s u s e o f c e n t r a l i n v e s t i g a t i n g a g e n c i e s , t h e home minister referred to the cash-for jobs scam, saying: “Didi had promised employment to 300,000 Bengal youths Instead, T r i n a m o o l l o o t e d t h e y o u t h s a s p i r i n g f o r j o b s E D h a d t o carry money from the house of Trinamool functionaries in two trunks And they (Trinamool) r o s e i n p r o t e s t w h e n E D a r r e s t e d t h e m i n i s t e r D o whatever you want The battle against corruption won’t stop ”

Attempting to turn the tables on BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of alleged disrespect to Other Backward Classes (OBC) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned the Centre on why there is such a low percentage of bureaucrats from OBC Dalit and Adivasi communities serving in Government of India posts Criticised for allegedly castigating OBCs at an election rally in Kolar in 2019 Rahul returned to the same venue to address another rally and attack the Centre He said if the Modi government had any concern for the welfare of SCs and STs, it would remove the upper cap of 50% reservation “If they do not do this, then it means you (Centre) are disrespecting OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis,” he said at the rally He went on to say “Let the PM make the 2011 caste census, conducted by the UPA government, public Let the people know the population of OBCs Dalits and Adivasis vis-a-vis the number of people from these communities serving as secretaries in the Government of India As on date, only seven per cent of bureaucrats in the post of secretaries are from these communities ” Rahul said PM Modi has made many trips to Karnataka but has not spoken a single word on the 40% commission allegations the BJP government in the state is facing

VIGILANCE BUREAU QUESTIONS EXPUNJAB CM CHANNI

Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi appeared before the Vigilance Bureau in connection with a disproportionate assets case and was questioned by the officials for seven hours

Channi described the probe as "totally political" Emerging out from Vigilance Bureau's Mohali office, Channi slammed the AAP government, alleging that "this government is treating worse than even the Mughals They want to use every way to humiliate and defame In democracy, this is not the way that without any basis they try to build up a case I stand by what I said earlier in my press conference they may do whatever they have to " Channi said "I always worked with honesty and will continue to do so he said The bureau had initially asked Channi to appear for questioning on April 12

KOLKATA SET FOR 1ST UNDERWATER METRO IN INDIA

A piece of history was written last week when a metro train emerged from a 520metre tunnel below the Hooghly, marking India’s maiden under-river train travel The feat comes nearly 40 years after metro started its journey in India in Kolkata - a good 18 years before Delhi got its first metro line - and 170 years after Indian Railways operated its maiden train between Bori Bunder and Thane With the successful run, Kolkata joined the likes of London, Paris New York Shanghai and Cairo that also have train lines under the Thames Seine Hudson Huangpu and Nile rivers respectively “It’s a historic day not only for Indian Railways but for Kolkata as well Test runs along the section have started today said P Uday Kumar Reddy general manager, Metro Railway The metro line will travel at a speed of 80 km/h through tunnels that have been dug out of the Hooghly riverbed, and the journey beneath the river will take less than a minute This 16-km long rail route comprises 10 8 km of subterranean portions, with the downstream stretch of the river also being featured The metro line will be 13 metres beneath the Hooghly River s bed

Papalpreet Singh & Amritpal

CBI questions Delhi CM Kejriwal for 9 hours

Delhi c hief m inis ter Arvind

Ke jri wal w as i nter rogated b y the CB I f or around nine h o ur s a s p a r t of i t s i n ve st ig at io n i nt o al leg ed c or r up t i on i n t he f o r m ul a t i on a n d i m pl e m e n t a ti o n of t he ex cis e polic y 202 1–2 022

He was asked a range of q u e s t i o n s p e r t a i n i n g t o allegations of extension of p o s t - t e n d e r b e n e f i t s t o i n d i v i d u a l s a n d h i s s t a t e m e n t r e c o r d e d H e may be summoned again, if r e q u i r e d , f o r f u r t h e r c l a r i f i c a t i o n s “ T h e statement will be verified a n d c o l l a t e d w i t h t h e

available evidence,” a CBI spokesperson added S o o n a f t e r h i s q u e s t i o n i n g g o t o v e r , h e t o l d r e p o r t e r s h e h a d answered all the questions a n d r e i t e r a t e d t h a t t h e “entire alleged liquor scam was false and bad politics AAP is a ‘ kattar imaandaar p a r t y ’ ( H a r d c o r e h o n e s t party) They want to end the AAP but the country’s people are with us ”

B JP i nstructed CBI to arres t me: Kejri wal K e j r i w a l a s s e r t e d t h a t t h e B J P " i n s t r u c t e d " t h e C B I t o d e t a i n h i m H e c l a i m e d i n a 5 - m i n u t e

m o r n i n g v i d e o m e s s a g e : " S i n c e y e s t e r d a y , a l l B J P o f f i c i a l s h a v e b e e n screaming at the top o f t h e i r l u n g s t h a t K e j r i w a l w i l l b e arrested, and I think BJP has told CBI to arrest Kejriwal Who is CBI if the BJP has issued a directive? The authorities will detain me

He added: “I have been summoned by CBI today a n d I w i l l a n s w e r a l l q u e s t i o n s h o n e s t l y T h e y can send anyone to jail It does not matter if a person has committed any crime

Covid claims 24 more lives, positivity rate jumps to 8.4%

The death toll from

C o v i d -1 9 i nc reas ed

or not ” He claimed that h a d h e b e e n c o r r u p t , h e would have never quit his job as a commissioner in the I-T department to work in the jhuggis of Delhi at a time when the thought of b e c o m i n g c h i e f m i n i s t e r had not even crossed his mind

13 die of 'sunstroke' at Maharashtra event

The Maharashtra Bhushan aw ar d even t in Navi Mumbai tur ned tr agic w it h the death of at least 13 people apparent ly due t o sunstroke as the function, attended by mil lions, was held in an open ground Amit Shah, the union home minister, attended the ceremony held in the Kharghar neighbourhood of the R a i g a d d i s t r i c t , w h i c h b o r d e r s Mumbai, and presented the award t o A p p a s a h e b D h a r m a d h i k a r i , a spiritual leader and social reformer

IMD issues alert for nort her n, eastern states

T h e I n d i a n M e t e o r o l o g i c a l D e p a r t m e n t ( I M D ) o n T u e s d a y issued a heat wave alert for states in northern and eastern India amid rising temperatures As per the weather department, heat wave conditions a r e l i k e l y o v e r A n d h r a P r a d e s h ,

O d i s h a , J h a r k h a n d , B i h a r ,

Gangetic West Bengal and Sikkim during the next four to five days and will abate thereafter The Met Department added there will be rainfall over northwest India during April 18-20

Mercury has also soared in J a m m u & K a s h m i r , H i m a c h a l

P r a d e s h , P u n j a b , a n d e a s t e r n Uttar Pradesh and in many parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Gujarat The maximum temperature in Delhi is likely to reach 41 degrees Celsius, as per the Regional Meteorological Centre Places such as Rajasthan’s Bundi ( 4 5 2 d e g r e e s C e l s i u s ) , U t t a r

P r a d e s h ’ s P r a y a g r a j ( 4 4 6 d e g r e e s

C e l s i u s ) , O d i s h a ’ s B a r a p a d a ( 4 4 2 degrees Celsius), Madhya Pradesh’s Jhansi (43 6 degrees Celsius), Andhra

Pradesh’s Nandigama (43 5 degrees

C e l s i u s ) , J h a r k h a n d ’ s D a l t o n g a n j

( 4 3 4 d e g r e e s C e l s i u s ) , O d i s h a ’ s

Jharsuguda (43 4 degrees Celsius), M a h a r a s h t r a ’ s C h a n d r a p u r ( 4 3 2 d e g r e e s C e l s i u s ) , a n d M a d h y a

P r a d e s h ’ s D a t i a ( 4 3 2 d e g r e e s Celsius) are the hottest places in India on Tuesday, as per private weather monitoring agency Skymet Weather

India, Russia in ‘advanced talks’ for new trade treaty

India 's Foreign M inist er S Jaishankar s tated t h a t I n di a a n d R us s ia a r e in "a d v an c e d ne gotiations " for a new Bil ateral Investm ent Treaty (BIT), which is required to incre ase in ves tor t rust He al s o r ef err ed to In dia's r e l a t i on s hi p wit h R us s ia as o ne of t he "s teadiest" of al l s ignificant relations hips in t he world

With annual bilateral trade having shot up to $45 billion this year, Jaishankar also c a l l e d f o r a d d r e s s i n g t h e g r o w i n g t r a d e i m b a l a n c e H e m a d e t h e r e m a r k s w h i l e addressing a business event that was also attended by Russian deputy PM and trade minister Denis Manturov

“We need to work together with our Russian friends on a very urgent basis on how to address that imbalance And addressing that imbalance really means addressing the i m p e d i m e n t s - w h e t h e r t h e y a r e m a r k e t access impediments, whether they are nontariff barriers, whether they are related to payments or to logistics,” Jaishankar said

He also spoke with NSA Ajit Doval prior to the meeting People with knowledge of the discussion between Doval and Manturov reported that both parties covered a wide range of bilateral matters to put the IndiaRussia strategic partnership into action

Talking about economic cooperation in a s t r a t e g i c c o n t e x t , J a i s h a n k a r s a i d t h e partnership with India was a subject of attention not because it had changed, but because it had not

“Indeed, it has been among the steadiest of the major relationships of the world in the contemporary era But that by itself is not enough We share a commitment to a multi-polar world And that also means a multipolar Asia Russia is today looking much more towards Asia, a reassessment from its traditional focus For India, this c o u l d m e a n a b r o a d e n i n g o f o u r engagement that was overly reliant on the t r i a d o f m i l i t a r y , n u c l e a r a n d s p a c e cooperation,” he said

Gujarati family drowned in St Lawrence on US- Canada border cremated

Four m embe rs of a Gujarati f a m il y f rom M ehs a na who drowned in the St Lawrenc e r i v er l a s t m o n t h w hil e a ttempting to enter the US f rom Canada were crem ated in Toronto Two m ember s of t heir f am il y who re s ide in A l a b a m a , Un it e d S t a te s , a ttended the funeral T h e b o d i e s o f P r a v i n C h a u d h a r y , 5 0 , a n d h i s c h i l d r e n V i d h i , 2 3 , a n d M i t k u m a r , 2 0 , w e r e r e c o v e r e d o n M a r c h 2 9 , h o u r s a f t e r t h e i r b o a t

c a p s i z e d T h e b o d y o f C h a u d h a r y ’ s w i f e D a k s h a was recovered downstream later, said members of the G u j a r a t i c o m m u n i t y i n Toronto “ P r a v i n C h a u d h a r y ’ s c o u s i n K a n t a C h a u d h a r y , who lives in Alabama, had attended the funeral with her daughter Monali They were the only two members of the C h a u d h a r y f a m i l y t o h a v e a t t e n d e d t h e s e r v i c e T h e

family members back in India had reportedly requested the

Indian consulate to perform the last rites in Canada as they did not have the means t o b r i n g t h e b o d i e s b a c k h o m e , ” s a i d a p r o m i n e n t member of the local Gujarati community in Toronto

According to reports, the consulate hired an NGO that w o r k s w i t h t h e I n d i a n community to perform the f u n e r a l c e r e m o n i e s A r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f L o t u s F u n e r a l a n d C r e m a t i o n C e n t r e c o n f i r m e d t h e cremation

b y 2 4 , an d th r ee ad d i ti o nal d e ath s were reco nci led by the states, bringing

the o verall d eath toll

to 5 3 1 , 1 4 1 Gu j ar at h ad th e m o s t f ata li ti es w i th s i x, follow ed by U ttar Pradesh with four

According to data from the health ministry, three d e a t h s w e r e r e p o r t e d i n each of Delhi and Rajasthan o v e r t h e p a s t 2 4 h o u r s Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, K e r a l a , J h a r k h a n d , H i m a c h a l P r a d e s h ,

C h h a t t i s g a r h , a n d B i h a r

r e p o r t e d t h e r e m a i n i n g fatalities On Monday, the nation reported 9,111 new cases, a tiny decrease from S u n d a y ' s 1 0 , 0 9 3 c a s e s , primarily as a result of less testing However, according to ministry data, the positive rate increased to 8 4% D e s p i t e a c o n t i n u o u s surge in cases, the uptake of Covid vaccines remains low O n l y 1 9 8 d o s e s o f t h e vaccine were administered a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y , a c c o r d i n g t o g o v e r n m e n t data Earlier, between April 10 and April 16, only about 3,000 vaccine doses could be administered “There aren’t

m a n y t a k e r s f o r t h e v a c c i n e s A l s o , h o s p i t a l s h a v e r u n o u t o f s t o c k s because many of the doses they had purchased from the manufacturers expired and t h e y d i d n ’ t m a k e f r e s h orders,” an official said

D r H a r s h M a h a j a n , chairman of FICCI Health S e r v i c e s C o m m i t t e e , s a i d the continuous rise in cases was a matter of concern but there was no cause for panic “XBB 1,16, which is fuelling the current surge in Covid cases, is a milder variant of O m i c r o n w h i c h p r e d o m i n a n t l y a f f e c t s t h e upper respiratory passages and not so much the lungs,” he said D r M a h a j a n , h o w e v e r , a d d e d t h a t t h o s e i n t h e v u l n e r a b l e c a t e g o r y , f o r e x a m p l e t h o s e a b o v e 7 5 , people with comorbidities and weak immunity, needed to be very careful because the disease may take serious form in them

Arvind Kejriwal

Telangana CM unveils 125-ft-tall

Ambedkar statue in Hyderabad

Te la nga na Chief Min ist er K Chan dra se kha r R ao la st week un veiled the 1 25-ft t all br onze st atue of BR Ambed kar in Hy der abad, to m a r k t h e 1 3 2n d bir t h a n n iv e rs ar y of t h e a rchite ct of t he India n Con st itution The st atue in Hyd era ba d is India 's t alle st sta tue of A mbe dka r

The unveiling ceremony was held on a grand scale with arrangements in place to ensure that over 35,000 people from all 119 constituencies attended it As many as 750 state-run Road Transport Corporation buses were being operated for the public

T h e s t a t u e s t a n d s n e x t t o t h e S t a t e S e c r e t a r i a t o n t h e b a n k s o f H y d e r a b a d ' s famous Hussain Sagar lake KCR held a m e e t i n g r e c e n t l y w i t h h i s m i n i s t e r s a n d

Vibrant Gujarat summit likely to be held from Jan 11 to 13 next year

other officials to discuss the inauguration of the statue There, it was decided that flower petals would be showered from a helicopter on the statue

Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar was invited as the sole chief guest at the event

Food was also arranged for the people who came to the assembly complex within 50 k m b e f o r e r e a c h i n g H y d e r a b a d S w e e t p a c k e t s , b u t t e r m i l k p a c k e t s a n d w a t e r packets were made available for the public

KCR had earlier praised the sculptor, 98year-old Ram Vanji Sutar, for making a big effort on the statue The government will be inviting Sutar, a Padma Bhushan awardee, and honour him

Gunner held for killing 4 in Bathinda attack

The lone “witne ss ” in t he Ba thinda milita ry sta tion at tack of April 12 has b een ar rested a nd charge d with shoot ing dea d four fe ll ow soldiers sl eeping in the b arra cks b ecause of per sona l an imosit y, Punjab police an d Army officers said, b ut t hey didn’t discl ose what dr ov e gun ner De sai Moha n to pul l the tr igge r

Artillery gunners Sagar Banne, Kamlesh

R, Yogeshkumar J and Santhosh M Nagaralall between 24 and 25 years - died in the attack In the FIR filed by Major Ashutosh Shukla a day after the shooting, Mohan from Andhra Pradesh was quoted as the sole w i t n e s s w h o s a w t w o m a s k e d s u s p e c t s l e a v i n g t h e b a r r a c k s t o w a r d s t h e w o o d s abutting the military station He had said one of the attackers was carrying an Insas rifle and the other an axe Mohan was said to be on guard duty

The case baffled investigators, but after

minutely watching every available CCTV camera footage, they came to the conclusion that the crime was an inside job Police shortlisted 10 personnel, including Mohan, for questioning He aroused suspicion by changing his version twice He buckled later a n d a d m i t t e d t o k i l l i n g h i s c o l l e a g u e s Although authorities were tight lipped about his motive, sources said he was allegedly sexually assaulted and wanted revenge

Bathinda SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana and Colonel Animesh Sharan told reporters t h a t M o h a n t r i e d t o m i s l e a d t h e investigators initially by conjuring up the story of two attackers in white kurta-pyjama carrying out the crime and scooting Mohan has been accused of stealing an Insas rifle and 28 rounds of ammunition - 20 Insas c a r t r i d g e s a n d e i g h t l i g h t m a c h i n e g u n (LMG) bullets - on April 9

The Vibra nt G ujara t Globa l S umm it ( VG G S), t he s ta t e g o v e r n me n t o f G u ja r a t ' s pr emier inv estme nt summit, is sched ule d to be he ld from Jan uar y 11–13 , 2024, a ft er a fi ve -y e a r hi a tu s, a ccor d in g t o t o p st a t e g o v e r n m e n t sources The last ed it ion of VG GS to ok p la ce in 20 19, dur ing which some 28,3 60

M oU s we r e sig n e d, wh ich include MoUs wor th at le ast £ 1 0 b il li on i n k e d in t h e r ene wable e ner gy sect or

The state government is a c t i v e l y m a k i n g p r e p a r a t i o n s t o h o s t t h e s u m m i t T h e s t a t e administration is putting the f i n i s h i n g t o u c h e s o n t h e f i n a l f r a m e w o r k f o r t h e strategy to advance VGGS 2 0 2 4 T h e a d v e r t i s i n g campaign is anticipated to start in July

The state officials will be holding road shows in key metropolitan cities as well as state capital cities,” said a top government official VGGS was slated to take

place after Covid in January

2 0 2 2 H o w e v e r , t h e s t a t e a u t h o r i t i e s h a d a b r u p t l y p o s t p o n e d d e c i s i o n Notably, at that time, the O m i c r o n v a r i a n t - d r i v e n increase in Covid-19 cases c o i n c i d e d w i t h i n c r e a s e d t e n s i o n s b e t w e e n U k r a i n e and Russia

H o w e v e r , t h e s t a t e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i s f u l l y geared up to host the event this time around Two highlevel meetings chaired by the s t a t e c h i e f s e c r e t a r y h a v e already been held to plan for t h e e v e n t , a c c o r d i n g t o s o u r c e s p r i v y t o t h e development

T h e U S , U K , J a p a n ,

G e r m a n y , N e t h e r l a n d s , along with Gulf nations and African nations, will all be contacted to participate in t h e m e g a i n v e s t m e n t s u m m i t ' s 1 0 t h i t e r a t i o n , according to sources

T h e s t a t e g o v e r n m e n t has earmarked a budget of £ 1 2 7 m i l l i o n t o p r o m o t e V G G S 2 0 2 4 “ K e y d i s c u s s i o n s a r e a l s o b e i n g h e l d w i t h t h e U n i o n g o v e r n m e n t o f f i c i a l s f o r their inputs on the shape of t h e e v e n t T h e r e g u l a r f o r m a t o f b u s i n e s s - t obusiness meetings, country s e m i n a r s a n d d i s c u s s i o n s will continue,” the official further added

Gangster Atiq, brother shot dead on way to check-up in Prayagraj

Two assa ssin s act ing as TV r e po r t e r s sh o t d e a d j a i le d mobst er Atiq Ahmed and his brothe r Ashraf a t point-bla nk r ang e when they wer e be ing t ran spor te d to a hospital in P r a y a g r a j fo r a r e qu i r e d m e d i ca l t e st un d e r s t r o n g securit y cov er The two shooters and their associate were taken into custody by police at the crime scene itself They have been identified as Luvlesh Tiwari, Sunny and Arun Maurya

A police constable and a journalist injured in the attack were in hospital receiving medical a t t e n t i o n Y o g i A d i t y a n a t h , t h e c h i e f minister of Uttar Pradesh, requested the f o r m a t i o n o f a t h r e e - m e m b e r j u d i c i a l commission to investigate the matter after the spectacular killings and convened a highl e v e l m e e t i n g R a p i d A c t i o n F o r c e contingents have been deployed, and CrPC Section 144 has been enforced statewide

A police team had taken Atiq and Ashraf to Motilal Nehru Hospital at around 10 35 pm for a routine check up News channel crews attempted to question them as they w e r e h e a d e d t o w a r d s t h e h o s p i t a l a f t e r getting out of the police jeep with more than a dozen police officers and jawans around

them Atiq and Ashraf h a d b a r e l y s t a r t e d t o s p e a k w h e n a y o u t h , who was walking along with the mediapersons and was to Atiq’s left, t o o k o u t a p i s t o l a n d fired a shot into his left temple and another into the head Atiq slumped to the ground In the next instant Asharf, who was handcuffed to Atiq, was also reportedly first shot from behind and then in the head

Eyewitnesses said around 14 rounds were fired The shooting lasted 22 seconds The cops quickly subdued the two shooters and t h e i r a c c o m p l i c e A s t h e y w e r e b e i n g restrained by police, two of them were heard yelling "Jai Shri Ram "

The killings come just two days after the Atiq’s son Asad Ahmed, as well as his aide Hassan, were killed in a police encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) The two were shot dead by the STF during an encounter where they reportedly refused to surrender and opened fire in an attempt to flee Asad had earlier approached the Supreme Court stating that he feared he would be killed in a fake encounter but India’s top court had turned down his plea

Mehul Choksi can’t be extradited sans court order

M eh u l C h o ksi , a d iam o nd merch ant w anted in Ind ia in connection w ith a fraud ov er £ 1 3 b i lli o n , c ann o t be extradited , the Antigua and Barbuda Hig h Court ruled in his fav our

According to Dominicabased media, Choksi has argued in his civil lawsuit that the defendants, the Attorney General of Antigua and the Chief of Police, h a v e a d u t y t o c o n d u c t a t h o r o u g h investigation and that he has a plausible claim that he was subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

According to the court decision, Choksi

c a n n o t b e r e m o v e d f r o m A n t i g u a a n d Barbuda's territory unless the High Court

r u l e s a f t e r a n i n t e r p a r t y hearing and after Choksi has e x h a u s t e d a l l o t h e r l e g a l options, including appeals " F u r t h e r o r i n t h e alternative, a declaration that t h e f i r s t d e f e n d a n t i s t o e s t a b l i s h a n i n d e p e n d e n t , judicial inquiry as to the circumstances of t h e c l a i m a n t ( M e h u l C h o k s i ) ' s f o r c i b l e abduction and removal from the jurisdiction of Antigua and Barbuda on or around 23 May 2 0 2 1 A D e c l a r a t i o n t h a t t h e s e c o n d defendant has a duty to confirm to the Dominican police that the evidence supports that the claimant was forcibly removed from t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n a n d t a k e n t o D o m i n i c a against his will," the court order read

Mehul Choksi

Sarus crane becomes emotional after meeting its saviour

Farmer Muhammad Arif had an emotional reunion with the Sarus crane he had found injured in his field last year and nursed it back to health before Uttar Pradesh forest officers abruptly took h i s b i r d a w a y f r o m h i s h o m e . T h e i n t e r a c t i o n w a s " j u s t f i v e minutes long" and took place at the Allen Forest Zoo in Kanpur The crane began bouncing about joyfully as soon as Arif said, "How are you?," the man told the reporters He continued, "His response was the same as earlier, when I used to return home after four or five hours While Arif had set the bird free after its recovery, the crane had refused to leave and continued to stay with Arif’s family for about a year The excitement of the crane was palpable as it spotted Arif and jumped around. After the crane’s arrival at the zoo on 26 March, wildlife officials had said that the bird would be put under quarantine for 15 days (Agency)

Hema Malini apologises over Bihu festival tweet

Bihu is one of t h e b i g g e s t festivals in Assam a n d f a l l s i n t h e s e c o n d w e e k o f A p r i l e v e r y y e a r

s u g g e s t s f r e s h c o w u r i n e m a y c o n t a i n potentially hazardous bacteria and is not s u i t e d f o r d i r e c t h u m a n i n g e s t i o n

Police took action after a complaint was lodged against him by Vikendra Sharma, an animal rights activist, in November 2022, following a viral video on social media purportedly showing a dead rat with its tail tied to a brick Kumar was later granted bail by a court (Agency)

f o r m e d o f s e v e r a l r e c l a m a t i o n s a r o u n d islands, has variable ground conditions," a representative for the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd stated This tunnel w i l l h a v e o n e t u b e a n d b e a b l e t o accommodate both uphill and downhill trains (Agency)

The festival marks t h e b e g i n n i n g o f the harvest period and is being celebrated from April 14 to April 20 this year

Actor-turned-politician

Hema Malini took to social media to wish everyone celebrating the festival However, the BJP leader made a mistake and called Bihu a festival of Bihar instead of Assam Many people on the internet trolled her, following which she issued an apology On A p r i l 1 3 , t h e a c t r e s s t o o k t o t h e microblogging platform and said, "It is the H a r v e s t s e a s o n n o w T a m i z h P u t h a n d u (New year), Baisakhi (Punjab), Bihu (Bihar) and Pohela Baisakh or Naba Barsha (Bengal) are some of the festivals celebrated Wish y o u a l l a w o n d e r f u l f e s t i v a l m o n t h " H o w e v e r , m a n y u s e r s p o i n t e d o u t t h e mistake "You are absolutely wrong madam, Bihu belongs to Assam only, said a user Another person added, "With this tweet Bihar is mandated to celebrate Bihu Slow clap " Realising her mistake, the 'Sholay' actor took to social media to apologise for the same (Agency)

Anand kids’ song resonates at UN Rutika Valva, 11, has not yet experienced enough of life to form any expectations about it The only goal in the life of this rickshaw driver's daughter was to perform her part as well as she could She was one among the seven children from a street school in Anand who were hand-picked for a solo part in a song that was specially telecast from the UN office in Geneva London-based Sir Vartan Melkonian, the humanitarian ambassador to the UN street children programme and patron of the consortium for street children of the UK selected her personally The special song got telecast with messages from the British who’s who including PM Rishi Sunak The song also featured Himanshu Sargara, 15, another kid from the school who lost his father at a very young age (The Times of India)

Cow urine unfit for humans, says research body

According to a study conducted by Bhoj Raj S i n g h o f t h e i n s t i t u t e a n d t h r e e P h D students, healthy cows and bulls urine samples included at least 14 different types of dangerous bacteria, with Escherichia coli - which may cause stomach infectionsb e i n g t h e m o s t f r e q u e n t l y f o u n d T h e findings of the peer-reviewed research have been published in online research website, R e s e a r c h g a t e S i n g h , w h o h e a d s t h e d e p a r t m e n t o f e p i d e m i o l o g y a t t h e institute, told media: “Statistical analysis of 73 urine samples of cow, buffaloes and humans suggest that antibacterial activity in buffalo urine was far more superior than cows Urine of buffalo was significantly m o r e e f f e c t i v e o n b a c t e r i a l i k e S Epidermidis and E Rhapontici ” (Agency)

Driver steers bus for 15km with chest pain, dies of heart attack

After experiencing a sharp ache in his c h e s t , a 4 0 - y e a r - o l d G S R T C b u s d r i v e r continued to drive the vehicle for a further 15 km before arriving at the depot and p a s s i n g a w a y f r o m a h e a r t a t t a c k Radhanpur was the scene of the event In o r d e r t o a v o i d l e a v i n g h i s p a s s e n g e r s s t r a n d e d o n t h e h i g h w a y , t h e d r i v e r , Bharmal Ahir, decided to disregard the pain a n d s u f f e r i n g a n d c o n t i n u e d r i v i n g f o r a n o t h e r 2 0 m i n u t e s , a c c o r d i n g t o conductor Dinesh Desai As soon as the bus reached Radhanpur depot, Ahir collapsed H e w a s t a k e n t o t h e R a d h a n p u r C i v i l Hospital, but doctors declared him dead Ahir started from Somnath at around 8 30 pm on Sunday and was scheduled to reach Radhanpur at 7 05 am on Monday He and the passengers halted briefly at Varahi, about 15km from Radhanpur, for a tea break in the morning (The Times of India)

Man charged for drowning a rat in drain

A chargesheet has been filed by the UP

World's most expensive car number plate

A w e a l t h y b i d d e r b r o k e a r e c o r d established in the United Arab Emirates more than 10 years ago by spending a w o r l d - r e c o r d 5 5 m i l l i o n d i r h a m s ( $ 1 5 million) on a rare car licence plate in Dubai

According to Emirates Auction LLC, plate number P 7 - which at first glance appears to be the number 7 by itself with the P offset - w a s s o l d d u r i n g a c h a r i t y a u c t i o n Proceeds will go to Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's global food aid initiative, the 1 Billion Meals Endowment

The UAE has made a habit of auctioning off vanity plates, used by the ultra-rich to show off their status and wealth, for charity The latest auction broke a record set in 2008 by local businessman Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri, who paid 52 2 million dirhams for a plate bearing the number 1 in Abu Dhabi (Agency)

US-Indian couple adopts ‘special child’ from orphanage

The baby who has a hernia and an atrial septal defect (a congenital condition with a hole in the heart) has been adopted by Sindhu Lakkur, a doctor from Karnataka, and Naveen Vetcha, a Telangana native who works in the space technology industry in the US According to the orphanage, the boy’s parents had surrendered him soon a f t e r h i s b i r t h l o o k i n g a t h i s m e d i c a l condition Ila Mehta, manager of Kutch Mahila Kalyan Kendra’s orphanage where t h e c h i l d w a s b e i n g r a i s e d , s a i d , “ T h e s u r r e n d e r i n g p r o c e s s o f t h e c h i l d w a s completed by the child welfare committee Thereafter, we had to admit him to the hospital as he was weak and his growth was not normal As his development was slow, medical examination further diagnosed his heart condition for which he was operated upon in a hospital at Karamsad He was also treated for a hernia ” (The Times of India)

Ahmedabad - Mumbai bullet train trial run

T h e b u l l e t t r a i n p r o j e c t b e t w e e n

Vadodara teen’s patented technology

H e i s j u s t 1 7 B u t V a r u n S a i k i a , a Barodian has taken up a bid to free water bodies across the globe of plastic waste along with his mate ‘Flipper’, a hi-tech cleaning vessel He just received a patent from the government for his technological device while on a mission Flipper replicates the routes taken by trash from rivers to seas in addition to picking up plastic waste! “I g o t t h e p a t e n t f o r t h e t e c h n o l o g y I developed from the government I want to e m p l o y F l i p p e r f o r a l a r g e r c a u s e a n d a d d r e s s p l a s t i c w a s t e m e n a c e t h a t i s harming aquatic lives and polluting the w a t e r b o d i e s , ” S a i k i a , a s t u d e n t o f Navrachana Sama School, told the media Depending on the size of the vessel, Flipper c a n p i c k u p f l o a t i n g w a s t e w e i g h i n g anywhere between 150 kg and 500 tonnes T h e a r t i f i c i a l i n t e l l i g e n c e ( A I ) - p o w e r e d automated watercraft can pick up rubbish on its own or in conjunction with any other ship, according to Saikia (The Times of India)

Elephant peels banana before eating

E l e p h a n t s a r e h i g h l y i n t e l l i g e n t creatures Recently, a video of a self-taught

police against the 30-year-old from Budaun who is suspected of drowning a rat in a drain last November after tying it to a brick

According to a senior police officer, this m a y b e t h e f i r s t t i m e i n U P t h a t a chargesheet has been filed in this type of case The accused, Manoj Kumar, a potter who lives in a small house with his three daughters, was booked last year under IPC section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming

Ahmedabad and Mumbai has made 32 9% of p r o g r e s s i n G u j a r a t a n d 1 3 7 % i n Maharashtra, according to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's report to Parliament

“Till now, out of a total 352 km of elevated viaduct, approximately 257 km of piling, 180 km of foundation, 155 km of pier and 37 km of girder-launching have been completed in Gujarat And Dadra & Nagar Haveli,” he said The railway ministry expects the first trial run of the bullet train on a 50 km portion in Gujarat in 2026 "Tunnelling Work will be challenging as Mumbai, being

elephant peeling bananas gave viewers a glimpse of the animals' wider range of skills

The video, which was included in a recent study, demonstrates that one very unique Asian elephant by the name of Pang Pha learned how to peel bananas on her own while residing at the Berlin Zoo She only uses it on yellow-brown bananas, smashing them first before shaking out the pulp and removing the thick peel The process of shaking and peeling is continued until there is no or very little pulp inside the peel The study claims that Pang Pha only consumes yellow bananas and shuns brown ones Brown bananas are accepted by Pang Pha, but she typically discards them after a quick inspection "We discovered a very unique b e h a v i o r , " s a i d M i c h a e l B r e c h t o f

Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin's Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience in a statement (Agency)

Migraines, cluster headaches connected to body’s internal clock, says study

A cc o r di n g t o a me taanal ysi s p u bli sh ed i n the online iss ue o f Neurology, the Americ an Ac ademy of Neurology medical jou rnal, both clu ster h eadach e and migraine have strong links to th e circadian s ystemou r body’s internal clo ck T he research included all available stu dies on cluster h e ad ac h es an d m ig ra i ne t h at i n cl u d ed c i rc ad i an f ea tu re s T h i s i n c lu ded information on the timing o f h ea da c h e s d u ri n g th e d ay an d th e y ea r a nd studies on wheth er genes a s so ci a te d wi t h th e c irc adi an clo c k ar e mo re c o m mo n i n p e o p l e wi t h these headaches S t u d y a u t h o r M a r k J o s e p h B u r i s h o f t h e

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in Texas and a member of the American Academy of

Neurology, said, “The data suggest that both of these h e a d a c h e d i s o r d e r s a r e highly circadian at multiple l e v e l s , e s p e c i a l l y c l u s t e r headache This reinforces t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e hypothalamus - the area of the brain that houses the primary biological clocka n d i t s r o l e i n c l u s t e r headache and migraine It also raises the question of t h e g e n e t i c s o f t r i g g e r s

such as sleep changes that a r e k n o w n t r i g g e r s f o r migraine and are cues for t h e b o d y ' s c i r c a d i a n rhythm ” P e o p l e w i t h c l u s t e r headaches also had higher c o r t i s o l l e v e l s a n d l o w e r m e l a t o n i n l e v e l s t h a n p e o p l e w i t h o u t c l u s t e r headaches

T h e m e t a - a n a l y s i s showed a circadian pattern of attacks in 50% of people

with migraine While the peak for attacks during the d a y w a s b r o a d , r a n g i n g f r o m l a t e m o r n i n g u n t i l early evening, there was a circadian low point during the night when few attacks h a p p e n e d M i g r a i n e w a s a l s o a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t w o core circadian genes, and 1 1 0 o f t h e 1 6 8 g e n e s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h m i g r a i n e were genes with a circadian expression pattern

B u r i s h s a i d , ” T h e s e results raise the potential for using circadian-based treatments for headache d i s o r d e r s T h i s c o u l d include both treatments based on the circadian rhythm -- such as taking m e d i c a t i o n s a t c e r t a i n times of the day -- and t r e a t m e n t s t h a t c a u s e circadian changes, which certain medications can do ”

Herbs and spices to add to your diet this summer

Our dig esti ve s ystem can face vari ous challeng es durin g the summer due to the high te mpera tures De hydrati on a n d pr of us e s w e a ti n g ca n le a d to el ectroly te i mb al an ce s, re sult in g i n b l o a t i n g a n d w a t e r r e t e n t i o n In cludi ng s uitab le herb s an d s pice s i n your die t i s cri tical to a lleviati ng heatr e l a t e d a i l m e n t s C e r t a i n h e r b s poss es s dige stive -s oothi ng properti es, can preve nt spa sms, relie ve bloati ng, an d provi de a refre shin g s ens ation to the body

Health experts suggest the the human body often kicks into survival mode during dehydration, resulting i n w a t e r r e t e n t i o n a n d b l o a t i n g i s s u e s I n s u m m e r , a n e l e c t r o l y t e imbalance can further disturb the fine equilibrium between sodium and p o t a s s i u m i n o u r b o d i e s , c a u s i n g many heat-related problems

This article discusses some herbs and spices to add to your body in the summer Peppermint P e p p e r m i n t p o s s e s s e s u n i q u e c o n s t i t u e n t s t h a t h a v e a c a l m i n g effect on the digestive system This herb alleviates gut spasms, reduces flatulence and soothes the digestive tract, relieving bloating There are many ways to add peppermint to your diet

Te a: One of the most common ways to consume peppermint is through tea You can steep fresh or dried peppermint leaves in hot water for 51 0 m i n u t e s a n d e n j o y i t a s a

refreshing beverage You can also add honey or lemon to enhance the taste

S m o o t h i e s : A d d a f e w f r e s h

peppermint leaves to your morning smoothie for a refreshing flavour

Sa lads: Chop fresh peppermint leaves and add them to your salads for a refreshing twist

De ssert s: Peppermint can be added to desserts such as chocolate mousse or ice cream for a refreshing flavour

Roasted v ege tables: Roast vegetables such as carrots or sweet potatoes w i t h a d r i z z l e o f o l i v e o i l a n d a s p r i n k l e o f c h o p p e d f r e s h

peppermint leaves for a unique and

Brain developing sequence through adolescence: Study

A recent study f inds tha t brai n dev elopme nt doe s not occur consistently th rougho ut t he entir e bra in A Penn Med icine st u d y f o l l o ws a r e c e nt l y d i s co v e r e d d e v e l o p me nt a l p r o g r e s si o n Y o u n g p e o p l e a r e su s ce p t i bl e t o soci oecono mi c si tuati ons until a dole scence because brai n re g i ons th a t sup po r t c og ni ti v e , so ci a l, a nd e mot i on al funct ions see m to reta in the ir abi lity to ch ange, ad apt, and remod el l ong er t han oth er bra in re gi ons

Using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers studied how the human brain develops from the age of eight to 23 years old The results suggest a fresh method for figuring out how individual brain regions lose flexibility at different d e v e l o p m e n t a l s t a g e s T h e f i n d i n g s o f t h e s t u d y w e r e published recently in Nature Neuroscience

refreshing flavour

Ginger

The active component in this root can stimulate digestion and facilitate the smooth passage of food through t h e i n t e s t i n e s , t h e r e b y i m p r o v i n g d i g e s t i v e f u n c t i o n I n c o r p o r a t i n g ginger into one ’ s diet can promote faster and more efficient digestion, making it an excellent addition to any meal Ginger tea is a popular way to consume ginger You can make it by steeping fresh ginger slices in hot water for 5-10 minutes Add honey and lemon for flavour

Smoothi es: Add a small piece of fresh ginger to your smoothie for a spicy kick

Sou ps a n d s te w s : A d d g r a t e d o r minced ginger to your soups or stews

for added flavour and health benefits

S ti r - f ri e s : A d d s l i c e d o r grated ginger to your stirfries for a spicy and aromatic flavour

Baked goods: Add powdered ginger to baked goods such a s c o o k i e s o r c a k e s f o r a warm and spicy flavour S al a d dr e s s i ng : M a k e a h o m e m a d e d r e s s i n g w i t h f r e s h g i n g e r , o l i v e o i l , vinegar, and honey for a refreshing, tangy taste

Fennel

R e n o w n e d f o r i t s h i g h n u t r i t i o n a l value and potent anti-inflammatory p r o p e r t i e s , t h i s s u p e r f o o d i s a n excellent bloating remedy The seeds are particularly effective in calming intestinal muscles and reducing gas formation, promoting a healthy gut e n v i r o n m e n t A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h e cooling nature of fennel seeds can h e l p a l l e v i a t e i n f l a m m a t i o n a n d d i s c o m f o r t , m a k i n g t h e m a g r e a t choice for post-meal tea

F ennel seed wat er: Add a tablespoon of fennel seeds to a glass of water and let it soak overnight Drink in the morning for a refreshing start to your day

The findings reveal that reductions in brain plasticity occur earliest in “sensory-motor” regions, such as visual and auditory regions, and occur later in “associative” regions, such as those involved in higher-order thinking (problemsolving and social learning) As a result, brain regions that support executive, social, and emotional functions appear to be particularly malleable and responsive to the environment d u r i n g e a r l y a d o l e s c e n c e , a s p l a s t i c i t y o c c u r s l a t e r i n development

Corresponding author Theodore D Satterthwaite, MD, t h e M c L u r e A s s o c i a t e P r o f e s s o r o f P s y c h i a t r y i n t h e P e r e l m a n S c h o o l o f M e d i c i n e a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Pennsylvania, and director of the Penn Lifespan Informatics and Neuroimaging Center (PennLINC), said, “Studying brain development in the living human brain is challenging A lot of neuroscientists’ understanding about brain plasticity during development actually comes from studies conducted with rodents But rodent brains do not have many of what we refer to as the association regions of the human brain, so we know less about how these important areas develop ” A n a l y s i n g M R I s c a n s f r o m m o r e t h a n 1 , 0 0 0 individuals, the authors found that the functional marker of brain plasticity declined in earlier childhood in sensorymotor regions but did not decline until mid-adolescence in associative regions These slow-developing associative regions are also those that are vital for children's cognitive a t t a i n m e n t , s o c i a l i n t e r a c t i o n s , a n d e m o t i o n a l w e l lbeing," Satterthwaite added "We are really starting to u n d e r s t a n d t h e u n i q u e n e s s o f h u m a n ' s p r o l o n g e d developmental program ”

"If a brain region remains malleable for longer, it may also remain sensitive to environmental influences for a longer window of development," Sydnor said, adding, "This study found evidence for just that ”

Quick home remedies with ghee to ease constipation

People battling constipation fo r an extended period may h av e exp erimented with v arious re m ed ie s, fi br e s u p p le m en tat io n i n th e i r m e als , an d o t h er la xa ti v es H o w ev e r, to combat constipatio n, you d on't need to search f ar and w i d e ; y o u c an u s e s o m e re ad i l y available kitchen ingredients A s per nutritio n specialists, incorporating beneficial fat o ils and g hee into your d iet can facilitate bowel m o v e m en ts a nd al le v i ate c o ns ti p at i o n symptoms in indiv iduals Ayurveda shares that butyric acid in ghee c a n h e l p e a s e b o w e l m o v e m e n t s I t a l s o i m p r o v e s m e t a b o l i s m a n d h e l p s i n t h e movement and frequency of stool, apart from relieving abdominal pain, bloating, and other symptoms of constipation Ghee lubricates the intestinal walls, which clears the passage

and prevents constipation S t a r t w i t h a s m a l l a m o u n t : B e g i n b y t a k i n g a t e a s p o o n o f g h e e o n a n e m p t y stomach in the morning If you have never consumed ghee, start with a smaller amount

and gradually increase the dosage

Add it to your meals: Drizzle some melted ghee over cooked vegetables or rice, or use it as a cooking medium to prepare your meals

Mix with warm water: Another way to consume ghee is by mixing a teaspoon of ghee in a glass of warm water and drinking it on an empty stomach in the morning This can help lubricate the digestive system and ease bowel movements

It's important to note that while ghee can be a beneficial remedy for c o n s t i p a t i o n , i t s h o u l d b e c o n s u m e d i n m o d e r a t i o n C o n s u l t w i t h a h e a l t h c a r e professional or a registered dietitian before making any significant changes to your diet

Taapsee Pannu completes 10 years in Bollywood

Actress

Taapsee Pannu recently clocked for 10 years in the Hindi film industry When she started in 2013 with ‘Chashme Baddoor,’ she didn’t have a career trajectory charted out She says, “I was told that it’s a short lived career and there are not many examples of people who lasted for a long time So I always thought that, ‘Okay, I’m just gonna be here around for a couple of more years ’”

T a a p s e e , w h o h a s w o r k e d i n T a m i l , T e l u g u , a n d Malayalam movies before venturing into Bollywood, says she wanted to stand out She said, “During my stint in the South, I realised that I was dispensable I began to feel that I needed to have something more besides just having a female presence in films I wanted the audience to believe that I wouldn’t waste their money and time My only goal was to become someone who is not easily replaceable ”

Now, she feels satisfied as an artiste “Barring all the misses that I learnt from, I do have a credible career graph to be proud of In fact, that’s the only thing that has encouraged

Shah Rukh didn’t like

‘Lungi Dance’ at first

Rohit Shetty’s Shah Rukh Khan-starrer

‘Chennai Express’ in 2013 featured a unique song which was also a homage to Tamil superstar Rajinikanth Composer and singer Honey Singh has now revealed that it took him three weeks to get a thumbs-up for the film. He added that these factors became why he has cut down on composing songs for Bollywood films over the years.

W h i l e t h e m o v i e ' s s o u n d t r a c k w a s composed by Vishal-Shekhar, Honey was commissioned by Shah Rukh to create a new song He was told to make a song like his

song for ‘Chennai Express,’ he told me to make something like 'Angreji Beat’ ”

He added, “I asked him why, so he said because that song was a huge hit I told him that I won’t make a song like that but will create a number which has his vibe I made Lungi Dance and he did not like it He took three weeks to decide whether he wants the song or not ”

me to move forward I feel satisfied I have nothing else to keep patting my back And I am definitely in a place where I am satisfied ” Taapsee admits she wanted to create a unique identity with her work and her self-critical attitude helped her achieve that

“A lot of people (actors) who come into this industry don’t have a recall value But I have been lucky to get back-to-back good opportunities that helped me create a unique identity and leave a strong impression on the audience’s mind,” she said

When asked about the lowest point in the past 10 years, she can’t point out one “Being an actor, I’ve kept myself vulnerable to situations in life to make sure I stay as real as possible This obviously makes you experience a lot of lows as well But I’ll just say that I’ve had as many lows as highs in the last 10 years And I’m sure there’ll be many more to come All I know is that I chose a non-monotonous life And that’s what I got,” Taapsee ends

Anil Kapoor celebrates 30 years of ‘Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja’

Actor Anil Kapoor took to his social media accounts for revisiting his 1993 movie ‘Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja’ as it completed 30 years on Sunday. Sharing a bunch of photos from the film and its shoot, he penned a note, especially mentioning recently-deceased actor and director Satish Kaushik

Anil wrote, “A film that might have not done well at the box office but was made with all heart directed by my friend Satish 30 years ago t h e s o n g s a n d t h e t r a i n robbery were brilliantly shot by my friend I believe every project is a learning experience and a cherished one ” The photos include one of the cast and crew, which also includes director Satish and the film's female lead, late actor Sridevi It also feature's Sridevi's husband and the film's producer Boney Kapoor

previous hit, ‘Angreji Beat,’ but told Shah Rukh that he would create something new Revealing how the now-hit song almost didn’t happen, Honey said, "I have always had trouble making music for Bollywood

When Shah Rukh bhai called me to make a

Honey’s new music album ‘Honey 3 0 ’ was released this month and has 10 tracks H e r e c e n t l y c o m p o s e d t h e s o n g K u d i C h a m k e e l i f o r t h e A k s h a y K u m a r f i l m , 'Selfiee ' The singer also appeared in the song with Akshay and actor Diana Penty

Pooja Hegde reacts to the 'producer gifted her a car' rumour

Actress

Pooja Hegde is currently preparing for the release of Salman Khan-starrer

‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan ’ She recently addressed the many bizarre rumours she sees about her life and career in the press She shared that some have even prompted her parents to question her

Pooja mentioned one specific rumour that stated that a producer on her film had bought a car so she could travel comfortably to the shoot She joked and said she wished she had gotten the car Speaking in an interview, Pooja also talked about the many casting rumours she hears about her career, including one that suggests she will star with S a l m a n a g a i n i n t h e ‘ B a j r a n g i B h a i j a a n ’ sequel

She said, “There’s something new about me in the papers all the time I read it and say, now it’s this I can’t keep up giving answers to people,” she said

“I keep reading stuff My parents send me articles with a question mark saying, ‘is it true?’ The random things I get sent to me

Recently it was that the producers in some flam bought me a car to keep me more c o m f o r t a b l e I s e n t a s c r e e n s h o t t o m y p r o d u c e r s a y i n g y

ruined Agar badnaam kare to (if you ’ re badmouthing me) at least give me the car, ” she said

On the work front, Pooja is set to feature in a Telugu film featuring Mahesh Babu, tentatively titled ‘SSMB28 ’

More photos show Anil a n d S r i d e v i p o s i n g o n t h e poster for the movie, and a couple of solo shots of Anil Fans of the actor reacted to the post “I liked the movie w h e n I s a w i t i n m y childhood, later I got to know that it didn’t do well at the box office but I thoroughly enjoyed it Thank you to both of you, ” he wrote “I loved the movie!!! Was one of my favourites Sridevi was hilarious,” commented another Satish Kaushik died in March of a heart attack ‘Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja’ was made on a big budget but failed at the box office, sending him into depression

KJo praises ‘Jubilee’ actor Sidhant Gupta

Filmmaker

Karan Johar took to his Instagram account to praise the recently released web series ‘Jubilee ’ Helmed by Vikramaditya Motwane, the Amazon Prime Video show stars Aparshakti Khurrana, Aditi Rao Hydari, Ram Kapoor, Sidhant Gupta, Nandish Sandhu and Wamiqa Gabbi, among others

Karan shared a poster of the series and w r o t e , “ A s l o w b u r n i n g , i m m e r s i v e , referential tale about the post independence origin and advancement of Hindi cinema This set piece of brilliant set pieces and performances is exquisite and twisted in equal measure grey rules the character graphs and the unsaid is so much more p o w e r f u l t h a n t h e e x p r e s s e d d i a l o g u e

@motwayne is an auteur he sets up the studio world of the 40s and 50s with such clever finesse It took a beat to plunge into his world and when I did I succumbed to h i s m a g i c a n d h i s t e c h n i c a l c r e w o f magicians ”

Karan Johar also praised the cast of the show The filmmaker further wrote, “BUT it is in @sidhant that you find the essence, heartbeat and the soul of #jubilee His act that oscillates between studied awkwardness and heart wrenching intensity is the piece de r e

Nani reveals why he didn’t reach out to Rajamouli after Oscar's win

Samantha reacts to Keerthy Suresh calling her 'unstoppable'

Members of the mutual admiration

Actor

Nani revealed in an interview recently that he didn’t contact his ‘Eega’ director SS Rajamouli after his Oscar win for ‘RRR ’ He said he didn’t message or call the director, adding that his relationship with Rajamouli goes beyond professional ties

‘Naatu Naatu’ bagged an Oscar award last month It became the first Indian production to win in the Original Song category

In an interview, Nani opened up on why he didn’t call or message Rajamouli after the victory He said, “I could have called him but I didn’t want to because I knew that the whole world would be calling him and I know exactly what that feels like I wished him on Twitter and he replied there Their phones must have blew up with messages It must have been madness! I just didn’t want my message to be added to that list ”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Nani’s ‘Dasara’ became his first Rs 100 Crore grossi n g f i l m D i r e c t e d b y d e b u t a n t O d e l l Srikanth, it features Nani as ‘Dharani ’ It also stars Keerthy Suresh, Shine Tom Chacko and Dheekshith Shetty in key roles

Originally shot in Telugu, ‘Dasara’ was released in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and K a n n a d a L a s t w e e k , R a j a m o u l i t o o k t o Twitter to heap praise on the film He wrote, “Amidst the rugged landscape and raw characters, Srikanth Odella manages a tender heart-touching love story Career best perf o r m a n c e b y N a n i K e e r t h y c a k e w a l k s through her role Every actor s performance was noteworthy Cinematography is first class Special mention to the background s c o r e H e a r t y C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s t o t h e #Dasara team on the wonderful success ”

Keerthy Suresh and Samantha Ru struck a chord with their fans yet agai recent interaction It began with Keert Ask Me Anything session on Instagram

The actress wrote on her Instag am here to answer your questions

“Tell about #Sam ” Keerthy respond personality that I look up to She is strong-hearted individuals I have com put, she is unstoppable! @samantha

Samantha then shared the post on wrote, “Thank you darling @keerthy Samantha and Keerthy have fea in the 2018 film ‘Mahanati,’ a Telug biographical drama film Directed A s h w

Salmaan, Vijay Deverakonda, Prakas and Bhanupriya

On the work front, Sam will be n seen in an upcoming romantic fi ‘Khusi’ opposite Vijay Deverakond She also has the action thriller web s e r

Raghava Lawrence helps ailing producer VA Durai

Raghava Lawrence has come to the aid of ailing producer VA Durai, hospitalised and has sought help for his medical treatment. According to a statement, Raghava has paid Rs 300,000 for Durai’s medical expenses.

Actor-filmmaker

A few months ago, Durai released a video where he sought financial h e l p f o r h i s m e d i c a l t r e a t m e n t Actors like Suriya and Rajinikanth extended help after the clip was w i d e l y s h a r e d S u r i y a p a i d R s 200,000 for his medical treatment, and Rajinikanth promised support after he phoned and spoke to Durai recently

L a s t w e e k , a c t o r - f i l m m a k e R a g h a v a L a w r e n c e p a i d R s 3 0 0 , 0 0 towards the medical treatment expens Durai The news was confirmed by his cist, who released a statement Dura

Suriya’s ‘Kanguva’ to release in 2023 in 10 languages

d u c e d T a m i l f i l m s s u c h a s ‘ P i t h a m a g a n ’ a n d , ’ among others He also worked as a ducer on Rajinikanth’s ‘Baba ’

In his video, which he released recentDurai said that following the success of his film ‘Pithamagan’ with director Bala, he reportedly paid Rs 25,00,000 to Bala in 2003 to direct his next production venture However, the film didn't materialise and Bala never returned the advance he was paid for the project He claimed that he had to fight a legal battle with Bala for 19 years, hoping to get his Rs 2 5 , 0 0 , 0 0 0 b a c k H o w e v e r , a l l h i s efforts never paid off

On the work front, Raghava is gearg up for the release of his Tamil film hran’ this week He also awaits the of the upcoming Tamil horror-drama mukhi 2 ’

National

Award-winning actor Suriya has announced that his next feature film, ‘Kanguva,’ will hit the theatres next year He shared the title teaser of the upcoming film on his social media pages. He posted, “Sheer joy working with Siva & Team on this mighty saga. Happy to share the title look of #Kanguva.” The film is backed by Studio Green’s K.E. Gnanavelraja in association with UV Creations’ Vamsi-Pramod. It also features actor Disha Patani.

Director Siva said he is looking forward to finishing production on the film soon The filmmaker said, “We are delighted to announce the title of Suriya 42 as KANGUVA, who is a man with the power of fire, majestically represented by Suriya on the screen, which will be a memorable, majestic, unique and interesting experience for cinema lovers We will complete the shooting of the film and announce the release date at the earliest," the filmmaker said in a statement Being shot across Goa, Chennai and various other locations, fifty per cent of the film s production is complete ‘Kanguva’ will be released in 3D in 10 different languages

American filmmaker Joe Russo wants to promote Indian cinema

American filmmaker and director Joe Russo recently attended the Sands International Film Festival in Scotland, where he spoke about his upcoming series ‘Citadel’ featuring Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden He also spoke about backing other industries around the world, including Bollywood, to give them a wider reach

Nick Jonas takes his daughter Malti to his London concert

American singer Nick Jonas, who recently sold out London’s Royal Albert Hall, shared pictures from the musical night with his daughter Malti Marie Chopra Jonas as a special guest. This was the first time the one-year-old attended her father’s concert Taking to Instagram, he shared a picture where he is seen holding Malti in his arms and wrote in the caption, “Her first soundcheck ” Nick’s wife and actress Priyanka Chopra also shared several pictures together from the concert In her post, Nick is holding Malti onstage in the dark hall She wrote in the caption, “What a night ” Priyanka’s recent show ‘Citadel’ was released on the work front, co-starring Richard Madden This is the first leg of the global series Citadel planned by the Russo Brothers Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan lead the Indian series Priyanka was recently

in India to promote the show along with Richard Interestingly, Priyanka shared that ‘Citadel’ was t h e f i r s t t i m e s h e g o t e q u a l p a y a s h e r m a l e c o u n t e r p a r t D u r i n g a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h A m a z o n Studios head Jennifer Salke at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) 2023, Priyanka said that it was only on the series that she received equal pay for the first time in her career She said, “I might get into trouble for saying this, depends on who’s watching I’ve been working in the entertainment industry for now 22 years, and I have done almost 70-plus features and two TV shows But when I did Citadel, it was the first time in my career that I had pay parity I’m laughing about this, but it’s kind of nuts ”

When asked what the best version of Hollywood looks like, Joe said it should get more international and pointed out Bollywood as an example He said, “Certainly a more diverse version and one that’s more international Bollywood, for instance, is one of the more significant film businesses in the world but it has extremely minimal exposure outside of India Thank God for movies like ‘RRR,’ using a level of technical genius, visual effects, and mythological storytelling to appeal to a much wider audience We learn about other cultures from movies like that So, I guess, our goal would be empowerment We want to support other markets as much as possible so their stories can get through in a broader way ”

Joe has worked with Indian artists in movies like ‘Extraction’ and ‘The Gray Man ’ Meanwhile, his ‘Citadel’ is set to be adapted for Italian and Indian audiences The Indian version will be helmed by filmmaking duo Raj and DK, with Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu taking on the lead roles

Priyanka

Chopra was all praises for Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy for being hired as the first woman and person of colour to direct a ‘Star Wars’ film. The actor gave a shoutout to Sharmeen for helming the upcoming Star Wars movie. In her Instagram story, “First person of colour and first woman to direct a Star Wars film And she’s South Asian!! What

Diljit Dosanjh creates history; takes part in Coachella 2023

Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh surprised his fans by taking on the Coachella stage over the weekend The first Punjabi singer to perform at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California, Dosanjh fashioned a black kurta and tamba during his performance He also donned a turban and sunglasses to finish his look

American DJ Diplo took to Instagram to share a clip of himself grooving to Diljit’s live act The music festival’s o f f i c i a l T w i t t e r h a n d l e a l s o s h a r e d a g l i m p s e o f h i s performance with their fans The singer had posted snippets f r o m b a c k s t a g e a s h e p r e p p e d b e f o r e h i s p e r f o r m a n c e

Dosanjh’s fans dropped heartfelt comments on the posts B o l l y w o o d s t a r s , t o o , c o n v e y e d t h e i r h a p p i n e s s a t t h e performance

Alia Bhatt called his performance “EPIC!!!” Sonam Kapoor shared a video on her Instagram Stories and wrote, “Insane! I wish I was there!” Actor Arjun Rampal wrote, "A true rock star legend " Punjabi artiste Jassie Gill also commented with s e v e r a l f i r e e m o j i s , w h i l e r a p p e r R a j a K u m a r i a d d e d , “HISTORY!"

This year ’ s Coachella line-up featured Pakistani singer and ‘Pasoori’ fame artist Ali Sethi There also were international acts from BLACKPINK, Kid Laroi, Charli XCX, Labrinth, Jai

a historic moment @sharmeenobaidchinoy So so proud of you my friend May the force be with you! ”

H o w e v e r , P a k i s t a n i a c t o r Adnan Siddiqui criticised her for calling Sharmeen “South Asian ” Taking to Twitter, Adnan, who had f e a t u r e d i n S r i d e v i ’ s 2 0 1 7 f i l m ‘ M o m , ’ s h a r e d a s c r e e n s h o t o f Priyanka’s Instagram story about Sharmeen and wrote, “With due r e s p e c t , @ p r i y a n k a c h o p r a S h a r m e e n O b a i d C h i n o y i s a Pakistani first just to brush up your knowledge Much like the way you f l a u n t y o u r I n d i a n n a t i o n a l i t y whenever you get the opportunity b e f o r e c l a i m i n g t o b e a S o u t h Asian ” P r i y a n k a a n d o t h e r S o u t h Asian women in Hollywood, like M i n d y K a l i n g , h a v e c r e a t e d a community to help, support and motivate talent She had recently also hosted a pre-Oscars party to h o s t a n d h o n o u r a l l t h e S o u t h Asian nominees, where she also gave a speech about supporting each other

Pak actor criticises Priyanka for calling Sharmeen Chinoy 'South Asian'

CSK pip RCB by 8 runs

It was a game of the finest order as two rivals from the South duked it out till the final two balls of the contest, only for Chennai Super Kings to bag the bragging rights, pipping Royal Challengers Bangalore in a nail-biting finish In a high-octane encounter where the bowlers had nowhere to run for cover, CSK proved to be superlative despite a gritty showdown from Faf du Plessis and co On winning the toss, du Plessis opted to field but on a deadbeat surface where 200 seemed very gettable, Chennai got off to a rollicking start and scored 226 Coming out to bat, RCB were dealt some early blows as Virat Kohli (6) and M a h i p a l L o m r o r ( 0 ) d e p a r t e d i n q u i c k succession, leaving an uphill task for the rest of the batsmen However, in du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell, RCB fought back well A surprise promotion for Shahbaz Ahamad (12) d i d n ’ t r e a l l y p r o m o t e R C B ’ s c a u s e , b u t impressive knocks from Dinesh Karthik (28) and impact player Suyash Prabhudessai (19) helped RCB get a lot closer to the target in the end, only to fall short by 8 runs

Ra jastha n scor e fir st win over Tit an s

The Rajasthan Royals beat Gujarat Titans with a three wicket win against the defending champions in Ahmedabad on Sunday West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer did the u n t h i n k a b l e b y r e v e r s i n g t h e g a m e a n d finishing in style This is the first time the two teams have met since last season While avenging that loss, Sanju Samson led the offense 60 out of 32 balls When no batsman survived at Md Sami’s turn stop, Samson endured The Royal family was in trouble after Dhruv Jurel and Ravichandran Ashwin w e r e q u i c k l y r e m o v e d B u t H e t m y e r miraculously brought the Royals back to victory The Royals won the game with four more balls From playing their lowest game o f t h e s e a s o n t o b e a t i n g t h e d e f e n d i n g champions and maintaining an undisputed

lead in the IPL standings, the RR has shown why they’re an All-Star team MI st eal Venk y's thunde r

V e n k a t e s h I y e r b e c a m e t h e f i r s t

Kolkata Knight Riders’ batter to score a c e n t u r y s i n c e B r e n d o n M c C u l l u m ’ s blitzkrieg of 158 on the first day of the IPL way back in 2008 , but in the end his knock fell short after a collective batting e f f o r t s a w M u m b a i I n d i a n s c a n t e r t o a convincing five-wicket win at the Wankhede Stadium MI chased down the target of 186 in 17 4 overs thanks to useful contributions by their top-five, who before the start of the tournament were tipped to be the most dangerous batting unit in this edition but hadn’t clicked as a unit On Sunday, in front of the capacity crowd, they finally came good and took MI over the line

De lhi suffer fifth stra ight loss

Delhi Capitals fell to their fifth loss in this IPL after a 23-run defeat at the hands of a V i r a t K o h l i - i n s p i r e d R o y a l C h a l l e n g e r s

Bangalore Kohli smashed 50 to guide hosts Bangalore to 174-6, a total their bowlers defended by restricting Delhi to 151-9 Kohli struck his third half-century of the season before other Bangalore batsmen including skipper Faf du Plessis (22), Mahipal Lomror (26), Glenn Maxwell (24) and Shahbaz Ahmed ( 2 0 n o t o u t ) b o o s t e d t h e t o t a l D a v i d

IPL Points Table

Ashwin fined for criticising umpiring decisions

R aj as th a n Ro y als ’ R av i c h an d ra n A s h w i n h as been fined 25% o f h is m atch-fee for breaching the IPL Co de o f C onduct d uring M atch 1 7 o f the I n d i an P r em i er L ea g u e between Ch ennai Super K i n g s an d R aj as th a n R o ya ls a t t h e M A C hi d am b aram S ta d iu m , C hennai on Ap ril 12 T h e l e a g u e s a i d i n a s t a t e m e n t t h a t A s h w i n admitted to the Level 1 Offence under Article 2 7 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct It pertains to “ P u b l i c c r i t i c i s m o f , o r i n a p p r o p r i a t e c o m m e n t i n r e l a t i o n t o a n i n c i d e n t occurring in a match or any p l a y e r , t e a m o f f i c i a l , m a t c h official or team participating in any match, irrespective of when such criticism or inappropriate comment is made ”

For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding

W h e n s p e a k i n g a b o u t bowling with dew, Ashwin said that it was never easy But he w e n t o n t o a d d , “ I ’ m q u i t e surprised the umpires changed the ball for dew on their own It n e v e r h a p p e n e d b e f o r e I ’ m quite surprised Some of the decisions in this year ’ s IPL on the field have left me a little f l u m m o x e d t o b e h o n e s t I mean, it has left me flummoxed

Arjun Tendulkar makes IPL debut

Warner's Delhi remain winless, and bottom of the 10-team table But the skipper saw glimmers of hope in the performance The A u s t r a l i a n o p e n e r s a i d : " T h i n g s a r e n ' t working at the moment but teams have come back from five-nothing, so hopefully we can be that second team "

Ra za , Shahruk h dra g Punjab over t he lin e

Though Punjab Kings missed the services

o f r e g u l a r s k i p p e r a n d o p e n e r S h i k h a r Dhawan due to a niggle, Sikandar Raza stood up to hit his first IPL fifty while Shahrukh Khan applied finishing touches with a late cameo to take the side to a two-wicket triumph over Lucknow Super Giants

After stand-in captain Sam Curran and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada picked 3-31 and 23 4 r e s p e c t i v e l y t o k e e p L u c k n o w S u p e r Giants to 159/8, Raza hit 57 off 41 balls to bring Punjab’s chase on track, followed by Shahrukh slamming 23 not out to ensure the side’s third victory this season Sun riser s beat Kolka ta

Harry Brook shone with maiden IPL century as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 23 runs at Eden Gardens on Friday Nitish Rana's 75 and Rinku Singh's 58 not out went in vain as KKR were restricted at 205 for 7 in chase of 229 Earlier, Harry Brook scored 100 not out off 55 balls as SRH posted 228 for 4 in 20 o v e r s A i d e n M a r k r a m a l s o h e l p e d t h e team's cause with a 50-run knock off 26 balls KKR captain Nitish Rana had won the toss and opted to bowl

Neeraj Chopra to start season at Doha Diamond League

Ol ympic champion javel in thrower Neeraj Chopra will begin his s eason at the Diam ond League m eeting in Doha on May 5, as one of the t op draws in a s tar-studded f iel d The 2 5-year-old Neer aj, the reigning Diam ond League c ha mpion after winning the grand f inale in Septem ber las t, wil l join world champion Anders on Peters of Grenada and Ol ympic silver m edalist Jakub Va dl ejc h of the Cz ech Republic in the f irs t me et of the 14-l eg one-day s erie s of the seas on Neeraj, who has a personal best of 89 94m which he achieved while finishing second at last year's Stockholm Diamond League meeting, is currently training in Turkiye He will be there till May 31

Arjun Tendulkar’ s long wait to play for Mum bai Indians in the IP L finally ended last week when he m ad e his debut against Kolkata Knight Rid ers at the Wankhede Stad ium In the p rocess he and batting great S achin Tend ulkar became th e first fa th e r- so n p ai r to p la y i n th e IP L Tend ulkar S r, w ho w ould h ave been a pro ud m an and w ho is mentor o f the franchise and w as in the dug out, played for MI fro m 2008 to 201 3

Arjun replaced fellow leftarm seamer Arshad Khan in the starting XI and opened the bowling for MI from the North Stand End Arjun bowled two overs and conceded 17 runs in the process He conceded just five runs in his first over and troubled KKR openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narayan Jagadeesan Incidentally, Tendulkar Sr’s first over in the IPL too was against KKR and he too conceded five runs in his first over In the second over, Arjun was hit for a four and six by centurion Venkatesh Iyer as he ended up conceding 13 runs

Arjun was handed the MI cap by Rohit Sharma, who was the impact player in the g a m e s k i p p e r e d b y S u r y a k u m a r Y a d a v Coincidently, Tendulkar Sr was the one who had given Sharma the cap on his Test debut in 2013 against West Indies at Eden Gardens Arjun had to wait for two seasons before he could take his IPL bow He was b o u g h t i n t h e 2 0 2 1 a u c t i o n f o r R s 20,00,000 before he was retained in the 2022 mega auction for Rs 30,00,000

Saudi Arabia plans to have 'world's richest T20 league'

In o rder to g ive toug h com petition to the BC C I , the S aud i A rabi a g o v ernm ent is reportedly planning to set up its own IP Llike T20 league

A c c o r d i n g t o a n A u s t r a l i a n m e d i a report, Saudi government authorities have already taken the first step by meeting with the owners of the IPL teams "Our aim is to create a sustainable industry for locals and expats living in the Kingdom and make S a u d i A r a b i a a g l o b a l c r i c k e t i n g destination," Prince Saud bin Mishal AlSaud, Saudi Arabia's Cricket Federation chairman was quoted as saying by Arab News

in a good or a bad way Because I think what you need is a little b i t o f b a l a n c e ” A s h w i n explained that if the ball could b e c h a n g e d f o r d e w m i d w a y through the innings, he hoped it becomes the standard “As a bowling team, we are not asking for the ball to be changed, but the ball was changed on the u m p i r e s a c c o r d O n w h a t reason, I mean I did ask the umpire, he said ‘ we can change i t ’ S o I j u s t h o p e e v e r y t i m e there is dew they can change it Every single time going forward in this IPL You can do whatever you want You just need to be in the standard,” he added

Due to an injury, the Indian superstar missed the 2022 Doha Diamond League Meeting where Peters sent the spear to 93 07m, the fifth-longest throw in history, to win the title World Championships bronze medallist Vadlejch had finished second with a personal best throw of 90 88m

Alongside the decorated trio, the Doha Meeting will also see European champion Julian Weber of Germany, the Olympic and world fourth-place finisher with a best of 89 54m, former Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad & Tobago, former world champion and 2016 Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego of Kenya

One of the targets for Neeraj, the first Indian Olympic gold medalist in track and field, this year will be to cross the 90m mark, the gold standard in the world of javelin "I'm also getting closer to the 90m mark, so it would mean a lot for me to break that barrier," he said

"While last year was a good year for me with a new personal best, world silver medal, and the win of the Wanda Diamond League, this year brings new opportunities My goal for this summer is the World Championships, alongside the Asian Games and the defence of my Wanda Diamond League title "

The details of the meeting are not disclosed yet The report further added that there is a chance that Indian players m a y b e a l l o w e d t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e upcoming league However, the BCCI s r u l e s d o n ' t p e r m i t I n d i a n p l a y e r s t o participate in any T20 league apart from IPL A player has to be completely cut off from BCCI to play in any other league

In terms of investment, the IPL team owners own franchises in other leagues too Notably, the franchises in Cricket South Africa's SA20 are totally owned by those who have a team in the IPL, which means the rules of the Indian cricketing b o d y d o e s n ' t s t o p f r a n c h i s e s f r o m investing in other leagues

Therefore, it is important to note that Saudi Arabia would need the cooperation of the BCCI to allow players to participate otherwise it won’t be as big as IPL in India

BCCI to upgrade stadiums ahead of ODI world cup

In pre paration for the ODI World Cup i n Ind ia in Octob er–November, th e BCC I i s plann in g a sub sta ntia l ma keover of at le ast five si gnif icant ven ues at an esti ma ted cos t of more than £50 million

The game has attracted huge money over the past 10 years, making the BCCI, the richest board in the world, richer The stoic fan, who has helped shape the game into what it is today, is frequently denied access to even the most

basic amenities at most stadiums around the nation In February and March, during the India-Australia Test series, Delhi's Arun Jaitley S t a d i u m s l a c k o f c l e a n r e s t r o o m s s p a r k e d outrage among the crowd

It is not surprising that Delhi is among the five venues which underwent a gap assessment from the BCCI A gap assessment outlines the existing gaps between the current and ideal future state of an organisation

T h e o t h e r l o c a t i o n s , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e media's list, are Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mohali Before the India-Australia one-day internationals last month, the Wankhede in Mumbai underwent renovations in response to a fan's complaint about the infamous stadium's u n s a n i t a r y s u r r o u n d i n g s T h e c o s t s a r e significant even when one disregards the price of a new roof, which is not an option, at least in Delhi, due to structural issues with the site