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VOL 41. ISSUE 45

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MANCHESTER RACE ATTACK led governDMK, the secment's stability, ond biggest confinance minister stituent in UPA, P Chidambaram on Tuesday quit said there was the ruling no crisis and it alliance and was "absolutely pulled out its stable" and five Union minenjoyed majoriisters in protest M Karunanidhi against government not ty in the Lok Sabha.

"Since it would be a taking up its concerns in the proposed UN resolu- big harm to Tamil race if continues in tion against Sri Lanka on DMK alleged human rights vio- Central government when a situation has been creatlations of Tamils there.

As the announcement ed which won't benefit

by DMK supremo M Eelam Tamils, DMK has Karunanidhi raised ques- decided to immediately tions about the CongressContinued on page 26

India, Italy on war over marines’ trial

SC bars Italian envoy from leaving India till April 2

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Italy on Monday said that the decision of India's Supreme Court to bar the Italian ambassador from leaving the country violated diplomatic immunity law, but added it hoped to amicably resolve a dispute over the killing of two Indian fishermen by Italian marines.

The Supreme Court last week ordered the envoy, Daniele Mancini, not to leave after Rome refused to send the marines back to India to

face trial following a home visit.

The Italian foreign ministry said in a statement that the restrictions on its ambassador were an "evident violation" of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which specifies diplomats' rights to safe passage and legal immunity.

Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, part of a security detail protecting the tanker Continued on page 26

ONE WHO IGNORES INJUSTICE IS EQUALLY ‘GUILTY’

A racist attack on a British Indian man in Manchester has left the community shocked and disgusted. On 26 January 2013, a 56 year old Prakash Patel, was beaten up by seven men and punched in the face and head more than 18 times, leaving him with black eyes and concussionin a tram full of 200 people. But what startled the British Indian community the most, that a 'middle aged Briton' with a young daughter, attacked by a mob, but ignored by his own fellow countrymen.

His distraught daughter Devyani, 21, tried to push the attackers away from her father- but no one else came to his rescue or called the police.

Racist attacks in Britain are definitely rare though perhaps not exclusive any more.

It was a racist attack on Anuj Bidve or/and Stephen Lawrence that took their lives.

It is baffling how one can live by overlooking an act so lowly, especially in

Victim Prakash Patel with daughter Devyani

the 21st century. It is indeed shameful, that a British man was attacked in his own country for his skin colour or race, but what it is more shameful is that his co passengers purposefully chose to turn a blind eye.

What exactly happened on that fateful day Manchester United fan Prakash, who is a Bank of Baroda officer, was on one of the city’s Metrolink

trams on his way home from a match with his daughter. He told The Sunday Mail: “These men came on and started making indecent racist comments.

“Myself and my daughter felt distressed about it so I said ‘please behave’ and that’s when it started.

“They were hitting me in the face, the eyes, the head. After two punches I think I blacked out but the carriage was so full that I

was unconscious whilestanding up.

“There must have been more than 200 people just in our carriage but nobody did anything or said anything. They all just stood and watched us.

“I managed to lean against the side of the tram while they got out.

They told me, ‘If you want to finish this get off the tram’.

Continued on page 30

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

Keith Vazwith MP

Keith Vaz MP

Tulip Siddiq

get to my position and challenge people’s pre-conceived notions of politicians.

is a Labour Party councillor in Regent's Park ward and Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities at Camden council.

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

My mother. She had a very difficult childhood but managed to overcome all obstacles and successfully combined a job and motherhood.

Her determination and hard work was really inspirational and made me believe in my own abilities.

Tulip has worked for Amnesty International, Philip Gould Associates and the Greater London Authority. She used to be a policy advisor for Dame Tessa Jowell MP. In 2010, she worked on Ed Miliband's campaign to be leader of the Labour Party. More recently, she worked for Brunswick Group LLP. Tulip is a primary school governor, a governor at the Working Men's College and a governor on the Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. She is also a fellow at the Royal Society of Arts.

Tulip blogs for the Huffington Post and occasionally writes for her local newspaper - the Hampstead and Highgate Express.

1) Why did you decide to get involved in politics?

I grew up in a political household so I’ve been interested in politics from a very young age.

I always knew that I wanted to make a difference to people’s lives and give back to society.

The Labour Party’s values of social justice, equality and fairness resonated with me so I decided to join the Labour Party when I was 16.

2) Please tell us about your current position?

I am a councillor for Camden Council and Cabinet Member

for Culture and Communities. I am accountable for a £22m budget and set policy for libraries, parks, arts, tourism and sport. I also work on developing the local voluntary sector where I get to meet (and often help!) engaging and hard-working people.

3) What are your proudest achievements?

My proudest achievement has been saving the libraries in Camden. The cuts to our local government budget have meant that I’ve had to reduce 25% of my budget, So every-

one expected the libraries to close. I was able to develop a mixed economy model where I worked in partnership with local community organisations to secure the future of our libraries.

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

I don’t meet most people’s stereotype of a politician which means that people are often surprised when they meet me.

There is a shortage of young women in British politics so I’ve had to work extra hard to

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

The best thing about my current role is making a genuine difference to people’s lives.

Last week I managed to find a place to live for a young woman who has been homeless for four years . It was such a rewarding experience to receive her thank you note.

7) And the worst?

The worst part of my role is making cuts to public services because of the current financial situation. As councillors, we’ve had to make some really diffi-

cult decisions about which services to prioritise because we just don’t have the money to maintain all our services.

8) What are your long term goals?

In the future, I want to work to ensure that more women from hard-to-reach backgrounds are involved in policy making process at all levels of the political spectrum. I also hope to continue protecting public services in Camden for vulnerable residents.

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

I would investigate policies that lift people out of poverty.

Something I feel very passionate about is the minimum wage which Labour introduced. I would explore the idea of a Living Wage across the country.

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

It would have to be Abraham Lincoln. His work on the emancipation of the slaves, his eloquent support for democracy and his political acumen make him a remarkable man. I would then use his pearls of wisdom to ensure a Labour government for 2015!

Mr Pickles, don't make 'immigrants and integration' a 'scapegoat' The Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, has ordered councils to stop automatically translating their information leaflets, posters and other material into foreign languages.

In a written ministerial statement to MPs published last Tuesday, Pickles said that councils spend as much as £20m a year for translation services that actually reduce the incentive for some migrant communities to learn English.

He said that councils have a legal duty under equalities legislation not to discriminate but that doesn't include a legal duty to translate documents into a foreign language.

.

In January the communities secretary complained that the £140m a year spent by all public sector bodies on translation costs had led to an "incomprehensible situation where no one can speak English as their main language in 5% of households" Pickles has further said that he doesn't expect everyone to adopt the lyrical dexterity of Samuel Johnson or even Boris Johnson but he does want people to talk to their neighbours, read a bus timetable or experience the "enormous joy of [reality TV show] The Only Way is Essex".

We at Asian Voice feel that Mr Pickles is indeed addressing the right prob-

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Eric Pickles

lem – but his approach is wrong.

The translation of governmental leaflets into multiple languages were introduced because there were immigrants, asylum seekers arriving in Britainwho were culture shocked, marooned and needed a welcome pad. That was

four decades back. Britain has provided equality to its diverse citizens quite successfully and in order to integrate these new comers better at that time and era- they were provided with different language options. Hence all government leaflets, pamphlets, newspapers were translat-

Dear Letter Writers, Thank you for your letters to our ‘your voice’ section. As you may recall a few years back we made it mandatory that your ‘letters to the editor’ must not be more than 200 words. Despite that we have allowed people to write upto 250-300 words and have edited them as and when required.

However some regular letter writers continue to send letters worth 400-450 words. Our Editorial team has been downsizing every week. However the team and the Editors have decided that from now on, if any letter is more than 250 words, we would unfortunately not be able to accommodate in the paper.

Please note: letters must be written within 250 words. And can be sent via email to by Monday 5pm or by fax to 020 7749 4080 or by post.

- AV

ed into a foreign language/their language of familiarity.

But that was a story of Britain 40 years back.

These immigrants have obviously now integrated with the British mainstream and doing very well, and has no language hindrance whatsoeverbarring one or two minority communities- but that is completely their choice of life. An immigrant now can by no means enter Britain if she or he has no English proficiency.

The most recent census figures published showed that while 4.2 million people or just under 8% of the population in Britain do not have English as their first language, only 138,000 or 0.3% said they could not speak English at all. The Office of National Statistics said however that 726,000 or 1.3% reported they couldn't speak English well. Polish is the second most popular "first language" listed in the census returns.

This clearly shows majority can indeed speak English in this country and has integrated better than elsewhere.

We citizens, whatever be our colour or race are aware of the lack of funds in the Treasury. These are difficult times. What Mr Pickles should have addressed ideally is the

issue of wastage, the avoidable cost Britain is incurring- something a council can afford to control. For example, most of the councils produce their own newspapers. It is merely an accessory- as local papers (like Harrow Times, Wembley Observer, Ilford Recorder) and national community papers (like ourselves) cover the same issuesincluding specific zones and areas.

Pickles has claimed that his new policy is to emphasise better integration- it is definitely an untimely or inappropriate announcement. He has to single out those communities that have not integrated- and address those issues separately. What he needs here is the help of those who have integrated to set an example and help the Treasury to cope better through the nuances of better business acumen and specific skills.

Mr Pickles, you are a community Minister. You represent Britons as much as each of communities.

Your decision is a well intended step, but perhaps you need to borrow our courage to say that the council translations must stop for the sake of a sustainable future of our children, of mother earth and not just make 'integration' and 'immigrants' a scapegoat.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd march 2013

Comment

AfPak crisis portends regional instability An unfolding arc of civil strife, following the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, poses a major threat to regional stability. Few can predict the outcome of the deepening crisis. The Obama Administration assures us that the building blocks of a stable and democratic Afghanistan are in place and the country’s future stability is assured. However, facts on ground yield no convincing evidence of such optimism. Lethal attacks on US and Coalition forces by uniformed men of the Afghan army and police show little sign of disappearing. A permanent peace, it would appear, is proving stubbornly elusive. The mentoring presence of US troops is no salve to the manifest distrust the Karzai regime in Kabul displays towards its US protectors amidst mounting rumours of a possible secret deal between them and the Taliban.

A complicating factor is the Afghan Taliban’s support for their Pakistani brethren locked in an armed struggle across the border with the Pakistani state. Pakistan, for its part, is sundered

by Sunni-Shia sectarianism and clericalistinspired mob violence against the country’s Christian minority. Islamabad also has to contend with an ethnic insurgency in Baluchistan.

As Pakistan is a key US ally and has been since the early 1950s, Washington’s choices are problematic, to put it mildly. The Obama Administration’s studied silence over the recent torching of a Christian neighbourhood in Lahore and the previous Hindu exodus from Sindh scarcely sits well with its ban on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s entry into the US on account of his alleged responsibility for the anti-Muslim riots in the state in March 2001. Double-talk and double standards are joined at the hip.

Is Pakistan best regarded as Afghanistan’s rear or should it be vice versa? Whatever its internal travails, Pakistan remains a nuclear power with a striking missile capability. The country’s military, and the intelligence services with which it is cloned, is the country’s ultimate authority.

However, deepening social discord and economic stagnation predicate institutional fragility, leaving

a question mark on Pakistan’s future direction?

Pakistan geopolitical and strategic orientation, if the past is any guide, makes it an uncertain factor in post-US Afghan politics. Islamabad’s search for what it describes as “strategic depth” in the country tells of a desire to preserve Kabul as its primary sphere of interest. Such a policy has little merit since there will be few takers in Afghanistan itself. Afghanistan will need all the help it can muster from external donors to help its economic and social reconstruction. India’s legitimate security interests rest on its role as a major facilitator in Afghanistan’s development programme. There is no reason why New Delhi should accede to Pakistani ambitions in that country.

Apart from India, Russia and China, which share a common border with Afghanistan, also wish to safeguard their respective security interests. It is therefore significant that quiet consultation were recently held in Moscow between Russia, India and China on the post-US Afghanistan scenario. This trilateral dialogue was described as businesslike. Each side has security concerns emanating from Islamist terrorism and its ease of movement from the AfPak region to adjacent territories. Uigher unrest in China’s Xinjiang province is a likely guarantee that Beijing will put its national interest above playing spoiler for its Pakistani client.

The same Islamist groups that seek to cross into India are capable of doing likewise with China. Beijing would do well to factor this into its Afghanistan policy.

The Obama Administration, keen to win brownie points with his domestic audience, can’t wait to bring its boys home in what has turned out to be the longest war in American history. Like all such wars, the present one is now hugely unpopular with the American public. In such circumstances even a scuttle can be dressed up as a victory of sorts, an act of planned statesmanship in keeping with America’s Manifest Destiny. A complicit media can be relied upon to beat the tomtoms.

Ram Singh’s death an avoidable lapse of security The post-mortem on prisoner Ram Singh, one of the accused in Delhi’s notorious gang-rape last December, has confirmed that he had died by his own hand. But that will not prevent conspiracy theorists flooding the air waves with fantasy and conjecture. It is one of the hazards of modern-day life and brooks no denial.

That said, the Tihar jail authorities were remiss in failing to protect a man best described as a suicide risk. He should surely have been placed under routine watch night and day. Something went awry with procedures, where, when and how will be for an enquiry body to determine.

The horrific death of Nirbhaya is fresh in the public mind. It has brought to the fore the molestation of women on the capital’s streets, and also concentrated minds on the issues of gender inequality and the patriarchy culture that plagues Indian society.

It is a pity that Ram Singh could not be brought to trial and answer for his actions on the fateful day of Nirbhaya’s death. She was cut down in her prime,

a life which promised much but remained unfulfilled. Ram Singh’s trial could have brought some closure to an unspeakable tragedy. His evidence would surely have helped piece the facts together to give us a coherent narrative of events. This would have been a painful experience for Nirbhaya’s parents, close relatives and friends, but their bereavement is pain enough and will endure. There is no escaping it.

Ram Singh’s death is a reminder of the road to be traversed. The judicial process, for a start, needs to be speeded up. Laws on rape must be strengthened.

But there a raft of other corrective measures that needs implementation. These include better and more socially aware education, much the same for the workplace, and greater opportunities for women along the employment chain, and more creative space for women in politics, the arts, sciences and culture. Until women play a full role as citizens of a democratic nation gender inequality will remain a scourge. The case of Ram Singh should bring this home to us.

President’s visit boosts India-Mauritius ties President Pranab Mukherjee was accorded the ceremonial welcome of a 21 gun salute and a red carpet when he stepped off his aircraft at Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius. The vast majority of the Mauritian population are of Indian descent and thus cherish the close links with the land of their fathers. Sentiment is the glue to a relationship that has a strong strategic and economic base. About 38 per cent of the foreign investment coming into India is routed through Mauritius. Both countries are keen to avoid double taxation and are therefore committed to further negotiations in April to fine-tune a convention that would accord well with the interests of both countries. This transpired after talks between President Mukherjee and Mauritian Prime Minister Dr Navin Ramgoolam.

President Mukherjee in reply to the welcome said: “Mauritius is the second country I am visiting after becoming President [Bangladesh being the first]. This reflects the importance that India attaches to its relationship with Mauritius.”

The President also spoke of India’s willingness to assist Mauritius in a wide range of fields includ-

ing 100 scholarships to Mauritian students and training for Mauritian personnel in civilian and defence-related programmes.. He emphasized India’s continuing support for Mauritian safety and security and referred to enhanced cooperation with Mauritius in anti-piracy operations on the high seas; he underlined the bonding resulting from the “convergence of Interests.”

Straddling the Indian Ocean within comfortable reach of the African continent, Mauritius is of critical importance to India’s maritime security.

Speaking at the state banquet held in his honour, President Mukerjee said India’s time-tested ties with Mauritius were unshakeable. He spoke of the Indian Ocean’s historical role over many millennia as arbiter in the fortunes of the subcontinent and described Mauritius as the “proverbial Star and Key of the Indian Ocean.”

Dr Ramgoolam thanked India for her economic aid, saying that this had contributed in no small measure to his country’s current high level of development. President Mukherjee held separate talks with his Mauritian counterpart Rajkeswur Purryag. This clearly has been a win-win visit.

3

The greatest prize that life has to offer is the chance to do hard work that is worth doing - Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

“Our London” Navin Shah

GLA Member for Brent and Harrow

“WHY DOES MUMBAI LIE TO WOMEN?” My apology for the recent irregularity in expressing my thoughts and raising issues via this column. But, as the life would have I ended up with an unplanned visit to India in early March due to bereavement in my family. Allow me to share with you a prominent issue I came across during my visit to India.

On arriving in Mumbai on 2nd March it was striking to see along the highway en-route to my home in Mumbai a huge advertising hoarding of The Times of India displaying a provocative slogan “Why does Mumbai lie to women? I tried to find out what exactly it was about but still haven’t got a clue!

However, it was striking and reassuring to see during my fortnight’s stay in Gujarat and Mumbai that the story about the Delhi gangrape case has not died down. If anything the issue is still very much alive and passionately (almost fiercely) debated in the media. The billboard I saw on my arrival was not the only one, there were plenty more of this type in Mumbai suggesting the wider debate and concerns about the plight of women in India. The controversy still rages on – a sign of healthy and mature democracy I suppose!

The controversy was further fuelled when Ram Singh, accused in the gang-rape, was found hanging inside west Dehli’s high-security Tihar jail. The news has shaken and shocked the nation. The official statement from the Authority claims that Ram Singh

committed suicide using ‘improvised rope’ (made from threads of a sleeping mat) and was found hanging in his cell on 11th March. But this is hotly disputed by Singh’s family and lawyers who’ve described this as a case of ‘cold-blooded murder’ suggesting ‘a CBI inquiry is needed to get to the bottom of this’.

There are also allegations of torture and sodomy in the prison.

The incident raises questions about safety for high-profile prisoners in India and the prison system itself which seems to have failed in securing and watching safety of prisoners. Whilst the mystery behind the death of Ram Singh will take its course before it is resolved, the fundamental question is - will this have any consequences on the trial of the gang-rape case itself?

The prosecution and legal expert say ‘there will be no effect whatsoever on the case’.

With the media widely reporting on the Delhi incident it was interesting to see that another extensively reported story was the visit of Jeffrey Archer to launch the third book in his fivepart series of ‘the Clifton Chronicles’. Whilst I am not at all a fan of Lord Archer’s books or his kind of politics it was interesting to note him comment that gender balance is a massive problem in India where women are not treated as equals. To be fair he did mention that there were people in England who treated women as inferior.

Continued on page 6

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4

Midlands Voice

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 23rd March 2013

Charity event raises £60k for temple project A fundraiser in aid of a temple project in Birmingham raised a staggering £60,000 within just a few hours, thanks to wellwishers.

The £18-per-head dinner and dance round-table event last Saturday brought together over 450 guests at the Second City Suite in the heart of the city.

All funds being raised will go towards the Shree Lakshmi Narayan Mandir Floor Project, a long overdue aspiration of previous management committees, which is finally come to fruition and will see the temple transformed, both interior and exterior. The management committee alone have contributed £15,000 towards the project.

The event, which was compered by author, musician, poet and now, seemingly, a rising comedian Kishorbhai Vadhia, featured a three-course Indian vegetarian meal and live entertainment by popular band Echoes International, led by Rameshbhai Jilka and sons Kumar and Sagar. In addition, temple president Mukeshbhai Ladwa gave a 20-minute presentation on the temple journey since its inception in 1979, and paid tribute to his predecessors for laying the foundations. Fundraising chairman Dineshbhai Chauhan made a plea to all to support this good cause and to spread the word.

Guests included Manoj Ladwa, the president’s brother and high-flyer lawyer

Mr Tumble on UK tour

Shah family

and a global pillar of the Hindu and Indian communities, members of the Committee Chandrakantbhai Pattni, Hameerbhai and Champaben Chouhan, Jayantibhai Jagatia, Pravinbhai Sangani, Dr Kiranbhai Vaja, Vinodbhai Thakrar, Harilalbhai Shah and their families.

At intervals throughout the evening guests applauded announcements of donations, which included £7,500 from an anonymous donor. The biggest donation of £25,000 was received from couple Zaverchandbhai and Radiatben Shah, pictured, originally of Mombasa, in memory of their ancestors including Deparbhai Pethraj and Lilavantiben Deparbhai Shah which won a standing

ovation. Veteran Hindu community activist Dhirajbhai Shah said he felt very proud of the temple's progress so far and said he was keen for the temple to be even more youth orientated. Around £60,000 was raised on the night bringing the total so far to £160,000. The target is £300,000.

The Shree Lakshmi Narayan Mandir on the main Warwick Road in Tyseley is currently under construction and will officially be re-opened on 26th May, major celebrations for which are being planned. Anyone wishing to make a donation or for more information should contact Dineshbhai Chauhan on 07748 658 502.

Once again, Justin Fletcher, affectionately known as Mr Tumble by his young fans, is on a national tour.

Justin, pictured, is taking to the stage in a brand new arena show Justin & Friends, presented by BBC Worldwide.

Joining Justin on stage for singing, dancing and hilarious comedy sketches will be some of the biggest stars from Britain’s most popular children’s channel CBeebies.

Justin & Friends will begin their tour in Newcastle next Sunday (Mar 31) and perform the final performance in this series in Cardiff on April 14. For more information visit www.bbcliveshows.com

New role for Gurpreet Brar

Congratulations to Gurpreet Brar who has joined Bell Pottinger Public Affairs as a director in the financial services team.

Gurpreet, pictured, joins from the chairman’s office at the Financial Services Authority, which is set to be replaced this year by two new regulatory bodies.

Having worked for the regulator since September 2010 he has been an advisor to both the outgoing chairman, Lord Turner, and the incoming chairman of the Financial Conduct Authority, John Griffith-Jones.

Before joining the FSA, Gurpreet was Parliamentary advisor to Adrian Bailey MP, the current Chair of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee.

He has been a regular contributor to epolitix on a wide range of issues.

Michael Gove opens Krishna Avanti in Leicester

From left: Dr David Earle, Sanjay Jagatia, Bishop of Coventry, HE Mr VS Ramalingam, Resham Singh Sandhu, Davinder Prasad

tative in the Midlands, Satinder Kaur Taunque who read out a letter which was sent by Her Majesty The Queen to Lady King following news of Lord King’s death. The vote of thanks was

given by Councillor Ramesh Srivastava, Chair of BOPA. Lord King of West Bromwich died suddenly after collapsing at Euston Railway Station. He was 75.

Church opens its doors for Muslim worshippers In Aberdeen, a church became the first in the UK to share its premises with Muslim worshippers.

The Scottish church, St John's Episcopal Church welcomes hundreds of Muslims praying five times a day in their building as the nearby mosque is too small to take everyone in that many had to pray outside.

Rev Isaac Poobalan, the minister of St John's has handed over part of the church hall to Chief Imam Ahmed Megharbi, who has been leading the prayers in the main chapel.

Rev Poobalan mentioned that he would not be true to his faith if he did not offer to help. “Praying is never wrong. My job is to encourage people to pray.”

The mosque is usually full at times and people are often outside in the wind and rain praying.

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In Brief

BOPA pays tribute to its Patron Lord King The Bishop of Coventry Rt Rev Dr Christopher Cocksworth was joined by scores of eminent British Indians at a peace vigil held in honour of Lord Tarsem King who passed away in January.

The event was organised by the British Organisation for People of Asian Origin, or BOPA. Its General Secretary Davinder Prasad said he was overwhelmed to see such a good turnout which, he added, reflected the popularity and respect of Britain’s first Asian peer.

Speakers were each invited to the podium at the event in Coventry, each of whom shared their personal experiences of Lord King. Contributors included BOPA’s President Dr Rakesh Sachdev, the Consul General of India in Birmingham, His Excellency Mr VS Ramalingam, Dr David Earle, Vice President of Universal Peace Federation, Resham Singh Sandhu, Vice President of BOPA and Les Ratcliffe, Head of Community Relations at Jaguar Land Rover. Also present were veteran community activist Harmohinder Singh Bhatia, affectionately known as Upashak Ji and Her Majesty’s represen-

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“I knew I couldn't let this happenbecause I would be abandoning what the Bible teaches about how we should love our neighbours”, he added.

He had spoken to people in the church about this matter and someone even responded saying that this was “not our problem”, but such a situation was difficult for the minister to watch as many were praying outside in the snow.

Rev states that when the worshippers were doing the prayer they had their hands and feet exposed and that they were sitting on the pavement.

The church is located next door, and it remains empty on a friday lunchtime, a time when they need the place the most, and this is also when they are their busiest.

This was a move to help build bridges between Christians and

Muslims after some initial resistance from his congregation about the move.

He believes that such a move “is so basic and fundamental” and that it is nothing to do with religion at all, but rather it is based on human need.

Initially, there was some hesitation on their part too, as this had never been done or suggested before, but after taking up the offer, the Muslims and Christians have managed to maintain a positive relationship.

Rev Poobalan, 50, said being surrounded by Islam while growing up in India helped break down the divide for worshippers of two religions praying together in Aberdeen.

A member of the Syed Shah Mustafa Jame Masjid mosque said: “What happens here is special and there should be no problem repeating this across the country.

On 15th March the Education Secretary, Michael Gove MP, formally opened the new Krishna Avanti Free School in Leicester.

The local Hindu community in Leicester wanted a new school for their children and the Conservastive government helped to carry the initiative forward.

The Krishna Avanti Free School project began in September 2011, and will offer a broad curriculum, along with the teaching of Yoga, Meditation, Ethics and Philosophy and Sanskrit.

The school is only the second Hindu school in the country- half the places are reserved for Hindus, with other half open to children of any faith or none. A new year group will be added each year and it should be full with a capacity for 420 pupils by September 2017.

The gradual and progressive growth of the school will enable it to become an integral part of the community as well as enabling every child to be well known to all staff.

Opening the school, Michael Gove mentioned that it is Free Schools like Krishna Avanti Primary are helping to raise standards across the country. It provides an inclusive education with a special Hindu ethos that is popular with parents.

“I am delighted to have this opportunity to meet the staff and children of Krishna Avanti,” he added.

Sky 816 • Virgin 807

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

As it is

Iraq: A war without winners No war, as such, can be described as a just war. At the same time, there are certain wars that can be justified. This interpretation is also subjective, but say a war for Nazism when it was in a way a naked genocide with unrestricted aggression on the neighbouring states can be and will be assesses as “a just war”.

Iraq war was confined mainly within its borders, relatively speaking it was for a short period, but the death and destruction as well as the ongoing internecine warfare between the religious fractions has a long-term legacy.

On 19th March, exactly 10 year to the day, Tony Blair, the then Prime Minister, who ordered the British armed forces to strike on Iraq under the influence of President George Bush (junior) was asked for his reactions.

What a reaction that was? On television, Tony Blair was waffling- to say the least. He was trying to justify what is completely impossible. How can you justify what is totally unjustifiable?

Yes, Saddam was not a democrat. He was a dictator. A bloodthirsty one at that. He has shed blood of his own country men, women and children for no other reason, expect to remain in power. Yes, Kuwait was invaded and he was beaten back. Yes, he had caused some problems in several other countries, especially in the Middle East.

Did he possess capacity to invade and be victorious over his neighboursespecially those under the umbrella of Western powers? Did Saddam cause the acts of 9/11? Was he causing the death of Iraqi Christians or destroying churches? Was he a threat, a substantial threat to Israel or the interest of USA and Britain in the direct sense? The answer, of course, is No to these questions.

Much was made out of Saddam's possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction (MSD).

Did Saddam really have MSD before, during and after the so-called international forces hit, Iraq so hard and so ruthlessly, causing untold miseries?

No convincing proof was ever produced.

The answer is NO to all the questions above and Tony Blair said on Tuesday that he had “no regrets”.

It is a fact that the warfare in Iraq is an on-going tragedy. The bombs and other actions of guerrilla warfare is a frequent occurrence. Every month, several hundred innocent Iraqis die. In the olden days, the Sunni minorities were ruling over the Shi'ah majority. There was fear, atrocity and all the painful product of a bloodthirsty dictator.

Today, it appears Sunnis are waging a war against Shias. Make no mistake.

They are all Muslims. Don't forget that they are all human beings. Sectarian violence appears to be an un-ending phenomena.

In the whole of Middle-East, Iran and Iraq are the main majority Shia states. Saudi Arabia a Wahabi, Sunni state with world- wide ambitions and bottomless pile of petrodollars.

Presently, Saudis are under the umbrella of USA. Can it last permanently? It is not impossible to assume that the repressive regime in Saudi Arabia can be toppled as was the Emperor in Iran.

The 10 year Iraq war has cost lives of between 160,000 and 600,000, according to various estimates.

Bloodthirsty Saddam was, thank God, unable to kill so many, even during his entire reign. Iraq, once a comparatively prosperous and developed country is in ruins.

Yes, there is plenty of oil under the soil of Iraq, It will be over a long time, if at all, the situation will be as it was before in terms of human welfare and reasonably tranquil society.

Within few days of the invasion of Iraq, the Deputy Defence Secretary of the US, who was the leading proponent of the war, Paul Wolfowitz told a Congressional Committee: “We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon.” Another big and white lie.

US, UK and Allies have lost thousands of Army personals in the Iraq war and wasted several billions of dollars.

For what? Yes, American contractors ripped $138bn worth business. It was a no win situation for the US and UK. Tony Blair has become very successful as a speaker, especially in the USA and Middle East. Some estimate that £20 million or so have been raised for some of his foundations. A talented and God fearing man Tony Blair will be described by most historians as someone not telling the truth and waging a war without an end.

No one has won the war in Iraq.

There are no winners, but there are losers. Tony Blair and George Bush and some others. Britain has waged several justifiable wars- most of them over the last 100 years or so. The Iraq war is a blot on the British tradition of fairness and values.

Tony Blair should be ashamed. He should have apologised.

- CB

GP found guilty of 39 sexual assaults A family doctor used a tiny camera concealed in the dial of his wristwatch to film intimate examinations of dozens of female patients, a court was told.

Over a three-year period Davinderjit Bains abused more than 200 patients who were completely unaware that the examinations were purely for his sexual gratification.

After his arrest, police found hours of recordings on his laptop which showed him fondling the breasts and genitals of patients aged between 14 and 51.

Bains, pictured, was caught after his 19-yearold lodger complained that he had given her two tablets “for acne”, plied her with drink then tried

to sexually assault her. She also suspected he was filming her with a watch left on the shelf in the shower room.

Wiltshire Police raided Bains’s home and his surgery in Royal Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire and recovered more than 360 clips, ranging from 10 to 45 minutes in length, showing him abusing patients. He was wearing his camera watch with the lens concealed at the 6 o’clock position at the time of his arrest.

Officers contacted all 3,000 female patients registered at the Tinkers Lane Surgery where Bains had

worked for the previous four years. They then had to identify the women in the video clips using patient records and appointment diaries and inform them that what they had thought was a medical check was, in fact, indecent assault.

Bains pleaded guilty to 39 counts of sexual assault and voyeurism and asked for a further 65 offences to be taken into consideration at Swindon Crown Court. A further four offences will lie on file.

Judge Douglas Field remanded Bains in custody to await sentencing at a later date.

National Hindu Students Forum (UK)

By Avnish Thakrar

NHSF (UK) Celebrates 150 Years of Swami Vivekananda The year of 2013 marks the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the great Hindu monk who won over the hearts of the west after his famous speech at the World Parliament of Religions in 1892. So why are NHSF (UK) celebrating his life, 150 years after he was born? What relevance does he have to modern society?

Swamiji taught Vedanta philosophy of the Upanishads, the most ancient Hindu scriptures and made its teachings relevant to modern times. The conclusion of the Upanishads is that your true nature is Atma, the soul and this Atma is equivalent to or part of

Brahman (God). So in essence, the philosophy of Hinduism teaches that God resides in each and every living creature.

With this knowledge, Swamiji taught that one should see God in those around them and their religious practice should be of selflessly serving the down and down trodden; regardless of their caste, creed, colour or religion.

If we look at many of the problems in the world today whether it is war, conflict or environmental damage; one cause is that we see ourselves separate to others and the environment.

Due to this reason, we are happy to harm others in our own self interests

and have no problems in exploiting natural resources if it helps us make quick money.

However, applying Swamiji’s message to our lives makes us treat everyone and everything with respect.

To celebrate the life of Swami Vivekananda, a dedicated team have created a fantastic exhibition entitled, ‘Vivekananda Exhibition on the Ancient Indian Civilisation’ which is touring throughout the UK. I strongly recommend readers to visit the exhibition and find out more about Swami Vivekananda and the ancient Hindu culture.

For more information visit www.sv150.org.uk

“WHY DOES MUMBAI LIE TO WOMEN?” Continued from page 3 International Women’s day was celebrated on 8 March marking the achievements of women throughout the history across the globe but the issues surrounding women’s rights and plight must be of our concern on

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7

New report: Hindu views least represented in media of all major religions Pratik Dattani A major new research report by the Henry Jackson Society (HJS), a cross-partisan British think-tank, says that Hindus are under-represented in the media. The reason appears to be a lack of media-trained, articulate and savvy Hindu representatives, as well as a lack of Hindu civic engagement with issues that affect the wider society.

The report "Faith in the Public Sphere" assessed the impact of faith communities on public life by analysing all articles in three major newspapers from across the political spectrum. It identified 3,945 articles in the period 2000-2010 that reported either a request (a call for the government, state, or a public institution to act) or a response (support for, opposition to, or criticism of the government, state, or a public institution or policy) from faith communities.

Christians participated in 67% of these requests and responses (jointly called 'claims'), Muslims in 31%, Jews 7%, Sikhs 4% and Hindus 3%. Adjusted by the respective populations in Britain, it meant that Jews were the best represented, by a factor of more than two relative to Muslims. Sikhs were nearly three times better represented than Hindus, and Christians were least well represented.

However, "in the least active Christian year, its claims were still higher than the total Hindu claims for the decade," according to report author Hannah Stuart, a Research Fellow at the HJS. The most frequently cited religious representative was the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) at 7% of all claims, followed by the Archbishops of Canterbury

International Sim

Pratik Dattani

and Westminster. The Chief Rabbi ranked seventh overall. In proportion of the newspaper's overall output, The Guardian reported the most Sikh and Hindu claims.

For Hindus, the leading representative was the Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB).

It's former Secretary General, Ramesh Kallidai, was the spokesperson in 18 of the 23 claims attributed to the HFB. More than 50% of all HFB claims were in just one year, 2007, in opposition to the slaughter of Shambo the cow in Wales.

Many of the other claims were to do with asking Royal Mail to remove Christmas stamps featuring Hindu deities in 2005.

The only other Hindu representative of note was the Welsh temple, Skanda Vale, for whom 22 of 23 claims were reported in 2007 and linked to the Shambo case. By contrast, one individual, Davender Ghai, was cited more times than the Hindu Council UK in the entire period. Ghai had

fought a case against Newcastle City Council asking for land to be dedicated for open air pyres for Hindus and Sikhs.

There were almost no Hindu opinions expressed in the media with relation to foreign policy, international aid, community cohesion, discrimination, defence, environment, justice, anti-terrorism, economic policy, employment, family, immigration and abortion. Around 90% of the 109 Hindu claims related to rural affairs (Shambo), public life (Royal Mail stamps), education (almost all multi-faith) and public policy (burial practices). In contrast, 20% of Sikh claims related to employment issues and 5% to abortion, while many of its public life claims related to the hosting of an allegedly dishonourable play hosted at a gurudwara.

According to Hannah Stuart, "Hindu claims were often more specific, and not about wider society and contributions to public policy." This means that the data showed Hindus were not shaping wider public discussions in the same way as other faith communities. Admittedly, the author used only three newspapers, but they were chosen for the richness of data, and the research itself is a careful and analytical piece of work of the kind that has not been done in Britain before.

These data highlight several possible

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trends within the Hindu community. One, that Hindus in Britain do not care much about macro issues, but do care about specific, local-only issues. Two, that Hindus are economically the most successful minority in Britain and therefore focus on business, rather than think about civic engagement. Three, that Hindus often lack cohesion to be able to present a single, unified point of view.

Four, that Hindus lack a sole representative body - otherwise why would a singleissue temple in Wales be the second-most represented Hindu body in the country over the last decade, given they only appeared in the news in just one year, 2007? Five, that Hindus don't have many media-trained, articulate and savvy representatives to present the community. Six, that perhaps Hindus have the will to do this, but not the resources.

The last point is an introspective one for community leaders as well as ordinary Hindus - Hindus are willing to donate to temples and build commemorative schools back home in India, but they collectively lack the foresight to do capacity building within their community in Britain. At the report's launch this month, John Glen MP, said: "most comments were responding reactively to government policy, rather than proactively asserting a point of view and getting Parliament to notice."

Without the capacity building, and strong media representatives, Hindus may continue to be under-represented. Of course the real question is - if trends one and two above are true, do Hindus feel strongly enough about issues that affect the country to demand this representation?

8

Media Watch

The British Government is set to redeem Prime Minister David Cameron’s pledge to Indian businessmen, that in case of urgency they would be given UK visas on the day of application. Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Hugo Swire, told The Times of India (March 9): “It’s just a matter of weeks before the same day visa is rolled out in India. Our message to India is clear – we are ready for business.”

The super-fast visa, however, will cost more than the normal business visa and will be reserved for frequent visitors to the UK, representatives of well known business houses and businessmen and applicants from TierII cities.

All-women medical college in Haryana The first women’s government medical college was opened at Khanpur Kalan in Haryana by Congress President Sonia Gandhi last week. She was all

the “Best Engineering Project” of the year by the Sixth Annual Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum Conference in New York. This was one of three projects short listed for the award from around the “Strategic Hundred” based on

Sonia Gandhi at opening of Haryana medical college for women

praise for the Haryana government for enabling women to showcase their talent and hoped that the new institution and others like it, such as the allwomen’s bank - for which provision had been made in the Union Budget - would bear fruit soon.

Mrs Gandhi referred to recent cases of rape and molestation of women in the country, describing these as a national shame and urged that no effort be spared to remove the stigma.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda referred to several schemes for the empowerment women in the State in the bid to encourage greater women’s participation in society in recognition of their rights as equal citizens. (Hindu March 9)

Engage with Tamils: PM In a forthright statement on the eve of the UN Human Rights Convention in Geneva, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has urged the Rajapakse government in Colombo to engage closely with Sri Lanka’s minority Tamil community in the search for an enduring and equitable peace.

Dr Singh told Parliament: “It will be our effort to work with the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure that the Tamil population in Sri Lanka is given a chance to lead a life of dignity and selfrespect as equal citizens of that country. There must be political reconciliation, that without reconciliation, the situation [in Sri Lanka] cannot remain calm,” he said. (Hindu March 9)

Hyderabad Metro award The Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) was adjudged

several criteria such as business opportunity, productivity creation, competitiveness creation, employment generation and efficiency.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy congratulated HMRL on its success in winning the coveted award. He said this global recognition would work to the benefit of Andhra Pradesh by making it an investment destination.

Beyond this, the larger beneficiary would be India.

NVS Reddy, Managing Director HMRL, made a project presentation at the New York forum. He, along with B.Som Bob, Principal Secretary, K.S.Jawahar Reddy, Secretary to the Chief Minister, received the award from Leigh Jasper, CEO of Aconex and Norman Anderson, President and CEO of CG/LA Infrastructure.

The function was attended by around 400 top public and private sector executives, bankers, financial experts, consultants and specialists in infrastructure projects worldwide.

(Hindu March 2)

Artillery system inducted The Indian Army’s long wait for a heavy long-range artillery system is at last over. The country’s Ordinance & Factory Board (OFB) version of the famed Bofors howitzer which was used to such devastating effect on the Kargil heights in the summer of 1999 against the intruding Pakistani forces has been redesigned to increase its range to 38 kilometres from the original 30 kilometres.

Under the technology transfer agreement, Bofors supplied its drawings to OFB, whose engineers set to work on improvements to the system.

After undergoing stringent tests

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 23rd March 2013

at the Pokhran range, the Army has ordered 114 of these 155mm field guns, thus plugging a serious gap in its operational capability.

Forestalling a coup in Mauritius President Pranab Mukherjee’s state visit to Mauritius to underlined its strategic importance to India and the Indian Navy’s critical role in safeguarding the country’s security in the Indian Ocean. And thereby hangs a tale. Receiving intelligence reports of a Creole-inspired coup in 1983 to overthrow Mauritius’s Indian President Anerood Jugnauth’s democratically elected government to establish an alternative partnership with Libya, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi took decisive steps for a combined army-navy operation to forestall the move.

India’s “Iron Lady” sent then head of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) Noshir Suntook to Port Louis to facilitate the operation. An Indian naval taskforce of six destroyers sailed to Mauritius and the coup plotters called off their conspiracy.

Mrs Gandhi’s decisive action cemented a close strategic relationship between Mauritius and India. The top secret story of “Operation Lal Dogra” (full

active duty by the middle of the year. The Viraat has a displacement tonnage of 28,000 tonnes.

The carrier, purchased from the UK in 1987, operates Harrier jump jets. The retirement of Viraat was put on hold, with the delayed delivery of INS Vikramaditya from Russia’s Baltic Shipyard. Trouble with its boilers and further sea trials this summer should ensure its delivery by the end of 2013.

Scarcely 100 metres away, in the Cochin yard’s building bay, India’s first indigenous, aircraft carrier, to be commissioned INS Vikrant, is on the road to completion. (Hindu March 10)

Kudankulam slush fund The Kudankulam police have registered a case in connection with a “suspicious money transfer” from London to Kudankulam.

The police said that Ambika, wife of anti-nuclear power project activist Thavasi Kumar, had received Rs 28,98.782 in her account at the local Canara Bank from one Anand based in the UK. Information concerning the transfer was passed to the Kudankalam police by Canara Bank. The police in turn moved this on to the Tamil Nadu state and national intelligence agencies. It may be recalled that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had earlier spoken of a

Indira Gandhi with President Anerood Jugnauth

details of which are still under wraps) has been related in the journal Asian Security by Australian academic David Brewster and former RAW director Ranjit Rai. A retired national security official familiar with the operation told The Hindu newspaper (March 10): “But it was a huge success. As a result Jugnauth stayed on as PM for more than ten years. We produced this outcome by political means.”

Mrs Gandhi had bottle, which is more than be said of her whimpering (mostly male) detractors.

“foreign hand” behind the antinuclear power plant agitation.

The chickens apparently are coming home to roost. (Hindu March 10)

Global majors eye Indian roads Several global companies and equity investors are rushing to put their funds into Indian high-

way projects, in moves that will free up thousands of crores of rupees for Indian developers, who can take their funds elsewhere.

According to reports, Uniquest Infra Ventures, the joint venture involving the Malaysian government sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Berhad and IDFC, alone has expressed interest in buying stakes in a dozen Indian road projects.

Similarly, SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Fund has discussed the possibility of investing up to Rs 20,000 crore in projects that are nearing completion.

Tata Realty is eying four projects, while Morgan Stanley is entering this space too with a 15 per cent stake in the SuratHazira highway.

In addition, Canadian Public Sector Pensions Board is acquiring an interest in the PanipatJalandhar highway project.

National Highway India’s Authority is now pushing for allowing developers to offload equity as soon as a project is completed. This will not only free up capital for Indian developers, but increase foreign participation as well. (Times of India March 11)

Meghalaya generosity While some Indians – the Shiv Sena being a notable case – find satisfaction in discriminating against other Indians, Meghalaya has set a shining example of a better model.

Known for setting trends in participatory democracy, the Khasidominated State assembly has elected its first non-Khasi legislator, the Bengali Abu Taher Mondol, as Speaker.

Elected unopposed, Speaker Mondol, the sole non-Khasi tribal in the House was felicitated

by Treasury and Opposition benches. “It gives me great pleasure to address you as Speaker,” said Chief Minister Mukul Sangma. Mr Sangma recalled that it was his predecessor the late Chief Minister Lyngdoh who had inducted Mr Mondol into his ministry in 1998. Mr Lyngdoh later becme India’s Election Commissioner, a post he held with distinction.

Such decency is an ornament to the public life of a country. It is too infrequent, alas.

Politics should not come in the way of personal relationships.

These, at their best, enrich, not diminish it. (Times of India March 12)

New life for INS Viraat The Indian Navy’s sole aircraft carrier INS Viraat is completing an extensive refit at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for reentry into service and a further life span of several years, Captain Biswajit Dasgupta told the media aboard the ship. From Cochin INS Viraat will sail for Mumbai to the Naval Dockyard for essential repairs to its propulsion system sensors and armaments before returning to

President Mukherjee with Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag See comment page 3

UK

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Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Chef Zaman, the New Cooking Star at the Sportsman Casino!

Chef Mahmud Zaman has achieved great things from humble beginnings.

Arriving in England from a small village in North East Bangladesh in 1991, he now runs his own award-winning restaurant in London’s West End; ZAMAN at The Sportsman.

Zaman is extremely passionate about what he does. He began his love affair with food at an early age; the lure of fresh ingredients and the variety of spices used in traditionally home cooked meals set Zaman on an exciting culinary course.

Armed with basic English skills when he first arrived in London, Zaman began his career as a kitchen porter at The Sportsman Casino and worked closely with the head chef at the time. He actively sought to develop his expertise in international cuisine and learn the various disciplines of the bustling kitchen whilst also honing his skills at

Chef Mahmud Zaman

The Rendezvous Casino in Park Lane and 50 St James.

This proved to be a pivotal experience for

Zaman, and his artistic style and love of experimental cooking resulted in a fast track career within The Sportsman. The lack

of formal knowledge was, in fact, an asset as Zaman’s taste for worldwide cuisines helped him to create an international gourmet menu.

The restaurant went on to receive a Gold Award from Top Table in 2009 and was named after him in honour of his inventive and modern culinary creations.

Citing Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsey as his cooking heroes, Chef Zaman is now part of LCI’s roster of chefs including James Martin and Judy Joo. But when Mahmud Zaman first arrived in the UK in 1991, he studied accountancy and not gourmet cooking. He continued with his studies in accountancy before he started working at The Sportsman.

I asked Zaman to explain how it is that so many Bangladeshis enter the restaurant industry in the UK. He explained, “As a Bangladeshi, especially growing up in the villages, we would help our parents with the cooking and shopping. This is where we pick up our basic cooking skills – it comes naturally to us.”

But now that Bangladeshi cuisine is so well established alongside Indian restaurants in the UK, is it not important to distinguish between the two genres?

Zaman agrees that

there are more restaurants being promoted and identified as Bangladeshi.

He says that his country’s dishes are usually based on the four main spices i.e haldi, cumin, coriander and chillies, right the country. across Whereas India, being such a big country, has

I want to keep my customers happy and ensure they always return for more quality and promising menus different styles and spices across different regions and there is a wider range of cuisine.

His own cooking, he told us, uses top quality, fresh ingredients. “I offer a wide range of international cuisines so there is something for everyone's taste buds. Some of my dishes are my own creation and not available elsewhere. Also I twist classic dishes and give them a slightly different flavour e.g. my Singapore noodles, which have a twist!”

Like most good chefs, Zaman has trademark dishes and some he has invented himself, he explains. “My trademark dishes are king prawn with garlic chilli lemon juice and coriander, Singapore noodles, lobster and fresh crab cock-

9

tail and Middle Eastern mixed grill. Also for sweet dishes I make my own ice cream with no artificial flavouring.”

Zaman says that his favourite ingredients are fresh herbs because they are so versatile and dishes are actually built around them.

Regarding role models, he likes Gary Rhodes, he says, because his food and cooking style is “simple, flavoured and well presented.

Also his approach in the kitchen is very calm.”

There is a common belief that it is nearly impossible to eat Bangladeshi or Indian food and eat healthily.

Zaman says that this is not true. All that is needed is for us is to buy the best quality that we can afford and eat smaller portions of food. He also advises us to use brown rice and flour instead of white, to use less oil and to avoid using ghee.

As for Zaman’s own ambitions, he wants to become a well- known chef and “to continue to invent and try something new every day. I want to keep my customers happy and ensure they always return for more quality and promising menus.”

Hearing a review from a top Asian Voice staffer who sampled Zaman’s cooking, he is certainly on track to achieve his goals!

Your Voice

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Caste discrimination

Shortage of School Places

On Monday, 4th March 2013, an amendment was tabled to the Equality Act to insert the word “caste”. This Amendment was moved by Lord Harries of Pentregarth and passed by a historic vote, 256 votes for the amendment and 153 votes against.

However Asian peers like Lord Popat, Loomba and Baroness Verma voted against it. Sadly this sort of attitude not only brings Hinduism in disrepute but makes a mockery of the religion.

Furthermore, because of the regrettable position regarding caste without adequately explaining to the wider community, as to why they opposed, question must be raised regarding who they represent. Bearing in mind that in India there are already pre-existing laws and quotas in the education/job sectors to help the so called scheduled caste and scheduled tribes and to the right candidates and their families such system has helped immensely otherwise Gandhiji would not have advocated the term ‘Harijans’ It is of no wonder that millions of the downtrodden, humiliated, and often sacrificed members of the ‘low caste’ Hindus and sections are turning to other faiths such as Buddhism which openly and lovingly welcomes them treating with respect and equality.

This country has fine tradition of passing laws which protect the minorities, we immigrants and even our children are safer because of the race and religious non-discrimination laws to name a few. The Caste question will remain with more and more people arriving from the sub-continent and unless the quality by Law is brought about, there will be protests and cases of injustice.

A recent report by the National Audit Office (NAO) points out that one in five primary schools is full and that the country faces a shortfall of some 250,000 new school places. It warns that an extra quarter of a million school places will be needed in the Autumn to meet the demand. Even though there was an increase of almost 81,000 primary school places in the last two years, it has been unable to cope with the 16% increase in the number of four-year-olds starting reception classes. This shortfall would create pressure in school places and as the schools will be oversubscribed, our children would not get a placement in the school of their choice and may be allocated to schools away from the catchment areas. So even if some one was lucky enough to live in the catchment area of a good school, he may be allocated a school away from his home. On a more positive note, this week the government has announced new funding for school sport and PE worth £150m a year for the next two years, as it wants to create a culture that encourages children to be active and enjoy sport. This funding would go some way to make our lethargic children more fit and healthy.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Could Gagging Press be justified

The article on mortgage application that I read in your House and Home magazine is a very informative read. Asians suffer from a pressure of buying houses.

That leads to making many mistakes, including signing up with brokers and agreeing for mortgage rates that are beyond their capacity to pay. Then comes the fear of losing the property. In the process they try to quick fix and land in deeper troubles.

I have had a friend who tok a mortgage he could not pay. Then he went for bridging loans. The financer offered the full amount bail out, but the pay back tenure was shorter with a heavy interest.

He was not able to pay that amount back and lost his property, that was auctioned off. So its very simple- if you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. As Mr Parekh says, “Mortgage brokers are there to help you secure the best mortgage for your circumstances.” He or she needs to negotiate on your behalf and get you a better deal than yourself- and not cheat you with any sort of false guidance. A very useful article. I hope your next issue will look into the risks of availing bridging loans.

The freedom of speech, worship and the press is an essential part of our democratic tradition that we should cherish and preserve at any cost. Without such freedom, democracy would be hollow, superficial, meaningless and ultimately lead to political tyranny that was the cause and downfall of communism.

However no institution, establishment or public body should be given the blank cheque, a la carte menu to pick and choose rules and regulations to suit their personal need, agenda that may be detrimental for the good of the society at large. No one, however powerful and influential should be above law.

In this country, most professional bodies, like Law Society, BMA, BDA, Police and many more are self-regulatory, staffed, supervised, investigated, financed and acted upon by their own members to the detriment of the general public, who on most part get a raw deal from such bodies. How can one body be judge, jury, prosecutor and enforcer at the same time?

It has just been announced that there is an agreement between the three major political parties to put forward a joint proposal to regulate the print industry. I believe, from the sketchy information available that the regulatory body will be set up by the print industry but overseen and approved by an independent regulator with mandatory powers. As usual, this is a botch-up job that will fail the public. No wonder every one claims a victory. It seems LibDem Labour alliance has given in to PM, perhaps to avoid going into the bad books of the Press.

Avinash Tripathi Midlands

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

Jai Hind Bharat Parmar

Mortgage and bridging loan

Italian marines won’t return to India News that Italian marines, charged with murder of two Indian fishermen, will not return to India is not astounding at all. It is victory of Italy-Sonia-UPA triumvirate. India has learnt nothing from history going back long before Mogul dynasty, all through British sweet talk and partition of India.

Latest incidents are Kabul hijack incident, escape of Ottavio Quattrocchi and aiding Union Carbide boss to escape after Bhopal gas tragedy. Now India has lost him and lost compensation battle. Such incidents forecast similar outcome in Italian marines’ case, leaving Indian red faced, and Italy laughing at India’s naive gullibility.

Note, effective Supreme Court that cracked whip at miscreants, has stumbled, nay kow-towed to Sonia -UPA duo.

Italy fooled India after post Christmas return of marines. It is incredible that proxy voting, phone/postal ballot system does not exist in Italy.

On part of Supreme Court of India trusting such statement without research is shame and blot on its awesome and reverential image. Is Supreme Court unaware about allowing ambassador to use laptop computer to vote?

It is a shameful fact that while Muslims and now Italians are appeased by miscarriage of justice, all Hindus like suspects in Malegaon bomb case are rotting in Indian jails for unproven charges.

If jail means curtailment of personal rights, how can persons allowed rights to return home for Christmas or voting?

Sonia may now insist on international arbitration a la Nehru did to Kashmir dispute.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Mother’s day Like every year on Mother’s day, many of us treat our mothers (parents) by taking them to temple, fine restaurants and giving nice gifts to show our gratitude. There is nothing wrong in doing all this but it must not be limited to a one day celebration.

If mother (or father) lives with us, then we must spare a few minutes everyday to talk to them on social, religious, family matters, when we are at work we should call them to find out how they are doing, if they live far from us or in foreign country then periodically we must call them too, and visit them on holidays, take them on pilgrimage etc. You must install religious channel on TV, bring them books, new papers, CDs, DVDs of their choice, and ask our children to talk to them with respect and if possible in our mother tongue.

If we do all this, it is equivalent to a gift worth millions and will make our parents happy more than anything else.

Suresh and Bhavna Patel Ontario

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I recently read your magazine- Asian House and Home: The Cowboy issue. A very good magazine indeed- flags up some very pertinent issues. I loved most of the articles, but being involved in the legal field I found Vija Chandras article to the point and extremely well written.

However, reading the magazine I had a strong feeling that it catered to the rich Asians who are settled in Britain.

I think you need to make an all inclusive magazine. May be do a section for people who cannot afford to pay a £100,000 to change doors and windows.

Something for the new buyers.

Credit is due where it is- well done Asian Voice at this latest initiative. One of the coolest magazine you have ever produced.

Arati Mukherjee London

The British Budget Samuel Brittan has written an excellent article on the history of The British Budget since the 19th century (FT 13 Mar p13).

Where will the money come from?

How will it be spent? How much are we likely to borrow? Two months ago the Chancellor sent his chief economic advisor to USA and Canada to seek expert advice on what economic strategy he could consider to stimulate growth in the UK. The Bank Base Rate was 5% on 10 April 2008. By 5 March 2009 it was to 0.5%: a very temporary measure due to a very temporary global financial crash.

On 31 March 2008, £1 = $1.99; on 31 March 2012 it fell to £1 = $1.60.

In March 2008, the UK Retail Price Index was 212.1. In March 2012 it rose to 240.8.

If I were the Chancellor, I would abolish Personal Allowance altogether and require all earners to fill in an Annual Tax Return. There is a lot of debate about strivers and scroungers but no evidence of the extent of either.

I would introduce a 5%, 10%, 15%, 25% and a 35% Income Tax Rate in addition to the current 20% and 40% rates.

I came across a client whose turnover was £100,000. He was declaring a turnover of £50,000. He employed two persons paying each of them £15,000 each in cash, No PAYE, no NIC. These two employees were claiming unemployment benefits.

In another case, £1 million dividend was extracted from a liquidated company that was implicated in the famous mobile phone Vat carousel fraud of £652 million.

Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

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

EducAtion/council Voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

Sikh School plan sparks racist graffiti

Campaigners Avtar Singh Brar and Saera Carter from Stoke Poges, who rare fighting the plans

A race row has erupted after racist graffiti was found scrawled on hoardings around the site of a proposed Sikh school in one of Britain's' wealthiest villages.

Plans have been published in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, to build Khalsa Secondary School which would eventually cater for 840 pupils from South Buckinghamshire, Slough and west London.

According to newspapers, the locals have rejected the plans. They say the area is not right for a secondary school, that it would affect the green belt and that it would cause traffic problems with a large number of extra people coming in and out of the village every day.

A noticeboard on the proposed site has been graffitied with the slogans "No Paki school" and "Don't sell to Paki school".

Campaigners were quick to condemn the graffiti and said that their objections had nothing to do with race. They feel the Slough Sikh Education Trust (SSET), which is behind the proposed faith school, could be fuelling rumours it is a race issue by circulating images of the graffiti.

Saera Carter, vice chairman of the Stoke Poges Parish Council, said: 'It (the graffiti) was discovered at 8:30am in the morning and seven villagers scrubbed it off within the hour.

'As a village we were offended by it. We don't want to offend our Asian neighbours or the SSET as we are a peaceful village.

'Sikhism is a peaceful religion but this is immature and inflammatory behaviour and it wouldn't surprise me if the SSET is turning this into a race

issue.'

Nick Kandola, chairman of the SSET, told a local media: "The incident of graffiti at the proposed school site is unfortunate.

"We would much rather things like this weren't happening and, as a trust, we would prefer to focus on the more important questions of how we can best deliver a new school in this location and serving this community.

"We do not want to draw unnecessary attention to this incident.

"We want to address the more fundamental questions about improving local educational choice and bringing forward an excellent planning proposition." It is understood Mr Kandola has also sent the image to Dominic Grieve, the Conservative MP who represents Stoke Poges as part of the Beaconsfield Ward.

Olympic legacy boost - £150 million for primary school sport in England Primary school sport is set to be transformed- thanks to a £150m-a-year boost that will improve coaching for the youngest pupils and inspire the Olympic and Paralympic stars of the future, the Prime Minister announced on 16 March.

London 2012 gave Britain a once in a lifetime opportunity to inspire a nation to enjoy sport and the Government wants to embed that into the school day from an early age. The new sports funding aims to improve the quality of provision in every state primary school in England.

This means: l A lump sum for each school, with a per-pupil top-up. A typical primary school with 250 primary aged pupils would receive £9,250 per year. This is the equivalent of around

two days a week of a primary teacher or a coach’s time – enough to make sure every pupil in the school can do sport with a specialist. l ‘Ring-fenced’ funding – only to be spent on sport – will go directly into the hands of heads and teachers who will decide what is best for their children’s needs. This could vary from specialist coaching and teacher training to dedicated sports programmes, Change4Life sport clubs and support for after-school or weekend competitions. l A greater role for Britain’s best sporting and v o l u n t a r y organisations,including National Governing Bodies who will increase the specialist coaching and skills development on offer for primary schools. l Tougher assessment of

sport provision via Ofsted to ensure the funding is bringing the maximum benefit for all pupils, with schools held to account for how they spend the money. l Sport England investing £1.5 million a year of lottery funding through the County Sport partnerships to help Primary Schools link up with local sports coaches, clubs and sports governing bodies. l New provision as part of initial teacher training to produce a cadre of primary teachers with a particular specialism in PE. This is being developed in conjunction with sporting bodies and will start with a pilot covering 120 primary teachers, with the first of these beginning work in schools in September 2013.

The Prime Minister David Cameron said:

11

Know Your Pension Rights in Divorce For many people, their pensions can be one of their most important and valuable matrimonial assets. The treatment of those rights can be one of the most complex aspects of a divorce or dissolution settlement.

When

By Savita Sharma deciding such matters, Courts take many different factors into account and each party will need professional advice to determine which of the many available options is best for them.

Pensions of the Police, Armed Forces, NHS and some civil service pensions offer attractive pension scheme to employees and as such if you thinking of separating or wish to commence divorce proceedings you should seek specialist legal advice to ensure a fair and favourable outcome. This also applies to long standing private pensions.

A pension is a valuable asset but can be confusing to deal with upon divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership as provisions brought into effect from December 2000 allow a court to order one spouse to share his or her pension with the other.

There are three options available; (1) creating a Pension Sharing Order; (2) an Attachment Order or; (3) ‘Offsetting’ the pension.

The first step in deciding which path to take is for the pension to be valued.

There are several ways to value pension rights but the simplest, cheapest and most common method is to use the Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CEVT). This is the capitalised value of the pension and is the value of the member’s interest, which would be available, were the member’s pension to be transferred elsewhere. Those pension members who are not yet drawing their pension are entitled to one CETV per year free of charge and they are completed on a basis prescribed by the

Government Actuary’s Department (GAD).

Once the valuation process is obtained, the pension holder can decide which route is most suitable for them.

The first option is a Pension Sharing Order, which creates two pensions from the existing one. The pension is shared at the time of the divorce and the spouse without a pension will receive a percentage share of the value of the member’s pension as it stands. The receiving spouse’s pension will remain in the pension scheme and can be claimed at the age of 60 or 65 depending on which section of the scheme the member is under. The receiving spouse’s pension is then totally independent from that of the giver.

An alternative to pension sharing is creating an Attachment Order. This enables the court to order the managers of the pension scheme to pay a proportion of the pension to the pension-holder’s spouse. In this instance, the pension-holder remains in control of their pension and cannot be compelled to retire at a certain age. Additionally, if the pension-holder dies, the pension benefit is lost. If the non-member remarries, then payments, which are akin to maintenance, will cease.

Offsetting, which is the third option, is where the non-pension holding spouse takes a greater share of the tangible non-pension assets to compensate for loss of a share of their spouse’s pension.

A pension is not immediately accessible, cannot be converted to ready cash and receiving an immediate offset is frequently more attractive than waiting until pensionable age as other factors could intervene to prevent a pension being paid, such as the scheme member dying. Therefore, a discount is usually applied to the non-pension asset to reflect its greater ‘utility’ in the immediate term. Therefore, those who are in this position should seek specialist advice from divorce solicitors.

Savita Sharma is a Family Director/Solicitor at Legal 500 Law Firm, Duncan Lewis.

Offices across London l City of London l Hackney l Lewisham l Southall

l Harrow l Islington l Shepherd’s Bush l Tooting

With over 400 Staff to Assist Tel: 020 7923 4020 - www.duncanlewis.com “The Olympic and Paralympic Games marked an incredible year for this country and I will always be proud that we showed the world what Britain can do.

“I want to ensure the Games count for the future too and that means capitalising on the inspiration young people took from what they saw during those summer months.

“With this new approach to sport, we can create a culture in our schools that encourages all children to be active and enjoy sport,and helps foster the aspirations of future Olympians and Paralympians.

“Whether that is the future Jessica Ennis, Ellie Simmonds or s, or someone who will simply learn

to love sport and exercise for a lifetime, this investment will benefit awhole generation of children for many years to come.”

This move complements the £1 billion youth and community sport strategy that is increasing opportunities for second-

ary school age children to play more sport.

The new support for primary school is funded by the Department for Education, Department of Health and Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Bristol council broadcasting spark controversy Bristol city council has been broadcasting a range of its meetings online over the past five years, in a bid to become more transparent and accountable.

But town hall bosses have admitted that a cabinet meeting was watched live by just three or four people while despite it costing at least £100,000 to create.

There were calls for a review into the “webcasts” last week. But the local authority defended the project, insisting it was a "huge success".

Officials said that while initial viewing figures were small, “hundreds” more people subsequently watched the meetings through its archive system on its website.

12

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

Amitabh to walk Cannes red carpet for ‘The Great Gatsby’

It was the Bachchan bahu Aishwarya who has been gracing the Cannes red carpet all these years. This year it is the turn of the pa-in-law to do the honours.

Amitabh Bachchan will be walking the Cannes red carpet on the opening night of the 66th Festival de Cannes on 15th May, 2013, that opens with ‘The Great Gatsby’, a film he has acted in. He will be joined by the Hollywood glitterati and his co-actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, and the film's Australian director and his friend Baz Luhrmann.

Fahadh Faasil loves Andrea

Yes, you read it right. The hottest hero of Malayalam industry has come out in the open, claiming that he is head over heels in love with actress Andrea. With the already existent bout of confusion and rumours around the charming young multi-talented beautiful lady, this only adds more fuel to the blazing fire. Fahadh is the son of the veteran Tamil-Malayalam director Faasil.

Andrea and Fahadh recently worked together in a Malayalam movie titled 'Annaiyum Rasoolum', and the latter claims that it is then that their love affair began.

In a recent interview, Fahadh has divulged that the two are dating. However, Andrea has not added her opinion to this issue.

Marriage not crime for an actress: Kareena Kareena Kapoor, who wed Saif Ali Khan last year, says being married is not a crime for an actress. She believes personal and professional aspects of life must not be mixed.

"If a girl loves someone or gets married, it doesn't mean that people will not love her or her character on-screen. These (films and marriage) are two different aspects and we should not try and club them. Falling in love or getting married is not a crime," the 32-year-old says. On trying her hand at film production, she says that she has no such plans.

South sensation Nisha Yadav strips for Mumbai drains

Parineeti is exception to the bikini babe rule

While most actresses almost starve themselves to fit into figure-hugging clothes, Parineeti Chopra is somewhat of an exception. The lady loves to eat and has no qualms admitting to it. She said, “I'm a big foodie. When I was working for a production house prior to becoming an actress, I used to frequent all the restaurants in the vicinity. My favourite food is pizzas. Now, I do indulge once in a while but in moderation. My priority is to look like the character that is required in the film and not to cater to other people's perception of how an actress should look.”

Vidya Balan skips saree for Punjabi wardrobe

Vidya Balan is often mocked for her reluctance to shed her onedimensional style statement.

However, this perception is bound to take a beating with her upcoming film. Her look in “Ghanchakkar” is apparently different from what she's done till date and she'll be allowing a glimpse of it in a photo exhibition.

The actress is quite popular for her own brand of fashion as she was often spotted wearing six-yard sarees not only in her last few movies but also social dos. Perhaps that was history. As of now, an image makeover is in the making with the Tambrahm playing a loud Punjabi housewife in her next. She will be seen in dark bright colour shalwar kurtis.

After Poonam Pandey and Rozlyn Khan, now it’s South siren Nisha Yadav aka Ameesha Yadav who wants to strip for a 'cause'. While Poonam and Rozlyn stripped for the Indian cricket team and breast cancer awareness, respectively, Yadav wants to shed her clothes in a bid to get Mumbai's drains cleaned.

Nisha has joined hands with MumbaiWire to create awareness amongst Mumbaikars, to not clog the drains with plastic and garbage. The starlet, who was last seen in a regional film based on Anna Hazare's struggle, titled Corruption - The Curse, is agitating to get the city's drains cleaned, before monsoon.

UTV presents ‘Settai,’ Tamil remake of Hindi comedy ‘Delhi Belly’ Synopsis: JK, Nadupakka Nakki and Seenu are flat mates, buddies and partners in crime. JK is to get married in a month but still doesn’t know if his fiancé Madhu or friend Shakthi is The One! Seenu can’t make up his mind who he wants to kill first – his girlfriend Gayathri who has just dumped him or his stupid, annoying boss whose idea of creativity is sketching a smiling banana! And Nadupakka Nakki is about to discover that eating delicious tandoori chicken off a street vendor is going to give him the worst case of diarrhea he’s ever known! Three regular blokes, living the regular life except for one small detail – they are on the hit list of one of the world’s deadliest crime syndicates. Will they be able to get away before the shit hits the roof and it comes crashing down? Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur are producers and director is R.Kannan. The cast: Arya, Santhanam, Premgi, Nasser, Hansika Motwani and Anjali. The film will be released on April 5, 2013.

National Film Awards: Irrfan Khan gets best actor award

Tigmanshu Dhulia's 'Paan Singh Tomar' was named the best picture at the 60th National Film awards while its lead Irrfan Khan shared the best actor trophy with Vikram Gokhale for Marathi film 'Anumati'.

Usha Jadhav was named the best actress for her portrayal of a rustic housewife in Marathi film 'Dhag', whose filmmaker Shivaji Lotan Patil was declared the best director. Bedabrata Pain's debut Hindi film 'Chittagong', about Chittagong uprising, shared Indira Gandhi award for best debut film with Siddhartha Siva's Malayalam film '101 Chodiyangal'.

Hindi film 'Vicky Donor' was named the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment. Its actors Annu Kapoor and Dolly Ahluwalia won in the supporting categories. Ahluwalia shared supporting actress credit with Kalpana for Malayalam film 'Thanichalla Njan'.

Director Sujoy Ghosh was declared the best original screenplay writer for his Vidya Balan starrer 'Kahaani' while another Hindi film 'Oh My God' won the best adapted screenplay for Bhavesh Mandalia and Umesh Shukhla.

'Kahaani' was also named the best edited film (Namrata Rao) of the year.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

S

he first hit the silver screen with the Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire” in 2008. Since then, talks have been rife about the Mumbai girl Freida Pinto’s Bollywood debut. Five years later comes the news that she is all set for B-town with Navdeep Singh’s (he directed Manorama Six Feet Under; 2007) next, titled “NH10.” What’s interesting is that Freida’s co-star will be Raj Kumar Yadav, who is currently making waves with his performance in Abhishek Kapoor’s “Kai Po Che.” Touted to be a thriller involving a road trip, the film will apparently see Freida in the role of a female detective. “NH10 stands for National Highway No 10. It will be produced by the same production house, Phantom, that’s also producing “Queen,” starring Kangana Ranaut and Rajkumar,” says a trade insider. The film is likely to be shot in and around Delhi during an extended schedule.

Although other details are yet to emerge, “NH10” will probably go on the floors by mid-2013 and should be released early next year. At present, Rajkumar is looking forward to the release of his next, “Shahid,” directed by Hansal Mehta.

Meanwhile, Freida is wrapping up the Christian Bale-starrer “Knight Of Cups.” Earlier, Freida’s closest Bollywood connection was the 2011 film, “Trishna,” produced by Anurag Kashyap and Sunil Bohra.

Now, ‘Vishwaroopam 2’ in Auro 3D

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan says the sequel to “Vishwaroopam” will come soon in 3D sound format, also known as Auro 3D. After the success of “Vishwaroopam,” which had utilised the Auro 3D sound technology, Kamal's “Vishwaroopam 2” is in the making. The sequel is also likely to be released this year. "We are doing Vishwaroopam 2. We are working on it. We are quite charged up for it. This time the sequel will come in Auro 3D," Kamal said.

Vishwaroopam was embroiled in a controversy after a section of people demanded a ban on the film's screening, claiming that it hurt the sentiments of a community. The sequel will reportedly focus more on motherson sentiments.

SRK wants daughter Suhana to become actress Shah Rukh Khan wants his12-year-old daughter Suhana to become a film actress when she grows up. "I hope she (Suhana) becomes an actress. I want to see her on big screen. I am proud of my daughter. I would love to see her as an actress," SRK told reporters. SRK is often seen tweeting about his children son Aryan and daughter Suhana who are seen accompanying him for IPL matches. On John Abraham's desire to direct SRK, he said, "If he has something good to offer me when he is directing it, I will do it. If the film and my role is good and if I fit in... then why not," he said.

ollywood actor Ali Zafar will promote the upcoming movie B “Chashme Baddoor” at Cineworld

Feltham on Saturday, 23rd March, at 4.30 pm. He will be making his first ever appearance at the UK's biggest Bollywood hotspot, Cineworld Feltham. He will interact with fans and audiences as part of the promotions of “Chashme Baddoor.”

A family entertainer directed by comedy maestro, David Dhawan, “Chashme Baddoor” is a re-working of one of 80’s Hindi cinema’s most delightful screen gems, presenting a comedy that is sure to engage a new generation of fans as well as older audiences as it pays homage to one of the most nostalgic and defining genres and films of Indian cinema over the decades. Ali Zafar along with former model and emerging starlet, Taapsee Pannu, and rising stars Siddharth and Divyendu Sharma have joined hands with veterans like Rishi Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Anupam Kher and Lilette Dubey in the movie. The film has been re-written by the director of the original version, Sai Paranjpye, with David Dhawan crafting another comedy gem with his inimitable directorial prowess. The movie will be released in UK on 5th April by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Tip Top Entertainment.

“Rangrezz” is about Rishi Deshpandey, a young, courageous boy whose life is incomplete without his friends and loved ones. It is the story of this brave lad who puts the dignity of his loved ones before anything else in his life. Someone who believes in adding value to other people’s life and someone who understands the essence of true friendship and the value of his relationships. Rishi’s world is imperfect without his childhood love: Megha; and his friends: Pakkya and Vinod. He considers his friends as extended family and would go up to any length to help or protect them from anything. Because of Rishi’s helpful and supportive nature, he and his friends end up in life threatening situation when they collectively help a friend get married to the love of his life, in spite of the parents opposing it. In a hair raising climax, involving terrific action sequences and thrill, Rishi's friends encounter his new Avatar: just like Shiva – the one who will benevolently die for the one he loves, but the one who can also kill for the lack of it! Rangrezz, releasing on 21st March 2013 is presented by Pooja Entertainment and Films Limited.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

Celebrating 40 years of the Hare Krishna Temple near Watford Politics of Privacy Again The Temple deities of Sri Sri Radha Gokulananada

On Sunday 24th March at 10am, Bhaktivedanta Manor will be holding an ancient Adivasa Puja ceremony to mark its 40thAnniversary.

One of the most elaborate Havans ever to be held at Bhaktivedanta Manor with 100 priests and over 500 invited guests, will celebrate forty years of the “Home of Lord Krishna” Famous for holding the largest Srila Prabhupada with George Harrison (and Pati Boyd) festival for Krishna, Shri Krishna Janamastami, outside India, is time of serving those who have to donate a much larger property Bhaktivedanta Manor has been made it possible for us to continue ‘somewhere in the countryside but regarded by many as a pilgrimage serving their Lordships Sri Sri within easy travelling distance from site.

London’. In January 1973 Harrsion Radha Gokulandanda, Sita Rama 1969 was the year that the late donated Piggott’s Manor and estate Laxman Hanuman and Gaura George Harrison of the and after the exchange of Nita” Beatles produced the contracts, 25 enthusiasThe Havan will be followed by chart-topping "Hare tic devotees moved in the spectacular Festival of Krishna Mantra" sinand renamed the estate Colours,Holi and the celebration of gle, and the Hare Bhaktivedanta Manor.

Gaura Purnima the Appearance of Krishnas made their And so a great Temple Lord Chaitanya, who is the Krishna first appearance on Himself coming to show us how to was established, with a British television, serve in the mood of Radha Rani. devotional legacy now singing live on Top of The Manor continues to be a spanning 40 years. the Pops. focal point for devotees of Lord One of the first devoHarrison, who was Krishna and the initial approval of tees to know George deeply impressed by Bhaktivedanta Manor's Harrison the planning brief by Hertsmere was the founder of the Hare 40th Anniversary logo Dhananjaya Das and he Council for a Haveli, will mean Krishna Movement said “it was a time of Bhaktivedanta Manor will provide outside of India, Srila Prabhupada, great significance and recognition more facilities to its congregation was concerned that their temple in to be given such a generous gift for and pilgrims for the next generaBury Place near the British the worship of Krishna in the UK”. tion, building on the legacy of those Museum was overcrowded. With The current Temple President His who helped to secure the Temple in overwhelming generosity he offered Grace Sruitdharma Das said “this 1973.

No place like home It’s coming to a week since I moved back to Delhi from London. I’m asked the inevitable by anyone I meet ‘how I feel’ being back after 8 years in London.

An honest answer to that question swings like a pendulum.

As an eighteen year old when I moved to the UK, the idea of a culture shock eluded me. I settled in comfortably as if I always belonged there. I don’t remember feeling that anything was strikingly different to the way things were in Delhi. If anyone asked me then, my instant remark as a proud Delhiite was to run to its defence with "Delhi is as modern as London."

There is not a shadow of doubt that Delhi is modern, but the good old Indian ways of doing things are prevalent and pervasive. Now that I am not used to the latter or maybe the memory of these have effaced, I find them rather amusing. I’m woken up by the screaming of vegetable vendors on the streets –the most cost efficient advertising

known to man I suppose.

The newspaper delivery boys hurl newspapers like javelins, never missing their target. The barking of the stray dogs adds to the morning madness. I’ll confess that I only knew one neighbour in London from my building that housed at least 50 flats.

Vis a vis, meet the Indians who live by the "love thy neighbour" policy.

Everyone knows everyone and it is not unusual to do yoga or go for morning walks together. A perfect medium to keep the neighbourhood gossip thriving.

The roads are an epitome of chaos. I’m convinced that the hearing power of Indians ought to be lacking somewhere, given the constant screeching noise of the horn we are subjected to on the roads. I’m mentally so attuned to the lane driving system that my mind almost plays Tetris here, stacking the vehicles in a neat, British order.

Sadly there is none to be found. The other day I took a rickshaw, but little

did I know that the rickshaw would cross a double carriageway smack in the middle of heavy traffic nowhere near a zebra crossing. I quite literally squealed with fear.

The city offers comforts in its own way. For instance, opening an account in Britain would mean going to a branch and queuing up. But in Delhi, a relationship manager comes home with forms and explains the formalities.

Going to the doctor doesn’t necessarily imply seeking an appointment beforehand. There is a better chance if one walks in to the clinic unannounced; patients with appointments have to wait longer for some peculiar reason.

Despite of the irregularities and irrationalities, the city is still amazing. A land where you can devour fresh, authentic samosas has to be. It is a drastic change of scenery for me but with hand on my heart I can say this that it is not disconcerting. I suppose it can never

be; at the end of the day it is home and as they say there is no place like home.

Devika Srimal is a member of the CHN who recently gave up her professional career in London to move back to Delhi. You can sign up to be a member or find out more about the CHN at w w w. c i t y h i n d u s n e t work.org.uk.

Welcoming volunteers to promote our culture Art and culture in a community is very important.

Asian community is extremely vibrant and has many talented personalities who have achieved a great deal in the above mentioned field. But there is no comprehensive list of talents, that could be used for reference or promoting the thriving South Asian especially Indian culture in our country. We would like to welcome volunteers to come forward and help us make a list of proven talents and interview them weekly.

The biggest political story of the week is of course that of press freedom, and of the installation of the new Pope, and the new Archbishop of Canterbury. All of these matter to us, especially British Indians, but few understand why Privacy and faith remain in the news and it is not realized how interconnected the two are. But this is not a new issue. Privacy is not something of concern to celebrities and public figures. It concerns you and I too.

Last week I was in Amsterdam, where in the Second World War, Anne Frank hid for years from Nazis. This in a week when a Greek footballer was banned for life for a Nazi salute – he did not know what it meant was his defence of ignorance.

A couple of years ago I helped Jemima Khan (whose former boyfriend Hugh Grant has been in the news this week on the press freedom issue) to raise funds for Auschwitz Concentration Camp Memorial where the Nazis killed Jews in the Second World War. What connects all these events of the week?

“There is a sacred realm of privacy for every man and woman where he makes his choices and decisions—a realm of his own essential rights and liberties into which the law, generally speaking, must not intrude,” said the then Archbishop of Canterbury in 1959.

Because upon ending of the War, European powers worked on enacting the European Convention on Human Rights. These are not simply individual rights, they are rights so that never again will the family be under threat.

Rights to marriage for instance. Rights to privacy. People died for these rights. Indians died for these rights.

Let me remind you what 60 short years ago they died for: “Considering the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10 December 1948; Considering that this Declaration aims at securing the universal and effective recognition and observance of the Rights therein declared…Right to respect for private and family life.

Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.”

This right at Article 8, nestles alongside other ‘trivial’ ones such as the ‘Right to Life’, ‘Prohibition of Torture’, ‘Prohibition of Slavery’, ‘Freedom of Religion’.

“The saint and poet seek privacy to ends the most public and universal: and it is the secret of culture, to interest the man more in his public, than in his private quality,” said Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Until you have had to, like I have had to, protect your Article 8 Right to Privacy from through injunctions in the courts against a criminal phone hacker, computer email hackers, it is difficult to understand the importance of ‘the sacred realm of privacy’.

This like most debates in Parliament, matter to us, the normal citizen and not just to celebrities and newspaper owners. It’s a reminder history resonates for years to come and it is our duty to know why it all matters.

British choir raising money for Indian slums The Cambridge University's all-male Jesus College Choir, which has been active since the 15th century, is raising money to change the life of India's slum children through music.

TOI reported that the choir will be travelling to India in March to perform and work with slum children as part of a project for the charity Songbound, which aims to change the lives of deprived children through music. The choir will also perform at the world heritage site

Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa to commemorate the Holy Week on March 27.

The Choir aims to raise £10,000. It will perform for the children and conduct workshops to teach them songs and singing techniques.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

Shaping Young Lives The Importance of Mentoring At a time where almost one in five 16 to 24 years olds is unemployed, competition for graduate placements is more competitive than ever before. For young British Asians, the challenges are often even greater as many of them will have no-one in their family to turn to when making career decisions and limited personal networks that will help open doors for them.

This is why mentoring has become so important. Young people seeking jobs and those in early stages of their career should proactively find themselves a suitable mentor - someone they can turn to for professional advice, someone that can help provide access to networks and someone they can trust. They need to take the time to find the right mentor to ensure the relationship is most effective.

If you are looking for a mentor: Make a list of people that you know already and consider who they may know. For most people, they will not have anyone immediate within their friends and family that they can turn too, in which case the search requires more time.

Check whether your organisation / university has an established mentoring program, use social networking platforms such as LinkedIn, ask people you know to suggest anyone appropriate, search for any formal programmes that may offer mentoring support (e.g. www.seolondon.com). Take your time to identify the right person: 1. Find a mentor that has an understanding of your field, profession or industry as they will have the right contacts that you may need access too.

2. Select a mentor who shares similar values with you and is someone you can trust explicitly and can communicate well with.

3. Find a mentor that not only has the experience in assisting their mentees but someone that also has the time and energy to devote to you to help you become successful Mentoring principles and practices date back to ancient times and originate from Hinduism; where finding a “Guru” (i.e. a teacher, trusted counsellor and adviser) was encouraged. Today, a Guru or a Mentor helps another person reach their professional goals through support, counsel, friendship – the value of this relationship is immeasurable and can become mutually beneficial overtime, where the Mentor can learn from the experiences of the Mentee.

Poll

Key to Career success:

CONFIDENCE and not talent!

A study of more than 500 students, academics and workers, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, as per report in The daily Telegraph said that those who appeared more confident achieved a higher social status in their careers than their peers.

Although workers with big egos often perform poorly and make more mistakes than their peers, within a work environment, people with more self confidence often are admired more, listened to, and have more sway over group decisions

Health

What do you vote for?

Talent OR Confidence Send your answer to aveditorial@abplgroup.com

BEAT the STRESS

Our youngsters often suffer from stress. The stress really depends on each individual. What may be stressful for someone may not bother anyone else. So it is important for parents, siblings or oneself to be in tune with their children/sibling's/friend's or own feelings.

Stress can be for the following reasons: l l l l l l l l l l l

Family problems Moving to a new school Difficulty in school Friends (lack of friends, fights, peer pressure, boyfriend/girlfriend problems) Overload (too many extra curricular activities combined with school work etc) Illness Physical changes Lack of sleep Deciding one's future Overachieving High expectations

Warning signs l Headaches, stomach aches, muscle aches,

OUR OBJECTIVE We live in an era of absolute disarray. There are university graduates, but not enough jobs; enough seats in colleges, not enough money for tuition fees; enough initiatives but not enough positive results.

This youth conference is organised to help and shape every life, helping an interested participant to realise what they are really capable of- bringing them to understand their hidden talents and inner strengths.

We have been organising this youth conference for 9 years now.

After a gap of 5 years it was restored in 2011, revamped with a new structure, including mentoring and networking opportunities.

In 2011 the subject of discussion was the Journey to Success.

It was to encourage youngsters to follow their heart and not to take up a career, that they don't like, just under pressure.

In 2012 we discussed the importance of networking and how that helps you to secure jobs. In 2013 we are going to talk about how to get rich quick: how to make yourself and others better off by doing something for the community, giving back to your country and the benefits you will personally derive from doing so.

Our youth is the most valuable asset and its nurturing should be our top priority. The youth conference has been mainly organised by Rupanjana Dutta, Associate Editor, Asian Voice and Aekta Mahajan, Vice Chair, City Hindus Network and this year's programme is very well planned. It is of immense advantage to the Youth as well as it's highly inspiring for all of us.

CB Patel Publisher/Editor

TOP BOOKS The Handmaid's Tale A work of dystopian fiction by Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, depicts events that are set in the near future within the Republic of Gilead, a country formed on the borders of what was previously know as the United States of America.

Offred, the protagonist, provides a first person account of the regime, displaying how rapidly women's rights are taken away.

Atwood effectively incorporates flashbacks from portions Offred's life in pre-Gilead society, the beginning of the revolution, when she lived with her husband Luke, her daughter and most significantly her freedom. Through her voice, and the shift from the past to the present tense, the reader senses the intensity of female subjugation under a totalitarian government.

However, the reader, after a series of events is presented with an ambiguous ending, which can eventually leave them to feeling unsatisfied with the novel's outcome.

Frankenstein

nervousness, eating disorder, sleeping disorder l Forgetfulness, Unorganised, lack of concentration, drop in grades l Quick temper, sadness, impatience, frustration, easy agitation, violence Solutions l Talk it out l Take time to relax l Exercise and eat healthy l Be prepared/organised from before l Learn relaxation techniques (source: focusas.com, familyeducation.com, teen-matters.com, lifepositive.com)

Combining the elements of Gothic genre and the Romantic period, Mary Shelley presents one of the earliest version of science fiction, Frankenstein.

Frankenstein is commonly known for its horror and terror aspects, but when the events perceived from a different angle, it is more than just a work of science fiction.

When Victor Frankenstein's work constructed from dead corpses comes to life, it is a creature that drives Victor to his own downfall.

Within such a text, it can be said that Shelley cleverly explores themes that questions the pursuit of knowledge, to an extent where it can have the potential of driving man towards his own downfall, as opposed to progressing society.

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Top free App lisT

City Guides

When Apple opened the virtual doors to its App store in July 2008, few people realised that it was launching a multi billion pound industry. The company behind Angry birds which has been downloaded more than a billion times earned revenues of £65mn last year.

Apps which are simply computer programs, can be downloaded on your phones or tablets. Apps aren't just about convenient ways to consume entertainment and information. You can unleash your creative nature with music, art, books and so much more. There is a baffling number of apps and we have hand picked a few top free ones from The Sunday Times App List.

Music

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

Giltedge Travel: ipad Pin Drop: iPhone Time Out City Guides: iPhone Triposo: iPhone, Android, iPad TripAdvisor offline City Guides: iPhone, Android, Windows Phone l National Trust: iPhone, Android l Fotopedia Heritage: iPhone, iPad l l l l l

Books

Museums & Art

l The Poetry APP:

Friday: iPhone.

Android, iPad l Junior Astronaut- Breaking through the space barrier: iPad l Nasa Visualization Explorer: iPad l Popsci.com: iPhone, iPad, Android

iPhone, iPad l Shakespeare: iPad, iPhone l Fish: A Tap Essay l Charles Dickens Collection- Feetan: iPhone Shuffler.FM: iPhone, iPad Radioplayer: iPhone, Android Sing!Karaoke: iPhone, Android, iPad Deezer: iPhone, Android, iPad, Blackberry, Windows Phone l Vevo: iPhone, Android, iPad, Windows Phone l Amazon Cloud Player: iPhone, Android l Shazam: iPhone, Windows Phone, Android, iPad, Blackberry l Music Unlimited: iPhone, Android l Songkick Concerts: iPhone, Android l Seatwave Tickets: iPhone l Moodagent: iPhone, Windows Phone, Android, iPad l The Rolling Stones Official App: iPhone, Android l l l l

Film

Readers l Google Play

Books: iPhone, Android, iPad l Kindle: iPhone, Windows, Android, iPad, Blackberry l IBooks: iPhone, iPad

Tomatoes: iPhone, Windows Phone, Android, iPad, Blackberry l Film4 at 30: iPad l Madagascar 3 Wig Out: iPhone, iPad l British Film Locations: iPhone, Android l Netflix (subscription £5.99 a month): iPhone, Android, iPad l Lovefilm by Post (subscription £5.99 a month): iPhone. Android l From the US- Weyland Corp Archive Second Screen App: iPhone, Android, iPad l Little White Lies: iPhone

Stage l London

Theatre: iPhone, Android l Royal Opera House: iPhone l Tkts: iPhone, Windows Phone, Android

Pocket Gallery: iPhone Art Guide: iPhone, Android Museums Mobile: Windows Phone Bauhaus: iPhone Moma: iPhone, Android

Creative

Android, iPad Demands5: iPhone, iPad SKY+: iPhone, Android, iPad Virgin TV anywhere: iPhone, iPad Remote: iPhone, iPad Downtown Abbey: iPhone, iPad ITV Player: iPhone, Android, iPad ZeeBox: iPhone, Android, iPad Sky Go: iPhone, Android, iPad (Free to Sky TV subscribers)

l Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the

North: iPhone, iPad

l Rinth Island

Tools l Google

Translate: iPhone, Android, iPad l Translator: Windows Phone l Tripit Travel Organiser: iPhone, Windows Phone, Android, iPad, Blackberry l Hotel Tonight: iPhone, Android, iPad l Off Exploring: iPhone, Android l Kayak: iPhone, Windows Phone, Android, iPad, Blackberry l Onavo Extend- Data Usage: iPhone, Android, iPad

Fitness l NPT Boom: iPhone, Android l Davina Fitness: iPhone, Android l Fitness Buddy Free: iPhone, Android

Health l Medical

l BBC Iplayer and BBC Iplayer: iPhone,

Puzzles l Movies by Flixster with Rotten

l l l l l

TV & Radio l l l l l l l l

Science l Science

l l l l l

123D Sculpt: iPad Frameblast: iPhone Ether: iPhone Poet's Corner: Android Flossd: Android

Encyclopaedia: iPhone l St John Ambulance First Aid: iPhone, Android l NHS Drinks Tracker: iPhone l Iceaid First Aid System: iPhone, iPad l Calorie Counter & Diet tracker by Myfitnesspal: iPhone, Windows Phone, Android, Blackberry (courtesy: The Applist. The Sunday Times)

Games l Daley Thompson's Decathlon: iPhone, Android, iPad- £0.69 l Fifa13: iPhone, iPad- £0.69 l NBA Jam: iPhone, iPad- £0.69 l Virtua Tennis Challenge: iPhone, Android, iPad- £2.99 l Football Manager Handheld 2013: iPhone, Android, iPad- £6.99 l Backbreaker 2: Vengeance: iPad, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry- £0.69 l Need for Speed: Most Wanted: iPhone, iPad- £2.99 l Carmageddon: iPhone, iPad- £0.69 l Mini Motor Racing: iPhone, Android, iPad- £0.69 l Smash Cops: iPhone, iPad, Blackberry- £2.99 l Infinity Blade 2: iPhone, iPad- £4.99 l Droplitz Delight: iPhone, Windows Phone, Android- £0.79 l Final Fantasy IV: iPhone, iPad- £10.99 l Clockwork Brain: iPhone, iPad- £1.49

(Prices may change from time to time)

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

My family have always encouraged me to put education first. I wanted to do interesting things.

By joining the RAF as a medical officer, I am able to do both.

My job means that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m responsible for everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health on the base.

I also have to do a lot of study and research which is very important for my career.

Outside of work, I have a few hobbies. Beating my little brother at cricket is one of them.

My wife agrees with me on this, living on an RAF base is like staying with extended family.

Royal Air Force, Senior Medical Officer

People around us are warm, friendly and constantly looking after us.

I love what I do.

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Youth destinations Valencia - Spain

It can be known as the city of cliches: the lights, the moon, the flowers, the Fallas. These are the keys to what cannot be simply described by words. The beauty of Valencia lies in the compatibility of the sea and the city, where the green colour of farms gracefully merge with a much modern, urban scheme.

It is unique during the day and at night. Along with intriguing infrastructures, Valencia is a focal point for youths that seek for a night life!

The beaches near to the harbour of Valencia and Avenida de Neptuno are

prime attractions for party crowds, inviting them to spend the weekend on the most popular open air discos and bars.

Zante - Greece Zante preserves the traditional Greek way of life, but does not fail to give its visitors a taste of modernity. Smugglers Cove is spectacular with its magnificent white cliffs and clear turquoise waters. The splendid beach located

here is accessible by popular boat trips from Cape Skinari and St Nikolas harbour, providing a memorable experience to its visitors.

Greece is generally recognised for its hospitality, with its picturesque settings, but does not fail to offer more than just visual beauty. It is home to thousands of students that visit each year. Amongst many attractions, Laganas is a party central that never sleeps, alive from dawn to dawn, giving its partygoers some of the world's best acts and the wildest events.

www.abplgroup.com asianVoice Voice23rd 23rdMarch March2013 2013 www.abplgroup.com--asian

Marmaris- Turkey Marmaris is home to the largest yatching marina in Turkey and has the feel of a sophisticated Western resort. However, once you venture into the narrow streets of the Old Quarter, you begin to gain a taste of a more conventional Turkish atmosphere.

It is at night that Marmaris holidays truly come alive, with bars, clubs and restaurants located along the Lycian Coast.

There are attractions that evoke a real sense of old Turkey, especially seen through the tightly squeezedin bars clustering around the founda-

tions of the castle. However, this is all outnumbered by the array of clubs, karaoke bars and sport pubs.

Amsterdam- Netherlands Known for its canals, museums and historical sights, Amsterdam is one of the greatest small cities in the world. It is often referred to as the Venice of the North.

Whether you prefer, culture and history, serious partying, or the relaxing charm of an old European city, it can

has the ability to give something that suits every traveller's taste.

The Red Light District is a profound part of the city's nightlife, attracting not only partiers, but also tourists that have a historical, cultural and artistic interest in how businesses in the district emerged and have evolved.

finAnciAl Voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

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How much profit is acceptable?

Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

Whilst recently on holiday in Marrakech I went to the local market, there amongst all the varieties of items for sale, from goat's heads to second hand antiques, a freelance vendor tried to sell me a rock crystal for which I was only mildly interested. He quoted 300 Dirhams which is about £25, I said no and offered 20 Dirhams which is about £1.70. In all fairness some one from overseas would have paid the quoted price; after all he was selling a piece of natural quartz crystal which was still encased in it's original round stone.

But I'm a Guju and I like bartering. Of course he feigned shock and surprise at my counter offer, so I told him I wasn't interested and went back to my taxi to leave. He followed me back, offering me a lower price with each step, right until he was outside the taxi door. As I was getting inside the car he finally and unhappily said 'ok 20 Dirhams'. We concluded the transaction whilst I was inside the car and he outside.

His point of view was: if you don't ask you don't get; and he could get 300 Dirhams from the right customer, perhaps a European tourist who would not dare to give a counter offer especially not less than 10% of the quoted price, as this would be unthinkable and insulting to the seller.

This seller was getting his goods from the mountains, as were many others who were getting the same stock, free of charge; presumably there are no taxes involved. His cost will be the labour involved in getting the items, this was clearly less than the 20 Dirhams I offered.

Therefore his profit margin was into thousands of percent.

There is no reason for him to put a limit on what profit margin he can earn, yet many of us do.

Earlier in the week I sat down with an investor and showed him a lucrative development deal, a part completed site in a strong location in London, in a nutshell it was £2m in and £2m out within a 12 month period.

I showed him how, very conservatively, I had arrived at this conclusion, and took him thoroughly through the figure work. Surprisingly his main concern and drawback was it was too good to be true.

As far as he was concerned, you cannot get 100% profit within one year. He put this restriction on the deal simply because he has never experienced this level of return and so it cannot exist.

I explained that this is not at all incredulous and I gave him an example of a deal that does sound unbelievable, but is true: We had our client purchase 92 Shirland Rd, W9 for £1.1m and we resold it for £1.3m within four days, prior to our cheque for 10% even clearing.

Moreover to do this we only put down £110k to make this £200k. We told him that he was welcome to contact the lawyer who had acted on the transaction with us if he wished to check the facts.

The investor rightly pointed out this was not a regular occurrence but a freak one which happens from time to time. I agreed with his opinion, this was the cherry on the pie.

In the same week I also had a client come and see me wanting to invest some cash money which he was going to receive from a sale of a

The Real Deal Rare bargain with massive growth l Purchase price only £495k l A large one bedroom flat in the sought-after Hyde Park Estate l Property priced at £764/ sq ft, while properties in this area are priced above £860/ sq ft l Can convert this 648 sq ft flat into a two bedroom flat l We have sourced a flat in the same block for £500k and the price rose to £700k in just one and a half years l Massive capital growth potential in the future l Close to the beautiful open spaces of Hyde Park and shopping amenities

property in India. I asked him what he would like to earn on his money, the purpose for asking this me is to always try and exceed clients' expectations whatever they may be, however his expectations were very low in my opinion; he said he would be happy with a 10% return on his funds, which were just over £1m. I told him straight that this was not even a challenge for us, I was confident we will easily return more than this.

The reason for this is that we are able to purchase at below market value in a sector of the property market which has the good fortune to be still rising, and is still expected to rise in the future. Our exposure to the market is short and so even if there are fluctuations in the medium or long term we will not be exposed to them. This is one of the few positive outlooks in the UK, most people are dismal regarding the future of the UK economy.

There are many landlords who have purchased properties outside of London, simply because they live there or they appeared cheap and were offering a yield of 6 to 7 %; they feel they have a good investment, despite the underlying value of the property only going up minimally, if at all.

There are some who got very carried away during the Pre credit crunch times and invested heavily outside of London, turning hotels into flats and then reselling for a fat profit until their credit got pulled and the house of cards fell down. Exposing the market for what it was which is reliant on credit alone to fuel prices.

The level of gain from a property comes from only two sources, one is the value of the property and the other is the level of income you gain from renting it.

Due to current rates received in the bank most investors have a very low opinion of what their funds are capable of earning if put to good use.

It's interesting that the Moroccan market trader thought he could make thousands of percent in profit in an instant and it was fine; yet here in the UK one of my clients has issues earning 100% in a whole year whilst the another has a low expectation of what his funds should be earning for him.

Perhaps this has been driven by the economy, the highest paying ISA is 3.05% per annum according to one comparison website and this is for locking your money away for a full 4 years! Even after you have done this your funds in real terms will probably have decreased; meaning you probably will be unable to buy the same amount of food and petrol as you did when you put the money in despite it earning interest!

This is the danger, if one does nothing in this environment chances are you will be decreasing you wealth; investing in banks does not seem to be an option to get a reasonable return on your funds.

Clearly the current returns offered by other mediums have dampened investors' expectations of what is actually achievable.

We have just closed a deal at £240k for a client who exchanged with £24k on Friday, with the aim of reselling in the auction for £275k without completing the deal; thereby hoping to return a 100% return on funds within a couple of months.

You may be surprised to see what your funds can achieve when they invested in the right location at the right price and creatively. Why not come and see us and let us show you what can be done.

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in Central London Property Sourcing

0207 993 0103 info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

55 Bryanston Street, Marble Arch Tower, London, W1H 7AA

Tips of the Week l Always have two exist strategies when doing a property deal, as things may not always go to plan l Most expenses, such as repairs, agency fees, etc., can be off-set against tax, therefore reducing your liability. Check the HMRC website, there is an amazing amount of helpful information on there.

20

UK

Maria Fernandes

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

maria@abplgroup.com

April 6th changes Fee rises: Like death and taxes, the fees for immigrations cases is set to rise on April the 6th.

What is interesting about the fees is that there is a large profit element to it.

The increase, surprise, has been linked to a need to “reduce public spending…. and reduce contributions by UK taxpayers… by asking those who use it to make a greater contribution.”( Mark Harper, Immigration Minister) Except that the contribution in some cases is so high that it is fair to say it is helping to keep the economy alive. Take for example the cost of a 2 year visit visa. It costs £136 to administer but he applicant is charged £278.

Or the fee for settlement of a dependant costs £407 but the fee charged will be £1906.

Students: Tier 4 students who complete PHDs will be allowed to stay in the UK for a year after completing their course.

Also there has been an increase in Graduate Entrepreneur visas to 2000 to enable MBA students to enter in this category. They will be able to apply form overseas( providing it is within 12 months of graduation).

For other students, those who are in the UK will not be able to study at a lower level than is on the Certificate of Acceptance.

There will also be changes to the Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) route.

The process will be split into 2. Applicants will no

longer need to pay the fee until they receive notification that a body is recommending their endorsement.

New codes of practice The new consolidated Codes of Practice come into operation. The layout will be different and should be easier. There will be 2 rates of salary, new entrants and established salaries for those who have been in the UK for over 3 years And finally the Life in the UK test….

I was skimming through the new life in the UK handbook which forms the basis of the test for those seeking settlement.

As a book it is great if you are interested in history but useless in terms of educating a person seeking to live here. Of what use the Stone Age period or the wars during the Middle Ages beats me.

Those who commissioned the book seem to have got carried away with the history lesson and have forgotten that the real purpose of the test is to help the individual integrate.

Knowing a series of facts is hardly going to do the job. It is essentially a memory test and nothing more.

Maria Fernandes has been in practice exclusively in immigration for the past 25 years. Fernandes Vaz is based at 87 Wembley Hill Road Wembley in Wembley and can be contacted by telephone on 02087330123, by email on info@fernandesvaz.com.

RBI cuts key interest rate by 25 basis points

India's central bank on Tuesday cut its benchmark policy rate by 25 basis points for the second time since the start of the year in a bid to help revive flagging growth in Asia's third-largest economy, but warned that its scope for further policy easing is limited.

In its mid-quarter policy review, the Reserve Bank of India lowered its policy repo rate to 7.50% and left the cash reserve ratio for banks unchanged, in line with expectations.

India's economy is on track to grow at its slowest

in a decade at around 5% in the fiscal year ending this month, and is expected to see modest improvement in the following year.

However, a recent uptick in headline wholesale inflation, rising food price-driven consumer inflation and a record-high current account deficit limit the RBI's space for more aggressive monetary easing.

"Even as the policy stance emphasis addressing the growth risks, the headline for further monetary easing remains quite limited," the RBI said in its statement.

US credit rating agency, Standard & Poor's repeated its previous stance that it may revise India's outlook to "stable" from "negative" if the government implements initiatives to reduce structural fiscal deficits, improves investment climate and increases growth prospects.

The comments, made in a report on Asia-Pacific Sovereign Ratings, reiterate its previously stated stance. Reiterating its previous comments, S&P said a downgrade is likely if India's economic growth prospects dim, external

Ratan Tata said he was hopeful of India to achieve its economic growth at 7 per cent plus rate in the next couple of years but it won’t be able to achieve over 8 per cent it had prior to the 2008-09 global financial crisis.

The Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group said in Singapore that the recent steps by the government have restored investors' confidence in the country, but more needs to be done. He noted that efforts to control inflation plus scams, and other issues, resulted in Indian economic growth slowing down to five or sub-five per cent.

"To many, it has been like a recession," he added.

"I think we will reestablish at 7 plus per cent growth rate in couple of years driven by the fact that we have got pent up demand in the country.

"But it is not going to be as attractive as it has been in the past," said Tata, who retired from the group last

position deteriorates, political climate worsens, or fiscal reforms slow.

India's sovereign rating is currently at "BBBminus", the lowest investment grade, which signals at least a one-in-three likelihood of a downgrade within the next 24 months.

The government earlier released the IIP date for the month of January. The industrial output expanded for the first time in three months, an early sign that Asia's third largest economy may have turned a corner.

India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said government has taken a number of steps to return to the robust growth path in the next two to three years.

The Prime Minister admitted that there has been a slowdown in the economy which has been reflected in the GDP figures.

"Nothing is achieved by dampening the spirit...We have taken steps and in 2-3 years we will return the economy to the robust growth path," Singh said as members of the BJP and Left parties voiced concern over the slowdown in the economy.

He said there were international factors as the world faced two crises the banking crisis of 200809 and the Eurozone crisis. "These things do affect the economy. There were domestic issues as well.

We are trying to tackle the crisis," he said.

year, during a dialogue session with students at the Singapore Management University (SMU).

Responding to a question on recent economic boosting measures in the Indian Budget for 201314, he said: "One must ask is it enough or is too late.

My own feeling is that some of the confidence in the Indian economy, perhaps amongst investors, is restored.

"But there is a lot more that needs to be done if India is to be moving back to the visibility and the attraction that it had some years ago.

"May be just moderate moves are not going to be enough to undo the damage that has been done over the last few years."

The measures in the most recent budget "are very moderate and perhaps, signs of moving into the right direction," he told some 500 students, academics and business community at the dialogue session.

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover launched the new version of locallybuilt Land Rover Freelander 2 in India, priced up to Rs 4392,000 (ex-showroom Mumbai).

The Freelander 2 is available in two variants. While the 2.2 litre diesel TD4 SE is priced at Rs 3867,000, the 2.2 litre diesel SD4 HSE comes at Rs 4392,000 (ex-showroom Mumbai), the company said in a statement.

Commenting on the new launch, Jaguar Land Rover India Vice President Rohit Suri said: "The Freelander 2 has proved to be extremely popular with Indian customers and this new model brings a more premium look and feel to the overall driving experience."

The company said the latest version of the Freelander 2 would have new exterior design features and upgraded equipment levels apart from new colours. The interiors also have a host of new features including a centre console, 7-inch colour touch-screen with enhanced audio systems and a fully integrated navigation system.

The key dock has been replaced by passive start and the new model would also have an 'intelligent' electric parking brake, which adjusts brake force according to the slope the vehicle is parked on.

The rear view camera capability is also new to the Freelander 2 and is available as standard.

Ratan Tata hopeful of JLR launches new India achieving higher Freelander 2 in India economic growth

Britain to invest over 1 mn pound in India-wide centres

The British government has announced plans to invest over 1.1 million pound (about Rs 90 million) in a new pan-India network of British Business Centres. They form part of a global initiative to strengthen business networks in 20 overseas markets, with the India focus being led by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC).

The first centre will be set up in New Delhi later this year, followed by Mumbai soon after, with the ultimate aim of establishing up to six such facilities across the country by 2017.

"I am pleased to announce, that following the Prime Minister's

recent visit to India, we have agreed to support the setting up of a new business-led pan-India network of British business centres led by the UK India Business Council and supported by the British Business Groups (BBG) in India," UK Trade & Investment Minister Stephen Green announced at the UKTI, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and British Chambers International Forum.

The centres are designed to transform the quantity and quality of support available to British businesses, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), seeking to enter or expand in India.

The move comes on the heels of British PM David Cameron's visit to India. He was accompanied by the largest business delegation ever taken by the British Prime Minister to any overseas market.

"India's growth is an opportunity, not a threat, for Britain. The more British businesses that trade, invest and innovate with Indian partners, the more we will create jobs, growth and prosperity at home," said UKIBC chair Patricia Hewitt.

The new centres will offer a range of accredited services to UK companies, including market research and advice on what works in India, incubation serv-

ices for UK companies entering India, ancillary support services, hotdesking and meeting facilities, support for delegations, and networking and mentoring by British business leaders with expertise in India.

The UKIBC will recruit a managing director based in India to lead a team with strong Indian sectoral and commercial experience.

"Within a year we would have opened two centres. And by 2017, we aim to open six centres, creating a pan-India network. Within three years, the majority of UKIBC staff will be based in India," said Richard Heald, CEO of UKIBC.

finAnciAl voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

21

Foreign Exchange Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

Weekly Currencies

Cyprus Bailout

As of Tuesday 19th March 2013 @ 3.30pm GBP - INR = 82.15

Global stock markets fell on Monday as concerns over European sovereign debt returned to the forefront after the euro zone's decision on partially funding a bailout of Cyprus by taxing bank deposits. The euro fell 1.2% against the pound upon the opening of Asian trade on 17th March.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades met the demands of euro-area finance ministers to raise â&#x201A;Ź5.8bn by levying a fee on every bank account in Cyprus, a form of involuntary tax imposed on every Cypriot. The news has already invoked scenes of panic in Cyprus with many residents queuing up at cash machines over the weekend to withdraw their funds. The measure will be voted upon in Parliament on Tuesday 19th March.

As Cyprus only makes up 0.2% of total euro zone GDP, it is a surprise that the news has caused the euro to weaken so dramatically. However the reasoning behind the weakness could be attributed to fears that this extraordinary measure could become a template for larger countries in the euro zone that would also be looking to

Nicos Anastasiades, President of Cyprus

request a bailout. It is far too early to say if the euro will continue to weaken in the medium term but it will be interesting to see how the rest of Europe reacts to these measures bought into Cyprus.

Data on Friday 15th March revealed that the annualised rate of inflation rose to 2% in the US whilst the rate of inflation in the euro zone dropped to 1.8% opening the door for talk of a possible rate cut by the European Central Bank.

After Mervyn Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s words of support for the pound on Thursday 14th March, focus will

be on whether economic data, in the week beginning 18th March, will continue to prop up the pound. Investors should take note of inflation figures on Tuesday 19th March, the Budget and BoE minutes meeting on Wednesday 20th March and then retail sales figures on Thursday 21st March.

Retail sales in United States show healthy growth.

Consumers showed surprising resilience in the face of higher taxes as retail sales recorded their largest rise since September. Overall sales were up by 1.1% in February, well

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ahead of the 0.5% forecast by economists, and an upwardly revised 0.2% increase in January.

Higher petrol prices accounted for a large amount of the rise, but the increase still suggests that the end of a 2% point payroll tax break has not devastated consumer confidence.

Labour market continued to show signs of improvement in the US as the average number of new jobless claims over a month fell to its lowest level in five years. Separate data showed wholesale prices rose by the most in five months in February on a jump in fuel costs. Firsttime claims for jobless benefits declined by 10,000 to 332,000 in the week to March 9, the fewest since mid-January, labour department data showed.

United States manufacturing activity rebounded in February, thanks to a strong increase in vehicle production. Factory production rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in February from the previous month, after falling 0.3% in January, the Federal Reserve said. Meanwhile, inflation rose by the largest amount in nearly four years in February, driven by rising gas prices.

USD - INR = 54.41 EUR - INR = 70.37 GBP - USD = 1.51 GBP - EUR = 1.17 EUR - USD = 1.29 GBP - AED = 5.54 GBP - CAD = 1.55 GBP - NZD = 1.83 GBP - AUD = 1.46 GBP - ZAR = 13.97 GBP - HUF = 355.96

www.rationalfx.com Information provided by RationalFX. None of the information on this page constitutes, nor should be construed as financial advice. The exchange rates used areâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;the commercial foreign exchange rates provided by RationalFX. For a live quote or to find out more about how RationalFXâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;can help you, call us on 0207 220 8181.

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22

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

Financial Voice Dear Financial Voice Reader,

I write to you moments before I give a speech at Bloomberg before hundreds of traders. My key pointers to them based on the hours of research I do before any such speech are these: First, Cyprus is not something to concern us. It is an excuse for those with profits from the Euro and the stock market to sell and take some of those profits. The more profits people have, the more scared they become. So as fear rules, they sell.

It follows the selling is a buying opportunity. I think the Euro out of fear has been beaten down but is fundamentally a sound currency because of the size of the European economy. Our fears are not borne out by fact and that is when there are opportunities to profit always in the markets.

I believe that the pound is likely to touch 1.45 to the Dollar. I do see a lot of Dollar owners buying pounds as they suddenly realise how cheap it is, as did the pound owners buying Rupees recently when they discovered it bought Rs80 whilst they were snoozing.

I believe the Chancellor in the budget should have done two key things: 1. Encourage corporate investment through matched funding a. The Government is keen not to spend and see the budget spiral unless it can be shown it is investment spending. b. We know corporates are hoarding cash. Taxing them is not an efficient way to extract their monies.

And only encourages tax avoidance. c. The Government cannot encourage the banks to lend – it’s tried that – doesn’t work. d. Clearly matched funding, where the Government would match monies risked by business, (gbp5m+ deals – so not too tiny), would loosen business purse strings and leverage money that is in the system and ensure the government does not spend it on Microsoft data for NHS projects which go nowhere.

2. Bank Bonuses to be commensurate with tax in UK bank pays a. It’s a simple rule. The bonus of any banking executive can only be 0.1% of all tax revenues the company pays in the UK. If you don’t pay tax in UK, you don’t get bonus in UK for UK work.

But although the UK is a great place to do business, it will take time to turn things around and that is why the Dollar is racing ahead – they got off the mark with growth first. They have paid for it in lots of debt. What of debt? Well the UK Government had not expected when it came into power how cheap it would be to fund the debt. Given that it is, it should increase debt to fund growth. But that is difficult to get past the press without looking like a U-turn. So maybe it’s the journalists who are to blame for austerity!

SEBI moves SC for arrest of Sahara chief

India’s market regulator SEBI last week moved the Supreme Court seeking arrest of Sahara group promoter Subrata Roy Sahara and barring him from leaving the country after two companies of the group failed to comply with court’s order to refund Rs. 240 billion to its investors.

The market regulator mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan which agreed to hear its plea and posted the case for hearing in the first week of April.

SEBI urged the court to allow it to “take measures for arrest and detention in civil prison of promoter of Sahara Subrata Roy Sahara and the two male directors - Ashok Roy Choudhary and Ravi Shankar Dubey - after giving reasonable opportunity of hearing.”

SEBI also sought direction that their pass-

ports be deposited with the Supreme court.

Sahara group and SEBI are locked in legal dispute over the refunding of 240 billion by its two companies - Sahara India Real Estate Corporation (SIREC) and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation (SHIC) - to its investors.

Earlier, the last hope of Sahara group to get more time to refund Rs 240 billion to its investors was dashed in the Supreme Court which dismissed its plea and pulled it up for not complying with the court’s earlier order to return the money by first week of February.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, which had earlier extended the deadline to two companies of the group for refunding the money from November end to first week of February, had refused to grant more time.

Reflecting the growing might of emerging markets, a UN report said that the combined output of BRIC countries, including India, will surpass the aggregate GDP of US, Canada and other European nation by 2020.

"By 2020, the combined economic output of three leading developing countries alone - Brazil, China and India - will surpass the aggregate production of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States," said the 2013 Human Development Report, prepared by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). BRIC includes Russia as well.

Meanwhile, India's position in Human Development Index was 136 out of 187 countries in

2012. It ranked 134 in 2011. The report said it was misleading to compare values and rankings with those of previously published reports, because the underlying data and methods have changed.

Highlighting the policies of Indian government, it said that investing in world-class tertiary education, building human capabilities and opening up to trade and investment

allowed India to capitalise on its stock of skilled workers in technology.

By 2011-2012, these industries were generating $ 70 billion in export earnings. Similar tales can be told for India's pharmaceuticals, automobile, chemical and service industries, now vigorously competing in world markets, it said.

The result has been a remarkable change in the economy. In 2010, India's

Sting bares money laundering at top private banks in India

trade to output ratio was 46.3 per cent, up from only 15.7 per cent in 1990, it said.

However, it said, India has averaged nearly five per cent income growth a year over 1990-2012 and per capita income is still low, around $ 3,400 in 2012.

To improve living standards, it will need further growth. And India's performance in accelerating human development is less impressive than its growth performance, it said.

The report noted the rise of the South is unprecedented in its speed and scale. Never in history have the living conditions and prospects of so many people changed so dramatically and so fast, it said. The term 'the South' is used to denote developing countries and 'the North' to denote developed countries.

World Bank to give India $3-5 billion assistance annually

A sting operation by online magazine Cobrapost showed officials of private lenders ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank were willing and facilitating deposit of black money into various accounts and products. The lenders are running a nationwide money laundering racket, the online magazine, headed by journalist Aniruddha Bahal, alleged.

The website screened hours of footage from a sting operation codenamed ‘Operation Red Spider’, spanning months.

The sting involved a reporter posing as a con-

duit for a top politician keen to convert his ill-gotten wealth into white. He “visited dozens and dozens of branches across the length and breadth of the country, including many major cities and state capitals, across all five zones. Nowhere was he disappointed. Nowhere was he turned away,” said a Cobrapost release.

“The ways these major banks suggested to transform the black money into white were both imaginative in their range and brazen in their approach.

This brought to the fore a modus operandi that is tailored to rake in vast amounts of black money

in the form of illegal deposits, insurance and investment products, sold by these banks. All these creative means make the dirty money squeaky clean without the regulatory authorities ever getting a whiff of what they are doing,” the release said.

The banks quickly swung into damage control, saying they maintain high corporate governance standards and view any deviation from policy and procedure very seriously, and that they have launched internal investigations to get to the truth.

None, however, denied the charges outright.

The World Bank will provide $3-5 billion annual assistance to India over the next four years to help eradicate poverty and improve healthcare, mainly in the low-income states, World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim said. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on the last day of his threeday visit to India, Kim said the World Bank would deepen its engagement with India and help Asia's third largest economy meet its development needs by providing financial and technical assistance. "We have an historic opportunity to accelerate the reduction of poverty in India." Kim said.

A fleet of carmakers such as Proton, PSA Citroen, Kia, Geely, and Chery seems to have shelved their plans to drive into India, and has instead reset destination to other emerging markets such as China and Brazil. French carmaker Citroen, which had zeroed in on Sanand in Gujarat as the location for a Rs 45 billion project, for example, has officially removed India from its latest international deployment chart of its future manufacturing plants that included Buenos Aires in Argentina and Kaluga in Russia.

Others such as French carmaker Peugeot, Malaysia's Proton, Korean brand Kia and Chinese firms Geely and Chery,

too, are reviewing their India plans due to lack of vehicles that can compete in the price-sensitive Indian car market, or because falling sales in primary markets have hit their financials.

"The Indian car market is getting competitive with too many brands, and getting a reasonable market share will be tough for any new entrant," said VG Ramakrishnan, MD of consulting firm Frost and Sullivan.

Citroen, which planned to roll out a midsized sedan in the country in 2014, shut down its office in Mumbai recently.

An email query sent to PSA Citroen days ago was not replied.

Peugeot, which in February 2011 said it was re-entering India after more than a decade, put the plan on hold last year due to the grim financial situation following falling sales.

Proton, which had negotiations with Delhibased Hero Group for a possible joint venture, too is facing tough times in its primary market. "India was very much on the radar, but it came after China and Iran," said BVR Subbu, a former director of Proton.

Chinese firms Chery and Geely, which have made several attempts to enter India, too may have slowed down because of lack of diesel vehicles in their portfolios. "With the Chinese car market being

predominantly of petrol and automatic vehicles, it has made it even more difficult to bring in suitable products for India," said a person who has worked closely with these companies.

While small cars account for 60% of car sales in India, 25-30% of this segment is diesel driven.

Lawrence Ang, executive director at Geely Automobile Holdings, said the company has not set any time for India entry.

Chery, which has a joint venture project with Jaguar Land Rover, may ultimately make its way to India through JLR. Kia Motors, a subsidiary of Hyundai, did not find the Indian market lucrative enough.

Global carmakers shelve India plans due to tough financial conditions

world

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

23

In Focus Musharraf to return to Pakistan on March 24

Dubai: Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf would return to the country on March 24 to lead his party in upcoming elections, ending his nearly four years of self-imposed exile in Dubai and London, a statement released by him said.

Musharraf plans to fly on a commercial airliner into Karachi on March 24, then attend a rally by 50,000 people including more than 200 Pakistani expatriates from the US, Canada, the UK and the UAE, the statement was quoted as saying.

Pak parliament creates history by completing full term

Islamabad: Pakistan's parliament made history last week by becoming the first National Assembly in the country's history to complete a full term of five years, with the conclusion of the house's 50th session, setting the stage for the holding of elections. "The session that started on February 18, 2013 has prorogued on completion of its business," Yasmeen Rehman, a lawmaker for the ruling Pakistan People's Party, read out from a letter from President Asif Ali Zardari.

Indian-origin doctor cleared of manslaughter charge in Australia

Sydney: An Indian-born surgeon at the centre of a long-running malpractice saga in Australia was cleared in a retrial of the manslaughter of an elderly patient who died after he operated on him. Jayant Patel was jailed for seven years in July 2010 after a jury found him guilty of criminal negligence resulting in the deaths of three patients. But Australia's high court quashed the manslaughter convictions in August last year, saying there had been a miscarriage of justice and ordered retrials, and the surgeon was released on bail.

New Delhi: Islamic activists have attacked dozens of Hindu temples and hundreds of homes across Bangladesh since an Islamist leader was sentenced to death for war crimes last month, a Hindu group said last week.

Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad, a group which looks after Hindu temples, said 47 temples and at least 700 Hindu houses had either been torched or vandalised since the verdict against Delwar Hossain Sayedee.

Sayedee, vice-president of the country's largest Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami, was sentenced to hang on February 28 for crimes, including rape and murder, committed during the 1971 independence conflict.

Geneva: The UN Human Rights Council is preparing to vote this week on a resolution that urges Sri Lanka to deliver on promises to investigate allegations of mass civilian slaughter in the army campaign that crushed a rebel group in May 2009. It also expresses growing international concern over a lengthy catalog of continuing atrocities.

The resolution, sponsored by the United States, calls on Sri Lanka to investigate possible violations of international human rights laws - polite

The sentencing of Sayedee and other Jamaat-e-Islami leaders has triggered the worst violence in impoverished Muslim-majority Bangladesh since independence, with 85 people so far killed in the unrest. Kazal Debnath, a vicepresident of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad, blamed the attacks on Hindu temples and homes on Jamaat-e-Islami and

its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir.

"It was the work of the Jamaat and Shibir, but we also accuse the government, the police and the local government representatives including (our) MPs for failing to protect the temples and our community," he said. He said the attackers were given free rein to "torch our temples, houses and properties".

Jamaat has denied any role in the attacks, blaming supporters of the ruling Awami League party for the violence.

But foreign minister Dipu Moni told diplomats that Jamaat and Shibir attacked Hindu temples and houses in a "pre-planned manner".

Hindus, who make up nearly 10% of Bangladesh's

153 million-strong population, are traditionally seen as supporters of the Awami League, which brands itself as a secular party.

They were the main targets during Bangladesh's 1971 independence war against Pakistan and during post-poll violence in 2001 when a centre-right party allied with Jamaat won a twothirds majority.

Jamaat-e-Islami leaders have been on trial at the domestic International Crimes Tribunal, accused of colluding with Pakistan and pro-Pakistan militias during the war for independence.

But the party says the process is an attempt by the ruling party to settle scores and not about delivering justice.

diplomatic shorthand for growing evidence that soldiers killed tens of thousands of civilians in the campaign that crushed the rebels, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. It also cites reports of abuse that has continued since then, including extrajudicial killings, torture, forced disappearances, intimidation and violent reprisals against journalists and human rights activists.

Without some accountability for the civilian deaths, the United States and its supporters argue, there will be no

lasting reconciliation to allow Sri Lanka to turn a corner on a long civil war. The conflict dragged on for 26 years as the Tamil Tigers unleashed extremes of violence to win autonomy for the mainly Tamil northern and eastern parts of the island from its overall Sinhalese majority.

But Sri Lanka's leaders denounce the initiative as unwarranted and dangerous foreign meddling. The dispute is another chapter in the opposing narratives on how the government ended the war

and is now handling the peace.

For four years, the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has insisted that its army carried out a rescue operation of people trapped in areas controlled by the Tigers in 2009, strictly adhering to a "zero civilian casualties" directive from the president. But that version of events has faced growing skepticism since March 2011, when a UN panel of experts issued a report concluding that 40,000 civilians were killed in the closing weeks of the war.

UN Rights Council to vote on Sri Lanka resolution

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South Congress government in Andhra survives no-trust motion

The ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh survived the second no-confidence motion in 16 months thanks to a divided opposition.

But the result proved the government was technically in a minority. With the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) remaining neutral and as many as 27 members abstaining, only 58 legislators voted for the motion moved by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Two members were not allowed to vote by the speaker.

Hyderabad blasts: NIA gets custody of two IM members

A Delhi court granted NIA four-day custody of two alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives to further interrogate them in connection with the Hyderabad twin blasts that left 16 dead. District Judge allowed the plea seeking custody of Syed Maqbool and Imran Khan to confront them with another alleged IM operative Obaid-Ur-Rehman, who has been brought from Bangalore Central Jail and is in NIA's custody till March 20 in connection with the case, sources said.

Hyderabad unsafe, says US report

OSAC's 'India 2013 Crime and Safety Report: Hyderabad', points to the increasing number of crimes against women, both in the city and state, and focuses on Andhra Pradesh's dubious distinction of "being rated number two nationally" in reported attacks on the fairer sex. Not only does it term the city's public transport system as outrageously unsafe for tourists, it also raises serious concerns "regarding violence from indigenous Islamic radical groups.

Punjab FIR against 15 Punajb MLAs

A day after receiving a complaint against Congress MLAs, Chandigarh police have registered an FIR against 15 legislators for allegedly creating ruckus and thrashing a public servant in Punjab assembly. The FIR was registered at Sector 3 police station and is being investigated by an IPS officer.

The complainant, Head Constable Jaipal Singh, underwent medical examination at government multispecialty hospital.

Of Rs 635 crore budget, PGI spares not a penny for research

It is most natural for people to trust PGI for healthcare. The only snag is that the place has not made any significant contribution to research for decades. Not that the PGI does not have funds. In this budget, the Union government hiked expenditure in the fields of healthcare, teaching and medical research by 28% and gave PGI a substantial kitty of Rs 635 crore.

None of that however, has been sought for research.

Bathinda: 7 injured in school bus collision

About four students sustained injuries, including about seven people, making it eleven, when a school bus going from Rampura Phul to Bhucho met with an accident. One girl student has sustained grave injuries and has been referred to DMC in Ludhiana. The studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s condition is now being stated to be stable. The case is being investigated by the police. There were about 22 people in the bus.

Missing boy traced after 10 years

A boy who had gone missing from Balhada Binchu village in Bathinda was traced after about 10 years. The boy was traced after a decade from Husnar village in Muktsar district. Some relatives of the boy identified him. On this, the family reached Husnar village along with the panchayat and identified the boy who looked different from what he was about 10 years back. In the presence of both the panchayats, the boy was brought back to his house in Bathinda district.

Almost a decade after a 65year-old woman committed suicide because she was illegally detained by police, the Madras high court upheld the order of the state human rights commission directing the official concerned to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to her family.

Hearing a petition filed by then sub-inspector (prohibition enforcement wing) of Sivagangai, V Ponnamblam, challenging SHRC's order, a bench comprising acting

Chief Justice R K Agrawal and Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar termed the detention of Irulayee as "unnecessary" and dismissed the petition.

A police team, headed by Ponnamblam, had gone to Irulayee's house in the wee hours on February 4, 2004 to nab Malaikannu, her ex-husband's son, who was wanted for distilling illicit arrack.

When Irulayee, who was alone at that time, said she was unaware of Malaikannu's

whereabouts, she was allegedly dragged out of her house and kept in police custody for about four hours.

She was later released after her family explained to officials that they had no contact with Malaikannu.

Irulayee returned home and committed suicide by consuming pesticide the same day. Her son-in-law V Periyasamy lodged a complaint before the SHRC which found the detention illegal and asked

How rich is the Lord? Board will tell Next time you visit a temple in Tamil Nadu, besides a darshan, you can also learn how rich the presiding deity is. A circular issued by the state government's Hindu Religious and C h a r i t a b l e E n d o w m e n t s (HR&CE) department has directed all the 38,000 temples under its control to display details of properties held by them, the occupants of properties and the names of rent defaulters.

"We have instructed temple authorities to put up big boards with all the property information along with puja timings, available sevas, names of donors and their contributions. This is to help tourists visiting a temple for the first time to get all the information about it," HR&CE commissioner P Dhanapal had said.

On April 23 last year, the Madras high court directed the government to collect details about the properties owned by various temples under its control and create a database. This follows a petition filed by Swamy Govinda

Ramanujadasa, president of the Chennai-based International Sri Vaishnava Dharma Sumraksahna Society.

Ramanujadasa informed the court that temples in Tamil Nadu own about 4.78 lakh acres of land worth thousands of crores of rupees. Though temples are endowed with such valuable assets, most are unable to conduct even one puja daily because they don't get much revenue out of these properties, he said. The revenue department, which is in possession of the land records, must pass on the details to the HR&CE department so that for necessary action can be taken to get back lands under illegal occupation.

The HR&CE began collecting information about the

Pranab Mukherjee confers President Colours to IAF units The city witnessed dazzling flying display in formation by the Indian Air Force (IAF) aircrafts, choppers, as the President of India and the supreme commander of armed forces, Pranab Mukherjee conferred President's Colours on two units of IAF. The IAF units that were presented President's Colours are Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME), a premier Medical Establishment based at Subroto Park, New Delhi functioning under the aegis of Director General Medical Services (Air) and Chandigarh based 3 BRD is a major maintenance, repair and overhaul Depot at Chandigarh under the overall control of Maintenance Command Nagpur.

The Presidential Colour is a symbol of excellence and has been earned by the units with their dedication and worthy contribution, both during the peace and war. It

marks and depicts the hard work, valor and sacrifice of all the personnel posted to these units.

Addressing the troops, President Of India, Pranab Mukherjee also congratulated both the units for the rare honour and appealed them to continue the selfless services towards nation. Pranab Mukherjee also addressed that the solution of the problem with our enemy is possible through talk but at the same time the armed forces of the country should be prepared against any aggression on the integrity of our county with all our might.

properties owned by each temple and in the process, it also instructed authorities to display the property details along with the daily puja routine on the premises, said Dhanapal. Right now, temples under the Salem division of the HR&CE have begun putting up boards with all the information. Others are likely to follow suit soon.

The department, which was recently attached to the tourism department, has also instructed major temples to put up signboards in public places like bus stands, police stations, railway stations and other prominent places giving directions and details like distance from important locations.

Recently, some boards that contained directions to the Meenakshi Amman temple in English, Hindi and Tamil in Madurai were vandalised and the authorities were made to remove them.

"Such incidents are rare and boards are being installed with information about the temple in prominent towns," said Dhanapal.

Ponnamblam to pay Rs 50,000 compensation. The official challenged the order by filing a writ petition in the Madras high court on January 18 this year.

In his petition, Periyasamy claimed that he had gone to Irulayee's house after he was tipped off that Malaikannu had come to visit her.

He said that Irulayee verbally abused the officials, forcing them to take her into custody.

New airport terminal opens in Chennai

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is finally in takeoff mode. After copping a jet load of flak by overstepping several deadlines for the new international and domestic terminals and delaying them by two years, AAI will finally open the domestic terminal for arrivals on Friday.

The glitzy structure, which has every facility expected in a world-class airport terminal, is expected to enhance flyer experience exponentially, as passengers using the airport have for long been used to making do with the drab old terminal.

However, AAI officials refused to set a date for opening the international terminal, saying only that it would be opened once all systems are moved from the old domestic terminal to the new one and they are satisfied that operations are streamlined.

Unlike the domestic terminal, the existing international terminal will continue to function once the new one is opened, serving to augment capacity for international flights. The new terminals were supposed to be ready by January 2011.

Congress, Punjab speaker on collision course

The opposition Congress and Punjab Assembly Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal seem to be on a collision course, politically speaking. Atwal, who belongs to the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, has been the target of the Congress, which has accused him of being "biased".

This week's incidents inside and outside the assembly hall were quite unprecedented in the assembly's history. First, the Congress, spearheaded by Leader of Opposition Sunil Jakhar, brought a young woman who was the victim of a Punjab Police assault March 3 into the assembly complex. The victim was taken to the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) room

by Congress legislators without a valid entry pass.

The Congress leadership apparently wanted to make a spectacle of the victim's plight to embarrass the Parkash Singh Badal government for not taking enough action

against her police assaulters to provide her justice.

Getting a whiff of the presence of the woman inside the assembly building, police personnel and assembly marshalls went to the CLP office to evict her. This was physically resisted by Congress legislators and some of them even allegedly thrashed the security personnel to prevent them from taking the woman away.

Other Congress legislators inside the assembly hall created a ruckus and even went up to the speaker's podium. One Congress legislator, Jagmohan Singh Kang, even went and occupied the speaker's chair. The speaker had left the chair after adjourning the house following the chaos.

Atwal termed the incidents a "criminal assault" on the assembly staff and blamed the Congress members for compromising the assembly's security by bringing in "illegal entrants".

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

India warns Pak over Afzal resolution

Parliament asks Islamabad not to meddle in India’s internal affairs. A day after Pakistan's National Assembly passed a resolution condemning the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, India hit back with Parliament rejecting the resolution and asking Islamabad to desist from interfering in India's internal affairs.

In a separate move, New Delhi also cancelled a hockey series between the neighbours that was to be played next month.

Government sources said the decision to cancel the hockey series was taken a few days ago and the external affairs ministry's opinion on this was not linked to the Afzal Guru resolution or the militant attack in Srinagar this week.

The MEA, they said, felt that the timing for such a series was not right due to upcoming elections in Pakistan. The government's decision to cancel it was also based on inputs from the home ministry and intelligence agencies, they added.

The Pakistani assembly resolution, however, came in for strong condemnation in Parliament

with members calling it an act of Pakistan's "support for extremist and terrorist elements".

"The House rejects interference in the internal affairs of India and calls upon the National Assembly of Pakistan to desist from such acts of support for extremist and terrorist elements," said a resolution adopted by both Houses of Parliament after the opposition BJP mounted pressure on the government to send a strong signal to Islamabad.

The resolution also reminded Islamabad that peaceful relations between the two countries were contingent upon fulfillment of Pakistan's commitment that it would not allow its territory to be used for terrorism against India.

The House notes that Pakistan has committed that it would not allow its territory to be used for terrorism against India and only fulfillment of this commitment can be the basis for peaceful relations with Pakistan," the resolution said.

"The House reiterates that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir including the territory under illegal occupation of Pakistan is and shall always be an integral part of India," it said, reminding Pakistan that "any attempt from any quarter to interference in the internal affairs of India will be met resolutely and with complete unity of our nation". Parliament rejects Pak assembly's resolution on Afzal Guru, calls it interference.

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British minister coming to invite Modi

A British minister will visit Gujarat soon to invite chief minister Narendra Modi to England - a first since the 2002 riots. Britain's foreign minister for India, Hugo Swire, will lead a trade delegation to Gandhinagar to invite Modi to London in May. The policy shift reflects keen business interest in the state. BG Group's

executive vice president for Africa, Central and South Asia, Sami Iskander is likely to sign an agreement with Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation for stake sell during the visit.

BG has also evinced interest in picking up 25% stake in Mundra LNG terminal, where GSPC and Ahmedabad-based Adani group have 75% and 25% stakes.

Petition in support of Direct Flight between UK and Lok Sabha passes Gujarat, organised by AV, GS and NCGO (UK) anti-rape bill, makes If you want a direct flight from London to voyeurism an offence Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport,

The Lok Sabha passed the anti-rape bill which keeps the age for consensual sex at 18 years and makes voyeurism and stalking punishable offences.

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013, was tabled in the house by union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde a day after the cabinet approved its draft. The house debated it during the day.

The anti-rape bill will replace the ordinance promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee Feb 3.

The legislation had to be passed by parliament before April 4, when it would have lapsed.

The issue has been in focus after the gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi Dec 16 last year. She died of grievous injuries 13 days later.

The government, bowing to political pressure, retained the age of consent for sex at 18 years in the bill, which was approved by the cabinet. It had earlier decided to lower it to 16 under the proposed Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013.

Participating in the debate, Congress member Sandeep Dikshit said he had doubts over the provision of fixing 18 as age of consent.

"If a girl and boy aged between 16 and 18 get into physical relations, would they be called criminals?" he asked.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Sumitra Mahajan defended the decision to keep the age of consent at 18, but noted steps should be taken to prevent misuse of the bill provisions.

She cited two instances of misuse of the law and said in one of the cases, the man falsely accused of rape had committed suicide.

Opposing suggestions

Ahmedabad; if you have a desire to get a permanent, easy connection with people of Gujarat, do sign and get others to sign this petition and send it to “Asian Voice” or “Gujarat Samachar” office by post or fax it to our office (Fax no: 020 7749 4081), at the earliest.

to include marital rape in the provisions of the bill on grounds that it will weaken the institution of family, Mahajan said India had a joint family system and the elders act as buffer and provide counseling in case of marital problems.

Samajwadi Party member Shailendra Kumar supported the bill but said there was need to take special care to prevent misuse of its provisions.

He said the provisions of the bill could lead to change in attitude of employers in recruiting women.

Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav said that provisions of the bill could make it difficult for women to find employment.

"People will be afraid," he said, adding that the biggest reason for suffering of women was caste discrimination.

Sharad Yadav also warned the bill will lead to "jails being filled" as courts were already overburdened with cases.

He said that the bill was a short-term solution thought by the government and there was need for long-term measures.

In a lighter vein, he said young men sometimes chase women in order to woo them.

In his short intervention, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said that if he had chosen to speak, he would have proved there was no need for the bill.

THE CAMPAIGN to facilitate direct flights between London Heathrow and Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport Ahmedabad, Gujarat has generated much interest amongst Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar readers and the entire community.

All those wishing to add their names to the list of petitioners, which includes several prominent politicians, business people and community members are requested to complete the tear-off the form and send it to the offices of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar,

12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW. We will forward all petitions to the Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi. Who is renowned to be in the forefront of serving Gujarati people.

Please note: If you wish to register more than 10 names on your petition, then simply photocopy the tearoff form and add the extra names. All petitions must clearly state your full names, postal address and must be signed and dated.

REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT WE THE undersigned hereby support the direct Air India flights between London and Ahmedabad for the following reasons : l There are more Gujaratis living and travelling abroad than any other Indian community, and this figure is increasing. l About 40% of Air India passenger to the UK are Gujarati. Indeed on some flights, close to 80% to 90% are Gujarati. l India is the 2nd largest investor into United Kingdom, according to British Government figures. Many of these Indian companies are either owned, controlled, or significantly staffed by Gujaratis. l The UK is the Second Largest investor in India, and the largest cumulative investor in Gujarat. l Nearly 50% of all visas issued by British High

NAME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Commission in India are to Gujaratis. l Currently, air passengers travelling between the UK and Gujarat are required to change planes either at Mumbai or Delhi. This inevitably leads to considerable inconvenience, delay and expense – particularly for families with young children, pregnent women, the elderly, and the increasing number of business travellers. l We believe that the introduction of direct flights will not only be of benefit to the Gujarati diaspora, but also prove commercially successfully for Air India.

Form also available online at www.abplgroup.com to download and Fax on 020 7749 4081 Email: support@abplgroup.com

ADDRESS

SIGNATURE

DATE

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www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 23rd March 2013

In Focus UK tourist jumps from hotel to escape sexual assault in Agra

A day after addressing a massive rally at the Ramlila Ground here for demanding 'special status' for his state, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Kumar is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at around 4.30 pm Kumar on Sunday said that no political combination should think of ruling Delhi after the 2014 elections if it ignored Bihar's rights.

"Post-2014 elections, the person who sits in power will be the one who gives special status not only Bihar, but every backward state," Kumar said while addressing a huge crowd at the Ramlila grounds.

Kumar further said Bihar has been treated unfairly by successive central govern-

ments and the time has come for making amends.

"Bihar is way below the national average in all development indices, such as roads, power, railways and

per capita income. Don't the people of Bihar have the right to a better life?" he asked.

He further said that Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, in his Budget speech, has hinted that changes will be made in the

parameters for giving states special status.

"I demand that the parameters should be changed at the earliest to give Bihar special status. Our fight is not

only for Bihar, but for all backward states," he added.

Stating that the Prime Minister has praised the recent growth rate of Bihar, Kumar said: " If we get special status, we will contribute more to

the country's growth rate.

And that day won't be far when India will beat China."

The Janata Dal (United) has for long sought special status for the state, especially in the aftermath of its division, with most of the natural resources ending up in Jharkhand.

The "Adhikar rally" comes a fortnight after the central government proposed to change the parameters of determining backwardness of states.

In his budget speech on February 28, the Finance Minister had said, "It may be more relevant to use measures like distance of the state from the national average under criteria such as per capita income, literacy and other human development indicators. I propose to evolve new criteria and reflect them in future planning and devolution of funds."

DMK quits UPA over Lankan Tamilsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; issue Continued from page 1 pull out of the Union ministry and the UPA," Karunanidhi said reading out from a statement in Chennai.

He said DMK ministers would resign soon.

The 88-year-old former Tamil Nadu chief minister, however, kept a window open for the return of the DMK to the UPA fold, saying it was "ready" to reconsider its decision if Parliament adopts a resolution before March 21 taking DMK's concerns on board. The Geneva-based UNHRC is due to vote on March 21 a resolution against Sri Lanka.

Taking a cue from this

position taken by DMK, the Congress core group had a meeting after which sources said the government would be drafting a resolution to be brought in Parliament in a bid to placate Karunanidhi. It was not immediately known whether DMK's demands would find mention in the planned resolution.

"We are hopeful of finding a common ground where support (of DMK) will be given to the UPA," Union minister Sachin Pilot told reporters in Delhi. Of the five DMK ministers, M K Alagiri is of Cabinet rank. The DMK has 18 Lok Sabha MPs and six Rajya Sabha MPs. Karunanidhi also ruled out

outside support.

With the DMK pullout, the strength of the UPA has reduced to 224 after its withdrawal but it enjoyed the support of 281 MPs that included those of outside supporting parties. SP (22) and BSP (21) were among the outside supporters in the House where the magic number for a majority is 272.

Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi said her party pulled out in protest against government's position on a UN resolution on war crimes in Sri Lanka because it "had no choice." The resolution, the Rajya Sabha MP said, had nothing of what the DMK wanted. "DMK expected the

Indian government to support this resolution and take it forward but unfortunately it did not happen. The final resolution has come and nothing of what was expected is there in it. So I think the DMK had no choice but to decide to pull out," she said in New Delhi.

Govt on ventilator, ready to face elections, says BJP BJP on Tuesday said the party was ready for the general elections as the continuation of the UPA government was not in the interest of the country. "The government does not have a majority now. It should go," BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters outside Parliament.

India, Italy on war over marinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; trial Continued from page 1 Enrica Lexi, are accused of shooting the two Indian fishermen, apparently after mistaking them for pirates off the coast of Kerala in February last year.

The marines, who had been detained in India to face trial, were granted leave to return home last month to vote in Italy's general election. They had previously been granted home leave for Christmas, after which they had returned to India.

Italy says the incident took place in international waters and that India has no right to try the marines. On Monday the Italian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its view that the marines should be tried under international law.

It said Italy hoped to find a solution to the dispute "in the spirit of the friendly relations it wishes to maintain with India." Italy's refusal to return the sailors has sparked fury in India. The case has caused an uproar in Indian parliament and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's

Daniele Mancini

government was under pressure to respond forcefully.

Italy had written to India saying no authority can restrict movement of its ambassador as such conditions will violate the Vienna Convention on immunity to diplomats.

When the counsel for ambassador said the apex court could trust him not to run away from India, the SC bench said it no longer trusted him. "You have lost our trust," the apex court said.

The SC also refused to buy the diplomatic immunity claimed by the Italian ambassador, who said he had given

the undertaking on behalf of the Italy government. The apex court said it had permitted the marines to go home on sovereign guarantee after the Italy government and its ambassador submitted to the SC jurisdiction.

The Supreme Court pulled up Mancini for breaching an undertaking given to the apex court and restrained him from leaving India till April 2, when it will hear the matter again.

The SC said a contempt of court charge would be made out only if the ambassador fails to bring back the marines

by March 22.

The SC said it would be unacceptable to argue diplomatic immunity after voluntarily subjecting to court's jurisdiction. The Union government told the court that it has rejected March 15 note verbale from Italian embassy seeking full freedom of movement for its ambassador, who had been restrained by apex court from leaving India.

Referring to Italian note verbale telling India that no authority in India should impede movement of the

ambassador in violation of diplomatic immunity, the Centre said the Italy government appears unaware of the constitutional scheme under which the government functions in India.

After a year of disagreement over their fate between Rome and New Delhi, the Italian government announced that it would renege on its commitment to send the men back and they would remain at home. A furious Indian government has warned of "consequences" and is reviewing its ties with Italy, while the Supreme Court ordered that Mancini should remain in the country and explain himself in court.

Orders were issued to Indian airports asking them to prevent Mancini from leaving if he tried to board a plane without permission.

Italy insists the marines should be prosecuted in their home country because the shootings involved an Italianflagged vessel in international waters, but India says the killings took place in waters under its jurisdiction.

A female British tourist was admitted to hospital after jumping through a hotel window over fears of a sex attack in Agra. The victim, in early 30s, suffered leg injuries when she leapt from the first floor after two men tried to enter her room at around 4am, police said. "She got frightened so she ran to the other end of the room and jumped out of the window," Pawan Kumar, superintendent of police in Agra, said.

37 dead as Mumbai-bound luxury bus falls into river

At least 37 people were killed and seven injured when a speeding Mumbai-bound luxury bus plunged into the Jagbudi River in Ratnagiri district. The accident occurred around 3.30am near Khed when the driver was negotiating a steep turn and lost control over the vehicle, which fell off the Jagbudi bridge from a height of about 40 ft.The bus, which was badly damaged, was on its way back from Goa when the mishap took place.

Nearly 50 kids rescued from illegal children's home

Nearly 50 children, who were kept in two illegal children's home for months with little food amid pathetic living conditions, have been rescued by a team of Rajasthan Commission for Protection of Child Rights.On a tip off from Delhi, the team led by the Commission Chairperson Deepak Kalra raided a home in Mansarover area last night where 27 girls and two boys, aged between 5 and 17, were found.

India, Egypt ink seven pacts after PM holds talks with Morsi

In a bid to deepen ties and strengthen economic bonds, India and Egypt signed seven key pacts including one on cyber security after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi held bilateral talks. The two leaders also agreed to enhance cooperation in defence and in international forums like UN. It offers us a great opportunity to renew our relationship and take it to a different level of engagement and cooperation," Prime Minister Singh said after concluding talks with Morsi.

Goverment may raise pension to widow & elderly

The government will take a decision on increasing the amount or number of beneficiaries of pension schemes for widows, elderly and disabled in the next six weeks, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh told Parliament. The expanded and reworked pension programme for widows, the elderly and disabled being considered by the government will be linked to the rate of inflation. It will benefit around 814 lakh people and will require an outlay of 1,31,626 crore in the Twelfth Plan period.

CBI registers FIR against former Air chief SP Tyagi

The CBI filed an FIR against former IAF chief S P Tyagi and 12 others for alleged cheating and criminal conspiracy in Rs 3600 crore VVIP helicopter deal. Two new names, which were not part of the agency's preliminary enquiry, have also been included in the FIR. They include brother of former Union minister Santosh Bagrodia, Satish Bagrodia and Pratap Aggarwal, Chairman and Managing Director of IDS Infotech respectively. Tyagi is first chief of the Indian Air Force to be named in a corruption or criminal case by the CBI.

Odisha minister resigns after dowry torture charge

Odisha's Law and Urban Development Minister Raghunath Mohanty resigned on "moral grounds" after his daughter-in-law filed a dowry case against him and his family members. The minister rushed to Naveen Nivas, residence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and tendered his resignation in the wake of registration of a case at Balasore Town Police Station against him and his family members. Barsha Sony Mohanty, his daughter-in-law had lodged an FIR.

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India’s biggest rice-flake cluster developed in Gujarat

By Nayan Dave

R

ice flakes popularly known as ‘Poha’ is well accepted as a preparation of snacks in India. In many parts, a day starts with ‘Poha’ platter as breakfast. However, very few people know the interesting story pertaining to development of India’s largest Poha manufacturing cluster near Navsari in South Gujarat.

Vinod Desai

When Suresh Agarwal, a small-time grain merchant in Navsari started first ever rice-flake mill in South Gujarat in 1989, perhaps he wouldn’t have thought his initiative would one day become reason for the emergence of India’s largest rice-flake cluster.

Interestingly, Agarwal started the mill out of compulsion. His firm used to supply paddy to many rice-flake manufactures at Roha in Maharashtra where a traditional Poha manufacturing cluster has developed.

Often he had problem in getting payments. Like other Marvadi businessmen, he found a way to overcome the difficult times and decided to set up his own rice-flake mill.

As Agarwal’s venture succeeded, around 12 more players entered into the business with relatively large production capacity.

non-Basmati varieties of rice in 2004. The government decision lead many big suppliers of paddy to look for value addition.

Gujarat based traders took the lead by setting up Poha mills. More than 60 SMEs have come up at Navsari, Chikhli, Bardoli and Kamrej in South Gujarat.

Around 30 more units opened near Ahmedabad in Bavla and Bareja towns.

According to industry sources, at least 25 more units are in pipeline in South and central Gujarat.

“There are many reasons for emergence and success of Gujarat’s riceflake cluster. One of them is fast changing life style in urban India, which leads to sharp increase in domestic demand. Poha as a light fast-food has become popular across the country in last one and half decade, which expanded the market and absorb augmented production,” said an official with MSME Development Institute of India.

Poha

During that time scientists in Gujarat’s agriculture universities introduced new variety of rice – ‘Gurjari’ which was thicker than normal rice grains.

Famers in South Gujarat started sowing this variety in large chunks of land.

“Gurjari rice is suitable for Poha making. It is available in abundance to mills situated in South Gujarat that too at their door step.

These factors also encouraged traders, mostly in grain business, to venture into manufacturing of rice flakes”, says Packaging and an official weighing process w i t h Gujarat’s agriculture department.

By 2000 many more joined Piyush Kamdar, who the bandwagon and owns three rice-flake mills Gujarat emerged a major in South Gujarat, says that rice-flake manufacturing because of export restricstate along with Maharashtra and Madhya tions, better quality of Pradesh. paddy was available at reaApart from payment sonable rates which lured him to enter into rice-flake problem faced by Agarwal, manufacturing. The newer another important factor variety of rice grown in propelled the growth of Gujarat also attracted few rice-flake industry in entrepreneurs from Gujarat was the Central Maharashtra and Madhya government’s decision to Pradesh to start Poha put a ban on export of

manufacturing units in Gujarat, says Vijay Shah, who also own a unit in South Gujarat.

As per the industry figures, of around 1,200 tonnes of rice-flakes produced per day in India, Gujarat is having lion’s share of 800 tonnes.

Sources said that Gujarat’s rice-flake cluster is doing turnover of more than Rs 20 billion annually

Piyush Kamdar

and provides employment to nearly 10,000 people.

According to industry experts, rice-flakes clusters developed near Balabhat and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh and Roha in Maharashtra are using traditional manual methods of producing riceflakes. However, Gujarat’s cluster is relatively new and most of the units have adopted modern technology and as a result of it they have advantage of higher capacities compared to neighboring states.

Vinod Desai, chairman of Agro Project Committee of Navsari Chamber of Commerce & Industry says that potential of Navsari cluster is too high and reasons are oblivious – easy availability of raw material and proximity of two major urban markets – Maharashtra and Gujarat.

“Poha manufactured in South Gujarat is in more demand because of its whiteness compared to clusters in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The same paddy processed in other cluster is not having similar whiteness. The weather condition and quality of water giving brightness to rice flakes produced in South Gujarat,” says Desai.

Export of rice-flake from Gujarat has also been initiated to countries like UAE, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa for Indians staying in those countries.

An official in MSME Development Institute said there was huge potential for export from Navsari cluster. The institute suggested for common branding for marketing in export market.

Besides, adoption of good packaging media, scientific quality control methods and participation in international food exhibition are also required to popularize this product.

The Story of Kartikeya – 5 Rishi Vishwamitra performed pooja of the young Skandha and gave him four gifts - a cock as his vehicle, shakti, devi and a lasso. In appreciation, Skandha accepted Vishwamitra as a friend. Vishwamitra then told the six rishis that their wives were not at fault, that it was Svaha who had taken their form and had conjugally met Agni.

However, frightened of what people might say, the rishis refused to take back their wives.

When the devas (gods) heard of Skandha, they requested their lord Indra to kill the child who was growing more and more powerful with each passing day. They told Indra that his throne could be threatened by this all-powerful boy. Indra agreed and said that Skandha could even beat Lord Brahma in combat. He added that he did not have the strength to defeat this young child of Svaha. Branding him a coward, the gods left Indra and approached all the devis (goddesses), requesting them to combine their terrible powers and attack the child.

The goddesses set out

to attack Skandha, but when they laid their eyes on the lustrous child shining in his bright aura, they realised they did not have the strength to defeat him.

Surrendering to him, they said that their love for him was overflowing and he should become their son.

They told him that just the sight of him had filled their breasts with milk. Skandha fulfilled their wishes and suckled milk from each of the devis. Because the devis had come there to attack Skandha, their hearts were full of anger.

The power from this anger was transfused into their milk which Skandha drank and appropriated the strength of all the goddesses. The mothers then performed pooja and worshipped their son. They presented him with a terrible agni (fire) in the shape of a goat to play with.

Angered by what had happened, the gods collected a huge army of all the gods, including those of the planets, the minor planets, Agni and his vari-

ous forms. They all gathered together with their terrible and frightening weapons to battle the child. Indra led the army on his fierce elephant called Airavata. Holding colourful flags, bows of different shapes and making roaring sounds, this huge army of gods advanced to fight Skandha. Mounted on his elephant, Indra came before Skandha and challenged him with a loud roar. Skandha roared back in such a loud and terrifying manner that the huge army of gods which had gathered to attack him ran helter-skelter in fear.

Realising that the gods had come to kill him, a furious Skandha started emitting huge balls of fire and flames from his mouth.

The gods started to burn in painful agony.

Their weapons and beautiful chariots started to melt.

All the gods, including the powerful Indra with his terrible thunderbolt, bowed down before Skandha, asking for his good favour.

To be continued...

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

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28

travel & women

Purvi Apurva Shah you have been planning a trip to the but undecided about where ItofNortheast go, Manipur may be the kind of desti-

nation you are looking for. From serene landscapes, exotic wildlife, floating islands to the warmhearted locals, there is no way you'll not fall in love with this place.

Known as the 'Switzerland of India', Manipur lies in the deep corner of the northeast part of India. This beautiful land is surrounded by Nagaland in the north, Mizoram in the south and Assam in the west, and shares a common international border with Mayanmar in the east.

Places to visit: Imphal - The capital city: Surrounded by seven hill ranges, the capital city of Manipur is the hub for culture and commercial activity.

Khwairamband bazaar: You get a glimpse into the matriarchal set up of Manipur at this bazaar. Known as 'Ema Keithel', it is the only and the largest market run by women in the country. From here you can pick up traditional Manipuri handlooms such as shawls, baskets, bags, clothes, household tools, and many more. Tourists popularly buy cane and bamboo handicraft from here.

War cemetery: The cemetery commemorates the British and Indian soldiers who died during the Second World War. It looks tranquil and is well main-

tained with stone markers and bronze plaques recording brief accounts of the soldiers.

Shri Govindajee Temple: Adjacent to the palace of the former rulers of Manipur, this temple is a sacred center for Vaisnavites. The temple has a simple structure comprising twin domes, a paved courtyard and a large raised congregation hall.

Gambhir Singh shopping complex: Wondering where to find those shoes and shirts worn by rock stars? Well, this is the right place to buy them from. The place is flooded with latest foreign fashion accessories. Also look out for tattoo shops; the tattoo artists here are quite creative.

Loktak Lake & Sendra Island: This place is a must see for the tourists. About 48 km from Imphal, Sendra island is more of an elevated hill in the center of Loktak Lake, the largest fresh water lake in the northeastern, and opens up a wonderful panorama of small islands of floating weed dotting the glittering blue waters, aquatic flora and the locals going about their daily life. Loktak is like a miniature inland sea with a beautiful stretch of water, and is a good place to enjoy boating, canoeing and other water sports.

Keibul Lamjao National Park: The

park is home to the rare and endemic brow-antlered deer called 'Sangai'. About 53 km from Imphal, on the fringes of Loktak Lake, this is the last natural habitat of the endangered Sangai deer. The unique characteristic of this park is it floats on water.

Moreh (Indo-Myanmar border): Experience a little bit of Myanmar here in this place. Approx. 110 km from Imphal, this border town is located on the lands of Tamu. It is an important commercial hub in Northeast. Enjoy the advantages of rupee at the Myanmar Shopping Complex. Here you get a cheap bargain on an assortment of Thai, Chinese and Burmese electronic gadgets, clothes, carpets and home decor range. Must do in Moreh- Go for a short tour of Myanmar's town like Kalimiew and Mandlay. Also enjoy a chariot ride near the border.

Other places to visit: Paona Bazar, Ukhrul Singda, Manipur Zoological Garden, Moirang Manipur state museum Other things to do • For those into music, must catch up a local rock concert in case it is on. Rock concerts are a common feature on the cultural calender of Manipur.

• Don't hesitate taking a sip of the locally brewn rice beer and wine at local

bars. They are as authentic as can get.

The locals enjoy their drink with a platter of pakoras, momos, fish, singju and even dog meat.

• Watch Ras Leela dance at theatres.

Ras Leelas are based on the eternal and celestial love of Radha and Krishna and tell a love story in the form of dance movements and musical compositions.

• Watch Manipuri films, which are totally inspired by Bollywood! The Manipur film industry is one of the fastest growing industries in Manipur. Kaiku, Kamala, Maya Choudhary, Sadananda are some of the famous actors.

• Don't miss out to watch Polo sport (Sagol Kangjei) at Polo Ground. Polo is believed to have been initiated in Manipur.

How to get there By air- Manipur is well connected to all the major cities in India by air.

By rail- There is no railway station in Manipur. But the nearest rail head is in Dimapur, 215 km from Imphal.

By road - The roads here are in very good, motorable condition. The National Highway 39 connects the state with all the important neighbouring cities like Guwahati, Agartala, Dimapur, Shillong, and Kohima.

Best time to visit - November to April

www.abplgroup.com - asian voice 23rd march 2013

Festival of Holi encourages feeling of brotherhood ne of the major festivals of India, Holi is O celebrated with enthusi-

asm and gaiety on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar. Holi may be celebrated with various names and people of different states might be following different traditions, but what makes it so unique and special is the spirit of it which remains the same throughout the country and even across the globe, wherever it is celebrated.

Preparations: Entire country wears a festive look when it is time for Holi celebration. Market places get abuzz with activity as frenzied shoppers start making preparations for the festival.

Heaps of various hues of gulal and abeer can be seen on the roadside days before the festival.

Pichkaris in innovative and modern design too come up every year to lure the children. Womenfolk too start making early preparations for Holi as they cook loads of sweets for the family and also for the relatives.

Season of Bloom: Holi is also called the spring festival - as it marks the arrival of spring, the season of hope and joy. The gloom of the winter goes as Holi promises bright summer days.

Legends: Holi has various legends associated with it. The foremost is the Ingredients: 2 Big Potatoes (boiled and mashed) 7-8 Bread Slices Coriander leaves finely chopped Green chilies (chopped) Red Chili powder to taste 1/4th tsp Garam Masala powder Oil for frying Preparation: Add salt, chili powder, gram masala, green chilies and coriander leaves to the mashed potatoes, mix well. Take some water in a bowl and dip a bread slice for few seconds. Squeeze the water from the bread by pressing between palms gently.

Place a tbsp potato mixture over the damp bread and roll and seal the edges of the bread in such a way that the filling does not come out from any part of

legend of demon King Hiranyakashyap who demanded everybody in his kingdom to worship him but his pious son, Prahlad became a devotee of Lord Vishnu.

Hiranyakashyap wanted his son to be killed. He asked his sister Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap as Holika had a boon which made her immune to fire.

Story goes that Prahlad

Play of Colors: Great excitement can be seen in people on the next day – Dhuleti - the time to play with colours.

Bright colours of gulal fill the air and people take turns in pouring colour water over each other. Children take special delight in spraying colours on others. Women and elders form groups called tolis and move in colonies - applying colours and exchanging greetings.

was saved by lord himself for his extreme devotion and evil minded Holika was burnt to ashes, for her boon worked only when she entered the fire alone.

Holika Dahan: On the eve of Holi, people gather at important crossroads and light huge bonfires, the ceremony is called Holika Dahan. This tradition is also followed in Gujarat and Orissa. To express gratefulness, gram and stalks from the harvest are offered to Agni with all humility. Ash left from this bonfire is also considered sacred and people apply it on their foreheads. People believe that the ash protects them from evil forces.

Songs, dance on the rhythm of dholak and mouthwatering Holi delicacies are the other highlights of the day.

Expression of Love: Lovers too long to apply colours on their beloved.

This has a popular legend behind it. It is said that the naughty and mischievous Lord Krishna started the trend of playing colours.

Message: It is said the spirit of Holi encourages the feeling of brotherhood in society and even the enemies turn friends on this day. People of all communities and even religions participate in this joyous and colouful festival and strengthen the secular fabric of the nation.

Bread Rolls

the bread. Repeat the same process for making more rolls. Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry on medium flame till golden brown.

Serve bread rolls hot with green chutney and tomato sauce.

Health benefits: The vitamin-C present in potatoes can help prevent this dreaded deficiency disease of Scurvy, caused due to lack of vitamin-C. It is characterized by cracked lip corners, spongy and

bleeding gums, frequent viral infections like cold etc. Vitamins, calcium and magnesium in potatoes help giving relief in rheumatism.

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Please stand up. Experts have reported an alarming connect between sitting down and chronic disease.

So, if you have always been inactive and prefer to park yourself on a sofa for hours or just flop down into the office chair and stay there for eight hours, get moving. The buttbound philosophy is causing a new epidemic that has been referred to as 'sitting disease' by researchers.

What studies have found: A recent study by Richard Rosenkranz, a Kansas State University researcher showed that compared to those who reported sitting four hours or less per day, those who sat for more than four hours per day were significantly more likely to report having a chronic disease such as diabetes, heart dis-

To Our Readers We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement it. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

ease and high blood pressure. Those sitting for at least six hours were significantly more likely to report having diabetes.

The study is relevant to office workers sitting at desks and those sitting for long periods of time such as truck drivers, said the researcher. The study has been published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

According to another study last year, by reducing 'excessive sitting' to three hours a day, life expectancy could increase by two years.

Warning stats • Chronic disease risk 6 per cent higher in men who reported sitting for between four and six hours a day, 10 per cent higher in men who reported sitting for between six and eight hours a day.

• Sitting between six to eight hours a day augmented the odds (15 per cent) of diabetes when matched with men who sat for less than four hours a day.

• Did you know? More than 70 per cent people spend six or more hours sitting a day.

HealtH Watch

A team led by John Protzko, doctoral student at the New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, combined the findings from existing studies to evaluate the overall effectiveness of each type of intervention.

Overall, the results of the meta-analyses indicated that certain dietary and environmental interventions can be effective in raising children's IQ, according to a New York statement. Supplementing pregnant women and newborns with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, foods rich in Omega-3, were found to boost children's IQ by more than 3.5 points.

These essential fatty acids may help raise intelligence by providing the building blocks for nerve cell development that the body cannot produce on its own.

Sending a child to preschool was found to raise his or her IQ by more than four points, and preschools that include a language development component were found to boost IQ by more than seven points.

The link between preschool and intelligence could be a function of increased exposure to language or the result of the overall cognitive complexity of the environment.

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Lessons from my Loving Nani

he last couple of weeks have been really sad for T me as I lost my amazing

Nani (my mums mummy) who went by the sweet name of: Devi Bhatia. She was 86 years old and had lived a full life that I was lucky enough to have been a part of from the day I was born. Her presence and stories inspired me to become what I am today.

Because of her amazing wisdom and spiritual awareness I decided to spend years studying Psychology and work in a profession where I was helping hundreds of people day in day out. This week I would like to share some principles that she lived her life by. These are real gems that will help you live a peaceful life and I hope you have a chance to reflect on them and see their beauty – just as I did.

‘Talk little draw much” was a phrase that Nani would use a lot. By this she meant observe and interpret any situation before launching into it.

We live in such a fast paced world now and sometimes when things are heated we can’t help but jump to share what we think or believe. Nani’s advice was take a step back and see what you have in front of you before

you say or do anything drastic. She always talked about choosing your thoughts so that they came from a place of love. When you ‘talk little and draw much’ you give yourself time to calm down before you say anything that might be negative or offensive and most importantly you give yourself a chance to act from a place of love.

“Speak sweetly to all” is something that Nani would repeat constantly and we would have long discussions about how one could achieve doing this subconsciously. What is came down to was that we must manage our ego.

Just because someone is being aggressive or rude it doesn’t mean you have to steep down to his or her level.

This was a very clever message that Nani gave.

The world is a very small place and ‘Personal Branding’ and credibility have never been so important till now. When you manage your behaviour towards others (despite their behaviour) you manage the impact you want to create. You manage your reputation. In the modern day we call this ‘reputation management’, my Nani called it ‘Speaking sweetly to all”.

“Let things go” was

Nani’s motto. She said the longer you hold onto something the heavier it gets. She was so right!

The more we hold onto problems and bitter feelings, the bigger they become. She would say inhale what just happened and exhale it. When you exhale it - its gone. When you keep it in, it becomes you. This posed a deeper thought – what do you want to become, burdened or free? Nani was very free, very light and very present. This was down to her amazing skill of forgiveness and letting things go. She wouldn’t hold onto anything and she would absolutely avoid negative people like the plague.

She would never judge them; she just gave them space to be whom they were without them influencing her. This is why everyone loved Nani, young and old. They felt like they could be themselves around her and she wouldn’t have any expectations of them. She projected love to all and they mirrored it right back to her.

Rest in Peace Nani Ma, we will miss your presence everyday and you will always live in our hearts and minds. Thank you for blessing us with your love.

Missed meals in childhood may cause pain later

Children who missed meals can not only have problem concentrating in school, they may also have a higher risk of experiencing pain and depression in adulthood, a new University of NebraskaLincoln study has suggested.

Depression and chronic pain are experienced by 44 per cent of workingaged adults and the study shows a correlation between childhood conditions and pain and depression in adulthood.

The study by UNL sociologist Bridget Goosby

examines how childhood socio-economic disadvantages and maternal depression increase the risk of major depression and chronic pain in workingaged adults. She specifically looked at data from adults 25 to 64 years old.

Goosby said she was surprised to find that

experiencing hunger in childhood can lead to chronic pain and depression in adulthood. "The most robust child socioeconomic condition was experiencing hunger. Kids who missed meals have a much higher risk of experiencing pain and depression in adulthood," Goosby said.

The study also found that maternal depression had a correlation with adults having depression later in life.

In the study, Goosby noted that those who grew up with parents with less

than 12 years of education had a much higher risk of experiencing chronic pain compared to adults with more highly educated parents, a disparity that becomes evident after age 42 and grew larger over time.

With this information, Goosby said she hopes policymakers will pay attention to creating more healthy family dynamics in society and that the study''s results will give policymakers a reason to examine circumstances in early childhood more closely.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

Manchester race attack...

Continued from page 1 “Nobody did anything to stop them or help me afterwards.

My daughter Devyani was the only one who helped me.”

Devyani, an estate agent who lives with her parents in New Moston, said: “I was screaming at them to stop but nobody did anything or said anything.

“I am tiny and I’m a woman, I don’t understand why nobody did anything.

Afterwards, when the men got off, one man came up and said he was a witness and gave me his number. But where was he when it was all happening? That’s what hurts the most – that nobody did anything, nobody said anything. I have lost my faith in society.

“Later at the police station they showed us the CCTV footage.

“You can’t see the men

but you can see all those passengers watching. It sent a shiver down my spine when I saw that.

“Some of them were actually jumping up to get a better view.”

Devyani took her dad to hospital where he was treated for concussion and given a scan.

Prakash said: “I was off work for two weeks.

Now I can’t walk outside on my own and I will never go on public transport again.

“We are big United fans and have been going to Old Trafford for 25 years and never had any trouble.

“But I will only ever watch Manchester United in a box now. Never again will I sit in the stands.”

Greater Manchester Police are appealing for witnesses to the attack, which happened after the United versus Fulham match on January 26.

Post this incident the

Coming Events HOLI celebration l Shree Shakti Mandir.Tuesday 26th March 2013 6pm till late. 30 Tablot Road, Wembley, Middlesex. HA0 4UE. Contact: 0208 903 6100 l Sunday 24th March, Bhaktivedanta Manor for the Holi and Gaura Purnima festival, The Little Bus Company will be running a special FREE service from 2pm – 10pm from opposite Stanmore Tube Station l Holi festival by International Sidhashram Shakti Centre and Sangat Centre, Tuesday 26 March.

7-8:30pm. Venue Harrow Civic Centre, back Car park. T:02084260678 l Holi 26 March, 6:30pm onwards.

The Community Centre. 67 A Church lane.

Contact 02083466686 l Holi lighting and Arti. 6-8:30pm. Swaminarayan School. 260 Brentfield Road, Neasden.

London NW10 8HE

Manchester Evening News has reported that policing of the Metrolink is to be reviewed. Police and transport chiefs say they will sit down and discuss policing on the trams following the attack.

Devyani is also calling for trams to be policed after football matches – which she believes could prevent future attacks.

Police on tram and football hooliganism Post football hooliganism is not unknown to any city that hosts these games.

GMP had a dedicated Metrolink unit responsible for policing incidents on the tram network from when it opened in 1992.

But it was axed in 2008 when tram bosses withdrew the funding.

Devyani told the local paper: “In my opinion Greater Manchester Police, Metrolink and Manchester United should consider working together in combating yet further football violence on public

transport.

“Metrolink could assist in deterring football violence by improving the design of trams. My father’s attackers could well have been identified had the positioning of the CCTV been better. With regards to the involvement of the GMP all it requires is two officers per tram and together the violence can be cut down. Perhaps if the tram my father and I were on was policed we wouldn’t be in the situation we are in today.

“That isn’t to say however, the police haven’t dealt with our case well.

GMP have been excellent throughout the case and they have my utmost respect.”

However Devyani has thanked GMP and all those who had shown their support, and said: “The positivity is amazing and heart-warming and I cannot stress my appreciation enough.”

Mr Patel was not available for any comments to Asian Voice.

Institute of Jainology invited to witness the pontification ceremony at the Vatican Institute of Jainology has established itself as a representative Jain organisation in the UK and worldwide over the past 25 years. The first important event was the Jain delegation which presented the Jain Declaration on Naure to HRH Duke of Edinburgh at the Palace when Jainism became formally recognised as the ninth religion in the world.

As a result of its wide activities, along with other faith representatives, the Institute of Jainology was invited to send a Jain representative to the Vatican to witness the Pontificating ceremony of Holy Father Pope Francis I. Deputy Chair and Director Harshad N Sanghrajka was sent to the ceremony on behalf of Jains world-wide.

Others

l Opening of first ever Shri Shirdi Aaibaba Temple, 30 March 6am till late. Guild Hall.

Leicester LE1 1QB l On Saturday 30th March 2013 - 108 Hanuman Chalisa from 11 am. 55 High Street, Cowley, Middlesex UB8 2DZ Tel: 07882 253 540

It is certainly going to be a fortunate time for those already married or in an established relationship. The keynote is emotional enrichment through close interaction with a loved one. Facets of your life that have been a source of restriction and dissatisfaction will begin to loosen their hold.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There’s a sparkle to your social life and you will have fun communicating with others.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

You will find added scope and greater incentive to push full steam ahead with your cherished aims. You must be careful not to tread on other people's toes. This is the right time to talk hings over with your loved one - especially anything that has been worrying you or making you feel insecure.

You have the dynamic planet Mars in your solar 10th house of work. This planet indicates a desire to push forward, to assert yourself mentally and physically. This also means that you want to improve your work prospects. Of course, there are still challenging issues on both a personal and practical level - tread carefully.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

There seems to be a danger of conflicts of duty between home and work. Your work is likely to take up a lot of your time which may generate some domestic strain. Try to balance these areas of your life. Some of you will be intent on expanding their mental horizons through meditation, yoga or by travelling.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

Give top priority to important written work.

This applies particularly to financial and commercial interests. If you can manage to get away from usual routines, this will prove to be highly enjoyable and have a beneficial effect on your physical and psychological well-being. Loved ones will be looking after you.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

With Venus and Mars traversing your opposite sign of relationships for some time to come, it will put you in the right mood if you intend to indulge your pleasure-loving instincts. Venus, the planet of love and romance throws a pleasing light on affairs of the heart. Existing emotional differences can be easily sorted out now.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 Make a very conscious attempt to stick to main priorities.

Organise your time so that it is not taken up entirely by the demands of other people. If you know your ground and are not afraid to stick your neck out, you can create your own opportunities. A good time for the affairs of the heart.

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 It seems that you will be in gregarious mood, intent on cultivating a wider circle of acquaintances. Mentally you will be in good form to make on-the-spot decisions and also get your ideas across to the right people. Ideas that you have been juggling with for quite some time will now be easily pulled into shape, allowing you to push ahead.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

It seems that the winds of change begin to gather momentum and put a strong focus on domestic and family matters. Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak. It will serve you well in getting things sorted out without upsetting anyone.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

Your communications are at their peak and any initiatives you take now will be well received by people in authority. A tremendous amount of planetary activity in your chart signals a time of mixed emotions as well as personal issues to be dealt with.

Practical affairs of life continue to be highlighted.

Your energy and attention will be very much devoted to financial matters. The tide of fortune continues to run strongly in your favour for some time to come. You will be working harder than usual, intent on getting things done. Close personal relationships will improve with Mercury in your sign.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Sport World

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

England ended the drawn second test at the Basin Reserve as a winner on points after rain washed out the entire final day, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said. McCullum's side had reached 162 for two in their second innings after being forced to follow on, though they were still 49 runs adrift from making England bat again.

Intermittent showers on the fourth day and persistent rain next day ensured the final match in Auckland later this week will be a series decider.

"It was a draw at the end of the day and, I guess similar to the first test match. If it's viewed as a points decision, I guess England will take this one," McCullum said.

"They dictated this one and we held on and showed some fighting qualities."

McCullum had actually won the toss on the first day and asked England to bat in the hope that the wicket

would provide his seam attack with some assistance before it flattened out.

The visitors, however, batted New Zealand out of the match on day one with Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott scoring centuries, and McCullum said he felt that his side had not performed as well as they should have.

"I thought we were pretty average on day one. There was a little bit in the wicket that we could have got some more benefit from," he said.

"We probably didn't bowl as well as what we needed to for as long as what we needed to against some quality batsmen. "Our execution was off. We didn't put enough pressure on England long enough and when up against a fine batting lineup got to be able to exert pressure for a long time.

"From that point on, we were under pressure (but) we managed to stand up and sustain some pressure that was exerted on us by

India cancel bilateral hockey series with Pak

Shane Watson to return to India tour after one-Test ban

India's external affairs ministry has cancelled the upcoming bilateral hockey series against Pakistan, it was announced. The decision comes a day after Pakistan's National Assembly, lower house of Parliament, condemned the hanging of terrorist Afzal Guru at the Tihar jail last month.

Pakistan were scheduled to play a five-match series in India from April 5-15. India were also slated to tour the neighbouring country for the second leg of the series from April 23.

"The series was cleared by the sports ministry and the home ministry. But last week the external affairs ministry informed us that the series has been cancelled," Hockey India (HI) secretary general Narinder Batra said.

Speculation about the Test future of Australian vicecaptain Shane Watson ended on Monday with an announcement that he will return to India after serving a one-match ban.

The 31-year-old returned to Sydney last Tuesday after he was dropped for the third Test after failing to prepare feedback on how the team could improve and deliver it to management. Three other players were also axed.

Watson, whose wife gave birth last week, made it clear he felt the punishment was overly harsh and said he would be considering his future, but has decided to battle on. "I've had several constructive discussions with team management back in Mohali over the past few days," he said.

"We've spoken about how

England, which is a really good sign for this team."

Benign pitches?

England bowling coach David Saker had criticised the nature of the pitches produced in both Dunedin and at the Basin Reserve, which he felt allowed the batsmen to dictate the flow of the game, though McCullum said the weather had been more of a defining feature in terms of results.

More than 100 overs were lost due to rain in Dunedin, while more than 150 were lost in Wellington and McCullum said if play

we are going to work together to move forward, as Australia attempts to climb back to the top of the ICC rankings.

"I've a burning ambition to be an Australian Test player for as long as I can be and help Australia win those big Test series as well as the big ICC tournaments."

His dumping fuelled rumours of a rift with skipper Michael Clarke, which was intensified by Cricket Australia general manager Pat Howard saying Watson was only "sometimes" a team player. Watson said he had

had been able to go for the full five days in each match criticism of the pitches would not have been made. "It seems to be bowling coaches who have an issue with them.

It's always going to be the way," he said with a grin.

"If we look at the first test match, we lost a whole day to rain. There would have been a certain result in that game - well, that's what I think - and then if you look at this test match as well, we lost a day and a half to rain.

"It would have been interestingly poised and there probably would have been a result in this (game).

"It's not three or four-day test match wickets, they're five-day grinding wickets which you have to work incredibly hard (on) for your fruits. "I don't see anything wrong with them. They've been pretty good and they've certainly allowed both teams to have periods of dominance throughout the test match series so far."

spoken with Howard and they were both now "on the same page".

"I'm looking forward to getting around the boys again and concentrating on moving forward. I'm entirely committed to the team and being the best player I can be," he said.

Head coach Mickey Arthur welcomed his decision: "Shane's recommitment to the team in his chats with me this week have been really positive.

"We're looking forward to having Watto back and around the group as we prepare for the fourth Test."

If Watson had decided to quit, Clarke would have been desperately short of experience ahead of an Ashes double header against England starting in July, after the recent retirement of Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey.

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Bangla umpire gets 10-year ban for corruption

Bangladesh have banned Nadir Shah, who umpired in 40 one-day internationals between 2006-11, for 10 years for corruption.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) handed out the punishment on Monday following an investigation by a special inquiry committee. In October, the Hindi-language news channel India TV showed footage of Shah and other officials from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan allegedly negotiating deals with under-cover reporters to affect the outcome of matches. "Umpire Nadir Shah will not be considered for a BCB retainer for 10 years," the Bangladesh Cricket Board said in a statement. "During this period he will not be eligible for any assignment under the jurisdiction of the BCB." Shah said he would appeal against the ban. "The decision is totally wrong as there was no proof of my guilt," he told reporters.

India jump 24 spots to 143rd in FIFA rankings

Despite an unimpressive performance in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup qualifiers, India jumped 24 places and are ranked 143 in the latest FIFA rankings released last week. India, winners of AFC Challenge Cup in 2008, have not yet qualified for the Challenge Cup and are now relying on help from other teams in the remaining group matches. They may qualify if they manage to feature among the two best second-placed team from four groups.

However, India are still ranked two places behind neighbours Afghanistan, who have been the most impressive team in the FIFA rankings.

Afghanistan have climbed 48 places to 141st on the back of victories over Sri Lanka (173rd, up 20) and Mongolia (178th, up 3) as well as a draw against Laos (168th, up 5).

Saina Nehwal reclaims 2nd spot in rankings

London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal regained her second place while Parupalli Kashyap continued his upward progress, earning two places to reach the seventh spot in the latest badminton world rankings. Saina had lost a position to slip to the third spot last week but after a semifinal finish at the All England Championship, the Indian regained her place in the world ranking. London Olympics quarterfinalist Kashyap too was rewarded for a quarterfinal finish at the All England Championship.

From world number nine last week, he jumped to a career-best seventh position.

Dhoni convinces BCCI to grant Fletcher a year’s extension The year 2012 in Indian cricket was ridden with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s troubled batting form, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir’s run-drought, India’s string of Test losses, Zaheer Khan’s never-ending injury woes and the back-to-back retirements of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.

So, the BCCI firmly believes that national coach Duncan Fletcher alone cannot be blamed for all things that kept going wrong for Team India in the last 13 months.

Hence, the Board decided to extend the 64-year-old Fletcher’s contract by another term. The decision was taken in a BCCI working committee meeting held in Mumbai.

The former Zimbabwe skipper, who tasted immense success as the England national coach in the last decade, will now stay with the Indian team for another 12 months. Fletcher’s two-year con-

tract with the BCCI, which he signed in April 2011 – after India’s World Cup victory – was due to expire by March end.

The buzz going around is that Dhoni, who is known to be very close to Srinivasan (he is captain of Srinivasan’s IPL team, Chennai Super Kings and also the vice-president of his company, India Cements) threw his weight behind Fletcher. It was argued in the coach’s favour that given Team India’s current rebuilding process – youngsters replacing the seniors – it was prudent to have an individual

like Fletcher on board.

“The reason why Fletcher was hired after Gary Kirsten’s exit – also at the latter’s express recommendation – was to help the transition. Fletcher has always enjoyed a massive reputation to work with youngsters on their game. He has a great cricketing brain and there is lot that he can impart,” a senior board official said, explaining the reasons behind extending Fletcher’s term. “It is still an ongoing process,” he added.

With Fletcher now on board till March 2014, the BCCI has ample time to figure out if the coach can carry India to the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand or whether a need will arise to bring in another individual for the task. It is also anticipated that the BCCI may hire an assistant coach soon, to work with Fletcher. If that happens, the assistant coach can be in a position to take over from

him in the near future if and when the time comes when the Zimbabwean calls it quits.

Fletcher’s role as chief coach of the national team came under scrutiny when India had lost badly on tours to England and Australia. However, the clamour to have him sacked got higher only recently when India lost the series to England at home.

Under his tenure, India also lost their No. 1 Test ranking and also failed to reach the knockout stage of the ICC World T20.

“But you have to keep in mind that during those losses, the entire team performed poorly. How can you hold a coach responsible? This is not like football. Fletcher was brought in with a larger role and that’s his primary responsibility,” says the official.

Cricketers Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli – who are presently being mentored by Fletcher in various formats of the game –

said that over the last few months they’ve been able to learn a lot under him. “You can talk just about anything to him about your batting and he’ll listen,” Raina had said. “His knowledge of the game is huge and he can talk about it at a different level altogether,” was Kohli’s opinion.

When asked about Fletcher’s role as coach during a media interaction when India were on a losing streak, Dhoni had said: “It’s time players take responsibility.

Coaches are there to guide us. If the player has a problem in technique, the coach can suggest. It will be wrong to blame the coach (for the losses). That responsibility lies with the players.”

India’s back-to-back victories over Australia in the last two weeks are no reasons for extending Fletcher’s term. Similarly, he cannot be the only man responsible for the losses that preceded these wins.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd March 2013

India outplay Pak for 5th spot in hockey; Oz champs

Even with an entire day's play lost due to rain, Australia could not summon up enough fight to draw the third Test at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mohali. On the final day, India came out filled with belief, a belief powered neither by the state of the pitch or a confidence in their own ability to force the pace.

Rather, the manner in which Australia had batted all series pointed to a good chance of an implosion, and that is exactly what happened. Set 133 to win, India knocked off the runs in 33.3 overs in a chase that went down to the wire.

The six-wicket win took the series score line to 3-0 with one game to play in Delhi.

With only three wickets down and still trailing India by 16 runs, Australia began the final day in a less than ideal position, but with a realistic chance of saving the game. Nathan Lyon, the night watchman, was the first to go, feathering Pragyan Ojha to the keeper. Michael Clarke, who had recovered sufficiently from a back problem, walked out at No. 6, but even he could not resist.

Ravindra Jadeja, bowling quick through the air and hitting exactly the right line and length, drew a flick from Clarke, the inside edge going to short leg via pad. Jadeja celebrated his fifth Clarke scalping in the series, and India knew then that the most difficult part of the day was behind them.

Phil Hughes, who put a horror run behind him with a crisp half-century, was the only Australian batsman on the day who had cause for complaint, adjudged lbw to R Ashwin when the ball would

have almost certainly slipped past leg stump. Hughes had made 69 invaluable runs that would eventually turn out to be almost twice of what anyone else managed.

Moises Henriques offered Jadeja a sharp return catch, which was gratefully accepted with a full-length dive and Peter Siddle got a brute from Ojha that pitched on leg and spun across the face of the bat to flatten the off pole.

From 89 for 3 Australia had slumped to 143 for 8, and Brad Haddin's best attempts to collect runs and delay the inevitable were undone by a carom ball from Ashwin that nailed the batsman in front of the stumps.

Haddin (30) helped add 36 for the ninth wicket, and Starc then left the top-order red faced by barely struggling as India grew impatient.

Continuing from where he left off in the first innings, Starc was resolute in defence, decisive when he attacked and perfectly comfortable picking up the ones and twos. A 44-run last-wicket partnership between Starc (35) and Xavier Doherty that consumed 109 balls showed what was possible with the right approach, but it only did enough to take

Australia to 223.

The sword of Dominica hung over the Indians when they came out to bat, but a positive start ensured that there was no repeat of the 2011 West Indies Test when the chase was called off with 86 still needed from 90 balls and only three wickets down.

The conditions and the state of the opposition were totally different, limiting the comparison, but the absence of Shikhar Dhawan, who injured his hand on the field on Sunday (March 17), pointed to the possibility of India resisting the temptation to go for quick runs.

In the event, no madness was required as Starc fed M Vijay a steady diet of leg-stump deliveries for him to pick off to the fence. Cheteshwar Pujara, elevated to the top of the order, stuck steadfastly to his original game, playing the ball on merit.

After motoring to 26, with the score on 42, Vijay tried to force the pace, jumping down the pitch to Doherty, who got a ball to dip and turn, presenting Haddin with a simple stumping.

The fall of Vijay's wicket did little to slow India down as Virat Kohli quickly got into his stride. Pujara, who was fortunate when Richard

Kettleborough failed to detect an inside edge that was caught at slip off pad, helped himself to 28, before being trapped in front by Lyon.

When the second wicket fell, and Sachin Tendulkar walked out to the middle, India still needed 63 to win.

When Kohli, who was marshalling the chase with a smouldering quiet confidence, flicked a catch to midwicket on 34, there was just a hint that India were developing late nerves. An anxious passage of play followed in which Dhoni and Tendulkar scraped together 8 runs from 24 balls, with Australia taking the chase as deep as they could.

With 17 needed from the last four overs, Tendulkar dropped the ball to his feet and charged down the pitch, only to be sent back. David Warner swooped in and under armed the ball to the stumps, further heightening the tension in a chase that should have been routine.

With the clock winding down, Jadeja crashed two boundaries in a Siddle over, and Dhoni applied the finishing touches, cover-driving, flicking and pulling Starc for a hat-trick of boundaries that sealed the deal.

Ipoh (Malaysia):Drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh struck twice as India defeated archrivals Pakistan 4-2 in a thrilling match and avoided the wooden spoon in the Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament Ipoh (Malaysia).

Rupinder s c o r e d through a penalty corner in the ninth minute and from a p e n a l t y stroke in the 62nd minute.

India's other field goals came from Akashdeep Singh in the 35th minute and Malak Singh in the 44th minute of the fifth-sixth place classification match.

For Pakistan, who ended the tournament at the last spot, skipper Muhammad Imran scored in the seventh minute through a penalty corner while Kashif Shah Syed found the target in the 46th minute.

Both sides played a fast-paced attacking hockey entertaining the good number of holiday crowd that turned up to watch the inconsequential match.

With the win, the Indian side, mainly comprising junior players, stamped their authority over Pakistan in the tournament having won the league encounter also 3-1.

Both sides had a swift exchange of attacks as soon as the match started and Pakistan went into the lead through skipper Muhammad Imran from the first penalty corner of the match. The Indian answer came fast, just two minutes later, with a similar effort from Rupinder, a high scoop into the net from the second of the four penalty corners the team forced in the first half.

Oz in seventh heaven: Australia extended their domination as they bagged their seventh title after a 3-2 win over Malaysia in the final. In an action-packed final, Australia's Trent Milton fired in the winning goal from a pass by Robert Hammond just ahead of the final hooter to stun the 15,000-odd Malaysian supporters.

Nicholas Budgeon and Craig Boyne gave Australia a 2-1 lead after Saari Faizal’s 4th minute goal. Ahmed Tajudin levelled scores in the 48th minute.

Shikhar Dhawan enjoys dream debut with a whirlwind 187 Everything was perfect for Australia on day three. They had posted 408 in their first innings. Two of their players, Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc, had gone close to the three-figure mark. And India had an inexperienced opening pair, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, at the crease when lunch was taken on day three. At this stage captain Michael Clarke would have hoped that two or three early wickets and Australia would be in business.

Then came the storm that blew everything away. Clarke spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with both his hands on the back of his head. For more than a decade or so since Virender Sehwag started to open for India, whenever they found themselves in these kinds of situations, an oft repeated phrase was Viru needs to stay on the wicket for an hour or so and only then will the game open up in India’s favour. He was not in the team but the Australian team certainly didn’t do their ‘homework’ on a certain tattooed and moustached debutant. And someone needs to be ‘suspended’ for that!

Dhawan seems to be from the Sehwag

school of batting. The motto seems to be the same: see the ball, hit the ball. A good batting track and a pedestrian Australian bowling was on hand to help him. He started with a bang - two boundaries, one through the covers and the other a pulled one off Peter Siddle.

Moises Henriques was then cut through point and driven through the packed off-side field with Dhawan using the pace of the ball and the width offered to him.

The fifty came in 50 balls with 12 boundaries. You don’t expect such an assault from a debutant who has spent nine years playing domestic cricket and has had an eminently forgettable run in his brief appearance with the Indian ODI side.

This innings too could have ended early when the ball slipped out of Starc’s hand and landed on to the stumps as he jumped to deliver the first ball to Vijay. Dhawan

was backing up too far but there was no serious appeal and the dream lived on.

And soon it seemed like a fairytale. It was like playing book cricket and finding a 4 or a 6 with every flip. Nathan Lyon was hit over his head, Doherty was paddled and reverse paddled in the same over as he raced from 69 to 87 in a space of six deliveries. He breached the 90s barrier with another sublime shot through the covers against Starc.

There was some expected nervousness.

His first false stroke came on 94; a thick edge off Siddle flew tantalizingly close to Phil Hughes at gully but went for a four. A single then took him to 99. One run more and he would become the 13th Indian to score a ton on debut. Two balls later it seemed he had gone for a suicidal run when he tapped the ball towards cover and ran for his life. He dived, the ball missed

the stumps and Dhawan had joined the league of G Viswanath, Surinder Amarnath, Sehwag and Suresh Raina.

On Friday morning he had got his India cap from Sachin Tendulkar who asked him to show the qualities that he had displayed so far at the domestic level.

Dhawan has done more than that. The ton was the quickest ever by a debutant.

He wasn’t done yet. Lyon was hit inside out, lofted over covers and chipped for a six over the head. Starc was hit for three boundaries in an over, Smith for two, twice. As the play moved towards close, the question was could he hit the double ton in a day itself? He remained unbeaten on 185 at the end of third days play. He could add only two runs on the fourth day when play started.

Dhawan yesterday reminded one of Sehwag’s assault against Australia in Melbourne or the knock that he played against Sri Lanka at the CCI in Mumbai.

It also made a few wonder whether this is the end of Sehwag. May be … may be not.

But this much is sure: another madman has arrived from Delhi.