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Health & Healing Alternative cure to Psoriasis See Page - 18

BollyCat Neetu Chandra goes ‘nude’ in bathing scene

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VOL 38. ISSUE 50

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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Tharoorgate:

Lalit Modi’s Waterloo?

The stage has been set for the ouster of Lalit Modi, the high profile commissioner of Indian Premier League or IPL, the cricket extravaganza that has taken the world by storm.

Having kicked up a huge controversy over the Kochi franchise, Modi invited his own downfall, though inadvertently.

Latest reports in Indian media on Tuesday suggest that Sharad Pawar, former BCCI president and the biggest supporter of Lalit Modi was convinced by Shashank Manohar, the current BCCI president that easing out of Lalit Modi from the IPL boss post is the only tenable option to bring a semblance of order in the BCCI. Modi’s tweets ques-

Lalit Modi

tioning the share holding of the franchise and role of Shashi Tharoor forced the minister to resign from the cabinet; Sunanda Pushkar also offered to return her sweat equity.

Continued from page 24

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Indian student shines at See Page - 10 Cambridge BAPS celebrates International Women’s Day See Page - 10

British economy projected to surge in 2011 See Page - 15

Indian Muslim Federation of UK support direct flight campaigns See Page - 24 24th April to 30th April 2010

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Solicitor murdered by business partner A woman solicitor was murdered in her office after her business partner hired a hitman in a plot to claim a £1.5million insurance payout, a court heard on Monday.

Obviously we have seen such incidents in film plots but this brutal real life incident has left the whole British Asian, especially the British Gujarati community utterly shocked.

Vina Patel, 51, died of asphyxiation and a broken neck in a 'deliberate and murderous' contract killing arranged by her colleague John Cort, it was alleged.

Despite earning more than £110,000 a year, 54-year-old Cort had thousands of pounds of debts after splashing out on three homes and meals at celebrity haunts fol-

lowing an expensive divorce.

In the weeks before the alleged murder, he 'put around' rumours that he was seriously ill.

This prompted him and Mrs Patel - the only partners in their firm Cort and Co Solicitors - to increase the business insurance cover taken out on her life from £500,000 to £1.5million, the jury heard.

Leicester Mercury has reported that they showed the legal firm, of which Mrs Patel was a joint partner, had at the end of its financial year in September 2007 recorded a net profit of £224,214.

However, at the end of the next financial year that had dropped to £75,327.

Vina Patel

Continued on page 24

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Kapil’s

Political Question

KHICHADI

Seema Malhotra Labour activist and campaigner Director, Fabian Women's Network

The Big Debate As I write my first column, the election battle is in full swing. Being closely involved in Labour’s manifesto launch, I saw first hand how political leaders are fighting to shape the debate on the direction of our society.

For me, this week’s big political question is Labour’s view of the state vs Cameron’s concept of the big society, depicted as people power vs state power.

Few would disagree that people should play a greater part in shaping their personal and community life.

Labour’s Liam Byrne MP has written widely on the need for a new local action network; an unleashing of a new community activism, and partnership between Government and voluntary sector.

The question really is about an ideological view of the state and central control vs local control. What isn’t clear is which public services it would apply to, or what might happen to services for minorities. What would happen if as the Tories reduced the state, people didn’t step in to be more involved in provision

of services? Most people want to pay taxes and get a good service for all, while they get on with running their families and their lives.

Labour won this argument with the NHS, an idea first expounded by a Fabian woman Beatrice Webb in 1909, when she wrote a report on Britain’s poor. It was forty years later that Labour, having kept alive the idea, was able to make the NHS a reality; turning small charitable hospitals into a national health service. A political choice, a clear role for the state.

That doesn’t mean the state has the same role for all services – there is a broad spectrum from an enabling role to direct provision.

The idea of the big society is interesting. But what does it mean in practice? An enhancement of our public services, or a front for chipping away at funding, leading to a gradual erosion of quality? A big question, for a big moment in British politics. Cameron’s idea of a big society may have some gains, but could also have some significant losses.

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

Rt Hon Keith Vaz has witheld his regular column as per the convention. He will be back soon after the general elections are over.

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com Tories respond to KK Last week I wrote an open letter to all the PPC standing for the elections. I asked two questions on having a culturally sensitive crematorium in Harrow, Brent and Barnet. I had also pointed out that I would report back to all of you on how these candidates, who want your vote, had responded to such a simple and clear request that reflected the real desire of our community. The result frankly is astonishing.

I had responses from Bob Blackman (Tory), Dr Rachel Joyce (Tory), Sachin Rajput (Tory) and Michael Freer (Tory) who all confirmed that they support the establishment of such a culturally sensitive crematorium within the term of the next Parliament.

I must say I was astonished that not one PPC from Labour or the LibDem’s bothered to respond. I found this incredible given that one would have thought that if you want to represent a community, the least you need to do is understand what their needs are and to respond to them accordingly.

Navin Shah GLA Cabinet Minister was the only Labour person who responded whilst Harshad Patel the Tory PPC responded after what can only be called some arm twisting by members of his own party.

I have written on numerous occasions in KK that our community groups, community leaders and sampradya’s must be very careful when they allow politicians a platform to get votes, yet when it comes to putting their support in writing – they show such disrespect towards the whole community.

How you the voters react to this news, I leave entirely in your good hands.

‘I agree with Nick’

TUESDAY 18 MAY SATURDAY 5 JUNE

We witnessed history making when the three leaders of the main

parties took part in a televised debate last For Gordon week.

Brown he frankly had no choice and expectations on his performance were low given this was not a media or format where he excelled.

David Cameron had the most to lose even though he had shown to be better equipped than others in using the media to get his message across effectively. Nick Clegg on the other hand had nothing to lose, there were no expectations on him and frankly having the right to be on the same stage as the two leading parties was bonus enough. In reality Nick Clegg won the battle for the LibDems.

He came across as reasonable, articulate and media savvy. He kept it simple and had the inside track by blaming the other two for 65 years of chaos.

Gordon Brown actually did better than expectations whereas the only polite thing you can say about David Cameron was that he bombed.

Nick Clegg has managed to launch his party into the stratosphere with every single post debate poll showing massive gains. Both Gordon Brown and David Cameron used the same statement, ‘I agree with Nick.’ This no doubt will haunt them since it has now become a catch phrase.

In fact if I was the PR guru for the LibDem, I would make that the campaign slogan since it seems to be resonating with the public at large. It’s a bit like the very effective 1986 British Gas slogan, ‘Tell Sid.’ Both David Cameron and Gordon Brown will have to be mindful that they do not come across to aggressively with Nick Clegg and the LibDem’s. As far as Nick Clegg is concerned, he has to be careful that in this sudden march to fame that he does not trip over himself.

The media that is your friend today will no doubt bring you down tomorrow – that is unfortunately the nature of the beast.

Polls, for whom do they speak?

The polls have narrowed. In fact, the Tory lead appears to have been reduced to only a few points whereas both Labour and LibDem seem to be neck and neck. The Tories are the net losers post the television debate with LibDem’s taking more voters away from them than from Labour. Now before you all get carried away, a dose of reality.

LibDem’s would need more than 42% of the vote to secure power outright – and frankly unless there is a miracle in the making, they stand no chance of becoming the next Government.

However, that does not mean they will not be able to influence the next Government.

The current polling suggests (providing it remains steady over the next few weeks) that we will have a hung parliament with the LibDem’s increasing their share of seats and therefore holding the key to power.

This change in the political landscape I submit will become instrumental in the most wide ranging root and branch change in we are governed and elect out leaders. Why you may ask?

The answer, the Alternative Voting (AV) system is bound to become the key and given we now have two of the three main parties that want such a change, I would not be too surprised if this may finally become a reality. My sources from within the bowels of the Tory Party suggest that when it comes to it, even they might not object to this too strenuously. Now that’s a turn up for the books.

My Lords, Ladies and?

Whilst there have been hot debates on how people have been put forward for a peerage – news reaching me suggests that we can expect an announcement soon that someone from the Hindu community will be made a peer. Whilst I cannot divulge the name, I hope that the person once seated in the House of Lords will become a champion for the community.

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

COMMENT

Wake-up call from Chinese cyberspies The activities of Chinese cyberspies operating out of China is no figment of an overheated Indian imagination, as some British media gurus are prone to believe. A network of cyberspies has stolen classified information relevant to India's national security from a host of compromised computers, according to independent investigators from the University of Toronto.

These experts have recovered secret assessments of the security situation in some Indian states, personal information on a high ranking military official and information on visa applications to the country out of Afghanistan. The University of Toronto investigators, while not making any accusation of Chinese government involvement in these spying activities, did point to an individual based in the western Chinese city of Chengdu with close links to the university based there.

There is justified cause for alarm in New Delhi. Sophisticated arms recovered from Maoist insurgents in eastern India not far from the Nepal border bear Chinese markings. A Pakistan-China exercise against India is not beyond the range of possibility. Indeed, there is every likelihood of their common endeavour to weaken and destabilize a hated neighbour. But such exercises, while reckless, are also an admission of fear and insecurity. Beijing sits atop its Tibetan province by right of military conquest; the people of Tibet are not overly fond of their Han occupiers. Dalai Lama and Falung Gong alike give China's totalitarian

rulers nightmares, yet neither believes in war or armed resistance. They are not bedfellows of the al-Qaeda supremo Osma bin Laden or the Taliban.

As the Media Watch report on page 12 tells us, India's defence preparations have acquired an urgency and momentum unknown in recent times. It serves notice to its two predatory neighbours to avoid anything rash and foolish, singly or in tandem.

India's foreign minister S.M. Krishna is due to visit Beijing shortly. It should be an occasion for some frank talking. China's claim to Arunachal Pradesh is not negotiable. Yet it is in the interests of both parties to forge a stable relationship based on shared interests. India and China are unlikely to become friends under the present dispensation in Beijing. They may indeed never become close, given their divergent histories, cultures and political traditions.

That said, an armed conflict serves no rational purpose.

China is welcome to its cloned relationship with Pakistan. However, it should counsel caution to its friend and ally and make it clear that Pakistani misadventures, like the one in 1971, which led to the secession of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), would receive no material support, in keeping with Chinese best practice, let alone military intervention on Islamabad's behalf. Europe's mistakes on the eve of World War I should be re-examined and its lessons learned.

What India's 3G licences mean for societal change The recent bidding by top firms for India's 3G spectrum licences received considerable coverage in leading British broadsheets, but the reports concentrated on the bidders and the profits they were set to make. BBC News Online in a welcome departure concentrated on the societal aspects of the auction.

Shilpa Kannan's India Business Report from Mumbai referred to the much needed cash flow into government coffers, estimated to be around $8 billion (£5.2 bn). She remarks: “The long-awaited auction comes at a time when the telecom market in the country is seeking robust growth in subscriber numbers and operators are involved in a fierce price war to try and capture mobile users.....But's its not just about making calls, third generation spectrum could open up the market for a whole host of services – like the financial services on the phone.”

She revealed the reason behind the observation. “As he handed out yet another cold drink on a hot summer day in Delhi, 28-yearold Dharmender Kumar constantly has his eye on the mobile phone. For this shopkeeper – the text messages on his constantly bleeping hand-

set meant business. His was not just the regular corner shop, you don't need to buy a lemonade here. - all you need is a mobile phone.”

Shopkeepers and customers alike use a payments service on their handsets called the Beam mobile which allows paper-free finance transactions. “My customers are mainly poor people who don't have access to a bank account. They put their put their monthly earnings into a mobile phone and then use the phone to make payments or buy things. This way the money stays safe and they don't have to worry. Right now customers need to send text messages to transact but when we have access to spectrum – the payment can all happen on the mobile phone screen. 3G exponentially changes the way our service operates and ii can ease the process of financial inclusion,” says entrepreneur Anand Srivastav.

There you have it, another significant step in the march of the India story. This another dimension to the concept of pyramid selling: meeting the needs of those at the bottom of the pyramid and the discovery that the poor too can be an integral part of an expanding market. The future is bright. The future works.

General election chart General poll readings show the Conservative party a short head in front of Labour with the Lib Dems a few lengths behind in third place.

The racing metaphors are appropriate for an election that is proving the most uncertain in years. There may be clear water between the Conservatives and Labour but the lead is not sufficient to guarantee them an overall majority over their opponents and hence govern alone.

However, a week is a long time in politics and the scene may change as people rally in larger numbers to the party of their choice. On the evidence so far there is deep public disenchantment with politics and politicians following the parliamentary scam and, maybe, the continuing high bonuses for bankers, many of whom appear to be rewarded for failure. So a general election looks more like general rejection. At least for now.

But serious talking points have emerged with the release of the Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem manifestos, each of which concentrates on the fragile state of the UK economy and the measures best suited to put it back on track.

With an unprecedented national debt a cutback in public spending has been the core of the respective party agendas. The question is where

the cuts are to be made and how deep they should be. A wrong move would surely derail the country's fragile recovery. Labour's decision to increase the national insurance contribution has aroused growing opposition in business circles, because of the perception that it would cap growth.

The Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg's televised interview with Jeremy Paxman threw up a number of interesting issues, notably immigration.

Mr Clegg said would-be immigrants should have a reasonable command of English and a crimefree CV. Nothing wrong here. They would then be subjected to a points system and directed to places blighted by a shortage of labour. In this context, he mentioned Inverness in Scotland and Lincolnshire where farmers were short of fruit pickers.

Apart from fruit pickers and hotel kitchen staff, Britain does also need skills in high-tech industries, there being a serious shortfall there.

No reference was made to this. Immigration during elections can become an emotive issue, sometimes justifiably. But immigrants weren't responsible for Britain's banking collapses, bailouts and the subsequent economic downturn. It is worth thinking hard and straight.

www.abplgroup.com

Thought for the Week Intelligence is of the essence in warfare it is what the armies depend upon in their every move…To be reliable, information must be firsthand …There is thus an important relationship between intelligence and timing.

- Sun-tzu

Barry Gardiner MP Member of Parliament for Brent North

Vote for better community assistance to the weak Congratulations to and vulnerable , the rest BAPS whose 10 kilomeof the class is not held ter charity walk was the back and is able to promust attend event of the ceed at a faster pace week-end. Thousands of without the teacher devotees and well-wishbeing distracted. The ers gathered at the whole of society Neasden Mandir on one becomes stronger when of the most beautiful we help the weakest spring mornings of the year to hear Vivek Yog Swami and Barnardos Charity Chief, Martin Narey, start the race.

No surprise then that in this election period I countSwaminarayan Temple, Neasden ed at least 4 member. politicians amongst the How beautifully crowds. But the temple expressed that philosois a place of worship and phy was in the most not a place for party practical of ways by all political conflict and so the people who went on my conservative oppothe 10km walk earlier nent and I sat happily that morning. It is a phiside by side on the podilosophy of service which um chatting to each I have always observed other. in the Hindu Community Later on in the day I over the past 15 years. I attended the saw it in the rebuilding of Swaminarayn temple in whole villages after the Willesden. This was Bhuj earthquake. I have more an election husting seen it in the voluntary style of event where we work that people have politicians have been given to our local asked to set out our Hospice at St Lukes. stall. But for me this is Above all I look forward still a temple and I canto seeing it again on not bring myself to utter National SEWA Day the words that come so later this year. naturally on the doorstep When considered and ask people to "Vote from inside a temple it Labour". Instead I ask becomes clear: voting is them to "Vote for their not about working out children and the vision of what we can get from the world that they want each political party: a to see". I reflect on one better job, a bigger tiny promise that the house, a larger salary.

Labour Party has made: Voting is an expression To give individual tuition of who we are as a perto each child who has son and what sort of special educational community we want to needs and is falling become in the future. It behind in class. This is this vision and these promise sums up the values that over the next Labour Party and its phifew weeks will keep me losophy, because it is going out on the not just about ensuring doorstep and asking the that this individual child people of Brent to "Vote does well. The point is Labour". that by giving special

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Opportunity for Asian fast food entrepreneurs in Paris On a visit to Paris in August last year, I spotted a possible opportunity for Asian fast-food entrepreneurs. Although I did see a number of stalls selling hamburgers and chips, ice cream and soft drinks, I thought maybe Asian snacks such as pakoras, samosas, spicy sweetcorn, aloo bondas, chickpea curry and rice, fried bread, kulfi, faluda and sweet and salted lassi might also go down well in the French capital, especially in August.

Remember, August is that country's traditional "holiday month" when most of the capital's inhabitants pack their suitcases and depart and tourists pour in from the rest of Europe and beyond.

If the idea interests you, why not consider visiting Paris during August and checking out the potential for yourself, particularly in central Paris where tourists congregate in large numbers.

Tuileries Gardens, for example, would be a good place to start your research, and you can get there by taking a Metro (underground) train to a station named "Concord".

Paris is a horrendously expensive city, so if you can keep your prices low, who knows, you may do good business there.

Rudy Otter Via Email

London-Ahmedabad flight Asian Voice is campaigning to restore London-Ahmedabad direct flight, for which you deserve congratulations from passengers from London and nearest cities.

Restoration may not happen or as fast as expected. Direct flights can happen only via a miracle of ouster of UPA from Centre(Delhi), or ouster of NDA/Modi from Gujarat.

It would be a miracle too if Imams in Ahmedabad would reinforce Hindu voice and jointly approach UPA to demand restoration.

Problem is not due to minister or Air-India but is due to prevailing anti Modi mania, jealousy arising from enviable progress of Gujarat, and dirty politics that does not care for people.

Direct flights began in NDA rule, were annulled in UPA rule, which will never restore them to please Gujarat, especially when BJP-NDA rules there.

Any air-line, if granted a permit, and passengers may face unpredictable hardship and non cooperation at all stages from Central authority to workers at Ahmedabad airport.

If forced to decide, cunning UPA will avoid any responsibility of making a decision or taking any blame, use delay tactics by passing the buck between between courts and various commissions which may never reach conclusion or may take many years.

Optimistic campaign ka jai ho.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Hindu Crematorium

Live in relationship

In response to my ‘neighbouring’ columnist Kapil Dudakia’s open letter (AV of 17th April) regarding a Hindu Crematorium project I have gladly confirmed my position, as a Council candidate, to Kapil and am happy to share with you.

To the first question whether I’d support establishment of a Hindu Crematorium my answer is Yes. The timetable for completion would be subject to locating a suitable site, planning permission and funding.

My response to question two – whether I’d support a planning application my reply is - in principle Yes. Subject to the site complying with acceptable land use criteria and the application meets the key planning criteria. Would be happy to advise / work actively with the applicant to guide, both as an Architect and a Politician, through the complex planning and legal considerations to try and resolve planning issues.

I know that Kapil asked for reply in one word to both his questions. But, the reply to Q1 is difficult enough in one word and as to Q2 its impossible to reply in one word unless the reply is NO! The reason being that there are national, regional and local planning policies which are complex, legally binding and unless one knows the status of the land, the area its located in and of course all policy implications one cannot simply say yes. Therefore, in principle YES I would support the application but if the planning case cannot be made, not only the Local Authority would refuse the application, the Mayor of London and Planning Inspector (regardless of which party is running the Country) would refuse the application. This is my honest and frank response. And, I say this as someone who genuinely wants to see a Hindu crematorium built, and my comments are also from my professional background both as an Architect and a member of Harrow's planning committee for some 8 years (Chair for 4 years) and currently a member of Planning and Housing Committee in the GLA. What I am happy to offer is active work on this project with all concerned organisations to make Hindu Crematorium project a reality.

It was a shock to read the editorial page 10 in Gujarat Samachar about Indian supreme court judge's comments and comparisons.

Vidhya Vachspatt Gautam Patel very articulately refuted in his article on page 34 about the judges unthinkable comments. It is my request that your editorial and article of G Patel be printed in Asian voice for younger generations, so they can understand the implications of such unthinkable derogatory comments by such learned professionals of the highest court of India, hurting the feelings of the Hindu community. I further request that the Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice should take a lead to write to the President and Prime Minister of India demanding a public apology from the judges.

Babu Garala Via Email We will certainly try to do the above after the election, as currently we are short of space, especially since AV is 8 pages shorter than GS. - AV

GP Visits I called for an appointment for same day GP consultation. I had to wait for 18 minutes before I was put through. I was late by 15 minutes. I was told off.

The national average is four face to face consultations per year, seven for those who are young or old. Total is about 250 million GP visits. A GP with premises and staff costs about £3,000 per week.

6 to 12 minutes consultations vary from 100 to 200 consultations per week per GP and cost £22.50 per visit by my calculations.

A substantial number of these visits are for minor ailments. They could be prevented by spending more on health promotion and/or by introducing a charge of £10 per visit.

Means testing would mean free GP visits for 100 million visits and paid 150 million GP visits benefiting from £10 charge, saving NHS £1.5 billion a year and GPs concentrating more on those in greater need.

Cllr Navin Shah AM Labour Candidate for Kenton East And Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

Is Sania-Shoaib match made in heaven?

Sania , a beautiful, talented and a charming girl was the envy of most girls who thronged the upper class parties and gatherings for the privileged few. No wonder her name was linked with most eligible bachelors, leading personalities in the world of sports and Bollywood.

She could have chosen anybody. Yet she chose Shoaib Malik, a controversial figure who came with excess baggage, a citizen of a country that most Indians consider an enemy nation.

Worse still, after claims and counter claims about his marital status, it is now crystal clear that he was a married man, married to an Indian Muslim girl Ayesha Siddiqi. The last week divorce is alleged to have cost him millions of rupees.

Sania will always be accused that she

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

was responsible, perhaps inadvertently of breaking up a family, the heart of another girl who was deeply in love with her husband. Then there is nothing new, indeed a daily occurrence in the so called upper society to steal each other’s partners.

The so called Indian values, the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh age-old traditions have long been confined to dustbin, scarified at the altar of money, fame and influence that now rule the roots. But it is rare to have a happy ever after ending to such fairytale marriages.

Although Sania deserves better, let us hope that she has a long and a happy marriage.

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

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If you are a PPC, please send your short profile for publication to Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com.

If you want to ask any question to your councillors or MPs, send your questions to us at priyal.sanghavi@abplgroup.com.

For our readers, thank you for your valid inputs and letters. We would urge more and more people to come forward and let us know what you think!

Austerity will hit the poor most It is foolhardy to say that the economic condition of UK is turning around.

UK has been the hub of international banking and finance, but this position and image has been drastically damaged.

National and international banks and bankers hoodwinked this nation, and the Government was caught asleep.

Gordon Brown has admitted mistakes and says that he is the only one who knows the way out. There are a thousand predictable and unpredictable factors affecting the economy, many of which are uncontrollable when the country is in such a dire situation. I, for one, believe that there is no alternative to austerity in this situation. Austerity will undoubtedly hit the poor most, but the plight of the families of low to average means can be mitigated if austerity is largely buffered by those who have plenty. The country needs efficient, frugal and honest management. Does the election offer a good choice? We have to make our own individual judgement.

Kishor Ruparelia Via Email

My Name Is Khan

The movie is running to full houses in India and has earned a record income within a week since its release in India as well as in foreign countries. News to this effect has come out in various media.

Therefore it appears there is no resentment by the people towards Shah Rukh Khan, nor is the story of the movie influenced by the past history as was mentioned by one of the readers.

SRK is one of many Muslim Indians who is considered the top most actor in Bollywood and he is from four of the top tier of Indian movie actors who are Khans.

In fact the movie depicts the mental and psychological trauma which Muslims around the world are going through after 11 September attack. SRK has indeed given a superb acting performance in the said movie.

In my opinion one should avoid causing an offence and embarrassment to others, because giving the version of the past history by mentioning of descendants and invaders of Ghengis Khan and to connect this with the said movie in a retrospect reason will unnecessarily open the old wounds among the people of India.

A person with vested interest only will suggest, changing the name of this movie, which I would say, is sheer wishful thinking.

A.M.A. Pira Via Email

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‘Smile Pinky’ too gets the Oscar Boyle says Mumbai dwarfed the statuette

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(Off Coronet Street)

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

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

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

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

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

5

Volcano continues to cause mayhem on an already struggling industry Hundreds and thousands of people have been left stranded across various parts of Europe and even as far off as Hong Kong due to the severe flight restrictions that have been in place since last Thursday following the ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in Iceland.

Meanwhile air passengers in London have been braced for further delays after warnings that a "new ash cloud" was spreading towards the UK as the volcano eruption in Iceland "strengthened".

While travel organisations warned that it would be some time before travel and airports were back to normal, both airlines and other industries were counting the cost of the disruption, which has seen a shutdown of UK airports since the end of last week.

The British Air Transport Association, with signatories and support from all major UK airlines, wrote to Transport Secretary Lord Adonis asking the Government "to commit to standing behind the industry financially at this very difficult time".

Asian Voice managed to get in touch with a few of the people who were affected by the restrictions. Nilima, an Indian lawyer on deputation to the US for two years told Asian Voice, "I have been stuck in the UK for the last five days. I was on my way to the US through London but when I arrived here on Thursday, I was told that the flights to the US were cancelled.

So, I sat in the airport for about six hours till we got our hotel coupons and temporary UK visa which allowed us to exit the airport. I did not have the contact number for any of my friends in London handy so I needed to have access to the internet.

Thank God I managed to find the numbers at last and managed to move to a friend's place on Friday.

My flight to the US was due to leave on Monday, but due to the back log, it has been on hold. I am now due to leave on the 22nd and I hope I finally do!"

Mitra, a lawyer from Bangalore, was due to arrive in Manchester for work. Speaking to Asian Voice she said, "I was supposed to go to Manchester on the 21st for a business deal. My flight has been postponed and I think it's only in May that I can get to the UK. It's a nightmare!"

Rahul, an IT specialist from Perivale, told Asian Voice, "I am due to fly to Mumbai for work. But the airports are closed. I don't know how I will get there."

Joye, a city banker in

Ash clouds from the violent and ongoing eruptions from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajoekull volcano has brought UK airspace to a standstill

the Docklands, found herself stuck in Hong Kong where she was on holiday.

She said, "I am on a holiday in Hong Kong. I was due to fly back to London on the 22nd but it now looks like I will have no access to London until early May. It's so scary a situation!!"

Meanwhile Air India issued a statement fully recognising the predicament of its passengers due to the recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland and consequential flight ban over UK airspace.

The airline has

announced the following benefits to passengers holding confirmed bookings on its disrupted flights: l Air India will waive re booking / re issue charges for all passengers holding confirmed bookings on its withdrawn flights l Air India will offer passengers one date-change free of charge subject to space availability and fare difference, if applicable l Cancellation / Refund charges will be waived

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GENERAL ELECTION 2010

6

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Your Country, Your Election, Your Call David Cameron has insisted that election campaign is still a two way horse between himself and Gordon Brown, despite of the rapid increase of Nick Clegg's popularity. David Cameron has claimed that the Liberal Democrat leader who has enjoyed a surge in popularity since the leaders' debate, will stand no chance to win when the public learns about about the policies of Liberal Democrats.

The election battle is now one of the closest in decades, as Mr Cameron said he is still focussed on defeating Gordon Brown.

He added, "In the end the choice will still come down to 'do you want five more years with Gordon Brown or change with the Conservatives? And I think this is the argument that people will carry with them to the ballot box."

While Mr Clegg has

been playing down the significance of his performance, Labour strategists lavished praise on the Lib Dem leader and hailing the debate as a big event in the campaign.

Lord Mandelson led the way.

Even before the debate was over, he told the journalists that Mr Clegg was 'making his mark' and that his performance was leaving Mr Cameron in the shade.

As the debate goes on if it's Clegg or Cameron sits on the popularity hot seat, on more than 50 economists from around the world have signed a letter backing Gordon Brown's economic plans.

The letter organised by Labour claims that Tory plans to cut government waste this year could lead to job losses. It warns the public sector cuts could "destabilise" economic recovery.

Gordon Brown

David Cameron

Nick Clegg

This letter signed by around 58 academics was due to be released last week after the publication of a rival letter two weeks back by some Britain's most senior businessmen, which backed David Cameron's tax plans.

George Osborne, the Tory election director, added he believed that the Lib Dem threat would diminish closer to polling day. “People will start to focus on what a hung

Parliament means,” he said. “People will need to understand it’s not a solution to the frustration with the political system. It will lead to more economic uncertainty at a time when we need economic certainty and decisiveness."

September 2009 – an increase of almost 40,000 on the previous 12 months.

Critics say the 63 per cent jump – equivalent to filling two universities the size of Oxford – exposes the ease with which students have been able to manipulate the new points-based visa system introduced by the Government last year.

The students come from just seven countries –

Immigration Official Home Office figures show 100,000 student visas were granted in the academic year to

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia and Nigeria.

In February, the Government was forced to suspend student visas in India, Bangladesh and Nepal amid evidence of widespread abuse of the new system and suggestions many of the students were believed to be bogus.

The figures are particularly damaging for Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, as immigration threatens to become a key electoral issue. In the first ever televised prime ministerial debate last week, Mr Brown predicted "40,000 less students, I suspect, this year, because of our tightening of visa controls."

The new figures revealed in a parliamentary answer show that 99,932 students successfully applied for visas up

South Asian Councillors in London and Greater London Part II Borough

Name

Ward

Party

Hounslow

Lily Bath Rajinder Bath Mohammed Chaudhary Sukhbir Singh Dhaliwal Ajmer Dhillon Gopal Dhillon Poonam Dhillon Mohinder Gill Shivcharn Singh Gill Ajmer Grewal Darshan Grewal Paul Jabbal Gurmail Lal Nisar Malik Sohan Sangha Jagdish Sharma Jiwan Virk

Heston West Heston West Cranford Hounslow Heath Hounslow West Heston Central Cranford Heston Central Heston East Hounslow West Hounslow West Hanworth Park Heston East Hounsloe Central Cranford Hounslow West Bedfont

Labour Labour Labour

Marisha Ray Jilani Chowdhury Natasha Chatterjee Jyoti Vaja

Clerkenwell Barnsbury Holloway Bunhill

Lib Dem Labour Labour Lib Dem

Kensington and Chelsea Mushtak Lasharie

Notting Barns

Labour

Kingston Upon Thames Rohan Yoganathan Yogan Yoganathan Shiraz Mirza

Berrylands St Mark's Ward Chessington South

Lib Dem Lib Dem Lib Dem

Lambeth

Neil Sabharwal Dr Neeraj Patil Pav Akhtar

Ferndale Larkhall Stockwell

Labour Labour Labour

Lewisham

Jarman Parmar

Crofton Park

Labour

Merton

Tariq Ahmed David Chung

Wimbeldon Park Longthornton

Conservative Labour

Newham

Hanif Abdul Muhit Shama Ahmed MBE Zulfiger Ali Akbar Chaudhury Ayesha Chaudhury Umesh Desai Omana Gangadharan Asif Karim Sharaf Mahmood Sukhdev Singh Marway Riaz Ahmed Mirza Rahima Rahman Lakmini Shah Abdul Shakoor Abdul Karim Sheikh BEM Amarjit Singh

Green Street West Forest Gate North Plaistow North Forest Gate South Beckton East Ham Central Wallend Green Street West Green Street East East Ham North Boleyn Green Street East East Ham South Green Street East Green Street West Manor Park

Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Respect Labour

Mahboob Chaudhury Farrukh Jamal Muhammed Javed Ashok Kumar Raj Kaur Mahal Irfan Mustafa Shoaib Patel Balvinder Kaur Saud Dev Sharma Vinaya Kumari Sharma

Cranbrook Islam Roding Loxford Cranbrook Clementswood Clementswood Valentines Seven Kings Newbury Goodmayes

Conservative Lib Dem Labour Conservative Labour Lib Dem Lib Dem Labour Labour Labour

Islington

Redbridge

Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Conservative Labour Labour Labour Labour

Name

Ward

Party

Ayodhiya Prakash Satnam Singh Virendra Tewari

Mayfield Goodmayes Valentines

Labour Lib Dem Labour Lib Dem

Munira Wilson

St Margaret's & North Twickenham West Twickenham

Southwark

Eliza Mann Abdul Mohamed

Riverside Faraday

Lib Dem Labour

Sutton

None

Tower Hamlet

Hetal Uddin Abbas A M Ohid Ahmed Rajib Ahmed Rofique Uddin Ahmed Anwara Ali Mohammed Sahid Ali Shahed Ali Abdul Asad Lufa Begum Alibor Choudhury Fazlul Haque Shafiqul Haque Ahmed Hussain Sirajul Islam Rania Khan Azizur Rahman Khan Waiseul Islam Shiria Khatun Abjol Miah Fozol Miah Harun Miah Mohammed Abdul Munim Lutfur Rahman Oliur Rahman M. Mamun Rashid Muhammad Abdullah Salique Abdul Aziz Sardar Dulal Uddin Abdal Ullah Salim Ullah Motin Uz Zaman

Spitafield & Banglatown East India & Lansbury East India and Lansbury Mile End & Globe Town Boe West Limehouse Whitechapel Whitechapel Limehouse St Dunstan's & Stepney Green Weavers St Katherine's & Wapping Mile End East Bethnal Green Bromley by Bow Weavers Whitechapel East India and Lansbury Shadwell Spitafields & Banglatown Shadwell Bromley by Bow Spitafields and Banglatown St Dunstan's & Stepney Green Shadwell Bethnal Green Bromley by Bow Limehouse Bethnal Green South Bethnal Green South Mile End East

Labour Labour Labour Labour Conservative Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Conseravtive Labour Labour Lib Dem Labour Lib Dem Respect Respect Respect Respect Labour Labour Respect Labour Respect Respect Respect Respect Labour

Waltham Forest

Liaquat Ali Johar Khan Masood Ahmad Afzal Akram Naheed Qureshi Shameem Highfield JP Farooq Qureshi Samina Safdar Faiz Unis Saima Mahmud Naz Sarker Mohammad Ashgar Asim Mahmood Tarsem Bhogal

High Street High Street Lib Dem Lea Bridge Lea Bridge Leyton Cathall Forest Forest Forest Hoe Street Hoe Street Markhouse Markhouse Grove Green

Labour Labour Labour Leyton Labour Lib Dem Lib Dem Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour

Wandworth

Ravi Govindia

Nightingale

Conservative

Westminster

Mehfuz Ahmed Suhail Rahuja Papya Qureshi

Church Street Bayswater Westbourne

Conservative Conservative Labour

Borough

Richmond Upon Thames Ben Khosa

Lib Dem

GENERAL ELECTION 2010 their area. They received have complained that local until September 2009 – no reply. budgets and amenities are with huge rises in the six But Bill Emmott, in his under “enormous strain” months after the new Editorial comment on because official figures do points system was intro19th April writes, "The not reflect their real popuduced in March. In the Tories say they want to cut lations. previous academic year, Doctors, hospitals and 61,247 visas were granted immigration to “tens of schools all face challenges. to students from the same thousands a year, not hunIn more than 300 primary seven countries. dreds of thousands”, takAccording to a recent ing Britain back to the schools, 70% of pupils study by Oxford 1990s — a time when I, have English as a second Economics, GDP per capithen the Editor of The language, according to ta did rise during Economist, found Labour’s first two it damagingly hard Asian Voters’ tendency to bring talented terms, but it fell in the third. GDP per capita foreigners to work is now lower in real Fewer than half of all Asians in Britain in London. The terms than in 2005. are likely to vote in the general election Tories would set Even The Economist, a survey has suggested. Just 44% of an annual limit on a fan of cheap and Asians said they would vote on May 6th, e c o n o m i c from mobile labour, con- a poll for digital radio station BBC Asian migrants cluded last week that Network found. This compares with 55% outside the EU including “there is little sign of the general population, according to (ie, Americans) and that wealth per person an ICM poll for the Guardian last week. would never again increased much” as a Among the Asians who said they allow people from result of immigration. member The rise in the would vote on, people of Indian origin new number of foreign- were the most enthusiastic (51%) fol- states to come to born people has lowed by Bangladeshis (39%) and immediately work in Britain, as almost matched the Pakistanis (38%).

Research by the BBC Asian network happened rise in the number of with jobs, according to found more Asian candidates standing Polish plumbers some calculations, for the main parties than ever before- 89 and Lithuanian leading to claims that compared with 68 in 2005. labourers in 98% of new jobs have Only 15% of Asian voters will vote 2004." gone to migrants. for an Asian, with four in 10 believing The Labour Although this is dis- that Britain will never have an Asian PM. Party claims credit puted, the Trades for having slowed Union Congress concedes the inflow in the past two Migrationwatch UK, a that 50% of jobs created years. It thinks that its group that campaigns for “points-based” system, greater control of immisince 1997 have probably intended to ensure that gration. gone to non-UK nationals. only immigrants with the In January two indeServices have also right skills are allowed in, pendent councillors from come under pressure in is lent legitimacy by aping Peterborough wrote to areas with large numbers Australian practice. The Gordon Brown expressing of new arrivals. Council Liberal Democrats are their concerns over the leaders in Slough, scarcely more liberal, saypressure on schools in Peterborough and Boston Party

ing that their points-based system would be regional rather than national, “to ensure that migrants can work only where they are needed”.

"As Philippe Legrain wrote in his 2007 book Immigrants — Your Country Needs Them, the overwhelming evidence is that immigrants bring economic gains, not burdens.

They are chiefly of working age, so do not have to be educated and do pay taxes. They are chiefly enterprising and energetic, so they bring new vigour.

And there will be entrepreneurs and innovators among them — in America the great technological successes of Intel, Google, Yahoo! and eBay were all started by immigrants."

Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, recently said that Mandarin lessons would become vital in coming years as Britain strengthened its links with China. To reflect this, around 500 teachers a year would qualify from training colleges with the ability to teach Mandarin, meaning that within a decade 2,500 schools – 15 per cent of the total – would offer the language.

This is a favourable step for immigrants, especially Chinese.

A liberal society like Britain ought to be proud of its long record of benefiting from immigration.

UK General election opinion Poll tracker - 13th april 2010

Opinion Poll Org Avg of polls Com Res You Gov Tory 35 32 33 Labour 29 28 27 Lib Dem 25 28 31 Others 11 12 9

ICM 33 28 30 9

Seats Angus Reid Populus Mori Betfair ComRes 32 36 35 310 279 24 33 30 251 245 32 21 21 59 94 12 10 14 30 32

2005 Result Seat Vote% 209 32% 349 35% 62 22% 30 9%

Political Debate 2010 pact with political reform at its heart? Not on last debate's evidence. Every one of Mr Brown's advances was swiftly rejected by Mr Clegg. The big economy debate was supposed to be the last of the three encounters.

Victory was being claimed by all three parties after a fascinating evening. To this end, most papers not only acknowledged Clegg as the victor on the night, but heaped extraordinary levels of praise upon his anodyne performance.

The Independent declared that Clegg “broke the duopoly in British politics… The Liberal Democrat leader seized the moment”.

The Telegraph wrote of his “confident performance and mastery of the debate format” giving him “overall victory.”

The Guardian editorial focused on his “leaving his two rivals in his wake,” while Patrick Wintour and Polly Curtis spoke of his ability to “change the political land-

scape” by his “revelatory performance”.

The Sunday Times has claimed that "Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader who until a few days ago was little known to voters, is now the most popular party leader since Winston Churchill."

On Thursday (22nd April) we are due to see the second of three Live TV debates for the three

7

PPCs

Abhijit Pandya, East Harrow, UK Independence party Abhijit Pandya is a tutor of international law at the London School of Economics, and was born and raised in Edgware.

He insists that, irrespective of someone's views, freedom of expression is a basic human right which should be defended.

Abhijit is a former deputy chairman of the Hackney Conservative Association, but defected to UKIP in 2009. Abhijit, who has lived in Harrow for more than 15 years, laments

the decline of jobs in industry, such as those at the Kodak plant, and has pledged if elected to help boost the fortunes of Harrow's business community.

About his policies, he says: “I am standing to end further corruption and abuse of the expenses system. I am deeply concerned how the recession has effected our economy. I want to bring investment into Harrow and increase job opportunities, improve school results and reject EU controls”

Neil Mahapatra, Sedgefield, Conservative PPC At the age of 30, Neil is the youngest candidate to contest from Sedgefield.

With Oxford and Harvard university degrees armed under his belt, the Tory member speaks to Asian Voice about the importance of education and why should you vote for either Tory or Labour in this election.

What is your take on door-to-door campaigning?

It is extremely important due to two reasons.

One, you become visible to your constituency and two, unless you go out, you don't realise people's grievances. I receive a lot of feedback when I go doorstepping.

What are you doing pre-election about the Asian community?

Asians by nature are Conservatives. Our values match the ones of the party. This is what I am trying to tell the Asian community, which is small in my constituency.

Why should we vote for you?

You should vote for me for my three values- energy, honesty and ability. I am 30 years old. My parents brought me up with the teaching that my word is my bond. I am present for my constituency. I will not sugarcoat anything and will accurately convey their issues at the Parliament.

Manifesto WatCH Labour

Clash of the Titans Some said last Thursday television debate would be lame, and strangled by dozens of pre agreed rules. There were of course no deep malices on the floor. But it was quite a bit more feisty than most people expected.

The evening began predictably enough with the leaders setting out their initial stall in wellprepared speeches. These should have been the easiest part - but all three sounded a little awkward and over-rehearsed.

The relatively polite initial skirmishes didn't last. There was quite a bit of early sparring between Mr Brown and Mr Cameron. They frequently spoke over each other.

This left Mr Clegg a lot of space in the first half of the debate to make many of his points largely unchallenged.

This was fascinating for all those obsessing about the "what if" scenarios in the event of a hung parliament. Could there be enough common ground for a new Lib-Lab

asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

main parties leaders at 8pm on Sky. The location is Bristol in the South West of England and the debate subjects will be International relations, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Middle East, UK defence, International terrorism, Europe, United States, Climate change, China, I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development.

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Economy: Nurse recovery by deferring spending cuts and big tax rises untill 2011.

Public Finances: More than halve the deficit by 2014 through growth, tax rises including higher NI from next year.

Health care: Shield Most of the NHS budget from real cuts Education: Keep real spending on schools rising untill March 2013. Allow takeover of schools Immigration: Tighten point based system Political reform: Hold referendums by October 2012

Conservative Economy: Boost business investment and saving. Start cutting deficit Public Finances: Cut spending in 2010 by £6billion. Get rid of bulk deficit.

Health care: Protect NHS budget from real cuts over next parliament.

Education: Encourage parents, charities and other groups to set up new publicly funded schools.

Immigration: Set annual cap on economic migrants from outside the European Union.

Political Reform: Reduce number of MPs by a tenth and hand more power to backbenchers.

Liberal Democrat Economy: Break up banks so they cannot combine retail banking with riskier investment banking Public finances: Plan net saving of £10bn a year. Take 3.6m people out of income tax by raising allowances.

Health care: Turn primary care trusts Education: Phase out university Tuition fees within 6 years Immigration: Adapt the points-based system to reflect regional labour requirements Political reform: Introduce proportional representation of MPs through a single transferable vote.

8

www.abplgroup.com

Dee Katwa

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

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

Parents’ dilemma over school preference Birmingham’s most popular school is an Islamic faith school. And how anxious parents in the city are committing fraud to get their children into the school of their choice.

The Al-Hijrah School in Bordesley Green is Birmingham’s most popular school, despite being awarded an “inadequate” rating by schools watchdog Ofsted. Councillor John Hunt, chairman of the education overview and scrutiny committee, said faith schools were more attractive to parents because of the perception they have better discipline and teaching values.

However, his advice to parents is this: “Do not give up on the school your child is allocated. I believe that there is enough resources in the education system for young people to do well.”

Linked to this are the

findings of an investigation by Birmingham Post which show that over the past two years the city has seen cases of fraud rise by almost two thirds.

Desperate parents are trying to get their children into the school of their choice by renting houses they don’t live in and pretending unrelated children are siblings. Birmingham investigated 48 cases of alleged school place fraud in 2009, which is a jump from 30 cases in 2007.

The clamour for places has seen a rise in the number of parents cheating the system by using addresses belonging to grandparents, converting to another faith or

buying and renting houses within school catchment areas. A new method is falsely claiming that their children are related to other pupils who are already at the school. The claim allows them to jump up the list via the sibling rule, which guarantees places for brothers and sisters of current pupils.

Latest figures show that 13,952 Birmingham pupils applied to the city council for a secondary school for September 2009. 9,866 (62.6 per cent) were offered their first preferred school and 13,898 (88.2 per cent) were offered one of their preferred schools.

Birmingham’s eight grammar schools have just 999 places between them. But, 2,562 applicants put a grammar school as a first prefer-

ence and 1940 (13.9 per cent) put a grammar school as a second preference.

Last summer Harrow Council dropped a test prosecution against a mother accused of lying about her address to secure a place for her son at a primary school. The council had taken the action over an allegation that the mother, Mrinal Patel, had applied for a place for her five-year-old son using her mother’s address. Harrow was prosecuting under the Fraud Act 2006, but has now been told it is no longer clear whether the legislation covers this type of case. Nobody in the UK has ever been criminally prosecuted for providing false information on a school place application.

Ban for taxi driver

Parking saga

A private hire driver, Mohammed Sarfraz Sheikh, from Walsall, has been banned from driving for six months after being caught illegally plying for hire. At Walsall Magistrates this Monday, Sheikh, 51, who was driving without insurance, was fined a total of £490 and ordered to pay £509.58 costs.

Potential parking problems could arise if plans for a new-look temple in Walsall are given the green light. The Shri Guru Ravidass Cultural Association has applied to Walsall Council for planning permission to bulldoze existing buildings housing the temple in Pinfold Street, Darlaston, and build a new-look temple. Councillor Paul Bott, of Darlaston South ward, said he already receives complaints from residents who say they cannot park near their homes because over-spill parking from the temple on to the street.

Debt chasing Thousands of firms across the West Midlands claim that time wasted chasing debt has adversely affected their business, according to new research.

The survey from NatWest and RBS reveals that 71 per cent of SMEs in the UK have suffered from late payments over the last 12 months. And the collective value of invoices paid outside of company’s agreed terms and conditions in the region alone, is estimated at £5.4 billion. For example, one in five businesses with an annual turnover of between £250,000 and £500,000 has suffered, compared with just one in 15 of medium and large businesses.

High earner GP Raghavan A family doctor from Birmingham is among the highest-earning GPs in the UK. The doctor has been one of the main beneficiaries of a shake-up in healthcare contracts that has seen pay soar, but standards in some cases drop.

The Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust was forced to disclose the high earnings by The Sunday Times under freedom of information rules, but refused to identify the GP. However, senior medical sources in the area have indicated that it is Dr Shiverdorayi Raghavan, 59, who operates two separate practices in central Birmingham. Father-of-two Raghavan, pictured left, who has a PMS contract for his 6,700-patient Heathfield family centre in Handsworth, also co-owns a company called Summerfield Group that in 2007 won the right to run a second surgery in Birmingham under the APMS system. Vijayakar Abrol, a leading Birmingham GP, pictured right, said he will be writing to the Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT, demanding how anyone could earn such huge sums. “I meet all my targets,” he said, “but my pensionable income is less than £100,000 a year. I simply cannot understand how someone could have NHS earnings like this.” Dr Raghavan was unavailable for comment.

Buddhist festival Buddhists across the globe will mark their most important annual festival, Vesakha, this weekend. Vesakha, or Vaisakh, is the name for the Indian month May on the full moon day of which Buddha was born, attained enlightenment and passed away. All are welcome to join celebrations at the Buddhist Peace Pagoda in Edgbaston, Birmingham, from 10.30am onwards this Sunday.

Arthritis centre marks 10th anniversary A centre which offers support for people suffering with arthritis has celebrated its tenth milestone.

The Birmingham Arthritis Resource Centre (BARC) has helped thousands of people since it was set up. A unique project, Circle of Needs, delivered through BARC, was awarded £72,320 as part of the Learning Revolution Transformation Fund. The project provided informal learning opportunities to local ethnic minority communities who struggle to understand arthritis and need methods to cope. One method, bilingual audio resources, has been available in English and Urdu. BARC will also consider, let’s hope, catering for those who speak neither of these languages. A special event, inaugurated by Lord Mayor Michael Wilkes, was recently held at the city’s council house to celebrate the centre’s achievements. Here, centre chairman Professor Paul Bacon congratulated Chandrika Gordhan, BARC’s manager (pictured with an arthritis patient) and her staff “for completing a difficult project so successfully, despite enormous time pressures.” More than nine million people suffer with arthritis nationally, of which around 480,000 cases are in Birmingham. To find out more about BARC visit www.barc.org.uk

News in Brief This is Your Life, Oxasians An exhibition, Oxasians, which explores ten South Asian men and women who studied at Oxford University between 1889 and the present day opens in Oxford this Saturday (Apr 24). The story takes viewers on a journey of how their time at Oxford influenced these key figures who have gone on to contribute to both Britain’s and South Asian history.

Key figures include Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Ved Mehta and Manmohan Singh. Also included is Rajeeb Dey, 24, an ex-president of Oxford Entrepreneurs. Rajeeb, described by many as “a Richard Branson in making” is an advisory board member of UK-India Business Council, among a raft of other feathers in his cap. He recently launched his business Enternships, a jobs portal connecting talented students and graduates to entrepreneurial work placements in start-ups and small businesses worldwide.

Helping kids in need Congratulations to Lopa Patel, pictured, founder of Redhotcurry.com, the south Asian news portal, on being appointed a trustee of Raha International, an educational charity which supports disadvantaged children in Kenya. The charity was founded in February 2008 by sisters Daksha and Nimi Hirani.

New Voice for Women A new feminist organisation, Feminista UK, which aims to use grassroots activism to create gender equality and reduce the stigma around feminism has been launched. The group has 15 activists. Among women’s organisations which it is already backing is Southall Black Sisters. Its chair, Pragna Patel, pictured, said: ‘Grassroots activism is a crucial part of campaigning for legislative and cultural change...Feminista UK will be an invaluable resource for our work.’

Vaisakhi Mela Scores of people are set to descend on Handsworth Park in Birmingham this Sunday (April 25) to celebrate Vaisakhi, the annual harvest festival in the Sikh calendar. The 10am-6pm free event, organised by The Council of Sikh Gurdwaras, will begin with two vibrant processions in Hockley and will include children’s and sports activities, stalls, live music and dance, speakers, poetry, exhibitions, competitions and much more. Devoted couple Shantose Kaur and Pal Singh, of CSG, are extending a personal invitation to all Asian Voice readers to attend. To find out more visit www.vaisakhibirmingham.org.uk

Pink Dinner The flagrant Harriet Harman pictured with Lord Waheed Alli, the first and only openly gay life peer, at Stonewall’s annual Equality Dinner in London last Thursday. The charity event raised a record £366,000 on the night towards Stonewall’s campaigning work for lesbian and gay equality.

9

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

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10

ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

By Priyal Sanghavi

By Spriha Srivastava

Indian student shines at Cambridge An Indian human rights student has won a prestigious scholarship and will take up her place at the University of Cambridge in the autumn.

Aditi Malik is among 80 of the world's leading graduate students from 26 countries who have been selected for Gates Cambridge Scholarships from a field of more than 7,252 applicants. The scholarship programme celebrates its 10thanniversary this year.

Fifty-one of the 80 students were selected after interviews at Wolfson College, Cambridge, at the end of last month. Twenty nine were selected after interviews in Annapolis, Maryland in February.

Thirty seven of the new scholars are from the United States, the largest grouping by nationality, but they include eight students who were already studying at Cambridge, albeit not on a Gates scholarship. Four were selected from Canada and three from Germany, China and the Russian Federation.

The scholarship programme, set up in 2000 and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, enables postgraduates with a strong interest in social leadership and responsibility to study at the University of Cambridge.

This year's scholars combine a strong academic record with highly developed social leadership skills. Aditi Malik, from New Delhi, did her undergraduate degree in Government and Economics at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania, US, and was given the Henry S. Williamson Award, the college's most prestigious award for academic and extra-curricular achievement awarded to a member of the graduating class. She will study for an MPhil in International Relations at Cambridge, focusing on the theoretical and practical tensions between state sovereignty and human rights, with a special emphasis on the role of humanitarian intervention.

As an undergraduate,

she conducted fieldwork in Cambodia on the Khmer Rouge genocide, worked with asylum seekers in the United States, and carried out research on the death penalty in India. She says: “Through such experiences, my interest in genocide and international responses to problems of genocide and ethnic cleansing crystallised.

My ultimate aim is to receive a PhD and become a university professor in India, where I believe the academic community on human rights discourse needs to be strengthened.”

Aditi Malik

The 80 new students will bring to over 270 the number of Gates scholars who will be in residence at the University of Cambridge from autumn 2010.

Gordon Johnson, Provost (CEO) of the Gates Cambridge Trust, said: "We are delighted to have selected 80 new Gates Scholars for entry in October 2010. It’s very thrilling that within 10 years we have awarded nearly 1,000 scholarships to students from 92 countries to follow a graduate course in Cambridge.”

An Evening of talent by the underprivileged MAD Mentors, a scheme for mentoring disadvantaged, Londonbased youth in the fields of media, art and design, is hosting a performance and fashion show event to showcase the talent of some of the young people currently enrolled in their innovative mentoring programme.

Nurturing and celebrating the talent of tomor-

row, the event will take place on April 30 at Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, London. The most promising talent of the night will be selected for work placements with top media, art and design industry professionals such as make-up artist Daniel Sandler, and art director Murielle Bourdais.

MAD Mentors currently works across London and the objective of the event is to raise awareness about the scheme and to showcase current mentees’ talent to an audience of creative industry professionals.

Six of them will be placed into professional work placements. The network – ‘It’s a MAD World’ – is a tool to make contacts, have the opportunity to participate in key industry events such as London Fashion Week and Frieze Art Fair, and to work on personal projects with the assistance of professionals, encouraging skills, strengths and forte.

Founder Maryum Sharif felt compelled to set up the organisation following her own frustrations at not finding the correct advice from the relevant industry experts, as well as work and work placements. Ignored by members of the fashion industry at the time and not wanting any young person to endure the same difficulties, she was propelled into action.

She comments, “Young creative talent can grow and develop much more by giving them direction and support with expert role models that can excel knowledge and fast forward their learning and become successful in their careers“.

The target of MAD Mentors over the next 12 months is to recruit 50 new mentors across the fields of media, art and design, recruit an additional 200 mentors and to place 25 mentees in professional work placements with the top names across respective creative industries.

For tickets to attend the event, please visit www.ticketsource.co.uk.

For further information v i s i t www.madmentors.com

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com

It's not often one sees the crème de la crème of Asian alternative music at the same concert. But when that does happen, it is definitely a not-to-bemissed event. 'Raj: Reload' was part of London Southbank Centre's Alchemy festival- an ambitious and well-received project on Indian culture held this month.

The event was a minifestival of sorts featuring a dozen artists playing backto-back. It was informally spread out at the main hall and the foyer of Queen Elizabeth Hall.

A big plus was the informal feel the event had. One could stroll in and out, at times choose which performance to watch. Everyone was encouraged to stand up and cheer. The Hall attendants decided to be the disciplinarians and bar everyone to dance on the stairs. But with one can't help themselves listening to the songs of Shaair n Func. Considered as one of the top emerging talents from India by VH1, the band got everyone on their feet with high energy performance. Kudos to vocalist Monica who's sensuous

Raj: Reload

Naina from the Bollywood film Luck by Chance but fell flat later with changing vocalists. Sadly the spectacular Bandish Projekt had a hit and miss appearance.

Hosted by BBC Asian Network's Nihaal and Nerm, Raj: Reload was worth every pound and more. All the acts have had sellout gigs individually, but to watch them all together one-after-one is a pure bliss for music lovers.

belly-dancing turned it up a notch.

The first performers set the bar rather high. DJ Tigerstyle performed his Mother India 21st century remix project, paying tribute to the classic Bollywood film. Arun Ghosh sextet's debut gig rocked London Jazz Festival in 2007 and this one was no different.

Engine-Earz Experiment began with a bang with a hit song Sapnon se Bhare

BAPS celebrates International Women’s Day 2010

Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, addressing the audience at BAPS International Women’s Day 2010

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) observed International Women’s Day 2010 in the UK with a month-long initiative, culminating on the weekend of 10-11 April with an inspirational conference entitled Celebrating Women: Past, Present & Future. The key objective of the conference was to celebrate the achievements of women and inspire them to fulfil their potential in all aspects of life, especially related to their family, career and faith.

Chief guests included Sarah Brown and Dawn Butler. Other distinguished guests included Mei Sim Lei Peters OBE (Deputy Lieutenant, London Borough of Brent); Mira Kaushik OBE (Director, Akademi South Asian Dance UK); Denise Milani (Director, Diversity & Citizen Focus, Metropolitan Police Service); Prof.

Neena Modi (Professor of Neonatal Medicine and Honorary Consultant,

Imperial College, London); Kate Hall (Civil Engineer and Associate Director, Arup Designers in charge of Olympic

Park); Azmina Govindji (award-winning celebrity dietician); and Jaymini Patel (Director, Brahma Kumari Publications).

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

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Sisters killed in house fire after jilted boyfriend ‘put petrol through letterbox’ Two sisters died in a fire started by a 14-year-old boy in an alleged revenge for the break-up of his teenage romance, the Old Bailey heard on last Monday.

The youth allegedly recruited two older men to help pour petrol through the letterbox of his victims' family home in Tooting, the jury was told. The day before the attack he had carried out a Google search for information on “how to burn someone's house down”, the court heard.

As the fire raged the mother and elder son leapt for their lives from an upstairs window.

A second son was rescued by firefighters and survived after 45 days in intensive care. But the two sisters, Maleha, 15, and 21-year-old Nabiha Masud,

In the early both died in hospihours in June last tal. year the mother, The 14-year-old had been in “a relaRubina Masud, tionship of sorts” awoke to the cries of with Maleha and “fire” from her elder had threatened her son Zain, who is when it finished, now 24 and a City said Jonathan banker with Laidlaw QC, proseN o m u r a .

Neighbours tried to cuting. “I say a relahelp before firefighttionship of sorts' ers fought their way because although through the flames they had regarded to try to reach those and described trapped in the themselves as house. boyfriend and girlYounger son friend it was cerJunaid, then 17, was tainly not a serious Tragic sisters: Maleha and Nabiha Masud found in his bedor long-standing did not continue he would do room having suffered serious relationship. The two of them something to her and her famiinhalation damage to his lungs broke up and it was then that he ly,” Mr Laidlaw continued. but after weeks of hospital threatened Maleha that if she

treatment survived. He shared a room with Maleha who was found curled up at the bottom of her bunk bed. She had stopped breathing and a policeman revived her. But she suffered brain damage and carbon monoxide poisoning and died three days later.

Nabiha, who was due to be married in four months, was badly burned and poisoned by the fumes. She died in hospital a month later.

Shihabouddin Choudhury, 20, from Nottingham, Rasal Khan, 18, of Leicester and the youth from Croydon, who cannot be named, have pleaded not guilty to two charges of murder and three counts of attempted murder.

The trial continues.

Fury as jailed East Lancashire sex attacker wins deportation fight A Foreign national who abducted underage girls and sexually exploited them has been told he can return to East Lancashire when he comes out of jail.

Campaigners said they were outraged that Pakistani citizen Zulfar Hussain won a court fight to stay following his imminent release from jail.

Hussain has won an appeal against deportation following his conviction for abducting and exploiting two vulnerable under16 girls in Blackburn and Burnley.

Blackburn MP and justice minister Jack Straw

Pakistani national Zulfar Hussain has won his appeal against deportation just weeks before he is due to be released from prison

called the move 'concerning' and backed the Home Office's decision to appeal Hussian's bid to stay in the country.

Hussain, who previously lived in Cowell Way, Blackburn, with his family, was jailed in August 2007 for child abduction, sexual activity with a child and supplying youngsters with ecstasy.

He is due to be released ‘imminently’ as he is around halfway into a five years and eight months sentence imposed at Preston Crown Court.

Authorities had been set to deport him along

with his fellow paedophile Qaiser Naveed, 34, formerly of Colne Road, Burnley, who admitted carrying out the same offences on under-age girls.

It is believed that both men are still in prison, but are due to be released very soon.

Naveed, also a Pakistani national, is not opposing his deportation and will be kept in custody and will be sent to a highsecurity ‘Immigration Removal Centre’ which deals with serious offenders. He will be detained there until he is deported to Pakistan.

It is thought that the Home Office is currently appealing that decision to ensure Hussain is also sent to a immigration removal centre on his release from prison.

Hussain and Naveed were both ordered to sign the sex offender’s register for life and banned for life from associating with girls under the age of 16. The two girls had become involved in sexual relationships with the two older men who would take them to houses in Blackburn and Burnley, picking them up in Hussain’s BMW. Police described the

girls as ‘vulnerable’, with one living in a children’s home and another taken out of foster care after repeated truancy and placed in another home in Wales.

The men groomed them over several months, plying them with alcohol and drugs.

At sentencing, Judge Andrew Gilbart QC said: “This is a truly shocking offence. When young girls such as these are placed in care it can be because they need protection from themselves. They need nurturing. They need help.”

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

Rhaynukaa Soni Outreach Executive

What you need to know as a busy builder Pushed for time running a busy building site? These are the essential health and safety top tips you should follow, even if you don’t directly employ the people working on your site.

You should provide: n clean and working toilets; n washbasins with hot and cold running water; n soap and towels; n sinks large enough to wash face, hands and forearms; n somewhere to change, dry and store clothing; n drinking water, and cups if needed; and n a rest area to sit, make hot drinks and eat food. You must also keep your welfare facilities warm and well ventilated, with lighting if necessary. This is just a summary – you can find out what else you need to know about health and safety by visiting www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm

What can happen if health and safety is ignored?

At an inspection, a company was found not to have provided welfare facilities at a construction site and was served with an improvement notice.

The company failed to provide the facilities within the timescale and was prosecuted.

The company received a £2000 fine for not complying with the notice, a £5000 fine for not providing the welfare facilities, and had to pay prosecution costs of £1272.

See over for examples of good practice...

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

12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Scrutator’s The activities of Chinese cyberspies hacking into Indian computers and stealing classified information pertaining to the country's national security (see page 3) is a further reminder of India's dangerous security environment. India's defence and military capabilities must surely remain the highest priority for any government in New Delhi.

The Hindu's front-page report (March 29) highlighting a hat-trick of successful Indian missile tests is a sign of the times. According to the paper's correspondent, Y. Mallikarjun, these were conducted over two days. The land-based 700 km medium range Agni I, the shorter range Prithvi-II and the sea-based Dhanush are all capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Describing these tests as hugely successful, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials said the specialised navigation and guidance system enabled the missies to reach their targets with a high degree of accuracy. Launch operations were monitored by the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and DRDO Director General V.K. Saraswat, Programme Director (Agni) Advanced Systems Laboratory Avinash Chander, and Director of the Research Centre (Imarat) S.K.Ray, and Director of the Defence Research and Defence Laboratory (DRDL) P.Venugopalan.

Meanwhile, says the Asian Age (April 1), Indian scientists are designing a reusable rocket powered space shuttle, shaped like an aircraft, whuch will climb 60 km and then glide back to earth. This will lead to drastic cost reductions in satellite launches. The first test launch is scheduled for next year.

Laser-guided bombs tested Days after the successful Agni, Prithvi-II and Danush trials, India conducted flight trials of laser-guided bombs (LGBs) from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off the Orissa coast (Indian Express, March 31).

The trials were carried out to test the operational efficiency of the guidance and control systems of the LG Bs. “The LGBs were released from the aircraft as per prescribed operating procedures. On-board systems in the trials worked satisfactorily and the mission objective were met,” said an Indian Air Force (IAF) official.

A defence scientist explained: “A number of tests has been done through simulation and flight trials over the last few years to reach the required performance levels. The bomb, once released by the mother aircraft at the appropriate range, will seek the target and home on to it very accurately and with high reliability.”

The LBGs have been developed at the Bangalore-based A e r o n a u t i c a l D e v e l o p m e n t Establishment and is designed to improve the accuracy of air-to-ground bombing by the IAF. Meanwhile, India has opened negotiations with Russia for nine more A50E1 aircraft. These are

part of a trilateral contract between Russia, India and Israel under which these aircraft will be platforms for the Israeli Phalcon Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) to monitor India's neighbourhood for possible security threats.

An effective way to prevent war is to prepare for it.

LCH flight Business Standard Online (March 31) published a report by Ajay Shukla on the flight trial of India's prized Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) designed by the Bangalore-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). “Attack

includes Eurocopter's Tiger and China's ultrasecret Zhisheng-10. In high-altitude performance, the LCH will be in a class by itself. Taking off from Himalayan altitudes of 10,000 feet, operating rockets and guns up to 16,300 feet,, and launching missions at UAVs flying at over 21,000 feet.

“The twin Shakti engines roared to a crescendo and LCH pilots, Group Captains Unni Pillai and Hari Nair lifted off the ground. The futuristic helicopter, all angles and armored sheets, flew a distance.....to over cheering and clapping.”

Excess weight was responsible for delays in its production schedule, but the problem has now been solved.

“HAL remains confident since most of the key technologies in the LCH e.g the Shakti engine, the rotors and the main gearbox - have already been proven in the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter, 159 of which are being built for the Army and Air Force.

Simultaneously the LCH's weapons and sensors are being tested on a weaponised version of the Dhruv. ...India's DRDO is developing an anti-tank guided missile for the LCH. Based on the already developed Nag anti-tank guided missile, the helicopter mounted Nag can destroy tanks from a distance of seven kilometres,” concludes Mr Shukla.

Minting money Joe Leahy, in the Financial Times, writes (April 9): “The Indian government is expecting to reap a multibillion-dollar bonanza as it kicks off auctions of spectrum for third generation mobile services and a separate sale of spectrum for traditional broadband wireless

India's Light Combat Helicopter put through its paces

helicopters,” he writes, “involve the most complex aeronautical stealth, sensor and weapon technologies. HAL's state-of-theart LCH aims to gatecrash an exclusive club of light attack helicopters that

access. But mobile companies, led by the market top three – Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications and UK-based Vodafone – are expected to compete for the three pan-India 3G spectrum allocations,

Better Place CEO Shai Agassi, former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert, and President and CEO of Renault-Nissan Carlos Ghosn

which have a reserve price of Rs35 billion ($788 million) each.

“The long-awaited spectrum allocations are expected to mark the real start of the internet age for India, which has struggled to roll out fixed-line broadband networks given the difficulty of building land-based infrastructure in the country.

“The auction will take place over the internet and could take days, with bidders given their own passwords and tokens for access.” Promises to be exciting for those who can afford it. Lesser beings will simply gawp.

Vodafone's India roll The Daily Telegraph's Rupert Neate (April 9), not to be outshone for drama, tells how Vodafone had “signed up more than 100 million phone subscribers in India, as the battle for the world's fastest-growing market heat up ahead of the auction of the latest 3G licenses in the country.....Vodafone's Indian business had just 28 million customers when it entered the market with the purchase of Hutchison's majorits stake in the operator for $11 billion (£7.2 bn) in 2007.”

Vodofone Essar CEO Marten Pieters said: “This is a significant achievement for us and reflects the trust customers have bestowed on the company.. In the past three years, we have invested over 200 billion rupees (£1.3 bn) to expand our operations to service customers in India.” A rich harvest beckons.

Frugal mindset

their priorities, but the Obama administration's Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, wasn't shy of concealing his admiration for India's economic managers. Having grown up as a toddler in India, where his father headed the Ford Foundation and returned to the country a number of times. “I have huge admiration for India's policies in the economic, financial sector.... for what they have accomplished in dealing with this difficult time,” he said in an interview with The Times of India (April 4). “One rea-

Carlos Ghosn, the Re n a u l t N N i s s a n i a n c e boss, was in Chennai recently, where he interacted with The Hindu publication's reporters, among them K.T.Jaganathan, Born in Brazil and educated in Lebanon, Mr Ghosn is a true citizen of the world.

His company's presence in India – in Tamil Nadu – is critical to its future growth and prosperity.

Mr Ghosn was particularly impressed by the “frugal mindset” of Indian companies. Justifying the multiple partnerships his Alliance has entered India – “this allowed us to to learn a lot more, especially in frugal engineering and product planning.”

In this context, he cited a huge difference in the cost estimates made by an Indian engineer and “our engineer” for the same project.

“What an Indian engineer promises to do with one, my engineer tells me we need five to complete,” Mr Ghosn said that the Indian US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner experience was an important lesson for the son I am going to India is Alliance in acquiring a to get a better sense of of global strategy that could what is happening there be used for other emerging both in the economy and markets such as Vietnam, the broader reform process Iran, Nigeria and in the financial sector and Indonesia. The next auto elsewhere. As always I am growth wave could well going to make sure that occur in the emerging the leaders in India get to markets, he said. understand directly how we are managing our chalGeithner lenges here.”

Mr Geithner and impressed Indian Finance Minister will be inaugurating the The US State Department US-India Economic and and the Pentagon may not Financial Partnership. have India on the list of Long may it endure.

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Alpesh Patel Consultant Editor Financial Voice Dear Asian Voice Reader, “Would I buy airline stocks? Of course not.” That is what I wrote in my last column before the volcano blew. Of course that award-winning prediction…or just plain foolish luck I am accustomed to having means I made a good forecast. Genius!

But recent events teach us that in fact forecasting is about the unpredictable unknowns. In 1820 when this same Icelandic volcano last erupted it made no difference to anyone other than scorching a few Icelanders. Today, an airline in India may go bust as a result. The old saying that a butterfly flaps its wings in China and a hurricane occurs in the US is about exactly this point.

Chaos theory states that small initial condition changes lead to major eventual consequences. In a globalised world, the volcano is the best example of the increasing unpredictability and volatility of the markets. A smoke plume in Iceland means that flowers cannot be delivered to Europe and Kenyan companies go bust. The markets are a machine which has more moving parts than ever before and some of these parts now move things on the far side of the machine in a way we could not have contemplated.

It’s why when asked on TV what I think will happen I often say ‘I don’t know’. It was the same line one of the greatest economist of the 21st century – John Maynard Keynes used. How can I know when we live in a world of Icelandic volcanoes happening.

What point my telling you whether to buy or sell British Airways stock when nothing could allow for that eventuality?

Moreover, traditional investment theories fall apart. Again the volcano is proof. Traditional theories talk of diversification and making sure you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. The problem is there is only one basket now. British Airways is connected to the florist in Kenya. When the credit crunch crunched, it crunched everything. There were no safe places left. Even gold prices fell back then remember?

This is how the volcano has revealed the workings of the financial markets. The volcano, if you contemplate it, is as it was in times of old in some religions where the gods reside who tell of future portends and omens. The volcano has revealed to us – we know nothing. We can forecast nothing. We mortals are at the mercy of the gods despite our conceit in all the financial beauties we have created. But will we be humble? Cautious?

So what do you do if you want to be humble? You can either make money at the very short term – in and out in a few minutes or seconds even because then the risk of the unforeseen is limited, or you make money in the very long term when the volcanic ash has cleared and 5 years down the line the profits and losses in the BA account have smoothed out.

That is humility before the markets. That is saying, ‘I simply don’t know, what I was told would worked, no longer does. So I tread carefully else I too will be stranded…in India.

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‘Insynergy Absolute India Fund’ launched in UK Reliance Capital, the Indian MF enjoys confidence of more than 7m clients accounting scandal surrounding Satyam, India’s biggest corporate fraud case.

“It is not fair comment to make a general criticism of corporate governance standards in India,” said Mr Kela.

“We have a strong regulatory system, clear disclosure requirements and freedom of the press.

During the global financial crisis, not one bank went belly up in India and not a single large Indian industrial group defaulted.”

Mr Kela conceded there were “one-off cases” where corporate governance was a problem, but he noted that non-performing loans for banks were currently running at less than 1 per cent.

Reliance Capital Asset Management is India’s largest fund manager with more than 7m clients. Its flagship Reliance Growth Fund has risen by more than 3,200 per cent since launching in December 1995.

“In 2002, we had just

20,000 investors, now 7.5m Indians have trusted us with their cheques. We understand that responsibility,” he said.

The Insynergy Absolute India fund, a Ucits III fund domiciled in Dublin, will be run by Ashish Mehta, co-head of India equity investments for Reliance in Singapore.

The new fund will invest 70 per cent of its assets in a strategy similar to the Reliance Growth Fund. A further 30 per cent will be devoted to “high conviction” ideas and the fund can also take short positions up to 30 per cent of its assets.

India’s economy-wide return on equity is estimated at 18.9 per cent, compared with 12.9 per cent in China.

Spike Hughes, chief executive of Insynergy Investment Management, said he wanted to subcontract the management of the fund to a proven team that understood the country, its culture and its companies.

Wal-Mart to sell Indian mangoes, basmati rice globally

Tatas and RIL among global top 50 in innovation

Reliance Capital, one of the prominent Indian Mutual Funds and financial services companies recently launched ‘Insynergy Absolute India Fund’ in UK. This launch will enable European investors considering investing in India to tap into the expertise of one of the country’s most successful fund managers.

“UK retail investors have to recognise India’s potential,” said Mr Madhu Kela, head of equity investments, Reliance Mutual Fund, who painted an upbeat picture of the country’s prospects at an East Meets West seminar hosted by Cofunds, the fund supermarket, in London.

“We think India has entered a ‘virtuous cycle’ with the economy likely to grow by 8 to 10 per cent annually over the next five years,” said Mr Kela: “Our belief is that every country passes through this kind of growth opportunity once in its history. It is

Having opened their second wholesale cash and carry store in India last week, Wal-Mart plans to sell juicy Indian mangoes and the famous basmati rice globally soon. The retail giant last week opened its second wholesale cash-and-carry store in the country near Chandigarh.

Wal-Mart expects India to become its biggest supplier in the next few years — with mangoes and basmati rice leading the charge.

“We already source $125 million worth of textile goods from Punjab alone. Now, we are looking at mangoes and basmati rice,” said Raj Jain, managing director and CEO, Bharti-Walmart.

Wal-Mart Asia president and CEO Scott Price feels the present business is just a small part of their overall revenue. “I would like exports from India to reach at least $1 billion in the next one year. Indian agri-products can be

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now India’s turn. The corporate sector should be able to generate earnings growth of 15 to 20 per cent a year and a good manager would hope to generate returns in excess of that.”

Mr Kela said India had its strongest government for 20 years, which was focused on delivering inclusive growth for its citizens, infrastructure development and reform.

India’s government plans to spend $1,300bn (£843bn) on infrastructure over the next seven years, part of a plan to push gross domestic product to $6,000bn by 2020, from $1,300bn at present.

India’s high savings rate, running close to 40 per cent of GDP, and robust economic growth will provide a vast pool of domestic funding for investment.

He rebuffed calls by the Asian Corporate Governance Association for Mumbai to strengthen its corporate governance laws following the

exported to other Asian countries, Europe and US. I also see a lot of potential in household and electronic items,” he said “Exports from India may rise exponentially to hundreds of millions in the next five years. Our global sourcing organ has been restructured and I had a talk with its head and both of us agreed that India has immense potential,” Price said.

Bharti-Walmart’s first outlet in India was opened in Amritsar in May last year. The second store in Zirakpur, on the outskirts of Chandigarh, has 21,000 listed members to start with. Jain said, the company has tied up with the Indian Air Force at Chandigarh to be one of its suppliers and is working towards a similar tie-

up with the Western Command headquarters at Chandimandir.

Indian Army is one of the biggest members of Bharti-Walmart’s Best Price Modern Wholesale store in Amritsar. Other big member organisations include the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parhandhak Committee (SGPC). Bharti-Walmart is expected to open 10-15 wholesale cash-and-carry facilities and employ 6,000-7,000 people in the country over the next three years.

Retail training centre in Delhi Bharti-Walmart will soon open a training centre in Delhi for those interested in a career in retail. In association with the Delhi government, the centre will be on lines of a similar learning centre in Amritsar.

It will offer two short term vocational certification courses for different roles in the retail sector.

W h i l e Apple of the USA continues to remain at the top, two corporate giants from India, the Tata group and Reliance Industries have made it into the top 50 innovative companies globally. Tatas are ranked 17th, while Reliance Industries led by Mukesh Ambani is placed at no. 33.

Having brought Mac computers, iPod music players and the new sleek touch-screen laptop iPad to this world, Apple has retained its top slot, while compatriot internet giant Google remains the "silver medallist" in the latest edition of annual rankings prepared by a magazine in collaboration with global research firm BCG.

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FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Revival in car sales likely to save JLR plant from closure Maria Fernandes maria@abplgroup.com

Highly Trusted Sponsor – Tier 4 offer these courses after 01/05/2010.

Last week I reported on changes to Tier 4. The application process for Sponsors has been changed within a few days of the new system.

It is no longer necessary to send the accompanying spreadsheet in support of the application. The only documents that now have to be sent are the application form and fee.

Further information can however be requested at a later stage and where it is registered must be sent within 21 days.

The time for lodging applications has not changed.

Public funded institutions must apply by 30/06/2010 to retain their licence Other Sponsors must apply by 30/04/2010 to enable them to continue to offer NQF3 and work placement courses up to 30/06/2010 or until their application is decided whichever is sooner. If no application is made by 30/04/2010 they will not be able to

Period of ‘A’ rating Applicants must have a minimum of 6 consecutive months as ‘A’ rated sponsor prior to the application for all tiers for which they hold a licence.

Volcanic Ash Those unable to travel because of the volcanic ash and whose visas have now expired have been reassured by the UK Border Agency that they will not be penalised.

The traveller must have proof of planned travel before their visas expired. They do not have to take any further action.

Maria Fernandes is a principal of Fernandes Vaz solicitors who specialise in immigration and nationality law. She has substantial experience of immigration and is an accredited member of the Immigration Law Panel. www.fernandesvaz.com

As car sales in UK and elsewhere have shown signs of revival, media reports in UK suggest there is a rethink at the Tatas’ owned Jaguar Land Rover over the planned closure of one of the plants in UK. Either Castle Bromwich or Solihull plant was likely to face the closure and an announce-

earnings were 14 cents.

Analysts in a survey estimated the company would break even. CEO Vikram Pandit, who is taking a $1 annual salary until the company turns consistently profitable, said in February that 2010 may show the “earnings potential of the new Citi” after two straight annual losses totalling $29 billion. Profit was highest since second quarter of 2007 as bad-loan costs fell 16% to $8.37 billion. “They are now feeling

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A record growth rate of 11.9% over last three years for the Chinese economy has highlighted the risk of overheating. Beijing may be prompted to scrap Yuan’s peg to the dollar following the double digit growth. The statistics bureau in a briefing last week at Beijing announced that the GDP registered a rise of 11.9% over the previous year.

“The next policy move remains likely to be a revaluation of the Yuan ,” said Glenn Maguire, chief Asia-Pacific economist at Societe Generale SA in Hong Kong. Inflation data may lead the central bank to delay an interest-rate increase until the second half of the year, he said.

After the GDP announcement and report

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themselves to be sufficiently reserved and they are beginning to reduce credit expenses,” said Gary Townsend, president of Hill-Townsend Capital LLC, a Chevy Chase, Maryland-based investment firm, in an interview on Bloomberg Television.

“That falls directly to the bottom line.”

Assets Increase The bank’s assets increased 8% to $2 trillion, after accounting rule makers closed a loophole that had allowed banks to keep credit-card loans and other debt instruments off their balance sheets. Revenue from continuing operations shrank 5.8% to $25.4 billion, while consumerbanking revenue rose 3.1% to $8.08 billion, Citigroup said. CFO John Gerspach said on a conference call with reporters that the company took $800 million of write-ups on subprime mortgage bonds.

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with the arrival of a new management team “has led to a review of the closure plan”.

In September last year, the company had said it planned to close one of its factories. “Its plant at Halewoood on Mersyside was safe, with the axe to fall on one of the Midlands sites,” the report noted.

Chinese economy galloping at a double digit growth rate

Citigroup back in profits for Q1 Citigroup Inc have reported more than double profits as global economic rebound trimmed costs for bad loans, trading revenue surpassed estimates and value of subprime mortgage bonds increased. First quarter net income of $4.43 billion followed a loss of $7.58 billion in fourth quarter and a profit of $1.59 billion in first three months of 2009, New York-based Citigroup said on Monday in a statement.

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ment was expected this summer. But now, the car maker is also likely to seek UK government assistance

as they have plans to launch new models.

A report in The Sunday Times said Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is “weighing a dramatic about-face on plans to close one of its three UK production plants”. Quoting sources close to the carmaker, the publication said a recent revival in sales coupled

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of a record jump in property prices, the government on Thursday announced measures to cool the realestate market, including requirements for bigger home down payments.

The government also said it will study extra taxes, including on individuals’ profits from property sales.

Bubble concern Some investors already see a property bubble in China that could reverberate around the world if it bursts. “The case for policy tightening remains intact given the risks of China’s economy overheating,” said Brian Jackson, a Hong Kongbased strategist at Royal Bank of Canada. “The additional measures announced on Thursday

0.1%, less than anticipated.

Companies may keep rebuilding depleted inventories and investing in new equipment as global demand rises, one reason why producers like Intel Corp see better times ahead. Payrolls will probably climb further as factories ramp up, helping drive consumer spending.

“Manufacturing is doing pretty well, it is still very much in the lead,” said Michael Feroli, chief US economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co in New York.

“The momentum is carrying into second quarter as well. Capital spending, which was already strong at end of 2009, is continuing into this year, and that will support the recovery.”

Godrej group of India on global acquisition spree

Megasari of Indonesia bought this month, Issue group of Argentina on the radar Godrej group, an FMCG major of India is on an acquisition spree, globally.

One of the group companies, Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) is all set to make its sixth global acquisition, this time in Latin America. GCPL is learnt to be in talks with an Argentine company, Issue Group Co, a familyowned business which specialises in hair colouration, for a possible buyout.

If the acquisition goes through, GCPL would get a strong foothold in the Latin American market after establishing bases in Africa and Indonesia through a series of acquisitions recently.

GCPL announced the acquisition of Megasari in Indonesia this month and

Tura in Africa in March 2010. Since 2006, the company has acquired Rapidol and Kinky businesses in Africa, which have provided Godrej a substantial share of the African hair market.

According to industry sources, GCPL is in an advanced stage of discussions with Issue Group, and an announcement is expected to be made soon.

Being a closely held company, the financials of Issue Group could not be ascertained, but it is said to be one of the leading players in the Latin American hair market.

According to Issue Group's website, it has three subsidiaries in Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay, which cater to the

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Prod up as US factories lead recovery Manufacturing production in US accelerated in March as factories spearheaded the recovery from the worst recession since the 1930s.

Output at factories climbed 0.9% after a 0.2 gain in February that was revised from a previously estimated decline, Federal Reserve figures showed on Thursday. Warmer weather caused utility use to drop by most in four years, limiting the overall gain in industrial production to

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Its products are present in 25 countries. If the acquisition materialises, it will accomplish GCPL's global 3 by 3 strategy, i.e. presence in Asia, Africa and Latin America. GCPL, which is termed as an emerging market multinational, is rapidly expanding its presence in these three markets in the three core categories of homecare, personal wash and haircare.

Established in 1976, Issue Group started manufacturing and marketing cosmetic products like nail polish remover and hair removing wax. This was extended to brand 'Issue', whose product line rose year after year, leading to specialisation in the hair colouration segment.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Goldman Sachs also under FSA scanner in UK German Chancellor Angela Merkel asks US SEC for details of the fraud case After the US authorities said they have issued fraud claims against investment bank Goldman Sachs, The Financial Services Authority (FSA) in London has said the tainted bank will be investigated.

This was after the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Markel called for probe and sought details from the SEC. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said it would launch a 'formal enforcement investigation' into Goldman in relation to the Securities and Exchange Commission allegations in the U.S. Gordon Brown has called for a special investigation into Goldman Sachs after reports that it is to rack up a bonus pot of £3.5 billion for the first quarter and he accused the bank of 'moral bankruptcy'.

Net income of the US bank rose by 91 per cent to £2.25 billion, up from £1.17 billion in the same quarter a year ago.

Revenues rose by 36 % to £8.32 billion, fuelled by £4.8 billion in revenues

from the fixed-income business.

U.S. regulators have launched a civil lawsuit against the investment bank. The SEC alleges Goldman, which employs 5,500 people in the UK, failed to disclose that one of its clients helped create - and then bet against sub-prime mortgage securities that Goldman sold to investors. It claimed investors - including the Royal Bank of Scotland – lost £650 million as a result of the alleged fraud, which Goldman has vigorously denied.

The banker at the centre of the fraud claims, Fabrice Tourre, is is in line for a massive bonus, it emerged earlier this week.

Bank bosses let Tourre go on working in London despite a lawsuit against him by U.S. regulators.

Goldman Sachs said the 31-year-old Frenchborn broker has done 'nothing wrong' and

there was no need to suspend him during the American investigation.

Mr Tourre, who moved from the U.S. to London in 2008, can claim a sizeable slice of the £3.2billion bonus bonanza expected to be announced by the Wall Street giant this week. Only two months ago he shared in the bank's £10billion bonus pot for 2009.

Britain joined Germany in calling for a probe of Goldman Sachs Group Inc after the US Securities and Exchange Commission said it was suing the company for fraud. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "shocked" at "moral bankruptcy" indicated in the suit.

"This is probably one of the worst cases we've seen," Brown said on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme in London on Sunday. "It looks as if people were misled about what happened.

The banks are still an issue.

They are a risk to the economy." The German financial regulator, Bafin, asked the SEC for details on the suit, a spokesman

for Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

The investigations widen the threat to the New York-based bank, which on April 16 denied wrongdoing. The US regulator accused Goldman Sachs of fraud tied to collateralised debt obligations that contributed to the financial crisis.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, mostly owned by the UK government, paid $841 million to Goldman Sachs to unwind its position in the Abacus security, which it inherited when it bought ABN Amro in 2007, according to the SEC filing.

The SEC also cited Dusseldorf-based IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG as a purchaser of part of the CDO at issue. In 2008, Germany's stateowned KfW development bank pumped almost 10 billion euros ($13.5 billion) into IKB to shore up the German banking system.

The German government "will ask the SEC for information," said Ulrich Wilhelm, a spokesman for Merkel. "Then we will look at the records and consider possible legal steps."

British economy projected to surge in 2011 Ernst & Young Item Club forecast paints a picture of hope

Riding on increased exports and raise in investments, Britain is projected to be heading for a strong growth in 2011 and 2012. The upturn though, will be very modest this year, a forecast by the latest Ernst & Young Item Club has said.

The predictions, which are close to those given by the Treasury have been dismissed as unrealistically optimistic say the growth for 2010 would be a mere 1% and will rise to 2.7% in 2011 and 3.4% in 2012.

“The immediate prospects for the economy

remain dismal and we still think that the UK will struggle to achieve 1% growth this year,” said Peter Spencer, the Item Club’s chief economic adviser. “Exports provide an opportunity to steer our way out of this situation, but ultimately business must put its shoulder to the wheel.

There are good reasons to be optimistic about exports and overseas demand. The competitive pound provides the carrot and the weak home market provides the stick.”

The ruling Labour party is likely to seize the

Item Club forecast and argue that it confirms about the economy being too fragile this year to withstand the Tories’ planned £6 billion fiscal tightening. At the same time, Labour will seize on the projection of a strong recovery next year despite the planned rise in National Insurance.

Unemployment figures, which have been heading lower, will be released — as will figures for public borrowing in March. As this is the final month of the fiscal year, the March data will show whether borrowing has

come in below the Treasury’s forecast of £167 billion. Most analysts expect an undershoot.

The Item Club forecast sees a continuing squeeze on the consumer, pointing out that households’ share of national income fell from 76% in 2001 to 70% in 2008 and will be squeezed further. It says that consumer spending will rise by only 0.5% this year and by 0.9% in 2011.

It expects investment to rise 6.2% in 2011 after dropping 2.7% this year.

Exports are expected to rise 7.2% this year and 10.1% next.

Air India and Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS) have signed an agreement to form a 50:50 joint venture company for their three existing ground and cargo handling JVs in Bangalore and Hyderabad.

The agreement, signed in Singapore recently, would be named Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited (AISATS) and the JV company is in the process of being incorporated in Delhi soon, an Air India spokesperson said.

The incorporation of AISATS, which is expected to be completed next month, would provide a legal entity to house the existing operations in Bangalore and Hyderabad and potential operations in other metro airports.

Air India and SATS

will each nominate three representatives as Board members of AISATS, he said.

Government had on March 29 approved a specific JV firm, Air India SATS Airport Services Bangalore, to provide ground and cargo handling services at the Bangalore airport to enable the company issue shares to raise resources.

The Bangalore project estimated to cost at about pound 25.18 million, comprises pound 14.49 million for cargo handling project at the new Bangalore airport and about pound 10.68 million for the ground handling venture.

In September 2008, Air India chose SATS as its JV partner for ground handling in India and both companies collaborated in

Hyderabad and Bangalore under three separate JVs, providing ground and cargo handling services since the opening of the new airports at these two cities in 2008.

However, the incorporation of these JVs was held back, pending Air India's plans to select a strategic ground handling partner at other metro airports in India, like Delhi and Mumbai where worldclass ground handling is required.

In a statement, AI CMD Arvind Jadhav said, "Combining our knowledge of the market and the strengths SATS has built from its over 60 years of experience, we are confident that this JV will gain superior capabilities and competitiveness". SATS President and CEO

Clement Woon said, "Our successful cooperation with Air India in Hyderabad and Bangalore has demonstrated the vast synergies that our partnership can potentially reap".

"We seek to deepen our participation in the privatisation of India's aviation sector and contribute to the growth of the industry", Woon added.

SATS has been providing comprehensive airport services encompassing air freight handling, passenger services, ramp handling, baggage handling, aviation security and aircraft interior cleaning.

It also provides food solutions like airline catering, food distribution and logistics, industrial catering, chilled and frozen food manufacturing as well as airline linen laundry.

Air India, SATS sign JV for cargo handling

15

Indian management guru C K Prahalad passes away Known popularly as a management guru in India and globally, C K Prahalad passed away last week at San Diego in the USA after a brief illness. A distinguished professor in the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, he was known as a world authority on management thought. He specialised in corporate strategy focusing on top management in large and diversified multinational corporations.

Professor Prahalad's seminal work, alongside Gary Hamel in the 1990s, on the concept of “core competence” of companies won the McKinsey Prize and sold the maximum number of reprints in the entire 80-odd years of history of its publisher, the prestigious Harvard Business Review.

In his paper with Hamel, he urged corporate leaders to think of diversified company as a tree: “The trunk and major limbs as core products, smaller branches as business units, leaves and fruit as end products.

Nourishing and stabilising everything is the root system: core competencies.”

He was also known widely for his interest in the “Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid” and his book on the subject is considered an authoritative exposition of the potential for large corporations to improve the conditions of the poor in countries such as India. They could do so, he argued, by “mobilising investment capacity [along with] the commitment of NGOs and the communities that need help.” The poor must become active, informed and involved consumers, he urged.

Yet Professor Prahalad's illustrious

C K Prahalad

career was not restricted to academe: he equally established his reputation as a corporate consultant par excellence, working with a wide cross-section of companies from the CEOs of the top 30 Fortune 200 firms to Hindustan Lever Limited and Microsoft Corporation, India.

Growing up in Chennai, where his father was a Sanskrit scholar and judge, Professor Prahalad worked initially with Union Carbide after completing a B.Sc. degree from Loyola College in 1960. He then went on to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of M a n a g e m e n t , Ahmedabad in 1966 and a Doctorate in Business Administration in the Harvard Business School in 1975. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Recently CK had been working with the Confederation of Indian Industry on the "India at 75" project, a plan to cement India's position as an economic powerhouse by its 75th Independence Day in 2022.

He was universally admired in the management guru fraternity. "His upside-down thinking inspired us all, and his friendliness charmed us.

He is one of the few whose ideas will long resonate around the world of organisations," said management writer Charles Handy.

No FDI in cigarette manufacturing in India Cigarette manufacturing in India is now out of bounds for foreign entities. Under the latest decision of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, Cigarette manufacturing is a sector that is currently open to FDI, will henceforth be banned.

The ban will also be applicable to the SEZs. This means that the purpose of manufacture be exports or for domestic consumption, no FDI will now be allowed in India for manufacture of cigarettes.

India’s Home Minister P Chidambaram informed

the media after a meeting of the CCEA last week.

The prohibition of FDI will be notified shortly.

DIPP (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry mooted the proposal for banning FDI. As per the current norms, 100 per cent FDI in cigarette manufacturing is permitted, but proposals need to be approved by the FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board). An industrial licence is also required for cigarette manufacturing.

16

fInanCIal voice

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Infosys to manage Microsoft’s internal IT services As part of three-year managed services agreement, Infosys would streamline implementation processes, simplify support and service, while at the same time lowering the enterprise costs through the use of the latest Microsoft solutions such as Windows 7, the Bangalore-headquartered company said in a statement.

Infosys would provide Microsoft with IT help desk, desk-side services and infrastructure and application support from multiple global centres.

Infosys would manage

Microsoft’s internal IT services for applications, devices, and databases in 450 locations across 104 countries.

“Infosys will establish a dedicated Service Excellence Office to help Microsoft implement ISO 20000 and ITSM Processes”, the statement said.

“This agreement provides Infosys with a unique opportunity to partner with Microsoft and gain deep and early expertise in the implementation and management of the latest Microsoft tech-

nologies, and thus enhancing Infosys capabilities to help other customers leverage Microsoft’s innovation and adopt these technologies”, it said.

Infosys has partnered with Unisys to provide global desk-side support and service desk based on their strong capabilities, commitment to innovation and customer service.

Unisys’ multi-language service desk integrated with desk side support would enable enhanced end-user productivity, it was stated.

About 100 realtors from Gujarat have planned a visit of Brazil and Argentina in July to explore business opportunities there.

Unlike previous overseas trips, which were mostly academic in nature, the builders are now looking at opportunities to develop greenfield real estate projects in the two Latin American countries.

The fortnight-long tour is to be organised jointly

by Gujarat Institute of Housing and Estate Developers (GIHED) and Confederation of Real Estate Developer Associations of India (CREDAI), Gujarat chapter, and is scheduled from July 27 to August 9 this year.

“The trip will give the

Ahmedabad builders an idea about the way real estate market works in those countries. Brazil and Argentina were chosen mainly because their economies are quite similar to that of India,” said GIHED president Suresh Patel.

Patel said builders would also study realty market economy and new concept of affordable housing coupled with policies related to skyscrapers as part of the technical tour.

The developers will be visiting Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires and Iguassu Falls located along the border of the Brazilian state of Parana and Misiones in Argentina. They will also visit Rio de Janeiro and São Paolo, the largest

cities in Brazil and considered as the safest opportunities for real estate investment.

“Both the countries are among the hottest destinations in the world for commercial real estate investment,” said Jaxay Shah, president of Confederation of Real Estate Developer Associations of India (CREDAI), Gujarat chapter.

“We also want to learn from Brazil how realtors can contribute effectively in preservation of heritage properties, development of tourism and hospitality industry back in Gujarat,” he says.

In January, a group of realtors from the state had gone to study the real estate market of the debthit Dubai.

Latin America in focus for Gujarat realtors

RIL reaches for the sky with a stake in Deccan 360 Mukesh Ambani’s company gets into air cargo business Reliance Industries Limited, one of India’s most prominent and innovative corporate has announced a foray into the air cargo business.

Last week, the Mukesh Ambani led group said it had invested to have a 26 per cent or more stake in Deccan 360, a cargo airline founded by captain Gopinath. The founder is credited with the first venture in the budget airline business in India.

While both the companies said nothing on the amount involved, RIL said that a wholly-owned subsidiary would provide “growth capital” for the new cargo airline.

Later, Mr. Gopinath said RIL’s stake would be over 26 per cent, but below 50 per cent. He, however, declined to comment when asked about the capital infused by Reliance Industries.

“We want to make it clear that it is not a sale...

We would rather say that they (RIL) have invested in the company,” he said, adding that RIL would have two nominees on Deccan 360’s five-member board of directors.

Mr. Gopinath said that the company has an employee strength of 300, while it has a network of 60 franchises with an additional workforce of 1,500.

“We believe that our collaboration with Deccan 360 will see a transformation in the logistics domain in India,” RIL’s Chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani said in a statement.

RIL’s investment would help Deccan 360 increase its air and surface network coverage across the country, the company said. Deccan 360 is already present in 50 cities and would expand to 100 cities in the next 12-18 month, Mr. Gopinath said.

Alpesh Patel’s Political Sketchbook: FRAUD: The thread to unravel democracy and capitalism Stuck as I am in Mumbai I come to realise the same political issue is making the headlines in the UK and in India. In the UK the PM gets aggressive over Goldman Sachs’s alleged fraudulent dealings, and in India, the Indian PM gets aggressive over Shashi Tharoor’s alleged fraudulent dealings. The facts are irrelevant of course.

Throw dirt and in the fog there will always be someone to believe something sticks. But Tharoor and Goldmans should remain fearless.

They are soft targets and soon the focus will turn on their accusers with a vengeance.

Why are Prime Ministers involved? In the UK case it is because there is an election, heck even the British Navy is being mobilised. When there is a vote at stake, spare not even a boat.

Banker bashing is popular. Righteous indignation, indeed out-angering one’s opponents is key if you are not to look weak.

As for the Tharoor case? It shows how quickly stone throwing in politics degenerates into a situation where all parties end up losing more than they planned.

The foolish thing is that one side in throwing stones believes their own skeletons will be kept safely locked up.

Not so, certainly not politics Indian style when parents, children, brothers, sisters, everyone will be brought into the fray.

As the thread is pulled and the tax authorities start their investigations one wonders if they will fearlessly stop at unravelling political involvement, unravelling democracy in India? Democracy is a little like a sausage. You may like the benefits of consuming it, but you certainly don’t want to look around the factory where it is made and what goes into it. Ask too many questions and you may just never want to consume it again, let alone put everyone else off it.

And what did Goldman’s do? They created for one of their best clients, a hedge fund, a special basket of securities. That client could then profit from that basket as it fell. But they allegedly sold the benefits of the basket to others who would not benefit if the basket fell, without telling them that it may well fall.

Philips outsources TV business to Videocon Consumer electronics giant Philips said it has outsourced its entire TV business, including manufacturing, distribution and selling, to Videocon industries. "The brand licensing agreement under which Videocon assumes responsibility for the sourcing, distribution, marketing and sales of all Philips' consumer television activities in India is aimed at bringing the TV business back into profitability from 2010 onwards," Philips Electronics India Managing Director and CEO Murali Sivaraman said.

He said the agreement is only limited to TV segment and is for five years.

Few years ago, Philips had entered a similar arrangement with Japanese firm Funai for their TV business in the US, which proved to be very successful, and the company has decided to

replicate the idea in India, Sivaraman said.

"Videocon will ensure that consumers of Philipsbranded TVs can continue to count on the same premium quality, design and innovation associated with the Philips brand," he said.

The Netherlandsbased company, which is operating in India for over 80 years, had earlier announced a strategic shift in focus on healthcare and life-style segment to promote its products in the country. "Voluntarily, we have taken a position that Philips as company would be working towards projecting itself as a health and wellness company,"

Sivaraman had said last year.

The company is now focusing more in the lighting and healthcare segment.

In lighting segment, it has 35 per cent market share and is constantly trying to increase its presence in the healthcare segment.

Over the last few years Philips is losing its share in the colour TV market in India, which according to an estimate is over 2 crore units per annum, to Korean firms such as LG and Samsung.

Videocon officials couldn't be contacted for comment. Asked about the boost in sales through this agreement Sivaraman said, "because of the large sales and distribution network which Videocon has, we expect a significant increase in sale of Philips TVs in India."

Now the problem here is that this is the thread that that unravels capitalism.

You see, to make fees, which pay for jobs, and taxes, and beat the other guy, maybe some bankers push the limits of what is full and frank disclosure.

Actually, thankfully I’ve never worked in a bank, but I suspect the vast majority push the limits of full and frank disclosure.

Why? Because sometimes the truth, unaccustomed as the client is to receiving it, probably looks more suspicious than silence. ‘Why is he overly disclosing to me’ may be the client’s thought.

What is Goldman’s really being sued for?

They are being sued for the credit crunch. In the same way McDonald’s got sued for making us fat. Goldman’s helped a hedge fund bring about a market collapse.

Someone must be to blame, if not fraud then negligence. As the PM nearly said, ‘we’re mad as hell and ain’t gonna take it anymore’. In fact shouldn’t we sue the banks for negligence?

Now that’s a political message to get my vote.

If only I could get back to the UK for May 6th.

China signs deals to buy cotton from India China, the world's largest cotton importer, has signed deals to import 100,000 tonnes of cotton as well as cottonseed and cotton yarn from India this year, according to a report by the China Cotton Association. The report did not give a value or other details but said the deals were signed during the visit to India by Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu last month, the association said in a report on its website.

The two countries also agreed to look into the establishment of joint venture cotton mills and sales agents in both countries to help boost Indian exports to China, according to the report.

China, the world's top cotton consumer, imported 265,460 tonnes from India in the first two months of the year, a rise of 1,694 per cent from a year earlier, replacing the United States as the largest exporter to China.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

17

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

We Go Where Others Don’t

A client who was introduced to Sow & Reap about a month ago had exchanged on a property worth £3.85m. He had exchanged on the property following assurances from his original bank Anglo Irish of a mortgage offer. The offer was granted. After he exchanged the bank got nationalised and consequently under its new policy the offer was revoked.

Many people do not realise the bank has the ability to revoke the mortgage offer prior to completion. This is what all the small print is on the offer letter which no one generally reads.

The mortgage broker from his purchasing agent Savills assured him he will be able to get him an offer within the required time. After knocking on several high street lenders’ doors he gave up. After being let down by his own bank and several failed by the in house broker he was introduced to us by a mutual friend to try and fill this hole of about £2.7m, otherwise he will lose the £385,000 he has put down on the property, not a nice situation to be in.

After analysing his situation it was obvious most high street lenders

would not take this case. We realised this was not a straight forward case.

Normally applying for a loan at this level is never straight forward and requires a thorough understanding of the client’s profile and an intuitive approach to lending as opposed to a tick box method.

We prepared a client profile including his requirements together with the stringent deadlines associated with this deal and within 48hrs had arranged interviews for him with several of our banks.

Within a short two week period from having no mortgage offer, we put him in a position of power by giving him not one but two mortgage offers to choose from.

This was only one aspect with which Sow & Reap helped.

Using our stamp duty savings scheme we were able to save £134,750 in stamp duty savings which following the recent budget stands at 5% for properties over £1m. This was in addition of getting him a very competitive rate.

Now we are having a look at how to secure his assets from IHT, something which he had not even considered.

Ride the Wave at Nalsafari Last week Thursday, we had a superb seminar where the room was filled to the brim and over flowed. All the tables had to be taken out and people had to eat on their laps. People attract people and so people even outside the seminar wanted to know what was going on and wanted a piece of the pie. We have had several bookings straight away on the back of this seminar.

Rituraj the developer for Nal Safari had flown from Ahmadabad especially for this seminar. He described the market in Gujarat, especially Ahmadabad, emphasising how lucky it is for the economy to have currently the strongest leadership in the whole of India in this phase of Gujarat growth. His speech was in Gujarati laced with jokes and much audience participation. We even handed out gifts to those who participated well. Pictures of completed developments showing 90 houses constructed and sold houses at Nalsafari, water body, birds, and structures were included in the presentation.

From a combination of the interest shown in this seminar and the flight situation leaving Rituraj stranded, we have at short notice organised another seminar within three days.

The dramatic increase in property prices along the stretch of Nal Sarover road, which is one of the few areas in close proximity to Ahmedabad and has witnessed a staggering growth of 300% with more to go. This is the location of the new Tata Nano project which is a testimony of this area.

Now the project is maturing the interest around the project has grown tremendously. The special incentive for all present was a guaranteed buy back guarantee of 15% at the end of the first year.

Personally I do not feel any one

will take up this guarantee as the anticipated appreciation is in excess of this and moreover anybody who visits the area will fall in love with the project which stands head and shoulders above any project in the area and perhaps in all of Gujarat, certainly the concept is totally unique. Rituaj has gone to great lengths to ensure not only the uniqueness of his project but to ensure it meets the needs of the typical Indian family unit.

As opposed to many builders Rituraj concentrates his efforts on one development before moving on rather than several at once. This ensures the site matures nicely.

The pace of progress has been stunning; this comes from desire to work hard both from the developers input and on the ground level. 200 people are regularly on site continually working.

From horse riding to Garba and Arabian nights this development has hosted them all.

The bottom line for many will be the profit. And from this angle the projects offers great potential. Why? Because this is untapped are fast becoming recognised. At Rs 2,400 per Sq Yard it represents a very modestly priced investment. Take note this is yards not foot.

The project has been pre approved

by DHFL who’s representative also attended. DHFL will give 80% of the plot price and 85% of a constructed plot. This proves both the title clearance of each plot you purchase. This will also reduce your input into the project and maximise your return into the deposit several times more than just the rise which will take place.

To take advantage of this price call Sow & Reap now as both will be short lived.

We have put our money into this project so why don’t you ?

n Mortgages n Commercial Finance n Property Sourcing n Gujarat Properties - Sale & Resale T: 0207 706 0187 F: 0203 014 8484

E: info@sowandreap.co.uk W: www.sowandreap.co.uk

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

18

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Boyd’s Brasserie BY

Alternative cure to Psoriasis Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease that causes skin cells to grow too quickly.

In psoriasis, there are patches of red, thickened skin with silvery scales develop, usually on the elbows, knees, scalp, and trunk. These areas can be itchy and painful. The areas usually involved are the elbows, knees, and the skin behind the ears, the trunk, and the scalp.

The disease may also affect the underarms and genital areas. Nails may become rough and pitted, and less commonly, a form of arthritis develops called psoriatic arthritis.

Psoriasis can be a persistent problem, and tends to run in families. Stress, infections such as a sore throat, reaction to certain drugs, and skin injuries may trigger an attack or make it worse.

What makes one realise the symptoms of Psoriasis 1. Red and irritated skin with bright silvery scales 2. Sometimes accompanied with slight itching

tened, softened and smoothed out by rolling them with a rolling pin after removing the thick veins. They should be warmed and then applied smoothly to the affected part in an

• • • • •

•

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Causes of Psoriasis Due to abnormality in the mechanism in which the skin grows and replaces itself Abnormality with the metabolism of amino acids Use of certain medicines Due to infections Heredity factors are also responsible Physical and emotional stress

Home Remedies for Psoriasis 1. Take cod liver oil, lecithin, linseed oil, vitamin E, and zinc to fasten the healing process.

2. Cabbage leaves have been successfully used in the form of compresses in the treatment of psoriasis.

They should be thoroughly washed in warm water and dried with a towel. The leaves should be flat-

overlapping manner. A pad of soft woolen cloth should be put over them.

Then secure it with an elastic bandage.

3. The use of curd in the form of buttermilk has proved useful in psoriasis and the patient should drink it in liberal quantities.

The application of buttermilk compresses over the affected parts will also be helpful in treating this condition.

4. The oil of avocado has been found beneficial in the treatment of psoriasis. It should be applied gently to the affected parts.

• Apply a mois-

Any quThe estions

SWATI BhAN

turizer to lubricate and soften scaly patches of skin.

Take a daily bath in warm water to soak off the scales.

Try deep breathing and relaxation exercise to reduce stress.

Do not take tea, coffee, all animal fats, and processed foods.

Don’t scratch or rub patches of thickened skin.

Avoid harsh skin products and lotions that contain alcohol. They may dry the skin and make psoriasis worse.

Keep your towel, clothes separate and clean.

Herbal Remedies for Psoriasis 1. Drink slowly a cup of fresh juice of Bitter Gourd (Karela) mixed with a teaspoon of lime juice on an empty stomach daily for 3-4 months. .

2. You can also apply Aloe Vera gel or cream thinly to irritated and itchy patches of skin and rub lightly.

The Boyd's Brasserie & Bar was launched with a magnificent marble setting at 8 Northumberland Avenue, off Trafalgar square on Monday 1st February.

Once you enter the place it does not really look like a separate restaurant, it's pretty much a patio but surrounded by wonderful marble that has been a part of the building from 19th century.

Built in 1887 as part of a 500-room ‘grand hotel’, the elegant and classical space, once named The Marble Hall, was occupied by the Crown since 1940.

Boyd’s Brasserie is owned by Charles Boyd, the previous owner of Chester Boyd, a top-end caterers who are held in such high esteem that they are even employed for the Queen’s Garden parties. The talent behind the design is Noel Pierce of PDI who designed K West and the Peninsula in Hong Kong.

all-day vintage look. writemodbrasserie offers The bar has many to m ta@abplgrococktails ern British cuisine cre- am extraordinary up.com and the friendly staff ated by Head Chef, helps you to choose ones David Collison. especially made for your The double-height bar taste. space, which is adjacent The food is English to the restaurant, was originally occupied by an and tastes authentic. impressive staircase Though there are not too which was removed in many options for the veg1914 to become a coffee etarians, but it is a nice classy place for an evening with the loved ones.

If I may describe the menu in a nutshell, the food is extremely well made and palatable, though the list is not very extensive.

The theatre menu, has some spectacular dishes room linked to the and the full menu Marble Hall. Today it changes every season. houses an impressive The tapas menu is served black granite bar adorned in a very tiny quantity but with antique mirrors, has its own uniqueness. which the designer describes as a “jewel box The hospitality is recof a bar”. ommendable, though a A focal point within little more quantity of the restaurant are two food at the same price may help. Over all it is a original Victorian wine nice place to dine, in the refrigerators.

These heart of Central London. meticulously restored furnishings used to keep Ratings wine bottles chilled using Food Taste: ✷✷✷ large blocks of ice in the Food Quality: ✷✷✷✷ central cavity. The works Hospitality / Service: ✷✷✷✷ of art are now used for Quantity: ✷✷ wine storage. The restauDécor: ✷✷✷✷ rant has a charming ambience and a unique

Cuisine: English, Cost £40-45/head Boyd’s Brasserie & Bar, 8 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5BY T: 020 7808 3344 If you want to get your restaurant reviewed call Rupanjana at 020 7749 4098 or write to rupanjana@abplgroup.com

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

Ingredient • ¾ cup sifted flour • ½ tsp salt • ¼ tsp baking soda • ½ cup softened margarine • ½ cup sugar • ½ cup brown sugar

• • • • •

2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract ¼ cup walnuts 1 tbsp orange rind 1 ½ cup quick cooking oatmeal Method • Grease cookie sheet, sift together dry ingredients. Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs and • vanilla until well blended. Stir in flour mixture until well moistened. Stir in oatmeal, nuts and rind.

Drop by tsp fuls 2” apart.

• Bake at 350 F for 8 min.

bollyHeroes

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Shahid getting into the mould of romantic loner Shahid has been wrenched away from the 'think' of things.

Just when Shahid Kapoor needed to feel like a solitary brooder for his father's film where he plays an airforce officer and hence a man who spends many hours flying high above the noise and bustle of day to day life, he was brought back into noisy civilization.

The publicity for his films “Paathshaala” and “Badmaash Company” have come in the way of Shahid's deep and purportedly uninterrupted preparation for his father's film “Mausam.”

Shahid who plays a romantic loner in “Mausam” was just get-

ting into his solitary space taking long mo'bike rides in the night to understand what it feels like to be completely on his own, when he has been yanked back into the thick of things with a series of never-ending publicity and promotion for two films.

Shahid is constantly in and out of interviews.

Sometimes he gets so confused he wonders which of the two films he's meant to be talking about.

And this is the last distraction he needed when he wanted to be alone.

To prepare for his part in “Mausam,” Shahid wanted to be completely on his own, a luxury that he can't afford at the moment. At the same time he doesn't want to lose the

thread of the lonely loverboy's character that he is playing in “Mausam.”

To remain within the character's comfort zone, Shahid nowadays takes off on those long night-time mo'bike rides of his cutting into darkness at a lightning speed.

Shahid says going off on his mo-bike is the only way to understand the full significance of solitude in Mumbai. And he's applying it to the fullest at this moment. Says the method actor. “Yes I love biking on my own. I often take off in Mumbai on my bike during the night. Riding my mo'bike relaxes me, opens up my mind and helps me understand myself better as a human being and an actor.”

Salman reluctantly joins Twitter brigade On his brother Arbaaz Khan's urging, Salman Khan reluctantly joined the rapidly-growing brigade of stars on a major social networking website.

But Salman says he will tweet mainly in Hindi.

Is that a whim, ask the cynics. Or is this Salman's way of connecting with the heartland? According to a colleague, Salman wants to use the Twitter space to have his say fearlessly.

Apparently Salman's tweets won't be about his day-to-day activities but larger issues that touch

the common man.

Says Arbaaz, “Salman has started tweeting in Hindi. But it doesn't mean he will only use that language. We'll just have to see which way he goes.”

The decision to tweet was suddenly taken by Salman. Relates Arbaaz, “As you know everything Salman does is spontaneous and emotional. I had been urging him to join the social networks on the internet. I am on a number of them and I kept telling Salman that if he gets on the social network he can connect directly with his fans, tell them about his films and about whatever else he wants to.”

But Salman desisted.

“He isn't net savvy at all.

He isn't even comfortable on the cellphone. But last

Now, a film on ‘Bhagwan Rajneesh’ Almost two decades after his death in his ashram in Pune, charismatic yet controversial preacher 'Bhagwan Rajneesh' - also dubbed the 'Guru of Sex' due to his advocacy of free sex - is to be resurrected in a film on his life and actors like Sanjay Dutt and Kamal Haasan from the Indian film industry are being considered to play the main lead.

Italian film director Antonino Lakshen Sucameli, an Osho disciple himself, is in talks with production companies in both India and abroad as well as senior Indian actors to resume work on 'Osho: The Film', which was conceptualised more than five years ago.

The 54-year-old, who was in Nepal this month to attend a course at the Osho Tapoban in Kathmandu, is now back in India to hold talks with powerful Tamil superstar

Kamal Haasan and Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, an associate in Nepal said.

'The shooting will start by next year,' Swami Rishi from Osho Tapoban, said.

'Part of the film will be shot in India.'

When Sucameli, known for his mystic films 'Blue Line' and 'Zorba Il Buddha', began work on the script, Kabir Bedi and Irrfan Khan were also approached to act in it.

The director is still look-

ing for a Hollywood actress to play Clara, the journalist through whose eyes the mesmerising - as well as turbulent - life of Osho will unfold.

Inspired by Bertolucci's 'Little Buddha' and Oliver Stone's 'JFK', Sucameli plans to weave in his film videos on Osho, who was born Chandra Mohan Jain in Madhya Pradesh in 1931 and in the 1970s established himself as a new age guru advocating a luxurious life-style as well as experimental therapies that combined sex with violence.

When Clara arrives in the ashram to investigate Osho's life, including his deportation from the US in 1985, she falls in love with his Indian security chief Satyam, and an EastWest love story punctuated by flashbacks from India's colonial past forms the core of the film.

week he saw me on Twitter and decided on the spur of the moment to join.

19

Big B to work in Mohanlal’s film for free Amitabh Bachchan will work for free in a forthcoming film starring Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.

'Mohanlal, great exponent of his art and craft, one of the finest actors of the country, from Kerala and Malayalam cinema had come over to finalize dates and schedules for the film he is making directed by Capt Ravi,' Amitabh posted on his blog bigb.bigadda.com 'It's a small guest appearance and I had agreed. They had come over to officially sign me on and make payments etc...Payments?

For a guest appearance of 3 days? With Mohanlal who has always had my greatest admiration? No way !! I don't charge money for such acts. And told them so. 'I shall just gloat in the honour that I shall derive by working in a Malayalam film and that too with the exceptional Mohanlal.' The yet-to-be titled film will be shot at Ooty in Tamil Nadu.

Ranbir calls Kat bhabhi!

Ranbir Kapoor would secretly tease Katrina Kaif and call her Bhabhiji while shooting for Prakash Jha’s “Raajneeti” in Bhopal. Actually, Katrina plays Ranbir’s sister-in-law and Arjun Rampal’s widow in “Raajneeti.”

Far from their romantic role in “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani,” this is a highly unconventional relationship in a film that will test the performing abilities of both Ranbir and Katrina beyond anything they’ve attempted so far on screen.

Katrina is supposed to have said, “Ranbir and I can’t get anymore unconventional than Raajneeti where we both go into a completely new space. Now if and when we do another film it should be something totally mainstream.”

20

ENTERTAINMENT

Asian Voice Saturday 24th April 2010

It's A Wonderful Afterlife

By Priyal Sanghavi Leicester Square premieres are grand with much fanfare and Gurinder Chadha decided to spice up hers. The premiere for Its A Wonderful Afterlife (IAWA) was held at the Odeon West-end. The red carpet was adorned with garlands and crowds begun gathering early to have a look at their favourite stars.

ment by Sarah Jessica Parker herself. “I had to walk on a cobbled pathway wearing four-inch heels.

My feet started to bleed. SJP realised and asked if I was fine and I replied I was OK. I saw her talking to the director and I was so scared I would be sent home on the next flight disappointing all my girlfriends and gay friends. Instead an entourage of people cleaned my feet and gave me new shoes. I was so touched by her gesture.”

News and views from the red carpet n The woman of the hourGurinder Chadha arrived accompanied by husband Paul Mayeda Berges and her twin son and daughter. She looked fit as a fiddle in a magnificent embellished red and gold number. She declared strong support for Labour party and Gordon Brown. “I feel like a cultural ambassador for UK and you see Britishness in my movies.

I'm sure Brown would agree to me n Both the gorgeous men in the movie stepped in wearing similar grey suits. Jimi Mistry and Sendhil Ramamurthy were greeted with loud cheers primarily from the female crowds. Sendhil who looked dapper in a custom made Saville Row suit, was flying to Toronto the next day to film a new tv series where he plays an American CIA agent. His wife Olga Sosnovska played an MI5 agent BBC One's Spooks. We asked him if he took any tips, Sendhil said, “Yes, I was always jealous she got to play an agent.” And did it get kinky? “Yes, I can't believe I said that. Thank God there isn't a camera,” he laughed. n Jimi on the other hand, was cheerful and discussed the highs and lows of London “I dont miss the weather or the rat-race. Its easier being healthier in America away from the pubs.” The actor has completed filming an indie flick and looking for his next project. “Don't know what to do next, no one is employing me you see,” he joked. n The leading lady Goldy Notay was unrecognisable after losing oodles of weight playing a fat girl in the movie. Looking stunning in a long purple satin number, she excitedly discussed her next project Sex in the City 2 and the special treat-

Gurinder Chadha

Eastenders stars Nitin Ganatra (Masood Ahmed), Ray Pathanki (Ronny) and Preeya Kalidas (Amira Shah) all strolled in and were well-received by the audience.

Nitin Ganatra confessed on how he's stopped half the time for being Masood and the other for playing popular character Kohli in Chadha's Bride and Prejudice. “I've been bugging Gurinder to make a film exclusively on Kohli”. n

Review: It's a Wonderful Afterlife Rating III Take India's foremost actress, American TV star, a rising British talent and some of the finest British Asian actors, and we get a top-notch acting ensemble for Its A Wonderful Afterlife. Director Gurinder Chadha cherry-picks her international star-cast for her large, colourful and vibrant portrayal of British Asian community. With the resulting hype, Chadha does draw in curious audiences but one high-

ly doubts whether that would be sustained after the first two weeks of release.

Chadha calls IAWA 'a naughty cousin of Bend it Like Beckham'. It is atmost a moderately-humorous film with touches of romance. Mrs Sethi (Shabana Azmi) is constantly trying to get her daughter Roopi (Goldy Notay) married. But Roopi's overweight figure and previously broken engagement is barring her chances. Meanwhile Southall is rocked by serial murders where all victims have been killed by food. Raj (Sendhil Ramamurthy) is ordered by his boss Detective Inspector Smith (Mark Addy) to go undercover in the community and investigate which leads him to close family friends Mrs Sethi and Roopi. The murdered victims haunt Mrs Sethi and later help her in her quest to set up Roopi and Raj. The arranged marriage theme has graced infinite Asian movies and has featured both in Bend it and Bride and Prejudice. Third time around, it is overdone and exhausting. One wants something different from Chadha. The ghosts are a welcome change specially comic aces Sanjeev Bhaskar and Shaheen Khan. Their relation with Mrs Sethi are the central point of the film.

Sadly this pushes the love story to a corner. One wants to see more of Sendhil and Goldy's romance develop, as well as the talented Jimi Mistry who has almost no lines.

Sally Hawkins who plays Roopi's best friend goes overboard playing a crazy psychic resulting in unnecessary shrieking. The food fight which has chicken legs and a variety of food up in the air is disgusting and makes one choke on their popcorn.

IAWA does have its wonderful moments such as Preeya Kalidas's sequence, interaction between the mother-daughter and portrayal of the community in general. Lead actress Goldy does not let senior actress Shabana (flawless) and Sendhil (handsome, sincere) overshadow her and stands out. What it really needs its tighter editing and a stronger script. One can't say its forgetful but it surely does not come close to Gurinder's finest, that is Bend it like Beckham.

Honey Kalaria and Desitara.com presents Bollywood dance championship 2010

A leading Bollywood choreographer and talent portal have joined hands to give UK an X-Factor style Bollywood dance competition. Honey Kalaria and Desitara.com kickstarted the Bollywood Dance Championships 2010 auditions last week in London.

Those who cleared this round could choose to take up classes with Honey's Dance Academy with Kalaria herself conducting a Masterclass. The second round takes place in May. Finalists will be selected from age categories- four to seven years, eight to 12 years, 13 to 17 years and 18 years and above. The Grand Finale will be held in July at O2 Arena with the winner getting a role in a major Bollywood movie.

Win a Cineworld pass with Tilda Tilda Basmati Rice, doesn’t just provide great tasting rice but now free entertainment. Tilda are offering the opportunity to win a year long pass to Cineworld, along with a goodie bag crammed full with delicious Tilda products.

Tilda understands the penny in everyone’s pocket doesn’t seem to go as far these days, making nights in the norm.

But that doesn’t mean compromising on quality or taste.

With help from Tilda the winner of this competition can invite friends round, cook up a tasty and healthy meal with delicious Tilda Pure Basmati Rice (at only 30p per portion), and then head to Cineworld to enjoy a film - on Tilda.

But don’t worry if you don’t win this competition: you can still enjoy a free night at the cinema.

Just pick up a bag of Tilda Pure Basmati Rice over 4kg and receive a free ticket to any film at Cineworld.

Look out for Tilda Rice, available in supermarkets and independents nationwide. Check out the free cinema ticket offer at www.tilda.com/cinema.

A Tete-a-tete with Sendhil Ramamurthy

By Priyal Sanghavi

prime suspect is a close family friend.

Heroes star Dr Mohinder Suresh is a household name all over. Born in India, American actor Sendhil Ramamurthy has come a long way. The man who has stayed away from stereotypical roles himself fits perfectly into the stereotype of tall, dark and handsome. He talks to Asian Voice about starring in Gurinder Chadha's latest flick Its a Wonderful Afterlife (IAWA).

AV: IAWA features some of the best Asian talent.

It is a real treat working with them specially Shabana Azmi. It was a bummer that my character and Shabanaji's character do not have that many scenes together.

My parents were the most excited, they specially flew in from USA to meet her on the sets. I am a huge fan of Sanjeev Bhaskar having watched Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at 42.

AV: Are now known as Mohinder more than Sendhil?

I'm frequently known has Mohinder and am hoping I would soon not be known by that name. I start working on a brand new tv show Covert Affairs where I play an American CIA agent.

AV: Tell us about your character Raj. Raj is a police officer who is brought in to solve the mysterious murders which have rocked Southall. Due to his Asian descent, he is sent undercover in the community. In due course he finds out that the

AV: How was it working with Gurinder herself?

I really like Bend it Like Beckham and have been wanting to work with Gurinder.

I love that she makes unabashedly commercial movies. Its a great feeling when everyone watches your movie rather than a few which happens in case of indies.

AV: Do you continue avoiding stereotypical roles?

There are many roles which I have let go because I found them too stereotypical.

nail the shot in a single take.

Otherwise you will find some random people waving their hands in the backdrop of the shot. Shor is a dark, gritty film hence shooting such scenes with crowds is very difficult.

As an Asian actor, it is reality that these roles exist. I have been lucky enough to dodge them.I play an American agent Covert Affairs, the role was not written for an 'Asian' part.

AV: You are very popular in India.

I was so surprised that so many people recognised.

Specially now with Its a Wonderful Afterlife, since Gurinder is so famous. Sadly I will be shooting for my tv show during the Mumbai premiere.

AV: What are the news about your Bollywood debut Shor?

I finished Shor in February and till now have seen half a scene.

Producer Ekta Kapoor told me on IM that she hopes to release it in September. I loved shooting in Mumbai.

AV: Are we going to see you more in Bollywood?

I have been looking for Bollywood roles for two years now. But everything sent my way was very stereotypical requiring me to sing and dance. Bollywood now has such different movies and I am currently reading scripts.

Sendhil Ramamurthy

AV: Were there many difficulties?

Many. It is so different than USA. You can lock down a street or area but in Mumbai you have to do it with thousands surrounding you. It increases pressure to

bollykats

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Apartment

A thriller by Jagmohan Mundhra, Apartment brings two young girls together out of necessity, but later things turn disastrously wrong with incidents including murder.

Preeti Sengupta is an airhostess living in with her boyfriend Karan Malhotra. They share a nice 2BHK apartment in the northern suburbs of Mumbai and are befriended by their elderly neighbor Madhusudan Tanha, a struggling poet and lyricist. Tanha is a loner living with his only companion, a Persian cat whom he lovingly calls Shehzadi.

Preeti is possessive and has issues with trust.

When she mistakenly suspects her boyfriend to be unfaithful, she throws him out of the house but soon realizes she can't afford the payment on the apartment on her own. On the advice of a fellow airhostess, she advertises for a tenant to share her apartment. Enter Neha Bhardwaj, a modest small-town girl asking for accommodation. Very impressed by her simplicity and respectfulness, Preeti believes she has found a perfect roommate. The two girls soon become close - their camaraderie leads them to even become companions.

Until things begin to go disastrously wrong slowly and steadily. Preeti's seemingly normal life is thrown off gear - with a series of incidents that take her by surprise. Is it just co-incidence or is someone deliberately causing all the trouble? Is Neha really as simple as she seems? In the grip of mystery, unforeseen and gruesome events and murder as its heinous best, the truth seems shocking as it in folds. Neha and Preeti are torn apart by suspicion, deceit and betrayal.

Produced by Nari Hira under the banner of Magna Films, Apartment is directed by Jagmohan Mundhra. He has written the story of the film and also shares the credit for screenplay with Syed Gulrez.

The leading cast includes Rohit Roy, Tanushree Datta, Neetu Chandra, Anupam Kher, Bobby Darling, Mushtaq Khan and Nassar Abdulla.

Syed Gulrez has penned the lyrics, while Bappi Lahiri has scored the music. Sunidhi Chauhan and Shaan have given the playback.

New Hindi movies releasing this week 1.

2.

3.

4.

Apartment Bird Idol City of Gold Kuchh Kariye

1

Prince

Neetu Chandra goes ‘nude’ in bathing scene Neetu Chandra is making headlines once again. This time, the hot babe is seen doing a bathing scene in Jagmohan Mundhra's “The Apartment” which is reminiscent of Smita Patil's 'bathing in the slums'.

Talking about the daring scene, Neetu says, "I went about it very professionally. Initially, I was nervous but later, after seeing the scene and the way it was shot, I am confident it will go down well. They also showed me Tanushree's shower scene with Rohit in her lavish apartment and then there is my bathing scene in a run-down broken bathroom. I am sure there will be comparisons."

When asked about the comparison with Smita Patil's bathing scene in “Chakra,” Neetu says, "I knew that Smita Patil had done a similar bathing scene in Chakra. I have been compared to Smitaji since ‘Traffic Signal’ but it's not fair to be compared to anyone. She was a legend. We all look up to her. If I can be even one per cent of what she was, my life is set.”

So, did she actually shed all her clothes to perform, as the picture suggests?

“Well it shows that I am nude but I don't want to comment

beyond that. It can be a trick of the camera too. Do you think any actress would pose for a scene like this without wearing anything, ” she retorts.

Neetu, who was also in news with her proximity with director Jag Mundhra slams the gossipmongers and says, "Jag Mundhra is like a father figure to me.

When my dad passed away recently, he was present with his wife Chandra to provide me moral support. And even now, when I feel down, he is always there to encourage me.

How can anyone link me up with Jag?" So, how does she explain Jag acting cosy and holding her hands at the Sadiyaan premiere?

“Can't a daughter hold her dad's hand when he needs her? Isn't it basic human nature to help someone in need, " she asks and adds, "He's an old man and all I did was help him.

This was not even a publicity

stunt to prom o t e Apartment. I treat Chandra like my mother and now, they link me up with her husband!”

I’m all for glamourous roles, says Raima Sen Actress Raima Sen, known for experimental and offbeat roles in 'Chokher Bali' and 'Antar Mahal', says she now wants to show her glamourous avatar on the big screen.

'Yes, why not. I'm all for glamour and I would love to portray a glamourous character,' Raima, who showcased her talents in both Hindi as well as regional movies, said in an interview.

She made her debut with 'Godmother' in 1999, followed by Rituparno Ghosh's 'Chokher Bali' and Prdeep Sarkar's 'Parineeta'. She also featured in 'Antar Mahal' in Bengali and 'The Bong Connection'.

But the 30-year-old denies on being typecast to a specific genre.

'No it's not a conscious decision at all. Like I said, I end up choosing the best of what I get. So if a great commercial movie comes my way, I'll grab it. I want to work with different directors and experiment

with different, interesting roles - ranging from out and out commercial to offbeat.'

Raima thinks she has been fortunate enough with her line-up of film when she looks back and feels lucky at her achievements.

'I've learnt a lot, expe-

riences that cannot be measured in words and sentences and feelings that cannot be captured in a gist. But overall it's been a fun experience. I cherish all the movies I've done so far and I've been lucky to have many opportunities to work with great co-stars and directors.'

Talking about the challenges she faced while playing a mother of an eight-year-old child in “The Japanese Wife” she said: 'It was definitely the most challenging task because I had to get under the skin of a mother and behave like one - a role to which I have no connection with as Raima Sen.' 'But what was more challenging was portraying the character of a young widow.

Grappling with unfulfilled desires, coming to terms with having no authority over your life, living with another man and falling in love with him but not being able to do anything about it.

All these were a crazy mish-mash of emotions that I had to deal with and convey effectively to make my act as Sandhya convincing,' she added.

Barbara Mori had doubts about Hrithik's ability

Top 5 Bollywood movies for the week No. Film

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No. Last Week New

Total weeks 1

2

Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai New

1

3

Love Sex Aur Dhokha

2

4

4

Tum Milo Toh Sahi

1

2

5

Hum Tum Aur Ghost

3

3

Barbara Mori, Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan’s coactor in “Kites” had her doubts about the actor after watching some of his videos on YouTube.

Apparently, after she had been signed on for the film by the Roshans, she looked through some of Hrithik’s videos on YouTube and was unimpressed. She discussed her uncertainties with the Roshans.

On learning that his co-star on such a major project was unsure of working with him, Hrithik gave her DVDs of his films ‘Koi Mil Gaya,” “Lakshya” and “Dhoom 2” when he met her before the shooting of “Kites.”

Hrithik states that Barbara had watched some of his not-so-nice videos on YouTube when his father, Rakesh Roshan told her that he would be

her co-star.

He made her watch the DVDs in order to prove to her that he was a good performer and also to give her an idea about Indian cinema. The DVDs also changed her opinion about him.

Hrithik asserts that it wasn’t just Barbara whose opinion changed.

Everyone else who watched the DVD also had a change of opinion.

22

INdIa

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

LTTE supporters introduce Tiger as party flag in Tamil Nadu A new party “Naam Thamizhar” (We Tamils) to be launched soon by a section of LTTE supporters has introduced a flag similar to that of the LTTE. Except the posture of the tiger in the flag, other things, including the red background and the yellow circle are the same.

The flag though has omitted the two revolvers prominently displayed before the tiger’s face.

“The tiger is the flag of our fathers,” popular Tamil film director Seeman who introduced the flag at Thanjavur in the eastern region of Tamil Nadu said. “The tiger is the symbol of Tamil culture and the courage of our forefathers. It is the flag of our courageous leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. No one can prevent us from holding

the tiger flag,” the director who was arrested many times for his open support to the LTTE said. He said most of the people who opposed LTTE would get equal rights for Sri Lankan Tamils after the Tigers were defeated.

Where are those people now? One year after the war had ended, Tamils do not have rights. They are living like dogs and beggars on the island.

Displaced Tamils have not been rehabilitated and a political solution is nowhere to be seen. Now, people of Tamil Nadu should understand that LTTE is the only hope.

Tigers alone can win equal rights, dignity and security for Tamils,” he said.

“Our party, Naam Thamizhar, will be launched on May 18, the same day, when the Sri

Lankan government declared that it had won the war against the LTTE. The war has not ended. It will continue from May 18.

The racist Sinhalese government should know that Tamil Nadu will always be the nearest place to Sri Lanka and the hands of seven crore Tamil people will not remain tied forever,” he declared. Recalling that tiger was the flag of the Chola kingdom, one of the three dynasties, which ruled Tamil Nadu during the third Sangam age (500 BC to 200 AD), Seeman said, “The tiger flag is closely linked with our history. It will make people of Tamil Nadu aware of their identity. Through the flag, our youths will understand that Tamils living in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka belong to a single nationality.”

Kerala man finds love in China Yi Yan Yun and Muhamed Jasim are both deaf and mute, ready to marry

Just after the Sania Mirza of India and Shoaib Malik of Pakistan tied the knot and made headlines, here is yet another transnational couple. It is a lady from China this time who has declared her love for an Indian man. .

Yi Yan Yun, 34, crossed miles to be with her 26-year-old Indian lover Muhamed Jasim.

Both are deaf and mute, and met online three years ago.

Last month, on hear-

ing that Jasim had had an accident, Yi flew to Kozhikode in Kerala on a tourist visa. She stayed at Nilambur village in Malappuram district and nursed her lover back to health.

Now, they don’t want to separate. But visa problems are playing the villain of the piece. Yi’s visa expires this week and she faces arrest if she overstays. She can, of course, marry Jasim under India’s Special Marriages Act.

But the couple has to wait for at least a month after submitting the application before their marriage can be solemnised.

U n d e r s t a n d a b l y, Jasim’s relatives and friends are wary of sending him to China without valid papers.

“We are awaiting a noobjection certificate from the Chinese embassy. If we get it before her visa expires, they can get married,” Jasim’s family friend Mujeeb Devaserry said.

Veteran journalist Bhupatrai Parekh felicitated by Morvi town 50 honoured by the city on the occasion of ‘Swarnim Gujarat’ celebrations Morvi, a key industrial centre and one of the biggest taluka towns in Rajkot district of Gujarat last week honoured 50 sons of the soil on the occasion of “Swarnim Gujarat” celebrations.

Mr. Bhupatrai Parekh, a veteran journalist hon.

Editor of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice in Ahmedabad was one of the key persons honoured by the Morvi Municipality.

The felicitation function was organised last week. The list of those to be feted was drawn by Morvi municipality chief Samat Jariya, chief officer of municipality R J Hudad, Morvi deputy collector K K Vagadiya and co-ordinator of the selection committee, local journalist Mahendra Dave.

Among the leading personalities felicitated were the founder of the famous Ajanta Clock company Odhavjibhai Patel and former Morvi

MLA Gokaldas Parmar.

Giving a brief introduction of those honoured, chief officer Hudad said Bhupatrai Parekh is associated with Gujarat Samachar news weekly of the UK for more than 35 years now.

He has been instrumental in putting details of Morvi and the development works of the town before the world media via this publication.

Saurashtra natives who have settled in the UK were happy to learn about the developments in the town.

Bhupatrai Parekh, in his response, said that Morvi has developed a lot, yet it needs more. It needs long distrance trains to start from the town, a medical college and a few other projects, even as the clock and the ceramic industry from the town are a distinct identity of Morvi not only nationally, but globally.

Mrs. Sarlaben Parekh, his wife also graced the occasion as a special invitee. The function was telecast live on the local channel and thousands of citizens watched it.

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

Knowledge, Understanding and Being I have been very fortunate to have been guided

by Swami Ramdularay from 1975 through 1982.

He neither taught any meditation techniques nor gave any discourses, but he would speak small sentences, filled with wisdom. One of his sayings was that “to know is one thing, to understand is another, but to be is something totally different”. Before we go further, let us try and understand the difference between knowing and understanding. My guru, Mr Tavaria who taught me the refining practices, always asked me whether I knew that the practices were good for me or if I understood that they were good for me. He also used to say “If you do understand, you won’t miss doing them for a single day”.

Knowing is a function of the mind but understanding is an experience in the heart.

Understanding has a tinge or quality of the energy of love.

One may have worked the whole day and be very tired by evening, but the moment one’s spouse lovingly suggests going out – say for a movie, the energy of love willingly takes one to the movies, regardless of the fatigue.

Mr. T a v a r i a explained that if one loved the practices, however busy or tired one was, if there were a marriage to attend or someone’s funeral to go to, one would never miss the practices (because now one loved them).

With understanding comes the sensitivity of the energy of love. We live in an age where there is an explosion of information; everyone seems to know everything. We keep on gathering information, albeit with little understanding. This has led to a dearth of the energy of love. We are crammed with information but our hearts have become dry.

Beyond understanding comes being, the art of living what we have understood. Let us take a simple principle – we should not lie; how many of us can really live this truth? There are so many forms of lying; we may feel we are not lying while others might not agree. For instance, whenever we talk of our-

selves or our achievements, we always tweak the facts a little to project ourselves in better light.

Let us take an analogy. Say, on reaching the top of a mountain, one’s whole being is drenched in light. The real art comes, though, when one descends from the top; not leaving the light there but bringing it along and then sharing it in every kind of relationship.

Seeing the light at the top ignites the lamp of understanding, but doing every small act of one’s life in the glow of this light is being. To go from understanding a truth to actually living it is a small but a revolutionary step.

Sri Krishna, on his way to his kingdom of Dwarka after the great Mahabharata war, decided to visit his friend Uttanka’s hermitage. He had not met Uttanka in fifteen years. During this time, Uttanka was in

deep meditation and hence, unaware to the events of the world. After exchanging greetings, Uttanka inquired about the Kauravas and the Pandavas, Krishna’s cousins.

Krishna recounted the events of the Great War and how the Kauravas were all killed.

Uttanka was shocked and chided Krishna for allowing such a war to happen, remarking that they were his family and he should have done better.

Here, Krishna revealed his divine form to Uttanka. Uttanka fell to his knees and absorbed the rays of Krishna’s divine light.

Krishna explained that he had tried his best to stop the war but the Kauravas were drunk with power. Then, Sri Krishna reminded Uttanka that for fifteen years he had lived in meditative peace and he should not allow his

mind to be disturbed by events that were destined to happen. Sri Krishna also explained to Uttanka that he had experienced the truth, and that now was the time to go and live it.

Uttanka understood and asked Krishna for his blessings. Krishna granted Uttanka a boon.

Initially Uttanka refused but when Krishna insisted, Uttanka asked that he finds waters whenever he was thirsty. Krishna granted the boon.

One day, Uttanka was walking though a desert and when he could not find water anywhere he meditated upon Sri Krishna, asking for water. On opening his eyes, he saw a dirty ragged man of a lower caste, surrounded by five mangy dogs, with a pitcher of water in his hands.

The man offered Uttanka water but the very thought of a Brahmin accepting drinking water from the hands of a man of lower caste filled him with repulsion.

The man insisted but Uttanka was unmoved, grumbled, looked down, and refused the water. When he looked up again, the man had vanished and Sri Krishna was in front of him in his divine form.

Sri Krishna taught him an important lesson – one has to learn to see his divine form in every being.

Our being is like a ladder; each moment of our life offers us the choice to either climb up the ladder or descend to lower levels. We can tell someone “Oi, get me that glass of water” in a crass tone or request asking “Would you please give me some water” in a soft loving manner, sharing the light of truth, and also sensing this gesture. The incident is the same but in one we fall and in the other we rise in the level of being. If we can have the awareness to always choose to rise, then we fill our lives with the softness and joy of truth and relate to others with the sensitivity of love.

(Edited by Chintu Gandhi. Illustration by Siddharth Ramanuj.)

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

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Ganguly asked to pay Rs. 4.375 million for plot Former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly has been asked to pay Rs. 4.375 million for the plot of land allotted to him by the government of West Bengal. Ganguly was given the plot to set up a school.

A division bench of Chief Justice M.S Shah and Justice P.C

Ghose of the Calcutta High Court recently asked Ganguly to pay the amount within the next six weeks.

The bench also pointed out if Ganguly failed to make the payment within the stipulated time, the lease agreement might also get terminated.

‘Bowled’ by Modi, Tharoor wants an inquiry in the IPL mess Former MOS external affairs wants to clear his name of any wrong doings Shashi Tharoor lost his ministerial post to the IPL mess. The former UN official turned MP, still feels he has done no wrong and has urged Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to order an inquiry into the IPL controversy, as he wants to clear his name.

A Minister of State for External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor was asked to resign from the ministry on Sunday after IPL commissioner Lalit Modi raised a storm of controversy over his role in getting the Kochi franchise in the IPL. There were questions of propriety as Tharoor’s friend Sunanda Pushkar was offered ‘Sweat Equity’ in the Rendezvous Sports, a member of the Kochi consortium that was considered astronomic and perhaps had flouted the rules of company law in the country.

It was a bit ironical

that Sunanda Pushkar announced just hours before Tharoor’s resignation that she is offering to surrender her ‘sweat equity’ stake in the IPL Kochi franchise. Her decision and announcement, probably aimed at helping Tharoor out of the controversy, instead compounded the matters.

The Congress party, in a combative mood, is now after the entire IPL set up, aiming to ease out Lalit

Modi, considered a BJP man to settle scores. The UPA government led by the Congress has ordered a thorough inquiry into the entire IPL affairs, including holding patterns of all the IPL franchises.

The income tax authorities are also looking into the riches that Lalit Modi is believed to have amassed after the IPL was launched in 2008.

Media reports in India, quoting income tax depart-

ment sources suggest that there were high inconsistencies in Income Tax payments made by Lalit Modi over the last three years.

He is believed to have acquired private aircraft, yatch and a lot more.

There are also reports that he is having stakes in more than one IPL franchises, though via proxies.

Tharoor statement in Lok Sabha Making a statement in the Lok Sabha for the first time since his resignation from the Union council of ministers, Shashi Tharoor said that he had asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order an inquiry into the allegations against him in connection with the Kochi IPL franchise.

The ousted minister, however, did not directly rebut the charges leveled against him by IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.

After Governor Kamla Beniwal returned the bill to make voting compulsory in the state for elections to the local bodies, Gujarat government has said it will once again present the bill in the state assembly, without any amendments.

“It is a privilege of the Governor to return a Bill.

As far as the government is concerned, we will again

place the Bill before the state Assembly and pass it,” government spokesperson Jay Narayan Vyas said.

Asked if the government would modify the Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill with regard to the objections raised by the Governor, he said: “This being the matter of privilege of the Gujarat

Assembly, I would not like to make any comment. To pass it (Bill) with any kind of modification or without it is the privilege of the Assembly. But we will definitely go back to the Assembly and try for the passage of the Bill.”

Minister for Urban Development Nitin Patel said they would stick to the present form of the Bill

for now. “We will decide what to do when time comes,” he said.

The Governor had returned the Bill saying the legislation would violate the Constitution. She also objected to the clause that called for punishment for those choosing not to vote.

The Bill was passed by the Assembly in December last year.

Two decades after an experiment by kar sevaks to build the Ram temple, a similar experiment is being replicated by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi though with a different mission.

Modi wants sand to be brought in specially designed ‘Swarnim Gujarat’ urns (kalashs) from all the 18,066 villages of Gujarat to construct the Mahatma Mandir, a gigantic conven-

tion centre being built in Gandhinagar.

“The sarpanch or a representative of each village will be asked to come with sand in a ‘kalash’ and empty it in the foundation of the Mahatma Mandir,” a government spokesperson said.

While details are yet to be finalised, the aim is to project the Mahatma Mandir as a ‘temple of development’. The function may be held before

the code of conduct comes into force in August for local body polls later this year. The exercise is similar to the kar seva that was undertaken for the Ramjanmabhoomi. Modi’s office is also contemplating a smaller function at the Mahatma Mandir site on May 1, the state’s 50th foundation day. “Non-resident Gujaratis living in different parts of India, coming for Swarnim Gujarat celebrations, may

also be asked to bring along sand with them and empty the ‘kalashs’ at the site,” the aide said.

To be built on 60,000 sqm area near the railway station in Gandhinagar, Mahatma Mandir will host the Vibrant Gujarat business summit in January 2011. To be constructed in nine months by Larsen & Toubro at a cost of about pound 20 million, it will be one of the biggest convention centres in India.

Gujarat to push mandatory voting bill in Assembly again

Modi wants Kar Seva to build Mahatma Mandir

Launch of GSLV-D3, India’s first cryogenic rocket, fails India's GSLV-D3 powered by home grown cryogenic engine for the first time failed in its mission as the rocket carrying a communication satellite deviated from its path and went out of control shortly after its lift-off from the spaceport.

"The mission objectives are not met fully. There are indications that the cryogenic engine ignited but the vehicle was tumbling and controllability lost," ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan said.

The 49-metre tall three-stage Geo Synchronous Launch Vehicle blasted off at 4.27pm at the end of a 29hour countdown but minutes later ISRO said it had stopped receiving data.

In the crucial cryogenic stage, indications were that the onboard computer had given signals to burn and the cryogenic engine had ignited.

Underlining ISRO's commitment to carry on with cryogenic stage rocket

programme, he said the next flight will be carried out within a year. The GSLV flight was to have placed the 2,200 kg advanced communication satellite GSAT-4, into Geo Transfer Orbit.

The GSAT-4 is a stateof-the-art satellite that carries communication and navigation payloads.

ISRO had invested Rs 330 crore for the prestigious mission whose succesful would have placed India in the elite club of space

faring powers US, Russia, China, Japan, and Europe which possess the cryogenic technology.

India began developing the cryogenic engine as its answer to technology denial regime as the US not only refused the technology but also put pressure on Russia to backtrack on its commitment to New Delhi. Earlier GSLV flights were powered by the ready-to-fly cryogenic engines supplied by Russia.

Roundup Manu Sharma’s life sentence stays in Jessica Lall murder The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the conviction and life imprisonment awarded to Manu Sharma, son of senior Congress leader and former Union minister Venod Sharma, in the 1999 Jessica Lall murder case.

"The prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt the presence of Manu Sharma at the site of the offence," a Bench of Justices P Sathasivam and Swatanter Kumar said, upholding the Delhi High Court verdict. The apex court also upheld the conviction as well as sentence of four years jail term of Vikas Yadav, son of controversial Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav and, Amarjeet Singh Gill, an MNC executive, for the destruction of evidence.

"The Delhi High Court has given cogent and adequate reasons for reversal of acquittal given by the trial court," the bench said. "The presence of accused is proved by ocular evidence of prosecution witnesses," the bench said while pronouncing the verdict.

The bench said that the conduct of Manu Sharma after the crime proved his guilt beyond reasonable doubt. "The prosecution has established the evidence by recovering the Tata Safari car used by Manu Sharma on the day of offence from Noida. An inference can be drawn about his guilt because accused did not lodge any FIR for the theft of his vehicle," the bench said in its over 250-page judgement.

Visa restrictions in India has not affected tourists’ interest Tourism minister of India, Kumari Selja has said that the recent restrictions in tourist visa procedures appear to have done little to dampen the spirits of foreign tourists.

Contrary to that, the visa-on-arrival scheme extended to five countries over a period of one year has proved to be a runaway success with as many as 1,793 visas issued so far. The most number of tourists have come from Singapore, followed by Finland and New Zealand. Ms. Selja said introduction of the scheme had already sent a positive signal about India's intention to welcome foreign tourists.

“Eighteen countries have been granted the facility of long-term visa by India. These measures are expected to give a fillip and much required impetus to the tourism industry in the country,” she added.

Between January-March 2010, the number of visas issued to tourists coming from Singapore was 642, Finland 466 and New Zealand 378.

About 298 tourists availed of the visa on arrival facility from Japan but only nine from Luxembourg.

Sources said the maximum number of visas were issued from Delhi (957) followed by Mumbai (418), Chennai (342) and Kolkata (76).

SC suspicious about Centre’s role in Gujarat riot case trials The way things appear in the media even before the court gets the knowledge about the matters it is supposed to know first has caused some suspicion for the Supreme Court in matters of Gujarat riot case trials.

Amicus curiae and Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam, who is briefed by additional solicitor general Harin Raval, on Monday apprised the court about fresh reservations of a special public prosecutor regarding the manner in which the SC-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) was proceeding with the cases and the trials. Subramaniam, who had last month brought an identical objection from another PP in charge of a riot case trial, said it was rather odd that PP had written to the SIT but the latter had not taken any action on it and that the court should take an appropriate view of it. But, the Bench comprising Justices D K Jain, P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam appeared to smell a rat. It wondered as to how the Centre comes to know about such letters written by the PPs even before these were delivered to the SIT. When the SG responded innocently that he learnt it from media reports and had asked the PP to give him the details, the Bench said: "Today we do not have any report before us. What we feel is that something is happening behind the scene."

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Antony asks Indian army to prepare against cyber attacks In the wake of reports of Chinese hackers stealing vital data from Indian defence and diplomatic computer networks, defence minister A K Antony asked the armed forces to coordinate closely with other cyber security agencies to prepare a crisis management action plan against cyber terrorism. The minister noted that cyber-space had emerged as

Indian Muslim Federation of UK in support of the direct flight campaign Pramukh Swami’s blessings, active support of BAPS for Air India’s direct flight between London – Ahmedabad The campaign for resumption of Air India’s direct flight between London – Ahmedabad by NCGO, UK as well as Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar has got tremendous popular support with more than 15,000 people from UK have already signed the petition. The campaign has got blessings from Pramukh Swami, head of the BAPS. On the other hand, cutting across the community lines, even Indian Muslim Federation (UK), an NGO has conveyed their support for the demand and said it will write to Indian Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, urging him to take an early decision for the resumption of the London – Ahmedabad flight.

Pujya Yog Vivek Swami, head of the Neasden BAPS temple and another important functionary of the BAPS in UK, Pujya Prabuddh

Muni Swami actively supported the campaign through their weekly Satsang Sabhas all over UK. More than 4,000 devotees of the BAPS also have signed the petition.

Gujarat unit of Peoples Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL), an Indian organisation championing the cause of people last week issued a press statement, urging the civil aviation minister to promptly announce the resumption of the flight. PUCL secretary Gautam Thaker has also said if positive action on the matter is not taken in coming few days, the organisation will resort to democractic means,

including an agitation for the same.

A i y u b M o h a m m e d Darbar, Assistant Secretary of the Indian Muslim F e d e r a t i o n (Newham Branch), in an email to C B Patel, the chairman of the NCGO UK, has thanked him and the organisation for taking up the cause of mitigating hardships for thousands of travelers between London and Gujarat. He has further stated that now more and more people in Gujarat, even those from South Gujarat region upto Bharuch prefer to travel via Ahmedabad, as Mumbai route spells a lot of hassles. Hence, resumption of direct flight between London – Ahmedabad will draw more traffic and it needs to be resumed at the earliest.

Delhi most popular among foreign tourists Delhi is the top destination for foreign tourists as it has a number of heritage buildings, says an Evalue serve Study report of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI).

Delhi attracted 23.4 lakh foreign tourists in the year 2008. Apart from the national capital, tourists also fancy Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Northeastern states are emerging as leisure, rural and adventure tourism

spots, the report added.

In addition to a number of heritage sites, healthcare centres and business hubs in the Dehi, along with the four satellite cities --- Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad --- attract a large number of foreigners.

The report said Maharashtra was the close second with 20.6 lakh visitors followed by Tamil Nadu (20.3 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (16.1 lakh) and Rajasthan (14.8) lakh tourists.

Maharashtra

rides on Mumbai’s popularity. Pune is also popular among foreigners as it has emerged as an education and IT services hub.

Tamil Nadu, only a fraction behind Maharashtra, with its beaches, hill stations, heritage sites, temples, wildlife and rural life, offers a wide array of opportunities for tourists.

Uttar Pradesh is a popular tourist destination due to the presence of a large number of religious and historical sites.

Tharoorgate: Lalit Modi’s Waterloo?

Continued on page 1 Later, following income tax searches at the IPL and BCCI offices and investigations into the share holdings of all the IPL franchisees, the heat was turned on Modi.

Investigators are miffed at the missing bid documents of the latest round of IPL franchise auctions, importantly bid documents of Videocon (for Pune) and Adani (for Ahmedabad).

Modi has been accused by his detractors of trying to influence other bidders to move away as he wanted to favour Videocon and Adani bids. More particularly, Kochi franchise former spokesman Satyajit Gaekwad had, at one point of time accused Lalit Modi of being under pressure from Gujarat Chief Minister and GCA chief Narendra Modi to get an

IPL team for Ahmedabad.

It was intriguing that Gaekwad was later eased out from the Kochi franchise.

Investigations are believed to have revealed skeletons in the Rajasthan Royals franchise cupboard.

It may be worth a mention that Lalit Modi belongs to Rajasthan. One of the holders of the RR franchise, Suresh Chelaram is described as a kin of Modi.

Several of the Emerging Media financial deals are also under scanner. Manoj Badale, the key man behind the franchise is an NRI, a British Indian.

Shilpa Shetty, an Indian actress and a celebrity in UK, married to a UK businessman Raj Kundra have also bought stake in the Rajasthan Royals.

Some of the financial dealings by the Emerging

Media have been reportedly denied approval by various Indian regulators.

Untill Sunday, Lalit Modi was said to be enjoying support and backing from Sharad Pawar, I S Bindra and some others in the BCCI, but within hours, he seems to have lost all the backing, including that of Pawar, who is to take over as the ICC chief.

It is also significant that prior to the meeting with Shashank Manohar, Pawar also was closeted with Pranab Mukherjee, finance minister and P. Chidambaram, home minister. Later, Pawar also is believed to have discussed the issue with Rajiv Shukla and Arun Jaitely, all key members of the BCCI and important political figures.

This is the biggest controversy that the BCCI has ever faced.

an important medium for information sharing, but at the same time the existing technology was susceptible to misuse by antisocial and anti-national elements. "Of late, extraordinary and unprecedented cyber crimes have taken place across the globe, exposing gaping holes in cyber security systems," Antony told armed forces Unified Commanders' Conference.

Hindu leader makes his mark in UK A prominent leader paid UK a visit much to the delight of Hindus all over the country.

Sureshchandra Soni, Joint General Secretary of Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh, India toured prominent cities in UK with large Hindu communities. His ten-day visit included areas in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Nottingham.

He was invited by the organisation's UK counterpart Hindu Svamyamsevak Sangh.

The HSS conducts weekly classes on Hinduism specially for children.

Soni stressed the importance of attending classes since an early age.

“Children are central for all families and it is important they learn Hindu values and traditions early on.”

Soni who was last in the UK in 2007, also visited Hindu organisations such as Hindu Council, Chinmaya Mission and Iskcon Hindu Temple in London.

Dr Ram Vaidhya- HSS Prachark UK and Europe, Sureshchandra Soni- Joint General Secretary RSS, Dr Shankar Tatwawadi- HSS World Co-ordinator, Dhiraj Shah- President HSS UK

The RSS has been a bastion of Hinduism in India since its inception in 1925. It believes in safeguarding Hindu values with the onslaught of western culture.

“Modernisation without westernisation is our motto,” Soni says, “Society will evolve but value systems are universal and do not alter with time.”

He admitted that Hindus abroad are more conscious about their faith than those in India.

“A man in Mauritius wor-

ships the water of Ganga river in a small vessel but another who lives at the banks of the river doesn't care much about it.”

RSS has been campaigning for Hindu welfare on various political issues such as the Kashmir conflict. Suri doesn't believe in interfering with day-to-day politics but finds it necessary to step in if Hindus are mistreated. “Do only Muslims and Christains have human rights?

Hindus have them as well.”

Solicitor murdered by business partner Continued from page 1 During 2008, Cort had taken out loans totalling £171,000 to put into the company – but the prosecution said he had taken out more than £100,000 to furnish his expensive e.

Cort is then alleged to have hired Brian Farrell, 37, from Kensington, West London, to murder Mrs Patel and make it look like an accident, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

Cort and Farrell deny murder.

Mrs Patel's husband and daughter discovered her bruised and with a broken neck at the bottom of a flight of stairs in her office in Leicester on January 15 last year.

There were signs that the lawyer had been suffocated with blue material.

She had then fallen or been pushed down the stairs, or attacked and her body arranged to look like it was an accident, it was alleged. Cort, a former Conservative councillor, lived in a £1,150-a-month penthouse flat in Leicester, but also had two apartments in Chelsea for 'girlfriends', the jury heard.

He dined at leading London restaurants including Nobu, The Ivy and the Gaucho Grill, as

reported by a national daily. Daily Mail reports that in only six months he ran up a bill of £17,000 at a West End hotel, where the manager recalled a string of 'very young, black girls' wearing 'very short dresses and high heels' visiting Cort.

By September 2008, the solicitor had bank loans of £171,000 and had entered into an insolvency agreement under which he agreed to pay his creditors £670 a month.

Farrell, who was born in Trinidad and once served in the Foreign Legion, worked as a male escort for men and a barman in a gay club.

The pair knew each other because Cort paid him for sex, Farrell told police, as the daily reports.

Timothy Spencer QC, prosecuting, told the jury: 'The motive for this killing, or part of the motive, was to try to get the insurance monies that he hoped would be paid in the event of her death.

'It was a murky, financial motive. He lived a life he simply could not afford.

There were expensive hotels, restaurants, and the company of women he had to pay to keep.

'For a substantial period of time, John Cort's

financial affairs had been out of control and by January of last year he was out of control.'

On the day of the killing, Mrs Patel had an afternoon appointment with Leon Lloyd, a former England rugby player. He was the last person, apart from her killer, to see her alive. An appointment with someone called Khan was added to her diary in a ploy to keep Mrs Patel in the office after hours so Farrell could strike, Mr Spencer said.

That evening, Mrs Patel's daughter Anisha, a hospital pharmacist, became worried when her mother failed to collect her from work.

Miss Patel and her father Surendra, 53, went to her office to find it locked. They got in using a spare set of keys and found Mrs Patel slumped dead in a stairwell, with no signs of a break-in.

Mr Spencer said: 'The prosecution say this was not an accidental fall but a deliberate and murderous attack.'

DNA found on her right hand was a 'billion times more likely to have come from Brian Farrell than from someone unrelated', it was alleged. The trial continues.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Fonseka to begin new innings as parliamentarian Colombo: Detained former Army chief Sarath Fonseka is keen to start a new political innings as he enters Sri Lanka’s parliament as a newly elected lawmaker, winning a seat despite his incarceration, his wife has said. Covered by a parliamentary privilege, Fonseka is expected to attend the parliamentary sittings that may begin soon with four other

representatives of his coalition who managed to make it to the legislature.

Fonseka (59), who is now in military detention, will be able to speak in public since he is now covered by parliamentary privilege after winning the recent general election, Anoma Fonseka said.

Labour is looking outward to the future: David Miliband Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office says Conservatives obsessed about the past

Labour enters this election with the belief that the values we apply to our society at home must transcend national borders. From terrorism to energy security, economic stability to climate change, more than ever before Britain’s future is affected by the actions of other countries. The purpose of British foreign policy is to influence those actions in our interest and in the pursuit of social justice, peace, mutual responsibility and environmental sustainability.

The UK and India share a thriving partnership.

India is not only home to a world-beating information technology industry and a multitude of cultures and languages, it is also the world’s largest democracy.

India is fast becoming a new global power and the UK will work closely with it to address some of the most challenging issues we face today.

India has made amazing economic progress in the last decade. Trade between India and Britain has doubled in the last five years and is rising by 20% a year. Between 2002 and 2007 Labour gave more than £1 billion to India and from 2008 to 2011 we

David Miliband

will be investing another £825 million, up to £500 million of which will be spent on health and education. Labour’s aid has helped to bring more than 20 million more children into school and helping to establish 250,000 new schools and the UK is providing £252 million with the aim of reducing the maternal mortality rate.

Despite the progress and investment, however, a third of people living in poverty in the world today live in India. The UK will work as a close ally to India to fight global poverty. In a country of its size it is a bold ambition to give every mother the healthcare she needs to give birth in safety and to

give every child a chance to learn and enough food to eat, but we are intent on meeting these goals.

Labour is also keen to ensure India's has a stronger place in the world. Global institutions such as the United Nations urgently need reforming to make them more representative and we strongly support India’s bid for a permanent place, with others, on an expanded UN Security Council. Changes to the IMF, World Bank and the G8 that reflect the rise of India and Asia are also central to our vision for a fairer balance of power in the world.

For the thriving communities in the UK with strong links to India, Labour will continue to promote values we share in common; a belief in working hard, enterprise, community spirit, strong and supportive families. A Labour government will seek to give people power over their lives and guarantee their security. That is why we have introduced a neighbourhood police team in every community and are committed that that team spends at least 80 per cent of its time on

the beat in your community. And that is why we have provided a guarantee of a job or training place for any 18-24 year old that has been unemployed for over six months. We know the importance of education and since coming to power Labour has more than doubled spending per pupil in our schools and are delighted that Indian children are performing so highly.

We urge you to use your vote at the next election and make your choice. A choice between Britain building a fairer future for all at home and abroad through leadership on the world stage, or isolating ourselves as our Conservative opponents seek to do. To vote, please make sure you are registered and go to aboutmyvote.co.uk for more information.

While the Conservatives obsess about the past, Labour is looking outwards to the future. We hope that you will use your vote and join us in building that future.

David Miliband is Labour MP for South Shields and Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Sikh factions fight pitched battle at Toronto gurdwara Toronto: In another major incident of violence in a Canadian gurdwara, two Sikh factions fought with weapons at the Guru Nanak Sikh Centre on the city suburb of Brampton.

Machetes, knives and hammers were freely used.

More than a dozen people were injured, four seriously, in the clash in the shrine premises late on Sunday.

The fight started when

the group controlling the gurudwara management stopped another faction which previously controlled the management from holding its general meeting inside the shrine.

Initially, police didn't intervene despite warnings about the possibility of violence. Later, they arrested three people and charged them with assault and possession of dangerous weapons.

After the incident, police spokesperson Samantha Nulle said: "We will not tolerate violent behaviour. It's against the law and anybody who refuses to comply with the law will be charged and be dealt with appropriately."

This is the second major incident of Sikh violence in the Toronto area.

Three weeks ago, prominent Sikh lawyer Manjit Singh Mangat was stabbed

with kirpans at another gurudwara in the same city suburb. The lawyer was stabbed for inviting ex-communicated former Akal Takht jathedar Darshan Singh Ragi for a lecture.

Toronto-based Ragi, who was the jathedar of the Akal Takht at the height of militancy in Punjab, was ex-communicated in December by the Sikh clergy in Amritsar.

Indian - American becomes US federal judge Washington: IndianAmerican Vijay C Gandhi has been sworn in as a federal magistrate judge in a Californian district, making him only the second from the diaspora to become federal judge in the history of the US. One of the youngest federal judges currently serving in California Central District, Gandhi, 38, is also the first Indian American federal judge in this district.

Sworn in on April 14, judge Gandhi will sit in Los Angeles and will preside over matters arising from all three Divisions of

the Court.

The Central District of California is the largest district in the nation, serving more than 19 million people. We are exceptionally proud of Judge Gandhi for his accomplishments, especially given his steadfast commitment to the South Asian community," said Joseph J Centeno, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

"He will be an outstanding magistrate judge," he said. Formerly a litigation partner at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky &

Walker LLP, Gandhi practiced law for nearly 12 years at the firm, as an associate from 1998 to 2006, and as an equity partner, thereafter.

Prior to joining Paul Hastings, Gandhi clerked for the Honorable Kenneth M Hoyt, US District Court Judge for the Southern District of Texas. He also worked on a full-time basis as a volunteer Deputy District Attorney and first-chaired multiple jury trials as a prosecutor.

Gandhi has been repeatedly recognised as a "Rising Star Lawyer" in

the "Super Lawyers" Edition of Law & Politics Magazine.

He is also a prolific writer and speaker on securities and business litigation, and co-authored a book about securities law claims. He received his JD degree from the University of Southern California Law School, where he graduated Order of the Coif and received multiple American Jurisprudence awards. He is also a former president and lifetime member of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, an affiliate of NAPABA.

Roundup China’s quake toll crosses 2,000 Beijing: China will hold a national day of mourning for victims of an earthquake in the country's western region, the government announced on Tuesday, as the official death toll from the disaster climbed to 2,039. Another 195 people are still listed as missing following the quake, which struck Yushu county, a heavily Tibetan area in the province of Qinghai last Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The nation will pause to mourn the victims, a week after the quake hit, with national flags at halfmast and public entertainment curtailed, the Chinese cabinet decided, according to the central government website (www.gov.cn).

Despite dwindling hopes, rescuers continued searching for survivors in the flattened town of Gyegu, the county seat of Yushu with some 90,000 inhabitants, spurred by the discovery of three survivors the previous day. An elderly Tibetan woman and her granddaughter were pulled out alive, and a woman in her 30s was rescued after being trapped for 130 hours, state media reported.

Karzai to visit US in May, Hillary to attend Kabul conference Washington: In an "extremely important trip" to US next month, Afghan President Hamid Karzai will meet his American counterpart Barack Obama, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will fly to Kabul in July to attend an international conference, a top US official has said. Karzai accepted Obama's invitation to Washington, which was extended to him during the US President's last month visit to the Afghan capital, Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke said.

This would be Karzai's first trip, which is scheduled from May 10 to 14, to the United States in his second term and also under the Obama Administration.

Observing that the visit is going to be very intense, whole-of-government effort, Holbrooke on Monday said the Obama Administration is taking this trip very seriously. "Our number-one project right now is planning for that (Karzai's) trip." Kabul Conference, as a follow up to the London conference held early this year, will be held on July 20, he said.

4,000 Indians who overstayed in Oman finally leave Muscat: About 4,000 Indians who overstayed in Oman have left the country after they were given out passes, the Indian envoy here has said.

Indian Ambassador to Sultanate of Oman Anil Wadhwa said: 'We are making all efforts to speed up the process of repatriation of overstayers with the Omani ministry of manpower.' He said there were about 25,000 Indians who are supposed to leave by May 31, a deadline set for the illegal workers.

'Some 21,000 have already been registered with the embassy which has also finished the process of collecting fingerprints of 15,000 people. This is an important part of the process of the repatriation.'

There are around 600,000 Indians who have been working and residing in Oman for the past three decades or so. In order to maintain law and order, the Omani authorities declare amnesty for the illegal workers to leave the country.

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26

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Man who threatens to kill Obama jailed for 10 years Washington: An Arkansas man was on Friday sentenced to 10 years in jail for threatening to kill dozens of AfricanAmericans including the then Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama. Paul Schlesselman was sentenced after being convicted on federal charges for conspiring to murder dozens of African-Americans, including then Senator

Roundup Death for two top Chinese officials for graft Beijing: In a major crackdown on corruption, two top Chinese officials have been sentenced to death by courts for bribery, rape and gangland connections.

A top cop in Chongqing province and a vice president of a bank were handed out death sentences. A Beijing court handed out a suspended death sentence to 54-year-old banker Wang Yi for taking bribes totalling $ 1.8 million. Wang's conviction comes within 24 hours of a death sentence handed out to a top cop. The rogue cop Wen Qiang, 55, was found guilty of taking bribes running into $2.4 million, protecting five organised gangs, rape and property scams. His wife who was his accomplice was sentenced to eight years.

Bin Laden’s son denied visa for Europe book tour Paris: Osama bin Laden's son Omar has been denied a visa to promote his new book in France and elsewhere in Europe, his French publisher said last week.

The Qaida chief's fourth son had planned to travel to Paris for the release of "Osama bin laden: A Family Portrait", which denounces his father's murderous ways. The book was co-written with his mother Najwa, a 51-year-old Syrian woman and the first of Osama's five wives, and American journalist Jean Sasson, said a spokesman for the publishers Denoel.

In his book, the 29-year-old Omar chronicles life in the family of the world's most wanted man, as one of 20 children. Najwa and bin Laden were married in Saudi Arabia in 1974 and the family then moved to Sudan and later Afghanistan where Al-Qaida was headquartered before the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Mecca to get 2nd tallest tower Dubai: World’s second tallest building, 11 metres shorter than Burj Khalifa, featuring a clock claimed to be the largest in the globe will be opened to the public from June this year in the holy city of Mecca.

The Mecca Royal Clock Tower, an under-construction hotel complex in Saudi Arabia has a clock six times bigger than the famous Big Ben in London, general manager Mohammed al-Arkubi said.

The tower is made up of 662 metres of concrete structure and a 155-metre crescent-topped metal spire, he said. Combined, two parts of the tower will be only roughly 11 metres shorter than Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower at 828 metres. Even the concrete section of the Mecca Royal Clock Tower would be taller than the current second tallest building in the world, the 508-meter Taipei 101 in Taiwan.

“The first part of the hotel will open at the end of June, while the clock will begin operating at the end of July,” ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, Arkubi said. The German-made clock, billed as “the largest in the world,” will have 45-metre wide and 43-metre tall faces on all four sides of the tower, he said.

Bhutan, Bangladesh mull road link via India Thimpu: Bhutan and Bangladesh signed a fresh bilateral trade agreement to further enhance relations and discussed possibility of a road link between the two countries through India. "Success in all these areas and the trade agreement is an initiative that will surely result in the harmonious growth of our countries.

This will significantly increase the economic activities in Bangladesh and Bhutan," said Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after the renewed bilateral trade agreement was inked.

The deal was signed by Bhutan Economic Affairs Minister Khandu Wangchuk and Bangladeshi Commerce Minister Mohammed Faruk Khan in presence of Hasina and her Bhutanese counterpart Jigmi Y Thinley, state-run daily Kuensel reported.

Hasina, on a four-day visit to Bhutan and Thinley also discussed the possibility of a road between the two countries via India. Hasina said the new agreement would "significantly increase economic activities between Bhutan and Bangladesh". "With the signing of the renewed trade agreement, a new trade route has been opened for eastern Bhutan," she said.

Barack Obama, because of their race, the justice department said. "Our nation has made great progress in advancing civil rights, but this unthinkable conspiracy is a reminder that hatefueled violence continues to be a very real problem in so many communities," said Thomas E Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division.

BRIC nations want India, Brazil in UN Security Council Brasilia: Calling for reform of the UN and the global financial architecture, BRIC countries have underlined the centrality of G20 as the premier economic forum and pitched for including India and Brazil in an expanded UN Security Council.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held wide-ranging talks as they pledged to work together for a multi-polar world, an assertion that is set to worry the US as it views groupings like BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) with suspicion.

"We welcome the fact that the G-20 was confirmed as the premier

Russia's President Dmitri Medvedev, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China's President Hu Jintao and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the II BRIC Summit at Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia on April 15

forum for international economic coordination and cooperation of all its member states," said a joint declaration at the end of the second BRIC summit.

"Compared to previous arrangements, the G-20 is broader, more inclusive, diverse, representative and effective," the BRIC leaders said.

"We advocate the need

for the G-20 to be proactive and formulate a coherent strategy for the postcrisis period," the BRIC leaders added, while seeking reform of the Bretton Woods institutions, the IMF and the World Bank.

Putting the collective weight of the three trillion dollar economies behind the BRIC initiative, the leaders made a vigorous pitch for the long-overdue reform of the UN and backed a "greater role" for India and Brazil for seat in the UN Security Council.

"In this respect, we reaffirm the need for a comprehensive reform of the UN, with a view to making it more effective, efficient and representative, so that it can deal with today's global challenges more effectively," said the joint declaration.

Manmohan Singh, Hu Jintao review ties

They agree to encourage their companies to invest in each other's countries Brasilia: Meeting on the sidelines of the BRIC summit here last week, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and President Hu Jintao of China agreed to widen and deepen the scope of cooperation between their two countries, including in the areas of education, defence and trade.

Briefing reporters on the meeting, the spokesman of the Indian ministry of external affairs said the two leaders also

agreed to encourage their companies to invest in each other's countries and facilitate greater market access for each other's products.

They also spoke of the need to maintain even closer cooperation on international issues like climate change, the Doha round and terrorism.

Dr. Singh expressed his condolences for the victims of the Qinghai earthquake, the spokesman said.

Asked whether contentious questions like China's policy of issuing ‘stapled visas' to Kashmirdomiciled Indian citizens and the recent incidents of computer hacking were discussed, the spokesman said the two Foreign Ministers had already reviewed the full range of issues in their meeting earlier this month and that “some of the matters of concern” were flagged then.

The spokesman said

India to brief G-20 on its successful rural scheme Washington: India’s union labour minister Mallikarjun Kharge would present a briefing on India’s highly successful National Rural Employment Generation Scheme at the first ever meet of G-20 labour ministers here. Top officials from the US Department of Labour, organisers of the event, said the innovative 100-day rural employment guarantee scheme has been successful beyond the expectations of almost every one.

"India has learnt and has refined the strategy.

So there is a great deal of anticipation to hear from Minister Kharge about these policies, how they have worked, and are there lessons that are transferable to other countries at low and mid-

Mallikarjun Kharge

dle income levels," Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs Sandra Polaski told foreign journalists.

"The employment minister from India, who is attending the conference, has been asked to speak about that as one of the key innovations that India has made, a

policy which has been challenging to implement but at the end of the day very successful. I think successful beyond the expectations of almost everyone," Polaski said.

Labour and employment ministers from top 20 economies of the world are scheduled to attend the conference being convened at the instance of President Barack Obama.

Recommendations of the conference would be submitted to the next G-20 Summit meeting in Toronto later this year.

"This meeting comes at a time of tremendous challenge for workers in the G-20 countries. The prompt actions of many of our governments last year prevented a true global depression.

Dr. Singh introduced India's newly designated Special Representative for border talks National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon - to President Hu and State Councillor Dai Binguuo. He said both sides expressed their satisfaction with the manner in which the SR mechanism was operating and felt the next round of talks on the border should be held at an early date.

China gets ready to honour Tagore Beijing: China will honour Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagaore with busts, books and films, the country which he visited twice in the 1920s. While a statue of the poet is being put up in Shanghai, a major project of translating his complete works in 28 volumes has been undertaken by a government-run publishing house.

Besides, Tagore's birth anniversary will be celebrated in the presence of an international audience at the Indian pavilion during the World Expo in Shanghai on May 10.

In 2006, China's Communist Party signalled its favourable view of the Indian poet when the party organ, the People's Daily, elected him as one of the 50 foreign personalities who have influenced modern Chinese thinking.

27

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

PPP demands legal action against Musharraf Islamabad: The core group of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) last week asked the government to take “appropriate legal action” against the former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, and all others named in the United Nations report on the circumstances that led to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Under criticism from within and outside the party for the government's inability to find her killers despite being in power for two years now, the PPP's central leadership also urged competent authorities to fix criminal responsibility.

The government was asked to initiate legal action against officials named in the report.

Zardari signs bill stripping him of his key powers In focus

Islamabad: Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari signed into law sweeping constitutional reforms that strip him of key powers in a move to bolster parliamentary democracy weakened by military rule.

The amendment rolls back decades of meddling by military rulers and removes the head of state's power to sack the prime minister, appoint heads of the armed forces, unilaterally declare emergency rule and dissolve parliament. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will assume executive power in a move that could help ease simmering political instability in the nucleararmed country on the front line of the US-led war on Al-Qaeda and

Asif Ali Zardari

Islamist extremism.

Zardari signed the amendment at a ceremony at his offices attended by Gilani and popular opposition leader Nawaz Sharif - a sign of the rare crossparty support for the bill in the fractious and bitter world of Pakistani politics.

State television broadcast live footage of Zardari signing the historic 18th

amendment to the constitution, which effectively reverses efforts by successive military rulers to weaken Pakistan's 1973 parliamentary constitution.

Gilani also hailed the signing of the bill a momentous occasion. The lower and upper houses of parliament this month approved the 102-clause bill. The amendment was an election promise of Zardari, whose popularity has been battered by graft controversies, Islamist violence and economic woes.

The package removes many of the sweeping powers amassed by military dictators Pervez Musharraf and Zia ul Haq, although the army remains a powerful force in Pakistan, which is battling homegrown

Taliban insurgents.

The bill also abolishes a clause barring the election of a prime minister for more than two terms.

This would allow the popular Sharif, who was toppled by Musharraf in 1999, to become prime minister again. Zardari assumed the presidency from Musharraf after his Pakistan People's Party (PPP) won elections in February 2008, but is an unpopular figure.

Although the reforms make no changes to Zardari's immunity in office, the Supreme Court is pressuring the government to reopen scores of corruption cases at home and abroad, after it scrapped an amnesty shielding politicians.

UN panel says Benazir may have been killed for seeking better Indo-Pak ties Musharraf failed to protect her despite serious threat to her life

United Nations: A possible link between Benazir Bhutto's independent position on improved relations with India with its implications for the Kashmir dispute, and her assassination has been drawn by a UN investigation made public. The brutal killing of the 54-yearold Bhutto in a gun and suicide attack outside a park in Rawalpindi in December 2007 could have been "prevented" but the then military ruler Pervez Musharraf's gov-

ernment had failed to protect her despite serious threats, according to the report. The 65-page report by a three-member independent panel headed by Chile's UN ambassador Heraldo Munoz was handed over to the UN Secretary General Ban KiMoon. The investigation was undertaken at the behest of the Pakistan government.

Unable to pinpoint who killed Bhutto, the panel said her assassination was "shrouded in mystery" and

recommended the setting up of a "truth commission" to find who murdered Pakistan's first woman.

Another source of concern to the "establishment" was Benazir's "alleged willingness to compromise Pakistan's nuclear programme and allow greater Western access to it."

Eight officials suspended The Pakistan government on Monday suspended eight of its officials, who were responsible for the security of Benazir Bhutto's last public meet-

ing venue. The suspended officials include Rawalpindi's former City Police Officer Saud Aziz, former Inspector General Chaudhry Abdul Majeed and six others who were handling Bhutto's security during the rally on December 27, 2007, when she was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack. All the eight officials are expected to testify before the Joint Investigation Team, which is probing Benazir's murder, in a couple of days.

Islamabad: Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI continues to have close links with Lashkar-e-Toiba and has used the terror group's services to foment anti-India passion in Kashmir and elsewhere, a UN report said on Friday.

"The Pakistani military organised and supported the Taliban to take control of Afghanistan in 1996.

Similar tactics were used in Kashmir against India after 1989," said the much-awaited report by

UN-appointed independent panel to probe the killing of former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto.

The three-member panel concluded that such a policy of the Pakistan military to use terrorists as a tool to achieve its strategic objectives against its neighbours resulted in active linkages between elements of the military and the establishment with radical Islamists at the expense of national secular forces.

Noting that the jihadi organisations are Sunni groups based largely in Pakistan's Punjab, the 65page report said that members of these groups aided the Taliban effort in Afghanistan at the behest of the ISI and later cultivated ties with Al-Qaida and Pakistani Taliban groups.

"The Pakistani military and ISI also used and supported some of these groups in the Kashmir insurgency after 1989. The bulk of the anti-Indian

activity was and still remains the work of groups such as Lashkar-eTaiba, which has close ties with the ISI," said the panel headed by Chile's UN ambassador Heraldo Munoz. "A common characteristic of these jihadi groups was their adherence to the Deobandi Sunni sect of Islam, their strong antiShia bias, and their use by the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies in Afghanistan and Kashmir," the report said.

ISI used LeT for anti-India activities, says UN report

US slaps sanctions on two Pak financiers of al-Qaida, Taliban Washington: The US has slapped sanctions on two Karachi-based Pakistani nationals, one of them born in India, for allegedly providing financial support to terrorist activities of al-Qaida and the Taliban. The two are identified as Mohammed Mazhar, the director of Al-Akhtar Trust, and Mufti Abdul Rahim, leader of Al-Rashid Trust. While Mohammed Mazhar was designated for his fund- raising activities and financial and other support for al-Qaida and the Taliban, Mufti Abdul Rahim was designated for his fundraising activities for the Taliban, the department of treasury said. Al-Akhtar Trust and Al-Rashid Trust are both Pakistani charities previously identified as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under an executive order, which freezes any assets the designated entities and individuals have under US jurisdiction and prohibits Americans from engaging in any transactions with those entities and individuals.

Parliamentary panel for ban on Indian TV channels Lahore: A Pakistani parliamentary panel has recommended an immediate ban on Indian TV channels that it said are telecasting "immoral" programmes. Begum Belium Hasnain, chairperson of the committee on information and broadcasting of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament, claimed several Indian entertainment channels were involved in airing immoral programmes. "We want an immediate ban on them and strict action against cable operators in case they do not follow the government's instruction," she said. "We have to protect our young generation from the onslaught of Indian channels," Hasnain told reporters. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority should also look into copyright violations by cable operators. "The cable operators are telecasting pirated Indian movies and they should be stopped and penalized," she said. The issue of banning Indian movies in Pakistani cinema halls was raised some months ago after a perceived snub of the country's cricketers during the auction for the Indian Premier League.

Manmohan rules out talks with Pak New York: India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh last week ruled out any talks with Pakistan unless it took “credible steps” to prosecute the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leadership which masterminded the Mumbai carnage. Mr Singh was reacting to Pakistan prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s remark seeking more evidence from India against LeT. Gilani may well regret shooting his mouth off. Diplomats say the Pakistani foreign office has been in overdrive, trying to set up a meeting between Singh and Gilani on the sidelines of the Saarc summit, which will be held soon in the Bhutanese capital Thimpu. Now that meeting could be twice as hard to pull off. Earlier, Gilani speaking to a roundtable of reporters, said that Pakistan has already banned some extremist groups and frozen their bank accounts and was seeking more evidence from India against the LeT. "If we have more effective evidence, certainly they will be brought to justice," Gilani said. Gilani's remark did nothing but vex India which has already answered a set of 30 questions that Islamabad put to it regarding the Mumbai attacks. "So I do not think there is any need for me to produce additional evidence to prime minister Gilani about the role the LeT, Hafiz Saeed, Ilyas Kashmiri and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi are playing in fanning terrorist acts directed against India," Singh said tartly.

21 killed in suicide blast in Peshawar Islamabad: At least 21 people, including a senior police officer, were killed on Monday when a suicide bomber targeted police guarding a political rally in Peshawar, officials said. The attack occurred in the city's Qissa Khawani bazaar, where a police contingent was deployed to protect a public meeting of Jamati Islami, a right-wing religious-political entity, to protest against recent power outages. A senior police official said the police appeared to be the target of the attack that 'killed 21 people and injured 27'.

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 17th April 2010

This week CB Live programme is extended from 6:30 to 8:30pm and the sole subject of discussion will be the forthcoming local and general elections. Alpesh Patel, the well known broadcaster is the moderator and all three main political parties i.e Labour, Tory and Liberal Democrats are invited to participate. Tories will be represented Shailesh Parekh, Parliamentary candidate for Birmingham Hodge Hill.

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500

To ask questions please call on: 020 8963 1001

For more information e-mail:

cblive_matv@yahoo.co.uk

Don't miss !!!

Thursday 7pm to 8pm

Only on CB Live - MATV Sky 793 - Thursday 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Virendra Sharma and David Miliband visit Sri Guru Singh Sahba Gurdwara, Southall

Coming Events l Masquerade Carnival camp, April 24 and May 1, Rock Street, Wellingborough NN8 1HX Contact- Val 07991 3088029 l Modern Dancer choreographer Akram Khan performs Gnosis, April 26 and 27 Saddler's Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4TN Tel: 08448710090 l Mad Mentors showcases an evening of talent, April 30, Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, London W1, Tel:07894226562

David Miliband and Virendra Sharma Labourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s candidate for Ealing Southall visited the Sri Guru Singh Sahba Gurdwara in Southall on Friday 16th April to meet worshippers and local people. Following the visit to the Gurdwara Virendra Sharma accompanied David Miliband on a campaign walkabout in King Street, Southall where they were enthusiastically received by local people.

Naree Shakti celebrates women's power

l Writer, photographer and traveller Serena Fass gives a talk on Maharajas- Past and Present.

April 21, Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, Mayfair, London W1K 1HF Tel: 074913567 l Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan organising Iyengar Yoga course for beginners by Suzanne Gribble April 21, Vidya Bhavan, London W14 9HE Tel: 020 7381 4608 l Alternative Fashion Week, April 21-23, Spitalfields Traders Market, London E16AA Tel: 02073750441

Make this your column If you have events that you want to be published in this column free of charge, email Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 The pace of everyday life will gather momentum and there may be times when you find it hard to keep your act together. Any obstacles that have stood in the way should melt into the background soon. Your self-confidence will be extremely high and this will be helped by various encouraging events.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 It is essential that you adopt a very open attitude now for this is a time of lucky opportunity and a chance to greatly enrich your working life and at home. New windows on the world are about to open and this is bound to have a maturing effect on you from now into the future.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 Social commitments are liable to increase considerably. At times this could lead to a conflict of loyalties and perhaps a degree of resentment that others are taking advantage of you.

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.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 The pace of your life may be a bit hectic now, and if you're not used to it, this could also be a time of mental restlessness. You are more inclined to seek a broad understanding of people and of your immediate environment. Concentrating on listening, connecting, communicating, and learning is your best bet now.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 This week you will make your best progress by focusing your mental and physical energies on what you want to achieve.

Intense focus is what is needed now so do not let yourself be distracted by non-essentials. The underlying trend seems to be pulling you into a much wider social circle now.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 It is a great week for seeing real results. You can accomplish more than usual with a little elbow grease - the keyword here is discipline. Your social graces will serve you well careerwise. Mixing business with pleasure will bring you benefits. You will achieve great success by being responsible and diplomatic.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 Either you or your partner have been going through a phase of inner doubts and uncertainties, and perhaps the main source of tension has simply been the need for breathing space in your relationship and a need to look at things more objectively. Wait before going full steam ahead with grand actions and gestures.

Naree Shakti organised a conference to raise awareness of Domestic violence, forced marriages and elderly abuse on Tuesday 23rd March 2010 which was attended by 130 people. Lunch was served at the end.

The event was chaired by Communication cabinet member Ann Zinkin on Domestic Violence and Safeguarding adults and Georgina Diba on Adult abuse along with Vijey Rattan, founder of Naree Shakti.

On 6th April they also organised a fancy dress competition and it was chaired by Councillor Achilleas Georgious and Councillor Yasmin Brett.

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By nature you are a highly enterprising, gogetting type of person and these are qualities that will stand you in good stead in the coming weeks. Go easy on yourself though, especially if it's a question of financial loans. Don't be afraid to act forcefully if your instinct tells you it's time for change.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 Career-wise you cannot go wrong provided you do not act in a way that threatens other people's egos. An ambition that you have been striving for over the past year is likely to come to fruition which could mean promotion and a boost in status and reputation soon. Play your cards right and you can pull strings in you favour.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 The prevailing pattern of planets gives you a marvellous opportunity.

Take time out to strengthen close ties of affection, sort out emotional differences and proffer the olive branch to anyone who may have caused you pain in recent months. Venus throws an easy light on affairs of the heart - prime time for engagements and weddings.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 The opening up of a more diverse social life is a point in favour of romantic attachments, if this is what you most desire. The domestic scene may prove to be active and harmonious as long as you use tact and diplomacy. This is also a time when you will develop fresh insights into other people.

There will be increased scope for varying your activities, widening your network of contacts and getting out and about. It is an excellent time for exercising your mental energies, claryfying your and other people's ideas and getting involved in discussion.

Exercise caution when it comes to making financial decisions.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

time

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

C R O s s W O R D - 84 1

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Perfect maker?

Chuckleheads Puts back Sword of Damocles, e.g.

Cause supporter Speakers’ platforms Tabloid towsome Bony-plated dionosaurs

56 59

22 24 25 26 28 29 30 31 32 33 35

Pope fiber Worsted fabric U.S. Medical grp.

Splicing device Extinct bird Bordeaux or Medeira Expressed with ___Antonio, TX Old cornes D.C. VIPs Large, learned volume

sCRAMBLE - 53

Rearrange the letters in the four word jumbles, one letter to each square/circle, to make four ordinary words OsARR

How to play

Now arrange the letters in the circles to form the answer to the riddle or to fill in the missing word as indicated

DTIIO HILCCN IINGHK

If you’re never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any ______.(7)

solution of scramble - 52 Words: Roars, idiot, clinch, hiking.

9 10 11 12 13 14 21 23 27 29 34 36

37 Lay down asphalt 40 OSS successor 42 Tributary 46 Narrative poetry 47 Canadian prov.

48 Sleekly graceful 49 Make a choice 50 Compositions for two 52 ___the ticket!

53 Fitted for grasping 56 R.I.P. notice 57 Blow a gasket 58 Wheel-driving channel 60 Make manifest 61 Raised-letter designer 62 More compressed 63 Wakeame and kelp Down 1 Gave a big hand to 2 Beach closed cause 3 Especial to special, e.g.

4 some flowering vines 5 Frozen fruity treats 7 Pennies 8 Values very highly

37 38 39 41 43 44 45 50 51 54 55 59

Russian coun’ts dish “___Were the days” Bear of the night sky Porky’s sweetheart Pendent or stud Hidden supplies Fourpence piece, once Tribal knowledge Hostile contest Garden tractor brand Right-triagel ratios Tack and field gathering Populated Judge favorably Elects Every now and then Dark igneous rock Inveigled Those relaxing Unfreeze Slug trail Cacklers Exile isle Deiected

Solution of Crossword-83 S

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LOOP THE LOOP - 52 Rules Connect adjacent dots with vertical or horizontal lines, creating a single loop.

(Fig A).

Crossovers or branches are not allowed 2 2 (As shown by dotted lines in Fig B).

2 2 Numbers in the puzzle indicate the 3 1 3 2 2 2 2 number of lines that should 3 2 0 1 2 surround it, while empty cells may 2 3 3 2 be surrounded by any number of 2 2 3 lines.

You can’t draw lines arround 2 2 2 1 3 zeroes.

Each puzzle has just one unique solution.

How to begin: Example (Fig A) - Begin with the zero next to 3. Since no lines can be drawn around zero, mark crosses around it, as shown. Now there is a cross in one space around 3. So we know the three lines of 3 can only be drawn in the remaining three spaces. Next these lines can only be extended in one direction each. Continue, using the same Solution of LTL No. 52 logic. x Hints: Keep elimix 2 3 x 1 x 1x nating possibilix x x x ties by marking x 3 x x 2 3 x crosses in x x x spaces between x 1 x 2 x 1x 3 dots where a line x x x isn’t possible, x 1 x 2 x 2 x i.e., if you have x x x x already completx 0 x 3 1 x 2 x ed required lines x x x x or where a line x x 3 3 extension may x x x x create a branch x x 2 2 3 x 1x or cause a deadx end (Fig B)

MINDBENDER - 84 I’m not an airplaine, but i can fly through the sky.

I’ m not a river, but I’m full of water. What am I?

solution of 83 :

Answer: Worry is like a rocking chair...It keeps you busy but gets you nowhere.

WHATZIT? - 84

If what the professor said were true, the liquid would melt the glass tube it was in.

sPELLATHON - 84

Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters.

sudoku-84

Today’s Ratings: 05-average | 06-good | 08-outstanding

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How many words of four or more letters can you make from the letters shown in today’s puzzle? In making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each word must contain the central letter. There should be at least one seven-letter word. Plurals, foreign words and proper names are not allowed. British English Dictionary is used as reference.

solution of spellathon - 83 :

akin, hank, khan, KNAVISH, sank, shank, sink, skin 20

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Example

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Sollution-83 Suspended sentence

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KAKURO - 84

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The numbers in the pink squares refer to the sums of the digits that you must fill into the empty spaces directly below or to the right of the pink square containing the number. For instance, in the given example, the 2 boxes below 12 must contain 2 digits that add upto 12, whereas for 20, the 3 boxes places horizontally next to it must add upto 20.

No zeroes are used here, only the digits one through nine.

solution of KAKURO - 83

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solution of sudoku-83 HOW TO PLAY Each row, column and square 3x3 box is a subgrid of 9 cells. Fill in the grid so that each sub-grid contains the digits 1 to 9.

Every puzzle has one solution.

Note:

A digit cannot appear more than once in any particular digit combination. For instance in the example, we cannot have the combination of 8+4+8 for 20.

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HEALTH WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

New research shows that foetal heart rate is lower in pregnant women who exercise Babies whose mothers do aerobic exercise during pregnancy may have healthier hearts.

Pioneering new research shows that these babies have significantly lower heart rates. And researchers believe that 'womb workouts' have health benefits that continue into adulthood, lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension decades later.

The heart is a muscle and, like other muscles, becomes stronger through conditioning. And if it is stronger, the heart rate will drop, so that the heart puts less effort into pumping the same amount of blood.

'A regular exercise programme during pregnancy may be the earliest intervention to improve cardiovascular health,' says Dr Linda May of Kansas University, who led the study.

Increasing evidence shows that the womb environment influences foetal development and suggests susceptibility to various diseases

and disorders can be determined in utero.

Until now, research has centred on nutrition (such as smoking being detrimental to foetal health), and research on exercise during pregnancy has focused on maternal benefits.

Results show substantial differ-

ences in foetal heart rate between the two groups.

The differences increased over time. At 36 weeks, the heart rate, when the foetus was active, was 136 beats per minute in the exercise group and 148 in the other group.

Exactly how maternal exercise shapes the foetal heart is not clear. But one theory is that the development of the foetal autonomic nervous system is boosted by exposure to maternal hormones and other compounds released during exercise.

The autonomic nervous system regulates key functions of the body, including the heart rate. During maternal exercise, there is a rise in hormones that circulate across the placenta, including norepinephrine, which plays a key role in the development of the autonomic nervous system.

Why aspirin could be the best remedy for a migraine Taking aspirin can end the misery of migraine for thousands, according to research.

Scientists found three tablets of the painkiller helped more than half of sufferers get through a debilitating attack.

In a review of 13 studies involving 4,222 participants, 900 to 1,000mg of the drug completely cured one in four people within two hours.

Around half found their symptoms went from 'moderate to severe' to no worse than mild over the same time period.

Combining aspirin with sachets of the antisickness drug metoclopramide was best at tack-

ling nausea and worked as well as 50mg of another over-the-counter migraine drug Imigran Recovery (sumatriptan). But a 100mg dose of sumatriptan was slightly better at delivering a painfree response within two hours of taking the medication.

Around six million people in the UK have migraines, with one in four suffering the most severe type - called migraine with aura.

A migraine attack can last between four and 72 hours causing visual disturbances, dizziness and

nausea.

Many sufferers opt for medicines from pharmacies as well as prescription medicines, when ordinary painkillers are just as good, says a report in The Cochrane Library Review.

Co-researcher Sheena Derry, of the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, said: 'A significant number of people will benefit from aspirin. A standard tablet is 300 mg so the dose would be three of those.

My advice for sufferers would be to try aspirin or other over the counter medicines as a first choice

and then go on to more migraine specific drugs if these do not work. We are also planning to carry out similar studies on other painkillers such as ibuprofen and paracetamol because we still do not know how affective they are at treating migraine.

We cannot say exactly why aspirin works on some migraine sufferers but not others. We all react to drugs in different ways for a number of reasons, including genetics. But if you can treat yourself for migraine with an over-thecounter drug such as aspirin, it makes life much easier than having to go to the doctor for a prescription.'

Too many carbs are a heart risk, women warned Women who eat high levels of carbohydrates - such as white bread, pizza and some types of pasta - are more likely to develop heart disease, warn researchers. Those eating the most carbohydrates run double the risk of heart problems compared with those eating the least, they found.

The Italian study found the danger lies in refined carbohydrates which often have a high Glycaemic Index (GI) score.

The GI rates how quickly glucose is released into the bloodstream after eating, with a ranking from 0 to 100.

Low GI foods - with a value of 55 or less - such as brown pasta, porridge and lentils - break down slowly during digestion while high GI foods of 70 or over, including white bread, pizza and white rice, cause a surge in blood

sugar.

Researchers from Milan say high GI foods are to blame for a rise in heart attack risk in women, rather than just the quantity of carbohydrates The diets of 15,000 men and 32,000 women were examined, and researchers calculated the total consumption of carbohydrates and their GI rankings.

After eight years of fol-

lowup, 158 women and 305 men developed coronary heart disease, says a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal.

The 25 per cent of women eating the most carbohydrates (around 335g a day) had twice the risk of heart disease as the quarter eating the least (230g).

When these carbohydrates were separated into high GI and low GI, eating more GI foods was two

and half times more likely to lead to heart disease.

Low GI foods were not associated with a greater risk.

Dr Sabina Sieri, of Fondazinoe IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, said: 'A high consumption of carbohydrates from high glycaemic index foods, rather than the overall quantity of carbohydrates consumed, appears to influence the risk of developing coronary heart disease.'

There was no link with heart disease in men between carbohydrate intake, or the GI content of the diet. This is possibly because the harmful effects on blood fat levels are stronger risk factors in women than men. In the study, the main sources of high GI foods were bread, sugar, honey or jam, pizza and rice. Low GI foods were classified as pasta, fruit and cakes.

HEALTH WATCH IN BRIEF

Inherited diseases can be prevented Scientists have shown it is possible to stop children from inheriting devastating diseases from their parents.

A British medical team has shown that it is possible to eliminate damaged genes just after fertilisation, in order to prevent diseases, a new born can inherit from his parents, according to reports

A team from Newcastle University has taken the important genetic information out of an egg with damaged mitochondria and placed it into a healthy one.

About one in 6,500 children are born with defects in their mitochondria that can cause muscle weakness, blindness and organ failure.

Dance therapy improves seniors' gait, balance For seniors, dancing needn't be just for fun, it can also be therapeutic.

Two recent studies conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri (UM) found that participation in dance-based therapy can improve the balance and gait in older adults.

Improved functionality among seniors can decrease their risk of falling and reduce costly injuries. "Creative interventions such as dancebased therapy have the potential to significantly reduce falls in older persons. In the studies, we found improved levels of balance, gait and overall functionality among seniors who participated

in regular dance-therapy sessions. Nursing and eldercare professionals can help move these programmes into practice to reduce the detrimental burden caused by falls," said Jean Krampe, registered nurse and doctoral student in the Sinclair School of Nursing.

The researchers used a dance-therapy programme called The Lebed Method (TLM), which includes a combination of low-impact dance steps choreographed to music.

Sessions were led by certified TLM instructors and adjusted to fit the specific needs of the seniors who participated.

Diet high in B-vitamins 'lowers heart risk' Foods containing the Bvitamins folate and B-6 can cut the risk of death from stroke and heart disease for women and may reduce the risk of heart failure in men, a Japanese study has found. The study has been reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

"Japanese people need more dietary intake of folate and vitamin B6, which may lead to the prevention of heart disease," said Hiroyasu Iso, M.D., professor of public health at Osaka University.

Sources of folate include vegetables and fruits, whole or enriched grains, fortified cereals, beans and legumes.

Sources of vitamin B-6 include vegetables, whole grains and fortified cereals.

The protective effects of folate and vitamin B-6 didn't change when researchers adjusted for the pres-

ence of cardiovascular risk factors, nor when they eliminated supplement users from the analysis.

Folate and vitamin B-6 may help guard against cardiovascular disease by lowering homocysteine levels, the investigators said.

Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood that's affected by diet and heredity. Folic acid and other B vitamins help break down homocysteine in the body.

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Says Sania, ‘I’m not Pakistan ki bahu; only Shoaib’s wife’ In an India-Pakistan match, she would support India, while wish Shoaib score a century Sania Mirza has reiterated that even though she has married to Shoaib Malik, a Pakistani cricketer, she wishes to continue to play for India. Shoaib has expressed his support to her wishes. Sania, trying to evade the IndiaPakistan angle, said she has married a person; his being a Pakistani doesn’t matter to her. She also added, “I am only Shoaib’s wife, not a Pakistan ki bahu”.

Speaking out her mind, for the first time since her marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza said last week she is happy to have married Shoaib, but also looks forward to representing India in the Commonwealth Games.

In an interview to a news channel on Friday, the newly wedded couple candidly spoke about their love, marriage and all the hype and hoopla over the India-Pakistan connec-

Shoaib and Sania with Sania’s father Imran Mirza

tion.

Asked how she felt about all the excitement in Pakistan about their marriage and the plans for a grand reception for her as well the buzz about her being Pakistan’s daughterin-law, Sania simply said, “I am not a Pakistan ki bahu; I’m just his (Shoaib’s) wife.”

On whether she was looking forward to going to Pakistan, Sania said, “I have been to Pakistan before. I have played matches in Islamabad.”

On whom she would support during an IndiaPakistan match, Sania, without waiting a moment, quipped, “I will support India and want him to make a century.”

Representing India in Commonwealth Games ‘special’ When asked about how she felt when some of her fans felt betrayed that she was marrying a Pakistani, Sania said, “I would like to tell not just those people but everyone that nothing has changed.

We both will continue to represent our countries…My immediate goal is to play in the Commonwealth Games as it's in India, so it'll be more special for me as an Indian.” Shoaib, on his part, reiterated that Sania will always represent India as a sportsperson and will get all his support.

Ayesha controversy On the controversy regarding Ayesha Siddiqui, Sania said, “We always knew truth; we knew the truth from the start. I was confident about Shoaib.”

Love developed slowly Regarding how it all started, Sania said that they met through common friends. “First time we met in Hobart in Australia, but I didn’t fall in love then. I had met the entire Pakistan team then.”

“It was at the third time…he met me while I was having dinner along with my father in an Indian restaurant.

Irfan Qadir to hear Pakistan Cricketers’ appeals Retired judge appointed by the PCB to decide on penal action Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday, 20 April announced appointment of Irfan Qadir, a retired judge to hear appeals by the players against the bans and fines slapped on them for the poor show on the Australia tour earlier this year.

Seven members of the

team that toured down under were banned or fined for their behaviour on the tour. While captain Mohammed Yousuf declared his retirement, the rest have appealed against the disciplinary action, necessitating the appointment of an arbitrator.

The PCB took drastic

steps against seven players it believed were responsible for Pakistan's failure to win a single game in Australia. The captain Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan were banned indefinitely, Shoaib Malik and Naved-ul-Hasan were banned for a year while Shahid Afridi and the

Akmal brothers were fined and placed on probation for six months. Yousuf and Younis were accused of infighting and having a negative influence on the team. The Akmal brothers and Naved lodged their appeals last week, followed by Afridi, Younis and then Malik.

Pakistan problems a cricket bonanza for UAE South Africa to play a series in the Gulf later this year

The problems and the security scenario in Pakistan has turned out to be a cricket bonanza for the UAE and at times even for Abu Dhabi, as teams unwilling to play in Pakistan agree to play in the gulf countries.

A lot of cricket was witnessed in Dubai and Sharjah recently. Now, media reports suggest South Africa has agreed to the request of the Pakistan Cricket Board for a series in UAE, though the schedule and the venues have yet to be decided.

"UAE has always been a viable cricket venue," Majola told Gulf News.

"We have played in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi before and we are looking forward to playing in the new stadium at the Dubai Sports City.

"We have not yet finalised the itinerary. We have been exploring options of playing in

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah but no decision has been taken."

The chief of the Emirates Cricket Association, Dilawar Mani, welcomed the news and said the Shiekh Zayed Stadium, a possible Test venue, was ready for the series. The ground hosted the inaugural game of the English domestic season this year, a four-day fixture between the MCC and Durham.

"It is very, very encouraging that we will soon be an international Test match venue," Mani was

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quoted as saying by The News. "This wicket looks so flat to me we could probably play a 10-day game on it," he said. "It is absolutely ready for a Test match. I think our groundsman has done a great job."

Majola added he was keen to send the South Africa A team to the UAE to train in conditions similar to the sub-continent, and said it would also help the national team in its preparation for the 2011 World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"We are hoping to send

our A team also to UAE. I am able to see that UAE is currently doing very well and hence will be a strong opposition to our A team.

It is also important for us to prepare our players to play in the sub-continent conditions. We will be speaking to UAE whether we can send our A team here," Majola said. "Our A team is our second best team. We want our A team to play here because if anything happens to our top players the players from our second best team will also know to play under these conditions."

Indian Premier League - Final points table Teams Mat Mumbai Indians 14 Deccan Chargers 14 Chennai Super Kings 14 Royal Challengers Bangalore 14 Delhi Daredevils 14 Kolkata Knight Riders 14 Rajasthan Royals 14 Kings XI Punjab 14

Won 10 8 7 7 7 7 6 4

Lost Tied 4 0 6 0 7 0 7 0 7 0 7 0 8 0 10 0

N/R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Pts 20 16 14 14 14 14 12 8

Net RR +1.084 -0.297 +0.274 +0.219 +0.021 -0.341 -0.514 -0.478

Roger Federer maintains his ATP top billing The Swiss tennis ace, Roger Federer has maintained his ATP top rank, with 10,690 points. There is no immediate threat to his top ranking, as Novak Kjokovic, the second ranked player is way behind with 7,390 points, while Rafel Nadal with 6,980 points is at the third spot.

Sehwag injured, out of T20 World Cup India’s T20 World Cup chances have been affected badly, as a shoulder injury has forced opener Virender Sehwag out of the tournament. His Delhi team mate Gautam Gambhir has been named vice captain, while Murali Vijay of Tamil Nadu has been picked up in place of the hard hitting opener.

It may be recalled that in the previous T20 World Cup last year too, Sehwag was injured and could not play a single match, though he did travel with the team to England.

"Virender Sehwag has sustained a shoulder injury and has been advised rest for three-four weeks. He has therefore been ruled out of the ICC World T20," BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement. "The ICC's Technical Committee has permitted a replacement for him. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has accordingly picked Murali Vijay," he added.

Murali Vijay, playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, has been in tremendous form. A breathtaking 56-ball 127 against Rajasthan Royals was the highlight of the season III so far for him.

English Premier League Matches Saturday, 24 April Arsenal v/s Man City Emirates Stadium Bolton v/s Portsmouth Reebok Stadium Hull v/s Sunderland Kingston Comms Stadium Man Utd v/s Tottenham Old Trafford West Ham v/s Wigan Boleyn Ground Wolverhampton v/s Blackburn Molineux Sunday, 25 April Aston Villa v/s Birmingham Villa Park Burnley v/s Liverpool Turf Moor Chelsea v/s Stoke Stamford Bridge Everton v/s Fulham Goodison Park

17:30 15:00 15:00 12:45 15:00 15:00 12:00 15:00 16:00 15:00

IPL: Results of 9 matches played till Monday, 19th April Match Date Teams No. 56 19 April KKR v/s MI at Kolkata KKR won by 9 wickets MI 133/8 (20 over); KKR 135/1 (17.3 overs) 55 18 April DD v/s DC at Delhi DC won by 11 runs DC 145/7 (20 overs); DD 134/7 (20 overs) 54 18 April KXIP v/s CSK at Dharamsala CSK won by 6 wickets KXIP 192/3 (20 overs); CSK 195/4 (19.4 overs) 53 17 April KKR v/s RR at Kolkata KKR won by 8 wickets RR 132/9 (20 overs); KKR 133/2 (16.1 overs) 52 17 April RCB v/s MI at Bangalore MI won by 57 runs MI 191/4 (20 overs); RCB 134/9 (20 overs) 51 16 April KXIP v/s DC at Dharamsala DC won by 5 wickets KXIP 174/3 (20 overs); DC 178/5 (19.1 overs) 50 15 April CSK v/s DD at Chennai DD won by 6 wickets CSK 112/9 (20 overs); DD 113/4 (18.4 overs) 49 14 April RR v/s RCB at Jaipur RCB won by 5 wickets RR 130/6 (20 overs); RCB 132/5 (15.4 overs) 48 13 April CSK v/s KKR at Chennai CSK won by 9 wickets KKR 139/8 (20 overs); CSK 143/1 (13.3 overs)

32

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010

Wimbledon prize money goes up Champions will take home a million pounds Men’s and Women’s title winners at Wimbledon this year will take home £1 million each. The organisers at the All England Club have raised the total prize money by £150,000 to offset the fall in the value of British pounds.

Pound has gone down against the US dollar and euro. The total prize money for the event will be £13.725 million, an increase of £1.175 million on 2009.

“Wimbledon exists in a highly competitive global marketplace and it is the world's best players who create and drive the interest,” said All England Club chairman Tim Phillips in a statement on the tournament Web site.

"It is important that we offer a level of prize money which is both appropriate to the prestige of the event and which gives the players full and fair reward."

No World Cup Football screenings at the All England Club Phillips also announced that this year's tournament, which runs from June 21 to July 4, will

be a "World Cup-free zone", with football fans denied the chance to watch matches on the big screens at the All England Club. "This is arguably the leading tennis tournament

in the world and people come here to watch tennis," Phillips added.

"If people want to watch the World Cup they should go to South Africa or watch it on the TV."

Mumbai – Bangalore, Chennai – Deccan in IPL Semi finals • Bombs and blasts rob Bangalore of the two important matches • Kolkata won the last match handsomely, but of no consequence The semi-final line up is ready and the four contenders will fight it out on Wednesday and Thursday, while the finals will be played on Sunday. All the games are to be played in Mumbai, though at different venues. Bangalore were originally scheduled to stage the semi finals, but twin bomb blasts on Saturday and later more bombs being found near the Stadium on Sunday led the shifting of the games to Navi Mumbai.

Mumbai Indians will play against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday in the first semi finals, while Chennai Super Kings will take on the Deccan Chargers in the second semi finals, on Thursday.

The two losing semi finalists will play for the third spot on Saturday, also at Mumbai. It may be interesting to note that Mumbai Indians are the favourites to take the IPL title this season.

They also have the best track record, winning the most number of matches this year.

Incidentally, Kolkata Knight Riders posted the best of the victories in the IPL season III on Monday, beating Mumbai Indians. They did have a chance to make it to the last four stage, though it was a very tough, almost an impossible one. Finally, it was too late to make a difference to the fortunes of KKR. Incidentally, they are the only team unable to make it to the last four stage in any of the IPL seasons so far.

Since Mumbai had their top spot secured, they rested their top 5 players in the Monday game against KKR. {Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 135 for 1 (McCullum 57*, Ganguly 42) beat Mumbai Indians 133 for 8 (Tiwary 46, Kartik 220, Bond 2-24) by 9 wickets}.

Kiran Patel to run for FYF at Virgin London Marathon

Kiran Patel, a Chartered Accountant and a partner at Weston Kay in London is to run the Virgin London Marathon this weekend. An enthusiast, Kiran will be running at the event for the fifth consecutive year. A group of 18 Gujaratis, known as the Stanmore group is also to participate in the Marathon.

Kiran Patel has chosen to run for a small UK based charity, known as “Find Your Feet” (FYF) this year. The charity helps some of the world’s poorest communities in India and Malawi. Its programmes are aimed at helping the poor people secure basic human rights for themselves – right to food, clean water and a livelihood. Most of the Stanmore group also would be supporting various charities.

FYF is working together with over 31,000 poor and marginalised families to improve their harvests, set up small businesses and help them to have access to services like clean water, healthcare and education.

Kiran Patel

Founded in 1960, FYF has a small, dedicated team of staff in the UK and are committed to managing all resources efficiently and keeping overheads to a minimum. Therefore, most of your donations actually go to the people who need it and not in administration. To find out more about FYF, visit their website, www.fyf.org.uk. Kiran has set a target to raise over £10,000 for FYF. In his own words, “I have two reasons for tak-

Stanmore group – Raj Patel, Birju Shah, Mala Suchak, Chandni Gukka, Dhimant Shah, Sheetal Shah, Mukesh Shah, Sheetal Gohil, Namrata Gor, Rajen Shah, Deep Shah, Kaushik Shah, Kirti Shah, Nishi Nathwani, Pankaj Shah and Shivani Patel (not all are pictured above)

ing part in the London Marathon. Firstly, in the ever demanding world of business life, I found that as I grew older, it became more and more difficult to keep up and improve the pace needed to fulfil my commitments to my family, my partners, clients, all those who I come into contact with, both socially and in business. The second reason is to make a difference! A difference to the endless number of charities that I have sup-

ported whilst taking part in numerous runs, from short 10k runs to full Marathons. Over the last five years, I have managed to raise in excess of £50,000 for good causes.

Kiran has requested all to help him in his quest and donate generously to FYF. This can be done online by visiting the following website: http://www.justgiving.com /kiran-patel or by sending your cheques, made payable to “Find Your

Feet” directly to me at Weston Kay, 73/75 Mortimer Street, London W1W 7SQ. Stanmore group 18 Marathon running have been training for the last 6 months for this Sunday’s London Marathon – a gruelling 26.2 miles. 15 of these are ‘first timers’ so the whole experience is quite exciting and challenging. Out of the 18 runners, 7 are women! The runners come from various walks of life – from students (the

youngest being only 19,) professionals and entrepreneurs. All of them live in North London stretching from Wembley, Northwood, Rickmansworth to Hadley Woods.

They are all running for various charities. Raj Patel and Dhimant Shah (pictured above) are raising money for Heart and Stroke research at Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research. They have both set themselves a high fundraising target of raising £2,600 each – if you want to sponsor them, please do so via their virginmoneygiving.com pages. All of them have been coached by a veteran marathon runner, Piyush Gudka, who has put them through a tough training schedule.

Stanmore group – Raj Patel, Birju Shah, Mala Suchak, Chandni Gukka, Dhimant Shah, Sheetal Shah, Mukesh Shah, Sheetal Gohil, Namrata Gor, Rajen Shah, Deep Shah, Kaushik Shah, Kirti Shah, Nishi Nathwani, Pankaj Shah and Shivani Patel (not all are pictured above)