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VOL 41. ISSUE 29

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe 24th November to 30th November 2012

Prime Minister hosts gala Diwali Reception at 10 Downing Street

PM David Cameron lighting the Diwali diya as HE Dr Jaimini Bhagwati, the Indian High Commissioner and official priest for the evening Shruti Dharma das looks on

Rupanjana Dutta

streets of Mumbai began to empty out, with shops and offices pulling down shutters. As the news of the political heavyweight’s demise spread, political figures, ministers across the country sent out condolences to the Thackeray family.

Thackeray started his party in 1966 to safeguard the interests of Maharashtrians. Later on Thackeray identified with the idea of Hindutva and tied up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Before joining politics, Thackeray was a political cartoonist with The Free Press Journal in Mumbai. He launched Saamna, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, in

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Bal Keshav Thackeray, the founder of the Shiv Sena that campaigned against migrant workers and western cultural imports in Mumbai and Maharashtra, died on Sunday, 18th November at the age of 86. He was later cremated at the very ground where he had launched his political outfit. Millions of supporters filled up every inch of the massive Shivaji Park ground, where 46 years ago on the festival of Dushehra, Thackeray had launched the party.

Draped in the National Flag, Thackeray was given a gun salute as a part of the state funeral.

As soon as Thackeray’s death was announced, the

1989 where he wrote pointed and often controversial pieces targeting his political opponents.

Thackeray was known for his charisma and might, and often feared and revered by locals.

Thackeray was a leader capable of bringing Mumbai to its knees if he so desired. Shiv Sena controlled the Mumbai municipal corporation in alliance with BJP for most of the last two decades. His party’s ideology was that Maharashtra belonged to the local Marathi community and their interests must take precedence over others. The BJP-Shiv Sena combine won the 1995 Maharashtra State

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Assembly elections and came to power. During the tenure of the government from 1995 to 1999, Thackeray played a major role in government policies and decisions from behind the scenes.

Thackeray lost his wife Meena to a heart attack in September 1996, and his eldest son Bindumadhav ("Binda") to a road accident on 20 April 1996.

On July 28, 1999 Thackeray was banned from voting and contesting in any election for six years from December 11, 1999 till December 10, 2005 on the recommendations of the Election Commission. Thackeray Continued on page 26

The Prime Minister David Cameron hosted his annual (and third) Diwali reception at 10 Downing Street on Monday 19th November, inviting a diverse selection of around 150 guests from across the British Indian community, including a cross-section of professionals, organisations and ages.

For one evening only, Downing Street was transformed into an Indian Palace with divas, rangolis patterns, flowers, ornaments and a variety of Indian delicacies. From decoration including embroidered umbrellas to low seating couch to bronze statues to flowers resembling yellow and orange marigolds, a mini 'Indian wedding' ambience was created.

This year was an year of many firsts. First time Mr Cameron's young

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children were publicly seen in a gathering for the invited members of community, quietly picking up savouries and sweets from the food displayed at the lounge, posing for the camera and socialising with the staff.

Young Arthur was seen sneaking into the reception hall in a blue tshirt as Nancy wore a nice Indian ghagra choli, as they smiled at the photographers and munched away on the Indian snacks. First time Larry, the Downing Street cat also made a very brief public appearance by the lobby, as the guests made their way out. Also it was the first time Sruti Dharma das from Iskcon was invited to do a Vedic prayer to formally start the evening's festivity.

The celebration started with a networking session over drinks (non alcoholic), Continued on page 2

2

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

Susanna Steptoe, Marketing Director, ASD Cape Town Susanna won the Andrew Cross Award for 'Best Young Talent in British Broadcasting 2000' before graduating with a BA in English Literature from the University of Warwick. She then worked as Marketing Coordinator for the Leicester Riders and fronted basketball reports for MATV. In 2006, she qualified as a Secondary Teacher of English and Sociology, and taught for three years before moving to South Africa to join the family owned ASD Cape Town Soccer Academy. In 2011 she returned to the UK as ASD's Marketing Director, and now works with ASD's sister Player Management Company, Kemp Thornton, presently looking after Indian U19 International, Brandon Fernandes.

1) Please tell us about your current position?

I am the Marketing Director for ASD Cape Town. ASD Cape Town is an elite, residential soccer school based in the heart of the Western Cape, South Africa. My role predominantly involves the commercial management of the graduates who are playing professional soccer in Europe.

finally achieving their dreams on the world soccer stage. Our U19's, most of whom hail from utter poverty and hardship, tore apart Anderlecht and won by 4 goals to 1 on Anderlecht's home turf last year. The European press labelled ASD, 'South Africa's FC Barcelona', and it was the most incredible feeling!

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Watching young soccer players develop and evolve, to the point of

3) How do you see the role of Africa Soccer Development changing in the future?

South Africa is still a

them in later life. We try to create a microcosm of what a society without segregation should be like.

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

The sharks in the football industry are far more dangerous than the Great Whites that lurk around the Cape Town coastline! They take advantage of the fact these kids have dreams, and so promise them the world. All we can do is teach players to make sound judgement and hope that when the time comes, they are discerning enough to recognise the warning signs for themselves.

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

My father. He is a Director of ASD and the project was his vision. I try to view him as objectively as I would any other boss. He has taught me 'your word is your bond', and he operates with integrity at all times. If I can even come close to emulating him, I know I will be able to hold my head up high, regardless of what life throws my way.

country that bears the scars of Apartheid. At ASD we have attempted to knock down all barriers, and with our partner

charity Hope Academy, we take an holistic approach it's crucial to us that our scholars are given education and skills to equip

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

Contributing to youngsters achieving their dreams. Even in the smallest way, watching a

boy who has come from nothing, grow into a young man with a future full of prospects, on and off the pitch, is something that makes every moment worthwhile.

7) And the worst?

Some weeks the work is never ending and the emails, relentless. Since Brandon Fernandes came to the UK on trial, nearly every sports journalist in India wants daily updates, which of course is brilliant, but with the time difference, I can be up at 5am, and still glued to my iPad at 11pm. I wouldn't change it though.

8) What are your long term goals?

I would like to see ASD feature as a fully fledged football club in SA's Premier League. When these boys play together, it's magic, and I want that brand of magic to inspire future generations of young soccer players. I also want Brandon Fernandes to draw the footballing world's attention to the untapped talent in India, because there are plenty of young men there with no one to facilitate their soccer dreams!

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

Jesus, because who better to spend time with?

Prime Minister hosts a gala Diwali Reception at 10 Downing Street Continued from page 1 Indian canapes and sweets as the crème de la crème of the Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist community present eagerly awaited the Prime Minister to join them. A live instrumental music was played as people greeted and met the invited guests.

As PM Cameron and the Indian High Commissioner, HE Dr Jaimini Bhagwati went up on the dais ushered by the Tory MP Shailesh Vara, the Prime Minister formally opened the reception by lighting the diva lamps, along with the Indian High Commissioner Dr Jaimini Bhagwati, with Vedic prayers led by Shrutidharma Das from Bhaktivedanta Manor.

Welcoming everybody, especially the Indian High Commissioner, Mr Cameron started his speech with a bit of humour. He joked after England’s defeat against India in the first test cricket in Ahmedabad and said, “I know when we’re defeated and I won’t say anymore!”

He spoke on the pirit of Diwali and went on to say that- Diwali is a festival of light and it is hence

PM David Cameron addressing the guests as Shrutidharma dasji smiles on

held closer to the darkest day of the year, as the communities light lamps celebrating Lord Ram's victory, somewhat like our bonfire night, perhaps better in essence. He added, that Ramayana depicted the right blend of 'affection, protection and correction'- and emphasised that is what the government and politics should be about. The ultimate goal is to triumph over evil.

He further added, the British Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists have contributed immensely to

our British community and “I want to send my very best wishes to all our communities here in the United Kingdom and around the world celebrating the festival of Diwali.”

The Prime Minister also paid tribute to, “the great cultural, social and economic contribution the British Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists have made to this country in almost every field.”

Wishing all present 'Nutun varash ni abhinandan', he concluded that the Vikram Sambhat 2068 has been a special year as

we celebrated the British multiculturalism in Olympics, Queen's Diamond Jubilee- all ethnicities making a common goal.

Present amongst the guests were Lord Dolar Popat, who told Asian Voice “We are grateful to the Prime Minister for acknowledging the festival of Diwali and for opening up Downing Street to the community to celebrate this special occasion, whose message is relevant to all communities, and not just Hindus, Jains and Sikhs.”

President of the Hindu The invited guests included Rt Hon Keith Council of Birmingham Vaz, who has been a said “It is an absolute privilege to visit 10 Downing Labour MP for over 25 Street and we are honyears, Subhash Thakrar, oured that the Prime Chairman, London Minister has acknowlChambers of Commerce, edged the contribution of Nanda Kumarji, Director, British Indians up and Bhavans, Kapil Dudakia, down the country by invitBob Blackman MP, ing us here to celebrate Kishan Devani, Founder, Diwali.”

Hindu Journey, Arjan Guests left the recepVekaria, President, Hindu tion feeling honoured and Forum of Britain, Ishwar jubilant. One particular Tailor, Pranav Bhanot, guest Mayuri Parmar comPresident, NHSF, former councillor Anjana Patel, Lord Indarjit Singh, Indian High Commissioner Dr Bhagwati, Baroness Sandip Verma, Ashok Verma, Paul Uppal, MP, Bharti Tailor, eminent journalists like Dhruv Gadvi, Zee tv, Ashis Ray, Times of India, Krishna GuruMurthy, Channel 4, business tycoons like Indian High Commissioner, Pradip Dhamecha, Shrai Madhvani and Dr Jaimini Bhagwati lighting the diya mented that the “celebraRami Ranger, Chairmen tions gave the British of the Conservative Party, Indian community a sense Lord Andrew Feldman and the Rt Hon Grant of belonging to this great Shapps, as well as the Rt country where the Prime Hon Greg Barker, Minister not only opened Minister of State for his home to celebrate Energy and Climate Diwali but praised us for Change. being positive, progressive Jyostna Thanki, the and peace loving.”

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

COMMENT

Diwali helps to remove darkness from vicinity Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs, along with their relations and friends (of other faiths or no faith affiliations), have celebrated Diwali on the 13th of November and welcomed the Hindu new year, Vikram Sambhat 2069 on the 14th of November.

Since the formation of the Coalition government, Prime Minister David Cameron invites followers of the above faiths and other friends to a Diwali reception at the 10 Downing Street. On Monday, the 19th, Mr Cameron hosted a gala reception, that was attended by 150 prominent members of the Asian community.

Such festivities are beneficial in fostering harmonious relations between cultures and communities. In India, the Diwali celebrations are as usual full of pomp and gaiety. TV broadcasts vividly described visually the celebrations especially in the cities, up and down the country, with so much lighting and fireworks that it bedazzles one.

Focusing on the fun and the exuberance, one would momentarily forget that a large majority of Indians live on a very shoe string budget. According to the World Bank statistics at least 300 million Indians survive on less than 2 dollars per day. Such meager income cannot provide adequate housing, health care let alone children's education and wellbeing.

It may look strange, but such contradictions in India do not generate critical outburst, as one can see in other countries, with economic hardships in pursuit of deficit reductions. Why? It is a serious question for both economists and sociologists.

Politicians in India, generally speaking do not place the economic hardships before personal luxuries, as some of them are cushioned by unlimited sources acquired through 'under table dealings'.

The deprived people of India see the luxurious lifestyle of those who have not legitimately earned their wealth and see them squander money, while the poor often starve. The Indian tradition or say the Hindu tradition of the Karmic principle perhaps makes them accept hardships and injustice as the rewards of deeds and misdeeds of their past life.

We live in an age where science has created wonders. Inspite of that, advanced societies like that of Indians blindly accept the conditions, which deprive them of their basic rights of resistance or even rebellion!

As Kabir and others had rightfully said: “The heaven and hell are over here and during one's life time.” Gandhiji tried to tackle (at least he tried seriously) the century old and unacceptable untouchability and many injustices towards widows in particular, and women in general. Alas, there is no Gandhi now to shake our conscience and make us stand up against such inhuman and intolerable practices. If the message of Gandhiji can reach Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and subsequently Barack Obama, it can also inspire all of us.

Diwali is a time of stock taking. Let us look within ourselves and try to re-kindle that light, however small it maybe, to remove any darkness from its vicinity.

An era comes to an end, but Thackeray’s legacy will continue Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray who died on Saturday was both respected and feared by politicians and people. He had his own political ideology and was a phenomenon. He never held any official position but was given a state funeral, which shows his stature among public. When other leaders tried and failed in their attempt to tap into the Marathi sentiment in the Bombay of the 1960s, Thackeray succeeded in mobilising people in millions. They stayed loyal to him through nearly five decades of his own shifting loyalties and changing principles that would have defeated politically greater leaders than Thackeray. However, Balasaheb survived all the contradictions of his own politics because he had confidence in his policies, many of which were beyond the pale. It is not in how right his policies were but in how wrong those of others were that he managed to thrive. It was the blunders committed by the Congress in the early days that set him up in business against the Communists who dominated Mumbai.

The Shiv Sena to begin with was a party of the Right only because of its bitter opposition to the Left. But barring the Communists, Thackeray was game for experimentation with other streams of ideology. After supporting the Emergency and calling for a Mumbai bandh in 1978, he could make a smooth transition less than a decade later to the extreme right in alliance with the BJP because of this very lack of ideology. To Thackeray, when an opportunity presented itself, he grabbed it with both hands if it suited his agenda. It is mystifying why the support of his Sainiks did not waver when he chopped and changed so much. Even when he either fomented violence or looked the other way when riots broke out, the middle class stuck by

him. He called for a secular monument in Ayodhya to replace the Babri Masjid after causing riots in Mumbai just two years earlier over the same issue. Yet, such was the force of his personality that he commanded loyalty from such huge number. Thackeray could abuse presidents and PMs with alacrity one day - the only 'leader' he admired was Adolf Hitler in several aspects - and seek alliances with them the next. His opponents had to take this on the chin because this charismatic man was a force to reckon with. Many politicians understood his maverick style while at the same time considered him advantageous in some special ways. His biggest success, boosting his image in the eyes of his supporters was that he was someone who was afraid of no one or nothing and would say it like it is, howsoever irrational what he said sounded. Even his severest critic accepts that he was not anti-Muslim per se but he made it clear that Indian Muslims must be absolutely loyal to India.

Thackeray began life as a cartoonist, hating politicians. Yet he became a consummate one, changing the socio-politics of at least Mumbai, if not all of Maharashtra. He was perhaps surprised by his own successes, which neither his son nor his nephew have been able to emulate. Now the fate of the Sena hangs in the balance with this nephew and son locked in a struggle for his legacy. Social scientists will rack their brains to understand how this ideologically bereft but fascinating figure whom Salman Rushdie referred to unflatteringly in his book The Moor's Last Sigh was able to change the landscape of cosmopolitan Mumbai and whose actions often had a far-reaching impact on the nation.

Savita Halappanavar's death may stir Ireland to change abortion law India and Ireland, despite of the distance of 4,500 miles between them, have a durable and mutual friendship. The Irish freedom struggle was able to inspire millions in India, for the Indian independence. One of the earliest colonies and the largest portion of the Empire had a very special bond. Such a friendship was shattered by the death of Dr Savita Halappanavar, an Indian origin dentist, working in Dublin. She was pregnant and purely on medical terms needed her child to be aborted to survive. The laws of the land simply denied her the simple, acceptable, and medically justifiable treatment. Savita had to pay the price of a 'petty' belief in Catholicism that

left a life in jeopardy, causing a painful and avoidable loss of life. The question that raises here is whether an unborn life is more sacred, valued and more important than that of a well-educated woman?

Religion was described by Karl Marx as the “opium of the people.” Do we really need more opium than common sense?

In the era of modernism, equal opportunities and removal of inequalities are not confined to a particular race, religion or gender discrimination. Followers of all faiths and perhaps none must carefully consider if age old blind faiths, superstitions and discriminations are worth more than such innocent lives.

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Thought for the Week In spite of illness, in spite of the arch enemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable of intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways - Edith Wharton (1862-1937)

“Our London” Navin Shah

GLA Member for Brent and Harrow

Fire Stations At the Risk of Closure There is a sense of anxiety and concern in the London Assembly about setting the forthcoming Budget for the Greater London Authority and its functional bodies like the Metropolitan Police and London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA).

Metropolitan Police is facing unprecedented crisis with 20% cuts in London’s policing required by the Government and the Mayor of London. The Met Commissioner has confirmed that the police force has to save £500m by 2015. This would result in deletion of up to 6,000 officer posts and 2,000 civilian staff jobs.

LFEPA which runs London’s Fire Brigade too is facing crisis situation with nearly £65 million cuts required for the next two financial years.

This is a reduction of 16% of fire Authority’s budget. The Authority has so far identified cuts proposals of £14 million, still leaving a whacking big hole of £51 million to be found. What do all these figures actually mean to Londoners in terms of the fire cover and our safety?

The recent documents and options released by LFEPA to plug the financial hole suggests that to save £30 Million the fire authority could be closing 17 fire stations, losing 17 fire engines and cutting 600 jobs. The stations listed in the document as earmarked for closure are: Acton, Belsize, Bow, Clapham, Clerkenwell, Downham, Islington, Kensington, Kingsland, Knightsbridge, New Cross, Peckham, Silvertown, Southwark,

We s t m i n s t e r , Whitechapel and Woolwich. This is not a definitive list but if any of these fire stations are in your area and you require more information I’d be happy to assist. LFEPA’s documents further reveal that alternatively to find £50 Million savings it could be looking at closing up to 31 fire stations and removing 36 Fire Engines.

The fire authority has identified 28 fire stations that would not close as a result of the cost cutting measures. They are: Barking, Battersea, Croydon, Dagenham, Dockhead, East Ham, E d m o n t o n , Hammersmith, Harold Hill, Harrow, Heston, Holloway, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Leytonstone, Millwall, Mitcham, Old Kent Road, Orpington, Paddington, Plaistow, Purley, Shadwell, Stratford, Walthamstow, Wembley and West Norwood.

Without a doubt LFEPA is facing worst crisis in its history with £65M savings required over the next two years.

This has been caused by the Government forcing the fire authority to find 25% savings which threatens the front line services - putting at risk safety of Londoners and compounded by Mayor Johnson’s demand for further cuts to make his pledge of reducing the GLA precept by a further 10%.

Fire in London does not appear to be of any priority for the Mayor of London as there is not a word about the fire service in his manifesto.

Continued on page 6

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

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LEICESTER / MIDLANDS VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Father and son honoured A father and son have been recognised for their work in the community.

Abdulla Moti, 77, and his 52-year-old son Abdulaziz were presented with honoured citizen awards by Lord Mayor, Abdul Osman, last Sunday.

Abdulla was responsible for setting up Cutchi Sunni Muslim Association in Leicester in 2002, based on a similar organisation he had founded in Nairobi, Kenya. He said: "At the start, we were concerned with bringing the different parts of the community together – there were a lot of people from Kenya in Leicester."

Originally chairman of the association – a post now held by his son – Abdulla is currently its chief adviser, assistant

Abdulla Moti, Lord Mayor Abdul Osman and Abdulaziz

treasurer and social activities organiser. He is well known for helping to take elderly members of the association on trips around the country.

Abdulaziz has been involved with a charity raising money for Kosovan and Albanian war victims, providing mosques, education and

clinics. He has helped organise numerous fundraising events, ranging from football tournaments to fashion shows.

For the past five years, he has been trustee of the madrasa (school) at the Loughborough Road mosque. This provides Islamic education evening classes for boys

and girls, held from 5pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday. There are currently 380 students registered to take part.

Abdulaziz said: "We have segregated classes in the mosque – one upstairs, the other downstairs. It helps children understand their heritage and keeps them off the streets."

Aside from his community and charity work, he runs a property business in Leicester and lives off Melton Road. He and his father maintain a close contact with Kenya, from where Mr Moti senior moved to the UK in 1987. They are responsible for building a mosque, a hospital, an orphanage and an Islamic studies centre at Mitito Andei, between Nairobi and Mombasa.

Parmar family ‘Highly Commended’ at Midlands Business Awards The seventy-five year old fourth generation family business, A E Beckett & Sons in Wythall, Birmingham, has been crowned the Midlands’ family business of 2012 in the region’s only Awards initiative to recognise family businesses and their leaders. ‘Becketts Farm’ as it is known, won the hotly contested headline category in the Midlands Family Business Awards, beating off stiff competition from more than thirty category entrants, including family businesses The City Rooms in Leicester, run by Kiran Parmar, and

The City Rooms, Highly Commended in the headline Family Business of the Year, (L to R): Nina Parmar, Sharon Parmar, Kiran Parmar, Naresh Parmar, Elki Parmar

Northamptonshire’s Triplar, both Highly Commended

Businessman jailed over cocaine find A businessman caught with more than ÂŁ11,000 worth of cocaine has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Depesh Ravalia (24) was convicted of possessing the class A drug with intent to supply by a jury at a recent trial.

Sentencing him at Leicester Crown Court Monday Judge Simon Hammond said Ravalia had lied during his court case, wrongly claiming the drug was for personal use.

His barrister, Nigel Mitchell, said he now accepted he was looking after the cocaine on behalf of another, as a custodian.

Ravalia, who runs a hairdressing business in the city, was stopped on St George's Way, in Leicester, because of the faulty light.

Officers were suspicious and found a small amount of the class C drug BZP inside a cap in the vehicle.

It resulted in Ravalia's home, in Huggett Close, Rushey Mead, Leicester, being searched. Three cling film wraps, totalling

68 grams of cocaine, were found in his wardrobe.

Ravalia, a graduate, claimed during his trial that he bought the cocaine for ÂŁ60 as a "treat" to have over Christmas. He said he got it from a dealer on a street near his home. He said he was not addicted to the drug and insisted it was for personal use.

Alan Murphy, prosecuting, said the cocaine was "high grade" with 27.87 grams of it having a purity of 76 per cent, 13.81 grams at 75 per cent and 27.2 grams at 49 per cent. The average purity of street deals were said to be between 10 and 15 per cent.

Drugs expert, Detective Constable Iain Hollis, told the jury the 68 grams were worth ÂŁ3,750 wholesale. But he said it could be mixed with a cutting agent to achieve a greater volume, with a street value of ÂŁ11,920.

The officer said the amount Ravalia was found with was "beyond realistic personal use".

category runners-up.

All winners in The

Midlands Family Business Awards, now in their third year, were announced at a prestigious dinner and ceremony at Leicester’s Curve last Thursday. The Awards are underwritten by third generation family business, The Wilson Organisation, and are a charitable initiative, with all proceeds this year being donated to The Prince’s Trust.

The Awards’ headline category, sponsored by Smith Cooper, one of the Midlands’ leading accountancy and business advisory services firms, is for family businesses in any industry sector and established for over ten years.

Man in court on murder charge A 31-year-old man accused of murdering his wife appeared before a crown court judge on Monday.

Yacoub Rezai, of Hand Avenue, Braunstone, Leicester, is charged with the murder of 23-year-old mother-of-two Raihana Rezayi. Her body was discovered at 2.20pm on Tuesday, November 13 in a house in Hand Avenue.

The brief Leicester Crown Court hearing on Monday was translated into Farsi by an interpreter, who stood in the dock next to Rezai. There was no application for bail. Judge Michael Pert QC remanded Rezai back into custody until November 30, when a preliminary hearing is due to take place.

Victim named in Wolverhampton murder probe Police investigating the murder of a Wolverhampton man have named him as Swaran Singh. The 54-year-old’s body was found at a house on Neachells Lane on Wednesday, November 7.

Initially his death was not considered suspicious and was referred to the coroner, but the results of a post mortem examination raised detectives' suspicions.

The medical investigation confirmed that Mr Singh’s death was believed to be consistent with him having been assaulted and a murder inquiry was

launched. The house where Mr Singh’s body was found remains sealed off as forensic inquiries are completed.

A man, aged 42, was arrested on Wednesday, November 14 in connection with Mr Singh’s death. He was questioned on suspicion of murder and was later released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Anyone with information to help the police investigation should call Force CID by dialling 101, or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Change habits to promote good health

After being warned he was damaging his liver and kidneys, warehouse worker Paresh Chudasama, pictured, cut his alcohol consumption in half.

The 47-year-old was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago, and his GP spelt out a future of liver and kidney disease if he did not change his ways.

He had also piled on the pounds – but never realised that the eight or nine cans of lager he was drinking a night were playing a part in his weight problem.

Mr Chudasama, said: "It was a real wake-up call.

I was told that unless I stopped drinking so much and lost weight, I would have to take more and more tablets for the diabetes and I risked getting liver and kidney disease. I knew I had to do something."

Mr Chudasama was referred to the Dhal (diet, health and activity in Leicester) programme,

run by the Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetics Service, which is aimed at specifically helping the South Asian community.

The 10-week course combines nutrition advice with physical activity such as tai chi, badminton, yoga or circuit training.

Gulshinder Chattha, a senior dietician with the Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetics Service, said: "Traditionally, the South Asian community eat a lot of high-fat foods and when you combine that with a Western lifestyle of more takeaways and more drinking, the problems can begin.

Drinking alcohol reduces the amount of fat your body uses as energy and the high fat content of a South Asian diet cannot be burnt off. This can cause the build up of abdominal fat, a contributory factor in diabetes."

For more information on the Dhal programme, call 0116 272 7200.

Illegal immigrants arrested after raid on textile business Apex Designs Fifteen illegal immigrants were arrested after a raid on a city textile business.

They were detained after officers from the Border Agency and the HM Revenue & Customs paid an unannounced visit to Apex Designs (Leic) in Linden Street, Spinney Hills, Leicester, last Thursday.

As they entered the premises, six men tried to escape through a rear exit but were stopped by officers who had already secured it. The UK Border Agency checked the immigration status of 45 employees. They arrested 15 people who were found to have no right to be in the UK, being either visa overstayers or failed asylum seekers.

A total of 12 were from India, one was from Afghanistan, one from Iran and another from Pakistan.

Ten of the illegal workers have been detained pending their removal from the UK while the remaining five have been released on immigration bail while the agency takes action to remove them.

The firm faces a possible fine of up to ÂŁ10,000 per illegal worker, which will have to be paid unless it can prove it took steps to confirm the right to work of the foreign nationals.

Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Tete-a-tete with the COO of IndiaCast Indrani Thakurata Viacom18 has launched a new channel in the UK called Rishtey under a new distribution platform IndiaCast. We have a tete-a-tete with the COO of IndiaCast, Gaurav Gandhi about the channels and its plans. Gaurav joined Viacom 18 in March 2010 as the Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International Business for the group and was in charge of expanding growth avenues and establishing Viacom18’s footprint outside India. After the exponential growth of 'Colors' in India, he is now focused on making the channel a leader in the International markets. In a short span of eighteen months, he has expanded the 'Colors' footprint in over 55 markets through channel distribution and content sales deals.

Q: What does Rishtey promise in terms of content and entertainment?

With Rishtey we have done three different things. For the first time we have created a brand for the south asian side for the UK market. It is a new service . It doesn’t run in India, it is only in the UK. Most people land an India channel and distribute that. Rishtey is in a free space, unlike Colours. It is primarily done to attract wider audience.

In Rishtey we are straddling with 4-5 genres in one channel, called the hybrid service. It is a movie channel for movie buff and drama channel for a soap enthusiast. It has music and kids programme, so basically it has something for each person. A close look at the schedule will give you the slots; it starts with music and drama and then it has movie which is slated for 3pm in the afternoon and 9 pm at night, news features etc.

In a nutshell, it is wholesome entertainment, much different from Colours.

Colours brings in the best of India programming. The battle here is different, to reach a wider audience. We have done it with the first show Surkshetra, it is the face of the Indian, Pakistani talent, where we have judges from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Therefore it attracted the Pakistani viewers also.

And the medium is English, to reach a wider audience.

We have got tremendous success over the last few years in 100 odd countries in marketing and selling Colours content in the whole centre europe. The likes of ‘Balika Badhu’ are dubbed and subtitled in the local languages for the local audiences. I believe that after Bollywood, the Indian soap is also going beyond the south asian base.

Q: So how have the time slots in Rishtey been divided?

We have got two-three hours of Bollywood music in the morning. Then we have a 3 pm movie. At 9 pm, there is a blockbuster movie, its the biggest hits. 6-9 pm is slated for very popular drama series. Then we have Sur Kshetra at 9pm on the weekend. Apart from that, next three to six months we will be working on local programming.

We will make community engaging shows.

Q: So that explains why it is launching in UK? Yes, UK has got huge base of south

Q: So is Rishtey a free channel?

Colour is a pay channel and Rishtey will remain free.

Gaurav Gandhi

asian community. It is the top south asian market overseas. It is multi cultural. So, that explains why it is the first market to attack for the indian content to go mainstream.

Q: So, has the name Rishtey carefully coined?

I guess so. (Laughs) I would like to claim that. It states the emotion of the relationship. We would like the brand to have a far deeper relationship with the audiences here. We are planning local programmes shortly here. We will do a ground connect and community connect with Rishtey here.

Q: How confident are you with the Rishta with the UK viewers?

We are pretty confident. We are going barb straightaway next month.

We start our marketing first week of next month. We are confident of the viewership and the response we will get. We have got good early feelers from the audience

Hitman convicted of murder and robbery of Anni Dewani A hitman was convicted on Monday of pulling the trigger to murder a young bride during their honeymoon in South Africa.

Mngeni, 25, was found guilty of premeditated murder at the Western Cape High Court after claiming he had been tortured by police into making a confession. The small-time drug dealer was accused of plotting with two other men to carry out the murder for 15,000 rand [now £1,069].

Mr Dewani, 35, who has been accused of arranging the murder, is being held at a secure

mental health hospital in Bristol while fighting extradition to South Africa to face trial. The care home owner denies the allegation and it was reported at the weekend that a key text message in which he allegedly organises payment for the murder is “missing”. Mrs Dewani, 28, was shot after the newlyweds travelled by taxi through the impoverished Gugulethu township in Cape Town in November 2010. Her husband and the driver, Zola Tongo, were ejected from the car before Mrs Dewani was driven away and

killed.

The court heard that Mngeni’s palm print was on the hijacked taxi in which Mrs Dewani’s body was found and that he was found in possession of items taken from Mrs Dewani and the couple’s taxi driver and had pointed out key details of the murder to police after his arrest. He was acquitted of Mrs Dewani’s kidnapping but convicted of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Sentences will be passed at a later date.

5

The reality of migration: Youth unemployment funds?

It is quite evident people tend to have a pre-concieved notion that the increase in migrants will lead to some sort of slow down of the economy.

The Metro released a set of 'Busting myths about migrants' and the actual facts, compiled by Tania Farias, Tunde Akinfolajimi, Nicola Chelotti and Tala Sweiss.

One of the myths included “Migrants are the drain to the economy”, but in actual fact migrants tend to have a larger drive to become entrepreneurs and were more likely to start new businesses in the UK than non-migrants.

Therefore, rather than being a burden, they make a valuable contribution to the economy.

Another myth stated that 'migrants take more jobs from young Britons'.

This was also untrue, as immigration has no effect on unemployment. This was concluded from a report recently published for 'Economic and Social Research- which uses data from National Insurance numbers- finds no relationship between the number of people migrating to the UK and the number of people claiming jobless benefits. The research suggests migra-

tion has no significant impact on unemployment during periods of low growth or the recent recession.'

The final myth: “Migrants come to the UK and take our social housing”. In order to have social housing they must be a permanent resident or a European Economic worker, which means that most asylum-seekers, students and work visa holders are not eligible for social housing.

On the other hand, Wealthy immigrants outside the Europen Union are able to fast-track permanent residence in the UK by making payments of £1m, £5m or £10m.

However, these payments can be made as loan, which is usually handed to their own businesses, as opposed to investing it in a British company. The Home Office have possible plans of using these million-pound investments for a youth unemployment fund or in other words a “Big Society bond” as a way of making the investor visa more beneficial and effective for UK plc.

The Home office are due to launch a consultation some time next year, regarding matters on

whether or not the UK can make use of the funds.

Home Officers have been put under immense pressure in the attempt of trying to get net migration down to “tens of thousands”.

However, London Mayor, Boris Johnson seemed to be attacking the “crazy” policy proposal stating that the government's immigration policies are discouraging international students from considering UK universities as a viable option.

Mr Johnson believes it would be “slamming the door on all nonUK nationals”. The immigration minister, Mark Harper seemed “determined” that Britain should stay as an attractive destination for those you have a lot to contribute, as “investors and entrepreneurs play a major role in our economic growth”.

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

When the Playboy brand regained its virginity

By Spriha Srivastava

Time to celebrate curry?

The UK’s favourite cuisine will once again be honoured as the eighth annual British Curry Awards takes place on 26th November 2012, at a glittering gala event at Battersea Evolution in London.

With the UK curry industry boasting 10,000 restaurants and 80,000 employees, the awards have become a highlight on the UK social calendar, and each year showcases the vast allure of the £3.6bn a year curry industry. The curry industry is not only a lucrative mainstay of the economy but also an integral part of the nation’s social and culinary fabric.

A pioneer in the UK catering and hospitality sector, the British Curry Awards has been lauded as a pivotal UK institution, with Prime Minister David Cameron calling the awards ‘the curry Oscars’. He went on to say: “The British Curry Awards is an uplifting and inspiring evening.”

This year's event will once again see a plethora of high-profile guests in attendance, and will include celebrities, dignitaries, politicians, business leaders, and of course, top names from the culinary industry in the UK. The gala dinner will also feature quality entertainment amidst a gourmet banquet. This year’s event will also celebrate a Best of British

theme as it reflects on the UK’s remarkable achievements during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Each year the British Curry Awards also gives the ‘Special Recognition Award’ to an influential culinary personality and past winners of this award include Madhur Jaffrey, Cyrus Todiwala OBE, Anjum Anand, Heston Blumenthal OBE and Shelim Hussain MBE. The British Curry Awards was established

by British entrepreneur Enam Ali MBE who the founded the event in 2005. He has been tirelessly promoting the British curry industry globally for the past 30 years. In speaking about the event, he says: “The British Curry Awards recognise and honour the integral contribution made by the UK’s Asian restaurants and take-away outlets to the social and cultural fabric of the United Kingdom.

Curry may be born in India, but British Bangladeshis globalised it. The humble curry has come a very long way since it first came to these shores. Indian cuisine has now become the favourite food of the nation, and is enjoyed by millions of people across the UK, from students to professionals and pensioners. Most people will have a favourite curry

that they will order when they go to a restaurant, meaning that Asian cuisine is deeply embedded in the psyche of the British people.

“The curry dish that Britain has given to the world - Chicken Tikka Masala - again features on the British Curry Awards menu in recognition of the important part it has played in helping to establish the UK curry industry’s reputation internationally."

Sabir Karim, chef patron of two of London’s finest Indian restaurants, Namaaste Kitchen and Salaam Namaste, is in the run for two prestigious restaurant awards for both his restaurants in the upcoming British Curry Awards and FOBC Asian Curry Awards.

Both restaurants have been nominated in the ‘Best South Asian Restaurant’ category at the FOBC Asian Curry Awards, the annual awards that recognise excellence in food and service across the whole of the UK’s Asian catering sector. In the British Curry Awards, meanwhile, Namaaste Kitchen, Karim’s two year old restaurant and bar in Camden, has been tipped for the newcomer’s award while older sibling Salaam Namaste in Fitzrovia has been shortlisted for the ‘Best Restaurant in London and The City’.

Life of Pi gears up The much talked about film Life of Pi by Academy-Award winning Director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) is scheduled to hit the theatres on December 20th. The film is based upon Yann Martel’s beloved book, which went on to become one of the biggest publishing events of the past decade. An epic adventure of magical realism, LIFE OF PI follows the story of a young man’s incredible survival at sea against almost impossible odds.

A remarkable breakthrough in the use of 3D technology, PI will take audiences on an emotionally captivating journey that will inspire, touch and transport them to a place of discovery they will be unable to

forget.

LIFE OF PI stars newcomer Suraj Sharma as Pi, Gerard Depardieu (Cyrano de Bergerac), Rafe Spall (Prometheus), Irrfan Khan (Slumdog Millionaire) and Tabu (The Namesake).

Yann Martel’s novel has been adapted into a screen play by David Magee (Finding Neverland), produced by Ang Lee, Gil Netter

(Water for Elephants), David Womark (Stardust), co-produced by David Lee. Cinematography by Claudio Miranda (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), editing by Tim Squyres (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon).

Production Design by David Gropman (Date Night), music by Mychael Danna (Little Miss Sunshine).

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Mo Luthra Branding Consultant www.moluthra.com Not that I am reader or viewer for that matter but Playboy, the American Men’s magazine, is planning to invest $37 million and open a hosts of clubs in India.

This at first glance is a strange move to say the least, as you can’t even buy a copy of Playboy in India. It is banned.

Furthermore, you certainly can’t have a strip club with scantily clad women serving you a cup of chai either.

This leads to the big question of ‘what is the point?’ Obviously Hugh Hefner, its owner, wants

to cash in on the Indian market. In doing so though, the brand he has developed over the last 60 years will not act, look or be anything like what the public associates it with.

So will it work? The problem here is what the brand stands for is nudity, fun and pleasure and that is what has made Playboy famous. Pardon the pun, but when you strip that out of the business, what are you left with?

This is where the move into the Indian market will be really tested. The surface identity of Playboy is certainly a strong one, the logo of the bunny and the

colours are all easily identified by readers and nonreaders alike.

However, a brand identity is more than that.

So as well as a business needing to look a certain

way, it also needs to feel, think, have a set of values, and an ethos in order to act in a consistent and distinguishable manner within the market place.

It is these things that generates the basis of differentiation, desirability and loyalty.

Brands in many ways are really like people.

They have a name, they conduct actions, are liable for those actions, they own things, like property, or capital and assets. So when the personality of a brand does things that are not in line with its identity, it creates confusion within the minds of consumers.

By entering India, Playboy is leveraging not on its values and identity but on its brand reputation. By sticking its logo on a toned down club will it really gain a following? It will be interesting to see whether the Indian market will accept this virgin offering or whether they feel they have been seduced out of the experience that is associated with this raucous brand.

Fire Stations At the Risk of Closure Continued from page 3 He has failed to listen to the calls from elected members both at the GLA and LFEPA to reconsider his budget guidelines which require unprecedented cuts that would hit front line services through closure of fire stations, reduction of fire engines and loss of fire fighters.

LFEPA passed an unprecedented cross party resolution recently asking the Mayor to reconsider the draconian cuts which would impact the front line service. He has compounded the financial problems of LFEPA by nicking £50M (over a two year period) from LFEPA’s reserves before the GLA elections to protect the police.

I expect the LFEPA to have its budget proposals reflecting Government grant settlement around mid January. It is important that plans for closing fire stations are challenged and I’d continue to fight for the London Fire Brigade to be protected from the draconian cuts which recklessly jeopardise public safety.

The Indian Journalist Association organised a farewell lunch for the Deputy Indian High Commissioner, Rajesh N Prasad, at the Indian restaurant Chakra, in Notting Hill Gate in presence of the High Commissioner of India, Dr Jaimini Bhagwati, Mrs Rita Bhagwati, Lord Gulam Noon. India House members and other journalists. Mr Prasad will be now be representing India as the High Commissioner in Switzerland. Bon voyage Rajesh.

Baroness Warsi urges minorities to celebrate Christmas British Muslims and other minorities should celebrate Christmas and the “politically correct brigade” should not interfere, a senior minister said. Baroness Warsi, Britain’s first Muslim Cabinet minister, urged minorities to “join in” with traditional British festivals. In an interview

with a Sunday newspaper ahead of her speech on integration, the peer added that hospitals and other public services should phase out the use of multilingual forms to help ethnic minorities integrate fully and that school should not employ classroom assistants who cannot speak English.

BA launches investigation British Airways has launched an investigation after an offensive and racist message was apparently re-tweeted from its official Twitter account. The BA Twitter account, which has 210,000 followers, reposted the message which included extremely profane language and a racist term against Asian people. After the message was deleted, staff at the airline then tweeted an apology. BA spokesman Helena Flynn said the team were thoroughly investigating how the incident had occurred. She said it had not been ruled out that the account may have been hacked. BA said the Twitter account was managed by its large marketing team.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Political Sketchbook

www.PoliticalAnimal.me

Alpesh Patel’s

Being British Indian There gets a point where it is not just about what you can do for your country, but what your country should do for you.

A British Indian relative, Kavish Patel, tells me how despite getting married 12 months ago, he still is being refused permission to bring his wife to the UK from India. Do you know what immigration officers want to know? The intimate details of his Facebook chats with his wife – so they can determine it is not a sham marriage. Oh, and more intimate private information than that too – like what they did on honeymoon.

12 months! Hey, just make him wait 15 years and you’ll have your proof.

On November the 11th the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in memory of all the soldiers, including the 2million Indian soldiers who fought for British Independence in the Second World War. The motto of the day is, ‘we shall never forget’.

Because of that war, the European Convention on Human Rights was enacted. Article 8 provides me the right to privacy. Article 12 provides me the right to family life and marriage. Do you know why? Because the Nazis happened.

That’s why that Convention exists and is binding on the British Government.

I ask, beg, plead, with every British Indian Parliamentarian to stand up for British Indians and take up the case of the humiliation of British Indians seeking to have the right to family life, to marriage. You Parliamentarians walk on the shoulders of giants – Indian giants. Just as quick as you are to be grateful to Britain at every opportunity, and how grateful you are the country offered you

a home as a Ugandan Indian, or a penniless migrant from Kenya, or Tanzania or India – remember too you worked for it, you earned it. You repaid your debt of gratitude manifold to the country. Look the country in the eye not from a position of being prostrate on the floor. My grandfather did not migrate here because of the generosity, great though it is of the British people, but because he was in the British Army in the War, and generously provided his Indian courage to the war effort. He earned that right to migrate. When your fellow British Indians fought in the Second World War – they too earned the right for you to migrate here – lest you forget – until the British Parliament legislated away that right. Lest you forget.

Patriotism is loyalty of the citizen to the country, but the country owes loyalty to its citizens. A British Indian seeks not extra protection but certainly demands no extra prejudice because he is Indian. He expects not to have to have his right to family life and privacy invaded. A right British Indians fought for. A right without British Indians in the Second World War would certainly not exist to native Britons because British Independence would not exist and the European Convention on Human Rights would not exist.

So do not mistake our gratitude for weakness, our gratefulness for a willingness to be maltreated. We too, by the millions, put the Great into Great Britain.

So the next time one of our number wishes to bring their newly married spouse from the land of their ancestors – show us the respect we deserve and demand. We are British Indians. This is our nation. Lest YOU forget.

PwC Diwali 2012 Celebration – reflective and entertaining Rani Singh The Pricewaterhouse Coopers Hindu Network held its annual Diwali celebrations at its More London offices on 12 November.

This event was attended by members of the PwC Hindu Network clients and guests from other organizations, over 200 in all.

External guests included representatives from 3i plc, Accenture, Allan & Overy LLP, BP plc, GSK, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, RBS, Metropolitan Police, Jefferies, Linklaters, Lansons, Tiffany & Co, LeasePlan, Lloyds, KPMG, Ernst & Young, Barclays, Alfa Energy, Tradition UK, M&G Investments, Simmons & Simmons LLP, Towers Watson and many other companies.

One of the chief organizers, Subha Bhattacharya, made sure the Asian Voice was well looked after, had a front row seat, and was nicely fed. The event flowed smoothly and flawlessly, with a lot of good humour. One of the other

Nilesh Solanki

organizers, Krishan Shah, told us that the last two months had been intense but that speakers and artists had appeared through the organizing committee’s own contacts, and that this year opportunity was given to upcoming artists, new talent, in the generous spirit of Diwali. There was a mellow, respectful atmosphere in the room, and some of the more lilting music seemed to add an air of spirituality.

It was noticeable that values, ethos, sharing, giving, ambition and fulfillment were undertones to the evening which was refreshingly totally lacking in any kind of traditional “preachy” feeling. Indeed, it seemed that a great deal of thought had gone into

the planning.

The guests were treated to a high-octane dance performance from Priyanka Shah and her "Elegance" dance troupe who performed to several numbers. There was a mesmerising vocal performance from Shivali Bhammer who created her first album, ‘The Bhajan Project’, with Sony Music, and who has just released her second album 'Urban Temple' with Eros International. It shot to number one in the iTunes world charts. There were key talks from Nick Jarman (People partner in Consulting), and Sunil Patel (Lead Partner for Health Industries within Consulting). Sunil’s talk was thought –provoking as he took the audience

7

Nikhil Amin: Ready to pass on his RAF expertise to other British Asians When Flight Lieutenant Nikhil Amin joined the Royal Air Force, he little realised that he would be producing specialist intelligence software for the RAF’s latest combat aircraft but, as an engineer in this highly technical service, such projects are all part of the job. In his 6 years of service Nikhil has also been responsible for maintaining a fleet of helicopters keeping them fit for their training role in Europe and East Africa.

Nikhil says: “I've always had a fascination for aerospace engineering, and combing this with a sense of adventure, the RAF was the perfect match. While at university I considered other engineering career paths, from the aerospace industry to engineering consulting, but the RAF always stood out as the preferred option.” Not only has Nikhil had operational experience working with cutting edge aerospace technology, but his training has developed leadership and teamwork skills which he believes he would not have gained elsewhere.

Nikhil’s adventure began when he joined his University Air Squadron and learned to fly a light aircraft. After completing adventurous training activities in Malta and Germany, Nikhil was hooked. His next stop was seven months at the RAF College Cranwell on the Initial Officer Training course. “It was a brilliant experience and really made me appreciate the value of working together as a team to achieve objectives. It was rather different from university, where the focus was self study to pass exams.” Nikhil said.

Then the real challenges began, Nikhil through his life and how values have become important to him. It was a journey that many in the audience could empathise with. Nilesh Solanki (Head of PwC Hindu Network) who also organizes the successful Asian Achievers Awards was chairing. Guest speaker Sumant Bhatia (Head of Video Features at the Telegraph) was entertaining and showed some beautiful videos made by his team, giving some insight into how his area works. Two examples were a beautifully crafted piece on Brompton bikes and an edited film of Ikea in Sweden, the latter mostly shot on a camera phone.

The commercial aspect of his work was apparent.

Sunil and Sumant have been friends ever since they first attended

Nikhil Amin

recalls: “Whilst working at the RAF’s Air Warfare Centre, my team was responsible for developing specialist mission software for the RAF’s latest combat aircraft, the Typhoon. Our key projects included supporting industry to develop new software production tools, and producing software for the Typhoon aircraft’s operational missions.” For their outstanding work in this field, Nikhil and his team were awarded the Air Officer Commanding Chief of Staff (Operations) Team Commendation in 2010.

So, how does Nikhil feel about his career choice? “Although I’m from a British Asian background, I do not feel that I have been treated any differently either by my superiors or my col-

leagues. Before joining the RAF I did have some concerns about the ‘fit’ and the ‘culture’, but my experiences on the University Air Squadron and Initial Officer Training alleviated any apprehension. I currently live in London and commute to my place of duty, which means I have the flexibility to see family and friends at weekends, and get involved with the yearly carousel of Asian events.”

Nikhil is thoroughly enjoying his RAF career, but is also aware that the unique skills and experience he has gained along the way will leave him poised for a second career later in life within the aerospace industry.

In the mean time Nikhil is aware that he is making a worthwhile contribution to the defence of Britain and, as an experienced officer, is now finding opportunities to pass on his expertise and enthusiasm to younger people in the service.

Manchester University together.

There were also insightful speeches from a panel, which included Subhabrata Bhattacharya, Bhakti Esslemont and Jyoti Mehan. Sunil Patel chaired an interactive session with these three, a relatively new aspect introduced this year, and there was an opportunity for questions from the audience. The panel and chair answered honestly and frankly and were endearing. One of the VIP audience members asked why, though diversity was clearly obvious at PwC, it still took 15 years to become a partner!

Attendees enjoyed networking over canapes and drinks, with background music provided by Bhavik Haria and Friends.

During the evening a stun-

ning performance had been given by a group of student artists: Nishma Menon, Adam Peglar and Capucine Falgas. Nishma has a lovely voice and a promising future. PwC has lots of networks like the Hindu one; it appears to be a dynamic and relatively happy company to work for.

There wasn’t an empty seat in the house for this Diwali event. Everyone listened attentively and politely. The main Hindu Network team organizers were Nilesh Solanki, Jaimin Dave, Bhavik Patel, Priyanka Shah, Krishan Shah & Subha Bhattacharya. A revelatory evening giving hope that the Hindu religion and culture is being safely carried forward by the group present in the room on 12 November.

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

CHN Diwali Dinner celebrates a year of accomplishment The City Hindus Network (CHN) held its annual Diwali Dinner and Dance for over 110 guests at the Courthouse DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in London on Friday 2nd November 2012. ect including an independent The dinner was hosted by the CHN Advisory Board comprissocial impact analysis for Sewa ing Alpesh Patel, Founder Day, introduction of a new menPrincipal of Praefinium toring scheme, a very successful Partners, a global venture capiseries of intimate social nettal/private equity firm; Jitesh working dinners with leading Gadhia, Senior Managing personalities, supporting a social Director at The Blackstone enterprise aimed at helping Group, in London; Nishma minorities into employment, Gosrani, a senior director for forming an influential Advisory Deloitte; Sushil Saluja, Board, skiing and camping Managing Director of Accenture's United Kingdom and Ireland Financial Services business and Punam Denley, partner at Blanchards Law, which is a niche practice specialising in divorce, financial and children matters.

The keynote was given by Lord Lord Dolar Popat and Alpesh Patel with an invited guest Dolar Popat, who stressed the importance of getsocial trips and events which aimed to tackle dilemmas for ting young people engaged in young British Hindus. The community activities, such as through the CHN, but also with CHNs volunteering initiatives politics. Alpesh Patel said that it have also been widely covered in was "the best event I've been to print media, radio and TV. all year - most fun group of people, intimate, and with an opportunity to speak to everyone."

Alpesh and Punam reviewed a successful past 12 months for the CHN. Over the last year the CHN has welcomed an increasIn fact, a few days after the ing number of professionals to Diwali dinner, the CHN was social, spiritual and educational awarded a Community Service events, enabling our memberaward from Metropolitan Police ship to spend time and network Commissioner Bernard Hoganwith like minded individuals in Howe for the work done in conthe City. Achievements celebratjunction with the Met Police ed over the last year include a Hindu Association in particular very ambitious Sewa Day projto raise mental health awareness

Somita Basak performing a bharatnatyam recital

amongst the South Asian community.

Nishma said it was "a huge privilege" to be part of the Advisory Board. She looked ahead to what 2013 may lie for the CHN. In particular, she emphasised the need to continue to engage a broader range of Hindu professionals, as well as students and new graduates coming into the world of work.

In addition, the CHN is likely to engage in further thought leadership work that enables it to

effectively represent the views of its members to decision-making forums.

The CHN launched an organ donation drive at the event, and Arjan Vekaria, Managing Director of builders Vascroft, wished everyone a happy Diwali and prosperous New Year.

The event contained performances to reflect the breadth and diversity of Diwali celebrations from across India. Somita

The hard working committee members of CHN: Aekta Mahajan, Dipen Jobanputra, Dimpi Dattani, Shonal Tankaria, Pratik Dattani

Basak from Beeja Dance led with a traditional bharatnatyam recital, followed by Lopa Kunvardia with a blend of traditional and Bollywood, and ending with an electrifying routine

by Semper Fidelis and Natasha

Princess Anne unveils bust of Indian spy princess Princess Anne unveiled the bust of WWII heroine Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan, who had served as a secret agent in the Second World War on 8th November 2012 at Gordon Square, Central London.

Over four hundred distinguished guests including MPs, peers, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, war veterans, former SOE agents and the RAF pilots who flew the agents on their mission, packed Gordon Square Gardens in London today to pay their respects to Noor, who was killed in Dachau Concentration Camp in 1944 at the age of 30.

“Today in the presence of Your Royal Highness, we have packed this square to remember a heroine of the war, a young woman of Indian origin, who unhesitatingly gave her life for Britain in the fight against Fascism,” said Shrabani Basu, Chair of the Noor

Inayat Khan Memorial Trust and author of the book Spy Princess, The Life of Noor Inayat Khan, who has led the campaign.

“Noor was proud of her Indian heritage but she felt British and French at the same time. She wanted to be a citizen of the world and build bridges between nations.

“As we observe Remembrance Week, the world will watch again as we remember the bravery of all those who fell like Noor and those like her who have no grave. We will not let their memories fade in the mist of time.”

Noor Inayat Khan was the first woman radio operator to be dropped behind enemy lines in Europe. She did crucial work for the Allies but was betrayed, captured and killed.

Despite brutal interrogation and torture she did not reveal any of the names of her colleagues and remained defiant till the

end. Her last word was “Liberte!”.

"Stories like Spy Princess remind us of stories that have an important connection in the modern era. They are a reminder of the multicultural and international aspect of Noor's life and sacrifice. I hope this bust will remind us to ask questions of who; why; and what we can achieve in her memory," said Princess Anne at the ceremony in Gordon Square on Thursday.

This was followed by a book reading and a message from the Noor Inayat Khan family.

Noor was posthumously awarded the George Cross and the Croix de Guerre.

The bronze bust is sculpted by London artist Karen Newman. It stands on the North-east corner of the square, close to house that Noor lived in and from where she left on her last mission.

Kataria from the Bhangra Showdown 2012.

The event was compered by the CHN Social Events lead

Shrabani Basu with Princess Anne

Shonal Tankaria, and sponsored

by Vikram Goyal from Indian real estate services firm Unesta, with support from the Asian Wealth Magazine, Mad4Cakes (Dharmesh Thakrar) in and DJ Tej from NytLifeUK.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Leading Lights

by Rani Singh

Special Assignments Editor

Vikrant Bhalerao is the CEO and a founding partner of London-based Credere Wealth. He previously worked at Clariden Leu Bank, which is a part of Credit Suisse Group, where he built a globally diversified private client book in high-growth markets including Russia, Eastern Europe, West Africa, Middle East and Asia. He has over 15 years experience in banking, starting his career at BNP Paribas before moving to the Bank of America in 2000. Vikrant has worked in India, Singapore, the United States, and London in both wealth management and investment management roles. Vikrant has a Degree in Engineering, and an MBA. Vikrant Bhalerao

Tell us more Credere Wealth.

about

Credere Wealth is a Private Wealth Manager, focused on Ultra High Net Worth Clients from Emerging Markets including Russia, Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. Our scope of services extend beyond traditional wealth management firms, to that offered by a family office.

Our business model is that of an Independent Asset Manager (IAM) that acts as trusted advisor to its clients and their families, providing them with bespoke solutions to myriad complex financial issues and the ultimate in personal service.

How does Credere Wealth differ from other wealth management firms?

We develop dedicated and tailored solutions for clients by following a highly involved client mapping process to understand our client's personal situation; their requirements and aspirations.

The success of the client's business is inextricably linked with their wealth as individuals, and integral to their wealth management process. We engage with clients on two dimensions – an individual and a business owner. We serve our clients over their entire wealth life cycle – initially wealth generation and accumulation, and then wealth protection and administration.

What prompted you to set up Credere Wealth, and what does Credere mean?

The wealth management sector has been impacted by the global financial crisis, accompanied by a paradigm shift in client attitudes in terms of trust; and demand for demonstrable performance, valueadd, and transparency.

Global banks dominate the sector; however their size limits their flexibility to manage change. This presents an opportunity to new entrants like us with a business model that resonates with current client requirements. We believe the IAM model offers a perfect align-

Credere means trust in Latin. Trust is the foundation of the wealth management business ment with the client's best interests; underpinned by objectivity, transparency, open architecture platforms, and closer client relationships; allowing us to advise on investments based on client suitability.

Personally I was at the point where I believed it was appropriate to go down the entrepreneurial route, and was fortunate to have been joined in this initiative by my business partner, Charlotte Walford, as a co founder of Credere. We have been funded by Private Equity investors.

Credere means trust in Latin. Trust is the foundation of the wealth management business, and embodies our core business philosophy.

What are your interests outside work?

While it is difficult, given my lifestyle, I like to maintain a worklife balance. I train twice a week, mostly kickboxing combined with weight training or cardio.

I am passionate about sailing and have qualified as a yachtmaster. Europe offers incredible weekend sailing opportunities, which are accessible from London.

I hope to participate in the Rolex Fastnet Race at some point in the near future.

I also love sports cars, and am currently

assisting a friend on the restoration of a Ferrari Dino 246GT. Your work involves a lot of entertaining. Tell us about your favorite restaurants and clubbing nightspots?

I enjoy fine dining and am something of a gastronome.

While London has excellent restaurants, some of my favourities in Europe are Pierre Gagnaire (Paris), L ' a r n s b o u r g , (Baerenthal), De Karmeliet (Bruges) and El Bulli (Spain, now closed). Then of course there is Jean-Georges in New York.

Clubbing is great fun, especially with the right company. It’s difficult to come up with a list of favourities, but a few are Cielo (New York), Greystone Manor (LA), LIV and Mynt (both Miami), Watergate (Berlin), Zouk and Pangaea (both S i n g a p o r e ) , Armani/Privé (Dubai), and Pacha and Amnesia (both Ibiza).

Give us a glimpse of your clients’ life styles.

What cars do they use and how do they travel?

Popular cars they use are Rolls Royce Phantom, BentleyArnage, Maybach-57 or 62 S, LamborghiniMurcielago, BugattiVeyron, and Ferrari - 458 Italia.

Most travel by private jets, typically ACJs, BBJs or Global Express.

You are well turned out, particularly your suits. Does your business require this? Could you make suggestions to our readers for bespoke tailoring?

Yes, to a certain extent the business does require this, but it’s also personal choice.

Savile Row is excellent, but if you need something special it must be Milan - Gianni Campagna or Caraceni.

9

Hindus and Pickles With the recent visit of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government the Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP to ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor to its Diwali festival; prominent leaders of the Hindu community congregated to meet him.

After a tour of the temple, holy darshan before the main shrine and meeting the temple heads, Mr Pickles sat with the leaders of ISKCON, BAPS Swami Narayan, Hindu Forum of Britain, Avanti Schools Trust and Sewa Day. The various leaders in attendance presented a whole catalogue of initiatives in volunteering, aid and social work that are performed by the Hindu community. Mr Pickles expressed his deep appreciation and wants to see the community working more dynamically with the

Vikas Pota, Gauri das, Eric Pickles MP, Jitu Patel, Arjan Vekaria and Arup Ganguly

DCLG. On his tour he stopped to speak with volunteers and spent time with the head volunteers at the Manor. Mr Pickles stated: "I am happy to be here at Bhaktivedanta Manor and I am very impressed with the devotion and the service of all the volunteers of this community,” said Eric Pickles MP. “They are putting so much back into society in a selfless manner and I am particularly impressed by the helping

of the most vulnerable and needy.

“This is my first time at Bhaktivedanta Manor and I have been overwhelmed by the hospitality and received, and I am inspired by the Hindu community working together for the good of all".

The festival also had a very special and regular visitor Secretary of State for Northern Ireland the Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP.

Touch of luxury draws rich folk

By Rudy Otter Well-heeled folk filled the Luxury Travel Fair in London's Olympia for four austerity-wrecking days with high price tags beckoning visitors to try everything from luxury hotels and super spas to tailormade escorted tours.

India specialists Ecoilyn Travels of Jaipur took part for the first time

and its managing director Rajdeep Singh told me: "Although northern India remains very popular there is rising interest in Kerala and the south as well." All the big UK companies like Cox & Kings, and Bales Worldwide, were also selling expensive holidays across India. Running alongside was the Spirit of Christmas Fair where Barnet-based Gujarati

entrepreneur Aneesh Popat, 24, was displaying his 30 varieties of mouthwatering luxury handmade chocolates and truffles, some with Indian spices.

He started The Chocolatier company just 18 months ago and has already bagged a top West End hotel. He said: "I make all the items myself and look forward to selling to many more top hotels and restaurants."

Commercial Property Auction Tuesday 6th December 2012 54 lots to be offered, including: RETAIL INVESTMENT

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London, SE15 1LE Action House, 53 Sandgate Street Let to Action for Blind People (Part of RNIB) until 2027 (Subject to Option), approximately 1,048 sq m (11,852 sq ft) £107,000 p.a.x

Peterborough, PE1 5YS Unit 1 Bramhall Place, Storeys Bar Road, Let to a subsidiary of General Electric Company, comprises Car Parking for approximately 21 cars (ratio of 1:25.7 sq m) £55,480.00 p.a.x

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YOUR VOICE

10

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Remembrance Sunday

Diwali - a Jain Perspective

Passing of Bal Thackeray

Single European Sky

I was honoured to attend the Remembrance Service at the Harrow Civic Centre last Sunday to pay tribute to our Armed Forces fighting in the frontline today and to commemorate all those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. After many years this was the first time the service happened to be on Remembrance Day itself, on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Remembrance Day is always a special day for me, as my Grandfather fought in the Second World War along with thousands of other British Indians. It is due to my Grandfather’s bravery and sacrifice that I am a British citizen today and fortunate enough to enjoy the freedoms and privileges of this great country.

The service was attended by over 800 people, including Lord Popat, the Mayor of Harrow, local MPs and Councillors, as well as the Deputy Lieutenant and the service consisted of an Interfaith Act of Commitment, as well as prayers from the local Vicar, Iman and Rabbi.

However, I was disappointed at the absence of Hindu prayers from the service, despite the fact that Harrow’s population consists of 35% of Hindus.

Furthermore I was also disappointed with the very small presence of Hindus at the service, in comparison to the large number of representatives from the Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as the presence of the Chinese, Nepalese and Tibetan communities. There were hardly any Hindus there and it was unfortunate that we were unable to show our appreciation as a community and participate fully in this act of civic duty for this great country.

I appreciate that being Diwali many members of our community were absent and probably at the Temple, but for future reference, particularly as we approach 2014 where we will commemorate the centenary of the Great War, it is critical that our community plays a visible role in commemorating Remembrance Day; an occasion which is all about us acknowledging and honouring our history. We owe a great deal to so many for the peace we have in Britain and it is our duty to show them some respect.

Diwali functions and parties are still continuing where people are enjoying themselves by dancing and exchanging gifts and lighting fireworks. Hindus celebrate Diwali to commemorate the victory of Lord Rama over the evil king Ravana and other such joyous events by merry making and feasting themselves on sumptuous meals.

For Jains, Diwali marks the anniversary of the attainment of moksha by Mahavira (Jainism’s twenty-forth and last Tirthankara or prophet) at the end of his life on earth in 527 BC. It was late in the night of Diwali (Aso Vad Chaudash) that Mahavira left his earthly body and achieved liberation. Jains celebrate Diwali in various manners. Some fast for two days as Mahavira did immediately preceding his liberation. Others join their Hindu friends at parties and generally enjoy themselves. However, Jainism preaches austerity and observing penances to shed the accumulated karma. I wonder therefore what is the right way for Jains to celebrate Diwali?

By fasting as Mahavira did or by enjoying themselves along with their Hindu friends? Jainism also teaches non-violence to even the tiniest living beings. So I believe that the lighting of fireworks which can harm tiny insects is really out of the question for Jains. We, members of Shree Jain Sangh East London and Essex, have decided to combine the Diwali and Christmas celebrations with a bash of dinner and live music at the Hariben Bachubhai Nagrecha Hall in Leyton on Saturday, 8 December.

Bal thackeray, the leader of Shiv Sena not only dominated the Maharashtran politics during his long political career but has been considered to be one of the leading Hindu leaders after India’s Independence.

His actions gave lots of confidence to Hindus and created trust and faith in him. He was admired by all the Hindus in the whole world. We therefore express our heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family.

Dharam Sahdev Ilford

Many of the delays that passengers experience at airports and in the sky waiting to land are entirely avoidable. It is now over ten years since governments of EU countries pledged to take action to cut delays and to make air travel safer, cleaner and cheaper.

We could make our skies significantly less congested by moving forward with plans to better coordinate the use of airspace across the EU. This is known as creating a Single European Sky. We also need new airport capacity in the form of new runways on the ground, but governments in the EU must first get their act together to create better use of available airspace.

Minaxi Parmar Conservative Councillor Candidate Queensbury Ward

World Diabetes Day Be aware, be informed The World Health Organization (WHO) has dedicated the first week in the month of November as Diabetes Awareness Week. (DAW) While it is widely published in countries like USA, Canada and Australia, it is practically ignored by the media in this country.

This is a sad reflection on the part of our media as well as our many Health Organizations, especially in view of the fact that diabetes is a ticking time bomb, affecting every organ in the body if untreated over a long period of time. Yet there is hardly any awareness among general population, especially among the ethnic minorities of Asians, Indians and Gujaratis.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

The only blood test that would readily diagnose diabetes is a special one with 120 minute plasma glucose level measuring test (HbA1c) known as Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) which should be routinely carried out, especially among OAPs from the ethnic minority plagued by Type 2 diabetes.

I was fortunate that my GP sent me for GTT even though my PFGL was well below 6 but I was having a lot of aches and pains, night sweating, thirstiness as well as other symptoms associated with type 2 diabetes. So it was caught in time.

I would like to urge the Editor of this widely read popular paper Asian Voice to introduce a special “Health Section” which should discuss, inform and educate readers on a different health condition, different topic, one illness at a time every week in detail. Although we have such Health Sections in national dailies, as well as our popular and widely read Gujarat Samachar, I feel they are inadequate, as they try to deal with too many illnesses in one edition.

Perhaps local GPs or specialising nurses, health professionals would be glad to contribute in the interest of “Good Health”. Even readers can participate and we can collect and use these pages as “Reference Book” during our hour of need.

Bhupendra M Gandhi By email

Death of a dentist The death of the dentist Savita Halappanavar is a failure of human rights. In the dark age, in corners of backward countries there have been such savage deaths. We have fought our way against evils of religion, declaring the country and its several ages of civilisations are more meant for men than the divine power. But Ireland’s decision on letting this dentist die in the name of religion has been a step backwards. Will God ever let its subject die in the name of religion? Is a faint heartbeat of an unborn life more important than an educated adult woman? However, it’s a welcoming surprise to read that the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has acknowledged this as a “terrible disaster”.

We as humans should strongly condemn such irrational behaviour. No religion, may how strict its written dictoms be, should let a man die for avoidable causes.

Krupa Bhatt London

Britain and tolerance I read your news about the Diwali celebration at the House of Commons. This country has come a long way since the 70s. When we arrived in Britain around 40 years back, the situation was different.

We faced so much of hurdles, because of the weather, food and cultural differences. Our women who enjoyed luxuries of household in east Africa, had to get to work in biting cold to make ends meet.

We could not imagine that one day we would have Diwali celebration not only in the Trafalgar square or Leicester’s Belgrave road but also in the House of Commons and the Downing Street.

Many people may have things to say about our Britain- how intolerant it is, how unwelcome the immigrants feel here.

I would say- no. This country has been very fair, very warm to many of the immigrants like us. It has never discriminated on the basis of caste or creed or colours.

It has given equal opportunities to us all.

Yes the stricter immigration policies of course raise questions regarding the statuses of newly arrived immigrants from South Asian countries, but I am proud to say I am as British as I am an Indian.

A Sharma Leicester

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Brand ‘Gujarat’ – which is equated with Guangdong of China, he invited Chinese business community and public enterprises to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit- 2013.

He highlights Gujarat’s special investment regions as areas where Chinese companies could invest. He called on China to invest in infrastructure and power projects in the state, wooing potential investors with a sales pitch that showcased Gujarat as a state with levels of “governance, transparency and stability” that they could not find elsewhere in India. He declared that “the two great countries will make Asia the centrestage of the global economy.”

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A new theory says that any physical activity for 15 minutes every day is a good insurance against a plethora of health problems, be it related to the heart, the brain or even cancer.

A study published in The Lancet, a British medical journal, said that just a quarter-hour of physical exertion a day could reduce a person's risk of death by 14% and increase life expectancy by three years compared to inactive people.

Incidentally, another theory published in a different British journal said daily TV-viewing for six hours could take

away five years from your life.

Adding and subtracting years from your life has never before been quantified in such medical terms, say doctors.

The 15-minute short-cut to good health, in fact, changes the most fundamental rule that was approved by the World Health Organizationthat 150 minutes of activity a week is needed to stay healthy. )(.#(/

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E-mail: support@abplgroup.com

The contributing immigratns I read a very interesting feature on Metro on Tuesday morning. It’s about myths and facts regarding the immigrants in Britain. Ever since I have been around in Britain (8 years), I have always seen the government suggesting that migrants are wrong for our economy. It has taken one strong article by the Metro newspaper to suggest that Migrants actually are a boon to this economy. It is also a welcoming change to read that migrants are seldom parasites. Isn’t it illogical to state that migrants take social housing when they are not even eligible for so? Mo Farah, the quickest man on Earth is son of an immigrant first (Somali) and then a British.

Migrants are a gift to the UK. This country has so many businesses that are created and run by immigrants. The Jews, the Asians have created so many opportunities and we can see examples, whenever we refer to a rich list here. It is high time that the lazy and unskilled Britons realise, this recession is not created by immigrants. If we are being able to have even 0.0001 percent growth, immigrants have a lot to contribute to it.

Mohan Iyer London

Demise of a leader I do not understand what terrorised Mumbai as Bal Thackeray, a political leader passed away at the ripe age of 86.

With all due respect to the great man who has just died, it is actually crazy to hold back information regarding a man’s death over time, just because a public rage is expected. What has India come to? A man cannot die peacefully because he is a leader? Why can’t mortality be accepted amongst followers? It was a shame to read that Mumbaikars feared for their lives as the leader breathed his last. Is this true and expected of world’s one of the largest democracies?

Ananya Mitra Leeds

Visit our website: www.abplgroup.com

*Subscriptions paid will not be refunded ."

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In a rare gesture, China’s top leadership hosted his delegation at Great Hall of People and had a free and frank discussion and exchange of ideas on a range of subjects including trade, industry, socioeconomic development, investment, and prevailing global economic scenario. Modi emphasized about the shared heritage of India and China, and common vision for improved quality of lives of their people.

In his meeting with the Mr Wang Gang, Vice Chairman of the China People’s Political

1 Year 2 Years

Syed Kamall Conservative MEP for London

!

EDUCATION / COUNCIL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Poorer pupils 'lack confidence' for top unis Thousands of poorer bright pupils lack the confidence to apply to top universities, suggests research. Private school pupils are still almost twice as likely as state school pupils to apply to them, according to a survey of high-achieving students.

Researchers for Sutton Trust and the government asked more than 13,000 sixth formers how they chose where to apply.

However, Pam Tatlow of the Million+ group called the focus on selective universities "misplaced".

"All universities have selective courses. The key issue is whether students

choose a course and a university which is right for them and where they are likely to succeed," said Ms Tatlow.

The survey focused on sixth formers predicted to get at least three B grades at

A level. It found that 42% of able students from state schools submitted two or more applications to selective universities, compared with 73% from private schools and 53% from grammars.

Pupils hiding talents from bullies Some children are hiding their talents and skills in school for fear of being bullied, research has suggested.

Nearly half of UK children have played down a talent because of bullying fears, a survey of 1,042 children aged 11 to 16 suggests. And more than a quarter of those polled for England's anti-bullying week said they had quit an activity they enjoy for the same reasons.

One in 10 said they

had played down their ability in science. And nearly one in five girls said they deliberately underachieved in maths skills to avoid being bullied.

Fewer boys, one in 10, reported playing down their maths ability for the same reason.

The poll also suggested many children (11%) having stopped singing because of the fears, some 8% said they had stopped doing drama and 9% dancing. Some 8% have quit a

sport because of bullying fears.

A survey last year suggested two-thirds of parents had witnessed bullying and intimidation on the sports field.

Ross Hendry, chair of the Anti-Bullying Alliance - a coalition of organisations tackling bullying, said it could lead to children missing school, failing exams, dropping out of sport, avoiding extra-curricular activities and limiting their life choices.

CBI complains of 'exam factory' schools Business leaders say some UK schools have become "exam factories" and are calling for children to be given a broader education.

The CBI is calling for radical changes to schools.

It says there is too much focus on exams at 16 and that should be switched to 18, with more emphasis on skills people need for life and work. It calls for

schools inspectors and league tables to look beyond exam results. But it says improved attainment would boost the UK's economic growth.

The CBI, the employers' organisation, made the recommendations in a report released at the start of its annual conference.

Its director general John Cridland said: "In some

cases secondary schools have become an exam factory. Qualifications are important, but we also need people who have self-discipline and serve customers well. As well as academic rigour, we need schools to produce rounded and grounded young people who have the skills and behaviours that businesses want."

Anti-social behaviour hotspot shut down Ealing Council has secured a closure order on a disused Southall pub which had become a magnet for drug dealing, prostitution and anti-social behaviour.

The premises closure order on the former Northcote Arms pub on Northcote Avenue means that the site has been secured for three months

Online university open access funded Online courses provided by some of the top universities in the United States are going to be used by students at local community colleges, in a project funded by the Gates Foundation. The edX project, set up by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, announced a plan to "bring a new teaching model to the classroom". It will blend edX's online lectures and materials with classroom learning. EdX president Anant Agarwal pointed to the value to tight college budgets.

until 9 February 2013, and any unauthorised people in the building risk arrest.

In addition to granting the order on Friday 9 November, Ealing Magistrates Court ordered owners Woodhouse Care Homes to pay costs of £1,500 to the council.

Planning permission was granted in 2010 to Woodhouse Care Homes

to convert the building into a care home, however work has not yet begun and the site fell derelict.

As a result it was vandalised and used by drug dealers and rough sleepers.

Neighbouring residents also had to endure fires there and hazardous waste being dumped on the site.

Primary School expansion programme An unprecedented strain on Harrow’s primary schools has led Harrow Council to embark upon an ambitious £26.2m expansion programme that will bring 326 new reception year places to nine schools.

Forecasts show that the increase in demand for primary school places will continue into the future.

Since 2009 Harrow Council has been opening additional temporary reception classes in primary schools to plug the gap

for the additional demand for places at reception year.

A schools expansion building programme will require an investment of £26.2m of Government money over the next five years with a contribution from the Council budget of £2.2m allocated for the first three years. The building works will provide opportunities for local employment and will see both new build and extension works to nine schools on seven sites.

11

Slum landlord fined for hell hole A slum landlord has been fined £1250 for forcing two pensioners to live in this hell hole (pictured).

Sukhbir Singh Birak, 37, of Kensington Gardens, Ilford, admitted at Thames Magistrates' Court earlier this month (November 14th) failing to comply with an Improvement Notice.This was served on him under the Housing Act by Newham Council in July 2011 for his mid terraced three-bedroom Victorian house on Chester Road in Forest Gate. Birak was also ordered to pay costs of £370 and a Victim Surcharge of £15.

Council Housing Inspectors found the elderly couple had been living for over seven months

with a deficient heating system, a broken window, collapsed ceilings in both the bedroom and kitchen and an electric shower as the only source of hot water.

The landlord ignored numerous requests from

the Council, who asked him to rectify these problems. Housing Inspectors, with concerns for the welfare of the elderly couple, had to step in and carry out remedial works costing over £1400, which the council are claiming back.

Redbridge wins national equalities award Redbridge has been hailed as an outstanding example of partnership working at a national awards ceremony. Redbridge Faith Forum scooped the prestigious Compact Advancing Equalities Award at Westminster on Wednesday 7 November 2012. This award is for demonstrating outstanding commitment through equality.

The Compact awards recognise good relationships between local and national government and the Voluntary and commu-

nity sector.

Through partnership working the Redbridge Faith Forum, Adult Social Services and the NHS developed a faith based spiritual care directory called To Comfort Always (PDF 334KB). The directory will help front line health and social care professionals better understand the spiritual needs of our culturally diverse community in Redbridge.

The directory has been distributed widely to GPs, hospitals, home care agencies, residential and nurs-

ing care homes as well as the voluntary and community sector.

Announcing the winners, Nick Hurd MP, Minister for Civil Society said, “We want to support communities to work together to make a real difference. The Compact Award winners show what can be achieved when people work well in partnership. I would like to congratulate all the winners and shortlisted entrants, and encourage others to look to their impressive example”.

12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Scrutator’s Sir V.S.Naipaul was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at a literary festival in Mumbai. This was the latest in a string of pearls, including the Nobel Prize, he has earned over the years. As a novelist, travel writer and essayist he is without peer. The next day playwright Girish Karnad, was supposed to speak on the theatre. Instead, Mr Karnad chose to direct a broadside at Sir Vidia, accusing him of being a habitual baiter of Muslim societies and Islam generally. Islamic culture, he averred, had been a creative cultural influence in Indian music and art. He accused Sir Vidia of being tone deaf, hence impervious to the nuances of Indian instrumentation and sound, and blind to its Islamic architectural heriage. Mr Karnad refused to take questions or allow statements in Sir Vidia’s defence. The liberal inquisition can surely do better.

Engaging with V.S.Naipaul requires a clear mind, a visible intellect and a modicum of moral integrity, none of which was much in evidence in Mr Karnad’s apoplectic diatribe. Hatred of Muslims is nowhere to be found in Sir Vidia’s mental makeup.

His wife, Lady Nadira, is Muslim, as are his two sons, adopted wrote television producer and writer Farokh Dhondy, a friend Mumbai Literary Festival Award to V.S.Naipaul and admirer of long standing.

What Sir Vidia had done was produce a corrective to mainstream Indian historical narrative which, in Mr Dhondy’s words, “generated in the country’s fight for independence from British colonial rule and in the interests of unity made scant mention of the process, cruelty, negligence, slaughter and destructive wars of the earlier raids and conquests of Muslim and later Mughal warlords and kings.”

Anil Dharkar, the organizer of the festival, took exception to Girish Karnad’s theatrics, with its implication that he and his colleagues were “communal”. Hysteria had clearly taken its toll of good sense and courtesy.

Mr Dharkar countered: “I have been fighting for Gujarat riot victims since 2002 and this kind of suggestion is preposterous…..Naipaul writes about how Muslim rulers and invaders of the past destroyed temples, monuments and so on. That’s historical fact, and who can argue against that? That does not make Naipaul anti-Muslim.”

“Historian” and Director General of the National Archives, Mushirul Hasan, pitched in with a convoluted edit-page whimper in The Hindu against Sir Vidia. Its vacuity belies comment, as does Githa Hariharan’s blank charge at the weekend. Jonathan Swift (or was it Alexander Pope?) said the sure sign of a genius was the hostility he evoked among the confederacy of dunces.

(Times of India, Telegraph, Hindu November 4,5,7, 10).

Questions, answers The creation of Islamo-fascist Pakistan, the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York’s Twin Towers, the 7/7 terrorism in London, the 26/11 assault on Mumbai, the 1971 genocide in East Pakistan (Bangladesh today), the destruction of the Bamyan statues of the Buddha in Afghanistan, gender apartheid and the messianic hatred of non-Islamic faiths are a seamless narrative almost without end. Time surely for Western and Indian apologists to seek release from their self-abnegating vows of silence.

Introspection in the Muslim world could replace the present dialogue of the deaf with a mutually rewarding conversation. Truth often hurts, but it also heals and sets you free...

Grasping the future Time was when the dark corners of India were the despair of citizens and rulers alike. The first dawn in these once benighted parts is, however, changing the mood music, as seen in columnist Swaminathan Aiyer’s latest piece in The Times of India (November 4). He writes that erstwhile successes in the Indian growth picture have declined

from an 8 per cent GDP gallop of a few years ago to the present 6.5 per cent trot.

“Meanwhile, something revolutionary has happened in backward regions,” which for decades were written off as sick states. They were seen to be a

cent), Madhya Pradesh (9.9 per cent, Goa (9.8 per cent), Maharashtra (9.7 per cent), Haryana (9.6 per cent), and Jharkhand (9.2 per cent).There are four formerly backward states in the list of the eight most advanced ones today.

Chattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan had also registered remarkable progress in all spheres, female literacy most of all.

The country’s overall poverty ratio, according to preliminary data, may be down by 7.9 per cent. If so, the numbers of the absolute poor will be decrease between 90-100 million in another five years, a feat of historic proportions.

Going nowhere If thirty-four years of Communist-led Left Front rule in West Bengal was a catastrophe, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, its elected successor, is little short of a disaster. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI)

West Bengal boasted five of the 11 all-India recipients of the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes, named after one of India’s most distinguished chemists. A recent survey by the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the University Grants Commission confirmed West Bengal’s unusually large imprint on science research and teaching.

courses, stating that about 30 per cent of graduates were unemployable, an equal quotient ordinary, and only the top segment worthy of their profession..

His Minister of State, Shashi Tharoor, echoed this concern by presenting a bleak overview of the country’s higher education, based on a damning report from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)-Ernest &Young entitled, “Higher education in India: Twelfth Five Year Plan and Beyond”. India’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) stood at 18 per cent compared to the global average of 27 per cent.

Centres of excellence

FICCI members with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

meeting in Kolkata was a squib with two-thirds of the advertised presence absent.

FICCI President R.V. Kanoria was blunt: the perception of West Bengal and Kolkata in the rest of India was negative. The state was where it was in the 1980s: labour unrest driven by oppor-

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Pakistan highlighting Bihar’s growth

“slough of despond, pulling down the national growth average. But not anymore. Many are growing faster than the national average. Instead of pulling India down, they are pulling India up.” Whereas national average GDP growth from 2009-12 clocked an impressive GDP growth of 7.7 per cent, the fastest growing states Uttarakhand and Bihar registered an explosive 12.5 per cent.”

Next came Gujarat (10.5 per

Prime Minister Stephen Harper in resetting Canada’s relationship with India

tunistic populism, the lack of a coherent vision to kick-start a stagnant economy made worse by the flight of capital to India’s greener pastures, were impediments to economic prosperity and social well-being.

(Times of India November 8)

Science paradox Amidst this unpromising environment comes the baffling if inspiring news that benighted

Strength of tradition “In Bengal there is still respect for scholarship in science,”said CSIR Director General Samir Brahmachari, who graduated from Kolkata’s St Xavier’s College in 1972, before completing his doctorate in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

Dr Brahmachari may have a point. The Society for the Advancement of Science in India, the first of its kind in the country, was established in Calcutta way back in 1867, and excellence in science and the arts has been central to Bengal’s quest for modernity from the early years of the 19th century. It is a miracle that science has survived for so long the destructive challenges posed by the state’s myopic politicians. Put it down to a variation of the Indian rope trick. (Telegraph October 4)

Education malaise Education is key to modernity.

Economic development without the appropriate educational base can be likened to a house of cards. The new Minister of Human Resource Development Pallam Raju highlighted the uneven quality of engineering

Mr Tharoor drew attention to the poor quality of many graduates. “Companies are entering the higher education space in the guise of training. Our university system simply is not producing well-educated graduates to meet the needs of Indian companies today,” he said.

Referring to a plan to set up 50 centres of excellence for research in frontier areas of science, design innovation, and research departments within Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Mr Tharoor concluded: “If finally established, it would transform the research environment in our country.”

The entry of world-class universities from abroad would surely have been beneficial, as they are in certain countries, including China, but the scheme was shot down in Parliament, alas, by India’s two Communist parties and the rightwing BJP. Where ignorance is bliss ‘tis folly to be wise.

Festivals of Light India and Israel are to bring out commemorative stamps to celebrate 20 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations with images of two Festivals of Light: the Jewish Hakkunah and India’s Diwali, both symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil. The launch took place in Tel Aviv in the presence of Sasa Silo, Minister of Israel’s Postal Services and Jaideep Sarkar, India’s Ambassador to Israel.

Ambassador Sarkar spoke of his country’s respect for the Jewish faith and all other faiths as integral to India’s pluralist tradition of religious harmony (Jerusalem Post, Times of India Nov 7).

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Ireland's Catholic anti-abortion laws causes the death of a woman at Galway hospital Whilst Catholics follow the principle of 'sanctity of life', many people over the years have questioned this under circumstances.

There is no doubt that to a majority of religions life is indeed holy, but can laws be entirely established on the basis of these beliefs, particularly laws that govern abortion?

Savita Halappanavar's death has shocked the Indian communities all over Britain, as her family claimed to the BBC that she had requested for her pregnancy to be terminated, as she was suffering from 'severe back pains and was miscarrying'.

Galway hospital's refusal to allow an abortion proved to be fatal for the

dentist Savita Halappanavar, 31, who died of septicemia on the 28th October 2012. The diagnosis of septicemia was confirmed by an autopsy that had been carried out two days after her death.

Her husband told the BBC that the staff at Galway hospital 'refused'

to allow a termination of the pregnancy, despite the risks to her own life, simply because they were a 'Catholic country'. Mr Halappanavar also believes that there is 'no doubt' that his wife would have been alive if the abortion was carried out.

Before experiencing difficulties Savita was “on the top of the world”, and was expecting their first child, with her first ever pregnancy. However, “on the Saturday night everything changed, she started experiencing back pain” and so they called into Galway hospital.

On the continuation of her back pain they asked a consultant whether the pregnancy could be

induced, but the response was: “They said they unfortunately can't because it's a Catholic country”, added Mr Halappanavar.

Despite telling staff that Savita is not a Catholic, she is a Hindu, why impose this law upon her, the hospital still refused. “It's the law they can't abort when the foetus is live.” The baby's heartbeat stopped on Wednesday.

Mr Halappanavar received a call on Wednesday telling him that Savita's heart rate had gone up and that they were transferring her to ICU. Continued on page 30

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If you require Immigration advice & assistance, we at Duncan Lewis Solicitors can help and “give people a voice”

By Shalini Patel The word ‘Immigration’ crops up in endless conversations in our current climate, may it be at work, at home, with friends or family. A large majority of you reading this article will have needed, or known someone who has needed Immigration Advice at some time. However, any Legal Advice comes at a price that not many of us can afford.

This is where Duncan Lewis, with one of the most respected Immigration departments in the UK is here to help. We are the largest Legal Aid firm in the UK and if you are in receipt of benefits, on a low income or currently unemployed we may be able to assist you in your Immigration matter with no legal fees.

Duncan Lewis deals with numerous complex Immigration matters on a daily basis and our Immigration Department consists of over 140 employees with insurmountable experience. We pride ourselves in our professionalism, enthusiasm and client care. Our motto is ‘We give people a voice’ and we aim to strengthen this amongst our Asian communities.

In these difficult times the number of Domestic Violence victims is at an all-time high. If an individual has come to the UK on a spouse visa and has found themselves subjected to Domestic Violence but is scared to bring this to the attention of the authorities for fear of being sent back home, they need not fear any longer.

In the past 6 months Shalini Patel, a Trainee Solicitor at Duncan Lewis, has obtained Settlement for over 10 individuals who had arrived in the UK on spouse visas and had been subjected to brutal domestic violence. A number of these individuals have been/now being assisted by our Family Law Department to obtain a divorce, our Community Care Department to obtain housing and our Criminal Departments to obtain injunctions and NonMolestation Orders against their ex-partners.

Shalini’s specialism in this area has been recognised by the UK’s leading refuges including the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association and Shelter-in-the-Storm, who continually refer victims of Domestic Violence to her for assistance.

The largest numbers of foreign students in the UK are from India and China, however with the recent increased restrictions it is becoming extremely difficult to obtain a visa to study in the UK or to apply for an extension for a student visa successfully. Our Managed Migration Department has an outstanding rate of success. We only take on cases we know have merit, ensuring your money is well spent.

Since 9 July 2012 the UK Border Agency [UKBA] has implemented many changes which have meant many individuals with strong cases no longer meet the requisite rules. If you find yourself in such a situation we may be able to assist you in challenging such rules where they breach the Human Rights Act. An endless number of us have families abroad that we would like to sponsor for a visitor visa but for many of us the long and complicated application forms can seem daunting, not to forget the fees that go with it. Further, the process for obtaining an Entry Clearance for a partner you have married back home has become more complicated. This is where we can assist you to meet all of the requirements. We will ensure you have submitted all the relevant documents, paid the correct fee and filled the form out accurately to ensure your family member is in the UK as soon as possible and with minimum fuss.

So, for whatever Legal Advice you need and in whichever area of Law, we at Duncan Lewis Solicitors can help and “give people a voice”.

Head office Spencer House, 29 Grove Hill Road, Harrow-On-The-Hill, HA1 3BN Tel: 020 7923 4020 www.duncanlewis.com

14

ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Dr Rami Ranger MBE named as the National Champion for UK in European Business Award 2012/2013 Sun Mark has been announced as a national champion for the UK in the European Business Awards. The international distribution and marketing company, Managing Director and founder, Dr Rami Ranger MBE, already has the unique accolade of being the only company to have been awarded the Queens award for Enterprise in International trade for four consecutive years.

IT will now go on to represent Britain in the European finals to be held next year.

Speaking after the announcement, Dr Ranger Dr Rami Ranger MBE, Managing Director of Sun Mark Ltd said that it was a great receiving the European Business Award for 2012/2013 in the presence of Mr. Chris Merry, CEO of RSM Tenon (L) and honour to have been Mr Adrian Tripp, CEO, the European Business Awards (R) selected to represent excellence to lead the way. dynamic and forward Britain. He wanted to win This is an opportunity for thinking businesses a platat the finals as much for form to showcase their Europe’s brightest busihis company and team as achievements and share nesses to gain the recognifor his adopted country, their success with other tion they deserve on a Britain, which has given like-minded companies. global stage. him so much. Adrian Now, more than ever we Dr Ranger said he was Tripp, CEO of the need to consider how the excited at the prospect of European Business European economy trades taking on the best of Awards, sponsored by globally and we need Europe and looked forRSM and supported by brave enterprising ward to meeting his counUKTI, has been quoted as European businesses who terparts from across the saying that The European invest in innovation and EU. Business Awards provide

Lord Indarjit Singh presented with Punjab Ratan Award by WPO London Lord Indarjit Singh, the first member of the House of Lords to wear a turban, has been presented with the 'Punjab Ratan' (Jewel of Punjab) award by the World Punjabi Organisation, in recognition of his contribution to promoting Punjabi Culture, Heritage and Inter faith services.

Rt. Honourable Grant Shapps, MP, and Lord Andrew Feldman, Chairmen of the Conservative Party, presented the award to Lord Indarjit Singh at a glittering ceremony at the WPO annual dinner held at the Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square in central London on Oct. 26th.

Born in 1932 in Rawalpindi in British India, Indarjit Singh is a journalist and broadcaster, a prominent British Asian active in Sikh and interfaith activities and editor of the Sikh Messenger.

Since 1993 he has worked for the Sikh community and is probably its bestknown representative in Britain.

An Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) since June 1996, Lord Singh was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2009. He was made a life peer on Oct 12 last year.

P S Chawla, a former banker, was presented with the "Lifetime

Mr RS Baxi President WPO, Sir Mota Singh QC, Rt. Hon. Grant Shapps MP (Chairman of Conservative Party), Lord Andrew Feldman (Chairman of Conservative Party) , Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE, Dr M.S. Duggal, Dr M.S Lamba and Lord Dolar Popat

Achievement Award for services to The Punjabi Community."

Speaking at the Dinner, Ranjit Singh Baxi, President of WPO said "The British-Indian community is the largest ethnic minority group in the United Kingdom, who together make a major contribution to the British economy. British Punjabis and Sikhs make up close to a million people in the UK, they play an important role in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector as well as amongst medium to large Enterprises, and also make contributions in the services sector as Doctors, Lawyers and Teachers."

Recalling Prime Minister Cameron's remarks at the launch of the Conservative Friends of India that there are no glass ceilings - even in politics, and those who work

hard for the country could also attain the highest office in the land, Baxi asked the young Punjabis present in the hall to join politics as the "opportunities are limitless if you wish to make politics your career."

Also present on the occasion were Lord Raj Loomba and Lord Dolar Popat, Lord andrerw Feldman and Rt Hon Grant Shapps.

Mrs Jasminder Kasturia, Counsellor (Press and Information) in the Indian High Commission London lauded the efforts of Punjabis for their achievements here and also for keeping the flag of Punjab flying.

Dr Duggal and Paul Riat, on behalf of WPO presented a cheque to the British Heart Foundation in appreciation of its work.

For more stories visit www.scribbledesk.com

Short Story by Neha Garg

Charlie and the Monsters ‘I am telling you, mum,’ said Charlie, dragging his mother into his room. ‘I can hear someone whispering under there.’

He pointed to his bed.

‘For the hundredth time, Charlie,’ said his mother. ‘There is no one there.

Go play in the garden, will you? I need to get dinner ready.’

Charlie sighed and sat down on the bed. Someone sniggered.

‘It was my turn to scare Charlie tonight,’ said William the Wardrobe Monster in a fierce whisper.

‘It’s Friday,’ Bloodcurdling Barry hissed back. ‘Fridays have always been reserved for me.’

The two monsters were crouching under Charlie’s bed. William had left his wardrobe to come visit Barry when he saw Barry getting ready for a bloodcurdling howl at midnight.

‘Not today,’ said Sir William, stroking his bushy beard. He pointed at the calendar hanging on Charlie’s wall. ‘Friday the 13th is my birthday and according to the How to be a Good Monster handbook, birthday monsters always get first dibs on the kid.’

‘Load of old tosh,’ grumbled Bloodcurdling Barry.

Unknown to either of them, Charlie was lying awake in bed, listening with a thumping heart. He knew it. Oh, if only his mother had believe him. What was he to do now? He stole a look at his bedroom door but it was too far. He couldn’t risk stepping on the floor in case one of the monsters decided to grab his ankle.

‘I will slowly pull his covers off him and you can jump on top of him,’ said Bloodcurdling Barry, forgetting to keep his voice down.

‘Shhhh,’ said Sir William. ‘You’ll wake him up and ruin my birthday.’

Charlie was in a state. He didn’t know what to do. Maybe he should scream?

But what if mum thought it was him making a fuss and didn’t come to his rescue?

He looked around his room desper-

ately, trying to find a way out, when his eyes fell on his Halloween costume which was still hanging off the back of the chair next to his bed. Charlie smiled as an idea formed in his brain.

‘Ready?’ whispered Bloodcurdling Barry.

Sir William nodded. His eyes were shining in excitement.

Barry crawled out from under Charlie’s bed and peeked at Charlie.

Good, the boy was fast asleep and snoring loudly. He grabbed a corner of his blanket and slowly started pulling. Any second now, Charlie will wake up screaming.

Charlie didn’t move a muscle. He wanted to make sure the two monsters were out in the open, before making his move. As soon as the blanket was off him, the two monsters jumped up on the bed with a shrill scream. Charlie sat up.

Bloodcurdling Barry’s wet smile vanished and his one eye opened wide. His scream changed from one of scary laughter to one of terror. Sir William joined suit. Charlie stood up in his bed and waved his arms around. The light from his night lamp made the skeleton suit he was wearing, glow brighter. It looked for all the world, that a skeleton had unfolded itself from Charlie’s bed covers and was coming at the 2 monsters. Screaming, Barry and Sir William rushed back under the bed.

Charlie chuckled as he heard a whimper.

Nehru Centre hosts the vibrant “Telugu Cultural Festival” An exuberant “Telugu Cultural Festival” was hosted

by The Nehru Centre on 02 November 2012 in association with Shilparamam Arts and Handicrafts Society, Department of Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh. The Centre has the distinction of hosting state-wise cultural festivals lately. This is the third such festival after Assam and Kerala Days.

Typical Telugu Handicrafts like Nirmal Paintings, Kalamkari works, Banjara Embroidery, Etikoppaka and Kondapalli toys, Leather Puppets and colourful Muggus (Rangoli) gave a grand traditional welcome to all at the entrance.

Aviation Secretary Nambiar,who was on a visit to Britain, Consul General of India from Birmingham Consulate

Hon’ble Ramalingam etc were among guests of honour. Sangeeta Bahadur, Culture Minister and Director of TNC gave the

opening message, accompanied by the Deputy Director Gowri Shankar.

This was followed by the message given by the Chairman of Official Language C o m m i s s i o n (Telugu) Mandali Buddha Prasad.

Different Telugu Associations, Arts Organisations and Dance Academies from London, Reading, Milton Keynes and Preston have all showcased their talented children and senior artistes.

Salute to local & national heroes from Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan etc., Veena by Padmini Pasumarthy, Violin recital by sEnsemble, folk dances Lambadi, Koya and Kolatam by Prajna group have all stolen the show.

Jugalbandi of danseuses Abhinandana and Ragasudha Vinjamuri was a special attraction of this amazing cultural evening.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

15

If you have any particular topics you would like covered on my page, please let me know.

MusIc

Tanveer Mann

TOP 25 SONGS IN THE ASIAN DOWNLOAD CHART 1. Diljit Dosanjh & Tru Skool – Kharku 2. Shreya Ghoshal & Mohit Chauhan – Saans 3. Jay Status & DJ Sanj – Meri Jaan Jaan 4. Sukshinder Shinda – One in a Million (feat. J.Glib) 5. Notorious Jatt – Dosti (feat. Jaswinder Daghamia) 6. Diljit Dosanjh & Tru Skool – Strawberry 7. Jus Ritz – Jaan Dhena (feat. Bakshi Billa) 8. Ali Abbas – Nit Khair Manga (feat. AV) 9. Jaz Dhami – High Heels (feat. Honey Singh) 10. Rabbi – Challa 11. Tigerstyle – Ay Ha (feat. Sarbjeet Kaur & Bakshi Billa 12. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan – Akhiyan 13. Benny Dayal & Sunidhi Chauhan – The Disco Song (Disco Deewane) 14. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan – Tu hi Rab Tu Hi Dua 15. Diljit Doasnjh & Tru Skool – Iphone 16. Diljit Dosanjh & Tru Skool – Band bottle 17. Diljit – Radio (feat. Tru Skool) 18. Neeti Mohan – Jiya Re 19. Raxstar & Dj Surinder Rattan – Flirt 20. Mika Singh, Bhavya Pandit & Yo Yo Honey Singh – Rani Tu Mein Raja 21. DJ Sanj & Jay Status – Mukhada (feat. Deep Cold) 22. Shehkar Ravjiani, Salim Merchant & Neeti Mohan – Ishq Wala Love 23. Diljit Dosanjh & Tru Skool – Poh Di Raat 24. Shreya Goshal & Wajid – Mashallah 25. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Bichdann

Timeless

Did you know..?

Word of the Week:

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

Taw·dry: adj. taw·dri·er, taw·dri·est 1. Gaudy and cheap in nature or appearance.

2. Shameful or indecent: tawdry secrets.

FASHION

Modest &

Ha Ha.....

He He.... :P

The 3 most common languages in the world are Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and English.

www.punjabeeblonde.wordpress.com tanveer.mann@abplgroup.com

Who’s the head of the hankeys?

A hanker-chief!

Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have.

Elenany, an independent, London-based fashion design house offering modest and timeless statement pieces launches its brand new women’s collection, Elenany Originals.

Available online through elenany.co.uk and distributed worldwide, Elenany’s fifth collection boasts timeless statement pieces with prices ranging from £35 to £190. The collection is inspired by Islamic Art and meshes classic fabrics with original prints to create a unique and modern design.

From classic easy-to-wear tweed trousers, an elegant black cape perfect for the workplace, to casual printed jersey sweats ideal for the gym or just to relax in, Elenany Originals delivers a complete lifestyle solution for the independent woman who is not shy of making a statement.

Elenany clothing incorporates bold, original prints and strong silhouettes which skim over the body keeping it mysterious whilst giving every woman a feminine and flattering fit. Sassy girls with an air of dangerousness will love these new pieces!

Sarah Elenany, a fashion designer of Egyptian Palestinian origin standing behind the Elenany brand says: “Elenany Originals manifests its twofold design approach of functionality and originality. Elenany’s focus is on functional, original and beautiful clothing. We are delighted to release our fifth collection.

Since starting the brand, Elenany has won many prestigious awards and collaborated with various artists and organisations. We are proud to see the brand growing and look forward to the future!”

All designs are manufactured in London, which assures health & safety and monitoring policies are in place.

RAPID FIRE INTERVIEW An established member of the Magic Circle, Magic Singh is a bewildering magician with a distinct style of cuttingedge magic. Performing since the age of 11, Magic Singh has truly captivated audiences worldwide and is renowned for his amazing talent.

How did you get into magic?

It was the year of 1996 and Christmas was around the corner. I was given a tricked deck of magic playing cards. With the urge and excitement to master the trick I sat at home practising the handling of the cards, the routine as well as the patter. I performed my newly learnt trick for the first time to friends and family. All I remember was the reactions being amazing. It was because of the delight and happiness brought to theses people that inspired me to take magic seriously as an art form.

Did you have a mentor or are you selftaught?

Majority of what I do is self-taught.

I learned the basics from magic books that are available from Libraries…a place that most people like to call ‘Google’ nowadays. Along the way I have met many magicians who have given me invaluable advice.

What was the path you took to become a magician?

I made use of all my school subjects during GCSE’s to A-levels to further develop my skills a professional magician. Subjects like Psychology, theatre studies and media all play a significant role. I became a member of the Magic

…WITH MAGIC

SINGH

Circle when I was 18. I began to establish myself around Bournemouth town, trying to get residential work in night clubs, bars and restaurants. My first official paid gig was at ‘Spearmint Rhino’. I couldn’t ask for anything better. It was great fun…enough said. As my degree came to an end I produced what I’d intended to make, my own television magic special. Not only has this got me my degree but also many tele-

vised spots, magazine interviews, and an array of magic engagements.

What are your other interests?

Like any other guy I have a passion for the super cars and love to watch shows like Top Gear. I also like watching films in the cinema as opposed to watching them at home on a computer, simply because of the cinematic experience. I like to get ideas and inspirations from films that I can then incorporate into my magic.

Who is your role model?

My role model is David Blaine. Had I not seen his debut magic show in 1999, I don’t think I would be doing magic. It’s amazing how a TV show can influence the rest of your life.

Where have you performed in the past and where do you hope to perform in the future?

The beauty of this art, I have had privilege to travel around the world and perform in places that one would only ever dream of visiting. I’ve performed for big corporate companies such as Nokia, Ted Baker, Audi, Smirnoff, Lynx plus many more. I’ve been the resident magician for Glastonbury since 2007.

Places around the world include, Las Vegas, Dubai, India and Bangkok. Most recently I’ve had the opportunity to perform for Amitabh Bachchan.

How does it feel to be recognized for your extraordinary talent, as one of the few British Sikh magicians that have become successful?

It is a proud feeling to be recognized

for sharing my love for magic. Due to magic being a universal art form, people from all sorts of backgrounds have had the opportunity to witness my magic.

My aim is to put Sikhs in a positive light especially after the negative connotations the turban has had following 9/11.

I will continue to travel the world and do what I do best and put smiles on peoples face.

Where do you see yourself in the next ten years?

Magic is my life. I’m an artist of wonder. And will continue to amaze anyone who enters my path in life. My aim is to become a national household name and a face that all will recognise.

Do you have any advice for other young, aspiring, Asian magicians out there?

If you genuinely would love to do this as a fulltime career, stick with it, work hard and don’t let anyone ever tell you that what you are doing is a waste of time. Anything in life is possible if you put your mind to it.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Shruti opposite Ram in ‘Kandireega 2’ Shruti Haasan has signed to play the heroine opposite Ram in his Telugu film “Kandireega 2,” a sequel to “Kandireega.” This is her third Telugu film after successful “Gabbar Singh” and Ravi Teja's “Balupu,” which is under production. “Kandireega 2” was supposed to start five months ago, but was delayed after director Santosh Srinivas lodged a complaint with Director's Association, alleging that the film's producer Bellamkonda Suresh beat him up.

The issues seem to be settled now and the film is all set to take off.

Anirudh: ‘Ethirneechal’ will be better than ‘3’ The 'Kolaveri' boy Anirudh Ravichander is gearing up for his next project “Ethirneechal,” which will be Dhanush’s first production in Tamil.

Sivakarthikeyan and Priya Anand will play the lead roles. Anirudh has said that the music in “Ethirneechal” will be better than “3.” Dhanush will be lending his voice for two songs, a fast number and a romantic one. Anirudh will rap for the latter and will have an entire song to his name, this time too. When these two artists came together in “3,” they created chartbusters. “Why this Kolaveri” became viral and spread all over the world.

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Suriya, who is busy working on “Singham 2,” was approached by Lingusamy for his next directorial venture.

Impressed with the storyline, Suriya agreed to be a part of it and Lingusamy began his search for the leading lady.

Eventually Lingusamy and Suriya have finalised Samantha for the role.

Earlier Anushka, Kajal Agarwal and Hansika Motwani were also considered for this role. Samatha became popular in Tamil with “Naan E.” Currently she is busy with Gautham Vasudev Menon's bilingual “Nethanae En Ponvasantham” in Tamil and “Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu” in Telugu.

Fitness is best investment: Bipasha At 33, Bipasha Basu is fit as a fiddle. She believes fitness is the best investment as good health leads to happiness. “It’s very important to love yourself because that’s where your life begins. You have one life, one body that you need to respect and look after. There is no other place where you live but just your body,” Bipasha said at the Fittest City contest. “It’s really important that you give time to your body and care. It’s the best investment you have. So every single person should teach their children to start early and start looking after your health and fitness,” she added. Bipasha was last seen in “Raaz 3″, is not just a fitness freak herself, but also took a step ahead by launching a fitness DVD called “BB Love Yourself: Fit and Fabulous You”.

It was a 60-day routine for weight-loss.

I’m in `10 billion zone: Irrfan Khan If Bollywood’s big Khans are eyeing `1 billion and 2 billion club, internationally acclaimed Irrfan Khan says he has already surpassed that with “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Amazing Spider-Man” collections. “Slumdog Millionaire’ has earned more than `8 billion, Spider-Man must have gone beyond that and ‘Life Of Pi’ will definitely go bigger because the cost itself is `5 billion. So, I am working in both kinds of films and I am in the `10 billion zone,” Irrfan said.

Thanks to international offers, Irrfan has an option to move base to Hollywood, but says he has no such plans. “I feel, I am saleable otherwise nobody would have cast me. I have my own limitations, I have my own market and that’s why I am being cast in a film.”

Miffed Sameera Reddy slams linkup rumours Close on the heels of being linked to young industrialist Sidhartha Mallya, Sameera Reddy is now apparently being romantically associated with her co-star Rana Daggubati While the earlier rumour died a natural death when Sam revealed that Mallya was her cousin, the latter seems to be creating some buzz in the industry. According to a source, “Sam did a song opposite Rana in a Telugu film. The two have been spending quite a lot of time with each other. They even decided to hang out after the shoot was wrapped up and even ate out together.” However, a friend of Sameera slams these rumours and states, “Yes, the two did bond. But there is no romance. The two worked out together and Rana gave her some pretty interesting fitness tips. In return, Sam gave him some fashion tips.”

Saif goes ‘golden’ for ‘Race 2’

Samantha to be paired up with Suriya!

Hot Garam masala

Anushka Sharma is breathing fire at the pink bull for hogging all the limelight in “Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola.” Albeit, in good humour... Buzz is that the leading lady of Vishal Bhardwaj's new film is mighty jealous of the pink bull that has been appearing in the promos on television.

A source says, “The pink bull or the gulabi saand has been featured prominently in the promo.

Anushka wants to know why instead of her, the bull is stealing all the limelight.”

Sources say that the leggy lass has been breathing fire ever since.

A source close to the actress says, “Everyone is speaking about the bull. It just seems to be sitting on a bed and hogging all the attention. What bull s*** is this! May be he will want to be Bollywood's next item boy!”

Vidya Balan, Siddharth Roy Kapur to marry soon When they started dating nearly two years ago, actor Vidya Balan and Disney UTV managing director Siddharth Roy Kapur tried to keep it under wraps.

However, early this year, the National Award-winning actor admitted to the relationship, and speculation has since been rife that the two will marry soon. Buzz in Bollywood is that the couple is set to tie the knot in December this year. Although they have been trying to keep the news from the media, sources from the industry say that the preparations are on full swing, and that the date is fixed for the second week of

17

December. Kapur has even applied for a four-week leave in December. Balan, whose performances in “The Dirty Picture” and “Kahaani” have been appreciated, accordingly, will take a scheduled break from Raj Kumar Gupta’s “Ghanchakkar.”

Details of the wedding and following reception are still unknown, but the couple will head to the Caribbean Islands in the last two weeks of December for their honeymoon. Sources state that they will be leaving for the vacation soon after their wedding. Kapur has also bought a house in Juhu, which will serve as the couple’s abode and Balan has spent considerable time and effort in shopping for it and doing it up.

I haven't signed on any new film: Genelia Genelia D'Souza says she has not signed any new film yet because she is enjoying her post-marriage break. The 25-year-old actress, who got married to Riteish on February 3 this year, said that she was eagerly waiting for a break after constantly working in five film industries - Bollywood, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam for a decade. "I have not signed on a new film yet as I am on a small break. I started my career at a very young age and worked for 10 years and all 365 days without taking any break. I was a part of five film industries including Bollywood and I feel I deserve this break now after marriage," Genelia said.

Obama's win inspires sequel to ‘Phas Gaye Re Obama’ Can Bollywood lags behind when it comes to celebrations? The latest celebration was in the form of Obama's victory at the US presidential elections. And what better way to celebrate than to have him as an inspiration for a film. Well, that's exactly what has happened with the makers of “Phas Gaye Re Obama,” who have now planning to make a sequel titled “Bach Gaye Re Obama.” Talking about the film, producer Ashok Pandey said that they were thinking of their next film and this was the most apt subject, considering that there was a strong feeling about the re-election of Obama. He also added that the bottom line of the film will be about getting out of recession.

Saif Ali Khan will have his fans swooning, as he brings sexy back, with his all-new look in the forthcoming action-thriller “Race 2.” Sporting a bronzed tan and a ripped lean look, the actor takes the sex appeal notches higher in the sequel to the 2008 blockbuster. He will be seen wearing gold chains and a gold watch and he will sport a deep tan.

Having lost 10 kg for his role in the film, Saif also ensured he got just the right tan on the beaches in North Cyrus. “He usually began his day early, spending an hour on the beach catching sun for the tan.

Then he hit the gym for an hour where he did some heavy workouts, before reporting on sets. He would even tan himself in between shoots and during lunch.

In addition to all this, he followed a strict diet and ended his day with an hour-long yoga session,” says producer of the film Ramesh Taurani. He adds, “Saif is looking his best in the film. He took personal interest in styling his look and shared his inputs, even for his ‘gold’ look. He was extremely professional and took it all very seriously.” “Race 2,” being her first dabble in an out-in-out action thriller, Deepika Padukone couldn’t be more excited especially since the actress this time around, has decided to shoot for the hi-octane stunts minus a stunt double, including a thrilling car chase sequence which is a highlight in the film. UTV Motion Pictures & Tips Industries Ltd. presents the action thriller “Race 2,” starring Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Jacqueline Fernandez, Anil Kapoor and Ameesha Patel and is scheduled for release on 25th January 2013.

It isn't for nothing that the much-anticipated item song in “Dabangg 2” is called 'Fevicol'. We've come to know that producer-director Arbaaz Khan has tied up with the multinational company for a huge collaborative project before allowing Kareena to croon in favour of the well-known adhesive company. Kareena started shooting the 'Fevicol' song from November 5 onwards. This is the first time Kareena returns to the arc lights after her much-hyped wedding on October 18. Farah Khan choreographs the number.

Says a source, "Salman wants Kareena's item song in Dabangg 2 to be bigger, brighter and bouncier than 'Munni Badnaam' in Dabangg. He selected the tune, and finalized Mamta Sharma to sing it. He also decided on bringing the adhesive company into the song. If you remember, the 'Munni Badnaam' song in Dabangg had gotten into a wrangle with the Zandu balm product for mentioning their product in the song. Subsequently, producer Arbaaz Khan sat across the table with the balm makers and the two parties worked out a lucrative deal whereby Malika Arora who performed 'Munni Badnaam' endorsed the balm and also became its brand ambassador. A similar deal has been worked out with the Fevicol company for the item song in Dabangg 2."

The idea is to use the Dabangg franchise as a platform for an endorsement-based item song each time. It was Zandu balm in Dabangg, it's Fevicol in Dabangg 2. It would be another popular product in the next film.

Veena Malik, the super serial kisser Sex bomb Veena Malik is a new Bollywood lady 'Serial Kisser'. She is going to beat the Bollywood most wanted Serial Kisser Emraan Hashmi. Veena is ready to set Guinness Book of World Records through maximum kiss in her upcoming movie “The City That Never Sleeps” which is produced by Satish Reddy and directed by Haroon Rashid. Her liplock scene will spark a fire. Veena said, "I think kisses are very important and ridiculously beautiful expressions. It is such a beautiful expression of how kisses of all kinds can cure the world with love and joy. It's great to be a part of Guinness Book of World Records. I just want to warn all the heroes to be careful, here comes the B-town Super Serial Kisser."

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Japan to give fresh infra loan of $22.6 bn to India Dear Financial Voice Reader The UK is buzzing and it’s not just because the London Olympics put the global spotlight on the nation to allow at long last a British Prime Minister to claim credibly the UK ‘is the greatest country in the world’. It’s not just because being outside the Euro, but in the EU, the UK is not in recession, unlike the EU, but remain part of the world’s largest free market zone. Yes, the EU is the world’s largest free market zone – on a par with the US. Mobile tech and entrepreneurs are one key reason for the buzz. Of course Google and Facebook HQs help (Facebook now takes mobile payments in Europe). UK infrastructure (4G network launched and plans for 5G in place) helps hone your skills, rather like competing in the Olympics, to be a global leader. Indian entrepreneurs setting up in the UK, wanting to take follow behind Tata’s $1bln plus profits from their UK, add to the buzz. So what’s going on, where, and how do Indian entrepreneurs get in on the action? And are Indian’s leading the way? Well this week alone it was announced that the Indian lady heading Microsoft UK’s Bizspark initiative for start-ups, will join Silicon Valley Bank’s UK HQ and its Euro push. Yes Indians are at the heart of Tech UK. My role as a UK Government ‘Dealmaker’ is to look for the most outstanding growth potential intellectual property rich companies and entrepreneurs to set up a regional HQ in the UK – and do the deals such as help find clients, funds to make it happen. The quick test – does the company have revenues, exciting milestones executed, IP, scalability?

So what makes them willing and able to establish in the UK? What kind of companies are they? All businesses want several key things to succeed and the UK, in the mobile space in particular has them. First, skilled labour.

Britain’s hubs, not just in London, in app development, mobile hardware tech, design, allows it to be a global design, innovation and creative lead – allowing companies using their talents to lead globally.

Second, the networks. Again, not just Techcity (www.techcityuk.com) with the thousand plus companies all interacting, sharing costs, doing business, like the UK’s Silicon Valley. Or TechHub and its workspaces, Springboard in Cambridge, Oxygen in Birmingham and loads more all over the UK. Its networks and their ability to share knowledge that rockets business growth. Add to this the incubators and the linkages with Universities throughout the UK and you see problems get solved quick in R&D, innovation. Said Mike Butcher, Editor of TechCrunch Europe (Techcrunch.com) in the Telegraph, “Despite the expense of London, it is where most tech companies situate their European headquarters and where many start-ups choose to locate, as it is centre of finance and investment is very important at an early stage. Many new technology funds come out of London, such as ProFounders Capital. Plus start ups need to be physically close to their investors, as they often like to be heavily involved with the process and sit on the board.”

Third is capital.

Angel networks like www.envestors.co.uk and seedcamp in Europe’s largest angel and VC market means good businesses do get funded. The rich number of events for companies to pitch, as well as those teaching how to not just pitch, but to scale. VC’s like Index Ventures and Government backed initiatives focusing on mentoring (www.getmentoring) and exporting as well as loans for young UK entrepreneurs have all added to the buzz. The Olympics in the end only gave the country the confidence to shout loudly about the buzz.

Rajat Gupta should pay $15 million penalty: US govt US government has asked a court to slap a maximum penalty of $15 million on India-born fallen Wall Street titan Rajat Gupta and permanently bar him from serving as director of any publicly-traded firm for his "terrible breach of trust" by indulging in insider trading. Weeks after the former Goldman Sachs director was handed down a two-year jail term and fined $5 million by US District Judge Jed Rakoff, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said he should be

ordered to pay a maximum civil penalty of $15 million, which would be thrice the USD 5 million in gains and losses avoided as a result of his "illegal conduct."

Gupta, 63, who is set to begin his prison term in January, has filed an appeal against his conviction in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

According to the Notice of Appeal filed by his lawyer Gary Naftalis in US District Court Southern District of New York, Gupta's "appeal concerns conviction only."

Japan will give a fresh loan of about $22.6 billion for the second phase of Dedicated Freight Corridor and an infrastructure project in South India, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh as they met at Phnom Penh, making up for an opportunity lost a few days ago.

Singh, while welcoming the announcement of loan, emphasised to Noda that India's priority was investments by Japanese companies in infrastructure projects like Delhi Metro Rail, which was a "fine example" other cities want to emulate.

The two leaders were to meet in Tokyo on November 16 during Singh's scheduled threeday visit beginning November 15 for annual

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (right) with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Summit. However, the visit was cancelled just a day ahead in view of sudden political developments in Japan with Noda deciding to announce elections.

During the meeting on the sidelines of East Asia Summit, Noda expressed happiness at being able to meet Singh to underline the close strategic and

global partnership between the two countries, sources said.

He told Singh that he wanted to discuss the next steps in the relationship since they could not meet in Tokyo for the annual summit due to domestic developments in Japan, they said.

Noda informed Singh

that Japan will be announcing the second round of loans under Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) for the second phase of the Dedicated Freight Corridor and a third infrastructural project in South India, where Japanese companies have a good presence, the sources said.

The fresh loan amount is expected to be 184 billion yen, approximately $22 billion.

The Japanese Prime Minister also mentioned Japanese interest in continuing the consultation on the high-speed railways.

Both the Prime Ministers expressed happiness on the signing of the MoU on Rare Earths and the Agreement on Social Security signed on November 16 in Tokyo.

India open to further reforms Goldman promotes 16 on airline investment Indians, makes 3 partners

Global financial services giant Goldman Sachs has promoted 266 persons, including at least 16 of Indian-origin, as managing director (MD). Three others of Indian origin are among 70 who have been named partners with effect from January 1, 2013.

Among the new partners are Vivek Bantwal, Amol Naik and Gaurav Seth. More than half of the new partners would be based in Americas.

Among the 16 of Indian origin promoted as managing directors are Nilesh Banerjee, Dinkar Bhatia, Meera Bhutta, Nikhil Choraria, Pooja Goyal, Dinesh Gupta, Manav Gupta, Hari Moorthy, Mitesh J Parikh, Nita Patel, Sameer Ralhan, Akshay Sahni, Gunjan Samtani, Kunal Shah, Amit Sinha and Monali Vora.

The group announces a list of managing directors every year while the list of partners is generally announced once in two years. At the Goldman Sachs group, managing

director's position is one rank below that of the partner. Last year, it had promoted 261 executives to the position of managing director.

The partners are also known at the group as 'Participating Managing Directors'. Typically, a managing director at Goldman earns a base salary of $500,000, while partners earn in the range of $900,000. Both these classes of senior management executives are also paid a considerable sum as bonuses. The group has close to 32,600 employees across the world currently, down from about 34,200 a year ago.

Goldman Sachs said in a statement that "these appointments recognize some of the firm's most valued senior professionals and acknowledge their leadership and contribution to the firm's culture of excellence". "We congratulate all those selected on this important achievement," Goldman Sachs' chairman and CEO Lloyd C Blankfein said.

India is open to further reforms to lure overseas investors into its airlines, a government source said, after a dearth of interest following changes to investment rules left Kingfisher and others still short of much-needed funds. The aviation ministry will meet local carriers soon to ask what changes were needed in the policy, added the source, with direct knowledge of policy developments.

India changed its Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy in September to allow foreign carriers to buy stakes of up to 49 per cent in domestic airlines, a move seen as a potential boon especially for debtladen Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. All three listed Indian carriers - Jet Airways and SpiceJet as well as Kingfisher - are said by some analysts to be on the lookout for investment from a foreign carrier, providing a new source of funding for the industry.

The fiercely competitive Indian aviation industry

lost a combined $2 billion last year. All but unlisted IndiGo lost money, hurt by high state taxes on jet fuel, expensive airports and regulatory uncertainty.

But since FDI rules were changed, no carrier has publicly expressed an interest in buying a stake in Kingfisher or any other airline in India, one of the fastest growing markets in the world.

"We are also surprised why there is no activity.

It's a fact that no foreign airline has approached us yet," the source told reporters speaking on condition of anonymity.

"We will ask these (local) airlines why FDI failed to pick up. What are the issues they are facing, if they are talking to someone," the source added.

India's high tax on aviation fuel was the biggest issue discouraging foreign carriers wanting to invest in Indian airlines, the source said. State taxes make jet fuel in India about 50 percent costlier than the global average.

Enforcement Directorate probes Walmart investment in Bharti The Enforcement Directorate in India is probing allegations of violation of foreign exchange rules by US retailer Walmart when it invested $100 million into a company owned by the Bharti group, its joint venture partner for the wholesale cash-and-carry business.

Sources said the Reserve Bank of India, which was asked by the commerce and industry ministry to examine a possible violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), has lobbed the ball into the ED's court.

The issue was triggered by a complaint from CPI's M P Achuthan who alleged that the US retailer had violated FDI rules by

investing in Easyday, Bharti's front-end retail outlets. Until September, foreign investors were not allowed to invest in the multi-brand retail sector.

Achutan had raised the issue in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Prime Minister's Office had forwarded the compliant to the finance ministry.

Asked to comment on the issue, Chidambaram

said he had not been briefed on the matter.

Walmart, which had earlier denied any wrongdoing, declined to comment on the ED probe when asked.

Achuthan had alleged that Walmart used complex structures to invest in the front-end retail ventures through a holding company named Cedar Support Services.

A news agency reported that ED's Bangalore office is expected to issue notices calling for documents related to investments and remittances made by Walmart. ED, which has registered a case under Fema, will also ask the commerce and industry ministry to furnish it with clearances that were given to the company to route

the investment in 2010 in a subsidiary of Bharti ventures via a Mauritian arm, the news agency quoted a source as saying.

FDI critics such as Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress said the probe by ED vindicated their stand of opposing the entry of Walmart. "Walmart has been under the scanner for violations in practically every country it operates. It is currently embroiled in an explosive bribery scandal in Mexico... they are accused of paying $24 million in bribes to become the dominant retailer... And here the UPA government is bending over backwards to allow them unfettered access to our market," Trinamool general secre-

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

19

A Little Knowledge Can Be A Dangerous Thing

Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

This week we were negotiating a price for a property in West Hampstead, it is a ground floor garden flat spread over the ground and lower ground floors.

It was being sold by a trader, these are people in the industry who buy and sell property contracts, typically they want to cash in quickly and release their funds. In return for a speedy and efficient transaction they let the property go for a good discount from the market value.

Whilst we were negotiating the price, we wanted £950k but we were stuck at £980k, the following day we discovered the trader had suffered from a heart attack and was rushed to the Heart hospital in Marylebone and was awaiting an operation.

As soon as we found out one of my guys quickly went over to visit him, whilst there he concluded the deal. Our intention was not to cause him any further stress, but work kept his mind off his problem and he wanted to carry on. So the deal was finalised whilst he was on a hospital bed at £965k.

De aling in propert y sometimes be comes like a d ru g, the d eal mu st be d one at any co st regard less of wh at is go in g on. What make s something addict ive is ce rtainty and u ncertain ty of whe ther a d eal ac tually happens, an d t he sign if icance on e g ain s fro m d oing a de al. These thre e means dealing in propert y is highly addictive.

In addition the seller was a Muslim, had he been a Hindu he would have had the good fortune of being reincarnated to finish his business off, as a Muslim he didn't have this option. Therefore it was vital we conclude the deal before he departs!

A client of ours was introduced to the deal on a profit share basis, this means we do the due diligence and all the work to purchase, refurb and sell, he is a passive investor. He however decided to conduct his own personal investigation on the deal despite our assurance that this was a firm deal. The deal being structured in this way means if we get it wrong we don't get paid!

He went down to the property and made contact with the owner and interrogated him regarding the property. On interrogation he discovered the owner had sold the property for £720k to someone, which he wrongly assumed to be us.

He then called me during Diwali, on New Year’s day actually, asking if we had purchased the property for this price and were selling it on. I explained the property had been sold to traders (I had previously told him this when I had initially presented the property to him) and we were purchasing from them. I had no idea of their purchase price as they do not disclose this to us, and even on the lawyers contracts it is blanked and furthermore it’s not relevant to us doing the deal.

In speaking to the owner directly he could have seriously sabotaged the deal, and the relationship we have with the traders. Frankly it was very annoying and amateurish behaviour.

This is the equivalent of going into a shop and asking the shop owner where and how much he had got a product for and finding out how much profit he was making and speaking to his supplier. Not your

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business! Your business is to see if it works for you at this price and if so buy it! If not, leave it.

It’s a completely irrelevant point, whether the trader had got it for £350k or £720k, what difference is it to our intention of refurbishing and reselling?

The property is estimated to be worth about £1.39m done up, and we were purchasing it for £965k which allows plenty of margin even after taking on board costs.

It was disclosed to the potential investor from the outset that it was being traded and it is an off market deal. There were plenty of investors behind him who were not concerned with the history and focused on the future potential of the deal, so fortunately we exchanged on the property on our Indian New Year’s day which one of the parties was keen on as it was seen as an auspicious day for such a transaction. On this particular deal we had two parties in line behind Mr Sherlock Holmes.

We will revisit this project in a later article once the project has been completed.

People who are scared to take the plunge will always find a story, however irrelevant, to not do something. That is not to say there aren't legitimate reasons an investment should not be entered into. But clearly in this situation the reasoning was irrational and irrelevant.

No on e should decid e whe ther or not t o purc hase a produ ct base d on the profit margin of the person who's sel ling it.

P roperties in strong locations can be flipped twice before actual comple tion takes place, I have se en an d be en invo lve d in th is happening .

If this property hits the open market as it is, I believe it will go for £1.05m. This of course gives us the option to resell this property prior to completion subject to the owners granting access for viewings, as we have a full two months prior to completion.

When considering this deal, we had the added advantage of local knowledge of the property gained by an estate agent just down the road from it, who had intimate knowledge spread over many years of this area and had no vested interest in the sale of this property. It is by piggybacking on this information and our own due diligence we took the decision to purchase this property. Furthermore I spoke to someone who has lived in Hampstead for many years and he informed us this was a patch where people who couldn't quite afford St John’s Wood came, but in time it had become a centre of gravity in its own right. The prices have been increasing here month on month.

In addition to the property we also purchased the freehold of the whole block which we managed to have included in the deal. This allows us to retain this and enjoy a small income or resell it in auction for about £30k.

Of course knowing the price and knowing the situation of the seller can, if one wants to play dirty, allow you to 'chip' the price off at the last minute. But in this situation they had plenty of time to complete and these were not end users. If we didn't perform they already had a buyer lined up behind us and would not be phased by such tactics.

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

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Tips of the Week l People are often surprised with how much property they can purchase, £100,000 will buy you £400,000 of property, this is through the principle of gearing. l The speed with which you make decisions and commit to them will ensure you get deals time and time again.

20

financial voiCe

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Leadership and Human Resource Management

Pride and Peanuts

maria@abplgroup.com

Maria Fernandes

Defending the indefensible Recently I have come across 2 cases in different areas that have made me want to bash my head against the wall in sheer frustration. The first concerns an Entrepreneur application which would bring in lots of cash into the economy and create jobs, the stuff that the Government are doing their best to encourage.

There was one problem.

The letter from the bank who certified that these funds were available and transferrable failed to include an address of the third party who was providing the funds. The address of the third party appeared in 2 other documents. There is a procedure called evidential flexibility which contains a detailed procedure and would enable minor missing information to be requested. This procedure was brought into effect to prevent cases being refused unnecessarily after judges criticised refusals for these reasons.

When I pointed out that this procedure had not been used, I was informed that because the applica-

signed up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which requires that the best interests of a child must be fully and appropriately considered in all proceedings irrespective of the length of residence of the child in question. However the new immigration regulations imply that best interests only come into effect after 7 years or after children spending half their life here once they become adults.

This has become a source of conflict particularly by the 4 Children’s Commissioners who have written to the UKBA to express their concern. The new rules appear to appear to bypass a ruling by the Supreme Court that children’s rights must be considered first. As expected let the battle begin...

Maria Fernandes has been in practice exclusively in immigration for the over 25 years.

Fernandes Vaz is based at 87 Wembley Hill Road Wembley in Wembley and can be contacted by telephone on 02087330123, by email on info@fernandesvaz.com.

tion had been considered by the caseworker some 4 months after it was lodged they could not apply this flexibility. In other words the client had to pay for the delay caused by the caseworker!!

The second case concerns an application for a certificate for a person who is in the UK. Certificates of this kind are known as unrestricted certificates and the process of applying for them is completely different to the process that exists for those coming into the UK. The application was refused on the basis that it was not clear what the application was.

When this was challenged the goal posts shifted and in effect the reason that was now being given was that the employer cannot be trusted to issue the right certificate and that he must provide a detailed description. Except for one thing … There is only space for around 10 characters.

Best interests of the child Whilst the battle rages around us regarding child abuse, immigrant children are being treated as second class citizens. We have

Moody's cuts ArcelorMittal debt to junk status Moody's cut its rating for the debt of ArcelorMittal to junk with a negative outlook, reflecting a collapse in world steel markets it said would get worse before they got better. The move brings the world's largest steelmaker to the verge of a complete loss of its investment grade status, something the company had said it was not "imperative" to avoid and would cost a relatively contained $100 million.

But it underlines the difficulty ArcelorMittal has faced in cutting back on debt and raising cash through sales of assets at a time when demand for metals has fallen on the back of the first proper easing of Chinese economic growth in years.

The spread on ArcelorMittal bonds widened and the cost of insuring its debt against default rose after the downgrade.

Its shares also briefly

Standard & Poor's in rating ArcelorMittal one notch below investment grade.

S&P took its action in August, shortly after ArcelorMittal's secondquarter results. At that time, Moody's cut its outlook to negative, saying the company needed to lower net debt by $5 billion by early 2013 to avoid a downgrade.

Moody's said on Tuesday ArcelorMittal's third-quarter results, published last week, were the worst since the second quarter of 2009, reflecting the deterioration of global steel markets. The steel company scrapped its outlook and cut its dividend.

Moody's said it was likely to keep a negative outlook until the global economy and steel markets improved, ArcelorMittal carried out more assets disposals and other actions to boost credit and comfortably complied with financial covenants.

Lakshmi Mittal

dropped to a session low of 11.675 euros, down 1.6 percent on the day, but then bounced back to close 3.2 percent higher.

"It was the consensus view to buy (the shares) once the downgrade happened," said a Londonbased analyst who declined to be named.

Credit Suisse said ArcelorMittal's desire to retain its investment grade status with Moody's meant a rights issue was a possibility. With the loss of that status, the risk of a dilutive rights issue had been "put to bed".

Moody's cut the company's senior unsecured notes to Ba1 from Baa3, joining

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Last week the British Government announced that it would cease foreign aid to India by 2015. In 2011, Pranab Mukherjee said that the British financial assistance was akin to a peanut when compared to the total development budget spent by the Indian government. So if the giver no longer wants to give what the taker doesn’t really want, then a line can be drawn under the whole issue and everyone can move on. So what is the big deal?

Actually, it is somewhat embarrassing that India continues to take money from the UK government. But it is even more disappointing that while Mr Mukherjee’s statement may be factually correct, there is sadly a strong undercurrent of arrogance in his words.

Some people may say that he is only displaying his pride in India’s achievements. I think it is important to be proud of our heritage and our achievements and we should never fear to display such pride. However, I also believe that along with pride one should also dis-

play grace.

Whether it is a peanut or a blank cheque, if someone provides assistance, the very least one should do is be respectful that when one needed help, they were there. And when one no longer needs that help then surely one should decline it, rather than take the view that ‘if they are happy to give, we will happily take’.

‘Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.”

(Khalil Gibran). If Mr Mukherjee had a purer sense of pride, surely as a minister in the Government of India, he would have graciously declined the assistance rather than take with one hand and then dismiss the help with the other.

Sadly, this is indicative of wider issue. Too many Indians are eager to show off India’s economic progress by pointing to the Ambanis’ and Tatas’ and Mittals’. Even with the best intentions, this ‘pride’ often slips into the abyss of arrogance, wherein it is not enough to speak of how far Indians have come, but one must

By Amit Patel

also point out how far ahead they have got of everyone else.

The great poet, author and freedom fighter Jhaverchand Meghani once wrote a short story about the debt one owes to someone who gives a glass of water when one is thirsty. He said that this debt cannot be repaid in money but in gratitude. A lesson Mr Mukherjee and indeed all of us, would do well to remember.

Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity, to what we would have others think of us.’ Jane Austen Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Personal Development and Human Resource Management. He provides consultancy services on Leadership, People Management and Development. To contact Amit, email amitpatelmail @gmail.com

GAAR amendments finalized: Chidambaram

Amendments to General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), the controversial law against tax avoidance through foreign investments, have been finalized, India’s finance minister P Chidambaram disclosed. “I have finalized the amendments to the Chapter 10A of the Income Tax Act. Now it will go to the PMO and then we should be ready with the amendments and then the GAAR rules will reflect the amended Chapter 10A. That is under preparation and I think the work is almost complete. The drafting work is complete. So, GAAR is under control. I have taken the decisions, subject to Prime Minister’s approval and then Cabinet,” he said in an interview.

Chapter 10A of the Income Tax Act deals with taxation of investments.

GAAR, which was proposed in the 2012-13 Budget with a view to preventing tax evasion,

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Committee had submitted its report, he said: “The CBDT has given its views.

I have taken decisions at my level. The drafting is going on. Again it will go to the PMO and then to the Cabinet.”

Referring to the Direct Taxes Code (DTC), a bigger matter, he said, “We have now started work. This morning I spent two hours on that.

Earlier I had spent several hours. We are looking at it.

We have tabulated it...will take final decision.”

PSUs need to invest or lose surplus cash: Chidambaram also said central PSUs have been put on notice to either invest their surplus cash or lose it. “We have already put (PSUs) on notice, no one will be allowed to fall short of (the) announced intention to invest... If they have not invested and they still have surplus cash, they have been told to invest...the principle is use it or lose it,” he said.

P Chidambaram

evoked sharp reactions from foreign as well as domestic investors who feared that unbridled powers to taxmen would result in harassment of investors.

The government later appointed a committee headed by tax expert Parthasarthi Shome to look into their concerns.

Chidambaram, during the interview, spoke on a variety of subjects including his optimism on meeting disinvestment and spectrum sales target, confidence on pushing through with reforms measures and the relationship with RBI which he said was not antagonistic.

On the issue relating to retrospective tax amendment on which the Shome

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21

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

Key decisions to make on both sides of the Atlantic Last week concerns all around the world plagued the markets, as different threats to an economic recovery prompted the respective economic institutes to debate the respective solutions.

Starting in the UK, fears that a strong pound is hindering export growth and evidence of a telling slowdown in retail sales caused Mervyn King to outline his temptations for further easing. On the back of this speech the pound slid heavily against its counterparts.

With the view to weaken sterling, the Bank of England intimated the value of pumping more money into the economy could provide. By debasing the currency, buying the British products and services from abroad becomes cheaper, thus incentivising international trade.

This suggestion, coupled with heightened inflation figures, caused the pound to fall.

As the euro zone entered recession, a revelation that will further harm the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s struggling recovery, the main issue within the region was ensuring Greece didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t default on its own matur-

ing bonds. Safely secured for a few more weeks at least, the troubled nation will once again need to make headway to ensure its continuity past the New Year.

Analyst expectations exist that Greece will eventually be forced to leave the euro zone, however for now, the fight to prolong the exit continues. It is likely that any announcements made this week regarding the much coveted third tranche of bailout funds could cause further euro strength.

In America, fiscal cliff concerns led investors from the pound and euro, into the safety of the dollar. US Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, claimed progress was made over the status of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget, but still work remains.

The $607bn of budget cuts are designed to slow, and eventually reverse, the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charge towards its debt ceiling.

A necessary move in the long term; however with the current anaemic growth in the States any austerity would plunge the economy back into recession.

The race is on to find a solu-

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 20th November 2012 @ 11am GBP - INR = 87.80 USD - INR = 55.12 EUR - INR = 70.63 GBP - USD = 1.59 GBP - EUR = 1.24 EUR - USD = 1.28 GBP - AED = 5.85 GBP - CAD = 1.59 GBP - NZD = 1.95 GBP - AUD = 1.53 GBP - ZAR = 14.13

tion to the impending cuts before their initiation on 1st January 2013. Republicans and Democrats in congress must find a compromise, but whilst uncertainty resides in the topic, the safe haven dollar will strengthen. If however progress is made, investor risk appetite could be switched on, resulting in a bout of optimism.

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Investors will need to pay close attention to developments both sides of the Atlantic. In America the fiscal cliff will need resolution, the difficulty lies with the cooperation to find it.

Despite a worsening economic outlook in Europe, the telling market movements will root from news about Greeceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bailout funds. Watch this space.

GBP - HUF = 349.39

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

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22

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

India asks Pakistan to defer interior minister Rehman Malik's visit

New Delhi: The landmark Indo-Pak visa agreement will be delayed as India has asked Pakistan to postpone interior minister Rehman Malik's proposed visit on November 2223.

"The dates proposed by the Pakistani side are not suitable to us, so the visit of Rehman Malik stands postponed. Fresh set of dates will be discussed later," India’s home minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters.

During Malik's proposed visit, the two sides had planned to operationalise the new liberalised Indo-Pak visa pact replacing a 38-year-old restrictive visa agreement

Pak court dismisses blasphemy case against Christian girl Islamabad: A Pakistani court dismissed a blasphemy case against a Christian girl which had drawn international condemnation and concern about the rights of religious minorities in the predominantly Muslim country.

Rimsha Masih, believed to be no older than 14, was charged with burning pages of the Koran in August but was granted bail in September after a cleric was detained on suspicion of planting evidence to stir up resentment against Christians.

Masih's lawyer, Tahir Naveed, said the Islamabad High Court's decision to throw out the case was based on the fact that no one had seen her burning pages of the Koran.

The case provoked international concern and she could, in theory, have faced execution under Pakistan's blasphemy law despite her age and reported mental problems.

Rehman Malik

and paving the way for timebound visa approval and greater people-to-people contact and trade.

Though New Delhi has cited the coming winter session of Parliament as the reason for its inability to host

Malik this week as Shinde would be busy being the leader of Lok Sabha, Islamabad's failure to punish those involved in 26/11 appears to be the key reason.

Sources said since the fourth anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack falls three days after the proposed visit of the Pakistani leader, home ministry officials seem to have advised against hosting Malik.

Malik has been accused of failing to keep his promises on acting against perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack which claimed 166 lives.

Trial against LeT commander Zakiur Rehman

Lakhvi and six other accused of 26/11 case at a Rawalpindi court has been very slow and New Delhi's request for voice samples of handlers of the terrorists is yet to be acceded

by Islamabad and LeT founder Hafiz Saeed continues to roam freely in Pakistan, they said.

"Under such a situation, it is not prudent to host the Pakistani interior minister on the eve of the fourth anniversary of 26/11 attack," the sources said.

The message was conveyed to Pakistan through diplomatic channels. India has not yet suggested new dates for Rehman's visit.

26/11 men were trained in let camps, admit Pak officials

Islamabad: Pakistan’s intelligence officials have informed an anti-terrorism court here that the accused in the Mumbai attacks case got training at various centres of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba across the country, including navigational training in Karachi.

Pakistani media reported that five inspectors of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), who are prosecution witnesses in the case, informed the ATC court in Rawalpindi about the training details and capabilities of the accused Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Mazhar Iqbal alias Abu al Qama, Hammad Amin Sadiq and Abdul Wajid alias Zarar Shah.

The inspectors, Muhammad Nawaz, Tahir Hussain, Khadim Hussain, Saleemullah and Hafiz Imran, maintained in their statements that they had collected information on the LeT’s training centres around the

country and forwarded the report to the government.

They said that the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks were trained at LeT training centres at Yousaf Goth in Karachi, Buttle in Mansehra, Mirpur Sakro in Thatta and Muzaffarabad. These centres were abandoned by LeT members soon after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

“Lakhvi was LeT’s operational commander who trained other militants. He was an expert in using firearms and improvised explosive devices. He also remained ‘commander’ of LeT in Azad Kashmir,” the statement said. The inspectors informed the court that suspected abettors Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jameel Riaz were also trained at LeT centres and at sea near Yousaf Goth in Karachi’s Gadap town.

Chaudhary Zulfiqar Ali,

the special public prosecutor of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)), told the court that the witnesses were responsible officials who had recorded their statements without any pressure. “They had no ill-will against the suspects. It was their job to keep the militants of proscribed organisation under observation,” he said.

Khwaja Mohammad Haris, Lakhvi’s counsel, asked the prosecution witnesses whether they had witnessed the suspects getting training at the LeT camps.

The officials said that they had collected information through their informers. “If the statements were true then it showed negligence on the part of witnesses because being responsible officials they did not take any step for closing the training camps,” Haris said. The hearing of the case was adjourned till November 17.

Zardari graft case: Pak govt sends letter to Swiss authorities Islamabad: The Pakistan government informed the Supreme Court that it has sent a letter to Swiss authorities to revive graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari on the condition that such a move would be linked to the international immunity available to heads of state.

A report submitted on behalf of the government by a Deputy Attorney General said the Law Ministry had dispatched the letter to Swiss authorities through the Foreign Office on November 5.

The report also contained documents that proved the letter had been dispatched.

The report further stated that the letter had been drafted in accordance with the Supreme Court's orders.

Law Minister Farooq Naek told the media that he expected the government would be able to furnish documents proving that the Swiss authorities had received the letter by the time the apex court takes up the

matter of the graft cases again on November 14.

The government's letter, which has been signed by the Law Secretary, will be handed over by the Pakistani ambassador or his representative to the Attorney General of Geneva, Naek said.

The Supreme Court had earlier said that it would discharge contempt proceedings initiated against the premier for failing to revive the cases against the President once it gets proof that the letter has been received by authorities in Geneva. The text of the letter was the same as that agreed to by the court and Law Minister Naek last month.

On October 10, a fivejudge bench of the Supreme Court approved the draft of the letter after examining it behind closed doors.

The draft made it clear that any proceedings in Switzerland would be conditional to the immunity pro-

Asif Ali Zardari

vided to the President by the Constitution and Pakistani and international laws.

The breakthrough came after weeks of sparring between the apex court and the government's legal team over the contents of the letter. The government was given time till November 10 to send the letter to Switzerland. The letter states that another letter sent to Swiss authorities in May 2008 by then Attorney General Malik Qayyum to close graft cases against

Zardari would be revoked.

It also seeks the "revival of requests, status and claims" regarding the graft cases. Zardari and his slain wife, former premier Benazir Bhutto, were accused of laundering millions of dollars through Swiss banks.

The Supreme Court has been pressuring the government to revive the cases against the President since December 2009, when it struck down a graft amnesty issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf that benefited Zardari and over 8,000 others.

The government refused to act for months before Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf agreed to implement the apex court's orders after he was charged with contempt.

Ashraf's predecessor, Yousuf Raza Gilani, was convicted of contempt and disqualified in June for refusing to reopen the cases against Zardari.

In Focus Hina-Bilawal affair: Editor of tabloid held

Islamabad: The editor of a ‘Weekly Blitz’, the Bangladeshi tabloid that reported the alleged love affair between Pakistan’s foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar and the Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been arrested. Shoaib Chaudhry was arrested two days before Hina’s visit to Dhaka on November 10. Hina was in Bangladesh to invite Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the D8 Summit being held in Islamabad on November 22. On November 7, a day before his reported arrest, Chaudhry had once again published reports of the alleged secret romance between Hina and Bilawal.

Bilawal Bhutto to make electoral politics

Islamabad: Pakistan's ruling PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is expected to make his debut in electoral politics and the party's public outreach campaign from Larkana in Sindh province on his mother Benazir Bhutto's death anniversary on December 27. Following this, 24-year-old Bilawal will tour several districts across Pakistan with the party's central leadership in January and hold meetings with PPP leaders and workers. Bilawal's tour will begin from the Lyari area of Karachi, a stronghold of the PPP. Bilawal's father, President Asif Ali Zardari, has been holding meetings with PPP's senior leaders regarding country's political situation and party affairs.

Pak govt extends education aid for poor on ‘Malala Day’

Islamabad: The families of 3 over million poor children in Pakistan will receive cash stipends if their children go to school, the government said as officials prepared to mark “Malala Day” on Saturday in support of a schoolgirl shot by the Taliban. United Nations officials declared Malala Day one month after 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai and two of her classmates were shot by the Pakistan Taliban. She had been targeted for speaking out against insurgency. She became an international icon and world leaders pledged to support her campaign for girls’ education.

She is now recovering in a British hospital.

Pak actress found guilty in kidnapping case

Islamabad: Pakistani TV actress Sophia Mirza has been found guilty of kidnapping a student. A district and sessions court in Lahore found Mirza and her sister guilty of abducting Fatma. Fatma testified in the court, where she accused Mirza and her sister of kidnapping her. Following her statement, the court indicted Mirza, and sent a detailed report to the Lahore High Court.

According to Pakistani websites, Mirza, born in 1983, studied pre-medical and wanted to become a doctor. She, however, shifted to a course in journalism. Some friends helped her in getting advertising campaigns, from where she later took to television.

Suspecting black magic, Pakistani man shoots two

Islamabad: A man working as a barber at a police training centre in Pakistan shot dead two of his colleagues because he suspected they cast a spell on him through "black magic".

The accused, Nasir, worked at the Lahore Elite Force Training Centre of the Punjab Police.

Police said he was angry at his colleagues Amjad and Hamid, and opened fire at them "in provocation". Nasir has been arrested.

Bhagat Singh chowk: Court stalls move

Lahore: Days after an official panel endorsed the renaming of a roundabout in Lahore after freedom fighter Bhagat Singh despite opposition from the Jamaat-ud-Dawah, a Pakistani court barred authorities from going ahead with the move. The Lahore high court stopped the Punjab government from renaming Shadman Chowk in response to a petition filed by Tehrik Hurmat-e-Rasool, a movement launched by the JuD. Zahid Butt, who filed the petition, alleged that Indian spy agency RAW had funded the Bhagat Singh F oundation, which had lobbied with the Dilkash Lahore committee for the endorsement of the move to rename the roundabout after Bhagat Singh.

world 23

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

In Focus Mahatma’s kin elected lawmaker in Kansas

Washington: A great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi has been elected to a state assembly in the US during the general elections held on November 6. Shanti Gandhi, 72, contesting as a Republican Party candidate, defeated his Democratic rival Theodore “Ted” Ensley by nine percentage point for the Kansas’s 52nd Assembly District. He is son of late Saraswati Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson the late Kanti Lal. Gandhi, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon retired in 2010 from Stormont-Vail Hospital at Topeka city in the Kansas state, received 6,413 votes against Ensley’s 5,357 in the elections held for the state, according to the results declared by the Kansas secretary of state.

40 school children killed in Egypt crash

Cairo: Up to 40 school children were killed when a train crashed with their bus which had crossed the tracks in a city south of Cairo. 37 children who were around four to six years old. "They told us the barriers were open when the bus crossed the tracks and the train collided with it," doctor Mohamed Samir said, citing witness accounts. He said four children and two women were seriously injured in the accident in the city of Manfalut, near Assiut, which is about 300 km (190 miles) south of the capital. Egypt's roads and railways have a poor safety record.

Indian-American professor indicted for fraud

Washington: An Indian-American professor at Morgan State University has been indicted by a federal grand jury in an alleged scheme to defraud the National Science Foundation of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding. Manoj Kumar Jha, 45, who oversees the university's transportation engineering graduate programme allegedly fabricated an elaborate research proposal on behalf of a private company he founded and then applied for funding through the NSF's Small Business Technology Transfer programme. Jha received $200,000 to conduct the research but instead allegedly made personal mortgage and credit card payments, paid his wife $11,000 for work she didn't do and wrote himself a $6,000 check, prosecutors said.

After handshake, man slaps Prachanda at Diwali party

Kathmandu: Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' was slapped at a Diwali tea party in Kathmandu. Maoist cadres attacked and injured the attacker, Padam Kunwar, before he was arrested. "We do not know why the attack took place," said Kathmandu district police chief Jaya Bahadur Chand. "We are investigating it."

Kunwar shook the Maoist leader's hand before slapping him, an eyewitness said.

He is understood to be a member of a breakaway Maoist faction. The faction that split in June accuses Prachanda of abandoning ideals of the communist revolution by surrendering to the Nepalese army.

Man behind anti-Islam film gets a year in prison

Los Angeles: The man behind an antiMuslim film that led to violence in many parts of the Middle East was sentenced to a year in federal prison for probation violations in an unrelated matter, then issued a provocative statement through his attorney.

The sentence was the result of a plea bargain between lawyers for Mark Bassely Youssef and federal prosecutors. Youssef admitted in open court that he had used several false names in violation of his probation order and obtained a driver's license under a false name. He was on probation for a bank fraud case. Shortly after Youssef left the courtroom, his lawyer, Steven Seiden, came to the front steps of the courthouse and told reporters his client wanted to send a message. "The one thing he wanted me to tell all of you is President Obama may have gotten Osama bin Laden, but he didn't kill the ideology," Seiden said.

Phnom Penh (Cambodia): India is prepared to conclude the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in Services and Investment with ASEAN by next month, which will send a strong signal of deepening economic engagement, Manmohan Singh announced in Phnom Penh. He also pitched for enhanced cooperation between India and 10nation ASEAN for promotion of peace, security and stability in the region and addressing shared challenges.

Addressing the IndiaASEAN Summit here, Dr. Singh said, “India’s relationship with ASEAN members and with ASEAN institutionally continues to grow in all dimensions. Commerce and connectivity are vital areas of this relationship and we have made good progress in both.”

He noted that the IndiaASEAN Free Trade Agreement on Trade in Goods has served well, with the two-way commerce increasing to nearly USD 80 billion in the Indian financial

year ending March 2012, exceeding our target of USD 70 billion.

“I would like to inform Your Excellencies that India is prepared to conclude the Agreement on Trade in Services and Investment Promotion before the Commemorative Summit in Delhi in December. This will be a strong signal of our deepening economic engagement, and will allow for rapid expansion in trade and investment flows in both directions,” Dr. Singh said.

The FTA in Goods was signed in 2009 but aspects related to Services and Investment were delayed due to strong differences between the two sides.

Dr. Singh, who was addressing the 10th Summit of the grouping, underlined that future of peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia Pacific requires increased cooperation and integration in the region. “ASEAN has shown the way in this regard.

We support the objectives of an ASEAN Community by

Obama promises support to Myanmar

Yangon (Myanmar): US President Barack Obama journeyed to this storied tropical outpost of pagodas and jungles on Monday to "extend the hand of friendship" as a land long tormented by repression and poverty begins to throw off military rule and emerge from decades of isolation.

Obama arrived as the first sitting US president to visit Myanmar with the hope of solidifying the stunning changes that have transformed this Southeast Asian country and encouraging additional progress toward a more democratic system.

With the promise of more financial assistance, Obama vowed to "support you every step of the way."

The president was greeted on a mild, muggy day by tens of thousands of people lining the road from the airport and by further promises of reform by the government, which announced a series of specific commitments regarding the release of political prisoners and the end of ethnic violence. While Obama

Washington: An IndianAmerican physician from California has become only the third person of Indianorigin to be elected to the US House of Representatives, attesting to the incremental progress the thriving community is making in politics and public life in America.

The Sacramento County Registrar of Voters announced that Ami Bera had increased his lead to 2.2 per cent against sitting Congressman Dan Lungren in last week's election, surging ahead by 5,696 votes after the latest round of counting, a margin Bera and his supporters think is insurmountable. The regular counting without absentee ballots and

2015, the Initiative for ASEAN Integration and the ASEAN Master Plan on Connectivity,” the Prime Minister said.

He said ASEAN centrality is essential in the evolving regional architecture for peace, stability, development and prosperity. Talking about physical, institutional and people-to-people connectivity, Dr. Singh said, it continues to be a “strategic priority” for India.

India a big part of my plan, Obama tells Manmohan: "India is a big part of my plan," US President Barack Obama told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after he was congratulated for winning the presidential election.

Obama made the remark when the two met and shook hands briefly on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in this Cambodian capital.

Separately, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon met his American counterpart Tom Donilon for 90 minutes.

Sunita Williams back on Earth after 4 months in space

for most of two decades before her release two years ago. Amid the manicured lawn and well-tended garden outside the elegant two-story lakeside house, the president and the Nobel-winning dissident stand side by side celebrating change that once seemed unimaginable.

While local leaders attrib-

ute the changes so far to internal factors and decisions, Obama was eager to claim a measure of credit. He has played nursemaid to the opening of Myanmar, formerly and still known by many as Burma, by sending the first U.S. ambassador in 22 years, easing sanctions and meeting with Suu Kyi in Washington.

Later he announced the return of the U.S. Agency for International Development along with $170 million for projects over the next two years, noting that in his inaugural address he had vowed to reach out to those "willing to unclench your fist."

"So today, I have come to keep my promise and extend the hand of friendship," read the text of prepared remarks to be delivered at the University of Yangon.

He promised to "help rebuild an economy" and develop new institutions that can be sustained. "The flickers of progress that we have seen must not be extinguished they must become a shining north star for all this nation's people."

Almaty/Houston: Recordsetting Indian- American SunitaWilliams along with two fellow astronauts safely returned to Earth last week from the International Space Station, touching down on the steppes of central Kazakhstan, after spending four months in orbit.

It was a perfect landing for Williams and two astronauts, Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko and Aki Hoshide, as they touched down in the dark, chilly expanses of central Kazakhstan on board a Russian Soyuz capsule.

The three astronauts landed in the town of Arkalyk.

Helicopters rushed with the search-and-recovery crew to assist them, as their capsule parachuted down some 35 km from the planned touchdown site due to a procedural delay.

Another three astronauts remain on board the International Space Station (ISS) and will return next year. Earlier, the trio bid farewell to their fellow astronauts at the ISS, Flight Engineers Kevin Ford, Evgeny Tarelkin and Oleg Novitskiy.

provisional votes had seen the two rivals less than 200 votes apart.

"Today's update shows that we've processed another 38,510 ballots since recent update. This leaves an estimated 7,782 vbm (vote by mail) and of course the 31,000 provisional ballots left to process," the County Registrar said.

But Associated Press and the local media, not to speak of Bera himself, called the race for the Indian-American Democrat, for whom this was a second shot at the seat. "It's increasingly clear that the voters of Sacramento County want new leadership that puts the people first. Our lead continues to widen and we are

confident that this election will be resolved in our favor," Bera said in a statement.

Lungren is yet to concede the race, but Bera is already in Washington DC for an orientation course for new lawmakers, which incidentally is being led by a committee headed by Lungren. Earlier this week, Bera, who describes himself as a Unitarian, attended the White House Diwali celebration along with Tulsi Gabbard, another newly elected lawmaker from Hawaii who is a self-described HinduAmerican.

Bera is only the third Indian elected to the US Congress after Dalip Singh Saund, who was a mathematician with farming inter-

ests, and Bobby Jindal, who is a health policy expert and currently governor of Louisiana. Saund in fact was the first person of nonAbrahamic faith elected to the U.S Congress and the only Indian-American so far to clock three terms.

Like his Indian-American predecessors, Bera too has an impressive academic record in keeping with the community's cachet. He earned a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the University of California at Irvine, and went on to get an MD in 1991. He served as Associate Dean for Admissions at the UC Davis School of Medicine and later as the Chief Medical Officer for the County of Sacramento.

planned to stay just six hours, his visit was seen here as a validation of a new era.

He made a point of meeting at the government headquarters with President Thein Sein and also a personal pilgrimage to the home of the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, where she was confined under house arrest

Another Indian-American, Ami Bera, elected to US Congress

24

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

India should be more accommodating: Musharraf Seeking a new start to relations, former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf on Saturday said, between India and Pakistan, India had to be the one more accommodative because it was the bigger country, as a packed house at the HT Leadership Summit 2012 listened in rapt attention.

Musharraf was delivering the keynote address, "Uniting South Asia: The Way Forward."

No stranger to statesmanship, Musharraf harped on both countries displaying the right niyat, or intention, a word he uttered 11 times, and better leadership.

"Compromise should come from the bigger party. India should have a big heart because it is the bigger country. When the smaller party makes the compromise, it can have negative connotations," he said, suggesting that the latter scenario could be misconstrued as the "bigger party" dominating the other. "It's doable," he said, talking of resolving IndoPak disputes, adding, "There are three essential pre-requisites."

One, a "sincere niyat", he said again. Two, he called for downsizing the roles of bureaucrats and intelligence agencies, since they "find it difficult to break from the past". And three, all of this required a "leadership function".

Musharraf also cautioned India on extremism, saying: "In India, one feels extremism among

Pervez Musharraf

Muslim youth may be on the rise. Action would be required to neutralise it."

Television journalist Karan Thapar, who chaired the session, introduced Musharraf as, among other epithets, a former dictator. To this, the former Pakistani military chief who took over his country's presidency in a bloodless military coup in 1999 said: "I wasn't a dictator. Just because you wear a certain dress doesn't make you one.

Dictatorship is a state of mind. I don't agree I was a dictator…let's agree to disagree."

He said India-Pakistan relations took the biggest hits whenever both the nations' intelligence agencies got into confrontation and, according to him, sponsored proxy wars.

"This lead to a total breakdown of trust and, may I say, we became enemies."

He alleged that because India was in the eastern camp during the Cold War era, its external intelligence agency R&AW and KGB created problems in Balochistan. "But that is a thing of the past.

It should not be repeated.

That can lead to confrontation again."

In a new prescription for the two countries that have fought three wars, Musharraf said: "A stepwise progress doesn't work because I may want a different step."

Musharraf called Siachen a "minor issue".

"We had identified solutions for both Siachen, it's just about fixing a line, and Sir Creek issue".

Both India and Pakistan have disputed territorial claims in Siachen in Kashmir, and Sir Creek, a water strip off India's Gujarat coast. The former president, who now alternates between residing in London and Dubai and lives off international paid-for speaking engagements, said Afghanistan could face two scenarios when US troops pull out in 2014.

"Either Afghanistan goes back to 1989, when the Soviets left and warlords began fighting, or it goes back to 1996, when the Taliban came. If the US leaves a minimum force, then the situation should be maintainable."

He rejected the view among many that Pakistani intelligence knew al-Qaeda leader Osama bin-Laden was in hiding in Pakistan.

"There was no complicity. I am 500% sure. There was negligence."

So, was Pakistan's intelligence sleeping, Thapar asked.

"Even CIA could not see 9/11 happening. Were they sleeping? You should allow the ISI to sleep once (in a while)," Musharraf replied in his wry humour.

UP has no money for Mahatma Gandhi, ample for Ambedkar Does Mahatma Gandhi belong to the Congress? In Uttar Pradesh, it would seem so as a Right to Information (RTI) poser has revealed that the state government "does not allocate any funds for celebrating the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi."

In response to a query

by RTI activist Gaurav Agarwal, the National Integration Department has said that though funds are available for other leaders like Bhimrao Ambedkar and Sardar Patel there is no provision for earmarking funds for the Mahatma.

But then, it wasn't always so.

"When we were in power, we duly observed the birth and death anniversaries of Gandhiji," Deepa Kaul, the information minister in the last Congress government of Veer Bahadur Singh that was voted out in 1989.

"The information department would release advertisements in newspaper and the Congress party would separately mark the anniversaries," Kaul

added. Old timers in Lucknow can't exactly recall when the advertisements stopped but say this coincided with nonCongress governments coming to power. Since 1989, Uttar Pradesh has been successively ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

In the budget for the year 2012-13, a few crore rupees have been marked for functions to be held on "dates of significance." For Ambedkar, `26.25 lakh has been allocated.

Every year on his April 14 birth anniversary, the National Integration Department "encourages" every district to hold functions remembering and promoting the ideals of the Dalit icon. Each district gets `35,000 for this day. The scheme was kickstarted in 2009-10 by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) regime.

An allocation of `3.75 lakh has been made for the Oct 31 birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first home minister.

Every district gets `5,000 to

celebrate the day as the 'Rashtriya Akhandata Diwas' or National Unity Day. The Maulana Azad Memorial Academy, Lucknow, gets `3 lakh to "encourage writing, translation of literature on Azad."

A Guru Gobind Singh National Integration Award has also been constituted and carries a cash award of `100,000. Constituted in 2001, it is given every year on January 5. An additional `26.25 lakh is earmarked for celebrating the anniversaries of other people, though no specific names have been given.

Officials at the National Integration Department were evasive on why Gandhi had not been given due weightage.

"Well, all I can say is that it has been so ever since, what can we do?" said a senior official. Anand Sinha, the deputy secretary of the National Integration Department, told that right from the beginning there was no monetary fund allocation for Gandhi's birth anniversary.

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

Markandeya in the baby’s belly Rishi Markandeya continued telling Yudhishthira what he saw in the child’s belly. “O King, everything I had seen dissolves in the real world I saw again here. No matter how far I went, I could not see the boundaries of his stomach.

O great King, I roamed around in this massive belly for more than a hundred years. Suddenly, there was a gust of wind and I was blown out of the mouth of the child. He was still sitting there on the branches of the banyan tree, the whole universe in his stomach. What can I tell you... that child in yellow clothes, bearing the sign of Sri and full of lustre smiled at me and said these words: “O great rishi, you must be tired. You have been roaming in my stomach for over a hundred years.”

Markandeya continued: “In that moment, as I heard his sweet words, everything suddenly changed within me. It was as if a new and higher perception and vision had opened within me. I could see everything in a new light. My being was filled with a new knowledge. I looked at the feet of this wondrous child - they were red in colour and like two

beautiful lotuses. I bent down to lay my head at those divine feet. With folded hands, I looked up at his face and drank in his divine beauty. With humble words and folded hands, I asked the child, ‘O Divine Being, please explain to me this great maya of yours where the whole universe is in your stomach. There I saw everything that is possible to see in the universe. It is with your desire that I have come out again. I want to know who you are, how a young child can sit here with the whole universe in his belly. O sinless one, you must tell me how long you have been sitting on this branch. A humble Brahmin is asking you, please answer.”

All past articles on the Mahabharata can be accessed from http://epaper.asianvoice.com or from http://www.3stepbreath.com/mahabharata.html

Samajwadi Party names 55 candidates for Lok Sabha polls

Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) announced 55 candidates for the next general elections due in 2014, the first off the block in the race to parliament, and said that candidates for 25 seats would be declared later.

Party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav announced 55 candidates for the 80 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh at the party headquarters in the state. While SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav will again contest from Mainpuri, 16 other MPs have been repeated.

Ram Gopal Yadav, Mulayam Singh's cousin, said that 17 sitting MPs, including Mulayam Singh, have been repeated in the list.

The party has also fielded Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey from Dumariyaganj.

The list includes Dimple Yadav, wife of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. She would be contesting from Kannuaj, a seat thrice held by her husband. She had won from Kannauj in a recent by−poll after Akhilesh Yadav vacated the seat to move to the state legislature.

Akshay Yadav,

The child said, “O Brahmin, even the gods cannot know me in my true form. But because I have deep affection for you, I will tell you how I create and destroy the universes.

Ages ago, I had given water the name ‘Nara’.

Water is my resting place ‘ashraya' or 'ayan’, that is why my name is Narayan. I am the creator of both the seen and unseen universes, all beings are born out of me and dissolve into me.

I am indestructible and never wax or wane as I am always a constant. All the gods, including Brahma and Shiva, are born out of me. My face is formed out of the flames of Agni or fire, my feet Prithvi or the earth and my two eyes are the Sun and Moon. My head is made of the heavens, the two ears are the sky, and all the directions and the wind is my mind.

When the Brahmins light the fires of sacrifice, they worship me and only me. I took the form of the serpent called Sesha and created this Earth with the great oceans and the mountain called Mandrachala.”

To be Continued...

Mulayam Singh's nephew, would contest from Firozabad. He is likely to fight a tough battle against sitting Congress MP and actor Raj Babbar, who was once with the SP. Ashok Bajpai is the SP candidate from Lucknow, Surendra Singh Patel from Varanasi, Tilakram Verma from Faizabad and Maharaj Singh Dhangar from Agra.

Seventeen sitting MPs are contesting. They include Yashveer Singh (from Nageena), Dharmendra Yadav (Budayun), Mithlesh Kumar (Shahjahanpur), Usha Verma (Hardoi), Sushila Saroj (Mohanlalganj), Premdas Katheria (Etawah), Ghanshyam Anuragi (Jalaun), R.K. Patel (Banda), Rakesh Sachan (Fatehpur), Shailendra Kumar (Kaushambi), Kunwar Reoti Raman Singh (Allahabad), Brij Bhushan Saran Singh (Qaiserganj), late former prime minister Chandra Shekhar's son Neeraj Shekhar (Ballia), and Pakaudi Lal Kol (Robertsganj).

Ram Gopal Yadav said that the SP was ready for the polls. "This will give us time to prepare for the Lok Sabha polls whenever they are held," he added.

Liquor baron Ponty Chadha and brother killed

Ponty Chadha

Controversial liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother were killed when both sides opened fire at each other during a meeting to find a resolution to their ongoing property dispute in a farmhouse in south Delhi.

55-year-old Ponty and his brother Hardeep, with whom he had a strained relationship due to property dispute, were shot at in their chests during the meeting at the former's farmhouse in Chhattarpur.

The meeting was called to resolve the dispute over ownership of some property and it started on a peaceful note but it soon turned ugly following which Hardeep allegedly opened fire at his brother, sources said.

This enraged the guards of Ponty who returned the fire in which Hardeep was killed.

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

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In Focus BJP will attend JPC on 2G

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will attend the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probing the 2G spectrum allocation, sources indicated days ahead of the winter session of parliament. The BJP had quit the panel over its demand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram be questioned over the allocation of 2G spectrum. According to BJP sources, its members "are attending the JPC and they will reiterate their demand for calling the PM and P. Chidambaram to depose."

Afghan troops to be trained at Indian Army's jungle warfare school

India has agreed to train upto 600 Afghan Army officers every year in India under a pact that President Hamid Karzai is expected to sign with India early next week. The program is the first concrete follow-up on military-to-military cooperation under the umbrella of the Strategic Partnership Agreement that was signed between Kabul and New Delhi in 2011 when Afghan President Hamid Karzai was given a grand reception in India. Under the agreement, India, which has the world's third-largest army, agreed to train, equip and build the capacity of the Afghan forces.

22 killed in Patna’s Chhath stampede

A horrible tragedy marred Chhath's festive spirit when at least 22 people, including 17 children, were killed after a makeshift bridge collapsed triggering panic and funnelling people towards another bridge resulting in a massive stampede at Adalat ghat on the Ganga. Administration officials fear that the toll could rise. More than 40 people were injured, many of them in critical condition.

The tragedy struck at dusk, after the first 'arghya' or obeisance to the sun god, as huge crowds of devotees returned with the baskets full of puja materials.

Fire at Himalaya House in Delhi, guard dies

A security guard was charred to death when a major fire broke out in the multistoreyed Himalaya House, housing several commercial establishments in delhi.The blaze was reported from the 15-storeyed building, which is around 50 metres high, on K G Marg near Connaught Place and 32 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire. He was apparently sleeping when the fire broke out and could not get out of the building. The deceased has been identified as Jai Bhagwan (52), whose body was recovered from the eighth floor. He was apparently sleeping when the fire broke out and could not get out of the building. There were 12 fire fighting systems in the building but not sure whether they are working.

Man, two minor kids fall to 'honour killings' in Bihar

In an another incident of honour killing in Bihar, a man and his two minor children were murdered and his wife critically injured for marrying against her family's wishes.

Dinaru Bind, 28 was shot dead while his three−year−old daughter and seven month old son's throats were slit at Kearha village in Mohania in Kaimur district. Dinaru's wife Rina Devi's throat was also slit and she is now battling for her life in a hospital.

No immediate plan to meet Narendra Modi: US envoy

US Ambassador Nancy J Powell said she did not have any plan "right now" to meet Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of poll-bound Gujarat. "We have a very good relations with Gujarat in terms of our companies being very active there. Our Consulate in Mumbai is a frequent visitor to Gujarat and will continue to do that...I don't have any plans right now...

We do not go to any poll bound states," she said at the World Economic Forum on India.

Powell was responding to a question whether she has plans to meet Modi following British High Commissioner James Bevan meeting him last month. Britain last month had ended its decade-long boycott of Gujarat with Bevan meeting Modi to mark a "cordial beginning" to fresh ties.

By AV Correspondent Tech-savvy Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi scored a first when he launched his election campaign for the assembly by addressing rallies in four cities simultaneously.

In his speech, telecast on specially erected screens in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat with the help of 3D holographic technology and satellite link-ups, Modi, who spoke from a studio in Gandhinagar, took on Congress for comparing him to "monkey" and "rats." He said he took pride in being called so, because both these creatures were "messengers

No prime ministerial ambitions: Advani

On his 85th birthday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani brushed away suggestions of his wanting to be the party's prime ministerial candidate. "The party and the country have given me so much, it is much more than becoming the prime minister," Advani told reporters. Advani is known to nurse prime ministerial ambitions and during the 2009 general elections he had gone on a countrywide rath yatra to connect with people.

Among those who went to greet Advani were party chief Nitin Gadkari, who is under attack for alleged financial impropriety in the funding of his Purti Group.

Advani had not gone for the BJP core group meeting on Tuesday to decide on the future of Gadkari in the wake of allegations against him.

The party has reposed faith in Gadkari's leadership and said he has done "no legal or moral wrong".

However, Advani supported Gadkari in a blog last month, where he congratulated the BJP chief on saying he was open to a probe.

of God." "Had Congress leaders studied Ramayana, they would have got a fair idea of 'vanar shakti'. I accept the title given by them to me," Modi said, while lashing out at Congress for using "foul language".

During the recent election rallies, state Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia and Congress Rajya Sabha MP

Hussain Dalwai had compared Modi to "monkey" and "rats", respectively. "Devotion and services of lord Hanuman are known globally....I have got the chance to serve Gujarat, so the 60 million Gujaratis are like Ram to me, I am their Hanuman," Modi said. Further, he said, the Congress leader was unaware of significance of rats in the Hindu mythology.

"Rat is considered to be vehicle of 'vighn-harta' Ganesh....I feel proud that with Lord Ganesh on my back, Gujarat faces no problems."

Modi claimed that for the first time in the world an election campaign was being

launched using 3D technology and telecast in four places.

"You are witnessing a unique and first-ever incident," he said. His image, projected on screens in four places, was clear, but there were some technical glitches. Modi said that he has decided to switch over to the new technology to target the youth population which comprises a quarter of population in 37.9 million eligible voters.

Party National Vice President Purushottam Rupala said that the idea behind the hi-tech campaign is to create an illusion of Modi’s physical presence among the audience through three dimensional images.

24 for the first phase.

However, the Congress and BJP are yet to announce their candidates.

While Congress leaders met in Delhi to finalize candidates, the BJP, which had carried out a major screening exerciseof candidates,isalsoin theprocessof sendingitsnames to Delhi for final

Notification issued for first phase of Gujarat polls

Political activities in the state suddenly got a shot in the arm when the notification for the first phase was announced for the 87 constituencies in Saurashtra and South Gujarat on Saturday.

These constituencies vote on December 13.

Approximately 1.80 crore voters will cast their votes at 21,261 polling stations on December 13.

With the publication of the notifications, the election process has begun in the state.

“The notification for the first phase of polls has been issued today,” Gujarat chief electoral officer Anita Karwal said, adding that the notification for elections to the remaining 95 seats (of the total 182) in Phase II, will be issued on November 23.

Of the 87 constituencies in the first phase, 48 are in Saurashtra, 35 in South Gujarat and four in Ahmedabad rural area.

Candidates can now file nomination papers. The last date for nomination forms is November

approval from thecentralleadership.Thethird contender, ‘Gujarat Parivartan Party’ (GPP) headed by former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, is also not ready with its list. Meanwhile, electioneering which saw a lull on account of Diwali and New Year, is picking up again.

Intense campaigning is set to begin from Monday.

Deputy election commissioner Vinod Zutshi, who will be on a two-day visit to the state from Sunday, will hold a high-level meeting with election officials from the 14 districts slated to vote in the first phase.

Test for election officials: For the first time ever, the Election Commission of India is conducting a special test for R e t u r n i n g Officers (ROs) from 40 Assembly constituencies in Gujarat to ensure “error free” polls.

“The purpose behind organizing the ‘Orientation Finishing Touch Test’ (OFTT) is to conduct the forthcoming elections without any errors,” official sources said on Saturday. All returning officers from 40 assembly constituencies of Central Gujarat will take the test, which will have 30 multichoice questions, on November 19 at Godhra.

These constituencies fall in five districts of Vadodara, Kheda, Panchmahal, Dahod and Anand.

bly election in 2007 or parliamentary polls in 2009, but he is confident that the presence of a leader like Patel would definitely make an impact.

Gujarat Parivartan Party can boast of many stalwart leaders like former chief Minister Suresh Mehta and rebel party MLA Kanu Kalsaria. Though Kalsaria has drew the ire of the party he has not been suspended or expelled as he still has a sizeable support in his constituency in Mahuva.

Though regional parties gained momentum in other parts of the country in the last two decades, it has not made any impact in Gujarat.

Attempts to provide a regional choice failed when former chief minister and late Congress leader Chimanbhai Patel formed Janta Morcha in 1980s, but realised soon that it would be difficult to sustain and went back to

Congress. Another former CM Shankersinh Vaghela then with the BJP and now with the Congress had floated Rashtriya Janta Party in 1996. He managed to get some seats and form a government with help from Congress. After his short stint he too merged his party with the Congress.

It was only Morarji Desai who floated the Sanstha Congress two decades ago which met with some success. The BJP dissidents are, however, confident this time they would be able to make an impact. “People are tired of the law and order situation in the state, there are too many issues which have to be addressed and for that an alternative is the need of the hour,’’ said former CM Mehta. He said Gujarat Parivartan Party would give a chance for the voters go for a

change.

Political analysts Vishnu Pandya, however, differ. “The Gujarati voter is different from his counterparts from other parts of the country.’’

He said they believe in stability and go for a strong leader like Modi. He said that the regional parties or the attempts of third front might win a seat or two or maximum 10 but they cannot be decider in a state like Gujarat.

Gujarat Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia said that if the people were to vote for an alternative they would vote for the Congress and not look toward any other alternative.

The BJP for the moment did not express any opinion on the third front. “For us our only political rival in this state is the Congress,’’ said BJP spokesperson Vijay Rupani.

Third front adds extra interest in Gujarat Assembly polls

By AV Correspondent In a state where electoral battles have largely been fought on two- party system, the emergence of a third front has added an extra nip to the crucial Assembly election in Gujarat. The election is also crucial for chief minister Narendra Modi as it would have a bearing on his ascendancy to national politics.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle in Modi’s race to yet another victory in the state polls could be the emergence of former chief minister Keshubhai Patel’s Gujarat Parivartan Party. “It will definitely be a three-way contest this time and the third front will be led by Patel,’’ said Goardhan Zadafia, a former minister and a key Patel supporter. Though Zadafia’s party could not create even a ripple, during the last assem-

26

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray passes away Continued from page 1 claimed that the Shiv Sena had helped the Marathi manoos (Maharashtrian laymen) in Mumbai and also fought for the rights of Hindu people.

Unprecedented crowd bids adieu to Thackeray: An unprecedented multitude of supporters, celebrities, industrialists and common men converged upon Shivaji Park to bid an emotional adieu to Thackeray. The mortal remains of the 86-year-old patriarch were consigned to the flames with a 21gun salute preceding the final stages of his funeral.

The venue, located in the heart of Mumbai was chosen as it was the place where Thackeray had launched the Shiv Sena in 1966, thus commencing a stormy 46-year-old journey into politics.

“Between 5 pm and 6 pm, there were around 400,000 to 500,000 people at Shivaji Park,” Niket Kaushik, Additional Commissioner of Police, had said. The funeral procession was delayed as millions of supporters blocked the route of the funeral procession. At this point, the onlookers confidently described the crowds as 'unprecedented' and never seen before in Mumbai's history. At

Mahim Dargah, religious leaders offered a garlanded chaddar over Thackeray's casket as a sign of respect.

From there on, the procession was offered a shower of flowers at four points, before it passed through Sitla Devi Mandir and City Light Cinema, finally reaching Sena Bhavan at 3 pm. According to the state home department's estimates, about a million people had turned through the day to take part in the five-and-a half-hour long procession, and the last rites at Shivaji Park, where the body was finally moved before being taken to Sena Bhavan briefly.

Thackeray’s body was finally brought out of his house a little after 9 am in

a hearse adorned with flowers. His youngest son, Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, broke down as his father’s body was being put on the truck.

His estranged cousin, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, walked alongside the hearse till Mahim causeway. Apart from a griefstricken Uddhav Thackeray, who was compelled to plead to the restive crowds to show restraint, his wife Rashmi and son Aditya Thackeray stood beside Thackeray’s body on the hearse that also bore Sena-alliance leaders, Ramdas Athawale of the Republican Party of India (A) and senior BJP

leader Vinod Tawde.

Cries of ‘Parat ya parat ya Balasaheb parat ya (Balasaheb come back) rent the air as frenzied Sainiks crowded near the cortege, slowing down its movement. The procession reached Shivaji Park at around 4:30 in the evening as a host of dignitaries gathered to pay their last respects to Thackeray.

A stellar cast of politicians, Bollywood movie stars and industry titans attended the funeral. Top BJP leaders like L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Gopinath Munde were present on the occasion.

Among the ruling coalition leaders, Thackeray’s close friend, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, senior NCP leaders Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, State Home Minister R.R. Patil were present, along with virtually every top State leader.

Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Nana Patekar and Madhur Bhandarkar were among the prominent Bollywood celebrities present.

Shivaji Park resounded with cries of “Balasaheb amar rahe” (long live Balasaheb) as a grim-looking Uddhav Thackeray lit the pyre.

Despite no formal call being given, a total shutdown, prompted by fear of violence on the part of Sena cadres, prevailed in many parts of the city and its outer limits including Navi Mumbai and Thane in the wake of Thackeray’s death.

Shiv Sena wants Thackeray's memorial at the Shivaji Park: Senior Sena leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Manohar Joshi said his party wants a memorial in honour of Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray to be built at the Shivaji Park.

Walk the Talk

Thackeray FB post: 9 vandals held

The Mumbai police detained as many as nine people for having vandalised a clinic in Palghar, Maharashtra, after the countrywide outrage over the arrest of two young girls for a Facebook post that questioned the shutdown of Mumbai following the death of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

The clinic belonged to the uncle of one of the girls who was arrested for an innocuous Facebook post.

The police have come under fire over the arrest of the girl, 21-year-old college student Shaheen Dhada, for posting the comment and her friend, Renu Srinivasan, for clicking ‘Like’ on the Facebook update. An inquiry has been ordered in the case and a report will be submitted by the inspector general of the Konkan range. Press Council of India Chairman Markandey Katju on criticised the arrests in strong words and requested Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to suspend the official who arrested the girls.

Courtesy: The Indian Express

‘The impression of fear, it’s good for me... I like it’ Excerpts from The Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta’s interview with Bal Thackeray on NDTV’s Walk the Talk, published in January 2007 My guest today is, well, there are many ways to describe him- ageless angry young man of Mumbai, cartoonist, and the Lion in Winter... so let me ask Balasaheb Thackeray which one does he prefer.

Call me a tiger.

A tiger for all seasons?

All seasons, yes. There is no season.

When I met Narendra Modi, I said here is a Gujarat lion. He liked it.

Considering that not many people say good things about him......

Everyone was demanding Modi must go...

I told BJP, “If Modi goes, Gujarat goes...”

But remember, Atalji had gone to Gujarat and talked about Raj Dharma... There was an issue of Raj Dharma in what happened in Gujarat, wasn’t there?

Nehru's Secularism: In Thackeray's view (he drew this in 1961), secularism was one-sided.

Raj Dharma? Huh! What’s Raj Dharma?

There is no such thing anywhere in the country. There is only one dharma, Muslim dharma.

I am fascinated by your saying that you are not a Gandhian because today Gandhi has become very popular...

Sometimes you love a person, admire a person, respect a person... as it is in my case. I don’t know why people love me, admire me...

They also fear you.

I welcome that fear.

And why should they fear you?

That you should ask them. When they meet me they say, “Oh, such a wonderfulman.” They never think he is (I am) an arrogant man. (They think) I am a simple

Indira Rule: From 1983. What Thackeray thought of her 'garibi hatao' slogan.

man. After meeting me, they carry that impression.

cult to make out which Muslim loves this country and which doesn’t.

But not everybody can meet you.

That’s the impression (of fear) outside.

And it’s good for me... I like it.

You don’t regret having praised Hitler?

I condemn Hitler because of the massacre of Jews. But I love artists, painters.

You see nothing wrong with dictatorship if it is benevolent?

No. But it has to be benevolent dictatorship. Why I am where I am? The mobs need leadership.

... as you have picked up your wine glass, let me wish you a happy 80th birthday.

Do you drink wine in the afternoon everyday?

Yes... and in the evening, after nine.

You wrote an editorial recently in Samna praising Saddam Hussein.

Yes I did, because I did not like it when Bush attacked Iraq.

You have it as wine or medicine?

Actually medicine. I have constipation.

The doctor advised me to drink red wine, but I don’t like the taste of it. I like white.

How does that square with your suspicion of the Muslims?

I don’t blame all Muslims, but it is diffi-

Red wine is good for the heart...

But I don’t have a heart, I am a heartless person. So white is good for me.

Marathi Manoos vs South Indians: Thackeray accuses Centre of bias again; this was in 1967

Indira's Clock: 1966. He shows her making promises without setting a time-frame for fulfilling them.

INDIA - worLd

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrated with number of programmes Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh guru and the founder of the Sikh religion, was born on the full moon day in the month of Kartik as per the Hindu calendar. Hence, his birthday is celebrated as Guru Nanak Jayanti. In this year, it falls on 28th November.

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 AD at Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi, some 30 miles from Lahore, at present in Pakistan. The Sikhs visit Gurdwaras where special programs are arranged and kirtans (religious songs) are sung. Houses and Gurdwaras are decorated and lit up to add to the festivities.

Guru Nanak Jayanti marks the culmination of the Prabhat Pheris, the early morning processions that start from the Gurdwaras (Sikh tem-

ples) and then proceeds around the localities singing 'shabads' (hymns). The celebration also includes the threeday Akhand path, during which the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib is read continuously, from beginning to end without a break. On the day of the festival, the Guru Granth Sahib is also carried in a procession on a float, decorated with flowers, throughout the village or city. Five armed guards, who represent the Panj Pyaras, head the procession carrying the Nishan Sahib (the Sikh flag).

Local bands playing religious music form a special part of the procession.

Free sweets and community lunches, or langar, are offered to everyone irrespective of religious faith. Men, women, and

children, participate in this karseva as service to the community by cooking food and distributing it in the 'Guru ka Langar', with the traditional 'Karah Prasad'. Guru Nanak Dev's life served as a beacon light for his age.

He was a great seer, saint and mystic. He was a prolific poet and a unique singer of God's laudation.

A prophet of peace, love, truth and renaissance, he was centuries ahead of his times. His universal message is as fresh and true even today as it was in the past and Sikhs all over the world - practice what Guru Nanak Dev preached, to reaffirm your beliefs in the teachings of your founder.

Gujaratis sent 6 crore SMSes in 3 days of festivities

Gone are the days when Diwali and New Year meant exchanging warm greetings via personal calls or visits to friends and relatives. According to data from mobile operators, Gujaratis now prefer sending cold, impersonal text messages or recycled messages through free mobile application services and social media like Facebook and Twitter.

Over five crore mobile phone subscribers in Gujarat sent close to six crore text messages in three days of festivities this week, starting with Diwali, according to an estimate by telecom operators in the state. Further, telecom operators in Gujarat claim to have witnessed a 20% rise in mobile data usage for social media and over the top (OTT) applications such as Whatsapp, Blackberry messenger and other applications over text messages.

"We saw over 1 crore text messages in three days of Diwali in Gujarat.

We also see a spurt in mobile data usage by almost 20%, which can be attributed to the replacement of text messages," said Vodafone India's spokesperson.

There are about seven active mobile operators in Gujarat at present.

Operators acknowledged that a share of voice and SMS is moving to data.

"About six crore SMSes are expected to have been circulated in the state in the last three days but there is a structural shift in the industry from voice and SMS towards messaging programmes and social media platforms. The rise in use of OTT applications is eating into our revenues, especially during major festivals like Diwali," said an official from another telecom company, which saw over 85 lakh text messages sent in Gujarat.

However, SMS or short message service, which saw an explosive growth in volumes and revenue in the early 2000s, seems to

be facing stiff competition from other applications.

Rajiv Vyas, an executive with an insurance company, said, "Text messages are charged on festive occasions even if people have subscribed for free SMS schemes and packages. This is the reason I prefer messengers and social media to wish my social and official group."

With the popularity of mobile data rising, exchange of festive greetings through this medium had been a convenient mode for most Gujaratis this Diwali.

"Mobile data is increasing substantially with people shifting to these services and the government should consider using it for government-to-citizen services. As long as companies are monetizing it, things are positive. But it can be disturbing if people use a telecom operator's free network for data usage," said an official from Cellular Operators Association of India.

James Bond's author was friend of Gujarat royalty The latest James Bond film 'Skyfall' was to be shot in India and the location selected was railway tracks in Sabarmati. The film could not be shot due to various reasons, but Gujarat has got links with the famous character. The creator of this British secret service agent with code 007, Ian Fleming was a close friend of erstwhile ruler of Rajpipla state, Maharaja Vijaysinh.

Historian Makrand Mehta in his recent book 'Gujarat's Royal Heritage' notes that Vijaysinh was

very fond of literature, sports and traveling. "The ruler developed an estate in Windsor. Besides members of the royal family, many British actors and men of letters were friends to him. The creator of the famous character James Bond, Ian Fleming was also a very close friend of him," Mehta writes.

Not much has been written about this friendship except a few mentions by the Maharaja's friends that he was very much comfortable hobnobbing with aristocracy,

movie stars and glamorous models in Britain, and Fleming too was in his group of friends. The ruler permanently left for Briton after the Rajpipla state was merged with the Union of India after independence. Vijaysinh died in 1951 in Windsor. The ruler left his mark on history during his stay in England. He was a champion horse rider and till date, he remains the only Indian to have won the Epsom derby in 1929 with his thoroughbred horse, Windsor Lad.

27

Harbans Singh, India’s longest - serving officer in a foreign mission, passes away Rani Singh My father, Sardar Harbans Singh, had a distinguished career as the Indian Government’s longest serving officer in any of its foreign missions.

Harbans Singh, born in Mardan, Pakistan, was a doctor’s son. He schooled at Kahota, played hockey and studied at DAV College, Rawal Pindi. His brother Col. Joginder Singh was military attaché in London under High Commissioner Krishna Menon. In 1948 Harbans joined the High Commission, one of the first Indian Sikhs to settle in the UK. He was at the Bromyard Avenue office in Acton before moving to India House, Aldwych. He played squash with defence advisors at 8, South Audley St, now the Nehru Centre.

He was always commended for his honesty, hard work and dedication.

Harbans secured for India its properties like 9, Kensington Palace Gardens.

Harbans Singh was

Sardar Harbans Singh

India’s representative at the International Maritime Organisation, successfully raising India’s IMO ranking by one grade. He worked on India’s behalf on Britain’s Race Relations Bill, improving community relations and compiling the first directory of UK Indian organisations.

As Officer on Special Duty (Welfare), he looked after Indian nationals tirelessly, once obtaining £70,000 compensation for an Indian sailor. As First Officer (Shipping) he located and recovered Indian sea treasure and worked on sensitive immigration and customs issues.

He famously

researched into Royal Collections and located historic icons that were returned to India by the FCO. He also found two of Guru Gobind Singh’s swords, the subject of a BBC documentary.

Harbans created and founded Britain’s first Sikh Gurudwara in Shepherd’s Bush, was its trustee and opposed corruption.

Harbans Singh suffered a cardiac arrest Saturday 17 November at home and went into a coma.

Paramedics restarted his heart and he was able to breathe on his own for just over a day. His wife Parsan, four children, Dimpal, Kaka, Raj and I, four of his grandchildren; Jairaj, Sukhraj, Chandni, Kayserene, and son-inlaw Daljit, all said goodbye to Harbans within his last 18 hours. Aged 88, he passed away at Hammersmith hospital November 19 in the presence of my devoted sister, Dimpal Sahni.

Cremation and religious ceremonies Wednesday November 21st contact Dimpal Sahni on 07961 966 383

Living Planet Foundation and Green Yatra for Biodiversity draw global attention Hyderabad recently drew attention yet again from international circles as the city hosted CoP 11 on the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in October.

Several events have taken place during the two week span. Most noted among them was the ceremonial launch of the Green Kumbh Yatra, an initiative of Living Planet Foundation USA spearheaded by Dr Kusum Vyas.

The Green Kumbh Yatra is an environmental pilgrimage on foot and nonmotorised vehicles that will traverse 1,125 km through rural routes and culminates at Allahabad.

Its main aim is to mobilise masses and raise awareness by mainstreaming biodiversity and highlighting its importance to human health and livelihood.

During the Conference at Novotel on 14 October, Shri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, founder of Vikasa Tarangini, has delivered the keynote address on the Role of Spiritual Leaders for Biodiversity Conservation.

Lisa Zogrib, DirectorDivers Earth, Switzerland has spoken on the importance of sacred natural sites for the meditation and tantric traditions of South Asia while Santiago Obispo spoke on the spiritual values of Biodiversity and sacred sites from a local community perspective. Bas Verschuuren, co-

chair for WCPA Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas highlighted capacity building with Protected Area Managers and Krishna Prashad Oli enunciated the value of Transboundary exchange visits in Bio Cultural Conservation.

The afternoon session had a magnificent and captivating display of India’s Cultural Heritage.

Ragasudha Vinjamuri from the UK presented an invocation to Lord Ganesha on Beejakshara mantra composed by Guru Dr Uma Rama Rao. As the Cultural Coordinator to the event, Ragasudha has also choreographed “Glimpses of Indigenous India” a multi-lingual medley of indigenous and traditional Indian dance

forms presented by JIVA Gurukul. Students of Netra Vidyalaya presented “Voices of the Trees”. Dr Kusum Vyas, Founder, Living Planet Foundation has introduced the Green Kumbh initiative and collaborated with the UN Secretariat of the CBD. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the CBD, John Scott, Dr P. Balakrishna, Chairman of National Biodiversity Board, India and many other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

28

travel & WOMEN

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

women achievers

Aditi Mangaldas experimenting with Kathak

By AV Correspondent

If you dream about an exotic hideaway or want some quality family time away, the Maldives is the perfect choice. With deep blue seas and white sandy beaches fringed with palm trees, you will fall in love with the tranquil horizon views over the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is made up of 1,190 coral islands which encircle turquoise blue lagoons, situated across the equator. About 200 of these islands are inhabited with many offering incredible resorts, exciting sights and fascinating culture to discover. The weather in the Maldives is usually picture perfect with the average temperature at about 30 degrees celsius throughout the year: imagine sunlit days, breezy nights, and stunning sunsets.

A major attraction of the islands is their underwater life, which you can discover by boat tour, snorkelling or diving.

The warm seas of Maldives have high visibility throughout the year, with water clear enough to see over 3000 beautiful coral reef formations, and watch passing fish even fifty metres away swim by. You can enjoy a range of water sports from thrilling jet skiing, to more relaxed activities like paddle boats. And if you are keen to discover the life of an ordinary Maldivian, book a day excursion to a local island for insight into the

agriculture, daily livelihoods and to see traditional colourful Maldivian housing.

There are many amazing resorts to choose from to ensure you have the perfect stay. For a 4 star option, choose Meeru Island Resort boasting over-water villas and suites, traditional décor, numerous restaurants and bars, a luxury spa and large dive centre. Brightsun Travel have amazing offers including 7 nights with flights, accommodation and full board from £1305pp. Alternatively for the ultimate in luxury, choose the Taj Exotica, which was voted number 2 out of the “Top 100 Hotels & Resorts in the World”

by Conde Nast Traveller. It scored 100% for rooms, service, food, location, and design –which is simply breathtaking. It is an exclusive, private island resort encircled by sparkling blue waters. Offering special extras like complimentary private luxury speedboat transfers from the airport, you will be at the hotel within 30 minutes of landing. You can choose from a range of rooms or suites over water or on the doorsteps of your own private area of the beach, which come with options such as a personal butler and private plunge pools. The spa and restaurants have won worldwide accolades and to really indulge in romance, enjoy sunset drinks on their Ocean Pavilion situated 400m into the sea, or a private beach dinner. Brightsun Travel are offering special winter getaway discounts at the Taj Exotica including free nights, 10% off and amazing honeymoon extras. Their experienced consultants offer a helpful and friendly service, Brightsun is Atol bonded so your payment is protected, and they offer a price match promise. To book your holiday escape or honeymoon to the Maldives, call Brightsun Travel on 0208 819 0486 or visit www.brightsun.co.uk.

Aditi Mangaldas is a renowned Kathak danseuse and choreographer, who work with the traditional repertoire of Kathak, infusing it with a modern sensibility. A former student of both Kumudini Lakhia and Birju Maharaj, she remained one of the principal dancers in latter's troupe for several years, before starting her own dance institution in Delhi, the Drishtikon Dance Foundation, where she is the artistic director and principal dancer.

Born in 1960, Aditi was brought up in Ahmedabad, where she also did her Bachelor of Science from St Xavier’s College. She started training in Kathak under Kumudini Lakhia at Kadamb Centre for Dance in Ahmedabad at a young age. Later on the advice of her aunt Pupul Jayakar, she moved to Delhi to explore dance avenues there. She became a student of Birju Maharaj at Kathak Kendra, Delhi. After completing her dance training, she travelled to many part of the world as a part of Birju Maharaj's troupe.

She has given Kathak

performances in major dance festivals in India and has been featured in the Festivals of India in UK, US and several other countries. Besides directing solo items, Aditi has also choreographed a number of group ensembles that have been an arresting blend of traditional and contemporary styles. Over the past years she has produced several choreographic works including Cheekh, Swagat Vistar, The Sound of the Universe, Vrindakriti to name a few. She has also conducted several workshops and presented papers at dance seminars.

In 2005, her troupe of six dancers and three musicians made its US debut at the Asia Society with "Footprints on Water."

“It’s interesting and challenging for me to explore the unknown,” says Aditi.

She has been exploring the unknown for the past 21 years, since the formation of the Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company.

After two successful visits to the Edinburgh Fringe, in 2001 and 2005, Aditi introduced her unique brand of Kathak in Scotland at the invitation of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Inspired by the desire to search for new things, Uncharted Seas is one of two ensemble pieces Aditi has re-worked for the occasion. In terms of costumes, music and dance, the piece has been created in the traditional Kathak style. However, she has attempted to do something new with the structure, giving the viewers room to manoeuvre.

“Classical Kathak is usually done as a solo, in a lecture or demonstration.

But within the classical style, there is the possibility of letting the audience use their own imaginations, and Uncharted Seas is my attempt at doing that,” she added.

In Timeless she takes a more modern approach, brought about in part by the dancers’ additional training in yoga and the Indian martial arts form, Kalaripayattu. “It’s like sewing the seeds of Kathak and watering it with contemporary sensibilities so that it sprouts a plant that has roots of the classical tradition and yet has grown beyond its format in every respect – in the movement vocabulary, in its presentation, and in the overall feel,” she added.

Now, Nizam’s daughter stakes claim to `20 billion assets Chowmahalla and the Falaknuma Palace. The Nizam's two ex-wives, Princess Esra Birgin, who holds power of attorney

for all his properties, and Manolya Onur, the Nizam's third ex-wife, are battling in court for rights to the property.

Bhindi Raita Niloufer, the daughter of Mukarram Jah, the eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, said on Sunday that she will go to court if she is denied her rightful share in ancestral property. Estimates suggest that she is taking claim on property worth `20 billion. Niloufer, who recently turned 21 and is in Hyderabad with her mother, Manolya Onur, the Nizam's third ex-wife, said she has not spoken to her dad for around two years due to legal wrangles.

"My main purpose is to meet my father. Until two years ago, I spent a month or two with him every year," said Niloufer, who landed here this week from Istanbul.

"But even his location is not being revealed to us now in fear that we will make him sign some documents for property," she said. Mukarram Jah, 79, is the titular Nizam of Hyderabad and remains one of the richest Indians with assets including the

Deep fried bhindi slices mixed with thick yogurt and served tempered.

I n g r e d i e n t s : Ladyfingers (bhindi)200 grams, Oil1 teaspoon + for deep-frying, Chaat masala a pinch, Red chilli powder 3/4 teaspoon, Thick yogurt 2 cups, Salt to taste Cumin powder 1/2 teaspoon, Mustard seeds ,small 1/2 teaspoon, Fresh mint leaves 20-25 + few for garnishing.

Method: Heat sufficient oil in a pan. Cut ladyfingers into thin diagonal slices and deep fry in hot oil till crisp. Drain on absorbent paper. Sprinkle a pinch of chaat masala and ¼ tsp of red chilli powder. Put yogurt, salt, cumin powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder in a bowl and whisk well. Add half the fried ladyfingers and

mix well. Heat 1 tsp oil in a non stick pan. Add cumin seeds and when the seeds splutter, add it to the yogurt mixture.

Add mint leaves and mix.

Transfer into a serving bowl and add the remaining fried ladyfingers.

Garnish with a few mint leaves and serve immediately.

Health benefits: Yogurt contains digestive properties. Yogurt is easier to digest than milk. .

Yogurt contributes to colon health. It increases the absorption of calcium and B-vitamins.

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Coriander's numerous health benefits

Cilantro is a popular Mediterranean herb commonly recognised in India as coriander or dhania patta. It is part of most Indian kitchens and very often used to garnish curries, salads and soups. A simple aloo ki sabzi tastes much better with a liberal garnishing of coriander.

One can make a mouthwatering paste of coriander leaves, peanuts, onions, green chilies and add a dash of lemon juice.

This chutney is excellent as a sandwich spread. You can also grind coriander leaves with mint leaves and it is excellent for making a green chicken rice.

Cilantro is an excellent source of minerals like potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Fresh leaves should be washed thoroughly in water in order to remove the dirt and to get rid of any residual pesticides which can be harmful for health. It is best used while it is fresh as it retains its unique fragrance and aromatic flavour. Freshly chopped coriander leaves are a great addition to green salad.

It is also rich in many vital vitamins including folic-acid, vitamin-A, beta carotene and vitamin-C that are essential for optimum health. Vitamin-C is a powerful natural antioxidant. Cilantro leaves provides 30% of daily recommended levels of vitamin C. The health benefits of cilantro are many. Its powerful anti-inflammatory capacities that can help one deal with symptoms of arthritis. It also increases HDL cholesterol (the good kind), and reduces LDL cholesterol (the bad kind).

Coriander leaves offer great relief from stomach indigestion problems and the like. It also helps reduce feelings of nausea.

To Our Readers We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement it. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

SKIN, HAIR, NAILS

Beauty Tablets

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Most trusted for pregnancy

29

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HEALTH & VITALITY Tablets

Unique physiology key to detecting and treating diabetes in Asians As the diabetes epidemic spreads worldwide, there is a growing concern for Asian American populations, who are almost twice as likely to develop diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes. Compounding the problem, many of the standard ways to diagnose diabetes fail in people of Asian descent. "The medical profession needs to be aware of and address the unique characteristics of this population," said George L. King, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Joslin Diabetes Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS).

"Without this understanding, diabetes could be misdiagnosed or missed altogether."

The authors compiled extensive data on various groups that comprise the Asian American population, encompassing immigrants from numerous East Asian countries and those born in the United States.

They also studied diabetes incidence in Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Researchers are finding significant differences in how diabetes affects the body's chemistry, how to view body weight, and why commonly used laboratory tests may not be reliable in Asian populations.

"Type 1 diabetes can be difficult to clinically differentiate from type 2 diabetes

in Asians," said Dr. William C. Hsu, M.D., who with Dr. King co-directs the Asian American Diabetes Initiative at Joslin. Dr. Hsu, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at HMS, was lead author of a team of 12 experts who wrote a second article.

These authors focused on the pathophysiology, or the disease process, of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is relatively rare in Asians, with incidence five to 10 times lower than in people of European descent.

But diagnosing the disease is more difficult because genetic markers and blood factors generally associated with type 1 diabetes are present in only 30 percent of patients of Asian descent.

In other words, simply relying on conventional tests would lead to misdiagnosis of a large percentage of Asians who have type 1 diabetes.

More research is needed to learn what other biological factors in Asians patients lead to the destruction of insulinmaking beta cells, resulting in type 1 diabetes. Lab tests then could be developed to detect these specific factors.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in Asian Americans, with prevalence of diagnosed cases in recent years

jumping from approximately 1 or 2 percent to 10 percent today, compared with 6 percent in the general population.

Many others are undiagnosed or at risk, falling into the "pre-diabetes" category. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces insulin but not enough, or the body's cells resist its effect. A risk factor commonly associated with type 2 diabetes is excess weight, often measured by calculating the body mass index (BMI).

But for Asian Americans with type 2 diabetes, the average BMI is between 24 and 25, well within the normal BMI range for the general population.

"The BMI in Asian patients can be misleading. They can look quite skinny," Dr. Hsu said.

"Instead, we're learning that a better indicator of type 2 diabetes risk in Asians is fat deposits at the waistline."

More research is needed to understand how visceral fat contributes to the onset of type 2 diabetes. If detected in the pre-diabetes stage, the disease often can be prevented.

To diagnose diabetes, a commonly used tool-the fasting plasma glucosefails to detect abnormal glucose tolerance in many Asian Americans. The authors recommend the oral glucose tolerance test,

which although more cumbersome to do, has greater sensitivity and reliability in Asian populations.

Per diabetes complications, physicians need be aware that Asian Americans with diabetes tend to have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease but higher rates of end-stage renal disease.

These patients need to be monitored and treated accordingly.

Per treatments for diabetes, the authors cited the need for more studies.

Insulin dosing, oral medications and lifestyle factors such as exercise and nutrition should be enfolded into a diabetes care program tailored to individuals, families and cultural practices.

The team of experts at Joslin's Asian Diabetes Initiative has found that educational materials are most effective when pub-

lished in both the Asian language and English, allowing younger and older generations to communicate fluidly. Joslin also has developed multilingual websites.

Community-based education programs, which also have proved to be highly effective, need to be expanded. And in national data collection, it is important to include Asian groups as subsets of the general population, with culturally appropriate methods incorporated into the design of surveys.

"While there is much to be gained from ethnically sensitive care, these considerations are only a starting point," Dr. Hsu said.

"Ultimately, all diabetes care needs to be tailored to the individual.

That's the direction that medicine is going, and all populations will benefit," Dr. Hsu added.

Think again before washing your hands with soap

An antibacterial chemical widely used in hand soaps and other personal-care products may impair muscle function, scientists claim.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Colorado found that the chemical, Triclosan, hinders muscle contractions at a cellular level, slows swimming in fish and reduces muscular strength in mice.

"Triclosan is found in virtually everyone's home and is pervasive in the environment. These findings provide strong evidence that the chemical is of concern to both human

and environmental health," said Isaac Pessah, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Biosciences in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and principal investigator of the study.

Triclosan is commonly found in antibacterial personal-care products such as hand soaps as well as deodorants, mouthwashes, toothpaste, bedding, clothes, carpets, toys and trash bags.

The US Environmental Protection Agency in 1998 estimated that more than 1 million pounds of triclosan are produced annually in the United States, and that

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the chemical is detectable in waterways and aquatic organisms ranging from algae to fish to dolphins, as well as in human urine, blood and breast milk.

The investigators performed several experiments to evaluate the effects of triclosan on muscle activity, using doses similar to those that people and animals may be exposed to during everyday life.

In "test tube" experiments, triclosan impaired the ability of isolated heart muscle cells and skeletal muscle fibers to contract.

Specifically, the team evaluated the effects of tri-

closan on molecular channels in muscle cells that control the flow of calcium ions, creating muscle contractions.

Normally, electrical stimulation ("excitation") of isolated muscle fibers under experimental conditions evokes a muscle contraction, a phenomenon known as "excitation-contraction coupling" (ECC), the fundamental basis of any muscle movement, including heartbeats. But in the presence of triclosan, the normal communication between two proteins that function as

calcium channels was impaired, causing skeletal and cardiac muscle failure.

The team also found that triclosan impairs heart and skeletal muscle contractility in living animals. Anesthetized mice had up to a 25-per cent reduction in heart function measures within 20 minutes of exposure to the chemical.

30

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Ireland's Catholic anti-abortion laws...

Continued from page 13 He claimed that things just began to get worse by Friday, with Savita becoming critically ill. Some of Savita's organs failed to function and she died on 28th October.

Following her death, the public strongly questioned Ireland's anti-abortion laws. Thousands of people led a protest in Ireland, marching through Dublin.

Marchers, many of them mothers paraded across the city to stage a night time candlelit vigil outside the office of the Prime Minister, Enda Kenny.

On 18th November, a group of about 50 people had gathered at Mahatma Gandhi Statue, Leicester to pay respects to Savita Halappanavar. The slogans at the gathering were: “Never Again Never Again”, “Change the Rules- Save the Women”,

“Savita deserves betterSo All Women Do”. All those that were there at the gathering took part in a Candle-lit vigil near Gandhi statue.

Mr. Ceeka ChandraShaker, the secretary of Media Pravasi Bharat led the peaceful demonstration, beginning with a one minute of condolence for the life of Savita Halappanavar. He highlighted the impor-

Coming Events l First Hindu Primary School in Hayes: Children born between 1/09/2008-31/08/2009. The New Nanaksar Primary School. Open afternoon. Saturday 1st Dec, 1pm-3pm at Guru Nanak Sikh Academy, Springfield Road, UB4 0LT. Contact: 0208 561 6318 l Sangat Center organises Kasumbi no rangGujarati dairo - by Haridan Gadhvi and artists from India on Sunday 25th November, 2012 from 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.

For booking and information telephone 020 8427 0659. l Saurashtra Leva Patel Samaj presents Diwali 2012, Sunday 25 Nov, 1-7om, Whitmore High School, HA2 0AD l Jalaram Jayanti, Bhajan-Kirtan-Bhojan, Saturday 24 Nov, 1-7pm. Contact: 01293519130 l National interfaith week, 24 Nov, 10am-1pm.

Contact: Shri Venkatashwara Balaji Temple.

Oldbury, B69 3DU l Divine Light, Divine & Spiritual Indian Music compositions, Saturday 24 Nov, 7:30pm, Artsdepot, Finchley, North London. Contact: 020 8369 5454 l 108 Hanuman Chalisa, 25 November, Harrow HA1 3UJ. 11am-5pm. Contact: 020 8459 5758 l Tulsi vivah, Sunday 25 Nov, 9am onwards, VHP Ilford Hindu Centre, Ilford, Essex IG1 1HN l Chha Gam Nagrik Mandal, 25 Nov, 3pm, Copland High School, HA9 7DU l Diwali celebration, dinner and dance, Sat 24 Nov, 7pm onwards, Kanchans banqueting Hall, IG2 6BX. Contact: Sanjay: 07956 154 103 Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Financial Officer: Surendra Patel Tel: 020 7749 4093 Mobile: 07875 229 220 Email: surendra.patel@abplgroup.com Accounts Executive: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Alka Shah Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Mobile: 07944 151 893 Email: alka.shah@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Nihir Shah - Email: nihir.shah@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4089 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Design and Layout: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd.

tance of addressing this issue as soon as possible and appealed the concerned authorities take appropriate action.

The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin eventually broke his

silence on Monday over the controversy referring to it as a “terrible disaster”. The Archbishop added: “Here is a family that six weeks ago was going into what should have been on of the most happiest moments of their lives, a birth of a new child. Now the whole thing has collapsed into a terrible disaster … you just don not know how the father is standing up to such a terrible disaster”. But he rejected the criticism that Ireland was

not a safe place for pregnant women, following the controversies of this incident.

According to reports, 53 member of the European Parliament, in a strongly-worded letter to Ireland's Prime minister demanding an “immediate legislation” to permit abortion under certain circumstances where the mother's life is at risk. The Irish Republic has until 30 November to respond to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling on a case that prompted the formation of the abortion expert advisory group.

It is clear that such a incident raises questions about the types of laws that put a mother's life at risk. As a Hindu, and not a Catholic woman Savita Halappanavar had the right to choose whether or not she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. If measures are not going to be made to re-visit Ireland's anti- abortion laws than this may cause the death of more women under such fatal conditions.

COMPETITION WINNERS Q: Where is the restaurant Cinnamon Soho located?

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Your inborn drive to be always pushing ahead receives added impetus during this week. Your energy levels will be high and you will find much scope for taking fresh initiatives and getting fast results. Your communications are well lit up but you have to ensure that you do not upset people around you.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

It would be a mistake always to blame the other person if your experience and expectations of love turn out to be disappointing. It is said that if you do not learn from past experience you will be condemned to repeat it until you do learn. You now have an excellent opportunity to sort out where things may be going wrong.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

Life appears to be focusing your mind on practical matters. So you will need to organise your time carefully if you are to avoid an "all work and no play" situation. Resist making any hasty moves when it come to finances - this is a time to focus on consolidation of current assets.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

It's a time of slow and steady progress that can set the stage for a long time to come. Of course, there are still challenging issues on both a personal and practical level. To get here you may have overcome obstacles by making important decision and choices.

You will achieve a lot more, especially when you're motivated by your own desires.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 Don't be afraid to act forcefully if your instinct tells you it's time for change.

This week the focus is your house of family and home.

Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 It seems that the winds of change begin to gather momentum and put a strong focus on domestic and family matters. Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak. Try not to come on too strong when you deal with others.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 Guard against being too impatient and restless. You will need to exercise care in the use of credit. Extra energy and drive will serve you well in getting things accomplished, but try not to come on too strong when you deal with others.

There appears to be a more successful trend coming into effect.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

Although there are very intense amorous energies indicated in your chart, the trouble is that these are likely to be marred by feelings of jealousy. Do not therefore dabble in anything that could harbour such negative potential, as it is bound to end in heartache. Existing emotional differences can be sorted out now.

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 Amorous affairs continue to be highlighted - whether or not this leads to a lasting relationship depends much on your own personal maturity and circumstances.

Efforts to restructure and transform your lifestyle are more likely to meet with success. Experience you have built up in the past will now stand you in good stead.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

Co-operative ventures are likely to generate financial success. So, if hoping to drum up support or backing, it would certainly do no harm to adopt a more pushy and outgoing approach to life. Social life will draw you into a wider circle and chances of meeting someone attractive are increased.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There’s a sparkle to your social life simply by being in touch with other people.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

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 will have a huge impact on you from now into the future.

There is a rather secretive aura surrounding new romance.

Sport woRlD

Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

Beckham ready for ‘one more challenge’ after leaving LA Galaxy next month Former England captain David Beckham, hailed as a success for soccer in the United States, will say his farewell to LA Galaxy in next month's MLS Cup final with one more mission yet to accomplish.

It was only in January that Beckham signed a new deal with the Galaxy but his departure, announced on Monday, paves the way for him to enjoy a last hurrah elsewhere while the Galaxy could take the chance to look for a new big name in his place.

After five-and-a-half seasons in Los Angeles, where Beckham moved from Real Madrid in 2007, the midfielder insists he feels ready for "one more challenge" before he hangs up his boots.

The 37-year-old Beckham has struggled with injuries of late, missing almost two months of action before this month's play-offs, and it is hard to imagine him being recruited by a top European team.

A year ago he was strongly linked to French club Paris St Germain but in the past 12

Djokovic beats Federer, stays atop Monday night was all about the fight. Fittingly Federer arrived for his post-match media conference in a red-and white combine, trendy winter jacket, paired with white sweats. The world no.1, who likened his 2 hour 15-minute on-court tussle with Roger Federer to his father fighting for his life in an intensive care unit back home in Serbia, promptly dedicated his victory to Srdjan.

“I’m going to visit him,” Djokovic said of his father who was struck by rare blood disorder a month ago, “I’ll take my trophy with me and try and make him smile.”

In the big fight at The O2 Arena, Djokovic beat Federer 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 in an edge-ofthe-seat thriller in the title round of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

months not only has Beckham's ability to deal with the aches and strains of the game declined but PSG have moved on with a series of high profile signings.

However the Englishman's noted ability to grab media attention, sell merchandise and boost attendances while still curling in his trademark free-kicks and spraying cross field passes, makes him an attractive proposition for an emerging club or league looking for a marketing breakthrough.

A source close to Beckham said that while it was still early in the process of him finding a new team, sev-

eral clubs from several countries had already shown interest. The Football Federation of Australia (FFA) said last week that they had made an approach for Beckham, looking to bring him into the ALeague where former Italy and Juventus star Alessandro Del Piero is already playing.

Australia would offer him a chance of a repeat performance - as with MLS he would again be trying to increase the profile of the game in one of the few countries where soccer is not the number one sport.

But it would also be a lowkey way for Beckham to bow out of the game and given that one of his reasons for resigning with the Galaxy last year was because his family enjoyed life in California, it would perhaps only appeal as a short-term option.

Lucrative option: So far, reports have suggested a 10game cameo for an A-League club, such as Melbourne Heart, and that could be a lucrative and enjoyable option.

The Chinese league,

whose clubs have increasingly targeted well-known international players such as Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, would surely appeal to the marketers of 'Brand Beckham' but that would have the same draw-backs as Australia.

Beckham had a taste of Italian football during loan spells with AC Milan during MLS's long off-season and while that club could certainly do with a morale boost, it is hard to imagine a return at this stage.

What could well appeal more to Beckham's pride would be a brief but romantic return to English football.

Beckham has never said goodbye to the game in his homeland - injury cost him a place in the 2010 World Cup finals for England and then he was disappointed not to be picked for the Olympic team this year.

So the chance to make an impact once again in English football, albeit at a lesser club level, may be tempting.

Kapil rejects the idea of day-night Test matches Former India captain Kapil Dev out rightly rejected ICC's idea of having day-night Test matches in near future.

"Playing cricket in white clothes has its own essence. I don't think playing day-night Test matches is a solution," India's first World Cup winning captain observed during a panel discussion at an event. However, the legendary all-rounder feels that bringing in cheerleaders or singers or actors to perform in order to attract big crowd for the promotion of Test cricket can be tried out.

"If promotion means allowing a singer to perform during breaks in Test match or bringing in cheerleaders, be it. Test cricket is the ultimate test of a cricketer and the game of cricket. The cricket board should find a way to promote the Test

cricket," Kapil stated.

"If marketing is only done for the T20 cricket and TV channels only show T20 games, more and more players will choose an easy option of playing it." Another former India captain, Ajay Jadeja added that cricket has come down to mere statistics now, whereas Test cricket means a lot of stories and youngsters must be told those stories.

"Cricket is not just about numbers. We have to tell stories about cricketers to increase the passion for Test

cricket among youngsters.

Each cricketer brings a different story to the game and that is what Test cricket is all about," explained Jadeja.

Suresh Raina, current India cricketer, also agreed with his seniors and insisted that he would also like to represent India in the Test arena.

The players, however, admitted that big money in cricket these days, especially with the emergence of Twenty20, has done the game more good than not. Kapil said that money is good for both cricket and cricketers but only if it is used in a proper manner.

"Money is always good. If you use money correctly, it is always good," stressed Kapil.

Raina also said that money is crucial as a youngster can look at sports as a full-fledged career option and look after his family.

Stepanek stars in Czech Republic`s historic Davis Cup triumph Radek Stepanek won a pulsating fifth rubber to steer the Czech Republic to claim the Davis Cup for the first time as an independent nation by beating defending champions Spain 3-2, in the 100th year of competition.

According to the Davis Cup website, the Czech on Sunday created his own little piece of history by becoming the first 30-plus player to win a fifth live rubber in 100 years by overpowering world number 11 Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 7-6 (7-0), 3-6, 6-3.

Earlier in the opening singles, David Ferrer beat Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, to tie the rubber 2-2 for Spain.

Thus, the Czech Republic became the first nation to simultaneously hold the Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Hopman Cup. The Czechs won the Davis Cup as part of Czechoslovakia 30 years ago when Ival Lendl and Tomas Smid did exactly what Berdych and Stepanek did spending the entire three days on the court to play both the singles and doubles to beat Italy 4-1 in the 1980 final.

"They`ve been our inspiration, our idols. They`re the legends and now we`re joining them," Stepanek said

pointing the former greats who were present in the arena.

Ranked 37 in the world, Stepanek at 33 years was an underdog against Almagro, six years younger to him. But the Czech veteran was boosted by a fast hard court that suited his aggressive style of play and the backing of a boisterous 13,000 spectators inside Prague`s O2 Arena.

"I was dreaming about this moment my whole life and now we`re standing here as Davis Cup champions, it`s amazing," said an emotional Stepanek who went into a war dance vaulting the net and tearing off his t-shirt after the victory.

"I`m living a dream," said Stepanek, who wept openly. "We have been working very hard very hard for this moment. It was the biggest pressure under which I`ve ever played. Everything was at stake."

Berdych added: "This is a moment we`ll never forget."

"I can`t describe my feelings, I came on the court with the mindset that I had to stay calm, hungry, motivated and concentrate. I was playing very aggressively today. I wanted to be the one who was active, who was controlling the game and it paid off," said the Czech who won an whopping 41 points at the net.

Stepanek was straightaway on course, taking the first set with one break. He looked far more convincing in the second, though he let slip four set points before racing through the tiebreak like a man possessed.

Two sets up, the Czech was 40-0 up at the start of the third set when Almagro got out of trouble and went on to take the set.

As the three-hour mark crossed, the Spaniard might have fancied a chance himself against the older player, but Stepanek dug deep into his resources.

31

Action at a Glance Hesh-Bopanna go down to Spanish duo in final

Like the rain that ruled the London skies on Monday, throwing a wet blanket on Deepavali celebrations of the Indian community residing in the English capital, the Spanish pairing of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez kept coming at the world no.5 combine of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna, defusing their fire power with the gentle drizzle of their ground strokes. The sixth seeds, throwing in spins and slices, mixing persistence with patience and speed of foot with the slow poison of their stroke play, outlasted the Bangalore duo 7-5, 3-6, 10-3 in the title match of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Bhupathi, 38, playing his 12th seasonending championship, said, “They are not a conventional doubles team, they make it difficult in more ways than one no matter who they play. When we play other teams, we have a target whether we are returning, serving or volleying. These guys camp at the baseline, whether you are serving or they are serving. We fought hard, we gave ourselves chances, but in the end we played a bad tie-break.” Bopanna, 32, who is getting married in two weeks in the picturesque coffee-growing district of Kodagu, said of their opponents, “They mix things a lot, they serve and stay back, they cross, they hit a lot of different kind of shots. You are not sure what they are going to do. They are a tough team to play.”

Hamilton wins US Grand Prix

Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton has expressed his joy after outfoxing his Red Bull rival Sebastian Vettel to win Sunday's US Grand Prix. Vettel was left screaming into his radio in frustration after the McLaren ace dodged past to win in a single moment of supreme genius. "No, he didn't go away.

He was like a bee or a fly just sticking around. To push, not make mistakes, hunt him down and see him making mistakes while applying the pressure is a great feeling," Hamilton was quoted as saying.

"I just beat the supposed best. They say you are only as good as your last race, so....I stamped my mark and showed I still have the status the others do," he added. After such a stellar performance, team-mate Jenson Button admitted that with Hamilton off to Mercedes, his successor Sergio 'Checo' Perez may not, initially at least, be up to the task, the report said. "It's going to be a tricky seat for Checo to fill. Lewis has won the world championship and had so many wins. I don't know if he will be up to it straight away," said Button.

Sri Lanka crush New Zealand by 10 wickets

Sri Lanka crushed New Zealand by 10 wickets on the third day of the opening Test in Galle to gain a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The hosts effortlessly chased down a 93-run target, with debutant Dimuth Karunaratne remaining unbeaten with 60 and Tharanga Paranavitana 31 not out.

New Zealand, trailing by 26 runs on the first innings, were shot out for 118 in their second innings after lunch. Middle-order batsman Daniel Flynn top-scored for New Zealand with 20, while Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath finished with 6/43. The second and final Test starts in Colombo on Sunday. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 247 in their first innings on Day 2 in reply to New Zealand's 221.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 24th November 2012

India thrash England by 9 wickets to take 1-0 lead

India broke through the stubborn England resistance with a morning burst of five wickets before surging to a comprehensive nine-wicket victory in the opening Test for a 1-0 lead in the fourmatch series on Monday at the Motera stadium in Ahmedabad.

Needing 77 runs to record their first win at this venue in seven years on a crumbling and dusty pitch, India achieved the target when they made 80/1 in 15.3 overs after lunch with more than half a day to spare.

Openers Virender Sehwag (25) and Cheteshwar Pujara (41 not out), who scored a double hundred in the huge first innings total of 521/8 declared, polished off the major part of the target by adding 57 runs in only 9.5 overs.

Earlier, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha prised open the victory door for the hosts when he broke through England's resolute batting by packing off overnight batsmen Matt Prior (91) and Alastair Cook (176) in 12 balls to virtually bring the visitors to their knees.

The two had kept England afloat on Day 4 with a determined partnership which had helped the visitors avoid an innings defeat and had raised their hopes of even saving the game. The pair remained unconquered on Day 4 with the visitors on 340/5, an overall lead of 10 runs.

Ojha's 2/18 burst in 11 overs was complimented by Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin and Zaheer Khan who grabbed a wicket each as England

Cheteshwar Pujara scored his maiden double hundred on the second day of the Ahmedabad Test against England.

slumped from 356/5 to 406 all out in just over 16 overs and in 113 minutes of play on Day 5.

Ojha, who grabbed 4/120 in the second innings to add to his superb haul of 5/45 in the first, emerged as the most successful bowler from the game.

Pujara, who made an unbeaten 206 in

the first essay and opened the innings in place of a bereaved Gautam Gambhir, was the most successful batsman for India.

In the second innings, Pujara and Virat Kohli (14 not out) steered Indian home without being separated.

Sehwag was caught just inside the long on rope by Kevin Pietersen off Graeme Swann after striking one four and a six in his 21-ball knock.

Kohli hit the winning run, a four off Swann, 51 minutes after lunch to seal victory while Pujara remained unconquered after facing 51 balls and striking eight fours.

The victory broke the seven-year winless run for India at this ground. The team had last won at Motera in December 2005, Sri Lanka being the losing side.

This was also their fourth win here in 12 encounters and their fifth in the last six Tests played at home going back to last season's triumphant series against the West Indies.

The two teams will now proceed to Mumbai for the second Test at the Wankhede Stadium commencing on November 23, to be followed by the third and last Tests at Kolkata (December 5-9) and Nagpur (December 13-17).

England's first innings collapse for 191 against Ojha and Ashwin was the root cause of their massive defeat though they fought back well through captain Alastair Cook who batted for a marathon 560 minutes spread over three days.

But once Ojha broke the partnership between Cook and Prior at 356, the England resistance started dwindling and the captain's dismissal virtually ended it though the last three wickets put on 41 runs.

The visitors were all out seven minutes before the scheduled lunch interval, prompting an early break. Ojha dealt the crucial blows on England in the space of only 12 balls, breaking the stubborn sixth-wicket stand between Cook and Prior.

Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin and Zaheer Khan polished off the tail in style to leave the hosts a small target to chase. Ojha finished with 4/120 after a fine morning spell of 2/18 in 11 overs.

The England stumper had stayed at the wicket for 240 minutes and faced 225 balls in which he hit 11 fours. He also put on 157 runs for the sixth wicket with his captain in 364 balls, the partnership starting on Day 4 after lunch and ending on Day 5.

Cook's defiant knock, that had commenced two days ago in the afternoon session and lasted the entire day on Day 4, finally ended 55 minutes after start of play on the last day.

At Cook's dismissal, England were just 35 runs ahead of the hosts with three wickets in hand and their first defeat in the four-game series loomed large. And it was also the 26-year-old Ojha's fourth wicket of the innings and ninth of the match.