AV 25th January 2014

SEE INSIDE ....

Syedna, spiritual head of Dawoodi Bohras, dies at 102 See Page 26

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

Jains in India get minority status

See Page 23

Obama nominates Indian-American to key post See Page 26 Republic day special

See Page 16-17

VOL 42. ISSUE 38

Female foeticide amongst British Asians attracts severe criticism

*Subject to availability

As Asians living in 21st Century Britain, we like to think we are more modern than traditional, that we have assimilated well into British society and that old-age customs of boy/girl inequalities are (slowly) dying hard.

Yet recent revelations by the Independent, which follows an original Telegraph article last year, has exposed the sheer number of illegal sexselective abortions within ethnic communities.

Referring to it as the ‘booming British abortion business’, the Independent published statistical analysis of the 2011 National Census, which indicated the ‘disappearance’ of up to 4,700 girls, as a result of this business.

Continued on page 13

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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Arvind Kejriwal ends protest after drama

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal abruptly ended his over 30-hour protest in the Indian capital city on Tuesday night after two police officers had been sent on leave and an assurance from the Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung of expeditious inquiry into police inaction. Kejriwal went on agitation following alleged misbehaviour of five policemen with his Law Minister Somnath Bharti.

Lt. Governor Jung assured Kejriwal that the judicial inquiry into the alleged police inaction would be expedited.

Though Kejriwal, the chief of the Aam Adami Party (AAP), demanded suspension of the ‘guilty’ cops apparently compromised

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with the Centre over his original demand for suspension of five officials.

He, however, termed the action of sending two police officials on leave as “victory” of people in Delhi.

He sat on agitation outside Rail Bhavan in the high-security Raisina Hill

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area that virtually morphed into a demand for control over Delhi Police and threatened to disrupt the Republic Day celebrations on Sunday. The Chief Minister not only held Cabinet meetings in his car parked on the road Continued on page 26

25th January to 31st January 2014

Mysterious death for Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of India’s minister of state for human resource development Shashi Tharoor, created sensation across the country. As the marriage of middle aged couple has not completed four years, the sub divisional magistrate (SDM) came into picture to probe ‘unnatural’ death of 52-year-old Sunanda. She married Tharoor in August 2010.

As the reason behind the suspicious death of Tharoo’s wife was “poisioning”, the police have initiated investigation on various angles – whether it was suicide or the elite class lady was murdered. Doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) who conduct-

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ed autopsy on Sunanda had said her death was "sudden and unnatural" and it was caused by "drug overdose" which in other words could be called drug poisoning.

SDM Alok Sharma in his report said that no family member of the deceased doubted any foul play in the death.

Sunanda, who was found dead in a 5-star hotel in South Delhi on 17, January 2014 was Continued on page 26

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UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Keith Vazwith MP

Keith Vaz MP date?

My personal and professional life have always been closely intertwined, as such it is my wife Kamla who has been the greatest inspiration to me by providing guidance when I was tired, succour when I was needy, and trusted me when I was doubtful.

Dev Dadral

Dev Dadral came to the UK in 1960 and completed his education here. Soon thereafter he entered the employment world in Local Authority Social Services Departments. Dev worked in a number of Local Authorities up and down the country, and with people of all ages. He left the service in 1990 after having been a Director of Social Services in a London Borough.

Following this he started Swiis Care, which provides skilled professionals for hospitals, charities and local authorities and helps to place foster children with carers.

1. Please tell me about your current position?

I am currently the owner and Chairman of Swiis International Limited. Swiis is a qualitative provider of a range of services which provide support and care to communities across the health, adult social care and fostering arenas.

Within my remit as owner and Chairman of Swiis I oversee the qualitative and regulatory standards of our organisation to ensure that the children and adults we provide care towards receive a service which considerably exceeds common industry expectations.

2. What are your proudest

achievements?

Whilst I am immensely proud of the business I have established and the loyal workforce within it, my proudest achievements relate to my personal circumstances. I am immensely proud to have been fortunate enough to spend 31 years with my loving wife Kamla, and even more fortunate to have had the benefit of building a loving, respectful and considerate family from amongst our children.

3. What inspires you?

My greatest inspiration is my parents who came to the UK as immigrants, who loved, cared and protected me as a child, and worked diligently throughout their lives to ensure that

they gave me the opportunity to be both intellectually independent through the education they provided for me, and respectful and considerate of the society in which I prospered.

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

Whilst creating and maintaining successful business will always over time throw challenges and difficulties in the path of growth, I have always endeavoured to see such matters as opportunities to be overcome rather than obstacles to block my intended pathway.

5. Who has been the biggest influence on your career to

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

I take great pride in the outstanding services we provide within our organisation which genuinely improve the lives of others. I am particularly proud of the impact that our Foster Care service has had on the lives of Looked after Children and Young people across the United Kingdom. This is validated by our ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted accreditations and by the incredible achievements of the children themselves.

7. And the worst?

Whilst not the worst, but certainly one of the most challenging aspects of my current role is that the societal need for our services continues to be greater than our capacity to deliver care. We are attempting to

address this by expanding our service and operation thrice fold over the coming months.

8. What are your long term goals?

My long term objective is to provide a breath of service which has the capability to remove the ongoing and increasing needs of both vulnerable children and vulnerable adults.

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

I would implement policies which simplify both the fostering and particularly the adoption processes to ensure that children were able to be placed in secure, safe and loving homes at far earlier opportunities than they are at present.

Whilst these policy changes are under consistent review it is, I believe, imperative that these are fast tracked for the overall good of both the existing, and coming generations.

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

Mahatma Gandhi. Whom I would choose for both his philosophical and intellectual companionship, and as we are on a desert island because I understand that he was a considerable talented cook.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

COMMENT

India’s achievements as worthy of notice as its failures

Republic Day, which falls on 26 January, is generally the first occasion every new year for national stock taking, the other being the anniversary of India’s Independence on 15 August. Each has been a time for reflection on national endeavour. No Indian, however deep his/her patriotic zeal, would claim that India is the utopia of our time, no country on Planet Earth is, or ever will be. But India is no dystopia either, as John Pilger, the far left radical chic campaigner and columnist claimed in The Guardian not so long ago. He saw India as a busted flush, an economic and social disaster waiting to implode. Nothing was right in the country, almost everything was hideously wrong. Yet, only last week, the World Health Organization (WTO) announced that India had recorded a third straight year without polio. The massive vaccination campaign, remarked eyewitnesses Bill and Melinda Gates, whose Gates Foundation had contributed generously to the funding of the exercise, was unique. Bill Gates told a distinguished audience in London, a few days later, that never in their lives had either seen such well organized mobilization of human resources used to such telling effect. Bill Gates made it a point to mention the exemplary role of the Indian government, reviled and excoriated for what it does wrong, but rarely praised for what it does right. This is the appropriate moment to acknowledge the achievement of government, voluntary organizations, nurses, doctors, mobile health clinics and so on. It was an all-India triumph of body, mind and spirit, something that Mr Pilger and his tribe of derogatory India-baiters would do well to recognize, assuming they possess a thimbleful of shame. Their thinly held condescension and contempt for the lesser breeds without the law are revealed in much of what they say and do.

Food sufficiency in a land noted for decades past for food deficiency is another notable Indian success. The problem today is the lack of warehouses to store surplus wheat and rice that lie rotting in the fields, and the absence of adequate refrigeration to keep the excess fruit and vegetables from decomposing in the heat. Agricultural science and its technological offshoots produced the Green Revolution, Indian satellites have boosted telecommunications which, in turn, have fed the country-wide mobile phone networks with critical information on a range of issues, thus empowering millions of Indians through access to the marketplace. These continuing processes also include popular education, disaster control and aid fishermen on the high seas in relation to their catch. They are an immense transformational boon, changing the face of India and guaranteeing a future that works.

Finally, the recent successes of India’s Mars mission and the launch of the GSLV- 5 into a geosynchronous orbit on the back of a rocket driven by cryogenic technology is certain to have farreaching scientific and technological fallouts, on basis of past evidence, on the string of disciplines, including medical research and surgical instrumentation. These are areas where politics and social science discourses cannot of themselves reach.

Republic Day parades manifest Indian military strength, an assurance to India’s regional friends, and a message to rivals and foes to keep the peace in the common interest. India’s myriad shortcomings – poverty highest among them – will need to be addressed many years into the future. But India’s successes should be the inspiration to their solution. There is no cause to despair of the Republic. Look around its neighbourhood and farther afield and you will see why.

Reading Milind Khandekar’s “Dalit Millionaires: 15 Inspiring Stories” (Portfolio Penguin) will be a moving experience for those with a beating heart and a belief in India’s democratic future. The primordial and present social injustices and the suffering inflicted on an important segment of Indian society is, alas, an ongoing Indian reality. The book in question tells of a beam of light shining through a forbiddingly dark tunnel. But a light it is, and it holds out the promise of things to come.

The stories in the anthology will repay the reader for his/her time. One involves a destitute Dalit family with the name Khade, deep in the interior of Maharashtra, in a village called Ped. The family moved to Mumbai, where the father mended shoes for a living. The cobbler’s wife and three sons led a precarious existence, uncertain of their next frugal meal. Despite their desperate poverty, the father of three brothers, Dattareya, Ashok and Suresh, insisted that they go to school. The parents lacked the resources for them to complete their education, but they had gone far enough for the eldest son, Dattareya to get a job at Mumbai’s Mazgaon Dock, one of India’s foremost shipyards.

The second brother, Ashok, followed him, as did the youngest sibling Suresh. Ashok became a draughtsman. He did an evening course in engineering and after earning a diploma in1992 was transferred to the company’s quality control department, where the experience he acquired

was to stand him in good stead. The brothers left Mazgaon Dock and set up their own company, which they named DAS, the acronym from the first alphabet of their respective names.

They initially got petty contracts from their former company, but soon came the break that turned their lives inside out. Mazgaon Dock gave them the lucrative sub-contract for the construction of a jacket at an offshore oilfield, near Mumbai, for India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), the project that had been abandoned by the contracted company in Chennai. It took just three months for DAS to complete the oil rig, much to the satisfaction of the Mazgaon Dock director. There was no looking back for the Khade brothers. DAS Engineering Offshore Limited was in business, big business.

Its Director Ashok Khade travels to his old village in a Bentley. The village temple, which he and his family were once forbidden to enter, has been repaired at his expense. He has no bitterness towards his former neighbours who, he says, happened to be born into an environment hobbled and disfigured by its inherited caste tradition.

DAS has a turnover of Rs 140 crores, unimaginable for schoolboy Ashok Khade (now 67) who, once upon a time, couldn’t afford the three-rupee pen he now keeps on his office desk as a souvenir of the hard times. What fortitude, what resilience, what a story.

A little more than a year ago, India lived through the horrendous death of Nirbhaya, a student in her early twenties, who was gang-raped in Delhi.

There was much soul searching, much talk of the judicial and police measures needed, of the need to change to the patriarchy culture that bred complacency and passive acquiescence in face of the scourge of sexual molestation. Clearly, there is long way to go before the country comes anywhere near the goal it has set out for itself. A stark reminder comes with the report of a Danish tourist, who was dragged into a nearby public garden, robbed of her cash, then raped by eight or nine knife-wielding thugs at the back end of New Delhi’s Connaught Place. She had lost her way back to her hotel and wanted the right direction, when she was assaulted. She reported the incident to the hotel manager, who alerted the police. The special police squad moved quickly, tracked the gang and arrested its leader and three of his accomplices. The mobile

phone the leader had bought with his loot gave him away. The police said the gang were vagabonds and drug addicts from Uttar Pradesh.

The deeply traumatized tourist left for Denmark the next day. There is, alas, a catalogue of rape and molestation cases from across India. In West Bengal, for instance, the affliction appears to be on the increase, a particular horrific case being the daughter of a Bihari taxi driver who was raped, then set alight and died from her burns. The State government was initially complacent, with the near paranoid Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, prone to detect political conspiracies behind every shaming incident, while her Communist and LeftFront opponents seek only to derive political advantage from such tragedies. Of common humanity, there is little sign. If polio in India can be conquered, sexual molestation of women (more daunting by far in range and complexity) can surely be contained.

Uplifting stories of Dalit advance

India’s continuing shame

3

The older you get, the more you realise that kindness is synonymous with happiness - Lionel Barrymore (1878-1954)

What is happening with AAP? Delhi Chief Minister agitation against policemen, which he took to the streets, has temporarily halted.

But the street agitation of a person of a stature of the Chief Minister of an Indian state has raised many questions in the minds of people.

Though Aam Adami Party is hardly one year old on the Indian political stage, its government has already been formed in Delhi. In the assembly elections, AAP did not get majority, but it got support on its own condition that too without any political understanding. Its success has put top Indian political parties – the Congress as well as the BJP in confused state. It raised problems concerned to common man to fight the election and after forming the government partly they fulfill some of the people’s aspiration.

With the emergence of AAP unprecedented ‘wind of change’ started blowing in the Indian politics, which is not seen in the past. Amidst despair of corruption, inflation, government lethargy in the country, common man saw a golden ray of hope and result of Delhi assembly election was its evidence. But why the people’s golden ray of hope is looking dusky? Not only one, there are many reasons. An internal conflict is started in the party. Simmering discontent has exploded in the form of Vinod Kumar Binny’s accusations: Arvind Kejriwal is behaving like a dictator, he is taking autocratic decisions and pretending that decision are being taken unanimously, Kejriwal is not able to materialize promises given in AAP’s manifesto etc. etc… God knows, how many of these accusations of Binny are correct, but the entire drama has definitely created many questions on Kejriwal’s administrative ability.

Kejrial appears more impractical than his image of being ‘man of principle’.

If it is not the case, he would not have resorted on agitation and came on street with a demand to suspend four policemen that too with his entire government. Kejriwal claims that the four policemen had insulted ‘AAP’ Law Minister and the Delhi Police is not obeying his party as it falls under the purview of the union home ministry. Kejriwal might have been right, but should a Chief Minister need to agitate on street?! What about the esteem of the post he holds?

Protesting doesn’t mean one should, all the time, come out on the streets. It is not the only option.

What about the common man, who voted in favor of him, who is being harassed because of his agitation?

Following the agitation, authorities had to close four stations of metro which has become Delhi’s lifeline. It had become difficult for the common man to reach his work place. Some people termed Kejriwal’s approach as ‘drama’.

However, Kejriwal says it is ‘democracy’, not ‘drama’.

Kejriwal’s this view is also right, but he has to understand that for the implementation of principles, he would require to adopt practical attitude. Take the example of ‘Janata Darbar’ or ‘People’s Court’. The scheme without foresight was a setback to the new government. Chaos was created when ministers sat outside secretariat and more than two lakh people were queuing up with their mound of complaints.

Now he has dropped the idea of ‘Janata Darbar’.

Proposal for referendum on the presence of army in Kashmir is really a serious error. His stance on foreign direct investment (FDI) is also unorganized. He denied FDI in retail sector of Delhi announcing that the decision has been taken looking to larger interest of farmers and local retail traders.

Continued on page 8

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 © Asian Business Publications www.abplgroup.com AsianVoiceNewsweekly

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NORTH/MIDLANDS VOICE

Mother charged with 3 years old Mikaeel's death

Edinburgh: The Asian community is under shock after reading about the death of 3 years old Mikaeel Kular.

He was reported missing on Thursday and his body was found about 20 miles away from home in Kirkcaldy, Fife, late on Friday, after a major search by neighbours and the police.

On Monday, Rosedeep Kular, the mother Mikaeel had appeared at the Edinburgh Sheriff court, in connection with his death.

She was detained by police on Friday night, investigating her son's disappearance before being formally charged on Saturday.

Accompanied by her defence solicitor, Kenneth Cloggie, Rossie made no plea during the two-minute hearing and was remanded in custody by Sheriff Frank Crowe.

Photographers swarmed around the security van carrying Ms Kular away from

Mum Rosedeep Kular

the court and a handful of protesters reportedly shouted abuse.

Prosecutors allege that Ms Kular killed her son last week. They also believe that she sought to conceal her actions during the police investigation into the boy’s

Gallop into the Year of the Horse

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

disappearance. She will return to court for a second private hearing next week.

The circumstances surrounding Mikaeel’s death began to unfold at 7.15 on Thursday morning.

His body was removed from woodland behind a property in the town's Dunvegan Avenue, and taken away by ambulance. A house in the street was searched, along with an area of woodland to the rear and side of the property.

Mikaeel's mother had reportedly told police that she put her son to bed in their home in Ferry Gait Crescent, Edinburgh, at about 9pm on Wednesday. Her son was not in the flat when the family woke at 07:15 the next morning, she said. More than 200 volunteers from the commu-

Mikaeel Kular

nity joined the emergency services in a huge search operation for the young boy.

Hundreds of people gathered at Muirhouse St Andrew's Church in Edinburgh on Saturday evening for a service in Mikaeel's memory. Many also left flowers and soft toys and lit candles outside his home in Edinburgh. He is survived by 4 other siblings including a twin.

The Hearing continues.

41 years old man halves his weight by ditching salad

tions at the helm, the company has rapidly become one of the most celebrated stores in the UK. This year, the lunar calendar starts on Jan 31, which is the beginning of the Year of the Horse. It’s believed that the New Year festival grew from an ancient end-of-winter festival. As winter receded and spring approached, people would gather to give thanks for their blessings by feasting, singing and dancing. Over time, it became a festival to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new.

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Leicester: Police has warned the residents of Leicester about thieves that are trawling bars and nightclubs to steal mobile phones.

Officers have launched an operation to track down the thieves and have urged people to keep their handsets safe during nights out in the city centre.

Between September and December, 73 phones were stolen from city centre venues, chiefly late on Friday and Saturday nights.

Pc Tejas Mavani, who works with bars and clubs to promote safety and crime prevention, told the Leicester Mercury: "Licensees are acutely aware that phones are being stolen from their premises and they are doing all they can to prevent these thefts.

"Some have private security in plain clothes going out and about looking for people behaving suspiciously.

"Others have printed warnings on tickets for their events that people need to keep their phones secure, but members of the public can take steps to keep their phones and other valuables safe, too."

Police urged people to download GPS tracking programmes for their phones.

The technology enables police to trace the exact location of stolen handsets.

Leicester's Rakhee Thakrar is the new face on Eastenders

Mr Wing Yip, second left, with his brother and sons Brian and Henry

Birmingham: An annual media luncheon hosted by Mr Wing Yip and his family to celebrate the Chinese New Year brought together around 30 guests. Held at The Wing Yip Centre in Birmingham last Friday, the round-table event provided an opportunity to collectively celebrate the successes of the family business. Mr Yip arrived in the UK from Hong Kong in 1959, then aged 19, with just ten pounds.

In 2010, he was awarded an OBE for his services to the oriental food industry.

Now with two genera-

Police warns to keep phones safe

Dal Singh: before and after

Birmingham: A 41 years old man has almost halved his weight, after ditching lettuce and tomato for a main meal, as advised by a Birmingham based acupuncturist. Father of two, Dal Singh used to weigh 24 stone but now tips the scales at 13 stone 7lbs.

Speaking to a local newspaper, Dal said: “As my 40th birthday approached, I wanted to make a change. My friend had been treated with acupuncture for hayfever and the skin condition ecthyma and it worked for her. “I was sceptical at first. But ¿ЏєઅЌ´ ╙ž œ³ЌžžЌ ╙ž¼ЌºЪ ÂşÎ?ĐŚĐŚ ÂŚŃ’?

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I had tried diets and the gym before, and they didn’t work. I thought: ‘Why not give it a try?’�

Dal started a 12-week course with acupuncturist Sim Sandu, of the Birmingham Holistic Centre in Kings Norton, in September 2011.

Along with the treatment Dal was given a tailor-made food plan for his body type.

Now Dal, who works as a project manager, has turned his life around and has even ditched his blood pressure tablets. Well done Dal!

More than 55,000 people petition against Channel 4 show, Benefit Street

Birmingham: More than 55,000 people have signed an online petition calling on Channel 4 to axe the controversial show, Benefits Street, which focuses on the lives of residents in Winson Green’s

Leicester: Rakhee Thakrar is a proper Leicester girl. After doing shows such as Holby City or Cloud 9 alongside Page Eight, she is now a loved face of the popular serial Eastenders.

Rakhee, grew up in St Matthew's, and it was during her time at Soar Valley College that she discovered her love of acting, which has taken her all the way to London's East end.

It's a dreamlike experience for the talented Rakhee in her role as Shabnam Masood 29-year-old, whose parents still live in Leicester.

EastEnders reintroduced the character of Shabnam Masood on January 13, with new actress Rakhee Thakrar in the role.

When Masood Ahmed arrives back from Pakistan following his mother's funeral, he has a surprise for Tamwar as he brings Shabnam back with him.

Rakhee, who is probably of British Gujarati origin, has indeed made the Asian community proud by her latest achievements.

James Turner Street. Birmingham bus driver Arshad Mahmood, who reportedly said that Benefits Street gave a misleading impression of the area, started this petition. Love Productions, the firm behind Benefits Street, insists the programme should not dropped by the corporation, while BBC have revealed that it held early talks about screening the show before deciding against becoming involved.

Television watchdog Ofcom has also received hundreds of complaints about the five-part documentary, which aired its third episode tonight.

UK

Realities of helping small firms start, grow and prosper

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Rupanjana Dutta

The government has announced that every midsized business in Britain will be offered tailored trade advice and an intensive programme of support to help them start exporting or break into new markets, the Trade Minister Lord Livingston announced on Tuesday.

Lord Livingston, who was the CEO of BT Group from 2008 until 2013, has decided to personally write to all the UK’s 8,900 midsized businesses by this summer to ask them if they would like trade support from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). The government reported that evidence shows exporters do better with UKTI’s help and on average mid-sized businesses can increase their sales by £1.8m.

A welcoming initiative

by Lord Livingston, it has been very well accepted by the business communities, yet the Asian SMEs are particularly asking searching questions about what the government is doing or will do to help Small industries to prosper within Britain.

The Asian businesses, which are mostly small and medium sized, are an integral part of Britain’s economy, though seldom they are offered any advice or help to fair better.

Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and even Nepalese have always been entrepreneurial.

The Economist in the article Asian businesses in Muslim street wrote: When “the sharp witted mill workers started selling curries to their colleagues, others made money importing chillies or chapatti flour. When the mills and factories closed in 70s and 80s, a clutch of entrepreneurs were created- and came several (corner) shops. The attitude persists. And the Asian businesses tend to be more resilient than British ones.

Banks were and some say they remain reluctant to minorities, so capital has to be typically raised from family...”

But Shamit Saggar, an academic in University of

Essex in the same article points out that “Indians do not set up corner shops any more.” So the competitive advantage of cheap family labour and capital are fading. “Older firms are now being pushed out by new ones- but the newcomers’ expansion is now funded by credit from suppliers (such as financial bodies/banks) and not careful savings.” That makes these businesses vulnerable.

In 2011, in the report ‘Bigger, Better Business, helping small firms start, grow and prosper,’ by the Department for Businesses, Innovation and Skills (BIS) wrote that a “recent research (Measuring business growth’, NESTA (2009) found that from 2005-08, 6% (approximately 11,000) of UK businesses (not all of these businesses are SMEs) with 10 or more employees met the OECD definition (starting with at least 10 employees, employment growth of at least an annual average of 20% over a three year period) of ‘high growth’ measured using employment.

Over a three year period high growth firms were credited with creating around half of all net employment growth amongst established businesses. This is equivalent to between 5 and 8% of all private sector jobs having been created by high growth businesses over the previous three years.

Evidence shows that 67% of SME employers have an aspiration to grow over the next two to three years, but only about 20% will actually grow each year.

In addition, government also needs to recognise low entrepreneurial activity rates among key parts of our communities

Congratulation to Zara-Mike on arrival of their baby girl The Queen's granddaughter, who is 16th in line to the throne, has delivered a baby girl in the early hours of 17th January, this year. Princess Zara Phillips and England rugby star Mike Tindall have welcomed their first child at an NHS hospital last week.The baby girl has arrived 5 month after Prince George's birth, weighing 7lbs 12oz.

Lord Livingston

and ensure that we encourage these people to consider working for themselves. For example, women make up 51% of UK population and 46% of them are economically active. But women constitute only 29% of the selfemployed in UK. If the UK had the same level of female entrepreneurship as the US, there would be approximately 600,000 extra women-owned businesses, contributing an estimated additional £42 billion to the economy. If women started businesses at the same rate as men, there would be an additional 150,000 extra startups each year in the UK. For ethnic minority communities, whilst entrepreneurship rates are high in some communities, they are less so in others.

Self-employment rates are above average, for Pakistanis12%, for Chinese it’s 10% while Indians are only 8%, but its below average for Black Caribbean, 4% and Black African- 5% people. There are an estimated 320,000 ethnic minority-led SMEs in the UK, contributing an estimated £25 billion to the UK economy per year – 6% of total SME Gross Value Added (£430 billion in 2007).”

These numbers might have gone up or down by a few percent since 2011, but we do not think that would make much of a difference, as the challenges are not in numbers, but in sheer realities like infrastructure, financial advices, bank assistance and other basic necessities an SME desperately needs in their start up years.

When an SME approaches a bank for a loan, it often faces a refusal- not because there has been a flaw in their business plan, but because it is in fact a very small business to start with.

Lord Livingston has declared that mid-sized businesses are vital to the government’s long-term economic plan to reduce

the deficit and create more jobs. The CBI estimates that, if they reach their full potential, it would be worth £20 to £50bn to the UK economy. Currently mid-sized businesses make up just 0.5% of all businesses but contribute around a fifth of employment and turnover in the UK. But how much has been done so far? And how much will it do? The Asian SMEs in Britain can be traced back to the past 40-50 years, yet how much has the government done for them internally, before offering assistance from the UKTI to tap into a different market?

Speaking ahead of the Meet the Mittelstand conference in Staffordshire, Lord Livingston said: “Mid-sized businesses have the potential to be economic powerhouses for the UK economy, creating jobs and growth for all regions of the UK. “Their success is dependant on expanding beyond domestic markets so we will be making personal contact

with all mid-sized businesses to find out what we can do to help them go up a gear and compete with the best the rest of the world has to offer.

“Businesses excel with UKTI’s support and we want to make sure that they are not just trading abroad, but thriving there.”

Alexander Ehmann, Deputy Director of Policy at the Institute of Directors (IoD) said: “Building a sustainable recovery means improving the UK’s export performance. “Doing business abroad will always involve risk, particularly in developing markets, so companies want to have as much information as possible before diving in. “IoD members who have used UKTI’s services give them a good rating and we welcome the decision to expand the support they provide to mid-sized firms.” KTI is also raising awareness of its services with smaller companies through a new national marketing campaign, Exporting is Great which aims to generate 3,000 appointments for small firms with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) advis-

5

ers by April 2014 and drive £1.2 billion in export revenue from the leads it generates.

Lord Livingston is hopeful to change the course of history, and so are we, but as Mark Twain said, “Truth is always stranger than fiction but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” A perfect comprehension of situations for our small and medium sized businessesespecially that of Asian origin. It will perhaps be conducive to sort out the internal challenges first, before opening the gates to newer pastures.

I do not want to be a pessimist or petty and suggest that this very initiative taken by Lord Livingston is futile, but I want to emphasise that the government needs to be practical, and look into other issues, before taking such giant steps. They need to interact more with the Asian SMEs, understand their problems, provide possible solutions, before offering advice on how they can trade with other countries. One essentially needs to sort out his home first!

Research based writers and advertising personnel required

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar have an excellent record in publishing theme based special issues besides the two newsweeklies. In 2013 we published British Punjabis, Finance, Banking and Insurance, Diwali Special, Asian Achievers Awards, Asian House and Home from our UK offices and from India offices we published several special issues such as Rajkot, Anand (Charotar), Vadodara, Medical Tourism, to name a few.

Asian Business Publications special issues are not only full of informations but they are also preserved by a large number of readers as a resource for future use.

We have been approached by several readers to put together a very informative and useful special issues on: a. British Lohanas b. Leicester Special

We have been preparing on these projects for some time.

These special issues will provide attractive reads for individuals in London, Leicester and other places.

Research based writers and marketing and advertising personnels are much needed for the above projects. If you think you are able to embark on an additional career, full time/part time, you are invited to write to L. George, Chief Operating Officer on george@abplgroup.com.

6

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Labour MEP candidate killed in a suicide attack in Kabul

Spriha Srivastava

And it’s time for awards!

It’s that time of the year when Bollywood award functions will be the thing to see. Awards, speeches, reactions & gossips will be the talk of the season. Well, gossip and bollywood go hand in hand. The other day I was sitting and watching Koffee with Karan and half way through the show I realised how much gossip the show creates.

Social media starts buzzing with news the moment Koffee with Karan starts. Such is the bollywood life I guess.

Anyway, back to award functions. The year 2013 has been extremely interesting for Bollywood with a number of hits and movies made off the beaten track.

Movies like Jolly LLB and Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster returns were not the usual romantic comedies but there was a message in these movies.

Then there was another genre of movie such as Special 26 and D-Day. Both the movies, although different had a special message. While Special 26 was a satire on the system, although based on true events, DDay looked at the dark side of underworld don’s life and what it takes to be a RAW agent for the Indian government.

One of my personal favourites from last year was Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. The film tells the incredible true-life story of Milkha Singh, who is forever enshrined in India’s psyche as one of the country’s most loved and esteemed sporting heroes. Many recall Milkha Singh as a world champion in the 400 meters, who infamously lost the penultimate race of his life - the 400 meters final at the Rome Olympics - but won in life. I remember meeting the cast and crew of the film in posh Kensington area and they were all extremely happy with the entire experience.

“When Raykesh was discussing the role with me, I knew in the first 57 minutes in my head that I had to do this role.

I was waiting for him to

finish so that I could say yes,” Actor Farhan Akhtar had said.

Then there were films like Ranjhanaa, famous South-Indian actor Dhanush’s grand entry into Bollywood. The film focused on university politics and touched the

right notes when it came to issues such as religion, politics within and outside universities.

How can we forget movies such as Chennai Express and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani that I would count in romantic comedies? Great star cast and good storyline took them to the famous crore clubs.

But the highest grosser was Dhoom 3 that took Bollywood to a different level altogether.

Aamir Khan’s impressive acting skills and stunts brought the movie a lot of positive feedback.

Bollywood industry has come a long way and in these 100 years it has grown from strength to strength in many ways.

Although I still believe that a lot of what Bollywood produces is commercial in many ways and it needs to focus on social aspects as well but the industry has moved on from producing love triangles to more serious scripts and biopic. I think the Indian audience has also grown along with the trends in bollywood and has started appreciating off-beat stories more than the regular candy-floss romance.

Audiences enjoy movies like Gangs of Wasseypur and now Bhaag Milkha Bhaag which leaves them with a thought, a story and an inspiration.

Sometimes I feel gone are the days when we went to a cinema for its story. The film industry is extremely star-driven and the trend has been changing more and more.

In the past decade or so, one can literally count on their fingertips, stories that have created a stir. But then, as filmmakers say these films target only a handful of viewers.

Not everyone is interested in watching a social issue film. But then we do have films that might not have a social angle to it but an absolutely brilliant fictional storyline.

For instance, a film like Sarkaar or a film like Vicky Donor are two extreme but they both deal with excellent stories in their own way.

But a film like Student of the Year does not depict what a normal university in India is like.

It is trying to set a trend, one that is far from reality. But those of us who have a marketing bent of mind would say, that’s what sells in the end.

And it’s true as well.

Karan Johar’s larger than life movies always do wonders at the box office because they are far away from reality. They are what we wish to be but cannot due to constraints. They are what we watch as dreamy-eyed viewers in the hope that someday we might be in the place of “ Ya s h v a r d h a n Raichand.”

All said and done, this year’s award functions will face good competition among some extremely wonderful movies and stars. This year will see that the Bollywood industry has changed so much over time. However, I think it’s time for Bollywood to try and produce more script-focused stories than star-driven stories because slowly the appetite for such films is growing more and more.

Even though this section of audience might be small, it will slowly grow and appreciate such films more.

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

The family of Del Singh, a Labour candidate for the European Parliament, paid tribute to his dedication to being peace in troubled parts of the world, after he died in a suicide attack in Kabul.

The attack occurred at the Taverna du Liban Lebanese restaurant, which is popular with tourists and westerners.

Two gunmen entered the restaurant and started shooting at people inside.

It is believed they were eventually shot dead by security forces when they arrived at the scene.

Dharmender Singh Phangurha, 39, was one of two Britons killed in the devastating attacking at a restaurant in Kabul on Friday.

Singh, from Southampton, was due to stand for the South East in May’s MEP elections and was working as an international adviser supporting the Afghan budget

across the world who needed his support”.

His family reportedly told the Sunday Telegraph he was “funny, big-hearted and humble”.

His partner, Komal Adris, 35, said he had advised the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, Labour leader Ed Miliband with Del Singh on Israeli and Palestinian department in Kabul at policy and travelled reguthe time of the blast. larly to Afghanistan.

The attack, for which The Guardian reported the Taliban has claimed that Singh’s sister, Dishi responsibility, has left 21 Phangurha, 34, told the people dead, including Telegraph he had spoken senior UN officials, to his family on Thursday, Afghan dignitaries and saying: “He was so optirestaurant staff. mistic so there was no Tributes poured in for suggestion something like Singh on Saturday, with this was about to happen.

Ed Miliband saying that It’s a heavily guarded Singh had “dedicated his restaurant.” life to working with people

Study finds those behind bars may be more ‘superior’ than those outside Prisoners believe that they have better morals and are kinder than those in the outside world, new research has found.

Despite being locked up behind bars, they regard themselves as more superior than law-abiding citizens in terms of their moral compass, self-control and generosity.

Seventy-nine prisoners in southern England filled out a questionnaire to rate the average prisoner and the average member of the community on nine traits: moral, kind to others, trustworthy, honest, dependable, compassion-

ate, generous, self-controlled and law-abiding.

They rated themselves as superior to the average prisoner on all traits and to the average member of the community on all except law-abiding. The study looked at the so-called “better than average effect” where people consistently judge and evaluate themselves more favourably than the average. The findings of the study showed that to a “large degree” the prisoners ignored reality, according to a professor of social and personality psychology.

Constantine Sedikides, of the University of Southampton, suggested that their belief that they are better than the lawabiding may be why so many prisoners predict that they will go straight on leaving jail when almost 44 per cent actually re-offend within a year.

He added that he was expecting the prisoners to consider themselves more macho or tougher than fellow inmates or law-abiding citizens but the research found they thought they had better social traits.

“They ignored, to a large degree, reality,” he said.

King’s College London seeks collaborations with Indian Institutions One of the world’s top 20 universities, King’s College, London, will be expanding its partnerships with India and build bridges with Indian institutions.

King’s College London already has established relationship with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University and Ashoka University.

They have also opened an office in India at Gurgaon to serve as a coordinating centre for activities in India, which range across recruiting students, facilitating students at the London campus coming to India and deepening academic partnerships with existing institutions and forge ties with new ones.

Sir Richard Trainor, Principal and President of King’s College London, reportedly said: “We hope we can expand existing partnerships and develop

new ones … we also want to deepen ties with our alumni, grow our summer schools and also get a greater flow of students in both directions … more Indian students in King’s campus and our students coming over to study in India.

“We’re looking at a variety of different institutions. We’ve come to Chennai because we see it as an important city and we are visiting a number of institutions to see whether there may be

partnerships in future, though it is too early to say now.”

The first winter school programme for high school students is due to start in December this year and scholarships will be built in to benefit students from a broader socio-economic spectrum.

King’s College recently had its first-ever alumni meet in Chennai and hopes to soon start a branch here on the lines of the ones in Mumbai and Delhi.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

‘In-Justice’ Minister Lord Ahmad’s costly ignorance On Thursday 16th January, in the walls of Parliament, an Asian Tory Minister declared his ignorance, ignorance which has won him the reputation of more an ‘Injustice’ Minister by Times journalist Ann Treneman, than the Justice Minister he is known as.

The topic of debate that brought to the surface Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon’s sheer ignorance and general knowledge, (or lack there of) was Lord Lloyd-Webber’s musical Stephen Ward, which premiered in October 2013, which is based on the Profumo scandal in which the ‘innocent’ Stephen Ward was involved.

It is claimed that the legal establishment has constantly tried to cover up its behaviour during that particular trial, one which is widely referred to as ‘one of the most significant miscarriages of justice in British history’, as said by Labour Lord Dubs. Thus, when Lord Dubs asked the Government to release the full transcripts of the notorious Stephen Ward trial on Thursday, he was incessantly denied by minister Lord Ahmad, who cited that there was only a ‘partial record’ and that this contained ‘sensitive information’ therefore it

needed to remain secret.

Stephen Ward was a high-society doctor who became caught up in the 1960s Profumo scandal.

Ward was said to have introduced Conservative minister and Secretary of State for War John Profumo to showgirl and model Miss Keelar, 27 years his junior, at a party.

Profumo, who was married to actress Valerie Hobson, was forced to retire in 1963, after he lied to Parliament about his relationship with the model. The scandal was further believed to have endangered national security after it was revealed that Ms Keeler was also having an affair with a Soviet spy Yevgeny Ivanov, as well as as notorious drug dealer Johnny Edgecombe.

Ward was put on trial but overdosed on sleeping tablets before he was convicted. Two senior judges were identified as allegedly hiding evidence from the jury which could have secured Ward’s acquittal.

Most surprising is Lord Ahmad’s response to Lib Dem Lord Thomas of Gresford, who said he could see no reason why the transcript could not be released and that the ‘trial was fully reported in lascivious detail by The Times in July and August 1963 with full-page and

verbatim accounts.’ Lord Ahmad responded by saying that he was not around in 1963 to read The Times.

As a Lord, the least expected of Lord Ahmad is to have some general knowledge about Parliament and such highprofile cases. The fact that he is a Justice Minister makes it even worse as he would have been expected to know about this case.

Simply using a ‘dog ate my homework’ excuse such as ‘it is sensitive information therefore it must be kept secret’, does not work in this situation and he has only added to the mockery that has been made out of him.

Andrew Lloyd Webber reportedly responded to Lord Ahmad’s response by saying, he was ‘disappointed’ by the decision not to release the transcripts but was delighted to ‘hear Lord Ahmad referring to my musical as being well worth going to see!’ taking it simply as a compliment.

7

UK Minister visits India to promote English Matthew Hancock MP, the UK Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise, visited New Delhi recently, to promote his Publicity Campaign “English is Great” The aim of the campaign is to enhance relations between English language service providers in the UK and India.

In a pre-visit statement, Mr. Hancock said: “The English language is fast becoming the world’s language of choice. Top quality UK providers are ready and able to offer India the best in English language training.”

Mr. Hancock, pictured,

wants to encourage the use of the latest mobile and computer-based learning programs for teaching English language.

He added that UK is an ideal partner for helping Indian students to gain English knowledge to

shine in the international Arena.

UK Department of Business Innovation and Skills and the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work with 25 community colleges last year. Mr. Hancock stated, “Better skills are vital for creating jobs and sustaining economic growth the world over. India is a great place for promoting education where youth is so passionate, hardworking and sincere toward education.”

NHS forced to recruit new doctors from India NHS has planned to recruit new doctors from India, as a shortage of junior doctors to start work this August, has been reported.

The strict immigration rules and regulation complications, in the recent years, have made many medics leave Britain and go back. This has eventually led only to unfilled vacancies. The Home Office has already agreed to relax rules on migration of medical workers. Senior National Health Services officials have drawn up a plan to

recruit 50 doctors from India at first stage.

The European Working Time Directive, which was fully introduced into the NHS last August, limits doctors to working no more than 48 hours per week and has

left gaps on rotas.

Some district general hospitals have had trouble attracting enough staff to cope with the changes leading, in some cases, to services being cut, the British South Indians have reported.

In May, the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy had to close its accident and emergency department overnight for a week due to a shortage of junior doctors.

The dearth of doctors has been recognised by the Department of Health.

8

UK

As I See It

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Unemployment in young Asians: Can we learn from the past experience?

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg spoke about the mental health problems and the heavy expenditure by the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. In 1997 the expenditure from the government for the mental health related problems was £ 2.7 billion. This year it is an estimated to be £ 8.3 billion. According Mr. Clegg, in one in four families someone is suffering from what is broadly described as mental health problems.

Health – both physical and mental as well as wealth and family circumstances and overall social environment play a very important part in everyone’s lifestyle and well being.

In the Asian Voice of 18th January, the main news item was about “Young Jobless Asians on the rise” by Rupanjana Dutta, our Associate Editor. Recently I have met few young Asians, born and brought up in this country and reasonably well educated. But the unemployment and the subsequent loneliness or deprivation is taking its toll on the lives of our youth.

Any society needs to be concerned about the need, expectations, realities and the problems of all its members but more particularly the younger generation. India is being criticised by several well meaning western commentators that it is wasting its demographic opportunity. India has a largest number of youth in its population.

If they are employed appropriately it can surely make enormous improvement in the standard of living of all its citizens.

If it is true for India, it is equally true and relevant for UK also. UK is after all the sixth largest economy in the world.

Our unemployment is around 7 per cent.

It may be slightly more, but it is much higher in the Asian and black communities. It is not my intention here today to blame the Government or the British Society. One has to accept the reality of life. Perhaps a narration of Asian migration, its trials and triumphs have some relevance in today’s circumstances.

Most of the British Asians and Blacks are born in this country. Their parents, the pioneers started arriving here predominantly from 1958 onwards. The first wave was from West Indies. They were recruited by the transport and health services in this country. The shortage of workers in such sectors forced British Government to put adverts in the newspapers in the Caribbean countries “Your country needs you”. In respect of the South Asians the process can be traced to that rubber factory in Southall which needed workers who could be employed in an industry with the problems of smell, chemicals and allied hardships. The earliest recruits were members of the old Indian army who were eager to go abroad from India and Pakistan for employment and better prospects.

By 1961 this trickle became a large flow. The politics played its part or some politicians became hyper active. The Commonwealth Immigration Act of 1962

tage to the ever-changing social fabric.

Whatever is the colour or the creed we are British and it is a British history which also teaches us the value of struggle and success, survival and progress.

Apprenticeships after 50

Prince Charles

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg

became a law. Earlier a citizen of any country of the British Commonwealth was able to enter the UK and live permanently here. In the new environment, increasingly more restrictions came into the process. Job vacancies etc. made the number of new entrants more eager to come to this island. By 1968 the policy of Africanisation of the Government of President Jomo Kenyatta (Keyanisation) made East African Kenyan Asians to move to the UK. They had British passports. The Kenya exodus was followed by Uganda expulsion in 1972. In 1976 Asians from Malawi also made Britain there preferred home, after all they were British citizens.

The new arrivals from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi and Aden as well as from the Fiji Islands and other places, faced lots of hardships and challenges. They faced several other problems besides the cold climate and related subjects of dietary and religious needs. The worst area was the housing. Looking for digs and peeping at the notice boards with several adverts clearly instructing, Blacks, Indians not welcome. Some also said Irish and Dogs were in restrictive categories.

Jobs were difficult. The claver employer would ask for British experience to the new immigrants. It was a Catch 22 situation. Though the British were tolerant by and large, but that phase of racism was a big hurdle for many and especially after Uganda expulsion when the entire families had to start again.

I know so many people, some of whom are top tycoons in UK today, successful professionals and many in very well paid positions whose parents had to struggle scrubbing the factory floors or the shop floors. Some Asian Lords, who came from strict vegetarian background, worked in the fast-food restaurants cutting meat and fish. This was a reality. I recollect that women who were from relatively well-to-do families in the East Africa took any available job.

Between 1968 and 1980 over 30,000 shops in the FMCG (newsagents, grocers, off licenses, drug stores, sub-post offices

etc) were purchased by predominantly the East African Asians. Their resilience to begin in the most modest way and pursue incremental success is a shining example even today. Entrepreneurship and self employment can always create opportunities. It is not an easy option. It is full of challenges but it is better than remaining unemployed.

Of course there were risks for almost everybody at that time. Those who are well educated and born and brought up in this country, should not be completely disheartened to face the reality. One cannot be risk averse. Same was experienced by most successful segment of the British society–Jewish people. They were not given anything on plate. No new immigrant could expect that. Third or fourth generation of Jewish have problem because of their ethnicity. Asians and Blacks have an added problem of the uniform of colour they wear on their skin. By and large Great Britain has managed well with the new comers for mutual benefit over last several centuries. Our successful entrepreneurs not only can provide the role models for the communities but perhaps may consider some sorts of apprenticeship or internship, not necessarily for their own keith & kin but possibly for all the members of the locality.

The Youngsters are now choosing to take up City jobs in big corporates over family businesses, which Asians have always been known for. There are an estimated 320,000 ethnic minority led SMEs in the UK contributing an estimated £25bn to the UK economy every year.

This could definitely increase, but preferences among youngsters are changing the face of our demography.

The Government is doing something, but in any case the Government can’t do everything, let’s be honest. Haves can ensure to do something if possible for the have-nots. Indirectly creating employment, creating wealth could also decrease the mental stress and strain and thereby reducing the financial burden on the government. Our cultural heritage, our values could also be of tremendous advan-

What is happening with AAP? Continued from page 3

But he could have found the way out in which FDI can come and at the same time interest of Indians would also be maintained after taking opinions of expert economist, leaders of industrial groups.

Currently winds of ‘free economy’ are blowing in the world. If you walk against the stream, economic interest of the country may also be hampered.

This thoughtless decision of Kejriwal was publicly criticized by Gopinath, who is his own party’s senior leader and the pioneer of low-cost air-lines in India.

People would only get qualitative services and goods, if there would be competition in the market, Gopinath himself had proved the fact through his airline.

Intensions of AAP might have been good but lack of experience is evident. Because of it Kejriwal, his party and his government are facing the suffocating situation from three sides. From one side Congress and BJP are criticizing promises given by AAP leaders, from the second side leaders of his party, Binny and

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Recently skills minister Mathew Hancock quoted as saying that Apprenticeships can change lives of over people aged over 50.

It is estimated that by 2020 a third of the workforce will be over 50 as people remain in good health and live longer.

However, there are growing concerns that they are being left ‘on the scrapheap’ because of age discrimination. He was talking about the government launched a £ 2.3 million professional apprenticeship scheme in London to help people find work as accountants, management consultants and tax advisers. The scheme is intended to attract bright school leavers who do not want to go to university.

More than 425000 people aged over 50 are unemployed, and half of them have been out of work for at least a year. The figure is likely to increase as the retirement age rises. Hancock said that middle aged men and women looking to change their careers should apply for a new wave of “Professional” apprenticeships and train for highly paid jobs as lawyers, bankers and accountants.

The minister believes that older workers have a wealth of skills that are keys to strengthening the economy. New figures released by the government show that in the past year alone more than 34000 people aged over 50 have started apprenticeships, with more than third of them finding jobs in business, administration and law. A total of 11,790 people aged over 50 have found jobs in healthcare and public services, while 5690 people have found jobs in retail and commercial enterprise.

In September Prince Charles spoke about the “lack of value” suffered by many of the middle aged men and women who are unemployed in Britain. He has set up a charity to help older workers who are out of work of facing the threat of redundancy to start their own business.

PRIME (the Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise) is aimed to show that there is still life in the old dog yet! And so often we find that over 50s who start their own businesses actually are more sustainable, in terms of a percentage of the success rate, then those who are younger.

Interestingly demand from employers for adult apprenticeships is growing because they help people of all ages – including the over 50s – to get and hold down skilled jobs. In anticipation of recovery from the great recession we need to build a recovery for all.

Apprenticeships increasingly help people of all ages get the skills they need to get the new jobs becoming available.

- CB

Gopinath are showing discontent publicly and sowing seeds of doubts in the minds of people about functioning and policies of AAP and on the other front common man is eagerly awaiting that AAP would solve his small problems as early as possible.

AAP is spreading its wings. After Delhi its organizational structure is being arranged in Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. This is the most important period for the party. If AAP would pass the litmus test, it would be proved as 24 carat gold; otherwise, Aam Adami or common man has power to downgrade its value.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

The Ambassadorial Daughter of an Indian Ambassador Premila Nazareth Satyanand is a Delhibased consultant, who focuses on foreign direct investment.

She has worked with the United Nations Centre on Tr a n s n a t i o n a l Corporations, New York, and the Economist Intelligence Unit, New Delhi, facilitating the Government-MNC dialogue on FDI liberalisation and advising foreign investors on India strategy. She has also consulted for UNCTAD, UNDP, and the World Bank Group, and was a Member of the Planning Commission Task Force constituted to identify problems in India’s business regulatory framework and suggest corrective measures in the Twelfth Plan.

Premila also has a keen interest in grassroots development issues, having lived and worked in a Himalayan village for many years. In 2008, she co-managed the national ‘People’s Assessment’ of Right to Information Act

performance.

Premila has a B.A. in History from St. Stephen's College, New Delhi, and an M.A. in International Relations from C o l u m b i a University, New York.

I first got to know Premila when her father, famous Indian senior diplomat P.A Nazareth, Deputy High Commissioner to L o n d o n , Ambassador for India in Cairo and Mexico, and also Premila Nazareth Satyanand former Director since those of us with General of the Indian fathers based in India Council for Cultural House were part of a tight Relations, was posted to community.

London. Alan Nazareth, I recently caught up his wife Isobel, Premila, with Premi again when her siblings and my family she came to London to were with each other launch the UK Chapter of almost weekly.

The Aarohi, (www.aarohi.org) Nazareths were one of the a not-for-profit grassroots diplomatic families dearorganization, involved in est to us, growing up, integrated rural develop-

ment in the Central Himalayan region of Uttarakhand. The group’s mission is to create development opportunities for rural Himalayan communities through quality healthcare and education, enterprise promotion, sustainable natural resource use, and the revival of traditional culture. Premila’s husband, Mohit Satyanand, was on Aarohi’s founding Board.

Premila, who volunteered for years in Aarohi’s rural hospital and health education programme, is now a Board Member herself.

She has also lived in Satoli, the beautiful village in which Aarohi is headquartered, for almost twenty years. Among other things, she founded a rural Himalayan videovan, sponsored by the National Geographic Channel in India, which travels the villages of Nainital District, showing National Geographic science and geography films to the underprivileged schoolchildren. She also ran English-cum-computer classes for rural youth.

One of her students is now a computer teacher himself!

In August 1992, Aarohi was founded by Oona Sharma and Dr Sushil Sharma, a rural manager and a doctor, respectively. With previous experience of social work

in the area, they knew that life in the mountains was uncertain and difficult; terrain increased hardships; health suffered and income options were few.

In its 20 year journey, Aarohi has reached out to thousands of people in the remote mountains of Uttarakhand, to see that children and mothers don’t die needlessly; that they are not subjected to diseases bred by poverty and ignorance.

Premila is a board member of Aarohi and a managing trustee. For her, returning to London was a “Homecoming,” she told me, since she spent her

Premila’s glittering career took her to Unicef, the UN but her greatest professional passion is clearly the NGO Aarohi. childhood in the capital and had many intellectual memories of the city.

“I remember attending St Osmond’s then Sacred Heart Schools in Hammersmith, where thanks to Mrs. Tchistopolska’s baking classes, I am one of the few Indian women that knows how to knead and bake bread. A rare skill in India,” she smiled.

“We lived in Barnes,

9

and I recall the public libraries with their beautiful books, not so common in India. I also spent many of my afternoons in the Swiss Cottage Library complex,” she said, nostalgically. “I cannot thank London enough for offering this wealth of intellectual resource, even to the youngest foreigner.”

Premila also recalls living in the Indian High Commissioner’s official residence in Hampstead, a listed building on account of its architecture. “I never realized then what luxury I lived in! It was only in 2002, when I visited London with my husband and son, and had to pay through our noses for a holiday flat, that I realized how few people could actually afford to live in a house like that.”

Premila’s glittering career took her to Unicef, the UN but her greatest professional passion is clearly the NGO Aarohi.

She works with a committed community of volunteers around Aarohi; “There is one English midwife who spends six months of the year there in the village and six months in England, she is 80 years old but loves it out there.”

Premila is continuing the family tradition of building bridges and being the best representative possible for her country.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Historical exaggerations

In his letter (Asian Voice, January 18, 2014) Mr. Ramesh Jhalla draws a false distinction between information and accuracy. In fact, without accuracy, information imparted at any level is useless. Inaccurate information belongs to mythology or propaganda. Rational people demand accurate information.

Mr. Jhalla gives a long list of those who invaded India. However, India is not a unique case. Many other countries have also been invaded, but they have moved on. Continually brooding about past invaders and feeling victimised is no substitute for asking why the Indians succumbed to the invaders.

In the case of India, it is also worth noting that most of the invaders actually settled down in the sub-continent and became Indianised.

Comparisons between the Mughals and the British can be misleading. The Mughals lived in pre-modern times and behaved according to the standards of that era. The British brought postRenaissance and post-Enlightenment philosophy of Europe into India and helped to introduce modernity. This can certainly be considered as a big plus in favour of the British. Under the Mughals, however, pre-modern India remained a wealthy country, although wealth was unevenly distributed (just as it is now). Under the British Indian wealth was actually drained away to Britain, in the words of Dadabhai Naoroji; and in many ways India became a poorer nation under the British. The following table makes this very clear:

Share of World GDP of four main regions, between AD 1 and AD 2003 (Percentage of world total)

AD 1 1000 1500 1600 1700 1820 1870 1913 1950 1973 2003 Western Europe

13.7 9.1

17.8

19.8 21.9

23.0

33.1 33.0 26.2

25.6

19.2

North America

0.4

0.5

0.3

1.9

10.0 21.3 30.6

25.3

23.7

China

25.4 22.1 24.9

29.0 22.3

32.9

17.1 8.8

4.6

4.6

15.1

India

32.0 28.1 24.4

22.4 24.4

16.0

12.1 7.5

4.2

3.1

5.5

0.6

0.2

High blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease and heart failures are far more common in BME communities than white people. American Society of Nephrology recently presented their findings at the annual meeting that “high fructose corn syrup causes salt to be reabsorbed in the body and that can lead to high blood pressure. High corn syrup is a sweetener which is common in almost every product including fizzy drinks. It can raise the risk of proteinuria – a medical term used when the kidney filters begin to fail and allow high amount of protein to be excreted in the urine.

Fizzy drinks have no nutritional value. They also cause obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and more. High blood pressure and kidney disease are linked in a vicious circle. Eliminating acidic foods, meat and wheat flour products and replacing them with plenty of fruit and vegetable have a profound effect on kidney health caused by high blood pressure.

Eating alkaline foods could help slow down the progression of kidney disease (summarised from Kidney Patient Newsletter article at Royal Free Hospital waiting room January 2014). The same hospital sell fizzy drinks!

World Health Organization is considering recommending 5% of daily energy intake in the form of sugar instead 10%.

In UK the recommended intake is 11%.

The head of sugar intake government advisor is also a paid advisor to Coca Cola and Mars corporations. Ironic? Yes. Unethical? Yes. Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

Challenge to voluntary gender segregation

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ASIAN VOICE

Mr Avari may be right that Moguls ruled India, from 1526 till 1857, but Mr Avari teaches at a UK University and that is a problem for me a student of Indian history, why? because the victor writes history, in this case the Moguls and the British. Indians or Hindus have yet to write their own history, poverty being one reason. But what writers like Mr Gandhi really mean is “Hindus” have been under attack since Islam was founded. “India” is a British term likewise “Hindu” is an Islamic term . The indigenous “Indian” term is Aryan and has been so for 5000years. Aryans (pagans) are known as “Idol worshipers” by Islam and others.

Mohamed was born a pagan (who’s ancestors worshiped the crescent moon and the Kaaba(black stone), both attributes of Shiv a Hindu deity) set about converting the peoples of Arabia in 630. In 637 Zoroastrians of Iran fell to Islam, then the Hindus and Buddhists of Afghanistan where decimated by 900BCE. So by 1526 many parts we call India, Kashmir, Pakistan, Bangladesh today, had fallen under Islamic rule. This is repeated throughout Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia both had a Hindu past. Mr Avari quotes from a British history of India and I won’t disagree.

Readers of “Your Voice” column are intelligent, intellectual, well informed and capable of reading between the lines, as immense popularity of the column oblige writers to remain within prescribed words limit. The rape, subjugation and plunder of culturally, morally and economically prosperous Bharat started well before Moghul invasion.

Recorded civilization of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in Indus valley dates 2500 BC. Chandragupta who founded “Mauryan” dynasty by defeating Seleucus freed Bharat from tyranny of Macedonians. Islamic invasion by Ghaznawids was around 1000 AD who occupied North India and laid foundation of Muslim faith in hither-too Hindu India.

The incursion under Umayyad Caliphate from Multan occurred around 664. In 712 Hyderabad fell to invading Afghan armies.

Mohamed Ghazni established stronghold in India in 11th Century, followed by Mongols and Persians under Nadir Shah in 18th Century.

Gupta rule was the last renaissance of Hindu faith, great cultural era that gave the world “Kavi Kalidas” the Indian Shakespeare. After that India never produced great dynasty, ruled by invading Huns, Turks, Persians, Arabs and British until independence in 1947 but not freed from the inferior complex and self-doubt imbedded by invading hoards.

Mr Avari looks at history from Western prospective, oblivious to real tragedy. His assertion that India was subjugated for only 421 years should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

which are for women only eg. cinemas, clubs etc. Hospitals provide special wards for women.

No one has till now invoked ECHR/ other organisation against such socially convenient and religious (Catholic, Hindu and Swaminarayan) practices.

Such segregation is not threat to Muslim women who attend/ abstain.

If university campus is to be really secular and neutral place, UUK and EHRC must ensure that such gatherings are held only in privacy of specific/ designated areas, and within groups of likeminded persons. These groups must be monitored so that they do not impose their opinions and /or coerce others to practice gender segregation. Such groups must be convinced that gender miscibility does not in any way reduce reverence towards their religion.

Ramesh Jhalla Via email

Miss Radha Bhatt’s challenge to gender segregation at Muslims’ gathering is commendable. I do not understand how “voluntary gender segregation” at gathering of Muslims can be violation of human right and threat to women of all backgrounds. Words “Muslim” and “voluntary” makes involvement of UUK and Human right body-EHRC- unintelligible.

95% of Hindu communal, religious/ social programmes observe gender segregation. Swaminarayan religion implements gender segregation. It initiates only males to higher spiritual discipline.

Such initiates lead compulsory celibate/ platonic lives. Even Catholic priests are made to follow celibate lives. Many countries have special “zenana” facilities

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Historical exaggerations

Jayesh A Patel Wimbledon SW20

One can see from the above table that between 1500 and 1700, when the Mughals were at their height, India had just less than a quarter of world GDP share. Between 1820 and 1950, when the British ruled India, Indian GDP share of world total decreased from 16.0 percent to just 4.2 percent. It was not the Mughals who trampled India’s dignity; it was our good old British friends.

Burjor Avari Manchester

Sugar produces salt in the body

Islamic Invasions of “India”

Religious Education

A group of MPs is currently running an inquiry focusing on ‘the contribution of Religious Education (RE) to good community relations”. The Inquiry is split into three sections which concentrate on schools, communities and society respectively. Religious education plays a very important role for young people across the country. In some instances, Government policy is unintentionally undermining the subject. We should insist on a cohesive society in Britain where people can learn to live and work together harmoniously even if they have different beliefs and values. Religious ignorance is a threat to our society and

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high quality religious education in schools is the most effective way to combat it.

We should be concerned about the considerable ignorance among the indigenous population about Hinduism and Jainism. Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness and renunciation. It believes in a universe without beginning, without end and without creator. The objective of Jainism is to make every effort for Moksha or Liberation from unending cycles of birth, death and rebirth and become a ‘Jina’. Its main tenet is harmlessness and kindness towards all living beings. The Religious Education Council of England & Wales (REC) represents the collective interests of a wide range of faith and belief traditions and is committed to supporting and improving RE teaching in schools. I am given to understand that there will be an oral evidence session on Monday 27th January between 5 pm and 7 pm in committee room 8 at the House of Commons. We need to ask our respective MPs to support the Group by attending this session and represent our interests.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford Continued on page 11

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EDUCATION/COUNCIL VOICE

Potential site for Avanti House School announced

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Avanti Schools Trust has announced that Whitchurch Playing Fields has been identified as a potential site for the Avanti House secondary school. Avanti House is an all-through school with both primary and secondary provision. The school is the only state-funded Hindu secondary school in the country.

Less than two miles from Avanti’s two other Harrow sites, the site is described by the Trust as “perfectly situated” to the core school community.

The current Avanti House site on Common Road would continue as the permanent home for the primary section of the all-through school. The secondary portion of the school would move to the new site. The new site would accommodate 1,260 students after reaching full capacity.

Harrow Council Leader, Councillor Susan Hall, informed Avanti that a feasibility study would now commence for the site at Whitchurch Playing Fields. That feasibility study, to be undertaken by the Education Funding Agency, could in turn lead to a planning application and a school on the site in January 2016.

Councillor Hall, said: “There is a pressing need for more school places in Harrow and a lack of suit-

able land for development.

We have worked closely with the Avanti Schools Trust who already have a strong and indeed unique track record in Harrow serving our significant Hindu Community.

Harrow Council was of course a key partner in delivering the Krishna Avanti Primary School in 2008.

“We have a duty to look at the Whitchurch site again in view of the educational use of the land that came to light during the issues over possible use as a village green, and the development option put forward by the Whitchurch consortium.

We appreciate the consortium has put significant effort into its proposals.

“This feasibility study comes as Harrow embarks on a new phase of its school expansion programme. We remain keen to talk to organisations who may have an interest in running Free Schools.”

Principal Gareth Jones, said: “This is an extremely attractive site and ideally located. We are looking forward to the opportunity to develop it as a school and as a won-

YOUR VOICE

derful resource for the community. We do of course recognise that this is just the beginning of the process and that everything depends on the outcome of the feasibility study. However, this will come as very welcome news to our students, to our loyal parents and to the pupils in more than sixty schools in the area who have expressed an interest in joining us in September 2014.”

Avanti Schools Trust Chief Executive Nitesh Gor said: “We are very grateful to the Council, and specifically to Councillor Susan Hall for making our school a priority. We have struggled in the past to identify a viable site and it is refreshing to see such political

Children making good progress in Ealing primaries Latest government figures show that 10 and 11 year olds in Ealing are performing above the national average in reading, writing and maths.

Key stage 2 results (results from the end of primary school) also show that disadvantaged chil-

Aam Admi party and the New Delhi administration

Continued from page 10

support for the project. We know that Harrow residents value our schools and it is good to see that this is being recognised by the Council.”

Meanwhile, despite the uncertainty over the future location of the school, existing parents and staff continue to give it outstanding reviews with progress in all subjects, especially maths, running well ahead of the national average. The school has specialisms in mathematics and performing arts.

For latest developments on the Avanti House site and all Avanti Schools Trust news, please follow facebook.com/avantischoolstrust.

Even though Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) did not win the Delhi election outright, it was able to form the government with the help of the Congress party. The success of the AAP was its ability to mobilise the middle class voters and listening to the problems of the Delhi residents.

AAP have promised five new hospitals in Delhi and state schools for children in socially deprived area. Their main achievement is to get rid of corruption in the Delhi police force which is under the control Home Ministry. Police demand money from rickshaw wallas and taxi drivers. They do not take notice of complaints from the people. The new law Minister was bold enough to visit the place where drug dealing and prostitution

by Ugandans was going on and the police refused to enter the house and insulted the Minister. The Delhi police Commissioner refused to suspend the officers. On the other hand both the main

parties want the government to take action against the minister. The Indian bar members want to take action against Somnath Bharti and this includes Arun Jaitly.

AAP Party has shown that all major parties are corrupt. Kejriwal is correct in lashing out at police and the entire Delhi administration. AAP provided shelter for street dwellers in Delhi who are freezing in cold and the toilets were over flowing stinking the whole place. Modi has not introduced free state health or education for all the people in Gujarat even though BJP is in power for more than 15 years.

BJP is in trouble by not appreciating the reforms introduced in Delhi within three weeks. The action taken by AAP shows that there is no need for Lokpal or Rahulpal or jokepal

CB’s comments on Hindus suffering in Bangladesh is heart rending. UN Security General has expressed the feeling on nausea on the killing of Hindus in large numbers in Bangladesh.

But he did not raise this point with the Bangladesh government or any other international forum. When it was about killing of Muslims in Myanmar, the Security General was going everywhere to stop the brutality.

Why is there no concern for Hindus?

At the time of partition in 1947, Indian Congress leaders had betrayed the Hindus in India. The whole world rises to safeguard Muslim interest anywhere. The Indian government and Manmohan Singh

are too scared to speak out to the world at large and particularly to the Muslim world, not to lose his vote bank. When Hindus are affected, our government turns secular. Since Asian Voice has the resources, may I request it to pursue this issue with Bangladesh government, pursue this with the Indian government and pursue this with the British and US government, because they are so vociferous about Human rights. Also one should pursue it with the Amnesty International.

I have my great respects for the vigilante work CB is doing for the Hindus.

Arun Vaidyanathan Via Email

Hindu sufferings in Bangladesh

PC Aggarwal Via Email

dren do much better in Ealing primary schools than nationally.

Around 77% of 10 -11 year olds achieved the expected level four or better in reading, writing and maths. This is an improvement of 1% point on last year and 2% points better than the national average.

And 22% of students achieved level five or above in reading, writing and maths, which is also better than the national average.

Pupils entitled to free school meals on average tend to finish primary school behind their peers, but in Ealing, 69% of these students achieved the expected level four in reading, writing and maths compared to 63% nationally.

Ealing primary schools also do well at helping children to progress. Results show 37% of children whose test scores were below expected levels at age seven went on to reach expected levels (level four) by the time they left primary school. And a greater proportion of high achievers in Ealing go on to reach level five at the end of primary school than nationally (70% in Ealing compared to 63% nationally).

Councillor Jasbir Anand, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “These results show the quality of our local primary schools and reflect the hard work that our wonderful teachers and school staff put in to help children to reach their potential. I’m particularly pleased to see our good record in narrowing the gap for disadvantaged pupils.”

Cllr Susan Hall

11

Leader of Harrow Council

Krishna Avanti school in Harrow History was made in Harrow in September 2008 when 23 youngsters trooped into temporary classrooms for the inaugural day of the Krishna-Avanti Primary School. Based initially at Little Stanmore School nursery, it was the first Hindu school to open with state funding.

It inevitably attracted considerable attention with a curriculum including Hindu rituals, yoga, meditation and lessons in Sanskrit. Not all were convinced by this new addition. The National Secular Society said the school was a “backward step” which would dilute diversity in Harrow by hiving off the Hindus.

By contrast, Harrow Council –instrumental in backing the venture – called it a “large step forward” for schooling.

Fast forward to the start of 2014 and we contemplate another historic first with the potential use of the Whitchurch playing fields for a Hindu secondary school. This would be a landmark development for a borough which, according to the 2011 census, is 25 per cent Hindu.

I don’t intend to get sidetracked by the arguments around faith schools. Above all we need good schools, and we need a diverse offering so parents can pick what they feel is right for them.

And the Avanti Schools Trust does run a good school in Harrow.

That was clear from a June 2O13 Ofsted report which gave the primary school a good rating with an “outstanding” commendation for the behaviour and safety of pupils. The previous year saw both a visit by the Queen in March 2012 and the award of academy status in September. So far from Harrow Council sanctioning an “exclusivist ghetto”, we have witnessed the flourishing of a school which, while enshrining a Hindu ethos, teaches other faiths and has taken root in the community.

Harrow is under pressure to provide school places. We will need nearly 700 more year-7 places by 2021, which equates to more than 20 year-7 classes.

The council is embarking on a major expansion programme of its existing schools, but our strategy calls for new, free schools too. State, free or academy – above all I want to see quality.

Harrow is a majority Asian borough and I believe the arrival of a Hindu school has meant increased choice for our residents. Ultimately, the council’s priority is to ensure every child growing up in Harrow has the chance to attend a good school, and the market should reflect the borough’s diversity.

Free to choose, free to worship (or not), but above all a fair start for every child in Harrow – now that, for me, is the real item of faith.

Foreign student courses 'not up to scratch'

Two-thirds of awarding bodies offering postgraduate-level courses, mainly for foreign students, do not meet required standards, exams regulator Ofqual says. A review of the so-called Tier 4 qualifications, which enable people to come to the UK on student visas, revealed some "serious concerns".

Ofqual has told two awarding bodies it is withdrawing their recognition.

The review was not about immigration matters, but making sure qualifications were of an adequate standard, it said.

Content and assessments in qualifications offered by two-thirds of the 13 awarding bodies sampled by Ofqual were found to be inadequate.

Issues were also raised over the quality of students' work shown by the course providers.

12

MEDIA WATCH

It’s final The Congress Party has decided that Rahul Gandhi will not be put forward as its prime ministerial candidate at the general election next May, putting a stop to the rumour mills – at least for now - for whom Mr Gandhi’s name had been indelibly marked as Narendra Modi’s rival.

Narendra Modi at FICCI conference

Statesman Modi

Meanwhile, Narendra Modi looked the statesman when he addressed the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). He placed before his audience from the business community his road map to the future, towards an economy revitalized going forward. He spoke of the need to tackle key elements in the infrastructure, such as power deficiency, without which industry would be hobbled and commerce stymied. His vision statement, surveying the full range of the economy: industry, agriculture, healthcare, employment, education, stressed the wisdom and necessity of inclusive growth.

“India under the present UPA government has become a nation of underachievers….an atmosphere of confidence is very important for India now,” said Mr Modi. Ideas, not personalities were at the heart of his discourse. (Mint January 16)

World Bank’s upbeat forecast

The latest World Bank report for the coming financial year (April 1, 2014-March 31,2015) has forecast an encouraging return to high growth for the Indian economy. At the predicted 6.2 per cent of GDP, it would be the third fastest of the major economies after Angola (8 per cent) and China (7.2 per cent).

By 2016, Indian growth, pegged at 7.2 per cent, would be the highest in the major economy category. The revival of global economic growth would be led by the rich high income areas of North America and Europe, the report said. India’s inflation rate has declined to 6.12 poer cent, the fast recorded in the last five months, thanks to the fall in food prices, especially of onions and vegetables. India’s growth for 2010-11 has been revised upwards to 7 per cent from the earlier 6.2 per cent, and to 5.5 per cent from the previous 5 per cent for 2011-12, following a second and more detailed review of the statistical data (Mint, Hindu, Business Standard January 16)

Mumbai’s swanky terminal

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport’s Terminal 2 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Television reporters were in full flow with cameras trained on its architectural magnificence, a veritable feast for every discerning eye. Dr Singh, not noted for

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

marvel; it has been embedded with dichroic lenses that move with the direction of the sun.

Facts, figures

The roof takes its inspirational form from the dance of a 1,000 peacocks. T2 consists four levels covering 4.3 million square feet, with a passenger handling capacity of 40 million per annum. The size of the check-in hall is approximately 400,000 square feet. It has 21,346 square metres of retail space, and 53,000 square ft of landscaped garden with 80 different plant species. The parking area, with a capacity to accommodate 5,000 cars, is the biggest at any Indian airport. The T2 car park escalator, at 11.6 metres in height, the highest of any Indian airport. T2 has 72 lifts, 48 escalators and 37 travelators. Phew! GKV is the privately-owned Indian company that designed and built T2.

(Hindu, Times of India January 11)

Nuclear power plant facility

Dr Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of what will be the largest Indian-built nuclear power plant in the country, to be built in Haryana. He reiterated the importance of nuclear-powered electricity for India’s future

Jaguar/Land Rover new Range Rover Sport

formance since 2006. Ralf Speth JLR CEO said: “2013 has proved to be a very positive year for Jaguar Land Rover, thanks to continuing demand for vehicles across the range,” adding, “Our unrelenting focus on design, technology innovation and quality has seen JLR reach global consumers in more models in more market than ever before, thanks to its most desirable product line-up, enriched further in 2013 by the Jaguar FType and all-new Range Rover Sport.” (Hindu, Mint January 14)

Commandos in anti-Naxal drive

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has deployed 200 commandos of its special Commando Battalion for Resolution Action (CoBRA) to give a lethal dimension to antiinsurgency operations in Bihar.

Units of the 207th CoBRA battalion have been transferred to Jamul (Bihar) from West Bengal, where the Naxalite situation is under control.

Pradesh worth Rs 6,000 crore; Vizhinjam deep water container transportation port worth Rs 5,000 crore; Ennore UNG terminal worth Rs 5,000 crore and Kapurdi Lignite Project in Rajasthan worth Rs 467 crore.

(Business Standard January 13)

India’s tribute to Israel’s Sharon

The Government of India, in a message to Israel condoling the death of 85 year-old warriorstatesman Ariel Sharon, paid a warm tribute to his qualities as soldier and politician. In 1999, when Pakistan launched its assault on Kargil, for which India was unprepared, the

No coordination

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the new integrated terminal T2 at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

his eloquence, broke the mould: “The terminal is expected to establish new global benchmarks of functional efficiency and operational safety for airports. It also exemplifies our ability as a nation to build world-class infrastructure. I have no doubt that that this terminal will fulfil the expectations we have of it and make us all proud,” he said.

New landmark

Former Aviation Minister Praful Patel, now Union Minister of Heavy Industry, who facilitated the privatization of airports said his dream of seeing a world-class one in Mumbai had been fulfilled. “Mumbai has acquired a new landmark that is T2,” he said. The T2 experience promises to enhance the stature of Mumbai, the birthplace of Indian aviation, thanks to its unique design, which included cultural murals and artifacts as part of the concourse. T2’s mega 11-acre roof is an engineering

economic development. This 2, 800MWe project – to be built over the next six or seven years was only possible because of the Indo-US nuclear accord of 2008, he said, which lifted the international embargo on exports of nuclear technologies and fuel to India. With this hurdle removed, India was on target to meet its nuclear energy needs of 27.000 MWe. Safety standards, he continued, were stringently maintained, making India a top country in nuclear safety. Dr Singh noted that India’s power generation over the last decade had exceeded the figure achieved during the previous 55 years.

Tata Motors flying high

Buoyed by steeply rising sales of 425,000 units (19 per cent growth) of its Jaguar models in Russia, China, the US, UK, Brazil and Canada, Tata Motors has scaled the heights. Annual sales of Land Rover reached 348,338 units (15 per cent growth), its strongest yearly per-

The CoBRA force will provide much needed intelligence inputs to the regular CRPF units, who complain that the Bihar State police, have let them down in this regard. The centre has censured the Bihar administration for its failure to combat the Maoist menace, which has reached alarming proportions in the state. There has been a total breakdown in coordination between the local police force and the CRPF. (Hindu January 13)

Moily broom sweeps well

Former Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan (who reigned a few weeks ag, has been attacked by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for blocking infrastructure projects for non-payment of a tax which, Modi hinted was nothing short of a bribe. An aggrieved Ms Natarajan has hotly denounced the innuendo and denied any wrongdoing. Mr Veerappan Moily, the minister now in charge, has been using a new broom without let-up, hence a mountain of pending files has been cleared in a matter of weeks. The projects cleared by him include: South Korea’s Posco 12 million-tonne steel plant in Odisha worth Rs 53,000 crore; National Power Corporation plant in Haryana worth Rs 23,000 crore; National Hydro-electric Power Corporation plant in Arunachal

Ariel Sharon

Indian Army lacked a number of critical weapon systems for its counter-offensive. An urgent appeal was sent out to Prime Minister Sharon for help. It was promptly answered with weapons from Israel’s reserve inventory.

In time, the Pakistanis were duly cleared from the heights. Then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee sent a personal letter of thanks to Mr Sharon, which was carried to Israel and delivered to him personally by Brajesh Mishra, the Indian Prime Minister’s principal aide. It included an invitation to Mr Sharon to visit India, which he did and was accorded a warm welcome, the exceptions being small Muslim groups and their Communist allies.

Poor taste

One Vijay Prasad, who holds a chair of sort at Beirut University, launched a scurrilous attack on Mr Sharon, identifying himself wholly with uncouth Palestinian mobs that sang and danced in the streets on hearing of his passing (Hindu January 16).

Dung beetles are an unattractive species at the best of times and the worst of times.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

UK

More transparency needed in Britain’s Charities

Tanveer Mann

The Race is On and Voter Efficiency Ratio

2014 and with a General Election next year the race is very much on. My politics tutor at Oxford was the leading authority on General Elections – Dr David Butler.

This was a man who sat down for drinks with Churchill to discuss election strategies – and indeed with pretty much every Prime Minister since.

Dr Butler and I would sit for my tutorials, one to one, discussing modern British Government. He had been persuaded out of semi-retirement by another politics tutor to teach me over the Summer before I started work in the US Congress on a bursary I’d won.

It amazes me that the 1970 General Election, before I was born, was co-hosted by Dr Butler, and my grandfather would have seen the man who would become my tutor before I was even born.

Few people realise what wins and loses elections is rarely issues. Class used to be the best post-war predictor, then it became interest rates. So much for issues and personalities.

When I remove all the nonsense on policy issues that people think wins elections and cut to just bare statistics the findings are pretty amazing.

Just like in life, so in politics people like to work for the sake of working hard, rather than working smart. They think what they do matters. Almost never does what you do at work ever matter to any bigger picture. So it is the following statistics will show exactly that; fight and argue over immigration and other ‘issues’ and ‘policies’ but none of it will be as good a predictor as I am about to give you:

First, Labour’s dispersion of voters is such that they can at merely 36% of the votes still win an election – as in 2005.

Never before in the history of British elections has a party won with such a low percentage of votes. Never in the history of British elections has a party had just enough of its voters spread efficiently so that with such a low spread of voters it can win enough seats.

To understand this – think of it this way; we have a system whereby if you win a seat by 10,000 votes, you win it just as much as if you won by 1 vote. Tory voters tend to give themselves thumping large majorities and so in a way to say the Conservatives have a poll lead is irrelevant because you are only counting a lot of people in constituencies you’ve already won not people in ones where you need to win from Labour. Labour tend to have lower majorities, but more of them – it’s just the way their vote is spread and so they tend to win more seats per voter.

So pronounced is Labour’s advantage that in 2005 more people actually voted Conservative than Labour in England– but the Conservatives won 92 fewer seats than Labour within England (285 to 193).

Put another way Labour can get 55% of the seats with only 36% of the votes cast. Whereas everyone else combined with 64% of the votes can only manage 45% of the seats.

This ‘voter efficiency ratio’ – my own creation - is even worse for the Lib Dems: with 2/3rds as many votes as Labour they only got 1/5 as many seats as Labour.

Female foeticide amongst British Asians attracts severe criticism

Continued from page 1

A horrifying thought but true nevertheless, the statistics also found that almost 200,000 abortions that take place annually, the woman seeking termination had been seen by neither of the two doctors whose assent and signatures are required. This indicates that some clinics appear to be willing to undertake gender-based abortions, despite it being an illegal practice in Britain to terminate a pregnancy on the grounds of the baby’s gender.

In the UK alone, female foeticide has reduced the female population by between 1,500 and 4,700 according to research by The Independent. A large amount of the harrowing practice has taken place amongst British Indians and Pakistanis, who value sons higher than daughters, as sons continue the family line, whereas daughters get married and require dowries.

In one case reported by the Daily Mail, undercover reporters exposed a consultation with a motherto-be and a doctor at a Manchester clinic, who were both young, modern

and smart Asian women.

During the consultation, the doctor joyfully said to the mother-to-be that she didn’t need to ask questions. ‘You want a termination. OK’. The client was a middle class woman with no evident reason except for the fact that she wanted a son. In one short commercial transaction, a daughter had disappeared.

We must be clear that this practice is not simply misogyny, but a financial and cultural problem which sees girls as an economic burden to their parents, because of the impending, wicked dowry system that awaits them when their daughter gets married. Asian women, who are expecting girls, are often blamed by their husbands and their inlaws because of the preconceived traditional notion that daughters are a curse and damnation.

Ramesh Pattni, a Hinduism scholar, spiritual teacher and Chair of Interfaith for the Hindu Forum of Britain, reportedly said: “I think the predominant thing in their minds is the cultural implications like the dowry system. It can have huge implications if you have five daughters in the

family and each one costs you several thousand pounds.

As it was reported, because doctors in Britain are readily agreeing to sexselection terminations without the pregnant women even having to lie about the reason, it is difficult to suggest a solution to eradicate this problem.

How these gender-specific abortions typically work in the UK, is that they are either paid for in a private clinic, away from the eyes of the NHS or obtained through the NHS by a woman who has cited false medical problems.

It is surprising that this has emerged in the UK. Many are all too familiar with the heavily taboo and underground world of female foeticide in both India and China, where the kill-thembefore-they-grow mentality has resulted in a shockingly distorted ratio of male/female populations and, in some places, an almost total absence of females. Both countries are economic superpowers yet their values strongly remain extremely medieval. To think this practice is taking place in the UK is extremely worrying indeed.

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Charities were set up with the sole purpose to give.

However, in this gadgetobsessed, fast-modernising, materialistic, capitalist world, it seems more about taking. It emerged on Sunday that the CEO of one of Britain’s largest charities used thousands of pounds of donors’ money to pay for the boarding school fees of his three children.

Guy Willoughby, CEO, pictured, of the high-profile Halo Trust, which clears landmines from war zones, was under severe criticism on Sunday night after revelations showed that Willoughby had an annual bill of more than £70,000, which included sending his three children to boarding school - his son to Oundle School in Northamptonshire, which charges £30,705 a year for boarders - and two of his daughters to Queen Margaret’s School in York, which charges £27,825.

The charity Halo Trust gained prominence in 1997 when Diana, Princess of Wales, visited a minefield in Angola being cleared by Halo shortly before her death. Prince Harry also has become closely associated with the charity and was named as patron of Halo’s 25th anniversary appeal.

Mr Willoughby defended the charity’s decision to

pay for his children’s fees, pointing out that staff in the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office have their children’s fees paid for, while they work abroad. Yet this does not change the fact that Mr Willoughby’s remuneration package is startling to say the least and he is one of many Charity chiefs who are paid more than £100,000 a year. For Mr Willoughby in particular, his remuneration has risen from about £135,000 in 2008 to about £215,000 in 2013, which is more than the Prime Minister’s £142,500 salary in 2013.

What is more worrying is that these large amounts of money are not subjected to the same level of scrutiny or accountability as government departments are.

The issue of charity chiefs receiving six-figure salaries had been making headlines since last August, when William Shawcross, Chairman of the Charity Commission, warned that charities are risking their reputations if

they don’t control boardroom excess. As he said, the leaders of some of the biggest charities risk bringing “‘the wider charitable world into disrepute’ by taking large pay rises while donations are falling.

Robert Halfon MP is a member of the Commons public administration committee which is investigating charity pay. He said that charity chief executive salaries and perks should be displayed on their websites so people can decide whether they then want to donate.

Priti Patel, MP, another member of the committee who carried out substantial research on pay scales last year also emphasised the need for charities to publish their full pay packages on their websites. “This is exactly why we need greater openness and transparency, when it comes to the financial arrangements of charities and chief executive pay and associated packages. That is in the public interest and the interest of donors as well” she said.

Noted personalities in the Asian community have also written in Asian Voice about the necessity of Charities to be transparent, including Lord Popat, Alpesh Patel, Manoj Ladwa, Subash Thakrar and Pratik Dattani.

The Return of the Native One of the biggest British names in Silicon Valley has returned ‘home’ in a hunt for technology’s next generation. Suranga Chandratillake, 35, had left Britain a decade ago after Autonomy, the Cambridge-based software company, sent him to Silicon Valley as its US chief technology officer.

He will return to Britain as a new Partner of Balderton Capital, the fund that backed the likes of Lovefilm, Bebo, Betfair and Wonga in their early

days, and will reportedly be on the hunt for investment opportunities.

He will maintain his role as chief strategy officer of Blinkx. Mr Chandratillake, pictured, who was born in Sri Lanka but grew up in Manchester, has told The Times that the European technology sector has been transformed since he left for Silicon Valley.

Mr Chandratillake also said that cities such as London and Berlin could be at the forefront

of technology development given the proximity of companies to fashion, the arts, retail and financial institutions.

Former Labour councillor joins the Conservative ranks Cllr Ansuya Sodha, until recently a member of the Barnet Labour Group, has crossed the floor to join the Conservatives. At the meeting of full council on Tuesday evening, Cllr Sodha took up her place on the Conservative benches, increasing their majority on the council.

In a statement released after the meeting, Cllr Sodha said: “I was a loyal, active and devoted member of Labour Party for more than 20 years and a hard working Labour Councillor for the past 16 years. However, after a period of long deliberation, soul-searching and some sadness I have come

to the conclusion that it is time for me to part company with Labour.

The party is not the same party I joined all those years ago. I am absolutely clear that I have not changed - it is the Labour Party that has changed. It is no longer the party for equality and justice, especially when it comes to the Asian, Indian community. Their

selection process is flawed and when they say they give equal opportunity to all, that is just a lip service. They bend the rules to suit them, to suit a few whose influence is detrimental for the good of the Labour Party...”

Leader of the Council and the Conservative Group, Cllr Richard Cornelius, welcomed Cllr Sodha to the group saying: “We are pleased to welcome to our group a councillor who has given long and dedicated service to the local community. We feel we can work well together for the good of the residents of West Hendon and Barnet.

COMMUNITY/CULTURE

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A usual Sunday at Shishukunj

- Kush Shah

Each Sunday, Shishukunj hosts its activities at three kendras (centers) in London: Croydon, Finchley and Kenton. The day starts at 8:45am and finishes at 1:00pm. Our activities can either be Samuh, where all the children and adults participate together doing the same thing (such as Prarthna); or Gooch where the members are split into their individual age groups.

Prarthna is a particularly special time when everybody sits together to

A recent play about Akbar and Birbal performed by the older members of Shishukunj for the children

tics and teamwork from their elders whilst at the same time providing a teaching and leadership opportunity for the older

children.

We hold Baalsabha sessions where every child has the opportunity to perform on a stage in front of the other children and adults. The children are allowed to present any talent they may have, where it’s playing an instrument, telling some jokes, or performing a play. By performing in front of a large audience the children gain confidence in themselves.

There are two main types of Gooch activities – Ramat Gamat (games) and Projects that are organized around a particular theme. Ramat Gamat is that part of the day where the children can have fun, run around and let go off all their energy.

During this time the children learn about compassionate leadership and teamwork as the more sporty children are required to support those

members of their team that are not as skilled at physical activities.

An example of a Project that the children may undertake is the Shishu Den activity that we organized in the autumn term in 2013. I was asked to plan the sessions for a group of 25 children aged 12-14. They had 7 weeks to create a product, which would help a specific disability.

The children had to develop a prototype, find out how much it cost and identify how it would work. Then at the end of the 7 weeks the group had to present their product to a panel of 5 judges, who were not from Shishukunj. This activity helped the children to learn about planning, communication and budgeting as well as being entrepreneurial.

I have been at Shishukunj for eleven years and I continue to come every week because I know that I am learning lots of skills that will help me in the future. I am currently thinking about universities and my future beyond that. I have realized that Shishukunj has embedded in me invaluable life lessons that will help me with interviews, studying and ultimately to be successful in whichever career I choose. I am hugely grateful to my parents who ensured that I have had this opportunity to grow up in such a wonderful organization.

BBC Asian Network announces its big comedy night

Tommy Sandhu

BBC Asian Network has announced they will be building on their successful comedy offering with a night celebrating the cream of Asian comedy across the UK and beyond.

On Friday 7 February in London, the station’s Breakfast show presenter, Tommy Sandhu hosts an

Paying homage to Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin

Lord Noon Gulam. Kt. MBE

Younger and older children playing together during a games session

sing and pray. This creates a strong feeling of family, because of the oneness of everybody doing the same thing together. For many people this is the only time in their week when they can sit and reflect on recent events, think of loved ones or just sing and be calm.

Through the medium of stories (such as those of Akbar & Birbal) or simple presentations (about Indian festivals) we try to impart morals and values to the children; these sessions are called Baudhiks.

The reason why we have Baudhiks is because it’s a unique way of providing children with the fundamental grounding that will underpin their lives.

Samuh Ramat is where all the children and adults play games together. This activity helps the younger children learn about tac-

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Tez Ilyas

exciting line-up of performers including homegrown rising stars like Abdullah Afzal (Citizen Khan) who makes his stand-up debut; the master of “twerking” Mawaan Rizwan; BBC New Comedy finalist Tez Ilyas, impressionist Anil Desai and critically acclaimed Romesh Ranganathan.

Anil Desai

The night will also include performances by two international female comics - viral sensation IISuperwomanII from Canada and Aditi Mittal one of Mumbai’s top new comics.

Mark Strippel, Head of Programmes Asian Network says: “Comedy is an important element in

His Holiness Dr Syedna M o h a m m e d Burhanuddin expired on Friday 17thJan 2014, and he was 103 years old.

Bohra community in particular and the world has lost a great reformist and leader. May his noble soul rest in peace.

His Holiness established many educational institutes all over the world including, the Burhani College of Commerce and Arts in Mumbai, founded in 1970 works in three shifts through the day, making higher education accessible to working students who would otherwise find it impossible to pursue higher studies.

It is known for its moral discipline and standards.

His Holiness witnessed extraordinary changes in a lifetime spanning the entire 20th century. Electricity, air travel, 1947 and the free-

girls. And he wisely reached out to all other communities in an effort to harmonise our lives. At all occasions he invited non-Bohras and non-Muslims to come and participate. This was invaluable in an increasingly diverse society where people migrate and settle in diverse societies and foreign culDr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin tures. This was an invaluable aid to dom of India, mass good race relations. He migrations all over the encouraged us to be loyal world... tell me, is there a to the lands where we country in the world settled, and to the laws of where Bohras are not to that country and instilled be found? And everyvalues in our lives. where we go, we create Hundreds of thouprosperity. His Holiness sands of people came took all this in his stride from all over the world to and adjusted accordingly. pay their respects, they He held the community came from every village together, even when it in India and every city in was far flung in all corthe world. This showed ners of the globe. He how much he was loved encouraged education and respected. amongst the boys and

CII, Air India and the State Bank of India to launch 'Arts & Culture of India' in London

Confederation of Indian industries, Air India and the State Bank of India are to launch "Arts & Culture of India” in M P Birla Millennium Art Gallery, The Bhavan Centre on Monday 3 February. An organisation set up with the objective of promoting Indian arts and culture in the UK, it promises to bring the best of traditional and modern art forms from diverse areas.

The launch will include lighting of the lamp by Chief Guest Rajesh Agrawal, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist. Chairman & CEO Rational FX. The Guest of Honour for the evening Ms. Sangeeta Bahadur (Sinha), Minister (Culture) High Commission of India and Director.

The Nehru Centre., Mr. Kailash Singh, Regional Manager Air India UK/Ireland/Europe, Mr. Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, Regional Head State Bank of India (UK Region). A Saraswati Vandana will be presented by Shri. Arijit Chakravarty. Mr. CB Patel, Publisher Editor ABPL Group is due to ceremonially unveil the “Arts & Culture of India”, opening the BBC Asian Network schedule. This event will be a great showcase for some great talent and it promises to be a night full of laughs and top quality entertainment.”

The interval will host live music from British Asian star Navin Kundra

Rajesh Agrawal

Neishaa Gharat

Art in Textile, Kalighat Patachitra & the silver jubilee exhibition of Shri.Udayraj A Gadnis.

Understanding the art forms, there will be a brief presentation by Shri.

Udayraj A. Gadnis including introduction to “Arts and Culture of India", the history of art in Indian textiles, Kalighat patachitra and the history of Tantric art. Vote of thanks will be provided by Mr. Anirban Mukhopadhyay & Mr. Sudip Roy, Infosys BPO. A Saraswati vandana will be presented by by Shri. Arijit Chakravarty A rare collection of Kalighat Patachitra water colours on paper by rural Bengal artist will also be on display. Kalighat painting or Kalighat Patachitra originated in the 19th century Bengal, in the vicinity

of Kali Temple in Kalighat, Kolkata, India, and from being items of souvenir taken by the visitors to the Kali temple, the paintings over a period of time developed as a distinct school of Indian painting.

The evening will also showcase some beautifully hand crafted textile creations by Indian born, London based designer and Entrepreneur, Neishaa Gharat. Her passion lies in taking inspiration from the vibrancy, exquisite craftsmanship & traditional beauty of the art of Indian textiles and design it in a contemporary context. Supporting indigenous artists and craftsmen is at the heart of her work.

The art viewing is open from 12.00 noon to 8.00 pm on the 3rd and 4th of Feb.

and teenage singer/songwriter Iman Orths.

For more details about the night and to register for FREE tickets log on to http://www.bbc.co.uk/ev ents/ec82fx #BigComedyNight @bbcasiannetwork

Aditi Mittal

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Life and

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Fashion

New single 'Tanha' by Junai Kaden Out Now!

British Pakistani star Junai Kaden returns in 2014 with his highly anticipated new single ‘Tanha’. The singer has been hard at work on new material over the last few months and ‘Tanha’ is the first song of his new album.

‘Tanha’ has already caused a stir across social media in the last 24 hours, with fans eager to hear the new release. The song shot straight to the number one position on the iTunes charts within hours of being leaked earlier than originally planned. Junai explains: “Due to a mix up with iTunes my new single ‘Tanha’ was leaked. The planned release date had been 24th January. Despite the mix up I want to thank my fans for showing incredible support in buying the song and taking it straight to number 1 in under 12 hours. The video will be out next week.”

‘Tanha’ is produced by the award winning Mumzy Stranger and is a beautifully composed ballad which echoes the sounds of a contemporary Bollywood love song. Written by Yaz, who recently wrote the number 1 hit ‘Sazaa’ (for Nafees & Mumzy Stranger), the lyrics are deep and slightly haunting, giving ‘Tanha’ an eery yet sweet

sound. With an emotionally charged video set to release next week, ‘Tanha’ is sure to pull on the heart strings of music fans up and down the country.

Junai explains: “I’ve been through a lot in the last 2 years and the only way to truly express my feelings is through my music. In 2014 I hope to share even more music and ‘Tanha’ is the first release. I’m inspired by many styles, sounds and cultures and early reaction to ‘Tanha’ has been that it sounds like a Bollywood ballad. I enjoy Bollywood music and I hope one day I can make music for films, for now I am looking forward to releasing ‘Tanha’ and performing it for all WORD OF THE WEEK the fans.”

Bestir - means to put into brisk or vigorous action Junai Kaden’s ‘Tanha’ is out now with the video set to release DID YOU KNOW...? next week.

Cats spend 66% of their life asleep

tanveer.mann@abplgroup.com

The 71st annual Golden Globes 2014

Tanveer Mann

MUSIC

UK

This year’s highly-anticipated 71st annual Golden Globes was extremely eventful to say the least. With some excellent movies nominated and Hollywood’s finest at loggerheads with each other, it was definitely not one to be missed. 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Breaking Bad, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Behind the Candelabra were among the big winners at the glamourous Award ceremony on Sunday 12th January.

What also seemed to steal the show (or the red carpet) was Dior, Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, Lorena Sarbu, Valentino and Narcisco Rodriguez, who all debuted their beautiful gowns on Hollywood’s finest female celebs. Red symbolises love and I am definitely loving these unique pieces!

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Amy Adams in Valentino

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Julie Bowen in Carolina Herrera

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Narcisco Rodriguez

CELEB

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Tina Fey in Carolina Herrera

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Taylor Swift in Carolina Herrera

Priyanka Chopra stops by in London!

BOOK REVIEW Sathnam Sanghera, author of The Boy with the Topknot, is back again with his second more fictional and highly satirical novel, detailing the lives of a Sixties Sikh immigrant family and their presentday son, Arjan, who starts the novel feeling a world apart from his family. Having escaped from d e a d - e n d Wolverhampton and made a successful career for himself in London, and just about to marry his English girlfriend,

Gorgeous International Recording Artist and Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra stopped

by London’s Guess flagship store on Regent Street on Monday evening to meet and greet fans. She joyfully signed hundreds of glossy Guess catalogues, which feature her as the new international face of GUESS. The black and white campaign was shot last year with Bryan Adams. Fans were given a sneak preview into her forthcoming single I Can’t Make You Love Me at the Guess store.

‘Marriage Material’ by Sathnam Sanghera a tragedy in the family forces him to return home.

His day-to-day life quickly turns into a lifestyle selling tobacco to racist pensioners by day and facing the judgmental and value-obsessed Sikh community of his childhood by night.

Though the novel begins with a poignant tone, it soon has you in fits of laughter as you are transported into a comical world of auntijis and unclejis. Arjan constantly

juxtaposes his life with that of his best mate, who lives the life of a weed-smoking teen with a fast car and secret girlfriends. He quickly sees how his life could have been and is both repelled and envious of it.

Sanghera’s novel is thoroughly engaging and will have you truly engrossed in the life of typical Indian immigrants in Britain. You read on, enthralled by the depiction of duty versus freedom. With humour, warmth and perception, it manages to be both a unique and necessary survey of modern Britain by one of Britain’s most promising young writers.

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Lupita Nyong’o in Ralph Lauren

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Emma Watson in Dior

Giuliana Rancic in Lorena Sarbu

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SPECIAL

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Modi to deliver ‘Republic Day’ speech from North Gujarat

AV Correspondent

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will deliver his Republic Day speech from the North Gujarat town of Himmatnagar. Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Modi, who is also Chief Minister of Gujarat, has strategically kept state-level Republic Day celebrations in Congress bastion.

With a target to pocket all 26 Lok Sabha seats from Gujarat in the upcoming general elections, Modi is focusing on weaker constituencies from the BJP’s point of view. As part of this strategy, the venue for the state level Republic Day function has been changed from newly-carved Devbhoomi Dwarka district to Congress-dominated Himmatnagar; headquarters of Sabarkantha district in North Gujarat.

Statistics of the last Assembly elections in December 2012 tells everything. Despite thumping victory of saffron brigade under Narendra Modi in Gujarat for the third consecutive term, BJP lost six Assembly constituencies out of seven in Sabarkantha district.

Though sitting Sabarkantha MP Mahendrasinh Chauhan is from the saffron brigade, the result of Assembly elections awakened BJP think tank in the State. Looking to the fact, it was decided to change the venue from Dwarka to Sabarkantha to strengthen BJP’s position in context of upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Sources said that the Congress party is also trying hard to capitalise on their thumping victory in the Northern Gujarat district. Congress has also started working on the important seat by offering ticket to one of the strongest candidate from the party to ensure victory, where its position is better than other constituencies

R-Day commemorate

Though India’s Constitution was passed in the Constituent Assembly of India on Nov system. With that procedure India’s transition toward becoming an independent republi 1930 when the Declaration of Indian Independence was proclaimed by the Indian Natio country along with Independence Day (Au Mayuri Dave

Plethora of functions prior to R-Day

The state-level celebration of Republic Day is not just a single day affair in Gujarat.

Various events and programs are being organised right from January 1, 2014 in Sabarkantha and newly carved Arvalli district. For people’s awareness; Healthy Child Competition, Healthy Mother Competition, Essay Competition, Elocution Competition, Drawing Competition, Patriotism Competition, Street Play, Labor’s Medical Checkup, Wall Painting, Women’s Day Celebration and Cycle Rally at Himatnagar was organized.

In order to deliver the message of Forest Conservation and Environmental Protection, a 65 km Tour De Poles cycle race was organized. In that race, more than 2,000 contestants from the

of Gujarat.

“Plethora of programmes has been planned in Sabarkantha as part of the state level function.

Highlights of Modi’s programme on R-Day

•Governor Kamala Benival will perform the flag salutation programme in the presence of Chief Minister.

• The Police Band will perform the National Anthem • The flowers will be showered from the helicopter • 23 platoons will participate in the parade march.

• The Yoga will be demonstrated by several SchoolCollege students.

•Sabarkantha Special, Gujarat Special and India Special cultures will be demonstrated.

•A march will be organized by the tribals of different states in their traditional dresses.

•The musical instruments will be played by the teams of tribes of different states.

•Police Exercise, Dog Show, Motor Cycle Stunt Show, Police Horse Show etc will be demonstrated.

state and outside participated. National and international cyclists also took part. The celebration was clubbed with the Campaign of Cleanliness as well as health oriented mega camp in the district. A get-together programme for the families of 3,000 ex-service men as well as a number of cultural programmes have also been organized in the districts.

The Unity of India programme will be organized by the members of Yuva Sammelan in traditional dresses in Himatnagar. More than 25,000 youngsters and civilians will remain present in the Yuva Sammelan on the eve of the Republic Day. The Gujarat Chief Minister is expected to announce many development projects for Himmatnagar and Arvalli districts on the Republic Day.

Chief Minister himself would remain present in most of these functions.

He would also announce huge funds for various developmental projects and programmes for the area,” said a source in the state government. Even local BJP leaders believe that presence of Modi would change the tide towards BJP before the general elections.

Traditionally state level programmes on the Republic Day, the Independence Day and the Gujarat Day (May 1) used to be organised at state capital Gandhinagar. Modi set a new tradition from 2005 to oganise state level functions on these three important days at the various district headquarters.

Constitution in 1950. On 28 th August 1947, a D r a f t i n g Committee

Indian Republic Day is an event that commemorates the date, 26 January 1950 on which the “Constitution of India” came to existence by replacing Government of India Act 1935. This day is very significant in Indian history as on this day India became republic from the ‘British Dominion’. Every year this day is celebrated with gusto and great zeal throughout India. Each year a massive parade is organized to showcase the growth of Indian from every aspect in New Delhi.

Though India had got its freedom on 15th August

was appointed to draft a permanent constitution.

This committee was headed by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar along with several other members. A draft constitution was prepared and submitted to the Assembly on 4th November 1947. After many considerations and some modifications the 308 members of the Assembly signed two hand-

1947, there was no permanent constitution. The laws were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935 and India was then a ‘Dominion’. India was then headed by King George VI, until the adoption of the Indian

written copies of the document on 24th January 1950.

Two days later the constitut i o n c a m e i n t o

effect throughout the nation that is on 26th January 1950.

The Indian Constitution included 395 Articles

President Dr Rajendra Prasad taking salute at the Irwin Stadium, Delhi, on January 26, 1950

Japanese Prime Minister Sh

For the first time in the history of independent India, a Japanese Prime Minister will be the chief guest during the Republic Day function at New Delhi. Japan PM Shinzo Abe will grace the India’s 64th Republic Day function on January 26, 2014 and witness the parade with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh and other dignitaries.

Sources said that the move is aimed at strengthening strategic and business ties with Japan. Abe will be accompanied by a large business delegation comprising mostly representatives of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The visit, after a series of visits

by Japan off late, is seen as another effort by Japan to befriend India even as it gets increasingly involved in a bitter territorial dispute with China.

In the last five years, bilateral trade increased 80 per cent; both exports and imports rose 80 per cent.

SPECIAL

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

s India’s constitution

ember 26, 1049, it was adopted on January 26, 1950 with a democratic government ic completed. The date January 26 was deliberately selected, because it was the day in onal Congress. Indian Republic day is one of the three national holidays observed by the ugust 15) and Gandhi Jayanti (October 2). and 8 Schedules. After the withdrawal of British Rule in 1947 it took India 894 days to come up with its own constitution.

Subsequently, for the first time elections were held and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the first President of free India. He took the oath at the Durban Hall in the Government House, which was followed by the Presidential drive to the Irwin Stadium. He unrolled the National Flag at the stadium.

This transition of India into a sovereign democratic republic nation is indeed a historical event. Today, the Indian Constitution is the longest in the world. The national holiday is celebrated with festivities and patriotic fervor across the whole nation.

Independence Day in India is the celebration of victory over British Rule that succeeded a long fought war through violent and non-violent means; Republic Day celebrates the coming into force of its constitution. The main Republic Day celebration is held in the national capital, New Delhi, at the Rajpath before the President of India. On this day, ceremonious parades take place at the Rajpath, which are performed as a tribute to India.

25 children to be feted for bravery

Chief Guest at Republic Day Parade

Traditionally since 1950, Indian Government invites head of other country as the Chief Guest of the Republic Day function in New Delhi.

The guest country is chosen after a deliberation of strategic, economic and politi-

Queen Elizabeth

General Malik Ghulam Muhammad was the chief guest of the parade. In 1961 and 1993 Queen Elizabeth, the Constitutional Monarch of Sukarno

cal interests. Indonesian President Sukarno was the first Chief Guest from other country in 1950. During 1950-1954, Republic Day celebrations used to organize at different venues – Irwin Stadium, Red Fort and Ramlila Ground in Delhi. It was in 1955, Republic Day parade got its permanent venue at Rajpath. At that time Pakistan’s Governor

John Major

Commonwealth realm and then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom John Major were chief guests respectively.

hinzo Abe to be chief guest However, due to the slowdown, the two-way trade grew one per cent in 2012-2013 compared to 2011-2012. Both have set a goal of $25 billion by 2014.

The number of Japanese firms operating in India is 900.

India remains the second-favourite investment destination for Japanese companies after China, according to a survey by the Japan Bank of I n t e r n a t i o n a l Cooperation (JBIC).

It is expected that Abe is also going to push India to sign the long-pending Civil Nuclear Agreement. It is believed Abe, after his reelection in 2012, has been persisting India to sign the deal. India had delayed the talks, which started in 2010, following the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.

But talks were revived in May, with the last round of negotiations took place on November 7-8. During the

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parade, India showcases its military might in terms of troops and weaponry. Since 2005, relationship between both countries has grown a lot, with the establishment of ‘The Global Partnership between Japan and India in the 21st Century.’ This is an initiative that Japan has done only with US. This was one of the main initiatives that India took as part of its look-east policy under the then Prime Minister Atal Behari

Vajpayee and counterpart Yoshiro Mori.

Recently, with the visit of the Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, the relationship has grown. This was the first time a Japanese emperor and queen visited India.

This is much more than being mere symbolic as the emperor is considered to be at the centre of cultural fabric of the Japanese society.

The visit was cleared by their cabinet.

Mausmi Kashyap didn’t save anyone but she died in the attempt. The Malihabad girl, who drowned trying to save a friend in May, is among the five kids winning the National Bravery Awards for 2013 posthumously.

This year, 25 kids - nine girls and 16 boys -have been applauded for their exemplary acts, with the Bharat Award being conferred on Delhi-based eight-year-old Mahika Gupta. Mahika saved her brother from drowning

when the waters rushed to the Kedarnath temple on June 16, 2013.

Aryan Raj Shukla’s mother believes he would have been like Bhagat Singh if he had lived. Also a Bapu Gaidhani winner, he drowned in the Saryu at Faizabad last year but he managed to pull out four of his friends.

Maximum awards will be given to kids who plunged in to save others from drowning. L Manio Chachei (from Nagaland and being awarded

posthumously), M Khayingthei (from Manipur and also posthumous), Kharibam Gunichand Devi (Manipur), Vanlalhruaia (Mizoram), Hani Ngurdinthari (Mizoram) and Remlalhruaitluangi (Mizoram), Sagar Kashyap (Delhi), S S Manoj (Karnataka), Abhishek Ekka (Chhattisgarh), Subin Mathew, Akhil Biju and Yadhukrishnan V S (Kerala) won laurels for water rescues.

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FINANCIAL VOICE Financial Voice

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Dear Asian Voice Reader,

34% return from my stocks picks last year I am told

by Sharescope for whom I each year pick stocks. You can find this year’s picks on www.investingbetter.com Last week was good for the Dollar as the US currency appreciated across the board against almost all of its major counterparts. The Dollar was back in demand last week as investors came to realize that the shocking NFP miss the week earlier was probably nothing more than a minor setback and that the overall progress made in the US economy justified the current tapering agenda.

The price action at the end of the week sent the Euro below the critical 1.3550 support and market participants are growing modestly confident that the European currency might be on its way lower towards the 1.33-1.34 area. On the other hand, contrary to Euro's losses the British Pound gained a lot versus the buck on early European hours benefiting by an impressive Retail Sales report.

The report showed that the Retail Sales in the UK rose a staggering 5.3% which is more than double than the expected 2.5% rise. As a result the British Pound climbed above 1.6400 to reach as high as 1.6450 prior to retreating back down near the 1.6400 level. The Pound seemed to have formed a short-term bottom at the 1.6320 area and a move higher was expected.

Now the current week holds a few important releases with the German ZEW report, a number of British labor market data and several PMI reports expected and we will plenty of opportunities for trading as the main focus for the rest of the month will be the FOMC meeting the coming Wednesday, January 29 where we will see whether the committee will go ahead and taper its asset purchases' program even further.

On Monday low volatility was the theme of the currency market. The major currency pairs took advantage of a day lacking any scheduled releases and performed in a calm manner. The Euro and the Pound traded slightly higher against the Dollar and are now hovering around the 1.3550 and 1.6430 respectively.

This stillness in markets however could be disrupted especially regarding the Euro as the important ZEW survey is scheduled for release.

Reports coming from Germany the recent period have shown an improvement of economic conditions in Euro-zone's strongest economy and this string of good news has helped the Euro maintain current levels versus the Dollar and the Pound. It is always a risk to hope for one country to carry the load for the whole region but at this point as long as Germany continues to perform admirably the ECB sees no reason to alter their monetary policy.

Regarding the US Dollar there is nothing new coming out from the US and this week is rather light on releases but a number of heavy-weight stocks are reporting earnings and the volatility caused by these figures could spill over to the currency market but the effect should be minimal and short-lived.

Megalith Capital gets approval for development plans

Megalith Capital Management, a residential real estate owner and developer focused on investments in New York City and urban, and its joint venture partner Imperial Development Group, has been granted approval from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission for its development plans of a luxury building located at 6 Cortlandt Alley in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, NY. “We are excited about the opportunity to participate in the rapid transformation of the Broadway corridor in eastern Tribeca,” said Vishal Arora of Megalith.

“Eastern Tribeca has

become one of the most desirable areas in lower Manhattan.” “Our goal will be to create new luxury residences within the context and full recognition of this evolving and historic neighborhood,” said Sam Sidhu, of Megalith Capital Management.

Megalith will convert one of Tribeca’s oldest buildings into five luxury flats. The project involves construction of two additional stories with private outdoor space for multiple units. “We are enthusiastic to deliver authentic 3 and 4 bedroom luxury floorthrough and penthouse units that include substantial outdoor space”, said Ryan Kaplan of Imperial.

Poll results could impact India’s growth prospects: Moody's

Global ratings agency Moody's said India's economic recovery is likely to be slow in the second half of 2014, but the outcome of general elections could have an impact on the growth prospects.

Without specifically mentioning about India, Moody's Investors Service also said that sovereign ratings in South and Southeast Asia will be largely stable in 2014.

This, the agency said, reflects its expectation that global growth prospects will improve while global risks will decline.

On India, it said: "We expect a slow economic recovery in the second half

of this year, if global growth increases."

Moody's Sovereign Risk Group Senior VP and Manager Tom Byrne said, however, that "the outcome of national elections this year could also affect growth, depending on how it impacts sentiment and policies".

General elections are

scheduled to be completed by Mayend.

The World Bank has projected that India's economy will grow at over 6% in 201415 and 7.1% by 2016-17 as global demand recovers and domestic investment increases. India's economic growth slipped to a decade's low of 5% in 2012-13. Growth in the first half of 2013-14 is 4.6 per cent, but the government expects the growth for the entire fiscal ending March 2014 to be at 5 per

cent. A further pick up is also expected in the coming months. Moody's further projected India's inflation and interest rates to decline during the year.

The agency has assigned 'Baa3' rating on India with a stable outlook.

'Baa3' means medium grade with moderate credit risk. The rating agency said the fiscal deficit would remain higher than those of similarly rated countries in 2014.

"Social welfare measures, for instance, such as the Food Security Act passed last year, will raise the government's mediumterm expenditure commitment," Byrne added.

India, US trade want business to continue as usual

IMF chief warns of global deflation risks

The two representatives of the Indian and American industry expressed that the diplomatic issues should be resolved in the diplomatic quarters and business must put its shoulders to the wheel in genuine partnership. Our mutual engagement in an array of areas has strengthened over time and we have too much at stake to allow our relationship to digress from the path of progress.

Mr. Ron Somers, President, US-India Business Council (USIBC) said “American businesses see opportunity in the marketplace, and have so for more than 20 years since economic liberalisation began. Some companies have been investing in India for more

Ron Sommers and than a hundred years: Citi and GE as an example”.

Dr. A. Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI said “This is a strategic and commercial partnership which is far too important to be derailed.

Business must continue as

Dr A Didar Singh usual and the participation of 60 US defence companies at the Def Expo in February 2014 is a testament that the defence trade which has gone over $ 10 billion would be further strengthened by the US participation”.

International Monetary Fund chief has warned about the risks to global economic recovery of deflation.

Christine Lagarde said 'optimism is in the air' about growth, but the recovery is still 'fragile'. Giving a speech in Washington, Lagarde said that a rising risks of deflation could be seen, which could prove disastrous for the recovery. Deflation can reduce personal consumption as people wait for prices to fall further, and discourage investment because it can raise the real cost of borrowing, the report said. Lagarde also warned about the volatility that could accompany the US Federal Reserve's gradual withdrawal of monetary stimulus.

Banking assets in India account for 63 per cent of the nation's financial assets and play a crucial role in economic development.

The central bank of India, which tightly regulates banking assets, is expanding the industry through financial inclusion and priority sector lending. This is increasing the rural and urban population's access to banking services, reflected in the decline in the average population per branch from 15,600 to 12,500 in 2012 as penetration increases.

New analysis from Frost and Sullivan, Competitive Landscape and Trends in the Indian Banking Industry, finds that public sector banks accounted for 67.2 per

cent of the total banking assets and 51.1 per cent of commercial banking assets, which stood at Rs 95.73 trillion in fiscal year 2013. "The Indian banking system is on an upward growth trajectory and is expected to be the third largest banking industry worldwide by 2020," said a Frost and Sullivan analyst.

"However, this goal can only be achieved by implementing liberalization norms proposed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which focus on issuing on-tap banking licenses and specialized banking licenses, encouraging consolidation, improving operational performance of small and nationalized banks, complying with global regulations, and increasing over-

seas presence", added the analyst.

Currently, the country follows a universal banking model, where bankers are present across all segments and serve all customers. Nevertheless, a shift in business model is required to keep up with the changing needs, demand and demographics. A four-tier international, national, regional and local structure has already been proposed and is expected to lead to the emergence of different business models such as specialist, advisory, and priority sector banks.

The use of alternate and cost-effective distribution channels will also be important to counter some of the other challenges facing the banking industry

in India.

This includes the large unbanked population as well as unattractiveness and accessibility issues related to priority sector lending despite the continuous efforts of the central bank and Government to develop the technology and infrastructure needed to reach out to remote areas.

Further, industry players should pay heed to the rise in their non-performing asset ratios even though they have robust capital adequacy ratios which might comply fully with the globally-scheduled Basel III capital regulation which aims to improve the transparency and quality of banking assets and will be implemented in India in 2018.

Indian banking industry to emerge as third largest in world by 2020

FINANCIAL VOICE

Deal By Stealth

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

19

Currently we are working on securing a freehold house in St John’s Wood consisting of 1,900 sq ft. It comes with planning permission for a side extension and there is also potential to go into the loft. When prices per sq ft normally go for £1,250 to £2,000 in this area, when developing property it’s important to squeeze every square foot you can out of a property.

One of the ways this has been done is through basement conversion.

This has the benefit of passing planning very easily, the issue of neighbours complaining due to right of light or privacy issues are nonexistent. Generally in these areas neighbours seem to have a lot of time on their hands and get involved in whatever work is being done.

Basement conversions were being done wholesale without any objection, and certain areas go up to £4,000 per sq ft, so doing one which costs about £250-£350K makes sense. This was until an incident where half of the road fell in because someone had dug too deep and disturbed the foundations of the whole street. Now it is not so easy to get permission for more than one basement.

Last week I was shown a freehold house in Kensington which had dug three floors underground as well as having three floors above ground. Beautifully done with panic rooms and a swimming pool where the floor comes up to turn it into a ballroom. However the original asking price of £21m a year ago came down twice to £16.5m and now to £13.75m which in my opinion is now very cheap. The cost of purchase and refurbishment is £12.4m.

However many people from other countries do not like to live underground and this property is half below ground level. The property is not really a family home, more like a bachelor pad for a footballer.

B ack to our d eal , we’re purchasing at a t ouch over £1,000 per sq ft in St John ’s Wo od, t his is very cheap. This price is ve ry low for St John’ s Wo od. A similar property ne xt d oor is sellin g f or £2.5m, you can not ge t a strong er comparable .

The re sale on this propert y is conservatively expe cted t o be £3m. The work s cost will be no more than £200k, witho ut th e base me nt. If the basemen t g oes ahead of c ourse the cost will in crease and the resell will go up mu ch hig her.

This will not have the possibility for a side extension, as it’s a mid terraced property.

The aim will be to purchase and resell. Ordinarily as the stamp duty for above £2m is 7% this would serve to reduce the profit margin, however in this situation it will not as we are purchasing a company which owns the property, which means we will be only paying 0.5%. This is a substantial saving of £139,750 which would have been shaved off our profit margin when it comes to reselling.

This is a development deal, being freehold it has many benefits.

When developing flats you will need to get approval for works from the managing agents of the whole block. They can be slow and pedantic.

There were times when we had to threaten to stop paying the service charge in order to get a response from them! Simple things like hard wood flooring can even cause an issue, some insist on a ridiculous amount of sound proofing in order to get approval for this. In addition you have restricted working hours and potential issues with flats below and above to deal with in case of any cracks appearing. This can lead to delay and further unnecessary expense. If you’re on a bridging loan this can be especially expensive.

Having a freehold means you can dispense with these issues.

Though none of the houses on this road seem to have a basement it is something we will be exploring, although we will not be going down more than one level, unlike the house mentioned earlier. Paying £250 per sq ft for a basement dig out to get £1,000+ seems a no brainer.

Prices are rising fast and stock is short. This is on our side. I have no doubt if we were to do nothing to the property we will get more money in one year’s time.

We have just put a property on the market after developing it at £1.4m, it was purchased roughly a year ago for £892k, undeveloped.

The flat below has just gone under offer at £1.15m, undeveloped. This means if we had done nothing to the property it would have gone up by £250k. This is the state of the market at the moment and this is likely to continue.

One of the reasons we are able are to pick this property up cheap is because it was negotiated by another party 6 months ago, and therefore it already has 6 months of growth on it. It has never hit the open market. The other party is sitting on the contract and is still trying to purchase it; they have been ‘trying’ to purchase for the last 6 months.

We will be using our connection to do the deal, coming in under the radar to close this before the other party knows what’s going on.

When a lawyer sends out another contract they legally must tell the first buyer there is another offer on the table. At this point the original buyer will all of a sudden develop a laser focus and get moving to close the deal, they will find the money.

The Real Deal

W e don ’t want this t o happen, so we will d o al l the groun d work first , withou t even inf orming the ot her lawye r, therefo re no one is ale rte d. When we are re ad y t o strik e we will put the lawyers in fu nds an d e xchang e within an hou r of th e co ntract being received .

Hyde Park, London, W2 Purchase Price: £610k

This is our plan, let’s see what transpires. With such little stock on the market and so many buyers you will see this type of activity increasing more and more as the year goes on. Time and the way the deal is done will be major factors and not simply the price paid.

Ordinarily with development projects if you need to get funding the only route open is to get bridging, very few banks are in the business of lending for development and if they do they will make you jump through many hoops and hurdles, take their time and in the end perhaps say no. The bridging market has grown by 50% over the last year, in contrast to high street lenders they ask for minimal information and they can do the deal in as little as three days, but they’re expensive and reduce the profits massively.

On this deal we will either aim for a straight BTL mortgage or we will purchase in cash. This will serve to take the stress out of the deal so we can do it comfortably without added pressure.

In order for the mortgage to be approved the valuer must be confident the property is lettable. The other issue here is the property is held in a company, not all High Street lenders will be happy with this set up.

This is a deal we will be looking for investment in. If it’s of interest why not give our office a call…

l A bright one bedroom apartment in the heart of Hyde Park Estate with tremendous views of London skyline. l Off market property l Excellent buy and hold opportunity l We believe it will be worth £700k after refurbishment. l We have sourced a flat in the same block for £500k and the price rose to £700k in just one and a half years. l Massive capital growth potential in the future l Close to the beautiful open spaces of Hyde Park and shopping amenities.

Call us now to reserve!

0207 993 0103

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in

Central London Property Sourcing

info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

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

Follow us online:

Sowandreapuk

SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l There are two ways to get a deal, one is a discount from the present value and the other is to see where the market’s going in the future. l Remember that investing in property is a decision based on logic, don’t get emotional when developing property.

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FINANCIAL VOICE maria@abplgroup.com

Changes to rules relating to Investors

Maria Fernandes

There is a clamour for investors to come to the UK and they are advised that their applications will be decided promptly. Whilst this is undoubtedly the case, once in the UK, extensions and applications for settlement can take many months. They are usually surprised to hear that many other categories are allowed to make same day applications for settlement, whilst their applications are only accepted as postal applications and these can and do take several weeks to process.

Recently an investor pointed out that her domestic worker, who came in with her when she moved, obtained settlement long before her. During this time, applicants are unable to travel even if they have urgent business. Even if such applications are too complicated to be examined on a same day basis surely there could and should be a fast track system to enable these cases to be decided quickly. Whilst the applications are being decided travel is barred.

There is currently a pilot which is being conducted for Tier 2 applicants (intra company transfers only) which has re-introduced the system for returning passports for travel.

The system worked perfectly well in the past and it is unclear why it was stopped.

However, investors, for now at least, will not benefit although if the pilot is successful it could be rolled out to other categories.

The other issue is

that although permitted absences have gone up to 180 days, many investors have significant interests abroad and where travel exceeds this period, they are considered to have broken their residence and could face a rejection of their applications.

The Migration Advisory Committee, which provides advice to the Government, has been asked to review the rules relating to investors, particularly whether or not the current investment limits are delivering economic benefits to the UK. Their preliminary views are that the rules do not provide robust measures to maintain the investment other than for a set period of 5 years when they qualify for settlement. They have taken evidence and will report their findings by the 7th February 2014. This can only mean that the rules are likely to be tightened with increases in the amount of funds required and other systems to make movement of the funds more difficult.

The take-up of investors has not been significant. In comparison to other categories the entry of investors has been modest; 973 Entrepreneurs and 530 Investors compared with 30,000 in Tier 2 intra company transfers.

The changes could affect those wishing to invest in the UK and it is hoped that they will not become restricted for the sake of it and thereby discourage investors.

India, Pak to boost trade, ease border congestion

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

India and Pakistan moved to boost economic relations and agreed on a raft of measures, including nondiscriminatory market access (NDMA) on reciprocal basis apart from keeping the Wagah-Atari border open round the clock for trade all seven days of the week.

On resumption of trade talks after 16 months, India’s commerce & industry minister Anand Sharma and his Pak counterpart Khurram Dastgir Khan downplayed the issue of MFN status to India and vowed to push trade ties to a new level. The two countries have also taken steps to allow opening up of bank branches in each other’s territory. The issue of multiple entry visas for businessmen would be pursued to add strength to trade ties. “We have agreed that we will open WagahAtari border 24x7 for trade.

We will also allow both sides the movement of containers to the terminals in Amritsar and Lahore,” Sharma told a news meet.

Sharma said the modalities of reciprocal market access are to be worked out by the commerce secretaries before the end of February. The measure falls short of the reciprocal Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status that India has been waiting for.

Islamabad had promised to confer MFN status to India to boost trade relations but has missed several deadlines due to stiff opposition from various domestic groups. “MFN is an acronym of the WTO. When nations engage, they engage bilaterally. Both

India and Pakistan are members of the WTO and we agreed to non-discriminatory trade regime or market access as is there between large economies of the world,” Sharma said.

“It’s not the first time that such a terminology will be used. That is what is there even between the United States of America and the Republic of China and so many other countries,” he said. Khan said trade ties between the two sides should not be allowed to be “stranded” by nomenclature and promised to take ties forward. Pakistan has

avoided granting MFN to India for nearly 18 years and has come up with NDMA nomenclature to address its domestic constituency.

Although MFN status will ensure that all Indian imports are allowed into Pakistan, instead of a long negative list, and will face the same customs duty as shipments from other countries, it was not clear what benefits will come with the new NDMA tag.

Khan conceded that some segments on both sides did not want normal trade and economic ties between the two neighbours. “There are minorities on both sides who do not desire peace and see every positive steps towards peace, towards trade as somehow impinging upon what they feel to be of their interest,” Khan said. Border tensions and beheading of an Indian soldier during a cross-border raid had stalled talks and threatened to halt progress on normalising trade relations between the nucleararmed neighbours.

Reliance Industries has posted a net profit of Rs 55.11 billion during the October-December quarter for financial year 2013-14.

Net profit for the corresponding quarter last year stood at Rs 55.02 billion.

Revenue during the quarter was up by 10.5% at Rs 10.60 million. “Reliance’s robust refining configuration enabled it to deliver stable refining profits in 3Q FY14, against the backdrop of declining regional benchmark margins," said Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited.

Ambani added that even as RIL invests to further strengthen its energy businesses, "this quarter demonstrates the outstanding quality of our refining and petrochemical business resources and their ability to deliver creditable

performance in a period marked by cyclicality and uncertainties."

Other income was higher at Rs 69 billion ($ 1.1 billion) as against Rs 57.55 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year. "This was mainly on account of higher liquid investments," RIL said in a statement. RIL commissioned its new polyester facility in Silvassa, the first amongst its series of projects. "Our retail business continues on its rapid growth trajectory with 38% revenue growth during the quarter," Ambani added.

The company's gross refining margins stood at $ 7.6 per barrel against $ 9.6 per barrel during OctoberDecember 2012-13.

RIL's Jamnagar refineries processed 17.0 million metric tonnes of crude, sequentially lower due to maintenance turnaround.

As in the past many quarters, TCS and HCL Technologies put in standout performances in the December quarter, the results of which they announced. Mid-sized IT companies Mindtree and iGate, which too announced results the same day, were a trifle disappointing though. But all CEO commentaries uniformly pointed to a better year ahead.

HCL Technologies was the star of the day. It posted a 4% increase in revenues to $1,321 million in the December quarter over the previous one, the highest increase among the companies that have announced their results for the quarter and better than the expectations of many analysts.

The results raised the share price of the company by over 4% last week, a day

when the sensex was in the red (TCS and Mindtree, both of which are listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, announced the results post-trade). “The IT markets in the US and Europe are buoyant, and we have a healthy pipeline of infrastructure and applications management contracts,” said Anant Gupta, CEO of HCL Technologies.

The company, he said, crossed several milestones during the quarter. TCS’ revenue rose 3% to $ 3,438 million and net profit by almost 15% to $ 858 million compared to the September quarter.

Infosys, which announced its results last week, saw a revenue growth which was just about half of TCS at 1.65%. Compared to the year ago quarter, TCS’ revenue growth was 16.6% and net profit growth was 31.6%.

using the services of cash vaults, which however come with a higher price tag in terms of service fees, maintenance charges and rentals. None of the

bankers are willing to talk on record with regard to their dealings with rich clients from abroad, which also includes a significant number of Indians.

Bankers are also offering to show their prospective clients a visit to the banks' cash vault sections, where large metal boxes are placed within the bank premises and at thirdparty designated places to safely store wades of currency notes as also other valuables.

In the meantime, a new trend seem to be catching up where human couriers are being used to

carry large amount of cash, although it is a riskier venture. Airport officials admit that many such couriers have been apprehended in recent months. These developments assume significance in the wake of Swiss banks gradually losing their safe-haven status every passing day due to ever-growing global pressure on Switzerland to demolish their secrecy walls that have historically helped in keeping details about their clients and money off the limits for authorities in respective jurisdictions.

Anand Sharma and Khurram Dastgir Khan

RIL beats estimates, TCS, HCL put up big score in December quarter Q3 net at Rs 55.11 bn

Swiss banks devise new 'cash' strategies to lure rich Indian clients

As Swiss banks lose their secrecy tag, some bankers here are coming up with innovative ideas to lure rich clients from India and other countries by providing services like 'cash courier' as well as by offering large metal vaults to store currency notes, gold, artworks and other valuables. Also on the platter is advice to put money in virtual currencies, especially in the wake of Bitcoin ATMs becoming operational in Zurich.

As hundreds of world's rich congregate for the World Economic Forum annual meeting in the

Swiss Alpine resort town of Davos, many of them have also scheduled meetings with Swiss bankers to devise new strategy for their hidden wealth.

Many bankers admitted, on condition of anonymity, that such meetings are scheduled to be held on the sidelines of WEF summit in Davos, as also in Zurich over this week.

The meetings include those with representatives of their Indian clients as well.

While representatives from the large banks said they are advising their clients about potential

risks associated with keeping their hidden wealth here, those associated with many smaller banks claimed risks are relatively lesser when

FINANCIAL VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

21

Foreign Exchange

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

EU Inflation Remains Below Target Data from the Eurozone in the week commencing 13th January showed that the inflation rate remains well below the European Central Bank's 2% target. The rate of inflation came in at 0.8% on an annual basis in the euro area driven down by falling costs of telecommunications services and transport fuel. It won't ease concerns that Europe is sliding into deflation despite ECB chief Mario Draghi insisting last week that they are not witnessing a repeat of Japan's problems in the 1990s.

Europe's battered auto industry is recovering after a grim year. ACEA, the industry body reported that December 2013 showed the biggest jump in car sales since 2009, before the eurozone debt crisis exploded. Sales were 13% higher than a year earlier, making December the fourth month in a row where car sales rose on an annual basis. Construction output contacted by 0.6% for the year, this is a far better result than the same time last year where construction output shrunk by 1.7%.

The dollar rose to a fourmonth high in the same week after the pace of U.S. home construction dropped less than forecast in December 2013, capping the best year for the industry since 2007. For all of 2013, builders began work on 923,400 homes, which is up 18.3% from the prior year and the most since 2007’s 1.36 million. The housing report is good data, and basically painting a constructive picture of U.S. economy, and therefore you see the dollar a little bit stronger, across the board.

The number of US citizens filing 'continuing' unemployment claims jumped back over the three million mark to 3.03mln up from 2.856mln, in the seven days to 4th January.

That's the highest level since early July. But in brighter news, the number of new claims for jobless benefit fell by 2,000 to 326,000, a six week low. The US labour market is under scrutiny after December's Non-Farm Payroll showed that 74,000 new jobs were created across the economy last month.

The US rate of inflation jumped to 1.5% on an annual basis, from 1.2% in November 2013. Wage rises have been modest in America (like in the UK and much of Europe) meaning little inflationary pressure due to increased consumer demand.

As we saw on Friday 17th January that the pound strengthened against the euro as a government report showed U.K. retail sales grew at a record pace for December 2013, adding to optimism the recovery is gaining momentum. Retails sales grew by 5.3% in December 2013 the fastest growth in 5 years.

Mark Carney played down fears of a housing bubble - even though house price rises aren't expected to ease off until 2016.

The general expectation has been for a continuation of current momentum - house price momentum, mortgage activity, credit growth momentum - into 2014, before decelerating around the middle of 2015, towards 2016. Mark Carney also denied that household debts are approaching a danger zone.

Weekly Currencies

As of Tuesday 21st January 2014 @ 3.15pm GBP - INR = 101.96 USD - INR = 61.91 EUR - INR = 83.82 GBP - USD = 1.65 GBP - EUR = 1.22

EUR - USD = 1.35 GBP - AED = 6.05

GBP - CAD = 1.81

GBP - NZD = 1.98

GBP - AUD = 1.87

GBP - ZAR = 17.80

GBP - HUF = 367.79

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 are the commercial foreign exchange rates provided by RationalFX. For a live quote or to find out more about how RationalFX can help you, call us on 0207 220 8181.

22

WORLD

In Focus

34 killed in floods, landslides in the Philippines

Manila: At least 34 people have been killed in floods and landslides caused by a tropical depression in the Philippines, the national disaster relief agency said. Seven people were missing while more than 212,000 people were displaced from 14 provinces affected by the bad weather. The weather bureau warned that the tropical depression was moving slowly and would bring more rains over the weekend in the southern, central and eastern Philippines.

Some areas devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in November were also experiencing heavy rains due to the tropical depression.

Haiyan killed more than 6,200 people and displaced over 4 million people when it hit the eastern Philippines.

Indian woman travels to Pak with fake passport to meet 'lover'

Lahore: An Indian woman was deported from the airport here when she flew in from Doha using a fake Pakistani passport to meet a man she had fallen in love with after meeting on a social networking website. Nagita Ramesh, who is in her twenties and hails from Gujarat state, arrived at Lahore international airport from Doha to meet Azhar, a resident of Multan city in Punjab province. "She had come in an early morning flight. We detained her after checking her documents and eventually deported her back to Doha," an immigration official said. She told investigation officers that she "fell in love" with Azhar after interacting with him on social media.

US returns 3 stolen antiquities to India

New York: Three stolen antique sculptures valued at over $1.5 million have been returned to India by the US in an “excellent” display of bilateral cooperation following a month-long row over the arrest of an Indian diplomat. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) handed over a ‘Vishnu and Lakshmi’ sandstone sculpture, ‘Vishnu and Parvati’ sandstone sculpture and a black sandstone ‘Bodhisattva’ to India’s consul general Dnyaneshwar Mulay.

Former Pak PM Ashraf indicted

Islamabad: An accountability court in Pakistan indicted former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, and six others in a rental power case and adjourned the hearing until Feb 4. All the accused, including Ashraf, who was also the minister for water and power, refused to plead guilty, while the bench hearing the case sought all relevant evidence from the National Accountability Bureau in the next hearing of the case, Dawn online reported. Talking to the media, Ashraf, a Pakistan People's Party member, who served as prime minister between June 2012 and March 2013, said he could not comment on the issue as it was sub-judice.

Taliban bombers kill 33 in two days

Islamabad: A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up near Pakistan's main military headquarters on Monday, killing 13 people just a day after the militants struck inside an army compound in the northwest of the country and killed 20 troops, officials and militants said. The two-day barrage is among the most intense onslaughts recently against the Pakistani army as it struggles to battle insurgents in the country's volatile frontier regions. Monday's attack took place early in the morning in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, next to the capital of Islamabad. Police official Sardar Zulfiqar said a suicide bomber struck just outside the main military headquarters. A retired officer and five soldiers were among those killed, according to police officer Haroon Joiya, who said the bombing also wounded 18 people.

Indian’s device takes on US TV giants

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Washington: It is the size of a postage stamp, but is being described as an invention that could topple titans. Indeed, the titans have all ganged up together to stamp out the little guy who has challenged them, dragging him all the way to the US supreme court, which will hear the case this coming April. Little guy is unfazed.

Having fended them off and won in lower courts, Chaitanya (‘Chet’) Kanojia is looking forward to the day the US apex court will hear case no 13-461 involving the Goliaths, ABC, NBC, Fox et al. vs Aereo Inc, his nifty twoyear old company that he sees as the David in this battle. He says can’t imagine the court won’t be on the side of such a consumer-friendly innovation

Chaitanya Kanojia

he’s provided.

Even accounting for the constant flow of disruptive technologies that is the lifeblood of innovation, what Bhopal-native Kanojia has done has shaken the American broadcast industry

Indian donates $1mn to University of Michigan

Michigan: Pharmaceutical and biotechnology pioneer and prolific angel investor Dinesh Patel and his wife, Kalpana, have pledged $1 million to the College of Pharmacy at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Patels’ gift will be used to support graduate students at the college. A resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, Patel has also accepted the chairmanship of the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy’s $20 million funding drive.

Born and raised in Zambia, Patel received a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Gujarat University, a master’s from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and a Ph.D. in physical pharmacy from the University of Michigan in 1979. “I am grateful to the University of Michigan for my education and am proud to contribute both resources and leadership to the campaign,” Patel said. The pledge will help fund the existing Chhotubhai & Savitaben Patel Fellowships, established

by Patel and his brothers in 2005 to honor their parents.

Dinesh and Kalpana Patel

The Africa-born IndianAmerican received the College of Pharmacy’s Alumni Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 and the Utah Life Science Award from BioUtah in 2013.

The funding drive is part of a larger $4 billion “University of Michigan Victors for Michigan Campaign,” the largest campaign ever undertaken by a university. “We’re very pleased that Dinesh will be chairing our efforts, and his commitment to the college is clear by evidence of his generous gift,” said Frank Ascione, dean of the College of Pharmacy.

Patel co-founded and served as managing director of Salt Lake City-based vSpring Capital (now Signal Peak Ventures), where he is currently founder emeritus.

to its nearly century-old roots. Simply put, the stampsized antenna from his company Aereo lets you watch regular TV on any device such as a phone or tablet or laptop - without lugging around an antenna or set-top box or any of the wire and cables that comes with the current system. For a few bucks a month, it even lets you record shows for later viewing with cloud-based DVR. For long suffering victims of broadcast monopolies who are saddled with scores of useless channels and bills running up to $100 a month, what’s not to love in this cord-cutting, TV-on-the-go exercise, where Aereo’s antennas just pick up signals off the air?

Well, for one, there’s a

small matter of copyright infringement, argued the consortium of 17 broadcasting giants ranging from Disney’s ABC to Comcast NBC to 21st Century Fox. They maintained that Aereo was a threat both to their business model, by undermining the cable retransmission fees, and the size of their audience. While copyright law lets individuals watch anything they pick up by antennas as long as it is for their private use, broadcasters maintained that Aereo’s transmissions constitute a “public performance” that requires Aereo to pay for retransmitting them.

But the courts, including a federal appeals court have ruled that Aereo’s streams to subscribers were not “public performances.”

Johannesburg: Hindu groups in South Africa have expressed outrage at photographs taken at a music festival which depict models in provocative positions, posing with t-shirts featuring various Hindu deities. The photographs posted on a website showed several models stretching out their hands pretending to be a six-limbed deity.

Another picture showed a model lifting her tshirt as she stands against paintings of Hindu deities.

The pictures were taken at a music festival during New Year festivities.

The National community leaders have unanimously condemned these actions, but the photographer defended saying it was within the rights to freedom of expression. South African Tamil Federation President Karthi Moothsamy said his organisation would pursue the matter with both the ruling African National Congress and government institutions.

“While it is so that freedom of expression is embodied in the South African Constitution, the same Constitution does not grant

absolute rights in this regard,” Moothsamy said.

“We will call on government to introduce legislation that protects Hindu and other religious iconography from being denigrated.”

South African Hindu Maha Sabha president Ashwin Trikamjee said these type of action reared its head from time to time, usually from people who were ignorant of its religious significance. “We have to find a way to address the increasing use of Hindu iconography in a derogatory way with impunity,” he said. Hindu Youth Network Chairman Pregesan Pillay said the latest incident was particularly offencive as it came while temples across the country marked Thaipoosam Kavady, honouring the deity Ganesha, one of those featuring in the offencive pictures.

The editor of the website, who identified himself as Nas Who, said the photographs were not aimed at making any statement on Hinduism.

The images were used as it was already on display at the festival as a backdrop for a project.

SA Hindus outraged by ‘provocative’ pictures

Court orders review of Musharraf’s health

Islamabad: A Pakistani court directed formation of a medical board to review 70-yearold ex-president Pervez Musharraf's health after his lawyers sought its permission to fly him to the US for treatment.

"The board of senior Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) doctors should inform the court about how serious is Musharraf's condition, does he need a surgery and how long will he remain in the hospital," said the court, which is hearing the treason case against the exarmy chief. He was further exempted from appearance before the court till Jan 23.

Musharraf's lawyer, Mansoor Ali Khan, had earlier submitted a letter before the court saying doctors had recommended Musharraf be treated at the Paris Regional Medical Center (PRMC) in

Texas.

"We have attached the letter with documents from the doctors of a heart clinic in Texas and they have recommended he should be shifted to that clinic for further treatment," Khan told the court.

Musharraf has been admitted to AFIC since he was rushed there as he complained of chest pain while on his way to the special court for hearing two weeks back. Rumours have been circulating in the

media that the government would strike a deal to send him out of Pakistan to avoid a clash with the army.

The ex-president is yet to appear before the court and has missed four court hearing since December 24 citing security and health reasons.

The court had on January 9 warned it would "issue an appropriate order'' in case he failed to appear before it.

Musharraf is the first military ruler to face trial for treason. He could be sentenced to death or life imprisonment if convicted. The trial relates to his suspension of the constitution and imposition of emergency in November 2007.

Separately, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected a petition seeking Musharraf's exemption from appearance before the special court. It said it did not have the legal authority to do so.

Peshawar is polio capital: WHO

Islamabad: The World Health Organization declared Pakistan's troubled northwestern city of Peshawar as the world's "largest reservoir" of polio and called for urgent action to boost vaccination. Almost every polio case in 2013 in Pakistan, one of only three countries where the crippling disease remains endemic, could be linked genetically to strains of the virus circulating in Peshawar, said the WHO. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the capital, and adjoining tribal districts where Taliban and al-Qaida linked militants have hideouts are particular polio hotspots.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

In Focus

Danish woman gang-raped for 3 hours in Delhi Less than 13 months after Nirbhaya's brutal gangrape had city authorities promising a safer Delhi for women, precious little seems to have changed.

Horror and shame revisited Delhi last week, when a 51-year-old Danish tourist was repeatedly raped by eight-nine men in a garden just a stone's throw away from Connaught Place in the heart of the city.

Police claimed to have arrested two suspects and identified the rest. Special commissioner of police (law and order) Deepak Mishra confirmed the arrests. The gang-leader, who first accosted the woman, has been identified as Mahender Ganja from Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Italian marines can get death penalty if convicted

The Indian government has decided that the two Italian marines, accused of killing two Kerala fishermen in February 2012, will be tried under Article 3 of the SUA Act which attracts death penalty if convicted. The home ministry gave sanction to the National Investigating Agency (NIA) for the purpose, repudiating its own commitment to Italy that the two marines would not get capital punishment for their action, and exposing lack of coordination between the government at the highest level even on crucial issues.

Legendary Bengali actress Suchitra Sen passes away

Much like her life after movies, the final journey of legendary Bengalis actress Suchitra Sen too was a quiet affair with the administration taking measures honouring her wish of keeping her face away from public gaze. The body of Sen, who died following cardiac arrest at a Kolkata nursing home, was carried to her Ballygunge residence in a coffin inside a hearse fitted with dark glasses and covered with floral wreaths. The 'Mahanayika' remained virtually invisible to the public during the entire process.

Adequate security measures were put in place to ensure that her body was smoothly taken out of Belle Vue Clinic as hundreds of fans gathered around the medical facility hoping to get a glimpse of the screen-goddess who has been an enigma after she shunned the arclights and went into reclusion.

SC commutes death penalty of 15 convicts The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday commuted the death penalty of 15 convicts, including four aides of forest brigand Veerappan to life term on ground of delay in deciding their mercy plea by the govt and mental illness. The death penalty of 13 condemned prisoners has been commuted to life on the ground of inordinate delay on part of President to decide their mercy pleas. The other two convicts were given life sentence on finding that long years on death row had made them mentally ill. The top court held that delay in deciding mercy plea is a relevant ground for commuting death sentence to life imprisonment.

Thackeray brothers clash over father’s will

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray is facing a major legal battle with estranged elder brother Jaidev over control of property and assets, worth several millions, belonging to late Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray. Jaidev has challenged Uddhav’s probate petition claiming that the will being presented as his father’s could not have been signed by Balasaheb. In his petition, Jaidev claimed his father was very ill and could not have signed the document.

Apparently, Balasaheb did not bequeath any share of his property to the family of his eldest son Bindumadhav and Jaidev. Bindumadhav had died in a road mishap in 1996. Jaidev disputed the will, saying that the total worth of property, assets and other bank deposits is much higher than Rs 148.5 million as stated in the document.

Trinamool nominates Mithun Chakraborty for RS

Trinamool Congress has nominated Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty as one of the five Rajya Sabha members to be elected from West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said. "In our state, five Rajya Sabha members will be elected this time. One of these seats will be given to Mithun Chakraborty from All India Trinamool Congress. Chakraborty is a well-known film personality. He has devoted his life to the cause of cultural and social activities with great success," Banerjee said in her official Facebook page.

INDIA

Modi unveils Vision 2014

Promising “good governance”, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday unveiled his “vision” for the country, which appears set to be the blueprint for his party’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.

“It has been too much of Act, Act, Act. The time is for action. More than doles, we need delivery.

Good governance is more than doles and includes development and delivery,” said Modi, addressing the BJP National Council meeting.

“The rich can always buy the government, but good governance is necessary for the poor. It is the poor who will suffer the most in the absence of good governance… The country does not need a ruler, it needs a servant,” he said.

He also targeted the Congress for not declaring its prime ministerial candidate. “I see a human angle behind this decision.

When defeat is imminent, which mother will sacrifice her son politically?

The heart of a mother (Sonia Gandhi) decided to protect her son (Rahul Gandhi),” he said.

“The 2014 elections are not only for a change

aspirations”. “I am a Chief Minister who has worked under the Vajpayee-led NDA regime as well as the hostile regime in Delhi now. I understand the significance of the federal structure. The BJP government will empower the federal structure. I promise to change the current situation for the better,” he said, assuring “regionally balanced development” to accommodate the aspirations of states like Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and the Northeast.

For the farm and food sector, Modi outlined a “Price Stabilisation Fund” and creation of a unified “National Agricultural Market” where farmers will not be “exploited” but

prices will be kept in “check” with special courts to prosecute black marketeers. He emphasised the need to enhance agricultural productivity, develop wasteland, interlink rivers and promote animal husbandry.

“BJP can stop price rise,” he asserted, as he promised to bring back the alleged black money stashed abroad. He also outlined his plan to curb unemployment by ensuring skill development of the youth. On the education front, Modi said he favoured setting up IITs, IIMs and AIIMS in each state. He advocated the need to leverage “talent, tradition, tourism, trade and technology” to promote Brand India abroad.

Calling for world class infrastructure in sectors like rail, road, water, gas grid, optical fibre network among others, he floated the idea of a “Golden Quadrilateral of bullet trains”.

Indicating his thrust towards urbanisation, he said, “Why can’t we have 100 walk-to-work cities, smart cities, hill cities, sport cities or specialised cities. We should also develop the twin city and satellite city concepts.”

L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, Narendra Modi at the BJP National Council meeting in Delhi

of guard, but also to meet the aspirations of the people. While the Congress is struggling to save the party, we are working to save the country,” said Modi. He said his seven issues of focus - familybased value system, agriculture and villages, women empowerment, protection of ‘jal, jungle, aur jameen,’ youth, democracy and knowledge - are like the colours of the rainbow. His description came in for praise from L K Advani, who suggested that party president Rajnath Singh should get it enshrined in the BJP’s vision document.

Reaching out to regional parties like the AIADMK, TMC and BJD, Modi asserted his commitment to honour “regional

23

Jains in India get minority status

A day after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi took up the issue with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Union Cabinet on Monday approved notification of Jains as a minority community at the national level.

The Jains have thus become the sixth community to be granted such status after Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis.

Jains are about 0.4% of India’s population and in the 2001 census, were about 4200,000 strong.

Their population is now estimated at around 5000,000; Mumbai accounts for the largest number of about 10% (or 400,000 to 500,000).

Once recognized as a minority, they will get a share in Central funds earmarked for welfare

schemes and government programmes as well as scholarships. They can also manage and administer their own educational institutions.

A delegation of the Jain community led by Union minister Pradeep Jain had met Rahul on Sunday to press for their long-standing demand for

minority status. The community already enjoys minority status in some states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan but the cabinet decision extends that status across the country.

On Sunday, the Congress had said in a release that Jain Samaj leaders had spoken to Rahul about their long pending demand for minority status for the community and urged him to support their cause.

“Rahul recognized the role played by the Jain community in the social, cultural and economic development of the country. He assured the delegation that he would do his utmost to ensure fair and equitable recognition and representation for the Jain community,” the release said.

In order to touch cultural heritage of Asian community in Northern Britain, a book ‘Golden Memories’ compiled by Imtiyaz Patel (Varediavala) and Dr A K Shakur was published in last OctoberNovember month.

Book release functions were organised in North Britain and Gujarat at five different locations.

Many leading personalities attended the functions. The book on Grandma’s recipes and tradit i o n a l household tips was compiled after six months of hard work. Surveys,

studies, personal interviews are articulately documented in the book. It would really become reference book for our invaluable heritage. This book has instantly become popular.

In last October, during the first book release function at Bolton nearly 400 people remained present, including guests from India. Another attraction of the function was ‘Kavi

Sammelan’. The function was anchored successfully

by Dr Adam Tankarvi.

During writer Imtiaz Patel’s India visit, another book release programme was organised in Ahmedabad by Aziz Tankarvi, editor of ‘Gujarat Today’ daily. The function was attended by historian Makarand Mehta, Yashwant Mehta, Dr. Rizwan Quadari , poet Chinu Modi and others.

‘Golden Memories’ – book on grandma’s recipes released

24

INDIA

South

DMK picks Siva as its nominee for RS poll

The DMK announced the name of the party's propaganda secretary 'Trichy' Siva as its nominee for the Rajya Sabha election to six seats in Tamil Nadu scheduled on February 7. With the term of two of its Rajya Sabha members coming to an end by April, party chief M Karunanidhi announced the candidature of Siva, a two-time Rajya Sabha MP and one-time Lok Sabha member.

The DMK has ruled out speculation that it might support a DMDK candidate for the upper house though sources do not rule out such a possibility. Karunanidhi had said that the party had not yet taken any decision on the issue.

Overwhelming response to anti-graft helpline

The anti-graft helpline 'Satta Panchayat Iyakkam', which began its helpline in Chennai last month, is receiving more than 400 calls a day. The helpline (76671 00100), which guides people through the system without paying bribes, received 12,904 calls from December 17, 2013, when it was launched, to January 16 but operators could attend to only 3,600 calls. The overwhelmed NGO is now calling for volunteers and plans to expand to a state-wide network.

60 bonded labourers rescued in Andhra

Human and civil rights activists have rescued a group of 60 alleged bonded labour from a brick kiln in Medak district of Andhra.

The workers were shifted to temporary shelter. According to Tathagata Sengupta of Solidarity Committee for Brick-kiln Workers' Union, the rescue efforts were initiated jointly by Brick-kiln Workers' Union of Ranga Reddy district and Solidarity Committee for Brick-kiln Workers of Andhra Pradesh.

Sengupta alleged that about 60 people were illegally engaged as bonded labour at a brick kiln near Koppulapally village of Yeldurthi mandal.

Punjab

Acid thrown on two sisters

Chandigarh: Two married sisters on Monday received injuries after the husband of one of them threw acid on them at Jagadhari in Yamunanangar district of Haryana, police said. The sisters were on their way to a temple when accused Ashok Kumar (38), who is a drunkard, threw acid on her wife Pooja (32) and her sister Rekha (38). Pooja received injuries on her face and chest, while Rekha on her hands.

Police said marital discord was going on between Pooja and Ashok, a rickshaw puller, for the past some years.

CBI probe ordered against Ashok Khemka

The Haryana government has reportedly ordered an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against suspended IAS officer Ashok Khemka for awarding a contract to a company in Gujarat worth Rs 80 million. The allegations against Khemka pertain to 2009 when he was the managing director of the State Warehouse Corporation.

According to media reports, Haryana government has alleged that Khemka had reportedly changed the terms and conditions listed in the contract without seeking its consent.

Gurgaon plans night safari at Biodiversity Park

The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) has yet again come up with an ambitious proposal, this time to turn the 550-acre Biodiversity Park into a tourist destination. It is similar to what the UP government wants to do in Greater Noida. This plan was mooted at the MCG meeting and was readily agreed by almost all councillors. Some of the councillors suggested that there should be a night safari and shared the experience they had in Singapore. "We can show them the Nilgai if we do not have other animals to show to tourists," said a councillor.

AAP may contest all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) may contest from all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu, the party's national executive member Prashant Bhushan said in Chennai on Sunday.

"We will contest as many seats as possible in every state where we have reasonable party machinery. Going by the enthusiasm in Tamil Nadu, it may be possible to contest all seats. But we will take a formal decision only by the end of February," Bhushan told mediapersons.

Bhushan, who addressed volunteers at the conclusion of a two-day meeting organised to take stock before the forthcoming LS elections, said more than 100,000 people have enrolled in TN and

Prashant Bhushan

the numbers are expected to swell to 500,000 by the end of this month. Asked about his invitation to anti-nuclear activist S P Udayakumar to join AAP, Bhushan said they would like more activists and honest people like him to

Woman gives birth to quadruplets

When Gayathri (25) from Mylapore found out that she was pregnant for the second time, she and her husband were happy that their son would have a brother or sister to play with. But the family was in for a big surprise when she gave birth to quadruplets (four babies) last week at the Kasturba Gandhi Government Hospital.

Quadruplets are a rare phenomenon that occur once in 7000,000 births. There are less than 4,000 such cases reported worldwide. This is the second such case in the hospital in 20 years, the last being in 1984.

Doctors at the hospital said Gayathri delivered a boy and three girls through C-section, and all the four newborns are stable. The babies were dizygotic (from different fertilized eggs), said hospital sources. "A natural delivery was ruled out and we went in for a C-section. She had com-

enrol in the party.

Replying to a question on the tussle between the party's state unit and a splinter group which claimed to be the real AAP, Bhushan said all five members of the rebel group had been expelled from

the party. He also released a statement saying the committee led by Christina Samy, the state convener, is the authorised representative of AAP in the state. The expelled members, who were present at the venue, made a vain attempt to meet Bhushan and raised slogans against their expulsion.

Asked how the party plans to take on AIADMK and DMK, Bhushan said the volunteers would reach out to more people and homes.

He said the regional parties were as corrupt as the national parties and rather than facing the main issue of corruption they were diverting their attention to communal and caste-based issues.

Jaya tells partymen to ensure victory of its cadres

pleted eight months. As the delivery was premature, all the infants are under-weight," said a doctor at the hospital.

The boy weighs 1.9 kg, while the girls weigh 1.5 kg, 1.4 kg and 1.3 kg. The birth of four babies at one go has generated a lot of curiosity among patients and staffs at the hospital, but no one is allowed to see the newborns kept under observation.

Doctors said the babies are kept in the pediatric intensive care unit as they could pick up infections if discharged or moved to the general ward early. "The mother's condition was critical soon after delivery, but now she is recovering.

AIADMK general secretary and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa asked the cadres to work for the party's victory in all the 40 constituencies of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the forthcoming general elections.

The party's victory in the Lok Sabha polls would make Tamil Nadu prosperous and India strong, she said. "This victory will ensure that AIADMK has a say in India's future. That is our contribution in keeping MGR's fame alive," Jayalalithaa said in a letter to partymen on the eve of AIADMK founder and former chief minister M G Ramachandran's 97th birth anniversary.

"It is my direction to

to take this as a pledge and commence electoral duty on such a good day," she said.

Emphasizing the need for a change of government at the Centre that would be supportive of Tamil Nadu's needs, Jayalalithaa said the wrong economic policies in the country for nearly two decades had to be set right. "The Tamil community, which has been victimized in many ways, needs justice. If these things have to happen, and Tamil Nadu is to become numero uno in the country, we have to help install a government, which gives us a hearing," the chief minister said.

"The DMK's participation in coalition governments at the Centre for nearly 17 years has not benefited Tamil Nadu and Tamils," Jayalalithaa said, alleging that DMK chief M Karunanidhi used it for personal benefits.

Taking a cue from disadvantage, Arvind Kejriwal's charges of corAam Aadmi Party ruption in land government in deals, challenges Delhi, Bhupinder from Om Prakash Singh Hooda, Chautala's Indian chief minister of National Lok Dal neighbouring and the fledgling Haryana, drastiAAP, clearly cally reduced hopes that this power tariff across will have a posithe board in his Bhupinder Singh Hooda tive impact on its state. fortunes. The BJPHaryana Janhit Congress of In a move that is expected Kuldeep Bishnoi forms the to help 3800,000 domestic third pole. consumers and 550,000 farmThe AAP, which has ers from the state, Hooda gave a relaxation of Rs 1.30 per vowed to rid Haryana of corunit to domestic consumers ruption, has already declared who use up to a thousand noted psephologist-turnedunits every two months. The politician Yogendra Yadav as tariff per unit for farmers was its chief ministerial candidate. reduced from 25 paise to 10 The party has decided to field paise. The changes were made candidates from all 90 coneffective from January 1. stituencies.

The reduction in power Soon after taking power in tariff is a major pre-poll sop Delhi, Kejriwal had cut power announced by the Hooda govtariff by 50% in an attempt to redeem a pre-poll promise. ernment. The state goes to The Haryana government has polls later this year, and the clearly been influenced by the Congress government, which Delhi experiment. is battling anti-incumbency

The man who started his career as a tea vendor and went on to become BJP's PM candidate has now inspired a 45-year-old man in Haryana to open a tea stall in Hisar and name it after Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

"Gujarat chief minister and BJP's prime ministerial candidate Modi was a tea vendor, and I am sure he will become the prime minister this time. After hearing his speech recently, I also decided to open a tea stall and name it after him," said a 45year-old Satish Kumar, who opened his shop at Urban Estate.

Satish's 'NaMo Tea Stall' is a hot spot for political debates in the morning hours as BJP workers and other residents of Urban Estate frequent the stall in the morning and evening hours. "I am also a BJP supporter and Modi is the best man to become the PM," he said. "My son, who has completed graduation, is

jobless. I am sure if the BJP government comes to power, it will give jobs to every youth in Haryana.

Corruption is one of the biggest issues in India, and, according to Modi, he will keep corruption out of the country," said Kumar. Kumar is also hopeful that one day Modi will come to his shop and appreciate him.

Youth Akali groups clash Members of Fatehgarh Sahib unit of Youth Akali Dal (YAD) clashed last week, tossing each other's turbans during the protest organized by the outfit against Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Pratap Singh Bajwa over his alleged involvement in drug trade in the state.

Attended by hundreds of youth members of Akali Dal, the protest witnessed an ugly turn when members of two groups of the party, which enjoy patronage of two senior leaders, clashed with each other.

AAP effect: Haryana CM reduces power tariff drastically

J Jayalalithaa cadres

NaMo tea stall in Haryana

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

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INDIA-TRAVEL

25

Congress baton passes to Rahul Gandhi

Even as Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi was delivering the concluding remarks at the party conclave last week, party workers were lunging at the dais, trying to shake Rahul Gandhi's hand. The passing of the Congress baton to the young leader couldn't have been more apparent. The transfer of duties from mother to son had finally taken place (we deliberately don't use the term "transfer of power" since we believe our political leaders are meant to serve).

In an aggressive and passionate speech and interspersed with sharp attacks on Narendra Modi and the Aam Admi Party, promises of organisational revamp, greater power to women Congress workers, Rahul clearly conveyed who was now in control.

So emphatic was his big step forward that the party's decision not to formally declare him as its PM candidate was rendered irrelevant.

If Congress were to form the government, there's little or no question as to who will be Prime Minister.

The impact of what was almost seen as Rahul's "coming-of-age" moment was evident in the transformed mood at the venue.

The delegates had arrived a tad skeptical, unsure of whether the new leader had in it in him to confront the challenge of the BJP and AAP. By the time he finished speaking, anxiety had given way to reassurance." The demand that Rahul Gandhi should be declared as the PM candidate had dominated the first half of the session, and it persisted even after Sonia clarified that the decision not to project a PM candidate was "final."

Rahul's speech was also keenly anticipated because he had, in response to sustained pressure from the cadre, had promised to address the issue in his speech: something that triggered hopes of a reversal of the CWC decision in the wake of the pressure from below. Rahul obliged them, albeit indirectly. He argued that PMs were elected by MPs, not before elections. But he left no one in doubt that he was ready to be the PM if the party managed the required numbers. "I want to tell you one thing more, I am a sincere sepoy of the Congress and I am ready to do whatever my party asks me to do. You just order and I shall obey," he said..

Rahul wove his 45 minute address around his favourite theme of empowerment and democratization.

However, unlike at the brainstorming session in Jaipur last January, where he delivered a tear-jerker after agreeing to be formally named deputy to his mother, Rahul packed energy and punch into his speech that left the workers asking for more. The rhetorical flourish was on full display when he took on

Modi for asking for a "Congress-free India."

"Congress is an idea and whoever has tried to eliminate it has got eliminated himself," said Rahul.

The BJP's PM candidate was mocked as man of all glitz and a skilled salesman. "They are so good at marketing that they can sell combs to the bald," said Rahul. AAP wasn't spared either. "We now have a new bunch who are even better at it.

They have even opened hair cutting salons for the bald," said Rahul, displaying a new streak of sarcasm and aggression.

If opponents were savaged, Congress party workers were pampered.

Rahul, often accused of being detached from the hurly-burly of politics, struck all the right notes as he wooed workers, promising that election time imports would not be given party tickets in the coming elections. The applause rose when he promised that at least 15 party candidates in the Lok Sabha polls would be nominated on the recommendation of workers, and expressed his wish to see half the party posts, including CMs, occupied by women.

BJP mocks Cong for shying away from anointing scion

The BJP attacked the Congress for developing “cold feet” and not naming Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate, saying it showed the party had conceded defeat ahead of the Lok Sabha election. The speeches of Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi came in for scrutiny at the BJP leaders’ meeting.

“The diminishing returns of a dynasty controlling a party are now visible. In 25 years, a Gandhi has not been prime minister of this country. India, indeed, is changing. The Gandhis can control a party but not the nation,” BJP’s Arun Jaitley wrote on his Facebook page.

Within minutes of Sonia Gandhi rejecting demands to declare her

Arun Jaitley

son as the party’s PM candidate, the BJP said the Congress had acceded defeat. “Defeat is writ large on the Congress’s face. The Congress can see the writing on the wall,” party chief Rajnath Singh said, according to spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.

“It was nervousness in 2004 that kept the dynasty away. It is the prospect of defeat staring in the face

which is responsible for the reluctance to announce Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate in 2014,” Jaitley said in his article.

Recalling that Sonia had declared that the PM candidate would be announced at an appropriate time, he said Manmohan Singh had given testimonials to Rahul Gandhi. “Why did the party develop cold feet then? The Congress is losing the will to fight an adversity... Why puncture your only card in an adverse political environment... There is no fire in the belly left to fight adversity,” Jaitley said.

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INDIA-WORLD

Syedna, spiritual head of Dawoodi Bohras, dies at 102

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq or spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohras, who guided his globally one-million-strong community for almost half a century, died of cardiac arrest at Saifee Mahal, his residence at Malabar Hill, Mumbai, on Friday.

His death has been described in the community as Wafaat, which means ‘a return to God.’ He was 102 and is survived by six sons and a daughter. His second son, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, whom the Syedna anointed as his successor in 2011 in London, is now the 53rd Dai alMutlaq and led the Namaze-Janaza (funeral prayer) for his father at the Saifee Mosque in Bhendi Bazaar on Saturday morning. The Syedna was buried at Raudat Tahera, the whitedomed mausoleum of his father Syedna Taher Saifuddin near the Saifee Mosque.

‘It’s a loss for humanity’ As news of the Syedna’s death spread, thousands of Dawoodi Bohras from across Mumbai - there are 120,000 Bohras in Mumbai - flocked to the Saifee Masjid. Their public grieving was remarkable for the restraint and dignity they showed. “It is a loss for humanity. I feel like I have

lost my own parents,” said Rashida Khokar, a mother of two.

Workers were seen on Friday evening building a temporary bridge between the Saifee Mosque and the mausoleum, separated by a lane, so that the Syedna’s body could be carried from the mosque to his grave.

Born in Surat on March 6, 1915 (his age has been computed according to the lunar Islamic calendar), the Syedna succeeded his father Syedna Taher Saifuddin as the community’s spiritual leader in 1965.

18 killed in stampede ahead of Syedna’s funeral Eighteen people were killed, most of them due to suffocation, and 40 injured in a stampede when thousands of people gathered to pay last respects to Syedna.

The incident occurred when huge crowds started gathering in the area to pay last respects to Syedna, civic officials said. Mumbai

Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh said most of the deaths occurred due to suffocation as the lanes in the area were very narrow and a huge crowd had gathered. The funeral procession of Syedna began from his Malabar Hill residence amid tight security arrangements. The procession, which moved at a snail pace commenced around 10 am from Saifee Mahal, where community members converged in huge numbers for the final journey of the leader, who was laid to rest at Raudat Tahera mausoleum.

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin led the Namaz-eJanaza of the late Syedna.

Thousands of people from all walks of life joined hands to form a human chain across the Road and bid a tearful adieu to the departed leader. The body of the departed leader was placed in a flower-adorned casket draped with the

national flag atop a open vehicle, escorted by policemen, immediate family and community heads.

Dawoodi Bohra is a sect of Shia Muslims spread all over the world. One of the key principles of the sect is “patriotism as part of the faith.”

Narendra Modi condoles Syedna's death Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the death of Syedna and said that his demise was a "great loss" to society.

"Saddened by demise of respected leader of Dawoodi Bohra community Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. His demise is a great loss for society," Modi's post on micro-blogging site Twitter said.

"We will remember Syedna Sahib as a great man who devoted his life in bringing smiles on people's faces and spreading message of peace, harmony," he said.

"His demise has left immense void in the Dawoodi Bohra community," a press communique issued by Governor's office said.

Recalling Syedna's relationship with Gujarat, Modi said, "Syedna Sahib had a very close relation with Gujarat! Gujarat has always been fortunate to have got his blessings in it's development journey".

Continued from page 1 but he had also slept on the road on a chilly Monday night.

Adamant Kejriwal remained firm on his demand until Tuesday evening. He even ruled out negotiations and threatened to flood the Rajpath with his supporters for disrupting the R-Day celebrations. Under the compromise with the Centre, the SHO of Malviya Nagar, who refused to raid an alleged drug and prostitution ring on the orders of Law Minister Somnath Bharti, and PCR van incharge of Paharganj, where a Danish women was gangraped last week, were sent on leave, paving the way for an end to the confrontation with the Centre.

The original demand of Kejriwal was to suspend five officials in connection with these two incidents apart from the burning of a girl allegedly by her inlaws. According to the AAP leader, the agitation was called off “in view of the sacrosanct occasion of the Republic Day and the perceived security situation”.

He claimed that the police have arrested the culprits in the case of a rape of woman, which was also one of his demands that triggered the agitation.

Kejriwal placed Delhi under siege and asked honest cops to join him. He was also termed as “anarchist” by his detractors following the agitation.

Rather than reacting on it

he embraced the new title conferred upon him. “Yes, I am an anarchist. There is unrest in every house. Now we have to spread this unrest in the homes of home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and the police commissioner,” said a charged Kejriwal as he hopped on to a transformer inside a park and addressed his supporters.

Political analysts said that with this agitation, AAP has strategically initiated a campaign for upcoming general elections. With Republic Day less than a week away and security forces poised to take over the area, there was palpable tension in the air. Kejriwal has rejected all pleas to move to Jantar Mantar since Section 144

has been imposed in the area.

Because of the agitation, massive traffic jams were witnessed by people of Delhi. Four Metro stations were closed. He said that how can country celebrate Republic Day when women are under assault.

In the clashes erupted between supporters of AAP and police near Rail Bhavan, leaving more than a dozen people including two policemen injured. A group of jostling people wearing AAP caps jumped barricades, set up around at all the arterial roads leading to the venue where chief minister Arvind Kejriwal sat on dharna for the second day, and clashes broke out when police started pushing them back.

Continued from page 1 upset with her minister husband Tharoor’s alleged affair with a Pakistani journalist Mehar Tarar. Pushkar went to the extent that she termed Tarar as ISI agent on social media.

The forensic report gives a new turn to the investigations into the death. Police officials said the report will now require them to review all the video footages of the hotel lobby and check who all went to her room, including the

hotel staff. The statements of various people including that of Tharoor and Sunanda's brother have been recorded. "The toxicology report of the sample of the viscera - internal organs of the body, for example, heart liver and intestines - has revealed that death has been caused due to poisoning. Whether Sunanda took the poison herself to commit suicide or somebody poisoned her to death is a matter of police investigation," said a source

involved in the investigation. As for the injuries on her body, a doctor had said, "In medico-legal cases, the number of injuries does not matter.

Whether the injuries are related with fatality or not, is what matters. So, before giving a medical opinion we need corroborate it with circumstantial evidence."

What’s now more or less certain is that Sunanda Pushkar was deeply distressed by her husband Tharoor’s friendship with

Pakistan journalist and had demanded six months ago that he snap all communication with her. Whether this demand was met is uncertain because tweets between Tharoor and Tarar surfaced in public two days before her death. It’s learnt that Tharoor and Sunanda had been fighting in public and there were several witnesses to it. In her interactions with journalists Sunanda appeared stressed and often less than charitable towards her husband.

Arvind Kejriwal ends protest after drama

Mysterious death for Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda

Happy 1st Birthday Our dearest daughter

Elina Sita Patel

Wishing you Happy 1st Birthday

DOB.: 28/1/2013 Mother: Urja Patel Father: Delash Patel Sister: Arianna Patel Place: Wokingham You are so sweet and full of joy without which there would be no life at all. You have brightened up our world.

Lots of love, hugs and kisses from Mummy, Daddy, Baas, Dadas, uncles, aunts and all the cousins.

May God Bless You.

Obama nominates IndianAmerican to key post

Washington: US President Barack Obama has nominated Indian-American businesswoman Shamina Singh to a key administration post. Singh has been nominated as the member of the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Obama made the announcement along with several other key posts including Matthew H Tueller, who has been nominated as the US ambassador to Yemen.

"I am honoured that these talented individuals have decided to join this Administration and serve our country. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come," Obama said. A founding board member for Indian American Leadership Incubator (IALI), Singh currently is executive director of the MasterCard

Center for Inclusive Growth, a position she has held since December 2013.

Singh is also the global director of Government Social Programs in MasterCard's Public Private Partnerships group, a position she has held since February 2013. From 2011 to 2013, she was Senior Advisor to MSLGROUP. Previously, she served as vice-president of Government and Public Affairs at Nike, Inc from 2010 to 2011. Prior to that, Singh served as COO for Global Community Development at Citigroup, Inc. from 2005 to 2010.

From 2004 to 2005, she was a deputy director for America Votes while in 2003, she served as a senior adviser to US house democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and in 2002 was the deputy campaign manager for the Ron Kirk for US Senate.

London: Rashvinder Panesar and his wife Sundeep were making their way home from a meeting in the City of London when they were set upon, the Old Bailey heard. Aravinth Kandasamy, 26, and Luxmanan Mahendran, 27, allegedly shouted 'let’s kick his turban off' and 'kick it away' as they kicked and punched Panesar in April last year. Kandasamy and Mahendran have been accused of kicking a turban off a Sikh lawyer's head as he was beaten to the ground in a racist attack, a court heard. They deny two counts of racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Mahendran also denies assault by beating.

When Mrs Panesar, also a lawyer, tried to intervene and retrieve her husband’s red turban, she was grabbed and almost knocked to the ground by Mahendran, it is alleged.

The court heard Panesar suffered a fractured nose, a chipped tooth,

injured his knee and had both his contact lenses knocked out in the alleged attack, which took place in Carter Lane, at around 10.45 pm on 26 April 2013.

Kandasamy, of Ilford, Essex, and Mahendran, of Arnos Grove, north London, deny two counts of racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Prosecutor Louis French said: ‘Mr and Mrs Panesar are Sikhs and in the custom that Sikhs have Panesar was wearing a turban, quite a colourful one that night, it was red.'

He said the couple had been to a meeting of the Society of Asian Lawyers.

He said: ‘It was about 10.30 pm when they left the bar, walking together along Carter Lane crossing a pavement heading towards the cathedral. ‘They went to the roadside and stood hoping to hail down a black cab. ‘The couple noticed three men straight ahead of them, one of those men made an offensive remark and attacked them.

Sikh lawyer beaten in racial attack

27

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 18th January 2014

Health & Wellness

Don't wait for a heart attack!

Fastest way to lose belly fat

s an annual check-up a or medicalisIinglife-saver trivial niggles?

So sick was the Indian government of the procrastinating Indian citizen who refused to opt for preventive health care, that it bribed them to see a doctor. In 2012, the then finance minister offered a plan to save up to Rs 5,000 on tax by opting for an annual preventive check-up.

While Indians refuse to visit a hospital unless they need to be brought in on a stretcher, Americans, they say, can't get enough.

In the US, annual checkups account for more than 8 per cent of doctor visits, and cost the health care system $ 8 billion a year. Each visit takes around 23 minutes, adding up to a total of 17 million hours each year spent checking 45 million healthy people.

In Europe, a study revealed that many routine checkups led to over-diagnosis and over-treatment of relatively mild health problems, leading some patients to take medication for years with no apparent benefit.

But with the average age of patients diagnosed with cardiac problems dipping, and lifestylerelated disorders on the rise, doctors here are keen to catch the bug early.

Thus, avoiding a case of 'surprise' heart attack, like actor Farooq Sheikh's.

Don't wait for a heart attack, says Dr Lekha Pathak, cardiologist. One in 10 Indians suffer from

hypertension. And most aren't aware of it. For people above 40, I suggest a twice-a-year check up.

This should include Electrocardiography (ECG), cardiac stress test, 2D echo and blood biochemistry to check blood sugar, kidney and lipid profile.

Smokers and those who have a family history of cardiac illness, diabetes and hypertension are part of a high risk group. They must start with these tests at 30.

Often, those suffering a 'surprise' heart attack are those who have lived with symptoms of high cholesterol and hypertension, without knowing it.

This is not specific to an age group or sex. But 40 per cent of patients suffering from cardiac issues tend to be below 40.

Start gynaec visits in mid-20s, says Dr Rajeev Chhabra, gynaecologist Indian women are just not in the habit of visiting a gynaecologist regularly.

In fact, most women don't go to a doctor even when

suffering from the symptom of a illness. It's always a last minute visit when the pain gets unbearable.

For women above 45, they need to start caring for their bones, since menopause will soon strike. Start with the following tests: CBC, Creatinine levels, SGPT and SGOT levels, calcium and phosphorus, USG (ultrasonography), PAP smear and mammogram.

Women between 23 and 30 need to take annual thyroid tests, prolactin, DHEA-sulfate test and ultrasonography. These are purely preventive tests ensure that when they do decide to conceive, they encounter no complications. Lifestyle disorders like Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOD) are detected at such times.

In case you are sexually active with multiple partners and don't insist on the use of condoms, take the PAP smear test every year.

For every known diabetic, there's one undiag-

Vitamin E slows Alzheimer's progression

A daily dosage of vitamin E can slow functional decline and reduce caregiver time in assisting Alzheimer's patients.

Researchers have found that alpha tocopherol - a fat-soluble vitamin (E) and antioxidant in patients with moderately severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) was shown to be effective in slowing clinical progression.

"We examined the effectiveness and safety of vitamin E and memantine (a drug used for the treatment of moderate to severe dementia of the

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...

Alzheimer's type) in patients who were taking an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (a chemical that increases the level and duration of action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine)," said Maurice W. Dysken of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.

The trial included 613 patients at 14 medical centres. Participants received either 2,000 IU/day of vitamin E, 20 mg/day of memantine, a combination of both vitamin E and memantine or placebo - a

substance containing no medication and prescribed to reinforce a patient's expectation to get well.

They found that participants receiving vitamin E had slower functional decline than those receiving placebo.

Neither memantine nor the combination of vitamin E and memantine showed clinical benefit in this trial, claimed the study published in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

"Because vitamin E is inexpensive, it is likely these benefits are costeffective as alpha tocopherol improves functional outcomes and decreases caregiver burden," concluded the study.

nosed, says Dr Rajiv Kovil, diabetologist In 2012, 11.8 million patients were diagnosed with diabetes, adding to the 65 million who live with the metabolic disorder. Sixty per cent of them were diagnosed during a routine health check up, having lived with silent symptoms.

It's a cultural problem.

Indians feel they are wasting money on tests if they aren't sick.

There is no age bar to check blood sugar levels.

It's meant for every adult.

For whose who aren't diabetic, a yearly check-up should include fasting and post meal blood sugar tests. Add the hpa1c test, that's usually missing from the basic package. It's to check the average plasma glucose concentration over prolonged periods of time.

For patients who are diagnosed with diabetes, the tests need to be specific; like those that test the effect of the illness on the liver, kidneys and retina.

Losing weight on your midriff can seem very challenging, but if you push yourself a little further, you can easily shed those extra kilos from your abs and flaunt an envious one.

Side plank This abs exercising is known to be the most difficult one than a traditional plank one because you are supporting your entire body on two points of contact instead of four. Thus you must work your core harder to stay stabilised.

How to do it: Lie on your left side with your elbow directly under your shoulder and legs stacked. Place your right hand on your left shoulder or on your right hip.

Next brace your abs and lift your hips off the floor until you are balancing on your forearm and feet so that your body forms a diagonal line. Hold position for 30 to 45 seconds.

Switch sides and repeat.

Walkout from push up position This exercise needs a full body movement

such as using your arms and legs while incorporating resistance to strengthen your entire core too.

How to do it: Start in a push up position with your hands two inches wider than your shoulders. Now walk hands out as far as possible then walk back.

Repeat this for 12-14 times.

The alligator drag This exercise uses your entire core to keep your body stabilised and burns additional calories by adding movement. It mixes stability, cardio and strength training to get you the fast results.

How to do it: Look for a stretch of floor where you can move 10 to 20 yards forwards and grab anything that will slide over the surface with minimal friction. Now start in push up position with your feet on slides or towels behind. Walk yourself forward with your hands to the end of the runway and repeat the alligator back walk from where you started.

Prevent kidney stones with coconut water!

A refreshing drink found especially in coastal areas, coconut water has a range of health benefits.

One among many of its benefits is that it reduces the risk of kidney stones.

More common in men, kidney stones are made of mineral and acid salts and often painful. If they are small, they can be made to pass with your urine with some medication and lots of water.

However, if they are big a surgery might be required. In order to prevent the risk of kidney stones, it is important to stay hydrated and drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day.

Coconut water too can be an excellent thing to introduce in your diet if you want to keep kidney stones at bay. It has diuretic properties which promote the production

of urine and helps flush out excessive calcium, phosphate and uric acid from your kidneys. (Read: Coconut water: More health benefits than you know!)

Even people who have kidney stones are advised coconut water since it helps break them down making it easier for them to pass through the urine.

During exercise or

travelling long distances in the sun, a lot of people sweat a lot and lose some minerals from their body.

If they don’t hydrate themselves well, it could lead to formation of kidney stones. Coconut water has minerals like potassium, magnesium, manganese and potassium and is 94% water making it an excellent option for such people

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Kajal

Amala

Back in Bollywood Prefers Love Marriage I

t took her almost a decade after her debut to return to Bollywood with 'Special 26', but now there seems to be one more in quick succession for Kajal.

Interacting with the media on her 'Jilla' experience, a few words escaped out of her tight lips about her next Hindi flick; the actress says she is likely to work in a project starting this February or March. But ask her in particular about her upcoming projects, Kajal mentions only about her Tamil flick with Dhanush and a Telugu film in the calendar. Speaking on 'Jilla', Kajal said "I watched 'Jilla' FDFS in Mumbai and I am thrilled by the positive reviews.

It was a great experience working with Ilayathalapathy and the legendary actor Mohanlal."

A

mala Paul is a successful Kollywood actor now. Ask her about her dream, and the 22 year old bubbly girl is quick to answer "I want to act in a historic film!" Once career is in place, the next to focus on, for any normal Indian girl, would be wed-locks. When asked about marriage, she said, "I still have a long way to go in my career, and marriage is not in my plan any time soon. And when it does come by, I don't want it to be a picture-perfect arranged marriage. I want to have known the man I will spend the rest of my life with, very well; I want to fall in love with him before I get married to him," beams Amala.

Kamal Haasan ropes in his mentor Balachander for next

L

egendary filmmaker K. Balachander will essay an important role in Kamal Haasan-starrer Tamil comedy ‘Uthama Villain’, which will go on floors soon after the release of ‘Vishwaroopam 2’. Balachander, known for shaping Kamal`s career, worked with the actor in over 30 films since 1973 Tamil drama ‘Arangetram’.

"It`s true that Balachander will be playing an important role. He will be sporting a beard for it. On Kamal`s personal request, he agreed to be part of the project. It will be a role very close to his real life personality," a source from the film unit said. ‘Uthama Villain’, written by Kamal, will be directed by his best friend Ramesh Arvind, also a student of Balachander.

Vani learns Tamil and Telugu

A

fter her debut in 'Shudh Desi Romance', the B-town diva Vani Kapoor has come all the way South, for her Tamil-Telugu bilingual remake of Hindi blockbuster 'Band Bajaa Baaraat'.

In an interaction with the media, Vani opens up on her South Indian experience, her excitement over working with Nani, her admiration, learning new languages, and lots more. "Director Gokul Krishna

wanted me to work on the remake of 'Band Baja Baaraat'. It is a sheer coincidence that when I was auditioned for 'Shudh Desi Romance', I was given a scene from 'Band Baja Baaraat' to enact.

But I was sceptical about 'Aaha Kalyanam', given that I did not know a bit of Tamil or Telugu. Gokul, however insisted that I do this, and I feel happy to have taken this opportunity.

New Relesse ‘3 Idiots’ nominated Bipasha’s third for Japan Academy fitness DVD ready Bollywood movie releasing ollywood actress Awards Bipasha Basu will B on 24th January: ‘Jai Ho’ release her third fitness

t is an action drama movie starSalman Khan and Tabu in Ileadring roles. It is a remake of Telugu

movie “Stalin.” The film is directed

by Sohail Khan under the Sohail Khan Production Franchise.

Cast & Crew: Salman Khan, Tabu, Danny Denzongpa, Daisy Shah, Nadira Babbar, Genelia Dsouza, Suniel Shetty, Naman Jain, Mahesh Thakur, Resham Tipnis, Ashmit Patel, Yash Tonk, Haroon Qazi, Sana Khan, Mohnish Bahl, Mahesh Manjrekar, Mukul Dev, Aditya Pancholi, Sharad Kapoor, Pulkit Samrat, Tulip Joshi, Varun Badola, Vatsal Sheth, Nauheed Cyrusi, Vikas Bhalla, Bruna Abdulla, Sudesh Lehri and Santosh Shukla.

Director: Sohail Khan Music Directors: Sajid, Wajid, Amal Malik

fter creating an unprecedented record at the Japan box-office, Aamir Khan's A blockbuster film “3 Idiots” has added

another feather to its cap! The ace actor's much-touted film has earned a nomination at the prestigious Japan Academy Awards 2014. It is the only non-Hollywood film nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at the coveted awards, alongside “Captain Phillips,” “Gravity,” “Les Miserables” and “Django Unchained.” The winner will be declared at the awards ceremony in early March. Directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vindhu Vinod Chopra, the film also starred Kareena Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, R. Madhavan and Boman Irani, which was released on 23rd December, 2009.

DVD soon. Being launched under the BB Love Yourself series, this one is called Unleash.

The first one was Fit and Fabulous, and the second one was Breakfree. Bips says that the first one was a functional training DVD that was aimed at circuit training of strength, cardio and abs. The second one was a dance workout. "With this third one, I wanted to do something where we target men and women. In India, we concentrate only on weight loss. I want to teach people that it is very important to be strong and fit, rather than just thin.”

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Latest

Kareena transforms into Maharashtrian mulgi

t’s transformation time for Kareena I Kapoor. The actress who

has so far not done too many makeover characters is all set to get into the skin of her character in Rohit Shetty’s ‘Singham 2′.

The role is that of a middle class Maharashtrian woman opposite her cop-hero Ajay Devgn and would require Kareena not only to dress but also talk like a typical Maharashtrian woman from the suburbs.

Says a source, “The character of Devgn’s love-interest in the first “Singham” film was sketchy. She was loud but at the fringes of the plot.

In “Singham 2,” the

female protagonist is pivotal to the plot. Rohit Shetty re-wrote the role after Kareena agreed to do it.”

Apparently, the character would be shown breaking into fluent fast-flowing Marathi in her excitable moments. Says the source, “Kareena knows a smattering of Marathi but for the part in “Singham 2,” she will practice Marathi with her Maharashtrian friends.”

Kareena, just back from 2week long vacation in Gstaad with her husband Saif says, “Would you believe it, I’ve never played a Maharashtrian before. I am really looking forward it. I know Rohit Shetty will make sure my character comes out right.”

Kareena starts shooting for ‘Singham 2′ in March.

I am single: Deepika Padukone A

ctress Deepika Padukone who has been romantically linked with her ‘Ram-Leela’ co-star Ranveer Singh, says that she is very much single. Apparently, Deepika, who turned 28 on January 5 spent her birthday with Ranveer and the alleged couple was spotted together in New York.

In an interview recently, she had denied rumours of a relation with Ranveer but evaded the question on the issue this time saying that all these talks are not true.

So does that mean you are single, to which she said, “Yes …yes…you are happy (now).” She was talking to reporters at a magazine cover launch event. Earlier too, the actress sidestepped queries on Ranveer on Karan Johar’s chat show ‘Koffee with Karan’ when she was prodded about her supposed boyfriend and instead asked, “Am I dating him?” Sometime back, the pictures of Ranbir Kapoor and his rumoured girlfriend Katrina Kaif were published by the magazine. And now even her photos with Ranveer are going viral but Deepika is not worried about the pics getting published. “It doesn’t matter as it is part of what I do.

When the issue releases I will buy the copy to read it,” she quipped.

Priyanka romances Ranveer Singh! fter showing off his chiseled body in Sanjay A Leela Bhansali's “Goliyon Ki Raasleel Ram-Leela,” Ranveer Singh flaunts his Greek God looks yet again in Gunday’s new song 'Jiya' opposite Bollywood babe Priyanka Chopra.

With some picturesque backdrop and sensuous chemistry between both Ranveer and Priyanka, the song is definitely a visual treat. Sung by B-town's hottest musical sensation Arijit Singh and brilliantly composed by Sohail Sen, 'Jiya' is sure to make its way in the minds and the playlists of the music lovers of Bollywood.

Ranveer's rugged look and Priyanka's curvaceous body accompanied with her sizzling costumes definitely make the song breathtakingly beautiful.

Shah Rukh and Salman hug again

Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan shocked one and all when they hugged each other at an Iftar Party some time back. Now, both the superstars are back in news again. At a recently held award function, the actors came in front of each other and greeted one another. Salman hosted the award function and the Shah Rukh got the award for Best E n t e r t a i n e r.

According to reports, Salman was present on the stage and SRK said that it was a great time for him to get an award in the company of Salman.

The reports further states that Salman told SRK to say Jai Ho and SRK did say that for Salman. While Salman was recently seen promoting Aamir Khan's film and vice versa, it seems now even SRK joins them in mutual promotions.

I have no plans to retire, says Amitabh

egastar Amitabh Bachchan said that he M has no plans to retire from

acting as he believes if he does so, he would fall sick.

"I have always been confronted with the question about why I am working at the age of 71. I feel that if I stop working, I will fell sick. For each one of us work is important as it keeps our mind and body busy," Amitabh said.

"If I am satisfied with my work and start thinking that I have done the best acting of my life, then the actor in me will die. I always long to face a new challenge," he said.

In the 1990s, his family members and few other close friends advised him to take a sabbatical since he had worked a lot. Acting on their advise, he took rest and did not work for almost four years, he said.

"But later on, I realised that it was the worst decision of my life," he said.

Recalling the days when his company Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd (ABCL) went bankrupt, he said, "During that period I walked into Yash Chopra's office and told him that I don't have any work and he offered me a movie. So I began working again".

Rekha extends friendly hand to Jaya Bachchan

Veteran actors Rekha and Jaya Bachchan were caught greeting each other warmly at an awards function. At the Life OK Screen Awards, Rekha was seated and enjoying the show when the Bachchan trio of Amitabh, Jaya and Abhishek came.

While Abhishek was busy giving out media bytes, Jaya walked in whereas Amitabh was talking to a guest. Jaya came forward and saw Rekha, but instead of walking away or avoiding her, the duo exchanged a warm smile. Rekha got up and greeted Jaya who also clasped the former's hand amiably.

30

UK

Happy 9th Birthday

PARIN SHAH

D.O.B : 31 January 2005 We've always been proud of you. Now more than ever, our hearts are bursting with pride and joy, because you have given us so much happiness and unconditional Love.

You've grown into a remarkable young man, full of love, caring and joy. Lots of love, hugs and kisses from, Daddy: Rajnikant, Mummy: Alka, Grandma: Mangalaben Kantilal, Nani: Vimlaben Gunvantlal, All Kaka & Kaki, Foiba & Fuwa, All Mama & Mami, Cousins: Aneeka, Pareena, Gemma, Lina, Dejan and Rahul, Jinal, Kinjal - Vishal - Rian, Ankit- HiralRivaan, Jay- Pooja, Karishma, Malav and all member of ABPLgroup.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014 Gandhi Martyrs Day will be observed on Thursday, 30 Jan at Tavistock Square, London, 11am onwards and be attended by the High Commissioner, Mayor of Camden as well as prominent members of the Indian community in London and media personalities.

Govinda ties the knot with his wife - again

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Unexpected developments or a lucky break could have a favourable long-term effect on your prosperity and perhaps cause you to alter your goals and place your expectations at a higher level. You may feel at times that the results of your efforts are not coming up to expectation. However, this seems like a temporary blip in what is otherwise a highly constructive state of affairs.

Developments during this week are likely to make you feel rather restless, perhaps because you have allowed yourself to fall into a routine that is now becoming jaded. If so, then the hint of change will be extremely welcome, even if it might entail an element of disruption. Adaptable and versatile, as you are, it is unlikely that even a major change will faze you.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

Due to the retrograde motion of Jupiter in your sign, you will be in a thoughtful mood and for some of you, esoteric knowledge will beckon. For others there is a possibility that an old love might make contact out of the blue. Your financial situation will need sorting out - this is not a good time to go out spending what you do not have.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 Your communication sector is all-abuzz with planetary energies firing you up preventing you from sleeping properly. Give yourself plenty of physical outlets to drain off some of the excess mental stimulation. The Sun in your sign will make you feel like you can finally settle into a more grounded and steady routine instead of letting your schedule run you.

Bollywood actor Govinda has tied the knot with wife Sunita Ahuja again in an extremely private ceremony at a friends house in Hounslow, London on Tuesday 14th January. The reception party took place the next day.

Music was was provided by the very well-known singer and friend of Govinda's Raja Kassheff. Exclusive pictures provided by Raj D. Bakrania, Prmediapix.

Run for Unity to take place on 26th January 2014 On 15th December 2013, the Government of Gujarat successfully organized a "Run for Unity" event across India where approximately 45,000 people participated, which is a world record of its kind. Run for Unity is now set to take place in the United Kingdom. It is to be organized for the tallest 'Statue of Unity' of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel which will be the curtain raiser to the statue of Unity movement. This historic run is to pay fitting tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Please join this event and bring your family and friends. Pass the word around to register on http://www.statueofunitymovement4uk.com. Venue and time will be declared as soon as possible.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

Coming Events

l Monday 20th January 2014 – KCL Sikh Society presents Kirtan Darbar 2014 from 5.30pm – 9.00pm at Robens Suite, Floor 29, Guy's Hospital, London, SE1 9RT. Contact: sikh.soc@kcl.ac.uk. l Saturday 25th Janaury 2014 – A Culture of Peace from 6.15pm – 8.00pm at Leicester Town Hall, Leicester LE1 9BG. Contact: 0116 266 2023. l Saturday 25th Janaury 2014 – Bollywood Live Songs and Dance Show Kal Aaj Aur Kal from 6.00pm at Ashcroft Theatre, fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croyden, Surrey CR9 1DG. Contact: 020 3730 8600. l Sunday 2nd February 2014 – Wedding Open Day Exclusive from 11am – 5pm. Free Admission at Copthorne Hotel Effingham Gatwick, West Park Road, Copthorne, West Sussex, RH10 3EU. Contact: 020 3714 3333. l Saturday 15th February 2014 - Shree Gopallalo organizes two auspicious Utsavs from 4pm – 8pm at Kingsbury High School, Bacon Lane, Kingsbury, NW9 9AT. Contact: 0774 832 4092. l Monday 17th February 2014 – Kung Manorath from 4pm – 7pm at Vrajdham Haveli, 58 Loughborough Road, Leicester LE4 5LD. Contact: 0774 832 4092.

The outlook remains optimistic as developments bring you a sense of real achievement. Relationships look great as Venus and Mars help to enhance your personal magnetism and put you in a gregarious mood. Venus, the planet of love and romance throws a pleasing light on love and creativity, make the most of this phase.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

With planet Mars in Libra, it is a time to get to grips with personal finances and put them on a solid footing. On the work front, too you may find yourself getting your affairs in order. The accent’s very much on relationships, you and a partner may become embroiled in financial arrangements or some other nitty—gritty aspect of your relationship.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

You’re likely to receive insights into where everything is going and this may shape your life for months to come. There are opportunities to expand your sphere of operations and you and a partner could really go places. Professional and financial pressures will begin to ease.

Consulting Editor: Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Tel: +91 79 2630 4142 Urvashi Jagadeesan (India) Mumbai: Kanti Bhatt, Hemraj Shah (Jumbo Advertiser) Horizon Advertising & Marketing: 205, Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar,Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad. Tel / Fax: +91 79 2646 5960 Email: horizon.marketing@abplgroup.com General Manager: Sanat Trivedi (M) +91 94293 65619 Email: sanat.trivedi@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Hardik Shah (M) +91 99250 42936 Email: hardik.shah@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Neeta Patel (Vadodara) M: +91 98255 11702 Email: neeta_abplgroup@yahoo.co.in Assistant Marketing Manager: Manish Shah (Vadodara) M: +91 96876 06824 Email: manish.shah@abplgroup.com Business Co-ordinator: Shrijit Rajan M: +91 98798 82312 Email: shrijit.rajan@abplgroup.com International Advertisement Representative: Jain Group (South India) Tel: +91 44 42041122/3/4 Fax: +91 44 25362973 Mumbai: +91 222471 4122 Email: jain@jaingroup.net Delhi Office: Tel: +91 44 9311581597

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SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 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.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

An exchange of opinions ought to prove very enlivening at this time. An influence that should help to enjoy the 'nicer' side of others as bring out the best in friends, colleagues and partners alike. A wind of change may be in the air; attention should turn to the wider world and benefits come from broadening of horizons and mental stimuli.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

There is a definite expansive trend where money is concerned, so do not be surprised if this turns out be a time of fortunate opportunities and lucky breaks. Keep your assertive inclination under control as conflict and disagreement could be sparked off by your shortsightedness. Think carefully about the implications of your actions.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

This is a good time to get away from usual routines and seek a retreat for a few days. All the better if you are interested in such things as meditation, yoga and therapies that help you to get in closer touch with your inner self.

This will have a beneficial effect on your physical and psychological well-being.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There’s a sparkle to your social life and you will have fun communicating with others.

India lose first ODI to New Zealand by 24 runs

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Mitchell McClenaghan (4 for 68) starred with the ball with Corey Anderson clicking with both bat and ball as New Zealand defeated India by 24 runs at Napier on Sunday to go 1-0 up in the five-match ODI series.

Chasing 293 to win, Virat Kohli (123) scored his 18th one-day century supported well by MS Dhoni (40) but the rest of Indian batsmen failed as the Kiwis bowled India out for 268 with eight balls to spare.

Pacer McClenaghan gave India early blow by dismissing Rohit Sharma cheaply. Rohit had a tough time negotiating the New Zealand pacers and faced 23 deliveries for his three runs. Kohli walked in and looked in good touch instantly as he along with Shikhar Dhawan steadied India's chase with their 58run stand. But Dhawan soon lost his concentration as he mistimed a pull shot and gave away a simple catch to Ross Taylor off Anderson.

Both Ajinkya Rahane (7) and Suresh Raina (18) failed to make a real contribution and the visitors found themselves in a spot of bother at 129 for 4 in 28.2 overs. Kohli and Dhoni combined well and notched a 95-run stand for the fifth wicket to put India on top. In the process, Kohli flicked with power and drove with authority as he made his way to yet another ODI century.

However, McClenaghan picked up Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja (0) in one over to peg back India's chase.

Kohli hit a few lusty blows to keep India's hopes alive but his fall in the 45th over ended all chances of an

Indian win. R Ashwin (12) and Mohammad Shami (7 not out) managed to take India slightly close but it was never enough.

Earlier, New Zealand batting first lost openers Martin Guptill (8) and Jesse Ryder (18) cheaply.

Anderson hit 68 off 40 balls, his first ODI half-century after Kane Williamson and Taylor put on 121 runs for the third wicket at the McLean Park to help New Zealand post a challenging total of 292 for 7 on the board.

Meanwhile, Taylor completed 4,000 ODI runs in 121 innings, at the personal score of 15 not out, becoming the second-quickest Kiwi batsman after Nathan Astle (120 innings) to do so. Taylor scored 55 runs off 82 balls, with just the one boundary, and became the Indian skipper's 300th ODI victim.

Dhoni is the first Indian wicketkeeper to achieve this milestone, in 239 matches, and the fourth overall after Australia's

Adam Gilchrist (472 dismissals in 287 matches).

Shami was the most successful bowler for the visitors, finishing with 4 for 55 from nine overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1 for 38), Ishant Sharma (1 for 72) and Jadeja (1 for 61) were the other wicket-takers.

Mitchell McClenaghan struck the three crucial blows to return with a pleasing haul of four wickets. The man of the match, however, was the man of the moment: Corey Anderson. The burly allrounder, who blitzed his way to a record-breaking 36-ball century on the new year, showed he can be worth his weight in gold in the IPL: he brought forth the crucial breakthrough in the form of Shikhar Dhawan after Rohit Sharma succumbed early; he also accounted for Ajinkya Rahane who was just about settling down for a big one.

But Anderson's real contribution came earlier, with the bat, shortly after

SPORT WORLD

Kane Williamson (71) and Ross Taylor (55) set up the platform for a blastoff.

Sandwiched between Brendon McCullum and Luke Ronchi's 30 each, he unveiled his range of crisp shots to collective oohs and aahs; his unbeaten 68 was studded with mighty pulls, one of them landing on the roof and the other sailing even beyond, and sharp drives.

He kept an eye open for the field and picked up gaps easily or hit over it when he could get under the ball.

India's pacers began weakly but soon found the right line and length; they also orchestrated wickets at crucial times to keep the match within grasp. As the Black Caps exploded in the middle, they responded with near-perfect yorkers in the death overs.

They may have prevented NZ from crossing 300, and going much ahead, but 292 was always going to be tough. Even with Kohli, the chase master, ready to play with fire.

Pak beat Lanka by 5 wickets to level series 1-1 Azhar Ali hit a brilliant hundred as Pakistan pulled off a thrilling win in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Sharjah on Monday, levelling the series 1-1. Set a daunting 302 to win in a possible 59 overs, Pakistan owed their successful chase to Ali's fifth Test century (103) as he and Misbah-ul-Haq shared 109-run stand for the fifth wicket.

Misbah, who finished with 68 not out, hit the winning single with nine balls to spare in fading light.

Ali, ironically dropped for the first two Tests, hit paceman Suranga Lakmal for a boundary, then twice took two to reach his hundred off 133 balls.

He hit six boundaries before falling caught behind with just seven still needed to win.

Pakistan's chances seemed to have faded away at 107/3 at tea, as they needed 195 in the last 35 overs. But Ali upped the tempo during a rapid 89-

run partnership in 14.5 overs with Sarfraz Ahmed (48) which left Sri Lanka on the defensive.

Even when Sarfraz was out, caught behind off paceman Shaminda Eranga, Pakistan needed 116.

Sarfraz hit four boundaries and a six off 46 balls.

But Misbah supported Ali as Pakistan achieved their second best chase in all Test cricket, behind the 314 they chased against Australia in Karachi in 1994.

Sri Lanka had won the second Test in Dubai by nine wickets while the first

Test ended in a draw in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan had lost Ahmed Shehzad (21), Khurram Manzoor (21) and Younis Khan (29) as they were derailed in their chase.

Needing to score at a rate of more than five an over to win, Pakistan were given a rapid 35-run start by the sixth over but paceman Suranga Lakmal (379) halted that progress by dismissing openers Shehzad and Manzoor within 13 runs. Younis Khan tried to increase the pace before being caught off Angelo Mathews two overs before tea, but the scenario changed in the last session.

With the series tied, Pakistan also remained unbeaten in five series in the United Arab Emirates, which has become their home since security fears sparked in the wake of attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009 - forced them to play at neutral venues.

31

Hockey: India now 7th in world rankings

India blew away the chance of making a top-five finish as they conceded two late goals to lose 12 against Belgium in the Hero World Hockey League on Saturday. India were leading 1-0 with just five minutes to go. That’s when the Europeans bounced back, scoring two quick goals to seal the match. There was, however, some good news for the hosts as despite the loss they improved their world ranking to No. 7 from No. 10. The last time they were ranked so high was way back in 2006. It was a match of missed opportunities for both the teams as they created several chances but failed to finish most of them.

Belgium had the edge in the first half when they looked the better team, forcing the Indians on the back foot with swift attacks. But despite their best effort, they could not take the lead as most of their attacks fizzed out near the Indian circle.

When they did manage to have a go at the Indian post, they were denied by goalkeeper P R Sreejesh, who had an impressive outing. After a barren first half, the Indians came back as a well-coordinated unit and started putting pressure on the rival defence, especially in the first part of the second half. But quite like the Belgians, they could not test the rival custodian consistently. After containing the Indian attack, Belgium forced three penalty corners in quick succession. But they failed to convert any of them. India too had their chance when they earned their first penalty corner but Rupinder Pal Singh’s drag-flicked was palmed away by the goalkeeper.

Sachin to mentor next generation cricketers

Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar will mentor 11 emerging players, including Parveez Rasool and Unmukt Chand, as part of an initiative by sports apparel giant Adidas. Adidas, which has already signed up Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina added some more names to its roster. Tendulkar welcomed the newest members of team Adidas - Unmukt Chand, Parveez Rasool, Vijay Zol, Manan Vohra, Manpreet Juneja, Rush Kalaria, Chirag Khurana, Akshdeep Nath, Vikas Mishra, Sarfaraz Khan and Aparajith Baba.

"This is a great initiative from Adidas to support the future of this sport, which encourages aspiring athletes to follow their passion and be part of an extraordinary league. Mentoring these talented young cricketers will let me be close to what I love and give back to the sport," Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket last year, said at the event. The 21-year-old Unmukt, is former Captain of the 2012 Under-19 World Cup champion team and played for the Delhi Daredevils in IPL this year. Rasool, 25, is the first Jammu and Kashmir cricketer to represent the Indian senior team. He captained his state team to the Ranji Trophy knock-out phase this year.

To receive Bharat Ratna on February 4: Tendulkar will receive the Bharat Ratna on February 4. According to a report, President Pranab Mukherjee will confer India's highest civilian award to Tendulkar at a ceremony to be held next month. Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket on November 16, 2013, was chosen for Bharat Ratna Award on the same day. At 40, Tendulkar is the youngest to be chosen for Bharat Ratna. He will be the 42nd recipient of the honour.

32

SPORT

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 25th January 2014

Australia take 3-0 lead in ODI series

Australia have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 5 match ODI series against England by winning the third One Day International series at Sydney on Sunday. Earlier Australia won the first and second ODIs at Melbourne and Brisbane.

Another series loss haunts England David Warner and Shaun Marsh smashed fifties to complement their bowlers' efforts as Australia crushed England by seven wickets in the third One-day International in Sydney on Sunday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. Warner blasted seven boundaries and two sixes in his 71 off just 70 balls at the top of the order while fellow left-hander Marsh remained unbeaten on 71.

The hosts comfortably chased down their 244-run target with 10 overs to spare as England continued the search for a first win of their wretched tour Down Under, during which they also lost the Ashes series 5-0.

Faulkner heroics seal victory James Faulkner`s sensational late assault powered Australia to a dramatic onewicket victory over England in the second one-day international in Brisbane.

England sensed the chance of securing their first win over Australia on the tour after Eoin Morgan`s sparkling 106 powered them to a commanding 300 for eight.

Australia made a feeble start to their chase but Shaun Marsh contributed 55 before Glenn Maxwell (54) and Faulkner (69 not out) provided the late surge that took the hosts past the victory target

with three balls to spare.

Needing 25 runs from the last two overs with number 11 batsman Clint McKay keeping him company, Faulkner blasted back-to-back sixes off Ben Stokes and stole a single off the last delivery of the penultimate over.

Facing Tim Bresnan in the final over and still needing 12 runs, Faulkner hammered three fours in a row to trigger wild celebrations around the ground.

Competitive total After Alastair Cook opted to bat first, Morgan teamed up with Jos Buttler (49) to plunder 117 runs in 11.2 overs and help England post a competitive total against an Australian attack boosted by the return of Ashes hero Mitchell Johnson.

Batting on one, Morgan was caught off Clarke at deep midwicket but the 27-year-old

left-hander had the presence of mind to point out there was one extra fielder outside the ring and get the delivery adjudged a no-ball.

He went on to complete his first fifty in 70 balls and took only 24 balls for his next fifty, hitting five of his six sixes during that stage. The Dublin-born player brought up his sixth ODI century in spectacular fashion, bending backwards to guide a short Nathan Coulter-Nile delivery over the wicketkeeper`s head for a boundary.

Captain Cook mulls quitting ODIs Alastair Cook is considering his future as England's One-day International captain after his side lost the limited overs series against Australia with the seven-wicket thrashing in Sydney on Sunday.

England's disastrous tour Down Under continued as

they lost their third consecutive ODI after being whitewashed 5-0 in the Ashes series. “I think English cricket needs a little bit of a change,” said Cook, who leads England in Tests and the 50-over format. “We'll talk over a lot of things. I think there will be some changes. We have kept losing games of cricket and I haven't been able to turn it around.”

After losing the last ODI against Australia at home, England have lost nine consecutive matches under Cook, including the Ashes Tests. “I think I'm going to have to make a decision on that after you take stock of the next two games,” Cook said of his captaincy. “There's two matches left and we have to try to win a game. “They've won a lot of cricket against us over the past two months and it's difficult to stop that.”

security clearance by their respective boards, but added he was confident all five nations would take part.

"Even if one team does not come, the tournament will go ahead," said Huq. "But I am sure they will all be here."

The International Cricket Council is due to hold a security assessment meeting in Dhaka to determine if the World Twenty20 can be hosted there.

The five-nation event, which also features India,

debutants Afghanistan and the hosts, will be played in c a p i t a l Dhaka and its southern suburban town of Fatullah.

E a c h team will play each other once in the league, with the final scheduled at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla stadium on March 8.

The first five league matches will be held at the 18,000-capacity Fatullah Cricket Stadium, which has hosted one Test in April 2006 and five one-day internationals.

A Sri Lankan cricket official said that its team's bilateral tour to Bangladesh starting on January 27 would go ahead as scheduled.

"We are very positive about playing in Bangladesh," Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said. "We look forward to playing there."

Bangladesh Cricket Board's interim chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury reiterated his country's commitment to deliver a successful Asia Cup. "Cricket unites Bangladesh like nothing else," he said. "The event comes at a very busy juncture for us. The World Twenty20 is only two months away, while Sri Lanka will be arriving in just over a week's time.

"This is a huge challenge for the BCB from an organisational perspective but I am confident that our dedicated work force will be up to it."

Pakistan won the previous Asia Cup, also played in Dhaka in March, 2012, by defeating the hosts by two runs in an exciting final.

Asia Cup to be held in Bangladesh, say organisers

Organisers of cricket's Asia Cup insisted the tournament would go ahead in troubled Bangladesh next month, even if one of the teams pulled out on safety grounds, as they unveiled the schedule last week.

Defending champions Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in the opening match of the 50 over tournament on February 25, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced at a press conference in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

Bangladesh has been rocked by some of the deadliest political violence in its history in recent weeks, prompting speculation that the World Twenty20, due to be held in the country from March 16 to April 6, may be shifted elsewhere.

ACC chief executive Ashraful Huq told reporters in Dhaka that the teams' participation was subject to

Bravo, Gayle agree to accept WICB retainer contracts

Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle have decided to accept retainer contracts with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) after years of refusing it. The move by Gayle and Bravo represents a turnaround from their decision not to accept retainer contracts in 2010 while a third player who did not sign that same year, Kieron Pollard, is still not on the list of players retained. Gayle, West Indies captain at the time, refused to sign in 2010 when Ernest Hilaire was WICB's CEO and was replaced by Darren Sammy later that year. The new WICB CEO Michael Muirhead says Gayle and Bravo's willingness to enter into contracts with the WICB at this time speaks for itself. "I would like to believe it was a re-commitment to West Indies cricket from both of them (Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle). They were advised that they were being awarded contracts and they accepted," said new WICB CEO Michael Muirhead. "So it augurs well for West Indies cricket and we really did not have to go into negotiations or anything, so it means that they are re-committed to West Indies cricket and the fact they are presenting themselves, making themselves available at the expense of the other leagues speaks for itself so I am happy about that."

Off-spinner Sunil Narine, who had once opted out of a contract, is now on the list which also includes prolific Test batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Johnson pips Clarke to Allan Border medal

Australia's Ashes hero Mitchell Johnson denied Michael Clarke a hat-trick when the paceman edged his skipper in a tight vote to pick up a maiden Allan Border medal on Monday. The 32-year-old, adjudged man of the series in Australia's 5-0 Ashes triumph over England, garnered 168 votes, 12 more than his captain, to cap a spectacular comeback by claiming his country's most prestigious individual award. "It has been an amazing journey coming back from injury, having a lot of doubters out there," said Johnson, who collected more wickets than any of his compatriots across three formats of the game. "But I just knew in my own heart that if I had that opportunity that I could make the most of it," said the left-arm paceman, who was named International Cricket Council's International Player of the Year in 2009.

Tasmanian James Faulkner, whose scintillating late assault powered Australia to a thrilling one-wicket win over England in the Brisbane one-dayer on Friday, came third with 121 votes in the poll drawn from fellow players, the media and umpires. Clarke, however, could not be denied Australia's Test Player of the Year award, while George Bailey (one-day internationals) and Aaron Finch (Twenty20) won honours in the shorter formats.