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VOL 41. ISSUE 37

80p

26th January to 1st February 2013

Agrees to appoint a caretaker PM ahead of next election and electoral reforms Sushilkumar Shinde

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Stepping up its attack on India’s home minister Sushilkumar Shinde over his remarks on "Hindu terrorism" and "saffron terrorism,� the BJP on Monday demanded his removal from the cabinet and an unconditional apology from Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said Shinde's remarks were irresponsible and condemnable, and accused the Congress of practicing vote-bank politics.

"I condemn it strongly, very forcefully. It is a malicious comment by lightweight home minister who does not know what he is talking," he said. Prasad said the party would hold protests across the country on Jan 24 against Shinde's remarks and would also burn effigies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Shinde had referred to Hindu terrorism and saffron terrorism during the Congress conclave in Jaipur on Sunday.

"After investigations, we have seen that be it the BJP or the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), their training camps are promoting Hindu terrorism.

Continued on page 26

Pakistan government survived a major test last week by agreeing to appoint a caretaker prime minister by consensus ahead of the next election as part of a deal struck with fiery cleric Tahir-ul Qadri to end his protest near parliament that had put intense pressure on the country's fragile coalition.

"I congratulate you.

Today is the day of victory for the people of Pakistan.

You should go home as peacefully as you came here," Qadri told his supporters on the fourth day of his sit-in protest.

The five-point agreement was hammered out by Qadri and an 11-member government team after five hours of talks at the site of the protest. The ruling Pakistan People's Party and its allies conceded most of the demands made by Qadri, including the dissolution of the National Assembly and electoral reforms. The agreement, which was signed by Qadri, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and the members of the government negotiating team, envisages a key role for the cleric's party, Pakistan Awami Tehreek, in electoral reforms and the appointment of a caretaker PM. "The treasury benches, in complete consensus with Pakistan Awami Tehreek, will propose names of two honest and impartial persons for appointment as caretaker PM," the agreement said.

The National Assembly will be dissolved before it

Tahir-ul Qadri

completes its term on March 16 so that the polls can take place within 90 days, the deal said.

Qadri's demand for changes in the election commission will be discussed at a meeting between government leaders and Pakistan Awami Tehreek representatives in Lahore. Law minister Farooq Naek will convene a meeting of leading lawyers to discuss proposed changes.

A month will be given for scrutiny of nomination papers for "pre-clearance" of candidates under Articles 62 and 63 of the constitution by the election commission. No candidate will be allowed to start his campaign until he gets pre-clearance from the poll panel, the deal said.

The agreement said the proposed electoral reforms will focus on Qadri's demand for enforcement Articles 62, 63 and 218 (3) of the constitution, the Representation of Peoples' Act and a supreme court

judgment for free and fair polls. The two sides also agreed to withdraw all cases registered against each other during Qadri's protest.

Earlier, the Pakistanborn Canadian cleric Tahirul Qadri said he reserves the right to take extreme measures if the agreement signed with the government was not implemented.

Qadri, who shook the Pakistan government with his three-day siege of the

capital demanding dissolution of parliament, had left for Lahore after signing an agreement with the government on the timing of the general elections.

Claiming his 'long march' as successful and congratulating the entire nation, the Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran (TMQ) leader after reaching Lahore told reporters that if the agreement signed with the government was not implemented, they reserved the right to take extreme measures.

Appeal for calm after restaurant attack in Leicester Mood remains tensed amongst Leicester residents following a rampage with an alleged communal undertone, involving Sikhs and Muslims in the community.

Leicester's top officers and representatives from the city's council of faiths met on Wednesday, 16 January, after a Muslim-owned Moghul Durbar restaurant in East Park Road, Spinney Hills was ransacked by a 40-member Sikh mob on Monday, 14th. Rumours are rife that this attack is connected to the alleged sexual assault of a 16-year old Sikh girl.

Cllr Manjula Sood, Assistant City Mayor and Chairman of the Leicester Council of Faiths, was at the meeting. "Both the Sikh and Muslim commuManjula Sood nities are anxious, but they must trust the police to sort this matter out. We should not let this one incident destroy everything we have worked to build over all these years. Police have

been in touch with all the religious communities and we are meeting to see how we can resolve this issue safely and without any more incidents," she told the Leicester Mercury. City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has also been in contact with the police and has appealed for calm.

Meanwhile, the police have maintained that the rumours linking the teenage girl's sexual assault and the restaurant incident are false and Continued on page 2

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UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

Keith Vazwith MP

Keith Vaz MP

Mike Freer MP

firsthand her amazing abilities as PM, whilst continuing to be an outstanding constituency MP. Outside of politics, my Father. We were politically opposite and so we argued and argued but he was always supportive and encouraged me to stay politically active.

Mike Freer is the Member of Parliament for Finchley and Golders Green, having been elected in May 2010 with a majority of just under 6,000. Born in Manchester and educated at Chadderton Grammar School, Oldham and St Aidan’s School Carlisle. He attended the University of Stirling studying Accountancy and Business law. He has lived in Finchley for twenty five years and previously represented Finchley Church End as a local Councillor and serving as Leader of Barnet Council between 2006 and 2009.

Mike is a Vice-President of the All Party Parliamentary Group Against Anti-Semitism and co-chaired the first backbencher debate on this issue. He is also a Member of the APPG on Islamaphobia and a Trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day. Before entering politics Mike spent most of his career in retail banking for Barclays Bank plc as well as some time with Deloitte & Touche as a management consultant. He has a good history of voluntary and community work which included being treasurer of the Barnet Tsunami Appeal, Chairman of Barnet Multi-faith forum, former hospice and a ‘meals on wheels’ volunteer.

1) What inspired you to stand for Parliament?

There were two main drivers.

Firstly I felt there were too few MPs with business experience.

Having worked for large corporate companies and also having been self-employed, I knew who could read a P&L account! Secondly, whilst Leader of London Borough of Barnet I saw how clever ideas in Whitehall turned into misguided burdens, e.g. sure start was meant to provide targeted support to families in poorer areas, but turned into childcare in the most affluent parts of my

7) And the worst?

The belief by some that MPs are only in the job for themselves 8) What are your long term goals?

To be respected as a good constituency MP

constituency.

2) What are your proudest achievements in politics?

So far, persuading the Government to make residential squatting illegal and helping a local disabled constituent sort out her debt problems and getting her the local support she needed.

3) Please tell us about your current position?

As backbench MP I spend a significant amount of my time handling emails from constituents and I pride myself on handling most personally. That

Brit Asian climber dies in a Highlands avalanche A climber who died along with three friends in an avalanche in the Scottish Highlands has been named as Dr Rachel Majumdar from Merseyside.

Christopher Bell, from Blackburn, Una Finnegan from County Londonderry and Tom Chesters, from Sidmouth in Devon, also died in Saturday's incident.

A 24-year-old woman, who remains critical in hospital, and a sixth climber, a man, survived.

They had been descending a mountain in Glencoe.

The group were caught up in the avalanche on Bidean nam Bian at about 2pm GMT. It is thought the five of them were carried down the mountain when the slope they were on broke away. The sixth member survived by leaping from the collapsing snow and hammering an ice axe into the ground.

Dr Majumdar, 29, was a doctor working at Harrogate District Hospital.

She was originally from Merseyside and had recently been living in Leeds. She was the daughter of former Mersey Docks and Harbour Company chief executive Buddha Majumdar, now a Mersey Maritime ports and terminals consultant. Her family were too upset to

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

Being able to cut through the red tape and bureaucracy on behalf of local people

way I can see what is going on and hopefully spot issues that are building. In addition I continue to work with all my faith groups to build dialogue and understanding. I have one of the most diverse constituencies and seeing communities and faiths interact is terrific.

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

The lack of time to juggle a business career and a political career.

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

Politically Margaret Thatcher, not only motivating me whilst I was involved in student politics, but also whilst I was a Councillor in Finchley I saw

9) If you were Secretary General of the United Nations, what one thing would you change?

I would stop the merry-goround of appointing Secretary Generals based on the continent they come from and ensure they appointed the best person for the job.

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

Gandhi – to learn how to manage and channel personal frustrations and how to achieve change through quiet, peaceful, determination.

Muslim extremists enforce Sharia Law on the streets of East London Islamic extremists have launched vigilante patrols in London, especially in areas of Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest to enforce sharia by confiscating alcohol from residents and ordering women not to wear short skirts, as reported by The Sunday Times.

Scotland Yard has been forced to increase police presence in parts of the capital after intimidatory tactics deployed by hooded zealots who claim to be protecting “Muslim areas”.

The vigilantes, who call them-

selves the Muslim Patrol, say they are “implementing Islam upon the necks” of non-believers.

Footage of their activities was taken down from YouTube last week because it contravened the site’s rules on harassment, bullying and threatening behaviour.

They are believed to be linked to the many offshoots of alMuhajiroun, an extremist group banned by the Home Office.

Police believe it was filmed by the vigilantes in Whitechapel last weekend. It features at least two men, including one wearing a

hooded top, targeting residents late at night.

The vigilante patrols are thought to involve a very small number of trouble-makers whose actions have disgusted the majority of Muslims in the area.

A Metropolitan police spokesman said: “Officers on duty are being briefed as to what has occurred and what to be on the lookout for. Patrols in the areas affected have also been increased in an effort to catch those carrying this out and to reassure the local community.”

Appeal for calm after restaurant attack in Leicester Dr Rachel Majumdar

speak at their home in Hoylake. Police had withheld her name until Monday to allow Dr Majumdar’s extended family to be informed. She was a keen member of Deeside Orienteering Club, which paid tribute on its website and Twitter.

Rachel, was alongside her partner, Tom Chesters, after they were caught up in the deadly surge of snow while coming down from a peak in Glencoe on Saturday.

Friends of the group said Dr Majumdar and Mr Chesters, 28, had been together for several years since meeting at university in Leeds and had “such a good future” ahead of them.

Continued from page 1 that the attacks were fuelled by misinformation, "We are aware of a number of rumours and misinformation which is circulating within the communities in Leicester," City Police Commissioner, Rob Nixon told the Mercury. “Firstly, a rumour that a Sikh girl has been raped and Leicestershire Police has done nothing despite being in possession of video evidence of that rape. This is not true.

Reports that a Sikh girl has been snatched from outside a gurdwara in Leicester are also false.”

Commissioner Nixon, however, confirmed to the Mercury that they were investigating another incident involving a young girl but no further details were given, "As part of a separate investigation, officers are speaking with a girl and her family in relation to concerns her family have raised for her welfare. We are unable to

comment further on this investigation.” He also urged members of the community to not engage in speculation about links between the two incidents amidst fears that it may spark communal tensions in the city.

On Saturday, 19 January, five men aged 20, 22 25, 27 and 39, and a 15-year-old boy, were arrested from different addresses in Leicester, in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl in the city. All are currently being held in police custody and investigations continue.

Six men have now also been charged over the restaurant attack.

Mukesh Naker from British Hindu Voice has written a letter to Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, following the above incident, expressing his concern and asking the MP to take a lead in reshaping the Leicester City's strategy on

community cohesion including community representation in publicly funded bodies and allocation of community grant resources.

Balwinder Singh Rana from the organisation 'Sikhs against EDL' have also appealed for calm. “We add our voice to that of the police and urge people to keep calm. If they have any concerns then they should report to the police and not try to take the law into their own hands,” said Balwinder Singh Rana. He further added, “any such conflict between members of the Sikh and Muslim communities would only play into the hands of the racists like the English Defence League (EDL). They would try to exploit the situation for their own purposes. Last year they tried to hijack a Sikh protest outside the police station in Luton and they are always looking for opportunities to ‘divide & rule’.”

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

Comment

Dilemma of India’s Pakistan policy The discovery of the decapitated corpse of an Indian soldier on the LoC in Kashmir has been received with widespread revulsion and outrage across the country. Calls for a revision of India’s Pakistan policy grow ever louder. It is something no responsive government can afford to ignore, and signs of a hardening stance in New Delhi are becoming visible. The emollient Manmohan Singh, who had reposed his faith and reputation on an Indo-Pakistan détente, is clearly having second thoughts about its wisdom.. “It cannot be business as usual,” he told reporters. There are, however, contrarian media voices who think otherwise.

In an edit-page article in the Times of India, Jyoti Malhotra, having made a glancing statement of repugnance to the ghastly deed, devoted the rest of her piece to a labored plea to press on regardless, arguing disingenuously that it is in India’s interest to strengthen Pakistani democratic institutions.

That change surely has to come from within the country, there is a limit to what an external power, especially India, for whom there is an implant of intense hatred and paranoia, can provide. If bountiful America, with its cornucopia of military and economic aid, evokes such suspicion and hostility, what can India possibly have of doing better?

Disengaging from reality, Ms Malhotra has not a word to say about the military conflicts initiated by Pakistan in Kashmir in 1947, over Kashmir in 1965, over Bangladesh in 1971 and on Kashmir’s Kargil heights in 1999. Nor does she make the slightest reference to the terror attacks, sponsored from across the border, in Mumbai in 1993, 2006 and on November 26, 2008. There have also been an attack on Parliament in New Delhi on December 13, 2001 and others in Hyderabad and Bangalore. Are these to be discounted? Truth is that there has been vacuous double- talk on relations with Pakistan, the sort of twaddle resonating with the hype on the Arab spring. Such specious special pleading condemns itself..

Nirupama Subramanian’s edit-page article in the Hindu, warning India to “Beware of the dogs of

war” was all of a piece with the self-flagellating rectitude on offer in the Times of India. With Pakistan stubbornly in denial, whether on the bloodshed of 26/11 or the latest outrage on Kashmir border the future seems bleak., The nature of the unremitting security challenge India faces was brought home by the trial of the Chicagobased Pakistan businessman Tahahawwur Rana, who has been sentenced to a 14-year prison term for providing material support to the terrorist Laskar-e-Taiba terrorist group and to a foiled plot in Denmark in 2009. His trial revealed strong evidence of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence Directorate involvement in the Mumbai 26/11 terror attack and it also threw light on Rana’s close friendship with David Colman Headley who has admitted to being a Laskar-e-Taiba operative.

As Pakistan is a strategic partner of choice for the US, UK and China, with each of whom India has critical relationships, their concerns have to be taken on board in New Delhi. Cutting off ten Pakistani heads in retaliation for the one severed, as suggested by Sushma Swaraj was unbecoming of a senior opposition member of Parliament. Revenge is best served cold. This promises to be a long game. India has its own cards to play. Patience and resolution leavened by common sense and flexibility will determine the outcome of this contest.

A final word. Encouraging cricket ties to promote a non-existing friendship was naïve, to put it mildly. Sports of themselves do not have the desired result. Witness the 1936 Berlin Olympiad which, while not the cause of conflict, generated little goodwill in the host country and its Nazi regime, and played no part whatsoever in preventing the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.

South Africa’s apartheid white supremacist rulers, although fervently keen on rugby and cricket, did nothing for inter-racial accord within the country or build bridges with the world at large. This is something India’s Pakistan lobby would do well to consider. Clichés and shibboleths, having had their day, should be given an appropriate burial.

To be or not to be in the European Union David Cameron’s Conservative-Lib Dem coalition has outlined its agenda for its remaining years in office. Its first years were buoyed by hopes of an economic recovery, following a recommended period of austerity. The medicine has not brought the predicted miracle cure, as is also the case in the Eurozone, where Greece, Spain and Italy, in particular, continue to suffer with no respite in sight.

The anti-Europe mutterings of Conservative MPs have fused with Tory discontent in the shires, where membership of the EU has always seen as a manifestation of original sin. Both sides ascribe much of Britain’s economic woes to the rules and regulations of its EU membership. Confronted by the rising swell of anti- EU sentiment, Mr Cameron has promised a national referendum in 2015 on the issue of Britain’s membership of that body. The prime minister has promised renegotiation, but is this a feasible proposition? Finland and the Netherlands, both close friends of the UK, have their own bones to pick with Brussels, but these are minor bones that do not warrant major renegotiation as sought by London. The Germans occupy the middle ground between conciliation and firm-

ness, the latter being the French position, which has less space for British cherry-picking. As the Franco-German axis list at the heart of the European Union, British re-negotiation appears at this stage unlikely to get off the ground.

There is the further domestic problem of a divided coalition, since the Lib-Dems are strongly pro-European and have never deviated from their time-honoured loyalty to the European project. Will the two poles of government part company,, as is likely, or will they cobble some sort of compromise short of a permanent solution? Who can tell.

Meanwhile, further afield in Scotland the promised referendum on Scottish independence may go against the union, with the ruling Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) strongly in favour of the European Union. Economic and political issues together with that of the Constitution are a heady mix of national affirmation and separatism. How to square the circle will require the wisdom of a Solomon. Such a person may still be wrapped in swaddling clothes. In which case he will not be man enough to join the debate and bring wisdom to the table..

European sense dispels British nonsense The European Court of human rights has issued a judgment in favour of a 60-year-old Coptic Christian woman, Nadia Eweida, a British Airways employee who chose to wear a small crucifix on her dress in violation of a management order. The court ordered the British government to pay her 1,600 pounds sterling in damages and 25,000 pounds sterling in costs. It said the British authorities had “failed” sufficiently to protect her rights under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Shami Charaborty, Director of the human rights group, Liberty, called the ruling “an excellent result for equal treatment, religious freedom and common sense.” The slide into stupidity is best exemplified

by London’s civic authorities removing the word “Christmas” from the label of the tree gifted annually to the British capital, as a remembrance of wartime friendship and solidarity against German

aggression. This mindless display of officiousness was seeded in the desire to appear respectable and acceptable, if the truth be told, with hardline elements within the Muslim community, whose demands on all manner of things are endless, but whose willingness to accommodate the sensitivities of others is constrained, they say, by holy writ.

Appeasement of this sort rarely achieves the sought after security and social goals, it simply inflames passions for further privilege. Different nations have their mainstream religious affiliations, identities and traditions. Britain and Europe happen to be Christian, just as muli-faith India’s is mainly Hindu and Japan is Buddhist. But lodged in their traditions and practices are spaces for other faiths and traditions to exist side by side in peace and prosperity and mutual respect. Secularist social surgery creates new wounds that are difficult to heal. The case in question, common humanity prevailed. Mercifully so.

3

According to Karma Yoga, the action one has done cannot be destroyed, until it has borne its fruit; no power in nature can stop it from yielding its results - Swami Vivekananda

“Our London” Navin Shah

GLA Member for Brent and Harrow

Metropolitian Police support for rape victims in India On January 16 the London Assembly debated a motion related to the shocking rape incident in Delhi with a particular focus to see what expertise and practical help London’s Police can render to Delhi’s Police and the Authorities. The motion was proposed by Assembly Member Dr Onkar Sahota which paid tribute to the victim and used Delhi as an example to stress this heinous problem worldwide and the need to eradicate it. Marking the unity of purpose the motion was approved unanimously by all political parties. The following is the summary and edited version of my thoughts and contribution to the debate From the shocking incident it would not be appropriate to draw any such conclusion that women have no place in India. When one examines India’s history and its cultural and religious heritage it is evident that women occupy prominent positions. It is for this reason that for the Indians, India is ‘mother India’ - one that we love and cherish. But India is full of contrasts. Against such history and strong values it also has shameful statistics of rape which are most devastating. We cannot and must not allow the abuse of mother-India’s daughters to continue..

The question posed by the London Assembly’s motion was what can the Metropolitan Police do to help the Indian Police? The incident has raised critical issues where the support and expertise of Metropolitan Police to

the Indian Police and the Authorities can be vital to examine and improve local policies and practices. In the main the issues are that of victim support, dealing with perpetrators, multiagency working, see how the initiatives and proactive work of the Met Police like the ‘Sapphire Unit’ and the ‘Rape Crisis Centres’ might work in India to help the victims. I believe that the London Ambulance Service too can play a positive role in sharing good practice as the Delhi incident has raised some major issues of medical attention to the victims both at the incident site as well as after care. The purpose of the debate would be well served if the London Assembly and the Mayor are able to lead on this front to ensure that Indian Agencies are given due practical help and benefit of the expertise from London’s agencies like the Met Police, Victim Support and the Ambulance Service.

Bleack future for the London fire brigade At least for the last couple of years I’ve strongly argued that it is fundamentally wrong for the Government and the Mayor of London to impose crippling 20% to 25% cuts to emergency services resulting in major crisis situation for both the Metropolitan Police, and London’s Fire Authority (LFEPA).

I have not doubt that such draconian cuts put the safety and security of Londoners at risk.

Continued on page 6

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Midlands Voice

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 26th January 2013

Keith Vaz meets father of missing Indian student Souvik Pal The Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Keith Vaz MP, met the father of the missing Indian student Souvik Pal, who was last seen leaving a New Year’s Eve party in Manchester.

The meeting was organised at the request of Mr Pal and his family.

The Indian national, studying product design at Manchester Metropolitan University, was last seen at 11pm on 31st December 2012 leaving a party at the Warehouse Project on Trafford Wharf Road, less than 200m from Old Trafford Stadium. Initial enquiries have so far failed to discover his whereabouts.

Mr Vaz was joined by local MP Lucy Powell at a meeting with Souvik’s father Santanu Pal at 12.30pm on the steps of Manchester Town Hall, Thursday 17th January 2013.

Keith Vaz said, “It is now 17 days since Souvik’s disappearance and I am very concerned for his welfare. I have been contacted by his father Santanu Pal who is understandably extremely distressed.

On Monday, I raised his disappear-

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In Brief Weak tremors shake East Midlands

Souvik’s friends from Manchester Metropolitan University holding a march to raise awareness with Souvik's father Santanu Pal (centre, front row), Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP (right, front row) and Lucy Powell MP (left, front row)

ance with Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police.

It is important that the police continue to focus their efforts on locating Souvik, but the public also has an important role. I have also spoken to Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd.

Everyone seems to be working very hard but we must all try harder to locate Souvik.

If anybody thinks they have any information regarding his disappearance they should immediately contact Greater Manchester Police.”

Birmingham men jailed for planning to steal £375k from Singapore investor Two Birmingham men have been jailed for their part in a plot to steal £375,000 from a wealthy foreign businessman.

Mohamad Farah jailed for two and a half years for leading the plot.

Farah, 27, from Aston, was aided in his crime by former Barclays worker Sahail Akram, 33, from Hockley, who was jailed for two years.

Akram, who worked for Barclays Bank Wealth, allegedly passed on details of Singapore-based investment banker Amit Prakash to Farah, and other gang members, a local newspaper has reported.

Their plot was foiled when one of the crooks tried to impersonate Mr Prakash and got his security questions wrong.

Farah later managed to dupe bank bosses out of £5,000 by telling them he had inside information about the source of the leak and claiming that he would pass this on to newspapers if they did not pay him.

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Prosecutor Richard Hearnden told the court: “The caller was confident about answering the security questions.

The first question was to confirm two digits from his five digit security code.

“The fraudster had no idea and guessed, incorrectly, saying he had forgotten.

“He also knew if he was asked alternative questions he was able to answer, including the date of birth.”

But the fraudsters apparently did not realise that Mr Prakash had recently notified the bank that he had moved house in Singapore. When asked about the ‘previous home address’, the fraudster gave the wrong answer and was asked to come into the office to continue the authorisation process.

“You could say the game was up,” said Mr Hearnden. “He agreed to do this but didn’t turn up and was never heard from again.

“The same day Mr Farah contacted

Barclays Bank to alert them to a fraud.

He pretended he was attempting to blow the whistle and he said he would go to the press if he was not given a reward of £40,000.”

He pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to acquire, use or possess criminal property.

Akram, who later worked at United National Bank in Birmingham, was found guilty of the same charge at a trial at the Old Bailey in London.

Akram had left Barclays in August 2010, five months before the attempt to move £375,000 from Mr Prakash’s account. But when investigators examined his email archive they found messages linking him to Farah and several customer accounts.

Other incriminating documents were found at his home on his arrest, including a Post-It note showing how the stolen money would be divided between seven people.

A 2.9 magnitude earthquake has struck the east Midlands, the British Geological Survey said on Friday 18 January. The tremor was reported across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. Julian Bukits of the BSG said the earthquake happened at 5.20am and was ''average'' for the UK. Leicestershire Police said they had received no reports of any tremors and had not been called out to any incidents. On October 28 2001 there was a 4.1 earthquake near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, which Mr Bukits described as "big by UK standards".

Putting this quake into perspective, the expert said it was a million times weaker than the 8.9 earthquake which struck off the Japanese coast, causing a devastating tsunami in March 2011. Earthquakes in the UK are described as intraplate seismic activity, as they take place far from tectonic plate boundaries.

Worker attempting to illegally sell Viagra given suspended jail sentence

A warehouse worker caught with a supply of Viagra he hoped to sell has been given a suspended jail sentence, the Leicester Mercury has reported. Imran Ali (26) allegedly obtained 500 tablets from a friend in India for £50.

He planned to sell the blister packs, each containing 10 tablets, for about £10 each, Leicester Crown Court was told.

However, he gave away 40 tablets to friends. Police stopped him in a car in the city centre and found him in possession of 460 tablets. Ali, of Trueway Road, Leicester, admitted possessing Viagra with intent to supply it when he was not authorised to do so, on October 11 last year. In mitigation, the court heard it was an amateur attempt by Ali to make a profit, but he was caught before he actually sold any.

He was given a six-month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work, the newspaper reported.

UK's first Sikh peer Lord Tarsem King passes away Hundreds of people including community leaders and members of the Parliament attended the funeral of UK's first Sikh peer, Lord Tarsem King (pictured), who died of a suspected heart attack on 9 January 2013, at Euston station in London. He was 75.

Lord King served as a Councillor in Sandwell Council from 1979 to 2007; he was a deputy mayor from 1982 to 1983.

He was created a life peer in 1999 as Baron King of West

Mourners outside Sandwell Valley Crematorium

Bromwich in the County of West Midlands.

Community members and mourners paid tributes in his tearful adieu on Thursday 18 January.

Notables such as Keith Vaz MP, Virendra Sharma MP and Tom Watson MP were there to pay their respects. Keith Vaz MP said Tarsem was a “the role model for every Asian politician” and represented the end of the great pioneers who came with

nothing and left with much”.

Speaking at Lord King's funeral in West Bromwich, Virendra Sharma, MP described him as a kind, gentle and community oriented man and longstanding public servant.

Sharma said, "I want to pay tribute to Lord King as a dedicated member who has made great contributions to Parliament and the community."

"I have had a long association with Lord King and today, I am

saddened at the loss of a great man, friend and community and society leader," he said.

Lord King was a very humble and compassionate man and very well respected. Lord King has left an extraordinary legacy that will be remembered by future generations, he added.

Many people attended the funeral with screens set up outside the crematorium so that they could pay their last respects to the departed soul.

Funeral procession

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

5

An Exciting Future for the Successful DVK Brand Rani Singh DVK Group is expanding rapidly, increasing its industry and sector focus within the DVK core of trading. Over the last four months DVK has established an office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In the second week of February it will launch an office in Bahrain. It has plans for Yeman, Qatar, Sudan and North African countries.

DVK trades in an array of commodities; offers corporate clients structured trade and commodity finance, private equity, and bespoke structured corporate finance.

Deepak Kuntawala’s family traded in Zambia since 1932. His grandfather started the business, called Kuntawala & Co, in Kabwe, Zambia.

It focused on clothing, houseware, American motor vehicles and property.

In 1977, Deepak’s father and uncles established a giftware trading business in the UK, Kaysons Trading Co. As a child, growing up, Deepak imbibed some business acumen by helping out in the holidays.

Later, as a graduate, he worked in blue-chip investment bank organizations.

When his uncle retired in 1999, Deepak joined the family trading business, which led to the creation of the DVK brand.

At that time, DVK designed giftware, manufactured in China and other Far Eastern destinations. Clients like TK Maxx demanded credit lines, but suppliers in the Far East required manufacturing finance upfront.

Recognizing the gap in supply chain finance, Deepak leveraged a stake in a trade finance and commodity-trading company established in Hong

meat, alcohol or tobacco. The group is a stakeholder in an established regulated business based in the City of London, City Equities Limited; it is therefore, able to leverage the regulated permissions of City Equities Limited through an appointed representative. DVK has a specialist professional compliance team to manage the requirements of the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

DVK has exclusive petro chemical DVK Group Chairman Deepak allocations and agenKuntawala with the Young cies. New markets Entrepreneur award are developing in terKong in 1980. ritories like China, Sri The finance operation Lanka, America and cerevolved into private equitain African countries like ty, structured investment Tanzania. vehicles, and structured DVK has a flourishing corporate finance. Deepak aviation wing, and has an orchestrated a manageexclusive mandate to ment buyout of the DVK expand its aviation cargo giftware business in 2006 business in the Middle to focus solely on comEast, especially within the modity trading and strucKSA and other Gulf tured finance. The acumen States. There will be DVK developed enabled routes to certain African the acquisition of busicountries and Gulf States. nesses in trading, aviation It will increase its acquisiand high-level infrastruction of private jet busiture projects. Deepak nesses, aircraft and develgained extra finance qualiop new markets in the fications from Cranfield Gulf region.

Business School, the DVK is also launching London Business School a shariah investment fund. and Said Business School It will establish infrastrucin Oxford. Later this year, ture projects in Africa and Dee will attend finance the Gulf, mid-2013. programs at Wharton The group’s successful Business School and performance in the last Harvard in 2014. quarter has led to the establishment of a DVK office in Bahrain in collaboration with a member of the Bahraini royal family.

Deepak is courted by political leaders, royal families and presidentscurrent and former. In Regarding regulation London recently, he was and ethical standards, presented to President Bill DVK is stringent. The Clinton through social and group does not finance business contacts he any transactions involving shares with the former

It is marketed as the very best of British, a handbag that has become the season’s must-have after capturing the heart of the Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister Pippa Middleton, who currently promotes it widely.

But what Modalu London’s thousands of admirers may not realise that what seems to be an essentially British made brand has actually hired a firm in India to make the bags, using workers on the lowest rung of the social ladder, who are paid as little as 17p an hour for their efforts, said a recent Daily Mail report.

Modalu has outsourced production to two facilities in Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India’s southernmost state and the cen-

However he has no idea on who Pipa Middleton is.

Although Modalu’s is not a sweatshop – the factory is clean, with ceiling fans to cool staff – there is no escaping the fact that some of these people, mostly from Dalit background are the most poorly paid in India. Higher castes generally refuse to work with the hides of cattle, which are considered by many Hindus to be sacred animals.

A study last year by the respected Asian Floor Wage Alliance calculated that the minimum living wage – the amount needed to live a basic but decent existence in India – was 12,096 rupees a month, or £138, far higher than the £35.96 which Mr Dugar’s lowest paid workers earn.

Deepak Kuntawala with Saudi Prince

Presidents inner circle.

One of the most important jewels in the DVK crown is a Saudi Crown Prince, who has recently been appointed as a Non-Executive Chairman of DVK Saudi.

Deepak was recommended to the prince by three clients in Russia, China and the Gulf. An invitation to meet the prince and his private office in KSA followed, and the establishment of DVK Saudi –which will be the regional HQ for the group.

DVK Saudi has exclusive infra structure projects in China, private equity transactions in Russia and various parts of Africa.

But the past five years not been without some challenges.

Deepak lost his moth-

er in 2007. On the first anniversary of her passing, when he took his father, Vinay to Mumbai for a quiet holiday, the 2008 Mumbai attacks occurred and Vinay, while escaping as a hostage fell, 24 ft from the first floor of the Taj hotel. He was disabled for life.

Deepak had to absorb the shock and despite the odds, forged ahead, building DVK. For his courage in the Mumbai attack, Dee was given a bravery award by the Governor of Maharashtra. This all happened during the world economic crisis.

Deepak has a strong sense of corporate social responsibility and launched a charity after the Mumbai attack. HRH Prince Michael of Kent

Every day some of the country’s brightest maths graduates go to work to do one thing. Teach.

This year over 70% of new trainee teachers had a first or a 2:1. If you join them you could get a tax-free bursary up to £20,000*, or a scholarship to train as a maths teacher. It all adds up.

Search ‘get into teaching’ or call 0800 389 2500.

Poorly paid Indian workers churn out £200 handbags sported by Pippa Middleton

tre of its leather industry.

They are owned by Intan Exim Private Ltd, run by Tridip Dugar. His leather is produced by his Creative Tannery Ltd and the bags are put together at the Tanstyle factory.

became a patron. A successful Kensington Palace launch followed.

Positive thinking, self belief and faith in the DVK vision are the cornerstones of the DVK success.

Indeed, the DVK brand logo symbolizes the group philosophy. D is the initial for Deepak, V stands for Vinay, Deepak’s father, and the K is for Kuntawala. But the letters are designed to look like boomerangs, to signal, Deepak says, that what you throw out always comes back to you. Look again at the logo and you find the letters resembling a ship’s sails, blowing against the wind. The V is shaped like an anchor, demonstrating the DVK ability to stay still and gain stability in high tide. The logo is in black and white, indicating light in the middle of darkness; a solution-orientated business.

Lastly, there is a Nikestyle tick incorporated into the design, showing a dynamic “let’s do it!” approach.

Deepak has learnt the importance of defining a compelling vision for DVK Group, and the significance of having the best people involved as stakeholders. The DVK future looks very bright indeed.

Rewarding Challenging Teaching

LMS

Advancing Mathematics

London Mathematical Society

*Conditions apply. See education.gov.uk/teachconditions for full details.

6

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

Actress Sophiya Haque dies of cancer Spriha Srivastava

Kai Po Che to premiere in Berlin UTV Motion Pictures' forthcoming release, Kai Po Che, is scheduled to have its World Premiere at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival. The film, based on Chetan Bhagat's novel, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, will be screened at the film festival on 13th February 2013.

Kai Po Che, which stars new comers Sushant Singh Rajput, Raj Kumar Yadav and Amit Sadh in lead roles, portrays the journey of three friends as they discover cricket, religion and business in their respective fields.

Sushant has just completed the feature film Kai Po Che, directed by Abhishek Kapoor of Rock On fame.

Now, as per the latest trade reports, the actor has been signed on for Rajkumar Hirani's much talked about Aamir K h a n -A n u s h k a Sharma starrer Peekay. A couple of other actors (from Ranbir Kapoor to Ranveer Singh) were being considered, however it was Sushant who made it to the film. And if this was not enough, now the talented actor has bagged Maneesh Sharma’s next under the YRF banner.

Furthermore, Sushant will be paired opposite

the current heartthrob of n a t i o n , the Ishaqzaade girl, Parineeti Chopra, in this film. For now, it seems the stars are quite bright for Sushant Singh Rajput and with the way he's signing film after film, there's no stopping for him.

Said Disney UTV Managing Director Studios, Siddharth Roy Kapur, "We are incredibly proud that Kai Po Che has been selected for a world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.

What is even more creditable is that it is the only Indian film in the official panorama selection announced by the festival this year. For a film dependent entirely on its strong story line rather than its lineup of stars, this is a huge achievement and for that I would like to commend Abhishek Kapoor and his entire cast and crew for bringing all their talent and passion to bear, to make Kai Po Che a film for the ages."

Set against the backdrop of religious politics, the story of Kai Po Che underlines the three mistakes made by Govind. The film as well as the book is set in Gujarat and hence the title Kai Po Che. Thirty-one fictional features from 23 coun-

tries will provide insights into contemporary world cinema production at the 10-daylong Berlin Film festival.

This month will see cricketers Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Ajay Jadeja take to the field for a four-city promotional tour. The event, which will take place in New Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Mumbai, will involve the three professional cricketers along with the cast and crew of the film, playing against local teams from these cities.

Delhi is Ashish's home town and as Ajay is also from the north, they will be playing the matches in the capital. Zaheer will join the cast and crew in Ahmedabad. But the makers are currently trying to convince them to play in Mumbai as well. What's more, the team of the film wants to be well prepared for the matches. So, they have even asked left-hand fast bowlers Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan to train actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who plays the part of a cricketer in the film. Former cricketer Ajay Jadeja also makes a cameo appearance in the movie.

Abhishek Kapoor is also likely to play in each of the promotional games.

‘Race’ at Chak 89 This week saw multi award winning restaurant Chak 89 host a private evening with royal prince, Nawaab of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan.

Also one of India’s top A list actors, he was in London for one day to launch the worldwide promotional tour of his latest film Race 2 and paid a visit to the restaurant en route to a massive fan meet and greet.

While at the restaurant, the debonair actor was relaxed enough to turn the tables and decided to ask dinner guests questions instead of being interviewed himself.

Khan asked the diners how often they do visit CHAK 89 where in reply the guests responded all the time.

Khan also asked which the diners’ favourite dish, where most replied CHAK

CHICKEN. Guests were delighted to speak to Saif Ali Khan and enjoy a wonderful spread including Saif’s favourite dish on

the menu, butter chicken.

A regular guest at Chak 89, Saif Ali Khan sat at his own ‘favourite table’, which features his signature on it.

Adding to the already burgeoning celebrity guest and friends of Chak 89, Saif Ali Khan is in a string of Bollywood, sports and British music and film stars that are regulars at the award-

winning restaurant.

Recent visitors to the restaurant include Chelsea FC players David Luiz, Oscar, Lucas Piazon, Victor Moses together with Arsenal player, Gervinho, David Haye, Mark Wright, Mo Farah, Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Indian cricket team, JLS, Lemar, B e v e r l e y K n i g h t , A m i t a b h Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Stacey Soloman, Ed Balls, Eastenders stars, Jay Sean, Imran Khan, Shahid Afridi, Wasim Akram, Alan Brazil.

Chak 89 won the coveted Best Indian Restaurant in London Suburbs award at the British Curry Awards held at the Battersea Evolution in Chelsea on the 26th November 2012.

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Former Coronation Street and Bollywood actress Sophiya Haque died last Wednesday, only weeks after being diagnosed with cancer. Sophiya, who was born to a British mother and Bangladeshi father, was a singer, model, dancer, VJ and actress.

She was the lead singer of 1989 band Akasa and had a hit single called One Night In My Life.

The 41-year-old played Rovers Return barmaid Poppy Morales in the soap from December 2008 to June 2009.

Up until Christmas she had been appearing in the West End production of Privates on Parade.

Sophiya lived in Surrey with partner and musical director David White who confirmed she

had passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday evening.

Her agent, Oliver Thomson said,"Sophiya was a wonderful actress, a wonderful client but so much more than that a wonderful friend. She was adored by everyone she worked with and will be deeply missed.”

Haque also worked alongside some of the

biggest Bollywood names following a move to India in 1997, and previously worked as a presenter on MTV Asia.

Her return to the UK in 2002 saw her appear in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams and a musical version of The Far Pavilions.

She also had a part in 2008 film Wanted, starring Angeline Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman.

She also appeared in West End productions like The Far Pavilions in London. She had a role as barmaid Poppy in the long running British TV series Coronation Street. She was starring in a West End show Privates On Parade when she was diagnosed with cancer.

Oxford child sex ring hearing begins Nine men involved in a child sex ring were grooming and abusing six girls as young as 11 and selling them to abusers across Britain, a court heard last Monday, 14 January.

Girls from troubled backgrounds and those who live in care homes were targeted by the men when they were drunk or playing truant. They were lured with gifts, alcohol and drugs before subjecting them to “living hell” for eight years. The six girls were raped by numerous abusers and subjected to “extreme physical and sexual violence”. The sex ring is alleged to have operated between May 2004 and early 2012.

Metropolitian Police support for rape victims in India Continued from page 3 Since 2009/10, the fire Authority has cut its services by £66m and the Mayor has now demanded that the Fire Brigade cuts its services by a further 45 Million. The Mayor’s budget guidance states that this is done by ‘rationalising the fire estate to find substantial savings’.

In plain English he’s forced the Fire Commissioner to come up with a plan for close fire stations. As a result the fire Authority (LFEPA) debated a budget proposal on January 21 promoting the closure of 12 of London’s fire stations, reduction of 18 fire engines and loss of 520 fire-fighters. The recommendation was thrown out by the Labour, Green and LibDem members. I voted against this reckless proposal. The buck stops with the Mayor. If he wants to take a risk with Londoner’s safety and security he will have to impose his reckless cuts.

Prosecution lawyer, Noel Lucas QC said, “Much of what the girls were forced to endure was perverted in the extreme.These defendants, and the others with whom they operated, showed the complainants little or no human decency or consideration.” One girl became pregnant when she was 11 or 12 and when Mohammed Karrar, one of the accused, found out, he performed an abortion on her using an instrument, it was alleged. On some occasions, knives, meat cleavers and baseball bats were used by the accused to inflict severe pain on the girls while at other times they were bitten, tied up, beaten, suffocated and burnt with cigarettes.

Prosecutor Lucas added that the girls were often given high drug dosages to ensure they complied with the defendants's depraved demands and often they were so 'wasted' that they

were not aware of the abuse they were subjected to. Men travelled to Oxford from London, Slough, and as far as Bradford and Leeds “by appointment”and abused the girls in hotels and private buses, the Old Bailey heard. It took around half an hour to read out all the 79 charges the defendants face. The accused- Kamar Jamil, 27, Akhtar Dogar, 32, Anjum Dogar, 30, Assad Hussain, 32, Mohammed Karrar, 38, Bassam Karrar, 26, Mohammed Hussain, 24, Zeeshan Ahmed, 27, and Bilal Ahmed, 26, face allegations of child rape, trafficking for sexual exploitation, arranging or facilitating child prostitution and using an instrument with intent to procure a miscarriage.

All the defendants deny the charges. The trial which began last Monday is expected to continue till April.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

London Mayor Boris Johnson spends £25,000 in trade mission to India

Vara selected for Crime and Courts Bill Committee Shailesh Vara MP (pictured) has been asked to serve on the Bill Committee for the Crime and Courts Bill which is currently going through Parliament.

Amongst other measures, the Bill will put into law the proposal on self defence in the home put forward by Mr Vara in a Private Member’s Bill in 2006. In a debate in the House of Commons last week, Mr Vara welcomed the Bill and referred to the section on self defence in the home as “unfinished business”. In the debate, the

Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, specifically mentioned Mr Vara’s previous work, along with others, to change the law.

Diplomats owe more than £65 million in unpaid congestion charges Overseas diplomats in London owe more than £65 million in unpaid congestion charges since the scheme was introduced in 2003, new figures show.

American diplomats are allegedly the worst offenders, owing a total of more than £7 million, followed by Russia on £4.8 million and the Japanese embassy with £4.7 million.

Surprisingly, Germany is also one of the biggest offenders, failing to pay £3.7 million. India which

is also in the top 10, allegedly owes London authorities over £2 million (till May 2012) towards congestion charge, which is levied on vehicles entering busy central London roads during the day on weekdays.

Four African countries — Nigeria, Ghana, Sudan, and Kenya — are also in the top 10.

A spokesperson of the Indian High Commission told the PTI: "The Government of India has decided not to pay con-

After Mayor of London, Boris Johnson heavily criticised former Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone for his extravagant trips (allegedly costing upto £470,000), including one to India, it's perhaps his turn now to be criticised for the recent £25,000 that he spent on his Prime Ministerial-style trade mission to India.

Boris Johnson’s week-long trip, which took in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, boosted the profile of London — and the Mayor — on the international stage.

Mr Johnson’s entourage, which reportedly included his chief of staff, head of communications and a foreign affairs team, spent £13,781.44 on flights. This included premium economy tickets on international British Airways flights — where Mr Johnson was upgraded to first class — and two internal domestic flights.

The team spent £7,004.86 on gestion charges on diplomatic cars as these are in the form of a tax and Diplomatic Missions are not subject to taxation."

The figures, obtained from TfL show that 66 diplomatic missions owe more than £100,000 in congestion charges.

Overall,142 diplomatic missions owe fines, with Switzerland (£60) and Tajikistan (£60), offending the least.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has attempted to put pressure

and entertaining.

Mr Johnson received several gifts, including a gold lantern from the chief minister of Maharashtra state and a silver plaque of Gandhi from a Delhi-based business group. He was also given a filigree silver peacock, a statue of an air traffic control tower and up to 50 other presents that did not need to be declared because of their value.

“It’s something business always asks you to do.

It’s one of those things Boris greeting people at Akshardham temple they all say is valuable to hotels, including the Taj Lands End them. They always say London must in Mumbai, where the Mayor met be represented,” he told the Evening the victorious England cricket team.

Standard.

About £1,245 went on cars for “My opposition was to spending the Mayor and his entourage and a a lot on PR consultants to handle bus for accompanying media. He the whole thing. We’ve done a much racked up £2,783.63 in expenses, more economical version.” thought to have covered food, gifts

on diplomats to clean their slates.

His efforts resulted in some parking fines and business rates being paid but he has not managed to reach a settlement over congestion charges.

In 2011 it emerged that Mayor Boris Johnson lobbied the US embassy, and Barack Obama in person, to pay the congestion charge. But the US embassy has always maintained that it is a local tax that does not apply to foreign diplomats.

India League to observe 65th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi The India League will be observing the 65th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Wednesday 30 January 2013 at 11am, in Tavistock Square, London WC1 where Mahatma Gandhi's statue is situated. Like every year, the event will have representatives/dignitaries from the Indian High Commission and Borough of Camden, who will gather to pay their floral tribute to India's 'father of the nation'. It's a free event and members of the public are welcome to join.

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UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

We need entrepreneurs to have the hunger to do business in India Subhash Thakrar, Chairman, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry The 6 th bi-annual Vibrant Gujarat summit for investment took place on 11 th to 13 th January at Gandhinagar. I have had the pleasure of attending all the summits bar one. The first meet took place in 2003.

Whoever follows Gujarat's progress and attends these summits will confirm that this was the biggest ever and attended by over 120 countries. Even the UK managed to have a British delegation with total strength of just less then 100. I was happy to lead the delegation for the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Owing to sensitivities with the Gujarat government and it's Chief Minister, Sri Narendra Modi, Britain had suspended diplomatic ties with Gujarat until late last year when it was resumed.

I am pleased with this move as no one should ignore India today and no one should ignore Gujarat today. Gujarat is consistently the fastest growing state in India. Under its dynamic Chief Minister Sri Narendrabhai Modi , the state has become the most friendly state for business and investment.

The UK has missed out in the last 10 years for its political stand. This has not stopped Canada and Japan to steal the march in strengthening the economic ties with Gujarat. Canada had 200 delegates and Japan, around 100.

The UK has lost a lot of ground over the years in trade with India. Our position has

slipped over the years from 5 th position to around 20 th. Whilst our trade levels will have gone up from the past our proportion of trade with India has has reduced. Other countries have have increased their trade with India and benefitted from India's growth. The UK has not maintained its high proportion of India's business. This loss of position is despite a historic strong link, sizeable Indian diaspora, common language and the natural affinity of Indians towards the UK. These factors should actually have helped UK do well with India.

The summit also had all the well known captains of Indian Industry including the Ambani brothers, Ratan Tata and his successor, Cyrus Mistry, Godrej, Anand Mahindra and many others. It has become a regular fixture for many business people as the summit also encourages other countries to promote their own economies at the venue. For example, a few African countries had stands at the pavilion. Their objective was to gain investment in their own countries. This time there was a sizeable pavilion with many countries having a stand. Britain had a stand with the brand ' Britain is Great for business'.

Sir James Bevan, the British High Commissioner, highlighted the various features that are common between Gujarat and UK. Being born in Leicester, he regarded himself as a distant son of Gujarat as Leicester has the highest number of Gujaratis in UK. But he felt short in his praise for Gujarat's success and recognition of Sri Narendra Modi's leadership as was evident from other speakers.

Nevertheless, it has been a good show from the UK given the long gap.

The reality is that the UK can

Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2013 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India

do a lot of business with India.

We just have to ensure that the bodies like UKTI and UKIBC are more focused in their objectives.

We need to get our SME's involved much more. Look how these SME's delivered during the 2012 Games! The strengths and experience gained by our SME's puts these companies on a high pedestal to assist and offer the their products and services in India or indeed develop joint ventures with Indian companies.

The UK Inc can get involved in the following sectors: 1. Infrastructure projects. India is expected to spend over a trillion dollars in various infrastructure projects. Whilst UK's large companies will know where to pitch in to gain business, our SME's should get involved in the supply chain for large projects.

2. Education. UK education is amongst the world's best. Let us export it! India is short of suppliers of quality education for schools, colleges and Universities. UK institutions are highly respected. Various ways of participating are possible

including consultancy, direct set up or joint ventures.

3. Insurance services. This is restricted and regulated.

Nevertheless, the UK has a very old and strong insurance industry. In India, this sector is at nascent stage. There are many insurance products that we have in UK which are non existent in India. For example, home contents insurance cover or professional indemnity insurance etc.

4. Professional services. UK offers amongst the world's best in design, architectural services, real estate management, consultancy, financial planning etc. All these services are needed in India. Such companies just need to be proactive in visiting India and continuously exploring.

5. Branded products. Indian consumers, like the Chinese, are crazy about branded products.

This is evident from the presence of all the major brands in India including Louis Vuitton, Gucci., McDonalds, Dominos pizza etc. Suitably adopted to Indian preferences, they are all doing well. There is room for other brands which may not be so well known but have a proven concept. A good estab-

lished British brand has still got plenty of attraction to Indian consumer.

6. Food. As they say, food is the famous pass time of Indians. It plays a big role in their daily life.

Any one who has been to India will confirm this. Any new concepts of food would have a great potential. In addition to traditional Indian food, many Indians are keen to experience new cuisine which may not have been available until now. For example, the pizza eating concept is a new one but a huge success.

7. Investment. Over the years, those who have invested in India either through funds or directly, have seen good gains.

The fund that I have been associated with (INVIL), has had a near fivefold growth in value since its launch in 1996. If you cannot get direct opportunities to invest in India, you should consider some money in to one of the funds.

What we need is entrepreneurs to have the hunger to do business in India. It is by no means easy and has many challenges but it will be worth while in the end.

Barbara Young: Diabetes - Manageable but avoidable Reenu Punnoose AV: Why is the South-Asian community at high-risk for Diabetes?

Baroness Barbara Young is a member of the House of Lords. She became a Life Peer in 1997. Since November 2010 she is the Chief Executive of health charity Diabetes UK. In the light of her recent visit to the Neasden Temple in NorthWest London, the first traditional Hindu Mandir in Europe, Asian Voice caught up with her for an exclusive Q & A. AV: What changes have you brought about since taking up the Chief Executive post?

Over the last couple of years, we've campaigned not just with decision makers, politicians and the health system but also with healthcare professionals and communities to make people aware about the seriousness of Diabetes. There is a bit of risk that as more people get it, more people think, 'oh well, this is something you get' and of course it isn't. You don't need to develop Diabetes, even if you've got it in your family. We really want that message to get across to everybody so people start either making decisions differently or look at how they manage their lifestyle and avoid

Baroness Barbara Young

Diabetes and its complications.

AV: Tell us about your visit to the Neasden Temple recently I loved it. It's such a beautiful place and everyone was very welcoming. They have been partners with us for some years now in that they made us their charity of the year and raised money for us. They also do a lot of outreach work for people within the community. They run clinics, which not only works to prevent Diabetes but also help people manage it more effectively. We are hoping to support them by providing volunteers with relevant skills.

I think it's a very complex issue because there is genetics attributed to it and environmental factors. It tends to cluster in families so if you've got diabetes in the family, you're 2 to 6 times more likely to have diabetes than people without diabetes in the family. The sedentary lifestyles, people getting richer and the diets-high saturated fats like ghee and white sugars, are also other factors.

are trying to get everybody in the community to co-ordinate all the things they are currently doing to improve the health of their people with the focus on diabetes.

We recruit nationwide volunteers from minority communities through our programme Community champions, train them to be health educative, to engage with the community on risk assessment, on helping people avoid diabetes through lifestyle change and look after their diabetes if diagnosed.

Our foot campaign for Diabetics urges them to ensure they look after their feet properly and get a foot check every year from a qualified podiatrist. We also have a leaflet called 10 tips to healthy feet.

AV: Can you elaborate on Diabetes UK's ongoing activities and new campaigns?

AV: Your message for our readers?

Neesden temple is part of a UK-wide network of temples and we hope to use our relationship with them to form relationships with the others. There is a very active temple in Leicester, where we are running a big project, so we'd obviously want to work with them.

The work in Leicester is a kind of whole system approach, where w e

Be aware of what a serious condition Diabetes can be, how you would like your family to live more healthily and avoid Diabetes because it is possible. If you need any information, consult our website . Your local community health system, your temple or wherever you gather as a community may also have information.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Rohit Sagar...

The Leader with the Human Touch Rohit Sagar is a senior figure in Audit technology at Deloitte and head of the Deloitte Hindu Network.

Rohit’s father, an architect, came to the UK from India on a scholarship.

Rohit’s mother was an Indian from Kenya. Rohit was born in the UK, but moved to Zambia as his father was then working for the British Overseas Development Agency.

Rohit leads on the delivery of various enabling technology platforms/solutions for Deloitte’s Audit service line in the UK. He is leading on web collaboration techniques with many of the company’s large and complex multinational clients. Rohit is the regional lead for the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions for this initiative, which gives him the opportunity to travel and meet great people, he told the Asian Voice.

Rohit takes his leadership role very seriously.

“Never underestimate the impact of your behaviour -

Rohit Sagar

if you are engaged, others will follow your lead.” He says that it is important to understand your peers, in order to empower them to

bring their talent and qualities to the table. He feels it is important to be inspirational, energetic, supportive and take pride

in helping peers achieve their potential, ensuring they are recognised and valued for their efforts. He gives detailed performance feedback to all members of the diversity network after every event they host and ensures line managers are aware of their contribution.

0Rohit believes that diversity in his team is an advantage when planning global projects, for instance when a project involves using Deloitte resources in India. “Many of us will be aware that there are certain days in October and November like Diwali that would not be great days to launch a project on. Our diverse teams possess great cultural awareness. On global projects where you meet different people from different walks of life, from different cultures, knowing where not to hand someone something with your left hand can make a huge difference.”

Rohit also has clear views on the difference between a good leader and a great leader. He feels that a good leader quickly identifies and surrounds him\herself with good people. “A great leader not only does this but more importantly cultivates the team, so the people he or she leads want to do their best, to the extent where sometimes ‘putting themselves out’ for their leader is not done for brownie points but out of want and

recognises that they too need to evolve in order to continue to lead effectively.”

He tells us that the Deloitte Hindu Network (DHN) holds a variety of informal and larger scale formal events for Deloitte people, clients and the external community. He says that at Diwali time, the firm and its clients celebrate together. Mentoring and buddy programmes (internal and external) are key objectives for the network and are open to the whole firm - not just for people from the network.

He also says that diversity in Deloitte has support from the very top of the business. “We allocate time every month for responsible business ini-

“Never underestimate the impact of your behaviour if you are engaged, others will follow your lead.” tiatives and our people are formally appraised and rewarded for their contribution on community and diversity initiatives. I was honoured to be recently given a Deloitte Leaders in Society Award, recognising and celebrating the exceptional contribution

an employee makes to our corporate responsibility agenda, advancing the firm’s ambition for Deloitte to be regarded as a leader in society. It was humbling to be handed this award by the firm’s and Managing CEO Partner for Brand and Talent, as well as being recognised externally on our website and in our Annual Report.”

Rohit’s thorough approach is exemplified in every aspect of his life, even when he and his wife Seema were choosing childcare for their son Krish who is about to turn one. In addition to questions for each nursery about staff rotas, and the day to day running of the nursery he asked them “How do you promote diversity? What activities do you do that provide the children a flavour of the world, an international outlook? How do you encourage adaptive ‘out of the box’ thinking? Do you encourage parents to get involved with these initiatives? Eventually we decided on a nursery that didn’t assume having a big map of the world in reception with the word ‘Hello’ spelt in different languages was enough, but had a programme of cultural and diverse events that parents could lead on at the nursery such as Diwali, Christmas, Vaisaki, St. Georges Day, Eid, Freedom Day, Women’s Day and others.”

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

Vigil for Jyoti

Rape and Redemption

NRI properties in India

I was very pleased to read in the Asian Voice that Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Dharama Bhakti Manor based in Stanmore joined a candlelight vigil for Jyoti on Saturday the 5th of January 2013, in memory of Delhi gang rape victim.

It is the first time in the history of Hindus that any Temple priest or management committee is participating for the improvement of the social structure of the society. Whenever I have tried to discuss certain issues affecting our lives in the temples, none of them have showed any interest. And in most of these temples, people have replied that we only allow worshipping of God here and do not allow any thing else. So my heartiest congratulation to the Swaminarayan Temple officials and request all other Hindu Temple leaders that they also must participate and actively take part in improving the lives of people.

They must preach that we all must stand up against any injustice happening against our people. I would once again like to remind the Hindus that Bhagwan Shri Krishanji said in Gita that any one who thinks of himself alone and does nothing for the community and the nation, He or She is a sinner. So worshipping alone and alone in the temples is not just enough.

Rape is an ultimate crime in the ultraconservative Indian society. Parents of the victim would rather let their daughter die and let the rapist escape punishment rather than report the crime that would bring allegedly shame on the family’s name and honour.

In any case such heinous crimes are perpetrated by the sons of the prominent personalities who dominate politics, judiciary and media who are in a position to bribe police who would willingly turn a blind eye. It is so often difficult even to report such crimes.

In some cases victims are seen as an easy meat and sexually harassed by the police when they try to report it. How would one trust police who turned up like thieves, in the middle of the night and carried out lathi charge on the followers of Baba Ramdev who had gathered for a peaceful protest against corruption? Has the politician who ordered this gruesome act ever brought to justice?

It is meaningless to protest outside Indian High Commission unless it is followed by other stringent and meaningful actions.

The puppet PM and the Congress led government would not raise a finger unless it would hurt them at the ballot box. The word redemption is not in their vocabulary. While Congress was punished in Gujarat, it won easily in Himachal Pradesh. Indian public, voters are too selfish, too ignorant and timid to act in a cohesion manner for the good of the nation. Even after this widely publicised rape and murder, such crimes are perpetrated unabated on a daily basis.

In the Arab Spring, thousands of lives have been sacrificed to get rid of dictators and dynastic rulers while in India it is still “Om Shanti” rather than “Om Kranti” rules the hearts and minds of the people.

On 18 January 2013, Times of India’s Dubai journalist wrote an article on “Dubai NRI’s Properties in India becoming targets of greedy relatives and dubious developers”.

On reading the article, I should point out that these cases are not alone and experienced only by the Dubai NRIs. I have heard of several similar cases, here in the UK from family friends/colleagues and that some have to pay a hefty sum to their relatives to evict and repossess their properties. Such cases must be prevalent amongst NRIs here in the UK and in other countries overseas, but are unwilling to come forward, possibly due to saving family honour, embarrassment and stress caused. I therefore congratulate the Dubai NRIs for their guts and being brave for bringing this to attention.

Regarding dubious developers mentioned in the article, there are countless events/exhibitions arranged across the UK aimed at NRIs. With increasing population and development land being at a premium, due to scarcity, I therefore wonder whether some acquired land and development are “Bona fide” and “Kosher”. Every week, I note advertisements from the developers printed in both the Gujarat Samachar and the Asian Voice. Perhaps, it would be advisable to print a health warning to such advertisements.

Mohinder Master Via Email

Dharam Sahdev Ilford

Horses for the Courses The phrase in the above heading literally means the matching of tasks and talents. A horse’s talent is to run and the task assigned to it by us humans is to carry people around. Its use is for transportation. For most people in the UK and India, horses are seen as sporting and companion animals like cats and dogs, rather than put in the same category as pigs and cattle. However, recent reports in the media has highlighted that traces of horse DNA have been found in burgers on sale in UK supermarkets. So how comes horse’s meat has found its way in what has been sold as beef burgers? It is not in many cultures to eat horse meat.

Many people will abhor the idea of eating the meat of a domestic animal which they love and tender for use in riding and racing or in going from one place to another.

This is what horses were employed in days past before the invention of the car and are still being used for that purpose.

This begs the question. Why do people want to eat the meat of animals?

Some of us, especially the Hindus and the Jains, believe that killing of animals, or any other living creatures for that matter, would be wrong under any circumstances. Jainism believes in compassion to all living creatures, whether human or animal. What gives us the right to decide that it is in order to kill certain species for human consumption?

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

German central bank’s gold reserves and Africa?

Bundesbank has announced publicly that it plans to physically move back all their 374 tonnes of gold from Banque de France and 300 tonnes out of their 1500 tonnes of gold from New York to Frankfurt between now and 2020 (FT Jan 17, 2013).

Germany’s official gold reserves are 3,391 tonnes and represent 11% of total world official gold reserves.

When I compare such wealth with Mali, I feel very sad for Malians. After the Portuguese discovered Africa in 1488 (Bartolommeo Diaz) and in 1497 (Vasco da Gama), two thirds of Europe’s gold came from mines between the southern fringes of the Sahara and the shores of the Gulf of Guinea.

Present-day Ghana was called Gold Coast. In 2002, Mali’s exports were $915 million (cotton, gold, livestock).

Population below poverty line: 64% (2001 est.). Life expectancy: 45 years (2004 est.).

Dear Mr Master, Mostly in the advertisements we print, there is a general statutory message meant for all of them, printed somewhere in the paper, saying that we take no liability for the product being sold- in this case plots and projects by developers.

However if you know of any one who have had issues recently- particularly with our advertisers who are developers, we would be glad to hear about it and help, if possible.

On another note we have had seminars explaining the risks behind investments in India and some probabilities of being cheated etc. Such events have had great response, and we have had a house full. I am sure we will do many such seminars in the coming future, raising more awareness and helping NRIs further with their right choice.

- AV Mali was ruled by France for most part of the last century. it’s government is still under its protection for its commercial interests there.

If Europeans are not able to uplift the lives of Africans while benefiting from their mineral resources, they should get out of Africa.

Civil wars are going on in 25 of the 50 African countries. Let them sort themselves out. To lump them all Islamists or Jihadis or terrorists is too simplistic. The motive may be commercial interests in many cases.

Nagindas Khaujria Via Email

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Spiritual people are more likely to be mentally ill Article on page 29 (AV 19 Jan) about research misleads that spiritual people are more likely to be susceptible and suffer from mental illness, anxiety disorders and phobias; received treatment from psychotropic drugs. It triviality disguised as research, waste of resources. Research is confined to England, white British and Christians; thus tainted with secular, drink and drug culture.

How can researcher get unpolluted result from such society? Thus generalisation on basis of limited field is misleading, doing grave injustice to scholars and thesis.

Erudite readers have basic general knowledge that spirituality and overt or covert spiritual practices form the core of all religions. Mother-nature also has inbuilt in all animals, physical and mental stages that send them into spiritual state.

Humans are aware and can voluntarily achieve spiritual state, and other animals do so unconsciously. It is no secret that animals stretch on front paws, back paws or go round and round in circles and then just fall asleep. Lions just pant heavily in order to relax and go to sleep. Psychic ability of animals to communicate, foresee disasters, feel moods, of other animals and surroundings, is also spiritual gift that humans have lost.

Transcendental Meditation group claims that crime rate is dramatically lowered in area where such meditation is practiced. Clinical experiments have recorded that spiritual persons can control of heartbeat and breathing almost to zero reading. Psychic healing and plucking out damaged tissue from abdomen or lungs etc, without incision are no secret.

Also note spiritual abilities eg ESP, inspiration, intuition, bolt from blue, clairvoyance, clairaudience etc?

Need of drugs is not fault of spirit but of flesh which is weak.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Hot idea!

A friend told me he saw shivering workmen in northern India lining up outside a caravan, rubbing their hands together to ward off the cold. They were waiting, not for hot tea or coffee but mugs of plain hot water! The men said hot water was as effective as any beverage for warming up one’s body. Other advantages: it’s free - and healthy too!

Rudy Otter Via Email Continued on page 13

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

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

Tuition fees hit admissions by up to 40% More than 50,000 fewer students accepted places at university last year after annual tuition fees almost trebled to £9,000, figure showed last week. Some universities were particularly badly affected, taking on 40 per cent fewer students than the previous year.

Ten of the 24 Russell Group of leading universities, including Birmingham, Leeds, Imperial College London and Warwick, had a reduction in admission rates.

And while Governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have put measures in place to continue to subsidise their students’ fees; however, this is not the case in England.

Universities can now take on as many students as they like with at least two A grades and a B grade at A level, and this is being extended this year to cover students with ABB. Overall, 51,000 fewer applicants were accepted in England compared with the previous year.

Shabana Mahmood, the Shadow Minister for Universities, said: “The figures paint a chaotic picture emerging after the Government’s changes to higher education. We have known for some time that there are 12 per cent fewer students at university this year than last. But what we did not know was the true chaos that has been unleashed by this Government...”

Bhangra beat to greet Royal visit at DMU

Bhangra dancers and drummers are promising a loud and colourful welcome for Prince Edward this week. The prince is due to visit Leicester on Wednesday, 23 January to officially open De Montfort University's new leisure centre.

One of the first sights he will see at the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Leisure Centre will be a dance routine by the university's Bhangra Society, accompanied by traditional dhol drummers.

Bhangra Society chairman Kulvinder Dhillon, who is in his second year studying pharmaceutical science, told a local newspaper: "We're quite nervous, if I'm honest, as we've never performed for royal-

ty before. But we were very proud to be asked to perform.

"When people look to DMU they need to know that it is made up of many cultures who are proud of who they are. I think incorporating Bhangra dancers into the visit is the best way to show Prince Edward what DMU is really about."

The Bhangra Society, also known as 'Kente Wale Gabru', has another big event coming up soon after the royal visit. On Saturday, January 26, they are taking part in a national bhangra competition – and are already being touted as the favourites to win. It is an invitational tournament for the seven best universities across Britain.

between UK and Indian training providers and employers. It represents the largest collective attempt by UK colleges to contribute to India’s ambitious skills strategy.

This initiative is a partnership of 30 UK colleges and AoC in India hopes it will help both UK educational establishments and businesses explore opportunities, set up and expand their operations in India.

Minister for Skills, Matthew Hancock MP, will officially launched the project on 22 January at the British

11

Basaveshwara’s Statue Approved

by British Government Britain’s Secretary of State (Cabinet Minister) for Culture Media and Sport has approved the planning permission to erect the statue of Basaveshwara in the London Borough of Lambeth.The Former Mayor of The London Borough of Lambeth Councillor Dr Neeraj Patil thanked the Speaker of the British Parliament for granting the planning permission to erect the statue at the Albert Embankment.

A replica statue of Basaveshwara was presented to the Speaker of the House of Commons the Rt Hon John Bercow MP in the historic Westminster Hall on 21st January 2013 at to mark the final step in Basaveshwara’s statue being built. It will now happen.

Also present at this event were the Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Forge Mr. Baba Kalyani and the designer of the London Eye Mr. David Marks.

Dr Patil said that this project is about paying tribute to the pioneer of World’s largest democracy in front of the world’s oldest democracy. The event was organised by the longest serving British Parliamentarian of Indian origin the Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP The Speaker RT Hon John Bercow said, Its amazing and extraordinary that Basaveshwara professed, espoused campaigned and advocated genuine democracy, human rights, gender equality way back in the 12th century even before anyone in United Kingdom had even thought about it.

Basaveshwara was a 12th century philosopher, statesman and a Kannada poet who opposed the caste system in the Indian sub-continent who served as a Prime Minister in the

UK Association of Colleges launches training partnership in India New initiative is an opportunity to share best practice models in vocational education The Association of Colleges (AoC) has established a dedicated team in Delhi to help deliver the UK’s worldclass vocational training alongside further education training providers in India in an effort to meet the country’s growing demand for skills.

The Association of Colleges in India team will be based at Sannam S4 Consulting Pvt Ltd and will act as a hub for sharing best practice and forging strong ties

EducAtion/council Voice

High Commissioner’s Residence in front of a delegation of Indian and UK skills providers, industrial partners, government ministers and civil servants.

AoC is the membership body for 341 further education colleges in England and has been representing, promoting and supporting colleges since 1996.

This new venture in India is a bold move into the international scene and illustrates the importance of the Indian market to British educational institutions.

World’s largest democracy who created a m o d e l Parliament called “The Anubhava Mantapa” in South India that not only had equal proportion of men & women but also had representatives from all socioCllr Dr Neeraj Patil economic backgrounds.

Kaluchari kingdom.

In the year 2002,The He was undoubtedly Hon Prime Minister of one of the pioneers of the India Mr Manmohan

Spot where the statue will be erected at the Albert Embankment

Singh unveiled a statue of Basaveshwara in the Indian Parliament.

Earlier in March 2012 the London Borough of Lambeth approved had approved the planning application to erect the statue along the Albert Embankment.

As per the planning regulations of United Kingdom and The Statue act of Britain 1854 an approval from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports was mandatory in order to erect the statue of Basaveshwara in the historic city of London.

12

Media Watch

The Hindu Kumbh Mela is the largest human congregation on Planet Earth. It takes place in a 12-year cycle at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna on the outskirts of the northern city of Allahabad. Thousands upon thousands of devotees take a dip in the waters in a ritual of spiritual cleansing and renewal.

It is a spectacle that has attracted, and continues to attract, the world’s media, but it poses immense challenges for the health and safety of the pilgrims, who come in all shapes and sizes from across this vast land. The local authorities did a splendid job of organization the last time around, and bid fair to repeat the effort.

Kumbh Mela

clearly alive and well, as his message of social reform and equality takes hold among his countrymen and women including those who may not know his name.

(Times of India January 13)

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 26th January 2013

has led many market analysts to believe that the software company’s strategy of focusing on the high margin consulting segment has begun to pay off and that the third quarter could be start of a sustained turnaround.(The Telegraph January 12)

TCS surge continues A broad-based growth across several industry verticals and saw Tata geographies Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest software services exporter, report a net profit of Rs 3,552 crore for the third quarter of the current fiscal against Rs 2,8803 for the same period in 2011-12, the registered growth being 26.7 per cent. a press Addressing conference in Mumbai, N.Chandrasekaran, CEO and Managing Director, TCS, said: “We have had an excellent quarter of all-round performance and have driven a higher quality of revenue and increased profitability through focus on productivity and innovation. We

telecom solutions that will meet and exceed the expectations of our customers and help them to transit from voice-led usage to a seamless data experience across devices and platforms.” (Hindu January 17)

Bajaj posts growth Bajaj Auto has ridden the challenge of a difficult economic environment by posting healthy 9 per cent growth in its twowheeler segment in the third quarter fiscal. The company sold 7 per cent more motorcycles.

According to the company, the launch of new products helped it address the economic slowdown and fall in sales. The bigger and sportier motorcycles now contribute about 70 per cent of machines sold.

In the international market, Africa to perform well with Nigeria recording the highestever retails in December 2012.

However, in other international markets demand, though subdued, the the company’s market share had improved.

Bajaj’s overall market share,

Protecting the frontiers

Case of social uplift

Swami Vivekenanda

This year happens also to be 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekenanda, one of the great iconic figures in the rebirth of modern India. Born in Bengal, he became a Hindu monk of a special type, rooted in the present, aware also of its debt to the past. He preached the philosophy of Vedanta, carrying its message to every corner of the land before journeying abroad to Chicago to proclaim its essence at the World Congress of Religions in 1893.

There, he spoke of human fellowship and the obligation of every religious faith to bind and heal in peace and harmony. He placed before his audience timeless Indian tradition of hospitality to all faiths and referred to the refuge given to Jewish and Zoroastrian communities fleeing oppression and persecution in the lands of their birth. Vivekenand’s keen eye and moral sensibility were awake to the arcane practices of Hindu society, hence his was one of the relentless voices for social reform and modernity. He saw India’s salvation in as blending of science and spiritualism, whose relevance today is stark and challenging. Vivekenanda celebrations are taking place everywhere in India and hope springs eternal that the significance of his life and work will be better understood.

Vivekenanda’s spirit is

Every morning, 4 year-old Fatima Makandar dons her neatly ironed yellow-blue uniform, ties her hair with a red ribbon, slips into a pair of polished shoes, leaves the cramped family tenement in downtown Pune for a modern education at a well known English medium school located in a salubrious setting. The fees would have been unaffordable, as her father, Buvaalisha, happens to be a rag picker. He is also a member of the worldlywise Rag pickers’ trade union, which, having made a close study of the Right to Education Act managed to enroll 42 children in private schools, where 25 per cent of the places are reserved for the disadvantaged sections of society. That clearly was smart thinking.

But it showed awareness of the value of education in the search for a better quality of life.

Fatima’s father is proud of his daughter and with the help of her teacher monitors her progress on a monthly basis.

Infosys springs surprise Bangalore-based IT major Infosys, after eight quarters in the doldrums, sprang a surprise with its third quarter figures (October-December) for the current fiscal ending March 31.

Profits were way above market predictions, reporting a net figure of Rs 2,369 crore against the estimated Rs 2,200 crore.

The stock market response was appropriately robust at the 17 per cent surge.

“We have done well in this quarter despite the uncertain environment,” said S.D. Shibulal, CEO and Managing Director of the company. The strong performance from Infosys

score at Stanford is 730 in Europe’s INSEAD scores 704.

Their counterparts at Ahmedabad’s IIM-B reached 767, second only to the Bangalore average.

Global’s survey concludes: “IIM Ahmedabad is notable for the extraordinarily high average GMAT scores of its students, with its figure of 767 exceeded only by fellow Indian institution, IIM Bangalore (780). This places the two ahead of any North American or European school for the academic quality of their student intake. The fact that students enrolled at both schools have an average of just two years of professional underlines the experience tendency of academically gifted students to move quickly onto the the MBA qualification at the outset of their careers , rather than using it to up-skill at midcareer as is more common in Europe and North America.”

T.V.Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education Services, Says: “It is the testimony to high quality talent that our country has. It is no surprise that Indian students have outscored others from across the globe.” (Times of India December 30, 2012)

N. Chandrasekaran (left), Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, and S. Mahalingam, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director TCS

believe that clients are going to invest in making their operations digital ready in 2013 and drive business growth. We are very confident and reiterate that 2013-14 will be a better vertical.”

CEO and Executive Director S.Mahalingam, for his part, remarked: “The overall performance has been in line with what we had outlined at the beginning of the [financial] year.

Our superior execution in this seasonally weak quarter has delivered productivity gains and an expanded operating margin.

We are in line with maintaining our operating margin at 27 per cent levels.” (Hindu January 15)

domestic and foreign, stood at 32 per cent. (Hindu January 17)

IMMs trump Harvard Students from the Indian Institute of Management(IIM) Bangalore, not Harvard and Stanford or even MIT who excel at GMAT, the entrance test for the finest products of business

The Indian Army plans to raise a new mountain strike corps with counter-offensive capability in Tibet in the event of a Chinese assault along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Himalayas.

With additional armoured regiments and infantry units based in Ladakh, Sikkim and Uttarkhand, the new mountain corps of 40,000 men will give Indian forces overall significant dissuasive capability.

Complementing this force will be two new infantry divisions with a total of 35,000 troops to be stationed in upper Assam with special responsibilities for the defence of Arunachal Pradesh. The new strike corps , a specialized formation warfare, is to have a rapid reaction force appropriate for this terrain. The plan, which will require significant funding, has been placed for the Cabinet

Ambani-Alcatel contract Alcatel-Lucent, the French telecommunications equipment giant has signed an eight-year contract with Reliance Communications ((RCOM), a part of the Dhirubhai Ambani Group, to manage RCOm’s telecommunication networks in eastern and southern India.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Gurdeep Singh, CEO, Wireless Business Reliance Communications, said: “We had a good experience in the past joint venture [scheduled to end in June 2013] and are now entering a contract as it will enable us to take the lead in offering next generation

Bangalore campus of IIM

schools across the world.

According to the QS Global Quarterly 200 Business Schools report, Indian MBA candidates are the world’s most academically distinguished, with IIM-B students scoring highest average of 780, which puts them ahead of their peers in leading American and European institutions.

While the average GMAT

Committee for Security.

With the development of India’s ballistic missiles, Agnis 1,II, III. IV and V, plus the shorter range Prithvis and the progressive deployment of Sukhoi-30 MKI warplanes, attack helicopter squadrons and drones also doing duty, the deterrence capability available to India should be no secret to hostile neighbours.

(Times if India January 13)

uK

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Is your husband selling your home without your consent? Your Rights & Entitlements explained

Why Every British Indian Must Involve Themselves In Indian Politics As President Obama this week took the oath of office, this is what his speech may have said if he was India’s President on Republic Day. Each year that we gather to celebrate our Republic we must affirm the promise of our democracy. We must recall that what binds this nation together is not the caste of our forefathers or the tenets of our faiths or the origins of our names.

What makes us exceptional -- what makes us Indian -- is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made less than a century ago. That we are an Independent people, slaves of no master, ancient in beliefs, young in outlook.

We heard a Mahatma proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth. This is what it means to be an Indian.

Entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed, the patriots of 1947 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few.

Through blood drawn by lathi and blood drawn by bullet we learned that our strength lay in our non-violence, but that our ability to suffer pain was strength not weakness.

Together, we determined that that we are a nation and refuge for all the world’s faiths for over two thousand years, but our warm welcome should not be mistaken for a lack of steadfastness in our own beliefs.

Together, we resolved that a great nation must be willing to shed the blood of its own sons to protect the values of freedom around the world it holds dearest.

Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society’s ills can be cured through

government alone. Our celebration of initiative and enterprise, our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, these are constants in our character.

India’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.

My fellow Indians, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it.

We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an Indian; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own. It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn respect equal our own in deed, not just in word.

We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Indians are not just to ourselves, but to all humanity - commanded to our care by God. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm.

You and I, as Indians, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time - not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals. Let us, each of us, now embrace with solemn duty and awesome joy what is our lasting birthright as Indians. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom, human dignity and justice.

Pakistani couple convicted of running sham marriage operation Talib Hussain and his exwife Rahina Zaman were jailed for conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

The wedding photographs all showed a happy bride and groom in their finery apparently preparing for a life of marital bliss, but investigators were not fooled.

Officers from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) noticed that the newly married couples, Eastern European women and Pakistani men, were wearing exactly the same

Hussain's Rotherham home- centre of the gang's illegal marriage scam

clothes in each photograph. Even the guests appeared to share the same wardrobe.

Their suspicions led immigration officers to a

Following the breakdown of a marriage or in situations of marital discord, it may come to your attention that your partner wishes to transfer or sell the matrimonial property including the home you live in without

By Savita Sharma your permission or even your knowledge.

Matrimonial property is defined as property acquired through a marriage. It includes the home you live in, all other properties which have acquired through marriage including family businesses, savings in bank accounts, valuable jewellery, insurance, premium bonds, stocks, shares, life policies, other financial investments, antiques and lump sums received upon retirement from pensions. In most cases, however it does not include assets that have been inherited or gifted.

If you find yourself in a position where your partner is attempting to sell or has already disposed of any matrimonial assets you need to obtain legal advice quickly.

There are several legal options that are available to prevent the disposing of assets. Inevitably for these options to be effective, they must be undertaken without undue delay in order to prevent assets being disposed of or taken outside the jurisdiction outside the reach of the English Courts.

The Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (MCA) provides for urgent remedies, which can include emergency freezing injunctions. This type of order can be made without notice to the other party to prevent them committing any act, which would affect the value of a matrimonial asset thereby reducing the value of the matrimonial assets as a whole.

For these types of court proceedings to succeed there must be clear evidence of attempts to transfer, dispose or otherwise deal with the matrimonial assets in

question. It is not enough too merely suspect something.

Freezing orders can be attached to bank accounts where saving are held.

This is particularly important when bank accounts are held in the sole name of your partner or in joint names with other people. When a freezing order is attached to property they can prevent the partner from obtaining future mortgage advances, which could reduce equity in the properties. It can even prevent deliberate attempts by a partner to depreciate the value of properties by non payment of the mortgage from rental income putting the properties at risk of repossession.

If an application to court is not appropriate, Family Law Solicitors can take other steps to protect your interest in matrimonial assets. These can range from registering interests at the Land Registry or procuring undertakings, which are legal promises from the other party. These options can provide protection so that your partner will not be able to deal with matrimonial assets until full financial disclosure and proper negotiations have taken place or court proceedings finalised.

If you learn that matrimonial assets have already been sold or otherwise disposed of, you can still protect your position. An application can be made requesting the transfer to be set aside.

There are strict requirement to use this remedy so it is better to obtain legal advice sooner rather than later.

It is very important for legal advice to be obtained if you believe or learn that that your partner has or will be disposing of matrimonial property. Any delay could cause financial hardship when any future financial applications are brought to Court once parties start divorce proceedings. The most serious consequence of not acting quickly is that there are no matrimonial assets left for you or any children of the family.

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

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

l Harrow l Islington l Shepherd’s Bush l Tooting

Tel: 020 7923 4020 - www.duncanlewis.com

Your Voice Talib Hussain and his ex-wife Rahina Zaman

suburban semi-detached home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, where the householder Talib Hussain, 42, was running an international sham marriage operation.

Together with his exwife, Rahina Zaman, he orchestrated a “huge, well-organised, professional operation” flying women originally from Slovakia and the Czech Republic to Islamabad to take part in bogus marriages with Pakistani men.

Hussain was charging “considerable sums” to enable the“grooms” to apply to live in the UK under European open borders laws. More than 60 applications for UK visas

were submitted to authorities, accompanied by fake documents and photos of the bogus weddings.

Hussain, a father of five children, was jailed for six years on Friday at Sheffield Crown Court and his ex-wife for two and a half years. Both admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. Another 18 defendants, including those who posed as brides in the scam, were also sentenced to up to three years in jail for immigration offences.

The court was told that none of the applications made by the Pakistani nationals to enter or remain in the UK were successful.

Value of women in Indian society

Following Damini’s death, my thoughts turned to the value of women in Indian society.

As a legal practitioner, my view is this: I don’t believe a woman will be valued within Indian society, unless she obtains equality. This will only happen when the Indian Courts adopt a secular starting point in dealing with the Constitution particularly in relation to its equality measures (such as, Arts 14-16 – equal rights for women). Personal religious laws should not have precedence over the greater principle that women are equal, and promoting an overall civil code. These laws ultimately decide a woman’s life; allowing all male religious elders to make community decisions - for example. Often, therefore, the actions of Indian society are the manifestation of patriarchal values, based on religious dogma; maintaining the supremacy of men & the status quo. In these circumstances, women and other vulnerable groups are left without the safeguards afforded to them by the Constitution.

Additionally, I see no intellectual challenge (though the demonstrations may produce some leadership) to the present cultural norms which will ultimately allow a more secular and equality based voice to prevail in society.

Tinkering with the courts and knee-jerk changes will only produce an incoherent legal system based on revenge-seeking punishment, without addressing fundamental questions (such as why rape within the domestic context is not taken seriously) and will not produce lasting change. I acknowledge that this letter is not as discursive as it might be, and anticipate that there are plenty of counter-arguments, and examples to the contrary. However, the truth is that women will not be truly valued without real equality, which is safeguarded and given voice by the most fundamental piece of law-making in India – it’s Constitution, and it is high time this happens.

Bhavini Kalaria Via Email

Culture

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UKTA celebrates Makar Sankranti The House of Commons of British Parliament donned an Indian Festive look on the occasion of Makar Sankranti Celebrated by UKTA (United Kingdom Telugu Association), for the Third consecutive year on Monday, the 14th of January. The event is a mark of pride for all the Telugus as it is a rare privilege to celebrate a festival in such a prestigious venue, sponsored by Members of Parliament, Rt Hon Virendra Sharma and Rt.Hon Dan Byles ,who fully enjoyed the programme. Rt.Hon.Alok Sharma also attended the event.

The programme was inaugurated by the Managing Trustee, Prabhakar Kaza, who gave a recap to the audience about the performance of UKTA in the last two years, requesting them all to become Life Members of the organisation and join UKTA as friends on Facebook.

Rt Virendra Sharma congratulated UKTA for organising such a colourful programme, and . He recollected his memories of the festival ‘Maghi’ in Punjab on the same day as Makar Sankranti. He expressed pride in associating himself with UKTA and said that he is looking forward to many such cultural events in Parliament

by UKTA. Rt Hon Dan Byles also expressed his heartfelt feelings of joy for being invited and congratulated UKTA for the success of the programme. He congratulated all the artists for their amazing performance and said that, being married to

a Telugu, he is looking forward to the day when his daughter also will become a Kuchipudi dancer.

The prayer, E k a d a n t a y a Vakratundaya,a beautiful composition by Shankar Mahadevan, was sung by baby Shriya Sistla and Ms Vaishnavi Dokka. Baby Ankita Somisetty stole away the hearts of audience by her brilliant Kuchipudi dance on the song ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ from Telugu movie ‘Sagara Sangamam.’ Three lovely kids, Shriya , Bhavana Ratakonda and Dakshita Jonnalagadla, performed a semi-classical dance on ‘Muddugare Yashoda’,a Beautiful Kirtana by Annamacharya .The dance was choreographed by Shri K V Satyanarayana,a famous kuchipudi dancer and Nandi award winner.

The students of Upahaar School of Dance, run by Ms Shalini Shivshankar, presented four excel-

lent dance items. Two items were short nrityas based on Jatiswaras in Ragam Bilahari and Ragam Hamsadhwani.

Ms Shalini Shivshankar herself performed Mohini Attam, a padam on Anandabhairvi raagam, captivating the audience. Tillana in raagam Kathana Kutuhalam was presented by three senior students of the school ,Ramya, Anekha and Reema.

The last cultural item was presented by a fresh talent in the world of kuchipudi , Diksha Reddy. Diksha performed two brilliant Kuchipudi items Bhama Kalaapam and a dance on the song Chakkani Talli ki Changu Bhala.

The vote of thanks was given by Mrs Geetha. She thanked one and all and also invited all Indian cultural dance schools in the UK to send their students for future cultural events of UKTA. The sponsors, artistes and the multicultural thrust given by the UK Parliamentarians came in for special mention. The programme was anchored by Dr Bhanu Sistla and photographed by Aaditya Kaza.

BOOK Review Shantaram

"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured."

This quote is from taken Gregory David Robert’s book Shantaram and just as gripping as this is in isolation; it is extremely meaningful and enthralling when you read the novel as a whole.

Set in B o m b a y , folShantaram lows the story of Lin, narrated by Lin, who is an escaped convict from the repressive prisons in Australia and who makes his way, by the use of a false passport, to the tiny alley ways of India.

Quickly, we witness Lin’s descent into Bombay’s underworld of drugs, prostitutes, gangsters, war and everything in between.

Accompanied by his friend Prabaker, Lin establishes a free health clinic, joined the mafia

and works as a money launderer, forger and street soldier.

A conglomeration of conflagrating slums, passionate love, criminal wars, Bollywood films, mujahedeen fighters, prison and torture – this

novel whole-heartedly maps a world of attainable experience, all through the voice of the person that experienced it.

The novel is truly a tribute to the author’s willpower to write and finish the story of his life; after having it slammed three times by prison guards, his voice can finally be heard.

The Loomba Foundation joins forces with UN Women and Government of Punjab to empower widows with a sewing machine and the necessary training to make garments.

When the Loomba Foundation was founded in 1997, its initial focus was on relieving the desperate plight of impoverished widows and their children in India, by educating the children of poor widows in all 29 states in the country. Since then the focus has expanded to include the empowerment of widows in several other countries. The plight of widows is not limited to those in India, it is a universal problem, and in the past we have worked in the partner organisations in Rwanda, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Syria, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

On 22nd November 2012 we signed a new partnership agreement between the Loomba Foundation and UN Women, the United Nations’ body for gender equality and the empowerment of women. This agreement will fund projects across three continents, in India, Malawi and Guatemala. These projects will run for three years, and will allow the Loomba Foundation to reach a far greater number of

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widows facing discrimination and poverty.

At the signing of the partnership agreement, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Mrs Lakshmi Puri described the desperate situation faced by many millions of widows around the world: ‘For many women, the loss of a husband is only the first trauma in a long-term ordeal. In many cases, they are also victims of multiple and compounding discriminations, prejudice, exclusion, exploitation, disempowerment, violence and stigmatization on account of widowhood in conjunction with poverty, living in remote or rural areas, bearing the brunt of conflict or post-conflict, post natural disaster, displacement, harmful traditional practices and HIV-AIDS pandemic’.

Late last year the Government of Punjab agreed to match funds raised by the Loomba Foundation for its empowerment project, to empower 5,000 widows in the state of Punjab by providing them each

On 5th January 2013 I had the pleasure of travelling to Punjab to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Punjab government to help 5000 widows in the state. The MoU was signed by myself and the Principal Secretary (NRI Affairs) SS Channy on behalf of the Punjab Government at the NRI Sammelan in Punjab., in the presence of the Honourable Chief Minister, Sardar Parkash Singh Badal.

Through this MoU the Foundation will provide sewing machines and training to 5000 widows in Punjab. This will enable them to become self-reliant, to educate their children and to lead a life of dignity.

In addition to the Punjab programme, the Foundation has also initiated sewing machine projects in Delhi, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Discussions are taking place in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

The Foundation is confident that this programme will be fully implemented in 20132014.

Widows have been neglected by all sections of society. They were not looked after by

governments or NGOs and were shunned by society. It's such a big problem, and yet nothing has been done about it. Until the Loomba Foundation established International Widows Day in 2005, which was adopted by the United Nations in 2010, nobody in the world, including the United Nations, had ever addressed the

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plight of widows.

However, through the efforts of the Loomba Foundation, an increasing number of governments and NGOs have around the world have come to recognize the plight of widows and their children, who suffer the double discrimination of being both female, and widowed – and the destitution, poverty, and violence that often follows.

Fo r further info rma tio n plea se visit o ur w ebsite

www.theloombafoundation.org or contact P rit i Patel at prit i@th eloombaf ou ndation.org

UK

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

Music

Tanveer Mann

RDB release latest track ‘BBM’

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

IN DEPTH

BBM is the latest track to be released under RDB’s record label Three Records who lead singers Nindy Kaur and Raftaar are both signed to. ‘BBM’ joins in the success of the upbeat tracks ‘Sharabi’ and RDB’s pre-Christmas release ‘We Doin It Big’ which received a rave response from their fans across the globe demonstrating their universal appeal and ear for production.

Speaking about the track, Surj and Manj of Three Records say: “BBM hopes to inspire future fusions with genres of music as well as encourage aspiring artists to experiment with beats. BBM’s a catchy floor filling track and incorporates dance, RNB and traditional Punjabi Bhangra to give it a real edgy twist”.

RDB has produced some of the biggest international and Bollywood hits, including Akshay Kumar starrer Speedy Singhs, for which they created the lyrics, music and production arrangement, together with Grammy Award winner Ludacris, for “Shera Di Kaum”.

‘BBM’ is available to download via iTunes!

- https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/bbm-feat.raftaar-single/id593508282

Upcoming Did you know..?

Coca-Cola originally contained cocaine

EvEnts

A revolutionary Indian classical orchestra celebrates its tenth anniversary with a programme exploring its roots and contemporary repertoire.

Word of the Week: SAMYO is the National Youth Orchestra for Indian Concupiscence: n. A strong desire, Music, and this year it celebrates 10 years since a group especially sexual desire; lust. of young British-born musicians first came together to redefine a genre and create an entirely new sound in Indian music.

SAMYO 10 Saturday 16 March 2013, 6:30pm Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre How many real men does it take to change a light £12.50, £7.50 / Limited 50% concessions bulb? None, real men aren’t afraid of the dark. available, Do you want to hear a construction joke? Sorry, BOX OFFICE: 0844 875 0037 www.southbankcentre.co.uk I’m still working on it. What’s full of T, starts in T and ends in T? A teapot.

Ha Ha...He:P

Fashion Runway Fashion meets High street Style With the onset of a snowy January to start of 2013, some of us are ready to just throw on our comfiest sweaters and warmest jackets to tackle the day. Yet, as many of the Spring/Summer 2013 runways have shown, style does not need to stop when temperatures hit negative. The New York, Paris, Milan and London runways all showcased the most lavish of styles to kick start the year in any weather condition. Monochrome and Graphics littered the runways of Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs and Jason Wu all debuting gorgeous black and white ensembles. Leather also took the front seat in the form of dresses and skirts, adaptable for any outfit. Shades of green and gold dominated the Louis Vuitton runway with 60sinspired dresses taking centre stage.

River Island has introduced an array of monochrome outfits for Spring 2013, including this Checkerboard Dress for £25. Inspired by Louis Vuitton's spring/summer 2013 collection this dress will have you looking

extremely stylish without breaking the bank.

Topshop has chosen a pastel palette with cute sweaters that are guaranteed to keep you warm. This textured jumper is only £30 will have you looking fresh and in style whilst keeping you warm.

H&M has caught on to the print trend by introducing vibrant floral, tribal and geometric prints. This skirt is only £24.99 and captures the prints of Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti.

These are only a select few of the great and affordable styles the high street stores have to offer.

Mixed-Religion Marriages: do they work?

After having attended a few mixed-religion weddings last year, it got me thinking whether mixedreligion marriages really work? After all, wasn’t it Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor who tied the knot a few months ago, marking the taboo union of rivalling religions Islam and Hinduism?

Traditionally, and somewhat till this day, the idea of even marrying someone out of your caste was considered shame on the family.

Yet more and more people of today’s generation are breaking all social norms by proving that ‘love conquers all’, even the all-consuming, most powerful hurdle of religion. Last summer, I witnessed three weddings and, interestingly enough, all three broke the social ‘norm’. The wedding in Toronto saw the unification of a Sikh man and Christian woman, the wedding in Warwick brought together two different castes of Sikh and finally the SikhHindu wedding in London.

Lavish weddings with smiles all around on the surface; simmering beneath quite evidently was a clear division between both cultures. I was on the groom’s side for all three and quickly noticed the difference between the attitudes and culture of the ‘other’. Unfortunately, in a culture where the marriage is not simply about the couple but a union of two families, it is imperative that both cultures are open-minded and accept the traditions and values of the new bride or groom’s family. The reality is that as much as a couple hopes to successfully join their families, there is still a strong stigma attached to mixed-religion marriages, amongst Indians at least where the parents agree just for the sake of their child but are not entirely happy with their decision.

Wedding of Ronan and Debasree in June 2012

In India, arranged marriages have been the accepted norm for centuries due to the attitude that ‘your family knows what’s best for you’ by introducing you to a person because of their social status or wealth or caste. This mentality has also been prevalent amongst British Asians only until recently in the last few decades. Thus why with the onset of Asian matrimonial services matching profiles of people based on interests and goals in life rather than the once-upon-a-time priority of finding a suitable partner of the same caste and religion, has led to an increase and acceptance of mixed-religion marriages.

In my opinion, I am glad to see that cultures and traditions have evolved to fit the ever-growing multicultural society that Britain offers today. My only concern is that couples disregard the importance of what marriage means: a union of two people and their respective families. A couple should take time to introduce both sides to each other before the wedding, to understand his or her religious traditions and to be open-minded to language barriers and cultural differences. Only then, I believe, can mixed-religion marriages truly work.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

Bollywood easier than South: Kajal Aggarwal

Salman inks `5 bn deal with entertainment channel

Bollywood heartthrob Salman Khan has signed a `5 billion deal with an entertainment channel. According to sources, the agreement, which is first of its kind in India, includes airing all of Salman's films that will be released in the next five years. The 47-year-old actor, who is considered to be the most popular celebrity on social media and whose popularity on TV is supposed to be multiplying with time, seems to have cast an indelible impact on viewers across all age groups.

Madhuri Dixit teams up with Saroj Khan again The song that first propelled Madhuri Dixit into the limelight - 'Ek Do Teen' - was choreographed by Saroj Khan. A decade after Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Devdas' (2002), the choreographer and her muse have come together once again, for a song titled 'Dheemi Dheemi' for Anubhav Sinha's 'Gulaab Gang', billed as Madhuri's comeback. Ecstatic about her three-night shoot, Madhuri said, "I was so excited to see Sarojji. She has always given me unforgettable dance numbers, and this too is a song to watch out for!"

Prabhudeva set to direct Ajay Devgn in his new film

After two back to back hits with Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, choreographer-turneddirector Prabhudeva is set to direct Ajay Devgn in his new film and promises it will be "unique." "I am doing a film with Ajay and it's not a remake. I am going to make the film soon with him but it is too early to talk. We will start shooting probably after finishing my film with Shahid Kapoor," Prabhudeva said.

Sonakshi Sinha inspired by Sridevi, Parveen Babi Well, Sajid Khan is all set to make you groove to the 80s style in his disco song 'Thank God It's Friday' which has Sonakshi Sinha dancing to the tunes of choreographer Chinni Prakash from his upcoming film “Himmatwala.” In the 80s Sridevi and Parveen Babi were leading the industry with their charisma & style.

That is the reason why Sajid Khan decided to give Sonakshi Sinha the look of these 2 popular actresses.

Manish Malhotra has designed Sonakshi’s dress to give her the perfect look.

Arjun asked to identify himself He's called Action King, but Arjun had to feel the heat, albeit only for a few moments, during an event recently. The occasion was the press meet organised to introduce his daughter Aishwarya Arjun, who will be making her Kollywood debut in a film opposite Vishal.

It seems that the star hotel where the meet was scheduled to take place had a bomb threat earlier and so had increased security precautions. When the actor arrived for the meet, he was immediately asked for an identification card by a security guard, who was from a different state, and so did not recognise him.

Onlookers say that Arjun was unsure how to deal with the situation, as he hadn't brought any identification card with him.

Tension prevailed for a few minutes in the scene. Thankfully, within a few minutes, a local guard who recognised Arjun came to his rescue. He spoke to the other guard and ensured that all was well.

A popular name in Tollywood and Kollywood, Kajal Aggarwal is making her way into Bollywood. Kajal's upcoming film “Special Chabbis” with Akshay Kumar releases next month but the actress is in no hurry to sign Hindi films.

Like many of her contemporaries, Kajal's busy balancing her career in the South along with Bollywood films. "I'm in no hurry to sign scripts. I had five releases in Tollywood and I'm very choosy about my work", says Kajal.

Although the South industry and Bollywood are the same in terms of professionalism, content and acting, Kajal finds it easier in Bollywood. "There's really no difference between the two because they function the same way there as they do here.

People there are extremely punctual, disciplined and wrap up shooting on time. I do have a base in South and I've done 25-26 films there. However, I do find Bollywood easier because Hindi is my language. Over there, I had to learn the language and it was a challenge. Besides on sets, we have a lot of fun here and we end up chatting and joking around".

Anuradha to launch her son as hero Along with the sizzling (late) ‘Silk’ Smitha, Anuradha ruled the roost in Tamil films as an ‘item girl’ throughout the eighties. There were times when one couldn’t think of any Tamil film releasing without the sizzling ‘item song’ either

by Smitha or by Anuradha or by both of them. Though Smitha was in a league of her own, Anuradha didn’t lag behind and was equally entertaining the audiences and her fans.

After starring in more than 700 films in many languages and in 35 films as heroine, Anuradha took a break from acting in the nineties when she got married and settled into matrimony. She was, however, back on small-screen where

AR Rahman most popular Indian face on Facebook

With more than 10 million fan following on Facebook, Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman has become the most popular Indian on the social networking site by leaving behind Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar. The 46-year-old 'Jai Ho' hitmaker, who has a page on Facebook, has been liked by 10,138,509 fans and 81,159 people have commented on it.

Rahman also posted a picture on the page which says, "10,000,000 and thanks." Tendulkar is the second most popular face on the site with 9,109,898 likes followed by 'Dabangg' star Salman Khan, who has 7,534,958 fans.

Films and cricketers are arguably India’s top two entertainers.

So when they come together, it’s a given that the event will be a grand one. This year, the organisers of the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) have come up with a rather interesting idea for their opening ceremony. They will have actor Bipasha Basu teaching cricketer Andrew Symonds her moves from Beedi Jalaile, her hit number from “Omkara” (2006).

Anuj Rai, corporate communication manager, CCL, says, “Our league has actors playing cricket, so we thought it would be a good idea to put cricketers in the actors’ shoes.

We wanted cricketers who can dance well, so we decided to get Bipasha to test Andrew’s dance skills and see if he qualifies to become a movie star.”

“We also have Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif performing at the event. Ayushmann Khurrana and Riteish Deshmukh will anchor the show. Our endeavour is to make it as unique as possible, compared to other shows,” says Rai. “Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya will also be on stage, quizzing the actors on their knowledge of cricket. So on one hand, we have cricketers testing the skills of actors and on the other, an actor will test the (dance) skills of a cricketer.”

she has been playing characterbased roles. Realizing that her daughter might not turn out to be a great success in films, Anuradha guided her daughter to small screen where she has been hosting programmes for various television channels.

Anuradha has now decided to launch her son Kevin as hero in Kollywood and has been renewing her contacts in the Tamil film industry to somehow try and give a ‘decent’ beginning to her son’s acting career. Her dream of making her son a hero has now been realized. Kevin is to make his debut as hero with a film titled “Ennamo Pidichirukku.” It remains to be seen whether he would manage more success than the mother-daughter duo.

Now, Irrfan Khan bags a British film

Chitrangda Singh dances to Sridevi's ‘Chaalbaaz’ track

Like all of us, Chitrangda Singh is a Sridevi fan. No wonder Chitrangda was over the moon when last week she got to perform one of Sridevi's most beloved dance numbers 'Na Jaane Kahan See Aayi Hai' from the film Chaalbaaz with John Abraham in their film together I Me Aur Main. Chitrangda, basking in the rave reviews she has received for her performance in Inkaar, had to share the number with Prachi Desai. Not just that the entire song has been turned down from a female-gender perspective to a male one, to suit the leading man's stature.

After his recent Hollywood film, Ang Lee-directed “Life of Pi, bagged 11 Oscar nominations, Irrfan Khan is set to star in another international film.

He has joined hands with director Asif Kapadia for his yet-untitled next. The British filmmaker of Indian descent is most famous for winning the best documentary BAFTA for Senna in 2010. Irrfan, presently busy wrapping up his Bollywood projects, says, “I’m doing a film with Asif Kapadia. A book has been sent to me. I’m reading it. I don’t know whether I should disclose the name right now, because then everyone will start talking about it.

My role is that of a surgeon.”

Ranbir Kapoor & Vidya Balan get best actor & actress awards at Filmfare Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan ended up winning top honours at the 58th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012. Ranbir Kapoor won the Best Actor (Male) Award for his film “Barfi.”

Interestingly Ranbir did not use mike for his thanksgiving speech. He kept the mike on floor and gave his speech through expressions, without the use of any words like his mute character in Barfi. Karan Johar, who was hosting the segment, claimed this was the best acceptance speech of the night. Vidya Balan won the Best Actor (Female) Award for her film “Kahaani.” "This goes to the entire team of Kahaani", said Vidya Balan. "And thank you (cinematographer) Setu for making a pregnant women look beautiful. This is very special to all women who have lived their life with courage". Talking about Filmfare, Vidya said, "As a child, I would stay glued to the TV to watch Filmfare. And here I am today with a trophy.

As the bible says ask and you shall receive."

Kareena Kapoor has apparently turned a fishetarian now. The actress who is a vegetarian has now started eating fish. This was revealed in a telly interview by her motherin-law Sharmila Tagore when asked about Bebo's food habits.

Sharmila stated that as her bahu was a vegetarian she did not know what to cook for her as her knowledge of veg food cooking was limited. She knew more of non-veg dishes. But now that Kareena has started eating fish, she wouldn't mind cooking some Bengali-style fish curry for her.

It is a well-known fact that Bebo preferred to stick to greens when she was seeing Shahid Kapoor, who is a vegetarian. He had influenced her to go vegetarian that her family had found it odd, considering that the Kapoors swear by tandoori chicken.

In fact, her father Randhir Kapoor was shell-shocked to learn that Bebo had turned vegetarian for spiritual reasons.

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18

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

Financial Voice Dear Financial Voice Reader,

I switched from an iPhone to a Samsung recently (it’s faster, better screen size and longer battery life), but I remain an Apple shareholder. That then got me thinking: I still am an Apple Shareholder because shareprices are not a guess on future growth, they are ultimately based on the money you can make from owning them and that is based on all their free cash flow. The company needs very small growth to justify even a relatively large uplift on shareprice. So all the focus on Steve Job’s death being a dampner on innovation is overdone.

It may be a problem sometime in the future – but not for the next two years that I am looking at. I expect a 50% return in the next two years.

Tata Motors, listed on the US stock market, trades at $30. It has doubled in over 12 months and its all time high is $35. I expect a 20% return over 18 months from this one because of global demand and excellent profits.

Infosys is cheap – its share price compared to the profits it earns are very reasonable. It’s broken its fall from $80 to $40 and now I expect it to gradually resume back to at least a 50% gain over two years.

What about Sensex? It’s reached 20,000. No bad when last year it was only at 16,000. Can this continue in 2013. Whilst the world is willing to take more risk, it looked at moderate risk, which meant the US, for a while in 2011. Now it is turning to full blown risk by the looks of things – which means India is coming back into play.

The FTSE 100 is near its 1995 highs and I expect it to break those levels in 2013. It sounds quite an incredible journey to have all time highs in the middle of periods of recession. But the companies making the FTSE 100 are making gains because either they are making ever increasing profits thanks to having exposure to the growth regions of the world, or are making profits because of severe cost cutting, or are loss-making but not as badly as feared because of cost cutting and exposure to global growth. Whichever the reason, the FTSE 100 has risen 50% since 2007 and the bottom of the credit crunch. Why didn’t we buy then? Because we were too scared.

And the ever popular Facebook? It is on a gradual rise back to the price at which it floated on the stock market - $38. It seems likely this will happen in 2013 as the company announces innovation after innovation. But as the revenue figures will not match the hope and hype, the stock price on reaching $38 will fall back again.

RIL posts 24% surge in Q3 net at `55.02 bn

Reliance Industries, the India’s largest private sector company, reported a higher quarterly profit after earnings increased from its refining and petrochemicals business. Third quarter net profit rose 24% to Rs 55.02 billion, the energy major’s first such profit increase after having posted lower profit for the last four quarters.

Turnover increased 10% to Rs 963.07 billion in the three months ended December 31, 2012. Gross refining margins increased to $9.6 a barrel for the quarter from $6.8 a barrel a year earlier. Refining and petrochemicals business contribute about 90% to the company’s revenues.

Analysts expected RIL to report about 14% jump in its third quarter net profits to Rs 51 billion, while investor advisor S P Tulsian was closest to predict RIL’s net profits at over Rs 54 billion in the December quarter. RIL’s sales grew 10% to Rs 963.07 billion, while its exported petroleum products 16.6% more to Rs 669.15 billion during the quarter.

“RIL’s performance has improved in this quarter

Mukesh Ambani

with margin expansion in petrochemicals and record earnings in the refining business. We are investing over Rs 1,000 billion by expanding our petrochemical capacities and adding value to our refining business. These investments will secure a significant change in RIL’s earning capacity on commissioning of these projects, said RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani adding that it would provide employment opportunity for thousands of young Indians and support India’s economic growth.

“Refining and petrochemicals is bread and butter for RIL and it should do what it is good at doing than diversifying in other sectors,” said a Mumbai based oil analyst.

RIL was seen diversifying from its core energy business through forays into consumer-focused sectors such as telecom, retail and financial services.

Adopt new values or leave, Barclays’ boss tells staff Barclays' new boss has told staff they should leave if they do not want to sign up to a set of standards aimed at rebuilding the British bank's reputation after a string of scandals.

Antony Jenkins, who took over as chief executive at the end of August after the bank was rocked by an interest rate rigging scandal, said bonuses and performance would be assessed against a new "Purpose and Values" blueprint.

"I have no doubt that the overwhelming majority of you ... will enthusiastically support this move.

But there might be some who don't feel they can fully buy in to an approach

which so squarely links performance to the upholding of our values," Jenkins said in a memo to his 140,000 staff.

"My message to those people is simple: Barclays is not the place for you.

The rules have changed.

You won't feel comfortable at Barclays and, to be frank, we won't feel comfortable with you as colleagues."

Barclays Plc's reputation was hammered after it was fined 290 million pounds ($464 million) in June for rigging Libor interest rates, which unearthed long-standing concerns by Britain's financial regulator about

Antony Jenkins

its culture.

It and other UK banks were also tarnished by scandals involving the mis-selling of financial products.

Jenkins, who took over after Bob Diamond stepped down in the wake of the Libor scandal, said he was

JLR to assemble second model in India

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover said on Monday it would start assembling of one variant of its luxury sedan XF in India, thereby bringing down the starting price of the model by over `1200,000.

The variant, which will be the second JLR model in India, with a 2.2 litre diesel engine will be introduced in India for the first time at an entry price of `4450,000 (ex-showroom, Mumbai) and will be assembled at Tata Motors' Pune facility.

"The initial Pune-built Jaguar XF models will feature the company's acclaimed 2.2-litre diesel engine, which is coming to

the Indian market for the first time. The Jaguars will be built alongside Land Rover Freelander 2 vehicles, which have been produced in Pune since May 2011," the company said in a statement.

Jaguar's currently available diesel and petrol XF variants with 3 litre and 5 litre engines are priced between `5715,000 and `10.3 million (ex-showroom).

Commenting on the development, Jaguar Land Rover India vicepresident Rohit Suri said: "Our best-selling models in India are the Land Rover Freelander 2 and the Jaguar XF and this has driven the move to build these products locally.

"So we are now delighted to offer this car (XF) as a locally built product with a new engine for this market, which will enable us to provide our customers with a wider choice of competitively priced models".

Jaguar Land Rover India has reported 32 per cent growth in its sales in 2012 at 2,393 cars compared to 1,813 units in the previous year.

putting five values at the heart of his plan: respect, integrity, service, excellence and stewardship.

He will unveil his strategic plans on February 12 - which he said would "excite" staff on what the future holds - but he added that setting new standards was equally important to the bank's long-term success.

"The behavior which made those headlines in 2012 took place in the past. But it helped underline how banking as a whole had lost its way, and had lost touch with the values on which reputation and trust were built," he said in the memo.

India raises import duty on raw gold India more than doubled the import duty on gold dore bars and ores on Tuesday, hard on the heels of a hike in taxes on refined gold, as the government tries to curb demand in the world's biggest importer of bullion and rein in a record current account deficit.

India, whose gold imports total about 800 tonnes a year, hiked the import duty on gold dore bars to 5 per cent from 2 per cent. Dore, an alloy of gold and silver that is used by refineries to produce pure gold, accounts for about 100 tonnes of annual imports. The move came one day after the government increased import tax on gold to 6 per cent from 4 per cent.

India’s controversial GAAR norms deferred to April 2016 The government will delay by two years implementation of controversial rules on tax avoidance to 2016, India’s finance minister P. Chidambaram said, a decision which earned a positive market reaction which would likely to help attract more capital inflows.

The General AntiAvoidance Rules (GAAR), aimed at companies and investors routing money through tax havens such as Mauritius, had been scheduled to be implemented from April 2014.

They will now come into effect from April 1, 2016.

The BSE Sensex rose as much as 1 per cent after the news of the delay and after a slower-than-expected rise in inflation cemented hopes for an interest rate cut this month.

"The indication from

the government seems to suggest attracting capital flows is imperative for the economy and to fund the current account deficit," said Dhananjay Sinha, cohead of institutional research at brokerage Emkay Global.

Sinha added that the deferral was in line with India's stated objectives and recent policy measures like opening up its supermarket and aviation sectors, which were also aimed at attracting increased foreign capital inflows.

The current account deficit hit an all-time high of 5.4 per cent of gross domestic product in the July-September quarter, putting the rupee under pressure and increasing the reliance on volatile capital flows to fund the shortfall. This reliance on

foreign capital inflows to bridge the gap is regarded as a serious fault line in the economy, haunted by memories of a 1991 balance of payments crisis when the central bank sent 47 tonnes of gold to Europe as collateral for a loan to avert a sovereign default.

Chidambaram said the anti-avoidance rules would not apply to foreign funds that were not taking tax benefits from India's various tax treaties with other nations. The rules would also not apply to non-resident Indians running foreign funds, he told a news conference.

According to the proposed rules, investments made before August 30, 2010, would not attract tax provisions under the rules. However, they

would apply to investors who route through taxhavens such as Mauritius for getting tax benefits.

Chidambaram also said officials from India and Mauritius would meet

by March to review the provisos of a bilateral tax treaty, signed in 1982.

Since the island nation does not tax capital gains, the treaty has been misused by many investors to evade taxes.

India gets nearly 40 per cent of its total foreign direct investment inflows through Mauritius, besides large portfolio investments.

The minister said the minimum threshold to come under the GAAR would be 30 million rupees, and that would mean large number of taxpayers would not be affected.

finAnciAl Voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

19

Money doesn't grow on trees....it is printed!

Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

This week I met a couple who wanted to sign up to our sourcing services, they have been married for five years and have managed to save up £80,000. They were concerned they should now do something which will grow their funds, as they realise £80,000 sitting in the bank for another five years will not buy them what £80k buys them today. In other words inflation will erode your funds day by day. So they made a decision to invest into real assets and they were recommended to us by an existing client. Whilst looking at their scenario we unearthed another issue, their family home is worth £800,000 with a nominal mortgage.

This is a red flag as it is above the inheritance tax threshold and without any kind of planning in place this is a ticking time bomb.

Instead, this can be geared up and used to invest in property, if done in the right way it can be used as part of the tax planning as well as putting the money to work much more aggressively.

Many consider investing money into property a risk and prefer the perceived safety of the bank, of course there’s an element of risk with any venture you undertake.

However the point they miss is you're already at risk with money in the bank, as often it is not keeping up with the current level of inflation let alone the consequences of future inflation caused by the recent printing of money. So by default you’re in already a risky position by keeping all your savings in a bank. This is the true position. By doing something you’re trying to move from a position of risk to safety. Not the other way around i.e. moving from a position of safety to risk. This is a misconception.

P roperty is on e option to k eep your money safe , the re are ot her suc h mean s, such as pre cious metals which are rising in value too. There seems to be a flight f or asse ts which are real and tangible .

As the grim reality of the US and Euro-zone countries' struggling economies continues to unfold, more and more people are waking up to the fact that their savings may not actually be as safe as they once thought, and as a result more people are buying tangible goods.

As much as your bank manager would love you believe that your money is safe in the bank, the fact is that money in the bank is in the form of currency, and all currencies of the world today are what are known as ‘fiat currencies’.

Fiat currency in simple terms is money that is not backed by anything tangible, it is simple an I.O.U. note from the issuing country' government to come good on the promise of the money being able to purchase goods. Tangible goods like gold and property have been used as forms of wealth for thousands of years long before the invention of fiat currencies.

If the issuing government's economy is doing well and they are not heavily in debt and they have healthy exports and low unemployment, and are not involved in wars, then the currency is usually in a good position. However if the opposite is occurring, as we see in the UK today, then the currency can be in trouble.

But that’s not the only issue at hand, the bigger issue is 'printing money' or to give it a nicer sounding name like the government does “quantitative easing”. Whatever you call it, it simply means creating more money that goes into the pool of existing money that is already in use.

It is creating money ou t o f no thing an d d il uting the buyin g power of t he existing currenc y in circulation.

To put it simply, you can’t buy the same amount of oil with your money that you used to be able to if more and more fiat currency is

T his massive inc re ase in de mand wil l cause t he price of asset s t o sk y roc ke t.

The Real Deal

Starting in 2009 as part of the Quantitative Easing measure, the BOE electronically created £200bn of new money out of thin air. With this money the bank bought up government gilts, despite most economists saying this is the worst possible way to spend the money. Gilts are one way the government can raise money. They are effectively an IOU, a promise to pay a fixed interest payment every six months until the maturity date, at which point the full value of the bond is repaid.

The proceeds from a gilt sale are then spent by the government and the value of the gilt is added to our national debt.

By purchasing these second hand gilts vast sums of money effectively left the UK and went to overseas bond markets. The bank could have purchased corporate bonds which would have allowed the money to go directly to companies which needed it. But it didn’t, and so the BOE became the main purchaser of government debt and now holds about 20% of government issued gilts.

In short this means there is more paper money created without backing. This will mean you will require more paper money to purchase real goods, this is the inevitable consequence of creating money out of thin air.

Old Marylebone Rd l l l l l l

printed, as it is watering down the buying power of each and every pound.

So now that we’ve established the problem, we can discuss the reason why it seems that everyone in the world is dumping their funds into UK property, specifically in Central London.

Central London property is what it is, and it will always have value.

Central London property will never be worth nothing. However fiat currencies can and do go to a value of nothing. It has happened many times in history, the most recent example being Zimbabwe, where hyperinflation caused the currency to be worthless.

Therefore when a currency looks like it is heading into hyperinflation people want to get rid of it as fast as they can and buy something else that is safer. In the past people would buy other currencies, however today this is really not a great idea, as all currencies of the world today are fiat currencies and if the USD and the Euro dive then all currencies will be brought down with them.

However Central London property is not a fiat currency, and people see it as a ‘safe haven’ in economic turmoil especially as the legal system for purchasing property here is perceived to be safe. No one would dispute when they purchase a property whether it's in their name or whether someone can challenge them in regards to the properly title. Investors do not have the same level of confidence elsewhere in the world, for example Spain, Italy or India cannot offer the same level of reassurance.

And....You can’t make gold – unless you know the secret of alchemy, or land. There is a finite amount of it in the earth and available for sale. So if the currency is on the verge of collapse there will be a stampede of people trying to purchase tangible goods to protect their savings from being wiped out, however much like the children's game “musical chairs” there is only a limited amount of assets, not enough for everyone.

800 sq ft two bedroom flat Long lease Long completion date Price done up £650,000 In time to resell for the spring, when demand increases Agreed contract price of £525,000

Call now to reserve

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in Central London Property Sourcing

0207 313 4595 info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

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

Tips of the Week l Normally the best in buy and flip opportunities are on the top of the pyramid, i.e. priced £800k and above. If you don’t have the required cash, you can join hands with others and start investing. l To generate good profits by flipping properties you need to be able to pick the right property, in the right location, at the right price. And all this requires the right knowledge.

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UK

Maria Fernandes

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

maria@abplgroup.com

Rehabilitation of Offenders: not in immigration cases here have been subtle changes in immigration T which cannot be traced to

any particular change in law, but rather a change of practice.

In immigration, until recently, the regulations in relation to criminal offences were tailored to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 which provided a process whereby a person convicted of an offence could have his/her record wiped out.

An offence became “spent” after a period prescribed by the Act. Some professions have exemptions to this rule but in general the law provides s system to enable a person to start again, rehabilitated. The Rule worked well in general although many people did not understand what “spent” meant and this resulted in them assuming that once their sentence was served, for example a ban on driving, they did not need to declare it on forms. It led to conclusions by the UKBA in many cases to concluding that applicants were deceitful in not declaring offences. I suspect that as a result of such cases coming before Tribunals and being won has led to a change in the recent forms to questions.

Applicants are now required to disclose all offences, spent or unspent.

Simultaneously there have been changes in the application of nationality rules, which relate to good character.

Applications made after 13th December (but announced on the 9th January) will not be considered under the criteria of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. Instead

busy life is quite feasible.

By attending the London Investor Show FOREX which is being held at London’s Olympia Conference Centre on Friday, 22nd February, you can start your FOREX trading career with some high quality educational seminars and workshops by some of the most successful forex traders around.

One regular speaker at the event is Alpesh Patel, a trader and hedge fund manager. Alpesh says “I’ve taken part in hundreds of trading events over the years in the UK, US, India and other parts of the world in my role as trading educator. I still enjoy spending a few hours after

my talks meeting other traders and investors, plus catching up with the companies and the new products on offer. In an industry dominated by online services, I value these rare opportunities highly for some face to face communication and even today, I always leave with at least one or two new ideas for my trading.” Alpesh Patel, www.alpeshpatel.com.

For details of how you could attend the London Investor Show FOREX please visit www.londoninvestorshowforex.com remembering to use your voucher code ‘asianvoice’ for a free ticket. Or call 020 7193 4540 and quote ‘Asian Voice’ when booking.

India needs greater financial supervision, liberalisation: IMF

SpiceJet logs `1.02 bn net profit in Q3

So, why are thousands of private investors turning to the forex markets to earn extra income from trading? There are a few reasons for the enormous growth in trading in currencies by individual traders, but perhaps the most compelling is the mere fact that accessing and trading forex has never been so easy, thanks to the Internet and smart phone technology.

In a matter of minutes you or I could set up an account with a forex broker or spread betting and starting trading the USD/GBP, or ‘cable’ as it is referred to by professionals – a term which dates back to the historic com-

they will be measured against a new set of sentencing limits. A sentence of 4 years in prison will bar an applicant forever from qualifying for British citizenship.

Furthermore, cautions will be considered in order to determine whether a person meets the good character requirement. At the date of writing this, full details were not accessible.

In making these changes without any primary or secondary legislation, the UKBA are going against the grain of the Act and these changes may be unlawful. It is certainly against the rule of law which requires laws to be certain and clear. The UKBA have already lost a large number of cases as a result of not properly introducing clear laws and processes and this one looks like it is heading the same way.

The worst part of this shift is the way it was introduced on the sly without any scrutiny and no direct means of challenging it. The UKBA have been criticised by Judges for this introduction of law by stealth and have had to change their practices when caught red-handed.

However they continue to introduce these unfazed by the criticism and the costs that are awarded against them when they lose. Watch this space.

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

India needs to improve its financial system supervision and crisis preparedness while at the same time liberalising some sectors to reduce distortions and risks created by heavy state involvement in banking, the International Monetary Fund said.

The IMF's Financial System Stability Assessment Update said India had improved its supervision and regulations in the 20 years since it started liberalising its economy and that its financial system fared well in the global financial crisis.

"Despite these recent successes, India's financial sector still confronts longstanding impediments to its ability to support growth as well as new challenges to stability," said the 116-page study.

These challenges were mostly medium- to longerterm, while stress tests of banks and other indicators

Alpesh Patel

munication cables which literally connected Britain and the US via cables on the Atlantic Sea bed.

Another big attraction for traders is the 24/5 market access. Unlike stock markets which open and close daily, the forex markets are open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, so fitting forex trading around a

showed that the financial system vulnerabilities were manageable in the near term, it said.

But the large role of the state - which owns big financial institutions, directs credit to priority sectors, and controls the range of permitted

activities and the availability of foreign capital - "contributes to a build-up of fiscal contingent liabilities and creates a risk of capital misallocation that may constrain economic growth," it said.

The financial sector's capacity to support sustainable economic growth would be boosted by "gradually reducing mandatory holdings of government securities by financial institutions, and allowing

greater access to private domestic and foreign sources of capital," the Fund suggested.

India should also allow "more room for private initiative and competition" in micro finance and other efforts to reach poor borrowers who are under served by existing financial institutions, the study said.

One problem the study noted in particular was an inherent risk of the Reserve Bank of India facing "conflicting goals," because some RBI officers are directors on the boards of public banks that are also supervised by the RBI. "Using the banking system rather than government programs in meeting the needs of priority sectors - agriculture, small and micro credit, education, health - and underserved areas may conflict with RBI's supervisory role," the Fund said.

Budget airline SpiceJet on Monday reported a net profit of `1.02 billion for the third quarter of the current fiscal from a loss of `390 million in the like period of 2011-12.

"To announce a profit of `1.02 billion in the current challenging environment is a huge achievement and clearly demonstrates that the strategic changes that SpiceJet have made in the last two years has created a platform for future success of the company," said Neil Mills, chief executive, SpiceJet. According to the company, better fleet optimisation, altered route mix and higher yields helped achieve this result.

Maruti to develop two facilities in Gujarat to step up production

In a move to step up its manufacturing in India, Maruti Suzuki - India's largest carmaker - has decided to develop twin facilities in Gujarat. The company's Japanese parent Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) has plans to concentrate on Asian markets following the recent closure of its US operations. Suzuki withdrew from the US market

in November last year.

Maruti, the largest subsidiary of Japanese carmaker Suzuki, has charted out its future production model on the lines of Haryana operations, where it operates five plants from two separate locations in Gurgaon and Manesar.

To finalise its Gujarat plans, SMC chairman Osamu Suzuki is making an unscheduled trip to

India soon. Maruti is now directly acquiring a 480acre plot at Ughroz and Ukarade villages in Gujarat from farmers. This is in addition to the 700 acres allotted to Maruti Suzuki for a manufacturing facility in Mehsana by the Gujarat government.

The company plans to invest around Rs 40 billion in Gujarat in the first phase that would go into

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acquiring the land and constructing the proposed plant, which will have an initial annual capacity of 250,000 cars. The company has planned new models for India along with a strategy to export more cars from the modern Manesar factory and the upcoming Gujarat facility.

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rently. We are saturated in Haryana with no scope of expansion. We would have a similar two-location model in Gujarat that would be developed and expanded in accordance with market demand," Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava told reporters.

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land as it has learnt a few lessons from the increased land prices at its Manesar locations. A court order has recently asked the company to pay many times the 2000,000 per acre it shelled out to acquire around 600 acres in 2005. "To avoid further complexities, the company has decided to acquire more land on its own," the executive added.

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

Bleak growth prospects kept the pound in the spotlight Economic data released last week showed that the annual rate of inflation remained at 2.7%, continuing to constrain household budgets and Retail sales figures released on Friday fell below expectations as poor weather conditions deterred shoppers from visiting the high street.

Adding to the negative data, investors turned their back on the pound also over David Cameronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stance on renegotiating terms of Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship with the European Union.

Although the planned speech for 18th January 2013 has been postponed until Wednesday 23rd January 2013, excerpts released by his office showed that the prime minister was planning on delivering a warning that Britain could head towards an exit unless powers are handed back from the EU. Credit rating agency, Fitch, made their feelings over the UK economy known as well by warning that Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AAA credit rating looks at risk. They look set to turn their attentions on developments in the UK following the budget in March.

Despite dismal economic data showing growth in Germany contracting by 0.5% in the final quarter of 2012 and a fall in industrial production in November, the euro continued to gain support following IMF chief, Christine Lagardeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prediction that the euro zoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recovery will begin this year.

With inflation in the euro zone staying stable at 2.2%, ECB member Ewald Nowotny suppressed the need for a rate cut in

the near term for the euro zone to spur inflationary pressures.

Fitch also put the US economy on a negative outlook. They warned that failure to raise the debt ceiling in a timely manner would not just prompt a review of the US AAA credit rating, but also would force the Treasury to immediately eliminate the deficit which in turn could potentially cause economic contraction â&#x20AC;&#x153;twice as great as the recently avoided fiscal cliffâ&#x20AC;?.

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The Fedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beige Book showed that growth remained slow in the US and unemployment in the US still remains high. This seems to support Federal Reserveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ben Bernanke and Eric Rosengrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stance that more asset purchasing maybe necessary to spur growth and employment, contradicting comments made earlier in the month at the Federal Open Market Committee that the asset purchasing program would likely end towards the end of 2013.

Elsewhere both the New Zealand dollar and the Australian dollar advanced further against the pound. Both currencies were buoyed by stronger-than expected Chinese economic growth which supports export prospects for both respective countries.

Perceived safe-haven currency, the Japanese yen, also struggled this week alongside the pound. Speculation continues to mount that the Bank of Japan could expand its QE measures and adopt a higher inflation target at its policy meeting this week, undermining support and appetite for the yen.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 22nd January 2013 @ 4pm GBP - INR = 85.17 USD - INR = 53.71 EUR - INR = 71.34 GBP - USD = 1.59 GBP - EUR = 1.19 EUR - USD = 1.33 GBP - AED = 5.83 GBP - CAD = 1.58 GBP - NZD = 1.89 GBP - AUD = 1.50 GBP - ZAR = 14.06 GBP - HUF = 352.00

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

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22

Pakistan-Bangladesh-sri lanka

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 26th January 2013

In Focus Hafiz Saeed denies 26/11 role, cites Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shinde

Lahore: Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed latched onto Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home minister Sushilkumar Shinde's comments on "saffron terrorism" being fomented by BJP and RSS training camps to claim charges leveled against LeT with regard to 26/11 were false. The controversy over Shinde's remarks at the Jaipur Congress meeting was refused to die down as the Lashkar boss - accused by India of masterminding the terror attacks on Mumbai - said "Indian propaganda" against Pakistani organization stood exposed.

8 die in Taliban suicide attack

Kabul (Afghanistan): Two Taliban suicide bombers blew themselves up at the gates of the Kabul traffic police headquarters on Monday before another group of militants stormed the compound, battling security forces for nine hours in an attack that left three policemen and all five attackers dead, authorities said. The coordinated assault was the second brazen raid in the heart of the Afghan capital in less than a week, a sign that the insurgency is determined to keep carrying out such spectacular attacks even as the United States and Afghan governments try to coax the Taliban into holding peace talks.

Don't shrink Afghan forces, Obama told

Washington: Two Senate Democrats urged the White House to reconsider plans to shrink Afghan national security forces by a third after 2015, saying a robust Afghan fighting force will be needed to fight alQaida and its allies. The appeal comes as President Barack Obama weighs how large of an American force to leave behind in Afghanistan after Nato declares the costly, unpopular war over at the end of 2014 and most foreign forces return home. White House is considering keeping between 3,000 and 9,000 troops in the country, a lower range than initially recommended by the top commander in Afghanistan.

Bangladesh asked to find abducted witness

New York: Human Rights Watch has asked Bangladesh to explain what steps have been taken to trace a witness abducted from near the war crimes courthouse in Dhaka in November last year. Shukho Ranjan Bali was abducted and disappeared.

Bali, originally a prosecution witness, had agreed to testify for the defence, the defence said, in the case of Delwar Hossain Sayedee at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). The ICT is a domestic tribunal set up to try violations of the laws of war and other crimes during the country's independence war in 1971.

Pak legislator, 3 others gunned down in Karachi

Karachi: A Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader and three others, including two policemen, were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in this southern Pakistani port city recently, triggering protests by the party's workers. Manzar Imam, a member of the Sindh Assembly, and a bodyguard were killed instantly in Orangi Town area of Karachi. MQM leaders said Imam may have been targeted for speaking out against attacks on the minority Shia community.

Televangelist sentenced to death for Bangladesh war crimes

Dhaka: Bangladesh's controversial war crimes court sentenced a top Islamic televangelist to death by hanging for genocide and other atrocities during the country's 1971 liberation struggle against Pakistan.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who has been on the run for about a year, is the first person to be convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) created by the country's government to try suspected war criminals. It's a historic day for the country.

It's victory for humanity. Bangladeshi people can now heave a sigh of relief since 1971.

Islamabad: Pakistan's anticorruption watchdog on Monday said it had suspended a probe into a graft scandal involving the prime minister until an inquiry into the death of an officer investigating the case concludes.

Kamran Faisal was found dead on Friday in the government hostel where he lived in Islamabad with colleagues from anti-corruption watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

According to the initial findings of an autopsy, he committed suicide. He was reportedly found hanging from a ceiling fan, but Faisal's family say he had marks on his wrists and dispute that he killed himself.

"The proceedings in RPPs (Rental Power Plants) case would remain pending till the conclusion of the inquiry in

NAB added that it would conduct its own inquiry into Faisal's death if other investigations fail to satisfy them.

The Pakistani government earlier appointed a retired judge to probe the death. The retired Supreme Court judge will head the commission and submit a report in two weeks, interior minister Rehman Malik told reporters.

The watchdog said Faisal was a junior investigations officer working on the case against Ashraf, whose arrest was ordered by the Supreme Court last week in a move that sparked panicked rumours of a "soft coup" against the government.

The court has since adjourned the case to January 23 and a further perceived threat to the government, a rally of tens of thousands led by a cleric outside

parliament, has dispersed.

The prime minister on Monday withdrew a petition asking the Supreme Court to review its orders from March 30, 2010 for action against all officials involved in the alleged scam, including himself.

According to NAB, Faisal suffered from "mental stress" and "psychological issues".

He had asked to be taken off the case, but the Supreme Court refused a written request on January 7 and ordered he be reinstated.

Suicide is frowned upon under Islam and Faisal's father, Abdul Hameed, said that he believed his son was murdered.

"I have seen marks on his wrist. His hands were apparently tied before his death.

He is a martyr," he said by telephone from his home in Punjab province.

Pakistan SC admits petition against Sherry Rehman on blasphemy

Lankan MP urges India to change its Colombo policy

Islamabad: The Pakistan Supreme Court has admitted a businessman's petition seeking action against Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's ambassador to the US, for allegedly committing blasphemy over two years ago. The petition filed by Fahim Akhtar Gill, a trader from Multan in Punjab province, was heard by a twojudge bench. The judges directed the Multan city police chief to take action in accordance with the law.

Gill asked the court to direct authorities to register a case against Rehman under the controversial blasphemy law. His petition claimed Rehman, a senior leader of the Pakistan People's Party, had committed blasphemy while appearing on a TV talk show over two years ago.

In November 2010, Rehman had submitted a bill to the parliament secretariat, seeking an end to the death penalty under the blasphemy

Chennai: A prominent Sri Lankan MP wants India to change its Sri Lanka policy, warning that its hands off attitude was encouraging Colombo from meeting the legitimate political aspirations of the island's Tamil minority.

Suresh Premachandran also said in a telephonic interview that the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa was not sincere in having a dialogue with the elected leaders of the Tamil community.

"One could understand a certain Sri Lanka policy India followed when the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) was there," the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) member said.

"Now that the LTTE is no more, India must change its (Sri Lanka) policy," he said.

"Otherwise the Sri Lankan government's attitude will not change."

Raja Pervez Ashraf

Kamran case," said a statement by the watchdog attributed to its chairman Fasih Bokhari.

The long-running probe involving Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and other officials relates to allegations of kickbacks during Ashraf's tenure as minister for water and power.

Sherry Rehman

law. She was forced to withdraw the bill by her Pakistan People's party early in 2011.

In February 2011, Gill petitioned an additional district and sessions court in Multan, saying Rehman had committed blasphemy by speaking against the blasphemy law on a TV talk show.

The court had then directed police to register a case against Rehman.

However, police refused to act, saying the matter did not fall within their jurisdic-

tion as the TV show had been aired from Islamabad.

Gill subsequently filed a similar case in the Lahore high court before approaching the apex court. Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97 per cent of the 180 million population are Muslims.

Mere allegations of desecrating the Quran or insulting Islam often provoke public fury and several persons accused of blasphemy have been lynched in recent years.

2012 bloodiest year for Shias in Pakistan Islamabad: There are guns ablaze and bombs aplenty across the border these days.

The targets vary, but one fissure that goes back some decades is a particularly vile brand of sectarianism that pits Sunni against Shia across Pakistan's terrain.

The US-based, Human Rights Watch records 2012 as the bloodiest year for the Pakistani Shia community with over 400 targeted deaths; some 120 of these were in Balochistan. Commenting on the issue, HRW's Pakistan specialist, Ali Dayan Hasan said, "As Shia community members continue to be slaughtered in cold blood, the callousness and indifference of authorities offer a damning indictment of the state, its military and security agencies."

Sectarianism is not new to Pakistan though strategies

of attack have become increasingly brutal. However, some responsibility must fall on the average citizens of our complex polity. Though civil society groups are active in small constituencies, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not deep enough to create serious civil unrest.

Sadly, over time, various forces in Pakistan have collaborated in the downfall of this rich and important tradition. Such a series of anti Shia atrocities reflect the sentiments of a larger public, much as Aung San Su Kyi's deliberate silence on the mistreatment of the Rohingyas in Myanmar reflects the quiet assent of the country's larger population.

One tragic impact of the Shia-Sunni conflict is its influence on the average individual's psyche, giving large space for the birth, rebirth

and flowering of pitiful biases. I recall, a paranoid relative asking my mother if she was really going to send my sister and me to a majlis at a friends' house. The frantic woman told us not to eat anything that was offered to us, especially the kheer, "You know they spit in their food and they serve it to you."

I couldn't erase the image of my friends' mother with a black dupatta on her head hovering over a pot of kheer and spitting her heart out, smiling evilly as she thought of her innocent Sunni guests gulping down mouthfuls.

One other memory dates back to 1986, a verbal tug-of war in a sunless fourth grade classroom of a Karachi Convent school where allegiances were being struck along sectarian lines.

The backdrop must have

been some urban sectarian gun battle but the discussion evolved into segregation, along sectarian lines, in the classroom. Most of us were thoroughly uneducated on the finer points of dissent between Sunni and Shia communities; we were merely spreading Home Gospel. I do remember thinking that I was ashamed that 'grownups' could stoke such petty fires and impose them on us, their children.

Many Pakistanis still don't realize that the man they worship for creating their nation, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was a Shia himself.

One only has to know this to read the bloody events of our current times as a signal that the country has been hijacked by ideologues of a deranged politico-religious variety. But now, what do we do about that?

world

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

23

In Focus Indian-American guns down father in US

Washington: In a ghastly act, a 28-yearold Indian-American has killed his father in a North Carolina city, following a dispute between them. Jiten Ashwin Patel, 28, is charged with first-degree murder of his father Ashwin Patel, 62, and is being held without bond at the Gaston County Jail, police said. The incident happened in the Mount Holly city, a suburb of Raleigh. The Mount Holly Interim Police Chief David James said police found Jiten Patel driving the Camry in nearby Gastonia, N.C. Jiten was arrested after he was on the run for more than 12 hours.

Algeria siege toll mounts to 80

Algiers: Algerian forces have found the bodies of two Canadian Islamist fighters after a bloody siege at a desert gas plant, a security source said on Monday, as the death toll reached at least 80 after troops stormed the complex to end the hostage crisis. Algerian prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal is expected to give details about the siege near the town of In Amenas, which left American, British, French, Japanese, Norwegian, Filipino and Romanian workers dead or missing.

26 killed in Jakarta floods

Jakarta: Floods in Indonesia’s capital have killed at least 26 people and sent more than 100,000 fleeing their homes, police said. Jakarta police spokesman Col. Rikwanto says on Monday that most of the victims were electrocuted or drowned by floodwaters reaching up to two meters (6.5 feet) high in some places. About 103,000 people are now living in temporary shelters. The floods reached their peak after a dike in central Jakarta collapsed. They engulfed around 30 per cent of the city of 14 million, including its business district centre and the presidential palace.

Egyptian family jailed for converting to Christianity

London: A mother and her seven children were jailed for 15 years for converting back to Christianity and changing their names in Egypt. Nadia Mohamed Ali and her children Mohab, Maged, Sherif, Amira, Amir and Nancy were sentenced at the criminal court in Beni Suef, 70 miles south of Cairo. Nadia was born a Christian, but converted to Islam when she married husband Mohamed Abdel-Wahhab Mustafa 23 years ago. He later died, and she planned to convert back to Christianity along with her children.

US carries out first electrocution since 2010

Washington: An American who murdered two fellow inmates while serving a life sentence was put to death by electric chair, a first such execution since 2010, authorities said. Robert Gleason, a 42-year-old former tatoo artist, was declared dead, said Larry Traylor, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections in the state of Virginia. Gleason was serving a life sentence for a 2007 murder when he strangled two others.

United Nations: India and Pakistan got into a verbal exchange at the Security Council on relevance of the UN observer group at the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, with India stressing the force's role has been "overtaken" by subsequent agreements signed by the two nations under which they resolved to settle differences "through bilateral negotiations."

The exchange occurred during a UN Security Council open debate on peacekeeping, which was organised by Pakistan under its current presidency of the 15-nation powerful UN body.

Presiding over the debate was Pakistan's foreign secre-

line of control in Jammu and Kashmir," Jilani said.

The reference to UNMOGIP was rejected by India's ambassador to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri, who suggested that it would be better to spend resources allocated for the observer group elsewhere in difficult economic times.

"Suffice it to point out that UNMOGIP's role has been overtaken by the Simla Agreement of 1972 between India and Pakistan, signed by the heads of the two governments and ratified by their respective parliaments.

"In times of austerity, we need to address the question whether the resources being

tary Jalil Abbas Jilani, who said his country has been a "proud participant" in peacekeeping missions. "Pakistan is also host to one of the oldest UN peacekeeping missions - the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). This Mission has played an important role in monitoring peace along the

Tahawwur Rana given 14 Obama sworn in for second years in prison for aiding LeT term in brief ceremony

Washington: The United States' first mixed race president was sworn in for second term on Sunday amid palpably less popular enthusiasm and energy, pointing to four more challenging years in the White House at a time of gradual waning of American power.

The two million people who poured into Washington DC four years ago for his historic swearing in was a distant memory as President Obama was administered oath of office in a brief, quiet ceremony in the White House East Room by Justice John Roberts to meet a constitutional deadline, under which the term of the President and vice-president ends at noon on the 20th day of January.

Because January 20 is a Sunday, and courts and public institutions that officially record and endorse the swearing in are closed, the formality will be repeated publicly on Monday on the steps of the Capitol Hill, in front of which an estimated 600,000-800,000 people who are expected to witness the spectacle in icy weather.

However, on Sunday, it was just the President, his family, and a closed group who witnessed Justice Roberts swear in the President in a private ceremony without the fumbles (from both) that char-

London: A Chicago businessman who aided Islamic militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which is blamed for the Mumbai attacks in 2008, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. Tahawwur Rana, 52, was convicted in 2011 of providing material support for the Pakistani group LeT, reports said. Rana was also charged with helping plan an aborted plot to behead staff at a Danish newspaper, which had published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. But he was cleared of a role in the Mumbai attack, when more than 160 people were killed by gunmen.

Rana's lawyer, Patrick Blegen, argued for a more lenient sentence than the maximum of 30 years, saying the Pakistani-born Canadian did not present a future risk.

Prosecutor Daniel Collins argued for a tough punishment to deter others. At the centre of the trial was testimony by the government's star witness, David Headley, once Rana's close friend.

US-Pakistani Headley had previously pleaded guilty to laying the groundwork for the Mumbai attacks and helping plot the attack against the Danish paper.

Prosecutors argued that Rana had allowed Headley to open an office of his Chicagobased immigration services

acterized the first term oathtaking. That occasion, a first for both the oath-administrator and oath taker, was marked by verbal stumbling and misplaced words as the two men were completely out of sync, necessitating a repeat inside the White House just to silence doubts about its legality.

This time the order was reversed. The two offices had exchanged oath cards detailing the precise words, sequence, and pauses, to prevent another mishap and the first ceremony went off without hiccup as Obama took oath on a family Bible. Justice Roberts read from a cue card, the President repeated correctly after him, and once the oath was administered, Obama hugged his wife and daughters and chuckled, "I did it!"

On Monday, he again took oath on bibles used by Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King. In a separate ceremony, vice-president Joseph Biden was administered the oath of office by associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Now, Ramayana in Polish Warsaw: Ramayana, the great Indian epic, is now available in Polish language, courtesy Janusz Krzyzowski, an Indologist in Poland who has translated the monumental work.

Though a few episodes of Ramayana were translated into Polish in 1816, these were translations by western writers. In the 20th century, some attempts were made to translate a few more chapters. Krzyzowski has presented a comprehensive translation. The original was penned by Maharishi Valmiki in Sanskrit.

spent on UNMOGIP would not be better utilised elsewhere," Puri said in his remarks at the debate, which was initially supposed to be presided over by Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. Puri stressed that under the Simla agreement, the two countries had resolved to settle difference "by peaceful means" through bilateral talks.

At the end of the debate, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN Masood Khan, speaking in his national capacity, responded to Puri's remarks saying that no bilateral agreement between the two nations has "overtaken or affected" the role or legality of the observer group.

Enjoyable format: “My main purpose was to translate this epic into many chapters in a story format so that laymen and particularly Polish children could enjoy the book as well as be aware of the great Indian mythological tradition.

“Ramayana and Mahabharata are two great epics which cannot (be) compared with other epics.

Even Greek epics come out as pale shadows when we see the canvas of the Indian epics. They are almost unique in the history of mankind,” Krzyzowski said.

A theatre group that presented a two-hour show on the lines of Ramlila in Warsaw won much praise.

In May, the theatre group will visit few cities in Poland to enact Ramlila for Polish schoolchildren with the help of the Embassy of India in Warsaw.

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firm in Mumbai, which Headley then used as cover to scout sites for the attacks.

The prosecutors also said that Rana had allowed Headley to pose as a representative of his firm in order to gain access to newspaper offices by feigning interest in purchasing advertising space.

Rana's defence team argued that he had been manipulated and misled by Headley, an old friend from their days in a Pakistani military school.

At the opening of the trial, Headley also testified that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency had provided military and moral support to LeT. Pakistan has denied the allegations.

Rana to appeal against conviction: Rana’s attorney, however, said that he would appeal against the conviction.

"I am sure he is pleased that the judge decided not to include the terrorism enhancement. We would appeal the conviction, certainly and we would discuss this with Mr Rana," Peter Blegan, attorney for Rana told reporters.

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In Focus Asaram accused in `7bn land grab case

Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu has run into fresh trouble with the Serious Fraud Investigating Office (SFIO) seeking his prosecution in a `7 billion land grab case in Madhya Pradesh (MP). The case pertains to 200 acres of land in Ratlam and the SFIO, which wants to prosecute Asaram and his son under the provisions of Indian Penal Code and Companies Act 1956, recently send its recommendation to the ministry of corporate affairs in this regard.The land belongs to Jayant Vitamins Limited and was allegedly grabbed in 2000 and is being used by them since then.

Another Nirbhaya battles for life in Rajasthan

Girl aged 11-year-old from Sikar in Rajasthan, is battling for life at a hospital in Jaipur after a brutal gangrape — is yet to be told. Six persons had abducted the girl last year from a bus stand in Sikar town.

They raped and thrashed her mercilessly before dumping her. Her private parts, say doctors looking after her, had been so brutally vandalized that she had to undergo six major surgeries and eight minor surgeries.

Six people were arrested, from whom two have already been granted bail.

5 killed in Himachal avalanche

In Himachal, five persons were killed in an avalanche in Kinnau district last night, officials said, adding upper reaches of the state remained cut off for the fifth day due to heavy snowfall in past few days.

Vehicular traffic could not be restored on the Hindustan-Tibet and Kiratpur-Manali National Highways which were blocked due to snowfall, they addedKelong was the coldest place in the state with a minimum of minus 12.5 degrees, whereas Manali shivered at minus 6.2 degrees, six notches below normal.

India, Australia to hold nuclear energy cooperation talks

India and Australia will hold the first round of negotiations on civil nuclear cooperation agreement in March in New Delhi.External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said this in a joint press conference at the end of bilateral talks with Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr ‘We shall be commencing negotiations on a civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement led by our Ministry of External Affairs and the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in March 2013, in New Delhi," Khurshid said.

Gujarat's main Republic Day function to be held in Dangs

The main Republic Day function of Gujarat government will be held in tribal-dominated Dangs district this year. The function will be organised in Ahwa, headquarters of the South Gujarat district. Governor Kamla Beniwal will unfurl the national flag in the presence of chief minister Narendra Modi on January 26. Since 2004, the BJP government has been holding the main Independence Day and Republic Day functions at important towns and cities in the state by rotation instead of capital Gandhinagar.

Tahsildar attacked, hands cut off in TN

A tahsildar was brutally attacked and his hands chopped off by unidentified men.

Murugesan, who was in charge of regulating local television networks and functioning of the Government Cable TV Corporation here, was heading to a busstand when he was attacked. Cable TV network in the district was allegedly managed by some rowdy elements, who were angry with the tahsildar for being strict

President's rule in Jharkhand

Jharkhand was placed under president's rule with President Pranab Mukherjee formally signing the order. President's rule was okayed after the Arjun Munda government collapsed after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha withdrew support last month. The union cabinet gave its nod for imposing president's rule in the state. The president has signed the order.

on Day-2.

Uttar Pradesh leader Jitin Prasada said, "Things are being discussed as to how we can ensure participation of youths. Rahul is certainly our leader and he will lead 2014 general elections of Congress and the country as well."

Taking serious note of middle class protesters taking to the streets over corruption, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the lifestyles of leaders is giving rise to questions about the source of their wealth.

Speaking at Congress's chintan shivir (brainstorming session) here, Sonia said, "Celebrating weddings, festivals and happy events is one thing, what of lavish and ostentatious displays of wealth, pomp and status?

Does this not beg the question, where is this wealth coming from?"

Her direct remarks caused a hush to descend on the meeting. "Our citizens are rightly fed up with the levels of corruption that they see in public life at high levels, but equally with the corruption they have to deal with in their daily lives,'' she said.

Sonia's carefully crafted speech referred to the principal political challenges before the party and the government at a time when UPA 2's credibility is seen to have taken a beating due to corruption scandals, an anemic economy and demoralizing electoral losses.

Rahul Gandhi left Congress reeling when he went through the pain and tribulation of seeing his childhood badminton partners kill his grandmother Indira Gandhi, melting the gathering at chintan shivir (brainstorming session) with an emotional connect, just when he had enthused it with a 'bomb the headquarters' promise to radically transform the party.

In a stunning revelation, Rahul said as a "little boy", he had learnt to play badminton at 1, Safdarjung Road, with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's two securitymen. He liked to shuffle feet in badminton courts in search of balance in the complicated world.

"They were my friends. Then one day, they killed my grandmother and took way the balance in my life," he said.

That the 14-year-old Gandhi scion had played badminton with Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, who later assassinated Indira, surprised Congressmen plonked in Birla auditorium and many others craning their neck at the doors to hear the new leader who was elevated to the post of vice-president on Saturday.

Rahul Gandhi's inaugural speech drifted from hard-nosed idealism to moving sentimentalism, a combination that had the auditorium in splits and roars, only to bring it to tears to conclude the session.

Rahul made the surprise revelation to narrate how his

family repeatedly suffered fatal setbacks, first Indira and then Rajiv, but how they had no option of keeping away from politics.

He disclosed his mother's mixed feelings at his elevation on Saturday, at once happy at having persuaded the hesitant son to take the big leap but possibly terrified by what she had suffered.

"Last night, my mother came to my room and she cried. Why did she cry? She cried because she understands that the power so many people seek its actually a poison she can see it," he said, urging the leaders that power was best not chased for kicks but used to empower the weak.

Rahul chided the Congress, as also the political system, as a closed society that was not responding to aspirations of young, impatient India seeking a voice in "nation's future". He said the solution lay in changing the system rather than improvising it. He mocking of the fake champions fostered by political

For the second time in four days, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav expressed unhappiness over functioning of the government led by his son Akhilesh, and asked those in responsible positions to focus on "public interest" rather than "self interest".

Yadav, who was addressing party state executive meeting, said he was aware of "what was going on in the government", and noted that party workers are being ignored by their own MPs and MLAs, party sources said.

It is the second time in four days the party supremo has pointed out flaws in the Akhilesh-led government.

On January 14, Mulayam, while speaking in his hometown Etawah, had said he was receiving lot of complaints about the state government's functioning.

Mulayam advised party leaders not to involve in activities like mounting pressure on the government for transfers and postings of officials, sources said.

He also expressed displeasure over the way the

bureaucracy was working in the state. During the meeting, he was assured by Chief

Minister Akhilesh Yadav that efforts will be made to make improvements in governance, sources said.

When asked about Mulayam's remarks, SP National General Secretary Ram Asrey Khushwaha said the leader was always concerned about problems of common man. "It is responsibility of Netaji (Mulayam) to point out lacunae in the government," he said. At the meeting, party also reviewed its preparations for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and discussed on names of candidates.

Putting the onus for improvement of bilateral ties on Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his government was continuously reviewing ties with Islamabad after the January 8 incident along the LoC. The "inhuman killing" could affect Indo-Pak ties, he said.

"Our future action will be based on carefully thought out strategy," Singh said at the AICC session in Jaipur.

However, along with the tough message to Pakistan which was greeted with applause from 1,200-odd Congress delegates - Singh also asked Pakistan to reciprocate India's efforts at friendship.

Picking up from where Singh left, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid emphasised on the need for the atmosphere to improve.

"We did hit a low point a few days ago, and I think it is important that we get back to a level of atmospherics that can be described as near normal... and then we can think of moving forward in a meaningful way, he told Karan Thapar on Devil's Advocate programme.

Khurshid said the recent talks between the directorsgeneral of military operations (DGMOs) of both countries was a "positive signal".

On a day when Pakistan foreign minister Hina

Rabbani Khar’s offer for talks received lukewarm response here, Pakistan high commissioner Salman Bashir turned out be the real gamechanger as he said that Islamabad was willing to address all Indian concerns over the Line of Control (LoC), including its demand for a probe into the mutilation of the bodies of two Indian soldiers.

Bashir said, “Essentially, what the Pakistan foreign minister has said is that Pakistan is willing to discuss all Indian concerns, especially those related to the recent LoC developments, with a clear objective to ensure respect for the ceasefire along the LoC.” It was Islamabad’s

refusal to give any such assurance that had forced India to harden its stand and provoked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to say that it can’t be business as usual with Pakistan.

Asked if his assurance included India’s demand for investigations into the beheading of Lance Naik Hemraj Singh, Bashir said, “When we say all concerns, we are not excluding anything...I believe all civilized people, no matter where they are, would be appalled by the gruesome incident.”

However, Bashir added that for India to accuse Pakistan of the act without a probe was not “understandable”.

Rahul being greeted by partymen with a turban on his appointment as vice-president.

process evoked loud guffaws.

"People who are corrupt stand up and talk about eradicating corruption... and people who disrespect women everyday of their life... talk about women's rights," he said.

The call to change the system surprisingly went down well with the people given that he has been a power centre in Congress for eight years and his family has been at the helm of the party for decades.

It was a veritable Sunday show-stopper from Rahul, strong enough to choke not just the throats but also airwaves and cyberspace. To observers, the debut could not be better for the leader often seen as reluctant and out of place in the game seeking better aptitude from its purveyors. There is also speculation on who Rahul would have consulted for his speech.

"Rahul will lead the party during 2014 general elections and would be the prime ministerial candidate," party leader Sanjay Nirupam said before the discussions began

Mulayam again criticises Akhilesh’s govt

Akhilesh Singh Yadav

Reviewing ties with Pak after LoC incident: Manmohan

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In Focus Lawyer appoints Modi as heir

A female lawyer in Rajkot has made Chief Minister Narendra Modi the legal heir of her property after her death. 45-year-old Mira Rawal has completed all the legal formalities and the necessary documents in this regard. Rawal says she is impressed with Modi’s unmatched charisma,authenticity and his courageous nature and so her brother-cum-father like figure Modi will be the legal heir. Rawal has around Rs 12 lakh deposited in her bank account, which according to the nomination made by her, will automatically go to the chief minister following her death. She has also said that 75 per cent of this money should be used to develop tourist spots in the state and 25 per cent for police development and reforms.

Former Haryana CM Chautala, son Ajay jailed

Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay has been sentenced to 10 years in jail in connection with a teachers recruitment scam.They have been accused of tampering with the selection list of over 3,200 teachers recruited in 1999-2000, when he was chief minister, and selecting teachers by taking bribes and for nepotism and favouritism.

Supporters of Chautla had gathered outside the Rohini court and tried to enter the premises, following which the police fired tear gas shells and resorted to batoncharge to disperse them.

Rapist-killer gets death in 10day trial

Ten days after being set up to try cases of sexual offences against women, a fasttrack court in Dwarka, gave the death sentence to a 56-year-old farmhouse guard for raping and killing a three-year-old girl in 2011.

This was the first sentence handed out by any of the fasttrack courts set up in Delhi after the Nirbhaya gang-rape. Terming the crime as “most diabolic and gruesome”, additional sessions judge Virender Bhat sent the accused, Bharat Singh, to the gallows, saying the case fell in the “rarest of rare” category.

Stray dogs kill all 31 blackbucks

A pack of stray dogs killed all 31 blackbucks - five males and 26 females - in Kanpur zoo in a feeding frenzy that was detected. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav suspended the zoo director, K Pravir Rao, and five others for laxity which allowed the dogs to sneak into the enclosure of the blackbucks, an antelope species, late on Saturday night. Blackbucks are classified as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Rajasthan woman branded witch

A community panchayat in tribal area in Udaipur allegedly ordered a 40-year-old woman to be set on fire on suspicion of her being a witch. She was also allegedly molested during the panchayat meeting, attended by 50-odd people. Police suspect that woman’s own relative tried to get her killed to grab her property. The families of her two brothers-in-law live in adjoining houses. Died brother’s widows and sons had a property dispute with the victim,” said Singh. The woman said that the man brought a kerosene can and attempted to pour the fuel on her body.

Number of fast-track courts to go up

Sources said the government was working on another proposal to allow states to use funds available for morning and evening courts to further increase the number of fast-track courts, a demand raised by various sections of society to expedite trial of pending cases, particularly those of sexual assault and heinous crimes. he Centre had discontinued the fast-track courts scheme in March 2011 after running it for over 11 years.

Just a month after the brutal gangrape of the 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus in the national capital, a Metropolitan Magistrate court in Delhi on Thursday committed the case to a fasttrack court. The hearing in the case will begin on January 21.

This comes even as the prime accused in the case, Ram Singh, has decided to move the Supreme Court to transfer the case away from Delhi to any other state except for Uttar Pradesh.

Ram Singh, who is the driver of the bus in which the gangrape took place, expressed apprehension about getting justice in Delhi. Meanwhile, the Juvenile Justice Board reserved its order on the age of the minor accused in the case till January 28. On

Tuesday, two school principals, former and current, of the minor accused appeared before the court. Their statements were recorded and the court reserved its order till January 28.

This comes even as the prime accused has decided to move the Supreme Court, seeking transfer of the case from Delhi.

The accused's principal was earlier summoned by the

Gujarat move to preserve its wildlife gets IUCN support International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s oldest and the largest global environmental organization, has joined hands with the Gujarat government to conserve state’s flora and fauna.

This is a one-of-a-kind arrangement where an Indian state has tied up with IUCN. The move comes at a time when rapid industrialisation has exerted pressure on wildlife habitats in the state.

The agreement will help Gujarat use the expertise of the best scientists to prepare a detailed action plan for conservation of various species.

It will also help in long-term study of migratory species,” says chief wildlife warden C N Pandey. The first meeting of IUCN and state forest department officials is scheduled later this month.

The scope of work for the partnership goes much beyond Asiatic lions and will cover several endangered species. A master plan for conservation of the wild ass,

sloth bear and wetland including the Flamingo City in Kutch will also be prepared.

Experts list Nalsarovar, one of the biggest wetlands in the country, as a good example of conservation clashing with development. Many of the lake’s natural inlets have been encroached upon, resulting in it getting less water. To compensate, forest officials released Narmada water into the lake. This raised the water to a level higher than what many migratory birds prefer.

Another example is the Narmada project branch canal cutting across the wild ass sanctuary in Kutch and Surendranagar. Five of the unique animals had drowned in it last year.

Gujarat is also home to rare turtles, endangered bird species flying in from across the world and dugong, among others. A senior state government official said such a tieup will help the state to take up studies in collaboration with the other countries.

board to help determine the exact age of the accused who claims to be 17 years old. The board, however, was not satisfied by the documents presented and had asked the principal to furnish more authentic documents. If the magistrate is not satisfied with the final documents that were presented today, they can order a bone ossification test.

Lalu Prasad reveals Delhi gang-rape victim's name: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav Friday while demanding death punishment for the perpetrators of the Delhi gang-rape and murder, mentioned the name of the victim. "I went to meet the family of the victim in Ballia (Uttar Pradesh) and the father related how the young

girl was subjected to barbarism. He revealed his daughter's name to me," said Lalu before mentioning the name of the victim to the audience.

"So long as a rape victim is alive you cannot mention her name, but in this case she is no more," added Prasad "Our party has always been advocating for punishment for rapists and in the next session of parliament we will put pressure on the government to amend the respective laws and provide death for rape," he said."If Raavan can be killed for abducting Sita, then why can't these inhumans be hanged. Unless there are stringent punishment we cannot prevent crime against women," Lalu Prasad said.

Besides the millions of pilgrims, ash-smeared ascetics, doe-eyed starlets and wideeyed tourists that usually flock to the Mahakumbh Mela in Allahabad, there is a new class of visitors the religious gathering has attracted this year: academics and students from Harvard University.

Intrigued by the sheer scale and complex dynamics of the mela, a group of top Harvard dons has been quietly working on a big multi-disciplinary project to study its various aspects. The effort, dubbed ‘Mapping India’s Kumbh Mela’, is underpinned by the desire to figure out just how tens of millions of Indians gather peacefully

in one spot to celebrate this ancient rite of religious passage.

“There’s no doubt that the mela is an incredible, even astonishing, human undertaking. Just the organizational logistics involved in managing so many people over a few months in one spot is tremendous. Our project seeks to understand this unique phenomenon better,” says Diana Eck, a key faculty member associated with the project.

Eck’s students will examine various rituals, groupings and traditions as well as the slow-bubbling sense of environmental awareness she terms the ‘Green Kumbh’.

Kumbh mystique now draws Harvard dons

No surrogacy visa for gay foreigners In a first-of-its-kind step towards regulating the practice of surrogacy in India, the Union home ministry has issued stringent guidelines for visas being issued to foreigners seeking to rent a womb in India. The diktat indicates that gay couples and single foreigners will no longer be eligible to have an Indian surrogate bear their child as only a foreign "man and woman" who have been married for a period of two years will be granted visas.

Stating that the Union ministry of home affairs had noticed that some foreign nationals visited India for surrogacy on tourist visas, which wasn't appropriate, the ministry decided in a littleknown circular sent out to foreign embassies in July 2012 that such foreigners would be eligible to enter India only on "medical" visas, and only if they fulfilled certain criteria. The circular was notified by the Foreign

Regional Registration Office in Mumbai on December 17, 2012 and was subsequently sent out to fertility clinics.

It comes even as a legislation to regulate fertility clinics, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Regulation Bill 2010, awaits tabling in Parliament.

The home ministry has laid down a host of conditions that need to be met if foreign nationals are to be issued a visa for surrogacy. Foreign couples, for instance, would need to furnish a letter from their country's foreign ministry or embassy in India certifying that their country recognizes surrogacy. The letter needs to contain an assurance that the child or children born to the Indian surrogate mother would be allowed to enter their country as a biological child of the couple.

This is particularly significant, as many babies born out of cross-border surrogacy in recent years have been

trapped in legal tangles between the home country and India. A Norwegian woman who had twins borne by an Indian surrogate in 2009 was stranded for over two years as Norway refused to accept her as the biological mother of her child. Many countries, like France, Germany, Italy and Norway, do not recognize surrogacy.

"The home ministry norms are compatible with the ICMR guidelines," said Dr P M Bhargava, a scientist who drafted the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines. When asked about gay persons seeking a surrogate child in India, as was rampant till now, he explained that the ICMR guidelines recognize only man-woman marriages.

The home ministry's circular seems to signal some form of streamlining in the sector.

A few months ago, the ICMR reached out to fertility clinics encouraging them to apply for

registration. The ministry's guidelines also mandate that the treatment of foreign nationals should be undertaken only at registered ART clinics recognized by the ICMR. Director of assisted reproduction and genetics at Jaslok Hospital, Dr Firuza Parikh, said the home ministry has taken a good step.

"Surrogacy is here to stay and, in the absence of a law, it is time that we fill in the lacunae that will come up from time to time as the science is still nascent," he said.

However, others said such measures are ad-hoc and skirt real issues.

"Surrogacy is a complex issue and the focus of the government should be on protecting the poor Indian woman who rents out her womb. While such provisions might be important, we must ask why they dither over a bill to regulate the ART sector?" said Amar Jesani of the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics.

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In a sudden and dramatic last-minute twist, Nitin Gadkari, facing allegations of dubious funding of his company, was forced out of the race for BJP president's post and Rajnath Singh appeared to have emerged the consensus candidate.

In a late-night development, Gadkari issued a statement opting out of the election, saying he did not want that allegations against him should in any way adversely affect the interests of BJP. "I have, therefore,

Pak to release all Indian fishermen

Rehman Malik

All Indian fishermen in Pakistani jails would be released soon, Pakistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interior minister Rehman Malik said on Tuesday.

Malik made the announcement after attending a meeting called by President Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal house. Malik said he had ordered a review of all Indian fishermen in jails.

"We have decided to release all Indian fishermen in Pakistani jails and the process of scrutiny to decide how to go about the task will begin soon," Malik said without giving information on their numbers.

According to civil activists involved in seeking legal release of Indian fishermen from Pakistan jails, around 168 fishermen are languishing in different jails notably in Malir jail in Karachi. On Sunday, Pakistan's Maritime Security arrested 27 Indian fishermen for allegedly fishing illegally in its territorial waters and also seized six boats.

decided not to seek a second term as the president of BJP," he said.

Gadkari, whose candidature was being strongly pushed by RSS despite reservations within the party, was all set for reelection before senior leader Yashwant Sinha decided to throw his hat in the race.

The move by Sinha, who had earlier demanded Gadkari's resignation in the wake of allegations of impropriety by his firm Purti Group, forced top BJP leaders including

Rajnath Singh

Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, M Venkaiah Naidu and RSS representative

Ram Lal into a huddle to deliberate on the evolving situation.

After the meeting, Rajnath Singh's name emerged as the consensus alternative, sources said.

The 62-year-old Rajnath, who had served as BJP president till 2009 before Gadkari, is also considered close to RSS and that appeared to have tilted the balance in his favour.

Sources said Gadkari is expected to propose Rajnath Singh's name for the top party post.

MHA's clean chit to Team Anna for use of foreign funds The Centre conceded before the Delhi High Court that it found nothing to warrant a criminal investigation in its inquiry into utilization of foreign funds by a few NGOs affiliated to anti-graft activist Anna Hazare's civil society organization.

In a status report filed before the bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice V K Jain, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said NGOs Navjyoti Indian Foundation and India Vision Foundation - run by Kiran Bedi - and NGO Kabir - run by Manish Sisodia - did receive foreign funds, but these were not used for any political activity or the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement.

The government said technical irregularities were found relating to accounting. "Inspections were carried out in August and also in November 2012 under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and FCR Rules and some irregularities were found," the report says.

"These irregularities are not serious enough at this stage to warrant a criminal investigation.

During inspection no documentary proof in the records of the association was found

Anna Hazare

to show the use of the fund in any such political activity or in India Against Corruption (IAC) movement or agitation," said the MHA report.

The bench was hearing a PIL seeking CBI enquiry against the members of erstwhile Team Anna for allegedly receiving funds from foreign organizations without government's permission and running their agitation for a Lokpal Bill.

According to the affidavit, during inspection of Kabir's account last August, some vouchers were not supported with bills and some bills for repairing personal vehicles were claimed from the association's accounts.

In addition, cash was disbursed to several persons without justification or record, most of the foreign contribution has been spent on tours and travel without approval of trustee and Sisodia has been getting salary for discharging

his duties, said the affidavit adding that Kabir's present office runs from residential flat of Sisodia's wife.

The government said during inspection of India Vision Foundation's accounts last November, it was found that the organization maintained as many as 15 bank accounts, including FCRA designated bank account, and it frequently withdrew foreign contribution.

The PIL had alleged that FCRA mandates the members to seek permission from the Central government in order to receive any fund from any foreign company or organization.

The members have violated FCRA and the Centre has failed to take any action against them, it alleged.

It also sought a direction to the "Union of India to conduct CBI investigation against team members and others and ask for an action taken report."

Sack home minister Shinde, demands BJP Continued from page 1 This is a matter of concern. We are keeping a strict eye on it," Shinde had said in his speech.

The minister later clarified that he had only stated what has been appearing in the media and his reference was to "saffron terrorism".

Prasad said saffron was a pious word in Indian tradition which was linked to the country's spiritual heritage. He said it was also one of the colours in the national flag and was linked to the freedom struggle.

"What is the meaning of linking a pious word with terrorism?" Prasad

said and added that the BJP and the RSS had never said that those guilty of terror acts should not be punished. He said the BJP would not tolerate linkage of saffron with terrorism.

Prasad said Gandhi and Manmohan Singh should give an "unconditional apology" and Shinde "should be sacked". He said elements supporting terror in Pakistan "will be the happiest" with Shinde's remarks.

He said Shinde's comments had come when there was anger in the country over brutal killing of two Indian soldiers near Line of Control and decapitation of one of them.

He said that activists of Indian Mujahideen had been arrested for terror acts but the BJP had never linked it to religion.

"Did we ever say Muslim terrorism?

Terrorism has no religion," he said.

Accusing the Congress of practising vote-bank politics, Prasad asked why "no action" had been taken on mercy petition of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

He also accused the party of repealing a law "enacted to effectively deal with terrorism" and had not implementing the Supreme Court verdict concerning illegal migra-

tion in Assam.

"For vote bank politics, it is repeatedly compromising with terrorism and the country's security," Prasad said.

He also attacked Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh over his remark about "Sanghi terrorism."

He said the Congress had disapproved former home minister P Chidambaram's references to saffron terrorism and demanded it come clear on Shinde's remarks.

Attacking Shinde, Prasad said that even Congress members start laughing when the minister speaks in parliament.

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In Focus Vice principal of Pune school arrested for 'molesting' girl A minor student of Don Bosco school at Yerwada was molested allegedly by its vice-principal, who was arrested after public outrage and protests outside the educational institution. Vice-principal Iju Francis Falkau, 54, had called the 14-year-old girl, in his office on January 2 around 1pm when he allegedly molested her, police said. Based on a complaint, a case was booked against the accused under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 511 of the IPC and subsequently he was arrested, they said. Workers of several political parties protested the alleged offence and demanded strict action against the accused. They gathered outside the school and shouted slogans against Falkau.

AI pilotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love for Kachoris delays flight by an hour

She is an Air India pilot and is fond of kachoris, especially Jodhpurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous onion kachoris. However, Captain Smriti Trehan is now facing an inquiry and the prospect of being suspended after she took her love for the delicacy too far. Trehan last Sunday chose to ignore calls to switch her 12 pm Mumbai-JodhpurDelhi flight for a 2 pm direct Mumbai-Delhi flight. The reason - she desperately wanted to fly via Jodhpur as she had placed an order for pyaaz kachories which were to be delivered to her at the airport.

Rat bites woman passenger in AC coach

The railways appears to be losing the fight against pests and rodents on trains. A 64-year-old woman was bitten by a rat in an AC III-tier coach of the Coimbatore-Chennai Cheran Express at Arakkonam station. As the train was moving, irate passengers pulled the chain and stopped it. Meena Ramana, who was asleep, suffered a cut to a toe and screamed out.

We brought a doctor who was on duty at the station.

She gave an injection to prevent infection and administered first aid," said a Railway Protection Force (RPF) official. Pests and rodents have for long been troubling passengers on long-distance trains, particularly in AC coaches.

Special court to try Italian marines

The Supreme Court ruled that the Kerala government has no independent jurisdiction to try two Italian marines for shooting down two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast last year. The apex court bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice J. Chelameswar held that it was only the union of India that had the jurisdiction to hold the trial of the two marines Massimilano Latorre and Salvatore Girone.

Amdavadis top chart for obesity in Indian cities

Ahmedabad has the maximum proportion of adults who are obese. Almost 16% of the city's women and 12% of men are obese. "An alarming 42% of the population in Ahmedabad weighs more than their ideal body weight. Nearly 40% of the total obese population of the top 11 cities,of these, 12% are from Ahmedabad," said obesity surgeon Dr Mahendra Narwaria who declared the survey results. The survey

by AC Nielsen covered Delhi, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Cochin. "The epidemic of obesity and the co-morbidities it carries is reaching colossal proportions in the city as well as in the country. What is worse is that the majority of these people are in the productive age group, from 20 to 50 years old," said Dr Narwaria.

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The Story of Baka and Indra O

26th January 1950 is one of the most important days in Indian history as it was on this day the constitution of India came into force and India became a truly sovereign state. In this day India became a totally republican unit.

The country finally realized the dream of Mahatma Gandhi and the numerous freedom fighters who, fought for and sacrificed their lives for the Independence of their country. So, the 26th of January was decreed a national holiday and has been recognized and celebrated as the Republic Day of India, ever since.

Republic Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm all over the country and especially in the capital, New Delhi where the celebrations start with the Presidential address to the nation. The beginning of the occasion is always a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeed-

ing wars for the defense of sovereignty of their country.

Then, the President comes forward to award the medals of bravery to the people from the armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also the civilians, who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations.

To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in Delhi from the Rajghat, along the Vijaypath. The different regiments of the Army, the Navy and the Air force march past in all their finery and official decorations even the horses of the cavalry are attractively caparisoned to suit the occasion. The crème of N.C.C cadets, selected from all over the country consider it an honour to participate in this event, as do the school children from various schools in Delhi. They spend many days preparing for the event and no expense is

spared to see that every detail is taken care of, from their practice for the drills, the essential props and their uniforms.

The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. The parade and the ensuing pageantry are telecast by the National Television and are watched by millions of viewers in every corner of the country.

The patriotic fervor of the people on this day brings the whole country together even in her essential diversity. Every part of the country is represented in occasion, which makes the Republic Day the most popular of all the national holidays of India.

ne day, when the Pandavas were sitting with the rishi Markandeya in the forest, Yudhishthira requested him to tell them the story of the rishi called Baka. Yudhishthira said, “O rishi, please tell us how the rishi Baka managed to live such a long life.”

Markandeya said, “There was a great war raging between the Devas and the Asuras. The Devas won the war and the Lord Indra became the sovereign of the three worlds. It was a time when people were happy, the rains were on time and everyone was wealthy. Indra was so pleased that his people were so happy; he sat on his elephant Airavata and roamed the world to witness their joy. He travelled through many ashrams filled with Brahmins reciting verses from the vedas, he crossed cities, mountains, rivers and the ocean. Near the ocean, he saw a beautiful country. It was filled with trees, and lots of birds and animals.”

“Lord Indra then saw a lovely ashram and he went in to pay homage to the rishi whose name was Baka.

The rishi led Indra to a seat of importance and honoured him with flowers.

After thanking the rishi,

Bitten by study bug, man obtains 31 degrees in jail

(Top) Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi flags off mega sports event "Khel Maha Kumbha: 2012-2013 in Surat recently. Around 2500,000 people, including 700,000 women participants, across Gujarat are expected to participate in this event that will cover 21 games. (Bottom) The Chief Minister also inaugurated India's first ever State-of-Art "Surat Safe City-CCTV Project" making Surat a safe and secure city at Police Commissionerate.

Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana has completed this task with Public Private Partnership at the cost of `800 million. As many as 5,000 CCTV cameras will be installed at traffic signal points as well as at strategic points in the city.

Bhanu Patel, 57, a doctor by profession, obtained 31 educational qualifications while in jail term and is all set to enter record books for the 'Most educational qualifications during imprisonment'.

Patel has got certificates from Unique World Records and Asia Book of Records, while Limca Book of Records has confirmed his entry for its 2013 edition. Patel, convicted in 2004 for violation of the then Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA), was in prison from January 2005 to December 2011.

"Due to my qualifications, I was given duty at jail dispensary and then at the library at Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad. Prison officials soon introduced me to open universities. Due to my proficiency in English, I was given the responsibility to correspond with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU)," says Patel. Since then, there was no looking back.

Over next six years, Patel completed courses such as M Sc, M Com and B Com apart from several PG diplomas.

Indra told him that it was well-known that Baka was over a lakh years old and requested him to speak of the hardships he had undergone in those years.”

The rishi Baka began by speaking of the pain of watching the death of one’s loved ones and then living long without them. “To have to live with people you do not know and do not like, and to tackle those who wish to harm you are some of the sufferings that come with a very long life.

To see the death of sons and grandsons after being so loved by them and becoming totally dependant on them is cause for suffering.”

“O Lord Indra, I have seen races rise and fall. To see a great leader lead his people to prosperity, only to later see someone in his

lineage be cruel and unjust and bring calamity to that very race which was at the pinnacle of happiness... these are the miseries of a long life. Change is the cause of pain and to see everything changing, from men, to snakes, to gods and even the asuras. The rich insulting the poor and then the rich losing their wealth and becoming poor, what could be more painful? To see the play of opposites is real suffering.

To see people with great knowledge and understanding suffer their entire lives and those with little knowledge lead a life of pleasure and joy... oh, one with many years has to suffer through all of this. Oh Indra, I have observed the life of man for more than a lakh of years and it is full of conflict and turmoil. It is this which brings me the deepest pain.”

Indra asked again, “O greatest of Brahmins, you have spoken of the suffering one goes through in such a long life. Now could you please tell me of the joys which come from living so long?”

To be continued next week.

All past articles on the Mahabharata can be accessed from http://epaper.asianvoice.com or from http://www.3stepbreath.com/mahabharata.html

Martyrs’ Day marks death anniversary of Gandhiji

Martyrs’ Day marks the death anniversary of the father of nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was assassinated on Jan 30, 1948, by Nathuram Godse. Godse held Gandhi responsible for the partition of India thus he shot Gandhiji. For this evil deed Godse was hanged on November 15, 1949.

Originally the martyrdom of the soldiers while defending the sovereignty of the country during the freedom struggle was remembered on Republic Day, January 26, gave way to Jan 30.

On this day not only the Prime Minister and chiefs of the armed forces salute the martyrs at India Gate but also common men show their gratitude towards them by giving up their normal activities for some time and observing silence for 2 minutes.

Sirens are blown at every government estab-

lishment around 11 am. At that time everyone, be it in industrial units or government offices even the commoners stop their work and observe silence for two minutes as a remembrance of the martyred souls. The siren again blows after two minutes, i.e. around 11.02 am allowing resuming work.

The day sees the triumphant celebrations, showcasing the latest weapon achievement and advertising military might.

The followers of Mahatma Gandhi worship him. Bapu is a symbol of virtues and greatness. This man lived the life of a saint. His status of Father of the Nation cannot be challenged as the political party led by him enjoyed full monopoly after independence. He believed in anti-violent ideologies.

Gandhi and his followers played a significant role in ousting British.

28

travel & women

www.abplgroup.com - asian voice 26th January 2013

Dwarka – one of the holiest places of Hinduism Thailand – Phuket & Koh Samui T

hailand is a surfeit of fantastic temples and ethereal scenic beauties.

The nation is rich with various cultures, traditions, cuisines and kindhearted people. The best time to visit most of Thailand is between November and February, because it rains the least and it is not too hot.

Phuket is one of Thailand's premier tourist destinations located in southern Thailand, it is well known for rubber plantations, beautiful beaches, temples, water sports, massages, spas and nightlife. To avoid the city crowds catch a boat ride from Phang Nga Bay to enjoy quiet green waters and magnificent views of limestone cliffs. Also visit the famous James Bond Island and Koh Panyee, located on the bay. Enjoy various water sports activities or get a rejuvenating massage in any of the spas. You will want to wait until the sun goes down and have a romantic dinner. Walk through the old town of Phuket and capture the architectural beauty of 19th century Portuguese buildings, shops, cafes, museums and cobbled streets.

If you are traveling with kids, Phuket FantaSea at the Kamala Beach is a must visit. It is Asia’s biggest cultural theme park displaying Thailand’s history and modern cultures. The park offers exciting elephant shows, buffet restaurants, adventure parks, shopping centres and some unexpected wonders. Newly launched attractions include The Tiger Jungle Adventure, and Magic Fountain both parks are open every day except Thursdays.

Try modern Thai cuisine at LIM's on Kalim Beach and Pan Yaah restaurant, which specializes in stir-fried dishes.

Nine Lounge Bar has a great variety of cocktails to offer along with the best views of the setting sun.

Koh Samui an exotic Island, is just 5 hours drive from Phuket, direct flights are available form the local airport - Krabi.

Explore the magnificent beaches and lush green tropical trees. Ramble through the Fisherman's village to find authentic Thai houses, wood Chinese shops and magnificent buildings and peruse exquisite corals and souvenirs from Koh Samui markets.

An absolute must see is the

Wat Plai Laem temple known for its colorful statues of Buddha. There is also an 18-armed image of Gunyin, the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. kids will love to feed the fish at the lake surrounding the statue. Later head to the most famous destination of Koh Samui, Big Buddha, where you can find the Mara posture of Buddha.

Spend the evenings walking across the bay from Big Buddha to Choengmon Beach, where you can find a family friendly crowd. This beach is known for its calmness, tranquility and water activities like swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, jet skiing, water skiing and para gliding.

A constellation of 42 different islands forms the Ang Thong National Marine Park. This national park gained lot of fame after the movie “The Beach” starring Leonardo Di Caprio. If you like adventure, you can climb the 500 meter Koh Wua Talap, to get a birds eye view of the entire island.

Make a reservation at the Nuch's Green Ta'lay Restaurant an ideal place to unwind, relax and enjoy some authentic Thai cui-

sine. You can also go to Baitong at Chaweng Beach , it serves a range of international and Thaifusion dishes. You can also enjoy the Surf Turf night every Monday and open-cooking station nights on Friday's. They even have BBQ nights on Tuesday's.

If you have a day free take a small tour to Bangkok and visit the Temple of Emerald Buddha and reclining Buddha's temple where statue measure more than 150 feet in length. Drop a coin in the temple and take luck back with you.

Spend an afternoon at the renowned Floating market or take up a cycling tour and explore the areas canals, fruit orchards, shrines and temples at your own pace.

For return flights, 7 nights in Phuket, 3 nights in Koh Samui and transfers, this package starts from just £1045 pp.

Brightsun Travel offers a price match promise on worldwide flights and holidays so you will get the best deals. To book your dream holiday, call Brightsun Travel on 0208 819 0486 or visit www.brightsun.co.uk

By AV Correspondent he present temple in Dwarka was built in the T 16th century, while the orig-

inal temple was believed to have been built by Krishna's great grandson, King Vajra.

The 5-storied temple is made of limestone and sand. A flag is hoisted in the temple tower five times every day. There are two gateways - Swarga Dwar, where pilgrims enter, and Moksha Dwar, where pilgrims exit. From the temple one can view the Sangam (confluence) of River Gomati flowing towards the sea. In Dwaraka, there are also shrines for Vasudeva, Devaki, Balarama and Revati, Subhadra, Rukmini Devi, Jambavati Devi and Satyabhama Devi.

There is a special temple for Rukmini Devi on the way to the Bet Dwarka temple.

The temple of Bet Dwarka can be reached by boat. The temple has many shrines for Lakshmi Narayana, Trivikrama, Jambavati Devi, Satyabhama Devi and Rukmini Devi.

The city derives its name from word dvar, meaning door or gate in Sanskrit. Dwarka is considered to be one of the holiest places of Hinduism and one of the Char Dham along with Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram. The city is especially respected by Vaishnavas.

The Jagatmandir temple, which houses the Dwarkadhish, a form of Krishna, is also located in Dwaraka.

Nageshvara Jyotirlinga, one of the 12 holy shrines of Shiva, is located near Dwaraka.

Dwarka is also the site of Dvaraka Pitha, one of the four cardinal mathas established by Adi Shankara, the others being Ingredients: 2 cups besan (Bengal gram flour), 1 green chilli, finely chopped 2 tbsp carrots, shredded, 1 tbsp beans, shredded, 2 tbsp tomato, chopped 1 bunch coriander (dhania) leaves, finely chopped, 1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain) 1 tsp black pepper (kalimirch) powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp chaat masala, 1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder, Salt to taste 1 to 1 1/2 cups water to make a smooth batter, Oil for cooking.

Method: Put all the ingredients except water in a big bowl. Now start adding small quantities of water to make a smooth batter, so that there should be no lumps in it.

Add water till it comes to a dropping consistency or just like dosa batter. Now keep it aside. Now heat a

those at Shringeri, Puri and Jyotirmath. Adi Shankara had visited Dvarakadisha Shrine and had established the Dvaraka Pitha. The Lord here is dressed in Kalyana Kolam where he appears to be a Royal Wedding costume. It is one of the 108 Divya desams.

Darshan, Sevas and Festivals: There are many Darshan and Sevas for Lord Dwaraknath. The dress is changed accordingly. Dwarka is mentioned in the Mahabharata, the Harivansha, the Bhagavata Purana, the Skanda Purana, and the Vishnu Purana. It is said that this Dwarka was located near the site of the current city of Dwarka, but was eventually deserted and submerged into the sea.

The city was built by Vishwakarma on the order of Lord Krishna. Land was reclaimed from the sea near the western shores of Saurashtra. A city was planned and built here.

Dwarka was a planned city, on the banks of Gomati River. This city was also known as Dvaramati, Dvaravati and Kushsthali. It had six well-organized sectors, residential and commercial zones, wide roads, plazas, palaces and many public utilities. A hall called "Sudharma Sabha" was built to hold public meetings. The city also boasted having the

possession of a good sea harbour. The city had 700,000 palaces made of gold, silver and other precious stones. Each one of Lord Krishna's wives had her own palace. Besides this, the city had beautiful gardens filled with flowers of all seasons and beautiful lakes.

After Krishna left the earth for Vaikuntha, about 36 years after the Mahabharat War (3138 BC), and the major Yadava leaders were killed in disputes among themselves, Arjuna went to Dwarka to bring Krishna's grandsons and the Yadava wives to Hastinapur, to safety. After Arjuna left Dwarka, it was submerged into the sea.

Following is the account given by Arjuna, found in the Mahabharata: On the same day that Krishna departed from the earth the powerful dark-bodied Kali Age descended. The oceans rose and submerged the whole of Dwarka.

The proposal for the Dwarka museum: The proposal involves laying a submarine acrylic tube through which visitors can view through glass windows the ruins of the city.

The Government of Gujarat and the Travel & Tourism Department of Gujarat are working on this proposal.

When completed, it will be the first museum to be built under the sea.

Besan ka Cheela

non-stick- tawa or heavy bottom frying pan, then turn the heat on medium.

Put little oil on tawa [1 tsp] & spread 1 serving spoonful of batter evenly on it. Cover it with lid just for a minute so that it should cook inside also.

Then remove lid, put some more oil on the top & turn it upside down.Let it be brown & crispy from both sides. Repeat the same with rest of the batter.

Serve hot with any chutney (coconut, savory tomato or green chutney) or sauce. It can be taken

with toast also, and tastes great with any gravy dish.

Health benefits: Besan is a versatile flour, which is gluten free and extremely high in protein.

Besan is lower in carbohydrates and calories as compare to other flours.

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 26th January 2013

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Avoid reheating oil; use combination of oils and read food labels to ensure that transfats do not creep into your diet While plans maybe afoot to welcome the New Year with health conscious resolutions, one vital culinary component that is linked to non-communicable diseases is often neglected – cooking oils. While the debate on the healthiest oil continues through various studies and reports, most of them clearly frown upon sticking to one type of oil for cooking. The reiterated thumb rule is to use a combination of cooking oils to derive the maximum benefits from fatty acids contained in these oils. “Use a combination of two or three types of oil regularly or rotate types of oil for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” says M.V.Alli, assistant professor, department of nutrition and dietetics, Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College.

The choice of cooking oil is important as the risk of heart disease is linked to the usage of oil, says N.Senthilkumar, interventional cardiologist, Kauvery Hospitals.

Cooking oils containing saturated fats can elevate bad cholesterol or LDL cholesterol levels which block arteries and increases risk of heart disease, insulin resistance, and obesity.

Cooking oils are of various types: saturated like ghee and coconut oil, and unsat-

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urated oils are further classified into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oil apart from transfats. Transfats are found in hydrogenated oils or vanaspati or vegetable shortening which are present in pastry products, pizzas, burgers. In his book, ‘how to protect your heart’ Dr. Senthilkumar recommends avoiding transfats, minimal use of saturated fats, and striking a balance between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which are present in mustard oil, groundnut oil, olive, gingelly, sunflower, safflower and canola, to name a few. “We do not recommend the use of saturated oils like coconut oil or ghee, particularly for persons with cardiovascular disease, diabetes or obese people,” says Dr. Alli.

Reheating oil: At a health meet, cancer specialist, V. Shanta, chairperson, Adyar Cancer Institute, said reusing of oil was a cause for worry as reheating oil has been linked with cancer. The practice is prevalent due to rise in prices of essential commodities like oil and cap on subsidised gas cylinders. Reheating oil multiple times is the primary reason why doctors and dieticians frown upon eating out in restaurants.

29

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How to be true to yourself in 2013 T

his weeks article is about how you can stop living in fear and how you can start living. I read a lovely quote by Richard Branson, it was ‘life is a lot more fun when you say yes’. I hope this article inspires you to step bravely out of your comfort zone and start embracing the beautiful experiences that life presents. Stop doubting and start living.

Firstly, accept that you cannot minimise all risk, learn to feel comfortable with not all the pieces in place and start to warm yourself to the feelings of ambiguity. Let yourself go and flow through what may feel uncertain and turn it around into excitement.

Stop forming negative pictures in your mind about the future and believe them to be reality. You do

not do yourself any favours here. What you do is stay well and truly put into your comfort zone. Yes, everyone gets a little worried and afraid at times. But don’t set yourself up to fail.

If you see things to be hard and difficult, they will be. Start to think about things in a more positive way and think about what you can learn if you embrace the experience.

Be mindful that uncertainty does not paralyze you. Often when we are doubtful and fearful we stop, start shaking, crying or doing something similar and what we don’t do is act. Start taking action and stop riding on this wave of fear. Stop talking over and over again about what is wrong and what you don’t know and start creating exciting and motivating

plans to push ahead. Take the first step and tell yourself to be brave, trust yourself and go forward.

Learn your lessons about certain people and move on. If someone drains you and irritates you they are not good for your life. You should never be made to feel disrespected and you should never have to convince someone to love and accept you. If you are unhappy with your friendships and the company you keep start to detach yourself and you will find that new and better people come into your life, because you made the space for them.

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter, like us on facebook and email us if you have any questions.

Light and love – Mamta @thinkspalondon.com.

Teeth whitening: Points to consider before going for the procedure

Have you always wanted those shiny, pearly whites you see on the silver screen? You’ve probably already considered or are talking to your dentist about teeth whitening or dental bleaching.

However, before you opt for it, here are some points you need to think about: Reduce or eliminate the cause of discoloration of teeth • Certain stains caused by foods or drink, poor dental hygiene etc are usually taken care of by a good round of scaling/professional cleaning. Discuss this with your dentist.

• If the stains are caused due to tobacco, make sure you have made up your mind about kicking the butt or stopping

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...

tobacco usage in any form before you decide to go for teeth whitening.

• Discuss with your dentist about your medical history and any medications that were prescribed to you for a prolonged period. Some of them may be responsible for the discoloration of your teeth.

• If you have any large amalgam restorations (silver fillings), they can cast a greyish black tinge to your teeth. Your dentist might advice you to replace the filling with a more cosmetic alternative.

Tooth whitening is not a one-time procedure: You may need more than a sitting to get the desired results. Even after multiple sittings, the effects of the whitening last only for a period of one to two years depending on many factors.

Teeth whitening requires maintenance too: If you thought you could go back to how you treated your teeth before your teeth whitening days, you are wrong. If you choose

• You have very sensitive teeth or gums.

• You have large cavities or fillings in your teeth.

• You have receded gums and exposed roots.

• You grind your teeth and have worn enamel.

• You have any developmental anomalies of teeth.

• You currently have ulcers in your mouth.

Dental bleaching products: do not bleach dental materials used in fillings, veneers, crowns and bridges. If you are not replacing them, it is better not to opt for too drastic a

the more popular and effective whitening procedure done by a dental surgeon at his clinic, you will be advised to avoid food and drinks which may cause stains. Irrespective of mode of whitening, either at home or in dental clinic, smoking or chewing tobacco should be avoided. Make sure you brush at least twice a day and floss regularly to maintain whiter teeth for longer.

Not everyone can opt for teeth whitening: You are not a candidate for the procedure if.

• You are pregnant or a lactating mother.

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shade change for your teeth. If you choose to get new dental work done, it is advisable wait for a few days until the colour of your teeth settles after the bleaching procedure.

Do not overdo teeth whitening: Repeating the procedure too often can erode the enamel or the outermost layer of your teeth. This makes them appear more translucent and lifeless. A redo of whitening once in six months to a year should be adequate to keep your pearlies bright and shining!

Beware of side effects: You could possibly have

sensitive teeth and irritated gums as a side effect of using any bleaching system. But don’t worry, they are usually short lived.

Some dentists recommend using a toothpaste to reduce sensitivity several days before the procedure and for a few weeks afterward.

So, as you can see, getting that dazzling smile with really nice and white teeth isn’t so difficult. One needs to be aware of the procedure involved, understand the pros and cons and take the right decision with the help of your dentist.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

Asian Voice Youth Conference Shaping Young Lives Asian Voice is organising a Youth Conference on Saturday 23 March 2013 for 15-25 year olds. The conference will begin at 11am and will continue into the afternoon. It will feature leading professionals from different walks of life who will share their personal experiences and offer practical advice on how young people can fulfil their aspirations and get ahead in the world of work. The conference will also include interactive sessions and mentoring opportunities.

This year we are hoping to attract a wide range of people and all youth within the age bracket are welcome. There will be various competitions to win prizes and opportunities to talk to successful and inspiring people in the field of your choice. We will also bring out a Youth pullout for the participants and young readers. If you wish to participate in this youth conference, please email aveditorial@abplgroup.com, with your full name, age, email address and phone number by 3 March 2013.

Lt Gen Kuldip Singh Brar attacker pleads guilty

Coming Events l Celebration of Jain Community Centre’s 10th Anniversary“The President’s Launch”, Saturday 26th of January 2013, 4.30pm till late, Jain Community Centre, Dress Code: Smart, 4:30-10:30pm l Gujarat Hindu Society organises Youth Sports Festival, Sunday 24 February, 2013, 10am-4pm.

Juniors-8-11 years, Youth 12-14 yearsm Senior 1518 years. Entrance £1/per sport, sports include: Badminton, Table Yennis, Carom, Chess, Kho Kho, darts, Dodge Ball. Contact: 01772 253 901 l Gandhi Martyr's Day celebration, Tavistock Square, London 30th Jan, 11am.

Contact asoke.gupta@gmail.com l Redbridge Asian Mandal, (RAM), of Ilford, Essex, will celebrate India's Republic Day (26 January) on Tuesday, 29 January from 12 noon to 3pm at Ilford Sports Club, Cricklefield Stadium, 486 Hugh Road, Ilford, IG1 1UE. Contact the President, Odhavjibhai Magudia on 0208 590 9834." l 108 Hanuman Chalisa Maha yagya 27th January, 2013, Vishwa Hindu Mandir, 2 Lady Margaret Road, Southall, UB1 2RA. 11 -5pm. l Flag Hoisting Ceremony on the Republic Day of India, Saturday 26th January 2012 at 10.30 am, Brent Indian Association, Community Resource Centre, 116 Ealing Road,Wembley,Middx HAO 4TH. Contact: email: info@biauk.com l Republic Day of India- Saturday, 26th January 2013, 12pm to 1pm, Singing of Anthem, Pooja and Prasad at 1pm. Contact Shree Jalaram Mandir Greenford on 0208 578 8088 / 9285. l Republic day of India, by Indian Association Manchester, On Saturday 2 February 2013, 6pm to 9pm, Gandhi Hall, Brunswick Road, Withington Manchester M20 4QM. Tel. 07941 769 621

COMPETITION

Brar (78) and his wife were on a visit to the UK when they were attacked in a deserted street near their hotel in central London. He suffered a cut on his neck and was bleeding profusely when rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery.

Brar recovered and was discharged the next day and caught a flight back to India.

A decorated officer, Brar fought 1971 war with Pakistan. In June 1984, he commanded Operation Bluestar. Ever since, Brar has been a target of Sikh militants and gets security.

But the security cover is restricted to India, unless specifically sought when he is abroad. This was not the case during his trip to London.

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Barjinder Singh Sangha, one of the three accused in the assassination attempt on retired Lieutenant General Kuldip Singh Brar in London on September 30 last year, pleaded guilty on last Friday.

Sangha (33), a resident of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England, had been charged by the UK's CPS with "wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm" on Brar and with "common assault" on his wife Meena.

The other accused were committed to trial by a judge at south London's Southwark Crown Court at a pre-trial hearing involving the three. The trial is scheduled to commence on April 2.

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Having all the major planets above the horizon chart shows that the general pattern of events will focus your attention on the need to make an impact on the world. Although the very practical affairs of life continue to be highlighted, this does not mean that there will be all work and no play. In fact, you will be very much in demand socially.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 If you're currently romantically involved, your lover could well go from strength to strength in the area of passion. The work that you are involved with at this time is likely to demand a great deal of energy and initiative from you.

This will also involve a lot of moving around and a need to establish a wider network of contacts.

If lately you have had all sorts of demands being placed on you from all sides, don't despair; take some time out to reflect. Once you know, don't hesitate to implement it systematically. A tremendous amount of planetary activity in your chart signals a time of mixed emotions as well as personal issues to be dealt with.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

You will make your best progress by focusing your mental and physical energies on what you want to achieve. The underlying trend seems to be pulling you into a much wider social circle now. This is bound to enrich your life and give you a deeper sense of purpose. The prevailing pattern of planets gives you a marvellous opportunity - take advantage.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 The cash situation continues to be rather erratic. However, problems can be avoided if you can curtail extravagant impulses and keep everything well organised. However, there are indications of favourable changes and developments in the areas of career and employment. Keep away from any emotional tensions with your partner.

All close ties of love and affection will benefit from the gentle influence of Venus. If you have a wellfounded relationship, it seems that the pattern of events will somehow draw you closer together emotionally. Virgoans who are not yet wholly decided on what direction to take career-wise, this is a fine time to do some serious thinking.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

It is a particularly favourable time for dealing with financial interests with a long-term basis. You will be able to sort out any difficulties by taking immediate action. There may be a certain amount of unfinished business to be dealt with.Therefor, you need to be flexible in order to accommodate the odd twists and turns of everyday life.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

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With Venus traversing your sign of desires for some time to come, it will put you in the right mood to indulge your pleasure-loving instincts. Venus, the planet of love and romance throws a pleasing light on affairs of the heart. Existing emotional differences can be easily sorted out now. Your creativity is also riding high.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 Whatever you are aiming to achieve, either in the near or distant future, everything is now swinging into your favour.

Do not be afraid to aim high if you are working towards promotion or wish to begin a new venture. It is definitely a time of high potential in regard to worldly achievement.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 You will have the distinct feeling that everything is moving ahead at a very satisfying pace. You will be in a forward-looking mood, more inclined to reflect on the future and its potentials. The power of destiny is very much in your own hands and that any major decision you make will have a profound effect on your future.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 Brilliant ideas come easily, as you trust your higher self and allow thoughts to flow freely. You are able to embrace new opportunities and make positive changes in your life. Your efforts bring you into a more stable way of working than ever before, an important development, with all the changes occurring around you.

You will feel energetic and confident as the week begins. New beginnings are favoured around now, as long as you do not bite off more than you can chew.

Your thinking is inspired, so listen to your thoughts.

This may be a time of expansion and improved opportunity and it would be unwise to let yourself become complacent.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Sport World

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

31

Shane Warne slapped with new fine

Indian boxers will not be able to take part in international events till the impasse surrounding the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) is resolved, a directive from the international boxing body (AIBA) says.

This comes as a big blow to the boxers who were looking forward to a busy Asian season from March before gearing up for some of the big AIBA events from June onwards.

In recent years, amateur boxing has been one of few sports where Indians have held their own against the world's best, winning medals at the Olympics and other

Saina rises to world No. 2

Olympic bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal attained a new high as she climbed to a career-best second in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released last week.

Saina gained a rung to be second with 80,091.7444 points. Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China who has 94626.7153 points is in the first place. The 22year-old brought home India's first Olympic medal in badminton when she clinched the bronze in London last year and this year, Saina has already set her eyes on the All England and World Championship titles. In the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s list, Olympic quarter-finalist Parupalli Kashyap also headed northwards as he reached a career-high 10th.

international meets.

AIBA's ruling is in response to a letter from the Sports Authority of India seeking steps to pave the way for Indian boxers' participation in international meets.

"Since both I n d i a n O l y m p i c Association (IOA) and IABF are suspended, we asked AIBA who would be in charge of sending in entries to various competitions.

We wanted them to make suitable arrangements so that our boxers did not suffer," sources

said. "In reply, AIBA said Indian boxers will not be able to participate in any of the events organized by the world body or recognized by it for the time being."

AIBA's hammer blows on Indian boxing have been swift and telling ever since it suspended IABF a month back, citing "possible manipulation" in the Indian body's elections held in September last year.

Initially, the world body allowed the boxers' participation in two events,

Indian tennis stars seek sports ministry's help

India's leading tennis players - Somdev Devvarman, Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna, Yuki Bhambri, Vishnu Vardhan, Sanam Singh, Divij Sharan, Saketh Myneni, Sriram Balaji, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth - have appealed to sports minister Jitendra Singh to intervene in the All India Tennis Association's selection fiasco.

The Anil Khanna-led AITA are looking to field a depleted Indian side for the February 1 to 3 Davis Cup tie against South Korea to be played in New Delhi after the players threatened to boycott the tie if their demands, that included professional functioning of the association, weren't met. AITA picked a raw team, led by veteran Leander Paes.

In their letter to the minister, the players sought his intervention into the stance adopted by AITA, as well as an inquiry into the actions of the national federation over the past few weeks.

"We believe that the AITA should divulge its reasoning behind the deci-

sion to field an inexperienced team at the crucial Davis Cup Group I fixture to be held in February against South Korea," the players stated.

They added: "We have shared all relevant facts with the ministry, explained our position and reiterated the lack of discussion and communication from AITA in relation

important step to ensure that a strategic programme will be put in place for the senior and junior men's and women's teams.

"Hockey India had been looking for a candidate that not only has the experience of High Performance Management but also understands the unique attributes of working on the sub-continent.

We're confident that Roelant will bring his vast experience and knowledge into this key position," Batra said. Oltmans said he was excited with his first-ever role as Director, High Performance.

Somdev Devvarman

'78

finding a solution. "We would like to reiterate that the ministry does not intervene in selection matters, which is a prerogative of the federation," a top ministry source said. "We can hold talks with them at an informal level on this issue but the final decision will still be AITA's."

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Lance Armstrong admits using drugs

Cyclist Lance Armstrong has admitted that he used the performance enhancing drug EPO and did blood doping during his racing days in an interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey. When Oprah asked Armstrong whether he used EPO and blood transfusion during his racing days, the 41-year-old American answered with a definite "Yes." But he denied the US Anti-Doping Agency's accusation that he helped orchestrate a "most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping program the sport has ever seen" while he rode for the US Postal Service team in the Tour de France. "It was definitely professional, definitely smart but it was conservative," said Armstrong. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, 2000 Sydney Olympics bronze meal and banned for life as the USADA released a scathing report condemning him to be the centre of a "sophisticated" doping program while riding for the US Postal Service Team and Discovery Channel team between 1998 and 2005.

England stars warned against going to Pakistan

Mahesh Bhupathi & Rohan Bopanna

to our suggestion for the benefit of Indian tennis.

We are hopeful of a beneficial and amicable outcome that would substantially change, for the better, the system of sports administration in India.

"Ministry officials did not sound too enthusiastic about government's role in

Hockey India appoints Roelant Oltmans as high performance manager

Hockey India has appointed legendary Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans as high performance director, who will oversee the affairs of its senior and junior national teams.

Hockey India (HI) secretary general, Narinder Batra said that the appointment of Oltmans is an

including the Youth World Championships in Yerevan, Armenia, where Indian officials were told that their federation had been banned at IOC's behest.

Then came the clarification that Indian boxers would be allowed to participate but without the officials. Days later, AIBA hardened its stand, slamming the door on IABF's old office-bearers, saying it would communicate only with the sports ministry to find a solution.

It even allowed Sports Authority of India to send in entries for a junior event in Serbia this month before it closed down all options with a blunt response.

Australian veteran Shane Warne was fined Aus $ 5,000 (US $ 5,250) for a code of behaviour breach in the domestic Big Bash League, his second penalty this month, cricket officials said. Cricket Australia said Warne was fined following a disciplinary hearing into his failure to list himself as captain during the Melbourne Stars' semifinal against the Perth Scorchers in a bid to dodge a penalty for a slow over-rate. Warne had previously been issued with one strike for a slow over rate violation and a second strike this season would have resulted in an automatic one-match suspension.

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England stars have been urged by the Players' Union not to participate in the inaugural Pakistan Twenty20 Super League because of grave concerns over security. Several England international and county T20 stars, among them all-rounder Luke Wright, have attracted interest from organisers keen to recruit them to join the PSL starting in March, reports said.

But the Professional Cricketers Association are so concerned over safety that they have contacted counties asking them to stop players taking part by refusing to issue No Objection Certificates - the written permission they require to play in overseas T20 competitions. PCA chief executive Angus Porter said their advice is that players should not take part in the PSL and added he is certain that England will not issue No Objection Certificates to their centrally contracted players. No international cricket has been played in Pakistan since the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked by gunmen in Lahore in 2009.

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32

Indian bowlers put in an inspired show before Virat Kohli returned to form with a rollicking unbeaten 77 as the hosts spanked England by seven wickets in the third one-dayer to make captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s first match in his home town Ranchi a memorable one.

Earlier India secured its first ODI win at Kochi after losing the first one-dayer to the visitors at Rajkot.

In the third ODI at Ranchi India first bundled out the visitors for a paltry 155 in 42.2 overs riding on Ravindra Jadeja's 3/19 and then chased down the target with 21.5 overs to spare to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match match series.

Nearly 40,000 vociferous spectators at the newly built JSCA Stadium cheered Kohli, who rediscovered his form, and other Indian batsmen as they went about the run chase without much fuss in what turned out to be a rather lop-sided contest.

As he led the Indian cricket team for the first time at his home ground and scored the winning runs in team's comprehensive victory over England, Dhoni said the script was just “perfect” for today's One-day game.

Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the Indian bowlers and opener Gautam Gambhir (33) too regained his touch but it was Kohli who stole the show with a heady mix of caution and aggression that augurs well for India. Yuvraj too contributed a quickfire 30, but Ajinkya Rahane missed out once again.

Jadeja had made it clear on match-eve

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 26th January 2013

India back to No 1 spot in ODIs

MS Dhoni has done it again. After leading India to the pinnacle of Test rankings, in December 2009, the Indian skipper achieved the same in ODIs. Thanks to the hosts' seven-wicket win which came at the skipper's home town in Ranchi in the third ODI on Saturday, following their 127-run win at Kochi.

that India would not want to bat first on an untested track. His captain made sure of that by winning the toss and electing to field. From there on, everything clicked for India. England threatened only briefly when Ian Bell (25) and Kevin Pietersen (17) were batting together. They duo added 44 runs in 41 balls, but umpire S Ravi’s error of judgment ended Pietersen’s promising innings.

Ishant Sharma, who had got some stick till then, got one to bounce awkwardly and seam away from an advancing Pietersen. He missed it and the ball brushed his trousers before going into Dhoni’s gloves, giving the umpire the impression of an edge.

India give one back to England: In Kochi the man who should be given most credit for India’s emphatic 127-run win is Indian skipper Dhoni. His flamboyant innings of 72 along with Ravindra Jadeja’s

sparkling knock of 61 helped India in posting a total of 285 for five in 50 overs.

And then Dhoni followed it up in the field with some astute captaincy. He attacked whenever a new batsman came in to the crease with close-in catchers and his decision to bowl Bhuvneshwar Kumar unchanged from the Road End paid rich dividends. The lad from Uttar Pradesh did his growing reputation no harm by accounting for the wickets of Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan to break the backbone of England batting.

The visitors finally got bowled out for 158 in 36 overs. Bhuvneshwar finished with figures of three for 29 from his 10 overs.

Dhoni did most things right. First, he called correctly at the toss and had no hesitation in opting to bat on a pitch which played low and slow as the game went on.

Indian openers Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane were dismissed cheaply.

Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli struck around for a while before the southpaw got a rough decision from umpire Steve Davis.

He made 32. Kohli, on the other hand tried to bat out of the lean trot that he has been going through, before he brought about his own downfall with a reckless shot. He scored 37. Kohli’s dismissal brought Dhoni to the crease and India were 119 for four at that point in time.

Along with Raina, the skipper put on a 55-run partnership for the fifth wicket before left-hander’s eagerness to exploit the last over of powerplay led to his dismissal. Raina was bowled by Finn but before his exit the leftie had contributed a vital 55 to the total.

Chasing 286 on a slow wicket wasn’t easy for the Englishmen and once Bhuvaneshwar Kumar sliced through the top order there was no way back for England. The spinners too got into the wicket taking act with Ashwin claiming three and Jadeja snaring two as the visitors caved in meekly.